Human Development in South Asia 2009: Trade and Human Development in South Asia

Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre's 2009 Report on Trade and Human Development in South Asia focuses on the imperative of linking the well-being of people to the trade-led economic growth that is happening in South Asia now. The human development model asserts that economic growth that is not linked to people cannot be sustained either socially or politically. Liberalization of trade must be complemented by well-designed equitable policies that serve as an engine for employment creation, capacity building, and poverty alleviation. However, the relationship between trade, human development and economic growth is not straight forward. That link has to be created consciously by forward-looking policies and strategies by both national governments and multilateral trade negotiating bodies. The Report presents critical analyses of agricultural, non-agricultural and services trade of South Asia, and raises the issue of how current trade negotiations have not yet addressed the concerns of developing countries. The Report argues that to sustain economic growth and enhance human development, South Asia needs to negotiate seriously at multilateral trading forums, and also use the regional forum (SAARC) to advance its economic and social goals. The wealth of data collected for the Report on South Asia's human development and trade-related indicators will be valuable for policymakers and academic researchers.

Human Development in South Asia 2009 has been prepared under the direction of Khadija Haq, President of the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre. Research was conducted by a team consisting of Nazam Maqbool Cheema, Abeer Masood and Umer Malik. Several South Asian economists contributed to the Report, including Parthapratim Pal (India), and a team of researchers from Centre for Policy Dialogue (Bangladesh) led by Khondaker Golam Moazzem and Kazi Mahmudur Rahman.

The 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's Human Development Reports. This is a policy research institute and a think tank committed to organizing professional research, policy studies and seminars in the area of human development with a special focus on the South Asian region.