Health & Human Development (Chapter 9)

Sustainability

- define

"meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs".

Refers to meeting today's needs and planning the country's growth without creating problems or depleting resources for future generations.

United Nations & 3 Pillars of Sustainability

United Nations - three dimensions of sustainability, which are related to the three types of characteristics of low, middle and high income countries. Three pillars: Economic, Social, Environmental

Economic Sustainability

"Ensuring that average incomes in all countries are adequate to sustain a decent standard of living and continue to rise in line with inflation and living costs in the future".

Adequate income - government receives more funds through taxation and can provide public services to promote the health and wellbeing of its citizens.

Aspects of Economic Sustainability (7)

- Earning a decent income

- Providing Services and Infrastructure

- Education

- Innovations and diversity of industries

- Employment

- Economic Growth

- Trade

Social Sustainability

- Define

- Explain aims (4)

"Creating an equitable society that meets the needs of all citizens and can be maintained indefinitely".

The underlying aim of social sustainability is to:

- ensure that all people have their human rights upheld

- can participate in the society in which they live

- participate in the decisions that affect their lives

- Experience equal access to resources such as food, shelter, education, healthcare, employment, clean water, sanitation, clothing, recreation and leisure.

To be socially sustainable, progress must lead to improvements in the health and wellbeing of all people over time, especially those who currently experience inequality. To ensure social sustainability, a number of conditions must be available to all people.

Social Sustainability

- Aspects (5)

- Elimination of poverty and provision of social protection systems

- Gender Equality

- Access to safe and decent working conditions

- Promotion of political and legal rights

- Peace and security

Environmental Sustainability

- Define

- Explain Human activities key points

"Ensuring the natural environment is used in a way that will preserve resources into the future".

Human activities should use natural resources only at a rate that allows these resources to replenish for future generations. In low- and middle-income countries this is often a challenge, as many of these countries exploit their natural environment as a means of generating income and facilitating trade.

Aspects (4)

- Biodiversity

- Use of natural resources

- Waste Removal and Pollution

- Climate change

Human Development

- Concept

- What it looks at

- Definition

a concept that provides another way of looking at the differences and similarities between countries around the world in addition to classifying countries as low-, middle- and high-income.

Looking at the characteristics of low-, middle- and high-income countries can be useful, but many of these aspects are difficult to measure and therefore make comparison difficult. The concept of human development can give a more accurate picture of how well people are living within particular countries.

Creating an environment in which people can develop to their full potential and lead productive, creative lives according to their needs and interests.

Expanding peoples choices and enhancing their capabilities, having access to knowledge health and a decent life of their community and decisions affecting their lives (adapted, UN Development Programme, 1990)

Improving Human Development

- How

- By being able to...

To do so, people need to have certain choices, capabilities and freedoms. Some of the critical elements relating to these include being able to...

- lead long and healthy lives

- have access to knowledge

- have access to the resources needed for a decent standard of living (such as housing and a reliable food and water supply)

- participate in the life of the community

- Participate in the decisions that affect their lives.

Without these capabilities, human development cannot progress and many opportunities remain inaccessible.

It is also important that these capabilities and freedoms are able to be sustained or maintained in the long term.

Human Development Index

The United Nations has, however, developed a measurement system that attempts to reflect the level of human development being experienced in different countries and regions.

It is known as the Human Development Index (HDI) and it uses three dimensions and four indicators to create an index that estimates the level of human development experienced in different countries.

Dimensions (3) and Indicators (4)

1. A long and healthy life - Life expectancy at birth

2. Knowledge - means years of schooling, expected years of schooling

3. A decent standard of living - GNI per capita

How does HDI use the 4 indicators?

Using the four indicators, the HDI is a number between zero and one (0-1)

The closer to one, the greater the level of development experienced.

- As the HDI uses more than just economic indicators, a clearer picture of the overall standard of people's lives can be seen.

- HDI reflects the level of development made between countries and regions, and allows improvements made over time to be monitored.

The Human Development Report 2016 classifies countries by dividing them into four quartiles according to their HDI:

very high human development

high human development

medium human development

Low human development.