Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam climbed two places from the 117 out of the 189countries in 2019 to the 115 out of the 191 countries in 2021 in the global 2021/22Human Development Report (HDR) freshly released by the United NationsDevelopment Programme (UNDP).

The country’s Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.703in 2021 was essentially unchanged from the 0.704 in 2019.

According to the UNDP, unlike most of the developing countries,Vietnam managed to sustain economic growth during the most difficult years ofthe COVID-19 pandemic. Although the average pace of growth slowed, andvulnerable groups and individuals suffered periods of real hardship, a majorreversal of human development progress was avoided.

Vietnam has been a member of the High Human DevelopmentGroup since 2019. The HDI combines gross national income per capita, life expectancyat birth and mean and expected years of schooling into a single index toprovide a generalized measure of human development.

The nation has seen steady progress in all three dimensions of the HDI sincethe 1990s. The rate of increase in the HDI has slowed over the past decade,mainly because it is now a richer country with relatively high levels of lifeexpectancy and educational attainment for its level of income.

Vietnam’s Gender Inequality Index, which measures the lossof human development due to inequality between males and females, continued toimprove in 2021. Its GII was 0.296, giving the country a ranking of 71 out of the 170 countries. GII considered reproductive health, empowerment and labor forceparticipation. The country performs well in terms of maternal mortality,education of girls and female labour force participation, but representation ofwomen in the parliament remains low.

“Looking ahead, Vietnam is well placed to regain the loss of momentum resultingfrom COVID-19 and manage the uncertainties associated with the cascading crisesdescribed in the HDR,” said Professor Jonathan Pincus, UNDP Senior Economist, atthe launch of the report in Hanoi. “The rapid and universal roll-out ofvaccines has enabled life to return to normal and reduced pressure onhospitals, clinics and schools. Government policy has been flexible andadaptive, which has made it possible for industries like tourism and transportto post an impressive recovery in 2022”.

UNDP also noted that there will be many challenges forVietnam in the coming time. Climate change is the biggest one. It isanticipated to displace people and their livelihoods, seriously affecting thelevel of human development in areas that are most vulnerable to climate change.

Secondly, Vietnam’s economic development depends on growthtrends in the rest of the world. War in Europe, rising prices and disruption toglobal trade patterns are important sources of uncertainty. UNDP recommendedVietnam to increase investment in infrastructure, education, training andresearch to increase national resilience and capacity to adjust quickly andflexibly to changing global conditions.

Importantly, the nation’s social protection system must bemodernised to help all citizens manage economic and natural disaster risksand sustain living standards even during difficult times. The experience of thepandemic demonstrated that gaps have opened up in national social protectionand social assistance programmes. Digitalisation of social assistanceregistration and delivery and basing these systems on universal citizenshiprather than local residence will enable them to respond more equitably andquickly during times of heightened risk./.