On 27th November 2007 The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) released figures and statistics for the Human Development Index (HDI) as part of the 2007/2008 Human Development Report, which this year also reports on the climate change effects and responsibilities of individual countries.

The Dread Team wishes to emphasise that we understand how such statistics must be carefully used and interpreted in order to provide a balanced critical view of the results. Some commentators do suggest that the HDI is an imperfect measure of development for a variety of reasons we do not intend to review here.

While the usual quartet of Iceland, Norway (overtaken from position 1 this year), Australia and Canada remained on top, the US at 12 (slipping from 8 last year) and other high ranking industrialised nations show strong performances on real income levels (or GDP per capita), life expectancy, and educational attainment measured by the proportion of the population enrolled in primary secondary and tertiary education. However, the story for Africa has not particularly improved this time round.

South Africa remained at 121 this year, and stagnancy characterised the rest of 'sub-Saharan' Africa with all 22 countries in the low human development category. Sierra Leone scored 177, and therefore arrived last in the world race for governments to provide human living conditions conducive to development. For example, the last 12 countries in the list are in Africa. A combination of low income, low life expectancy and the destructive effects of HIV/AIDS on the basic resources and structures of these societies reveal a very worrying picture.

The picture is provisionally more cheerful for the Caribbean region, because Barbados scored as the NUMBER ONE developing country in the world with a global ranking of 31! In fact, the Caribbean Community has done relatively well considering the following performances:

31 Barbados
49 Bahamas, The
54 St Kitts Nevis
57 Antigua and Barbuda
59 Trinidad and Tobago
71 Dominica
72 St Lucia
80 Belize
82 Grenada
85 Suriname
93 St Vincent and the Grenadines
97 Guyana
101 Jamaica
146 Haiti

It has been noted that the strong performance of Caribbean nations places them above global leaders in economic and technological development such as Brazil, India and Nigeria. While it is clear that the size of the populations and political cultures of these countries cannot be compared to the Caribbean, small island countries may appear to be easier to steer on a course of economic and social reforms than other larger land-locked nations, although that might only be a perception rather than reality.

Nonetheless, the real progress being made regionally by independent Caribbean nations must remind us to also bring deeper into the fold of CARICOM initiatives, partnerships and agreements those countries in the group that are lagging behind for a variety of reasons, some political, some arising from financial mismanagement and the incredibly high debt servicing schedules of the IMF.

The Caribbean Community can also take a deep breath to realise how far it has come thus far in terms of economic and human progress in recent years, and pause to think for a moment how its peoples and governments imagine their lives and opportunities in the Caribbean of the future.

Perhaps the rest of the world is only awakening to something vibrant Caribbean nations have gradually been working on and preparing for since the massive independence movements of the 60s and 70s, and the creative nation building and re-construction efforts that ensued and continue up to this day with this release of a positive report on the collective Caribbean experience.

To avoid complacency, and perhaps even worse, a reversal of the recent HDI trend for progress, Caribbean nations must not begin to look at each other on the basis of rankings and economic fitness exclusively, but should also appreciate that the political as well as the economic futures of countries in the region are likely to be intricately linked, as increasingly is the regional labour force, internal migration patterns and the exploitation of productive industries.

On the basis of such a glowing report card for the Caribbean in the recent Human Development Report, the Dread Team takes the position that Afrikans everywhere must continue to support gaining greater influence in the international sphere, sign treaties and agreements that will contribute to effective governance of resources, and to the creation of rewarding life opportunities for the peoples of the region. The recent expression renewal of of political will and efforts to get Haiti out of the 'failed state' category in international relations--which category also includes the Sudan, Iraq, and Somalia--will have a stabilising effect on the region.

Looking at the HDI index might not tell us the full story of what is yet to come for the Caribbean Community of the future.

Indeed, perhaps the progressive and liberally-minded nations of the region are already planting the seeds for the next Caribbean Community Renaissance! We hope that you will stay tuned...the story has only just begun. We, at the Dread Team, continue to hope that entire chapters of progress and success are yet to be written...

Bless up

The Dread Team