The Human Development Report 2003 calls for partnership between rich and poor countries to reduce poverty

The Human Development Report 2003 calls for a global partnership - a system of shared responsibilities - between rich and poor countries in order to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals of cutting poverty in half by 2015.

The Human Development Report, which is released annually by United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), is an important tool in formulating government policy. According to the Report, which was released on 8 July, the range of human development has been highly uneven with great progress in some areas and stagnation and decline in others. The report estimates that 54 countries are poorer than in 1990 and that a higher proportion of the population suffers hunger in 21 countries.

The Report also includes updates of the highly respected Human Development Index (HDI) that ranks countries according to levels of human development (wealth and income, education, life expectancy, gender disparities, etc.). This Index is decreasing in 21 countries (in Russia and 6 ex-USSR States and 14 African countries).

Achieving the Millennium Goals is not impossible but requires a two-way commitment where poor countries implement pro-poor reforms and rich countries improve trade terms and increase aid. The Report introduces a new plan of action - a "Millennium Development compact" - for how to pursue these objectives, based on a series of time-bound and quantifiable targets. Click here http://hdr.undp.org/ to download the Human Development Report 2003: Millennium Development Goals: A Compact Among Nations to End Human Poverty.