Adel Abdellatif

A Measure of Humanity

Posted on March 9, 2010 - Permalink
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Adel Abdellatif, a director with the United Nations Development Program, discussed his work last Tuesday in the library's Heritage Room. Mr. Abellatif studies human development in Arabic-speaking countries.

He leads six programs for the UNDP, each focusing on a key issue within the Arab world, including democratic governance, trade and clean water issues, educational quality, developmental technology and HIV/AIDS research.

He also oversees the Arab Human Development Report, which focuses on key development issues, such as education quality, gender equality and poverty reduction. Although the report measures a country's economics, it focuses more on human rights issues and aims to help improve the standard of living for people in the region, said Mr. Abdellatif, a native of Egypt.

"It's about people realizing their full potential, increasing their choice and enjoying the freedom to lead the lives they value," he said.

Addressing economic issues, Mr. Abdellatif said there is only a small percentage of wealth in the Arab world, which comprises countries in the Middle East and Northern Africa, while a majority of the region is desperately poor.

"There is a very great wealth gap," he said.

For instance, Qatar's per capita annual income is roughly $78,000, one in the highest in the world, compared to less than $2,000 for Mauritania in Western Africa.

Mr. Abdellatif also discussed the history, culture and important contributions of the Arab world. The event was sponsored by the Middle Eastern Studies Program. (Story and photo by Rob Matheson, Institutional Communications)