Health and Sustainable Human Development Chapter 9

Key Knowledge and Key Skills.  Key knowledge:  Definitions of sustainability (including elements of appropriateness, affordability, and equity) and human development (including the Human Development Index) according to the UN  The interrelationships between health, human development and sustainability to produce sustainable human development in a global context  Key skills:  Define human development and sustainability concepts  Analyse the interrelationships between health, human development and sustainability in a range of scenarios

Sustainability.  The United Nations (UN) defines sustainability as ‘meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’.  It embraces concern for quality of life (not just based on income growth), for equity between people (including the prevention of poverty), and for intergenerational equity (providing future generations with the environment we enjoy, if not improved)  An example of how sustainable development can be promoted is the education of farmers to produce successful crops without going into debt and at the same time teaching them about crop rotation so that they do not exhaust their land.

Sustainability  It encompasses 3 dimensions:  Social  Environmental  Economic

Sustainability and its 3 dimensions  Social: Refers to the ability of future generations to have equal or better access to resources that improve their quality of life such as human rights and equality, social cohesion, political stability where the community provides democratic structures and good governance, and education.  empower people to take control of their lives  promote equity by including all people in decisions and activities that will impact on their community.  Economic: Refers to the capacity of future generations to earn an income and the way in which the limited resources that are needed to improve peoples’ lives are distributed and used to allow economic growth to continue over time. E.g.  ensure employment opportunities and the payment of a fair wage  promote economic growth at a national and international level  Environmental: Refers to the way in which the natural environment is utilised by humans to ensure the natural resources are preserved for use by future generations. E.g.  reduce energy usage and promote greater efficiency in the use of energy  reduce pollution

Sustainability  For programs to be effective they need to focus on the 3 dimensions of sustainability (Social, economic and environmental)  Effective and sustainable programs should also involve the community, as it leads to empowerment of the people.  In addition to this, there are 3 essential elements of sustainability:

Elements of sustainability-Equity.  Equity- is about providing all people and communities with equal access to services to promote their health and sustainable human development.  Must be available and meet the needs of all of the people in the local community including women.  Must reach those most in need.  Why do you think they have included the point that it must include meeting the needs of women?  In many developing countries women don’t have the same rights and opportunities as men. They often have less food to eat, have less access to education and are expected to do more work.  By focusing strategies on women, aid agencies aim to reduce the inequality between the genders and empower women by providing opportunities for education, to improve their health and wellbeing while continuing to care for their families.

Elements of sustainability-Affordability  For a program to be sustained, it needs to be affordable in the long term.  It must focus on education-education is one of the most effective, inexpensive and sustainable strategies.  Why would it be important to focus on education?  Illiteracy is a major factor that contributes to ongoing poverty.  What would they be aiming to educate a community in developing countries on?  Communities need to be educated about the importance of safe water, sanitation, immunisation and the value of schooling.  It must be affordable for the community on a long-term basis.

Elements of sustainability- Appropriateness  Appropriateness-For a program to be sustained it:  Needs to empower people:  Providing information to people to enable them to make informed choices for themselves is one of the most valuable types of assistance, as it lasts a lifetime.  E.g. teaching local people how to grow productive crops empowers them to help improve the health of members of their own community.  Must respect cultural values:  When providing programs agencies need take into consideration the cultural values of the community concerned. If the local people are offended by lack of respect for their culture, or if the strategy goes against their traditional teachings, then it will not be accepted by the community.  Must be accessible for all:  For successful implementation, people need to know about the strategy, and have access to it by foot.

Activity.  Complete activity 9.1 (pg 309)  Q1-5

Human Development  Human development- refers to creating an environment in which people can develop to their full potential and lead productive, creative lives in accord with their needs and interests. It is about expanding people’s choices and enhancing capabilities, having access to knowledge, health and a decent standard of living, and participating in the life of their community and the decisions affecting their lives.  Human development includes things like:  Being able to participate in the local community  People realising and reaching their own potential  Enjoying freedom to live as one chooses  The United Nations measures human development using the Human Development Index

Human Development  Human development is based on 3 basic elements each individual requires for development:  Adequate nutrition  Education  A decent standard of living.  Many of the world’s poorest people, however, are denied these simple requirements impacting their health and development.

Activity  Complete activity 9.2 (pg 313)  Q1-3

The Human Development Index (HDI)  The Human Development Index (HDI)- Is a tool developed by the United Nations that is used to assess the health and developmental outcomes of a nation  The HDI can be used as a means of comparing the similarities and differences between Australia and developing countries  By ranking countries in this way, the HDI report has helped shift the debate away from GDP per capita as the only measure of development.  The HDI is a combined measure of three dimensions of human development using four indicators of human development. The three dimensions are:  Health-Living a long and healthy life (measured by life expectancy).  Education-being educated (measured by mean years of schooling and expected years of schooling).  Living standards-Having a decent standard of living (measured by gross national income (GNI) per capita.

Components of the HDI Human Development Index DimensionsIndicators HealthLife expectancy at birth EducationMean years of schooling Expected years of schooling Living standardsGross national income per capita

The Human Development Index (HDI)  All countries are classified into one of four clusters of achievement:  Very high human development (0.793 or above), Australia ranked 2nd  High human development (0.698 to 0.783), Bahamas ranked 53rd  Medium human development ( to 0.698), China ranked 101st  Low human development (0.286 to 5.10), Sudan ranked 169th.  Read pg on using the HDI  What may be reasons why countries can have such as high GDP yet a lower HDI, such as Norway?

Activity  Complete activity 9.3 pg 315  Q1-5

Limitations of the HDI  One of the limitations of the HDI is that not all countries around the world are able to receive a ranking.  Statistics are based on national data collections and if data is not available or is missing, estimates are made therefore the data may not be 100% accurate.  The index is not a complete measure of human development as it does not include important indicators such as gender or income inequality

The interrelationships producing sustainable human development  Sustainable human development refers to a process of people striving to achieve their full potential, lead more productive lives, expand their choices and meet their needs without compromising the opportunities for future generations to meet their own needs.  Sustainable human development is only achievable if there is an ongoing balance and interrelationship between health, sustainability and human development.

The interrelationships producing sustainable human development  There is a strong relationship between health and human development.  In countries that are not experiencing positive human development, the lack of choice and resources will have a negative impact on physical, social and mental health.  For example, having fewer choices about education and healthcare can have a direct impact on physical health by increasing illness and decreasing knowledge about health-promoting behaviours. Fewer choices in these areas can also impact negatively on social health, as not having the choice to attend school may reduce the ability of the individual to interact with others their own age, and there may also be a negative impact on mental health due to the increase in stress that may be associated with the lack of choices available to improve one’s situation.

The interrelationships producing sustainable human development  Conversely, health can also impact on human development. If the population is generally suffering from poor physical health it will impact on their ability to reach individual potential and participate in life and, therefore, contribute to human development.  For example, if an individual is suffering the effects of being undernourished, they may find it difficult to work, care for their family or attend school. Populations that are undernourished and unhealthy will, therefore, find human development difficult to achieve.

The interrelationships producing sustainable human development  Human development also impacts on sustainability. In striving for a decent standard of living, many countries cause damage to the environment in terms of deforestation and global warming.  Much of the recent discussions about sustainability have centred on climate change. It is the developed world that is responsible for the largest proportions of CO2 emissions, but the developing countries that will feel the greatest impact, through little of their own actions.  These issues of climate change and access to safe water are definitely worth addressing if we are determined to ensure sustainable human development.