Hanoi (VNA) - Vietnam has broken into the group of countries withhigh human development, but this remarkable progress has been accompanied withrelatively high pressures on the planet.

These are among the key findings of the 2020 Human Development Report “The nextfrontier – Human Development and the Anthropocene,” released on December 16 bythe United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Vietnam in cooperation withthe Ministry of Planning and Investment.

Addressing the report launch, UNDP Resident RepresentativeCaitlin Wiesen praised Vietnam for embarking firmly on people-centereddevelopment and prioritising human development and equality in its socio-economicdevelopment strategies and plans.

“Vietnam’s High Human Development is a remarkableachievement and also creates opportunities for greater and more rapid progressin the coming development period. The country is at a critical juncture as itdesigns its next Socio-Economic Development Strategy, with decisions made todaydetermining whether it will continue on it current path of growth and  low inequality, and whether it cansimultaneously shift to  reducingpressure on the planet to  enhance  the harmony of the people and theenvironment,” said Wiesen. “I would like to reaffirm that UNDP stands ready topartner with Vietnam in this journey to redesign a path to progress thatrespects the intertwined fate of people and planet.”

Deputy Minister of Planning and Investment Tran Quoc Phuongpraised the Human Development Index (HDI) report for introducing a newexperimental index on human progress that takes into account countries’ carbondioxide emissions and material footprint - planetary-pressures adjusted HDI(PHDI).

With the index, Vietnam, as one of the countries hardest hitby climate change, will have additional orientation foundation to issue andimplement policies in response to environmental pollution and climate change,Phuong added.

According to the new report, the COVID-19 pandemic is thelatest crisis facing the world, but unless humans release their grip on nature,it won’t be the last. Therefore, the report introduces the PHDI.

It lays out a stark choice for world leaders - take bold stepsto reduce the immense pressure that is being exerted on the environment and thenatural world, or humanity’s progress will stall.

Vietnam’s HDI value for 2019 is 0.704, putting the countryin the high human development category and positioning it at 117 out of 189countries and territories. Between 1990 - 2019, the country’s HDI valueincreased by almost 46 percent, which is among the highest HDI growth rates inthe world.

Vietnam has also been performing well in terms of genderequality. With the Gender Development Index value of 0.997, it ranks 65th outof 162 countries and is the highest among five country groups./.