By Nontokozo Gwebu
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has officially launched its 2025 Human Development Report (HDR) under the theme “A Matter of Choice: People and Possibilities in the Age of AI.”
The global unveiling took place in Brussels on 6 May 2025, marking a pivotal moment in global dialogue about how artificial intelligence (AI) influences the future of human development. This year’s report comes at a critical time as AI advances at an unprecedented pace, reshaping societies around the world – including in Eswatini.
Launched in 1990, the Human Development Report (HDR) enables the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) to play a catalytic role in guiding the international community in formulating appropriate responses to emerging human development challenges.
The HDR aims to stimulate debate on critical development issues, raise awareness, and alert policymakers to potential risks if timely and effective actions are not taken. It also tracks the progress made by countries and highlights disparities both between and within them, using key Human Development Indicators such as the Human Development Index (HDI) and its components—life expectancy at birth, expected years of schooling, mean years of schooling, and gross national income (GNI) per capita—as well as the Gender Development Index (GDI), Gender Inequality Index (GII), and Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
The report highlights the importance of choice, emphasizing that the ability to make and act on choices is central to human development. It stresses that development is ultimately about enabling people to live lives they value and have reason to value.
As societies navigate increasing complexity, AI has the potential to be a transformative force, supporting progress in education, healthcare, and economic opportunity.
“Amidst this global turmoil, we must urgently explore new ways to drive development,” said Achim Steiner, the Administrator of the UNDP. “As Artificial Intelligence continues its rapid advance across so many aspects of our lives, we should consider its potential for development. New capabilities are emerging almost daily, and while AI is no panacea, the choices we make hold the potential to reignite human development and open new pathways and possibilities.”
“The choices we make in the coming years will define the legacy of this technological transition for human development,” said Pedro Conceição, Director of UNDP’s Human Development Report Office. “With the right policies and focus on people, AI can be a crucial bridge to new knowledge, skills, and ideas that can empower everyone from farmers to small business owners.”
The report outlines three critical areas for action for AI-augmented human development:
• Building an economy where people collaborate with AI and find more opportunities, rather than compete against it.
• Driving innovation with intent, so that the opportunity for people is not an afterthought but a built-in integral part of AI design and deployment.
• Investing in capabilities that count, by modernizing education and health systems to meet 21st-century demands, so that people have the capabilities to make the most of AI in their lives and thrive in a world with AI.
In Eswatini, AI is gradually being embraced as a tool for innovation and sustainable development. UNDP Eswatini has partnered with the University of Eswatini (UNESWA) to advance cooperation in AI and Machine Learning (ML) for driving sustainable development and innovation, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding last year. In addition, UNDP and UNESWA collaborated on an initiative that leverages AI to enhance productivity, the Youth Leadership and Sustainable Energy Academy (YLSEA).
The 2025 HDR will be launched locally by the Eswatini Government and UNDP on 22 May 2025 in Mbabane. This ceremony will offer the opportunity for various stakeholders to discuss the 2025 HDR key messages and recommendations in relation to Eswatini’s human development trend.
The 2025 Human Development Report is available here: https://t.co/YgkuNbyyQ7