New human development report urges governments to ensure no one is left behind in fast-changing world of work

The UN Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday launched its latest Human Development Report (HDR) to urge governments of all UN member states to take necessary steps in order to ensure that no one is left behind in the fast-changing world of work.

The new UN report said that fast technological progress, deepening globalization, aging societies and environmental challenges are rapidly transforming what work means today and how it is performed.

The 2015 report, which focused on Work for Human Development, said that the new world of work presents great opportunities for some, but also profound challenges for others, and urged governments to act now to ensure no one is left behind in the fast-changing world of work.

At the launch in Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said that decent work contributes to both the richness of economies and human lives, urging all countries to respond to the challenges in the new world of work and seize opportunities to improve lives and livelihoods, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

"The report highlights that over the past 25 years, countries currently home to two billion people are no longer at low human development levels; now a focus on work is needed to galvanize progress," said the spokesman.

Aligned with 2030 agenda and Paris agreement, the report called for equitable and decent work for all, the spokesman said. "In doing so, it encouraged governments to look beyond jobs to consider the many kinds of work, such as unpaid care, voluntary, creative work and much more that also affects human development."

Only by taking a broad view of work can its benefits be fully harnessed for sustainable development, the report added. Enditem