Nitza Nachmias, Ph.D
Abstract: The United Nations Development Program (UNDP), following the disappointing results of a half-a-century of economic development assistance, launched the Human Development Approach in 1990. Following the leadership of the UNDP, the World Bank and other UN economic assistance agencies have taken up the challenge and developed an approach focusing on eradication of poverty, education, empowerment of the people, and the strengthening of civil societies. In the execution of economic and social assistance programs, donors of both bilateral and multilateral economic aid have focused on the formation of direct partnerships with indigenous group coalitions rather than with governments. Consequently, NGOs coalition networks have become the backbone of the human development process, personifying democratization, de-bureaucratization and de-centralization. This article examines the results of the “human development” approach since its inception a decade ago.
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