UN honours British professor with human development accolade

A British professor today received a prestigious lifetime achievement award from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for her contributions to advancing the social and economic well-being worldwide.

Frances Stewart, a development economist at Oxford University in the United Kingdom, was presented with the Mahbub ul Haq Award for Excellence in Human Development at a ceremony in the Republic of Korea.

The award, which was named and created in honour of the pioneering Pakistani who founded the global Human Development Report (HDR), recognizes an individual who has demonstrated outstanding commitment to furthering the understanding and progress of human development.

Ms. Stewart has been a key figure associated with the field since the Human Development Report – an independent annual research project commissioned by UNDP to analyze major issues confronting humanity and recommend policy changes – was first published in 1990.

“Frances Stewart’s continuous encouragement and support to Human Development Reports since their inception is greatly admired and appreciated,” said Jeni Klugman, UNDP Human Development Report Office Director, who presented the award.

“Her contributions to developing, teaching and promoting the conceptual, empirical and policy foundations of human development have been truly remarkable, and very influential around the world,” she added.

Ms. Stewart joined previous award winners, who include Fernando Cardoso, former president of Brazil; Fazle Hasan Abed, founder of the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee; and Sheila Watt-Cloutier, an Inuit leader and arctic community activist.

In addition, Human Development Awards are presented only every two to three years. This year, reports from Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Colombia and Turkey received awards in recognition of their excellence at today’s ceremony in Busan, the Republic of Korea (ROK).

Swaziland’s report “HIV/AIDS and Culture” also received a special recognition for its inclusive process, which drew on experiences from the Government, civil society organizations and traditional Swazi groups to capture the role of culture in containing the spread of HIV and AIDS and mitigating its impacts.