Sakiko Fukuda-Parr
Encyclopedia
Sakiko Fukuda-Parr is a development economist who has gained recognition for her work with the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) and for her writing in publications including the Journal of Human Development, which she founded.
Since 1973, when Fukuda-Parr worked in the Young Professionals Programme at World Bank
, she has played a large role on the world stage of globalization, poverty, and economics, with interests in technology, human rights, gender, capacity development, and aid architecture. Despite the tremendous imbalance of international resource and wealth distribution, Fukuda-Parr maintains hope for positive human development. This optimism has been the keystone of her writings, projects, and positions pertaining to policies for equitable development.
, Japan
. She gained a unique global perspective by moving from Tokyo to London to Washington, D.C. and, finally, to Manila because of her father’s position with the Japanese Treasury. Fukuda-Parr pursued her interests in culture, international affairs, and human development at the universities of Cambridge
(receiving a bachelor’s degree in the social and political sciences), Sussex
(receiving a master’s in economics), and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (receiving a master’s in law and diplomacy). She is married to Francis Parr and is the mother of two children, Nicholas and Henry. She currently resides in the upper west side of Manhattan.
from 1974 to 1979, Fukuda-Parr served as a technical adviser in agricultural economics at the United Nations Development Programme
from 1979 to 1985. Then, as Deputy Resident Adviser in Burundi (1985-1987), Principle Economist and Deputy Director at the Regional Bureau for Africa (1986-1991), and Chief of the West Africa Division (1992-1994), Fukuda-Parr garnered both the information and the experience to become Director of the Human Development Report Office (1995-2006).
Particularly as a director, Fukuda-Parr gained insight into the process of human development, with an emphasis on “democracy, cultural diversity, and human rights.” To promote awareness of the vast inequalities separating gender, race, and class, Fukuda-Parr aided in the publication of research-based proposals and policy work on technical cooperation effectiveness and capacity building. Since leaving the UNDP, Fukuda-Parr has worked as a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
, and The Graduate Program in International Affairs at The New School
. .
From a loan officer at World Bank to a director at the UNDP, Fukuda-Parr has been positioned throughout the world (Burundi, Morocco, and Turkey, for instance), gaining insight into cultures on a personal and professional level that has, ultimately, influenced her work.
2002) and The Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal Development (Earthscan
2006). She also has participated in several journal projects and written book chapters concerning capacity development and human rights. As an editor, she founded the Journal of Human Development (2000, annually), co-edited Readings in Human Development: Concepts, Measures and Policies for a Development Paradigm (2004), and has held a position on the Feminist Economics’ editorial board.
, among other initiatives, is making a difference in the wars on poverty and inequality. Toward this end, she will continue to fight for an outcome that embodies true human rights on every level.
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
(UNDP) and for her writing in publications including the Journal of Human Development, which she founded.
Since 1973, when Fukuda-Parr worked in the Young Professionals Programme at World Bank
World Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
, she has played a large role on the world stage of globalization, poverty, and economics, with interests in technology, human rights, gender, capacity development, and aid architecture. Despite the tremendous imbalance of international resource and wealth distribution, Fukuda-Parr maintains hope for positive human development. This optimism has been the keystone of her writings, projects, and positions pertaining to policies for equitable development.
Personal life
Fukuda-Parr was born in TokyoTokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. She gained a unique global perspective by moving from Tokyo to London to Washington, D.C. and, finally, to Manila because of her father’s position with the Japanese Treasury. Fukuda-Parr pursued her interests in culture, international affairs, and human development at the universities of Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
(receiving a bachelor’s degree in the social and political sciences), Sussex
Sussex
Sussex , from the Old English Sūþsēaxe , is an historic county in South East England corresponding roughly in area to the ancient Kingdom of Sussex. It is bounded on the north by Surrey, east by Kent, south by the English Channel, and west by Hampshire, and is divided for local government into West...
(receiving a master’s in economics), and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (receiving a master’s in law and diplomacy). She is married to Francis Parr and is the mother of two children, Nicholas and Henry. She currently resides in the upper west side of Manhattan.
Teaching and Professional Experience
After working as a loan officer with the World BankWorld Bank
The World Bank is an international financial institution that provides loans to developing countries for capital programmes.The World Bank's official goal is the reduction of poverty...
from 1974 to 1979, Fukuda-Parr served as a technical adviser in agricultural economics at the United Nations Development Programme
United Nations Development Programme
The United Nations Development Programme is the United Nations' global development network. It advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP operates in 177 countries, working with nations on their own solutions to...
from 1979 to 1985. Then, as Deputy Resident Adviser in Burundi (1985-1987), Principle Economist and Deputy Director at the Regional Bureau for Africa (1986-1991), and Chief of the West Africa Division (1992-1994), Fukuda-Parr garnered both the information and the experience to become Director of the Human Development Report Office (1995-2006).
Particularly as a director, Fukuda-Parr gained insight into the process of human development, with an emphasis on “democracy, cultural diversity, and human rights.” To promote awareness of the vast inequalities separating gender, race, and class, Fukuda-Parr aided in the publication of research-based proposals and policy work on technical cooperation effectiveness and capacity building. Since leaving the UNDP, Fukuda-Parr has worked as a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, and The Graduate Program in International Affairs at The New School
The New School
The New School is a university in New York City, located mostly in Greenwich Village. From its founding in 1919 by progressive New York academics, and for most of its history, the university was known as the New School for Social Research. Between 1997 and 2005 it was known as New School University...
. .
From a loan officer at World Bank to a director at the UNDP, Fukuda-Parr has been positioned throughout the world (Burundi, Morocco, and Turkey, for instance), gaining insight into cultures on a personal and professional level that has, ultimately, influenced her work.
Work and Publications
To supplement her teaching and professional experience, Fukuda-Parr has acted as both writer and editor on works pertaining to human development, poverty, and economics. In addition to her contributions to the Annual Human Development Reports, she has written and edited several works, including Rethinking Technical Cooperation: Reforms for Capacity Building in Africa (1993), Capacity for Development: New Solutions to Old Problems (EarthscanEarthscan
Earthscan is an English language publisher of books and journals on climate change, sustainable development and environmental technology for academic, professional and general readers....
2002) and The Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal Development (Earthscan
Earthscan
Earthscan is an English language publisher of books and journals on climate change, sustainable development and environmental technology for academic, professional and general readers....
2006). She also has participated in several journal projects and written book chapters concerning capacity development and human rights. As an editor, she founded the Journal of Human Development (2000, annually), co-edited Readings in Human Development: Concepts, Measures and Policies for a Development Paradigm (2004), and has held a position on the Feminist Economics’ editorial board.
Focus
In her writings, such as those for the Belfer Center, she highlights a lack of social parity on an international scale. Inequalities, according to Fukuda-Parr, exist in education, resource distribution, gender rights, and income. Despite such inequalities, however, Fukuda-Parr remains positive about social and economic change. Her role in the Millennium Development GoalsMillennium Development Goals
The Millennium Development Goals are eight international development goals that all 193 United Nations member states and at least 23 international organizations have agreed to achieve by the year 2015...
, among other initiatives, is making a difference in the wars on poverty and inequality. Toward this end, she will continue to fight for an outcome that embodies true human rights on every level.
A Look to the Future – Poverty and Inequality – Challenges in the Era of Globalisation
In The Adventure of Peace, Fukuda-Parr’s chapter, "Poverty and Inequality – Challenges in the Era of Globalisation," describes the central challenge intrinsically dividing society: the direction of globalization. As a synopsis of her works and her beliefs, Fukuda-Parr urges nations to redirect globalization so that it benefits all countries and all peoples, to promote democratization as a force for greater social justice and to address poverty as part of the agenda for collective security. Critical issues (such as HIV/AIDS, migration, links between development and conflict, cultural diversity, and global governance) can be more appropriately tackled with global solidarity and an “inclusive form” of globalization.List of Publications
- The Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal DevelopmentThe Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal DevelopmentThe Gene Revolution: GM Crops and Unequal Development is a 2006 book by Professor Sakiko Fukuda-Parr.While some people do not support genetic manipulation , others view it as the necessary technological solution to limited agricultural output, increasing populations, and climate change...
. Earthscan, London 2006.
- "Genetically Modified Crops in Developing Countries – Institutional and Policy Challenges." Guest Editor, Special issue, International Journal of Technology and Globalization. Vol 2 nos 1-2. 2003.
- Readings in Human Development, Concepts, Measures and Policies for a Development Paradigm. New Delhi. Oxford University Press edited with K.S. Shivakumar 2003.
- Human Insecurity in a Global World. Global Equity Initiative, Harvard University. Cambridge. Harvard University Press. Edited with L. Chen and E. Seidensticker 2002.
- Capacity for Development: Old Problems, New Solutions. London. Earthscan. Edited with K. Malik and C. Lopes 1993.
- Rethinking Technical Cooperation: Reforms for Capacity Building in Africa. New York. UN Publications. With E. Berg
- Human Development Reports 1995-2004 – lead author, with Sir Richard Jolly (1996-99); lead author (2000-04)
- Human Development Report 2004: Cultural Liberty in Today’s Diverse World.
- Human Development Report 2003: The Millennium Development Goals, a Compact among Nations to end Human Poverty.
- Human Development Report 2002: Deepening Democracy in a Fragmented World.
- Human Development Report 2001: Making New Technologies Work for Human Development.
- Human Development Report 2000: Human Rights and Human Development.
- Human Development Report 1999: Globalization with a Human Face.
- Human Development Report 1998: Consumption and Human Development.
- Human Development Report 1997: Human Development to Eradicate Poverty.
- Human Development Report 1996: Human Development and Economic Growth.