Jamaica's Hurricane Melissa experience to help shape UN Human Development Report
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The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will use lessons from Jamaica's experience with Hurricane Melissa to help shape its 2026 Human Development Report (HDR), with a focus on how climate change is affecting human development in Small Island Developing States (SIDS).
The announcement followed a consultation and Thought Leaders Dialogue hosted by the UNDP and the University of the West Indies (UWI) at the Mona School of Business. The discussions gathered qualitative data and policy recommendations that will contribute to the development of the global report.
UNDP said Jamaica's experience with the Category 5 Hurricane Melissa in 2025 offers valuable insights into how climate-induced disasters are reshaping social vulnerability and development.
UNDP Resident Representative Dr Kishan Khoday said the 2026 HDR aims to amplify the voices of communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
"The 2026 HDR, still in development, aims to ensure the inclusion of reflections and voices from the frontlines, examining ways the accelerating planetary emergency is redefining the future of development in contexts like Jamaica, looking to the specific case of Hurricane Melissa," Khoday said.
He added that the dialogue was an opportunity to identify practical measures that move beyond assessing climate impacts to implementing actions that support both people and the environment.
Dr Pedro Conceição, Global Director of the UNDP Human Development Report Office, said the report will promote a more aspirational approach to climate resilience by examining how societies can strengthen their relationship with nature.
He also announced that the report will introduce a new Nature-Relationship Index, which will measure human-nature relationships as a key component of development rather than focusing solely on environmental degradation.
Professor Michael Taylor, Dean of UWI's Faculty of Science and Technology and Chair of the UWI Climate Group, said Hurricane Melissa had created an opportunity to rethink development policies by embedding resilience and nature-based solutions into future planning.
The dialogue also examined the impact of planetary change on poverty and inequality, strategies for nature-based development, and approaches to building more resilient communities after climate-related disasters.
Published annually by the UNDP since 1990, the Human Development Report is one of the world's leading assessments of global development. The 2026 edition will explore how planetary pressures affect health, education, livelihoods and well-being, while identifying ways societies can build more sustainable relationships with nature.
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