Brasília, July 8, 2003 (Agência Brasil - ABr) - People are living longer in Brazil, and more Brazilians attend school, compared to 30 years ago. This is what the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) reveals in its 2003 Human Development Report (HDR), issued today.
The study compares 175 countries according to a Human Development Index (HDI). The chief criteria are life-span, education, and income. On the first two items, Brazil improved, making possible an upward move of 16 positions in the world ranking, in which Brazil now holds 65th place. Income distribution, however, remains inequitable. In the UNDP report, Brazil is below the world average in terms of the income equality index. The closer this index is to 1.0, the greater the inequality. Whereas the overall country average stands at 0.61, Brazil's is 0.66.
The Brazilian economy grew most between the decades of the '70's and '80's. During this period, known as the decade of the economic miracle, the country advanced 10 places, due to the per capita increase in Gross Domestic Product. However, the results in terms of life-span and education performed poorly during this period.
In the '90's Brazil grew once again, but this time what stood out was education and life-span. Between 1990 and 2001, the adult literacy rate grew from 82% to 87.3%. During the same period, the enrollment of children between 7 and 14 years of age in fundamental education reached 97%, an increase of 11%. Improvements also occurred in secondary education, which registered a 15% increase, attaining 71%. From 1999 to 2001, the enrollment rate, for all three levels of education in Brazil, grew from 92.9% to 95.1%.
The reduction in child mortality also helped the country improve its HDI. The life expectation of Brazilians rose from 67.6 to 67.8 years. In the UNDP report, Brazil's income index is the same as the world average and a little bit above the Latin American average. The country's education index is also superior to the world average (175 countries), but in terms of life-span, Brazil falls below the Latin American average.
In the study, the Zero Hunger program is singled out as an example of social policy directed towards the chief goal of the millenium. This denomination was established as a parameter for the reduction of global poverty. The recently inaugurated federal program is mentioned in the report as a positive initiative that should be encouraged and sustained, since the support and mobilization achieved in this kind of campaign are important for the accomplishment of the goals of the millenium.
The Ministry of Health's program to combat Aids is also cited as a good example in the UNDP report. In 2001 alone, the program cared for 115 thousand patients, cutting in half the number of deaths of disease victims. The life expectancy of HIV virus carriers rose, too, with a reduction from 80% to 60% in the incidence of infectious diseases. Using this method, Brazil saved US$ 422 million, between 1997 and 1999, through reductions in hospital stays and medication expenses.
The eight Development Goals of the Millenium are part of a UN millenial declaration adopted by the 189 member-states on September 8, 2000. They are: Erradication of poverty and hunger; Universal basic education; Equality between the sexes and female autonomy; Reduction of child mortality; Improvement of expectant mothers' health; the Fight against Aids, malaria, and other diseases; Environmental sustainability; and Environmental partnership for development.(DAS)
