CONFERENCE
“The latest Human Development Report is unique for several reasons. It is released to the general public at a time when the three Baltic States – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania –are celebrating twenty-year anniversary since the restoration of independence and re-appearance on the world map. It is a time when all three countries are shifting to a new social model encapsulating the principles of sustainable development. The key objective of the Report is to demonstrate that despite the difficulties and hard work, the three states have become full-fledged European countries,” explained Peep Mühls, Chairman of the Estonian Cooperation Assembly Presidium.
During the Presentation, Mārcis Auziņš, Professor and Rector of the UL, recognized that the Report provides an opportunity to compare all three Baltic States based on mutually-comparable data, thereby revealing how the Baltic States have developed in various areas. Moreover, the Rector considers this Report as a practical tool to get the entire picture of the Baltic States. It is also a useful gift for the newly-elected Latvian Government.
“It would be worthwhile if we searched for answers to important questions together with our Baltic Sea neighbours, thus combining our experience of fighting for existence with the Nordic approach aimed at economic efficiency, humane social system and an education that ensures personal growth of each individual,” concluded Marju Lauristin, Professor and Chief Editor of the Report. Together with scientists from Estonia and Latvia, the Professor presented the main findings of the Report, highligting that the Baltic States should not merely follow the development of the Nordic countries, but also create their own Baltic outlook and consequent lifestyle based on such principles as openness, creativity and closeness to nature.
Similarly to previous reports, the Estonian Human Development Report 2010 /2011 includes an analytical explanation by experts and social scientists from Latvia, Lithuania, Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Great Britain and other countries. Consequently, the Report provides an international outlook on the development of all three Baltic States over the past twenty years. It also offers three possible future scenarios for the Baltic States.
Along with the experts from Estonia and other Baltic Sea region countries, the UL researchers also participated in the preparation of the Report. They were: Juris Krūmiņš, Professor and Pro-Rector of the UL, Professor Andris Kangro, Dean of the UL Faculty of Pedagogy, Psychology and Arts, Daunis Auers, Associate Professor of the UL Faculty of Social Sciences, as well as Veiko Spolītis, Political Scientist and Lecturer at Riga Stradins University, and Svetlana Djačkova, Researcher at the Latvian Centre for Human Rights.
The Estonian Human Development Report is available for download in English at the Estonian Cooperation Assembly’s website.
Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.
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Translated by students of the professional study programme Translator of the University of Latvia.
 on September 20. At the Presentation, experts from the Baltic Sea region highlighted mutually comparable indicators on the Baltic States’ demographics, education, language policy, social policy, labour market, integration and other areas, revealing the current industry issues in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.){kind=link}