Skype has just teamed up with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to provide a customized low-bandwidth version of their video-chat software to locations around the world serviced by UNHCR workers. This new bespoke version of Skype will address issues related to the accessibility and reliability of communications technology that is often paramount to [...]

Accompanying this year’s 20th Anniversary HDR are a number of helpful and user-friendly resources that let individuals (who don’t need to be statisticians or economists) browse country profiles, maps, and even create their own Human Development Index. These new tools are a huge step forward with regard to making important statistical documents accessible to a broader public.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark stated that “the Report shows that people today are healthier, wealthier and better educated than before. While not all trends are positive, there is much that countries can do to improve people’s lives, even in adverse conditions. This requires courageous local leadership as well as the continuing commitment of the international community.”

UNAIDS Executive Secretary Michel Sidibe states that “for the first time change is happening at the heart of the epidemic. In places where HIV was stealing away dreams, we now have hope”.

Ten years ago at the Millennium Summit, leaders from around the world adopted eight Millennium Development goals, ranging from halting the spread of HIV/AIDS to cutting in half the cases of extreme poverty, that were broadly viewed as the new blueprint for national and international development policy. With a 15 year timeline, now only five years from expiration, the United Nations has proceeded to approve a groundbreaking new plan that will see tremendous investment shifted to where it decidedly matters most: Women.