By mohamedj.bah@awokonewspapersl.com
Freetown, SIERRA LEONE – The world is witnessing an unprecedented slowdown in human development, according to the latest report from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Released under the title “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of Artificial Intelligence (AI),” the 2025 Human Development Report highlights a disturbing trend: global progress, particularly in health, education, and income, is stalling.
Rather than recovering after the crises of 2020 and 2021, the report reveals that human development has remained sluggish. Excluding those crisis years, the marginal increase projected for 2024 is the smallest since the Human Development Index (HDI) was first introduced in 1990.
“Decades of steady progress toward a high human development world by 2030 are now at risk,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “If the slow pace of 2024 becomes the new normal, that milestone could be delayed by decades, leaving the world more divided and vulnerable to future shocks.”
Even more concerning, the report indicates a growing divide between rich and poor nations. For the fourth consecutive year, inequality between countries with low HDI scores and those with very high HDI scores has widened—reversing a decades-long trend of narrowing gaps.
Countries with the lowest HDI rankings are being hit hardest. According to the report, they face compounded challenges such as rising trade tensions, increasing debt burdens, and jobless industrialization.
In this grim context, the report points to Artificial Intelligence as a potential catalyst for renewed progress. However, it cautions that this will depend on bold and inclusive choices made by global leaders.
“As AI rapidly transforms nearly every aspect of our lives, we must urgently explore new pathways to development,” Steiner stressed. “Harnessing its potential could be key to breaking free from the current stagnation and accelerating progress once more.”
The UNDP urges the international community to act decisively, warning that without substantial changes, the dream of achieving sustainable human development for all may remain out of reach. MJB/9/5/2025
