Human Development Report

Since 2022, Generali has supported UNDP in the European launch of the Human Development Report, UNDP’s flagship annual publication that analyzes global human development trends through data, research, and policy recommendations. This collaboration strengthens the dissemination of authoritative analysis and helps foster an informed debate on the key challenges of human development at the global level.

The 2025 edition of the Human Development Report, “A matter of choice: People and possibilities in the age of AI”, analyzes the implications of the growing adoption of Artificial Intelligence for human development, placing at the centre the impact of technology on people and global systems. The report explores how AI can expand human capabilities, support well‑being, and foster inclusive progress, emphasizing the urgency of making informed choices to turn it into a driver of opportunity.

The document identifies three priorities: building an economy based on collaboration between people and AI; steering innovation toward social goals by broadening global participation in the AI value chain; and investing in human capabilities - from education to healthcare - so that technology strengthens skills and essential services.

Preparing people for a future in which AI will be pervasive means developing critical thinking, creativity, and digital literacy, and introducing technology into essential services in an equitable and transparent way. AI is thus presented as a potential pathway toward new horizons of development - particularly for the most vulnerable countries - provided there are strong institutions, equitable access, and informed decision‑making. It is a reminder that the future is not determined by technology, but by people.

"Breaking the Gridlock: Reimagining cooperation in a polarized world" is the title of the 2023/2024 edition of the HDR, which assesses the gridlock resulting from uneven development progress, intensifying inequality, climate change, conflict, and escalating political polarization. It emphasizes how global interdependence is being reconfigured and proposes a path forward where multilateralism plays a pivotal role.

The report calls in fact for a reimagining of global cooperation, proposing immediate action for climate stability, greater equity in harnessing new technologies for equitable human development, new and expanded financial mechanisms to support development. It also promotes the reduction of political polarization through new governance approaches focused on enhancing people's voices in deliberation and tackling misinformation.

The 2021/2022 edition of the HDR, titled "Uncertain Times, Unsettled Lives: Shaping our Future in a Transforming World", focused on the challenge of increasing uncertainty, proposing three actions to tackle it: investing in resources and capabilities; insurance, including social insurance, in order to protect people from the unavoidable consequences of uncertain times while safeguarding people’s capabilities, and innovation to generate useful skills to face the challenges of the future.

As highlighted in the report, insurance provides an essential stabilising force in the face of uncertainty. Insurers will have to offer enhanced and extended protection to people, focusing on innovation and the modernisation of services, so that they can deal more effectively with the current context of instability. The challenge of financial inclusion and the opportunity - even for the most vulnerable - to access credit and insurance services in order to reduce poverty and inequality is essential.