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NEW DELHI, July 24

TWO years after world leaders set measurable goals for development and poverty eradication by 2015, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has lauded India, saying it is one of the few countries on track to meet the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

In its 2002 Human Development Report (HDR), launched worldwide on Wednesday, UNDP assesses how countries are to achieve the goals by 2015 if recent trends continue, classifying them as achieved, on track, lagging, far behind or slipping back.

Optimistic estimates suggest that 3.7 per cent annual growth in per capita GDP would be needed. Yet, in the 90s, only 24 countries achieved such growth; China and India, the most populous countries, are in this group.

According to the report, India's rapid growth since the late 80s has enabled it to catch up to some extent with the rich countries, having improved its per capita income relative to OECD countries from 1/14th in 1980 to 1/10th now. India has been ranked 124 among 173 countries, up 10 ranks since 1970 when 100 countries were so ranked.

The report, however, warned that at the current pace, only 55 countries with 23 per cent of the world's people are on track to achieve as much as three-quarters of the MDGs, while 33 countries with 26 per cent of the world's people are falling behind on more than half of the targets.

Pointing out that there has been some important progress in some areas, the report said this is far from universal. As many as 51 countries with 40 per cent of the world's population are on track in achieving universal primary education by 2015 or have done so already. But 24 countries are slipping back or far behind the target adding that globally, one in every six children of primary school age is not in school.

Some 57 countries with half of the world's people have halved the share of people living in hunger or are on track to do so by 2015 even as progress barely keeps up with global population growth. During the 90s, the number of people living in hunger fell by just six million a year; if it continues at this pace, it would take more than 130 years to rid the world of hunger, the report warned.

On poverty, it said nearly 130 countries with 40 per cent of the world's people may not be growing fast enough and 52 countries actually have had negative growth over the past 10 years. The situation is particularly bleak in sub-Saharan Africa, with as many as 23 of the region's 45 countries falling on more than half the targets.

The Chief Author of HDR 2002, Mr Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, said the different rates of progress across the world are deeply troubling. "Without extraordinary efforts, there is the real risk that leaders will be setting the same targets a generation from now. We know from the progress of very poor countries such as Nepal and Sudan that it is possible to make a difference, but we also know that it takes a very high level of commitment from all sides."

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