Human development in South Asia 2005
- Karachi Oxford University Press 2006
- 218p.
Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre was set up in November 1995 in Islamabad, Pakistan by the late Dr Mahbub ul Haq, founder and chief architect of UNDP Human Development Reports. With a special focus on South Asia, the Centre is a policy research institute and think tank, committed to the promotion of the human development paradigm as a powerful tool for informing people-centered development policy nationally and regionally, in order to reduce human
deprivation
The Centre organises professional research, policy studies and seminars on issues of economic and social development as they affect people's wellbeing. Believing in the shared histories of the people of this region and in their shared destinies. De Haq was convinced of the need for cooperation among the seven countries of the region. His vision extended to a comparative analysis of the region with the outside world, providing a yardstick for the progress achieved by South Asia in terms of socio-economic development. The Centre's research work is presented annually through a Report titled, Human Development in South Asia Continuing Mahbub ul Haq's legacy, the Centre provides a unique perspective in three ways: first, by analysing the process of human development, the analytical work of the Centre puts people at the centre of economic, political and social policies; second, the South Asia regional focus of the Centre enables a rich examination of issues of regional importance; and third, the Centre's comparative analysis provides a yardstick for the progress and setbacks of South Asia vis-à-vis the rest of the world,
The current activities of the Centre include: preparation of annual reports on Hamun Development in South Asia preparation and publication of a journal, Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Review; preparation of policy papers and research reports on poverty reduction strategies; organisation of seminars and conferences on global and regional human development issues, South Asian cooperation, peace in the region and women's empowerment. The Centre also organises an annual Mahbub ul Haq Memorial Seminar and a Mahbub ul Haq Lecture,