What next for human development?
Since the first Human Development Report was published by UNDP in 1990, the report series has helped shape how the world understands progress, moving the debate beyond income alone to include people's capabilities, choices and wellbeing. The world has changed profoundly since then, and the challenges to human development today look very different.
In 2020, the International Science Council (ISC) and the UNDP Human Development Report Office joined forces to launch Rethinking Human Development, a global conversation that gathered ideas from experts across disciplines and regions on how the concept should evolve for the 21st century.
The ISC and UNDP are now entering a new stage and beginning to consider the themes that the next cycle of Human Development Reports should explore. As part of this initiative, they are inviting experts from various disciplines to share their views on where human development is heading and which questions matter most for the years ahead. Experts working on aspects of sustainable development are also encouraged to contribute, even if they do not specifically use human development terminology in their work.
Interested experts are invited to contribute by completing an online survey, which takes approximately 15–30 minutes. Several questions are optional.
Survey: https://council.science/news/hdr-survey/
Deadline: 20 November 2026.