User:MHHDC

MAHBUB UL HAQ HUMAN DEVELOPMENT CENTRE:

HISTORY
Under the umbrella of the Foundation for Human Development in Pakistan, 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. It was with a vision to promote human development in South Asia that Dr. Haq set up the Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre as a policy research institute and think tank with a special focus on South Asia. The annual reports on Human Development in South Asia were initiated in 1997. The purpose of these reports is to convince the governments and the civil society in the region of the real promise of South Asia by presenting an honest and professional appraisal of the situation each year.

OBJECTIVES
The Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre is a policy research institute and think tank, committed to organizing professional research in the area of human development and promoting human development paradigm as a powerful tool for informing people-centered development policy. With a special focus on South Asia as a region, the Centre has the following objectives:

• To sponsor research and policy studies on human development.

• To stimulate dialogue among professionals and decision-makers on human development issues.

• To establish adequate database and to promote suitable publications in the field of human development.

• To organise national and international seminars to disseminate the research and policy findings of the institute sponsored by the Foundation.

• To establish liason with national and international organizations for the promotion of these objectives.

ACTIVITIES
The Centre organises professional research, policy studies and seminars in the area of human development. Believing in the shared histories of the people of this region and in their shared destinies, Dr. 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 Human Development in South Asia.

• A multi-year research project on improving the outcome of education in Pakistan.

• 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

FOUNDER
The Mahbub ul Haq Human Development Centre was founded by the late Mahbub ul Haq. Mahbub ul Haq was often described in the international press as ‘the leading thinker’ and ‘the most articulate and persuasive spokesman’ for the developing world. In the field of development economics, Haq was regarded as an original thinker and a major innovator of fresh ideas. Haq served in many distinguished policy positions, including Finance and Planning Minister of Pakistan (1982-8), Director of the Policy Planning Department in the World Bank (1970-82), and Special Adviser to UNDP Administrator (1990-96). He is the founder and chief architect of UNDP’s world-renowned Human Development Reports. His major publications include The Strategy of Economic Planning (1963), The Poverty Curtain (1976), and Reflections on Human Development (1995).