NATIONAL 2 (Spotlight Weekly)]

Glimmers of Hope

Despite growing violence and chronic political instability, Nepal has been able to improve its position in the Human Development Report 2001

By KESHAB POUDEL

"It was the best of times; it was the worst of times… It was the season of darkness, it was the spring of hope, and it was the winter of despair. We had everything before us; we had nothing before us."

Charles Dickens’ opening paragraph in "A Tale of Two Cities" mirrors the situation of Nepal, which is passing through a mixture of good and bad times. At a first glance, Nepal’s situation, characterized by the spread of Maoist violence and rampant lawlessness, leaves little room for hope. If not checked in time, these ills are bound to impede the country’s march toward greater freedom and prosperity.

However, there are also good times. Nepalese society is making progress, particularly in the areas of health, education, gender equality and expansion of infrastructure. More people live in freedom and there are more families that are educated. A greater number of children can read and write. More women can work and more people have a stake in the economy.

Imagining such positive progress in today’s circumstances may seem to be very difficult for many. However, countless Nepalis and foreigners have been leading the process of change through by mobilising non-governmental organizations, civic society, and community participation. The result: Out of 162 countries ranked by the United Nations according to their level of human development, Nepal ranks 129th.

If the disclosure of the Human Development Report 2001 is any indication, Nepal can hope for a prosperous future, provided it could improve the law-and-order situation. According to the report, Nepal’s HDI 0.480 in 1999 puts the country at 129th place out of 162 countries.

Over the last 25 years, Nepal has been making steady progress in human development. In such categories as poverty index, gender-related development, progress in survival, priorities in public spending and technological achievement, Nepal has made relatively good progress.

Prepared by the United Nations, the HDR 2001 has evaluated the performance of various countries of the world assessing social indicators like health, education, gender, life expectancy and expenditure in the social sector.

Nepal’s Human Development Index trend shows considerable progress in different social sectors. Between 1975 and 1999, the index mark has nearly doubled — from 0.292 to 0.477. If we make a comparison with other countries of the region, the growth has been very steady.

In India, it was 0.406 in 1975 and 0.571 in 1999. Bangladesh had an HDI of 0.332 in 1975, which has reached .470

Nepal has seen progress in life expectancy, infant child mortality rate, and infant mortality under 5 years of age and literacy rates. "In Nepal, a child born in the 90s can expect to live 14 years longer than could a child born in the early 70s. The infant mortality rate decreased from 165 in 1970 to 75 in 1999, the under-five mortality rate decreased from 250 in 1970 to 104 in 1999. Over the last twenty-five years, Nepal’s HDI has been steadily increasing, reducing the gap with neighboring countries," said Alessandra Tisot, United Nations Development Program Resident Representative.

Despite such impressive achievements, nearly 10 million Nepalis live in absolute poverty, 47 percent of the population consumes less than the minimum level of dietary energy consumption and more than half of those over the age of 15 are illiterate.

Among South Asian nations the Maldives, Sri Lanka, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan and Bangladesh rank 77th, 81st, 115th, 127th, 129th, 130th and 132nd respectively.

According to the Human Development index, Nepal ranks ahead of Bhutan and Bangladesh in the region. Nepal’s life expectancy is 58.1 at birth, adult literacy rate is 40.4 percent, combined primary, secondary and tertiary gross enrolment ratio is 60 percent, GDP per capita (PPP US$) 1237, life expectancy index is 0.55, education index is 0.47, GDP index is 0.42. If the country succeeds in increasing female life expectancy, female literacy and total literacy, its situation may dramatically change for the better.

One can see inequality in income and consumption, as there is growing disparities of haves and have-not. "Despite so many hindrances and complications, we have been able to achieve some progress in various areas," said Prithvi Raj Ligal, vice-chairman of the National Planning Commission. "Had the situation remain peaceful, the country’s would have been in a much better position. Our aim now should be to move the status from low human development group to medium human development," he said.

Nepal’s population growth is still high. In the last 25 years, Nepal’s population nearly doubled, from 13.1 million in 1975 to 22.5 million in 1999. Fertility rate per woman is 4. 8, which is still higher than other countries of the region. In commitment to health, access, services and resources, things are yet to improve satisfactorily. Only 20 percent of the population has access to essential drugs and 27 percent of the people are using adequate sanitation facilities.

The infant mortality rate has declined from 165 per 1,000 in 1970 to just 75. Nepal’s maternal mortality rate, at 540 per 10,000, is still higher compared to other countries in the region.

Nepal’s overall progress was steady between 1980 and 1990. Had it followed that pace, the country would have moved from low human development to the medium range. With the restoration of democracy in 1990 following a violent movement, Nepal’s social-sector development has been destabilized. The country has faced chronic political instability and an upsurge in violent activities especially after 1996.

In the areas of life expectancy, infant mortality and adult literacy, Nepal has made significant gain over the last 30 years. When Nepal embarked upon the modernization process 51 years ago, the country’s economic and other indicators were abysmally low. Life expectancy was 27 years and the overall literacy was 1 percent.

Although progress in the areas of life expectancy and adult literacy have been slow, the limited changes the indicators have brought are nevertheless significant. "We are planning to introduce more effective and strong programs in the country to accelerate the process of change in much faster rate than before," said Minister for Science and Technology Surendra Prasad Chaudhary.

The message of HDR 2001 — the theme of which is Making New Technologies Work for Human Development — Nepal can make a lot of difference, provided it succeeds in establishing a stable political atmosphere and reinforce the government’s commitment to social-sector development.

Heading

Human Development in Nepal: Nepal’s HDI of 0.480 in 1999 puts the country in 129th position out of 162 countries. Over the last 25 years, Nepal has been steadily progressing in human development.

Human Poverty Index: Nepal’s HPI is 44.2%. In terms of the HPI, Nepal ranks 77th out of 90 developing countries

Gender -Related Development: Nepal’s GDI is 0.461, ranking it 120th out of

146 countries Nepal is one of the few countries in the world where female life expectancy is lower than that of males. Only three countries out of the 146 considered have lower female literacy rates than Nepal (22.8 percent for women age 15 and above versus 58 percent for men in Nepal in 1999)

Progress in Survival: Life expectancy at birth in Nepal in the period 1970-1975 was 43.3 years. In 1995-2000, it increased to 57.3 years. The infant mortality (per 1,000 births) decreased from 250 in 1970 to 104 in 1999.

Priorities in Public Spending: Public expenditure on education, as a percentage of GNP, increased from 2.2 percent in 1985-1987 to 3.2 percent in 1995-1997. Public expenditure on health, as a percentage of GDP, increased from 0.8 percent in 1990 to 1.3 percent in 1998. While these rates are comparable to those of Nepal’s neighbors, they are still low.

Technological Achievement: Nepal is ranked 69th out of 72 countries according to the Technology Achievement Index. This new composite index focuses on creation of technology, diffusion of recent innovations, diffusion of old innovations, and human skills. Nepal ranks behind some SAARC neighbors. Sri Lanka is placed 62nd, India, 63rd, and Pakistan, 65th. Bangladesh, Bhutan and Maldives were not ranked.

Nepal’s health net has 150 user points around the country, reaching 500 health professionals and getting 300 hits a day on its Website.