GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON ACHIEVING WORLD SUMMIT'S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Press Release
GA/9028

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON ACHIEVING WORLD SUMMIT'S SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT GOALS

Various Speakers State International Financial Institutions, Regional Organizations, Civil Society Representatives Should Assist Governments

While national governments had the primary responsibility for giving meaning to human-centred development, international financial institutions, regional organizations, local authorities and representatives of civil society should assist the governments in achieving that goal, various speakers stated in the General Assembly this afternoon as debate continued on the implementation of the recommendations made at the World Summit for Social Development.

Deliberate measures were required to ensure that civil society was empowered to participate in economic and social decision-making processes, the representative of the United Republic of Tanzania said.

The representative of Benin said that although the Copenhagen Summit had made it clear that development had to be human centred, investment in social development was costly and developing nations required assistance from the international community. In that context, the international financial organizations ought to take into account the social impact of their policies.

The representative of China told the Assembly that the developed countries should undertake greater responsibilities and should increase rather than decrease their assistance to the developing countries for social development on a global scale. All-around social progress should be vigorously pursued, while respecting the national conditions of each country.

The representative of the Philippines, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" and China, called for a favourable national and international legal environment to promote social development. He stressed the need for transparency and accountability in international economic and political decision-making.

The representatives of Columbia, Kenya, Zimbabwe, Russian Federation, Japan, Zambia, Costa Rica, Andorra, Namibia, South Africa and Swaziland also participated in the debate.

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The Assembly will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Friday, 8 December, to continue its debate on the implementation of proposals made at the Social Development Summit. It will also discuss the implementation of the recommendations of the Fourth World Conference on Women, and will consider items on the University for Peace.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this afternoon to continue its review of how the recommendations of the World Summit for Social Development have been carried out and to take up the implementation of the recommendations of the Fourth World Conference on Women: Action for Equality, Development and Peace. (For background on that report, see Press Releases GA/SHC/3319, issued 14 November, and GA/9028, issued today.)

Also before the Assembly is a draft resolution on the Fourth World Conference on Women (document A/50/L.46). Under its terms, the Assembly would endorse the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted at the Conference on 15 September. The Assembly would also call upon all States, all bodies of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations, to take action for the effective implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action.

Statements Made

ARTURO INFANTE (Colombia) said the Copenhagen Summit had acknowledged the importance of social development, and the problems of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. It was a summit of hope, commitment and action. The delegates committed themselves to a programme of action that placed the human individual at the centre of the agenda. Colombia had proposed a new social development model, which it had followed in its efforts to modernize the social structures of the country and achieve development. The social development plan of the present administration coincided with the goals of the Copenhagen Summit.

He said that next January a national meeting would take place to coordinate application of the commitments of the heads of State at the Summit and the plan of action. Colombia welcomed the programmes of regional and horizontal cooperation following the Summit and was resolved to cooperate in those follow-up mechanisms. The United Nations would play a crucial role in the follow-up. The Commission on Social Development should consider convening a meeting of high-level delegates in 1997 to deal with the follow-up to the Summit. The Bretton Woods institutions should also take up the implementation of the commitments at the Summit. For its part, Colombia would continue its vigorous work to develop efforts that placed the emphasis on the human person.

FRANCIS K. MUTHAURA (Kenya) said poverty continued to be the root cause of many problems of society. It ought to be tackled in an integrated manner. The holding of the Copenhagen Summit was a recognition that eradication of poverty required a coordinated approach. Primary responsibility for poverty eradication rested with national governments and their ability to mobilize grass-root involvement in income-generating programmes. Timely, effective and

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concerted support of the United Nations extended to national programmes was crucial in that regard.

Kenya was encouraged by steps taken by various United Nations bodies and agencies, he said. It had implemented long- and short-term programmes to tackle poverty. The programmes and projects currently under implementation compassed the major themes of welfare and basic services; skills development; employment and job creation; rural development; and environmental conservation. While national action programmes were fundamental, it could not be overemphasized that the implementation of the Summit's commitments would not achieve the desired result without substantial international support.

WANG XUEXIAN (China) said a favourable environment of peace should be created to foster the follow-up to the Summit. Without peace there could not be development. Economic development and all-around social progress should be vigorously developed. "Eradication of poverty, employment expansion and enhancement of social integration are the three core issues of the Summit", he said. The national conditions of each country should be respected. The developed countries should undertake greater responsibilities and increase rather than decrease their assistance to the developing countries for promoting social development on a global scale. The role of the United Nations system in the follow-up to the Summit should be strengthened.

He said the Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission for Social Development should place implementation on the top of their agenda. The Chinese Government attached great importance to social development. It was now formulating its Ninth Five-Year Plan for economic and social development. In recent years it had launched large-scale poverty relief throughout the country, had greatly increased capital input and formulated preferential policies to that end. "We are determined to eradicate absolute poverty throughout the country by the end of the century", he said.

FELIPE MABILANGAN (Philippines), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, called upon States to fulfil the commitments of the heads of State and government at the Social Summit to a political, economic, ethical and spiritual vision for social development. That should be based on human dignity, human rights, peace, democracy and mutual responsibility, with full respect for the various religious, ethical and cultural backgrounds of peoples. He welcomed the draft resolution on the implementation of the recommendations of the Social Summit. In reaffirming the need for an integrated and coordinated follow-up to the Summit, his Government looked to the focal role of the Commission on Social Development with overall guidance and monitoring by the Economic and Social Council, which had agreed to include as a priority the formulation of strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty.

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He also welcomed the adoption of a 1996 substantive theme of the Commission on Social Development which hinged on the eradication of poverty through the formulation of integrated strategies and actions to meet the basic human needs of all and to promote self-reliance and community-based initiatives. He said the Commission was a logical actor in the implementation and follow-up of the Social Summit commitments, and in that regard, they appealed to Member States to strengthen it. To promote a favourable national and international political and legal environment for social development, there should be transparency and accountability in international economic and political decision-making, respect for all human rights and democratic principles, pluralism and international law, as well as the right to development.

RENE VALERY MONGBE (Benin) said that at the end of the twentieth century the challenges facing the world were many, of which poverty was a main one. A new form of international cooperation was required to tackle poverty, to provide employment and to do away with unemployment and underemployment. The Copenhagen Summit made it clear that development had to be human-centred.

However, investment in social development was costly, he said. Therefore, many developing nations would require assistance, including a reduction of their debts. The transfer of technology to developing countries and promotion of education were other crucial steps in the battle against poverty. Initiative would have to be shown by the non-governmental organizations, the private sector and the representatives of civil society. Within the United Nations system, the procedures of the Economic and Social Council must be strengthened so that increased priority could be given to social development. Benin recognized the contributions of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Organization's Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat) and other agencies in the social development area. The international financial organizations should take into account the social impact of their policies. Most of all, it would be a pity if all the decisions taken at Copenhagen would flounder in interminable debate in meetings.

NGONI FRANCIS SENGWE (Zimbabwe) said the core issues of the Social Summit -- poverty alleviation, employment generation and social integration -- should continue to be the main focus in the implementation of its Declaration and Programme of Action. Success for the Copenhagen commitments would require the joint effort of governments and grass-root and non-governmental organizations. At the national level, Zimbabwe had been expanding social services, particularly health care and educational facilities. It had striven to promote social integration by establishing country-wide administrative structures to achieve grass-root participation and widen the decision-making base.

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He went on to say that with over 70 per cent of the population living on the land, the Government had embarked on a phased resettlement programme based on land acquisition and redistribution. The Government continued to pay particular attention to the enhancement of the status of women, with several laws being passed to ensure their equal access to the country's resources. It was also working on inheritance laws to ensure equal treatment of women. And it had recently launched a poverty-alleviation programme which included public assistance and sought to concentrate efforts towards total eradication of the root causes of poverty. He appealed to the international community to complete the country's efforts.

He said Zimbabwe was not content with the fact that crucial departments and units within the United Nations system had not yet geared themselves to take appropriate action to keep social development high on the agenda of the international community. His Government noted with concern that departments such as the Department of Public Information and the Department for Development Support and Management Services, which were supposed to promote international awareness, mobilize resources and assist national governments in capacity building, were actually threatened with trimmed allocations in the proposed programme budget for the 1996-1997 biennium.

It was imperative, he said, that the United Nations system gear itself to spearhead and coordinate the international community's follow-up activities. The mandate of the Commission on Social Development should be strengthened to monitor the implementation of the Summit's Programme of Action. Zimbabwe also regarded the implementation of the 20/20 initiative as crucial to the success of the Programme of Action. [That initiative of the Social Development Summit is based on the idea of allocating 20 per cent of official development assistance (ODA) and 20 per cent of national budgets to priority basic social programmes.]

IVAN V. KHRYSKOV (Russian Federation) said the main task now was to ensure the practical implementation of the Social Summit proposals. The Summit documents were balanced and met many concerns. Social development and social justice were essential for ensuring peace and security within and between countries. They could not be attained under conditions where there was no respect for human rights. Solutions to social and economic problems remained the responsibility of States, but international cooperation in the area of resources also was necessary. The Russian Federation was committed to social development. The Government, with the participation of the constituent States, was carrying out programmes towards that end. The measures called for international support.

He said the first positive signs of the economic reforms in his country were being felt. Also, there was need for more assistance in the move towards integration of the countries in transition into the world economy. In addition, he said United Nations activities should be more dynamic and

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focused. The Commission for Social Development should play an important role in the implementation of the Programme of Action and should also be given more resources to carry out its work. Other international organizations also had an important role to play and their activities should be coordinated with those of the United Nations system. He pledged the cooperation of the Russian Federation.

SHUNJI MARUYAMA (Japan) said the pattern of North-South confrontation was changing as a by-product of the end of the cold war. That created a rare opportunity to deal effectively with the social problems that threatened the well-being of the people of developed and developing countries alike. In undertaking the follow-up to the Copenhagen Summit, it was important to strengthen international cooperation, especially through the organizations of the United Nations. Follow-up would be entrusted to a three-tiered mechanism comprising the Assembly, the Economic and Social Council and the Commission for Social Development. The Council should ensure an integrated and coordinated follow-up to the recent series of major international conferences.

The Commission had the central role in the follow-up. Its mandate, he continued, was broad and the issue before the Assembly was not how to change but how to revitalize the Commission's activities. For its part, the Assembly should establish an organized system for formulating policy and guiding implementation. The Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) was responsible for promoting systematic coordination of the United Nations system. Social development also required the active participation of the non- governmental organizations. In Japan the NGO Forum of Japan had been established to follow up the Summit.

PETER L. KASANDA (Zambia) said the Summit had recognized that while there had been progress in some areas, the insecurity that many people faced about the future -- their children's and their own -- was intensifying. The gap between rich and poor in developing and developed countries alike was widening, despite the fact that some developing countries were growing rapidly. More than 1 billion people worldwide lived in abject poverty, a large portion of them women. The marginalization of the poorest nations and the poorest within communities continued unabated. Falling commodity prices, rising military expenditures, poor return on investments were among factors that reduced real incomes of developing countries. Essential social services had been cut. "For many millions of families in the poorest villages, and urban squatters, the consequence of these economic forces, over which they have absolutely no control, is destitution and desperation," he said.

He said follow up to the Summit should proceed at two complementary levels, national and international. It was the responsibility of national government to establish their priorities and national action programmes. Those programmes should be integrated into national development plans. On the international level, the United Nations should play the key role in

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consolidating the commitments entered into at the Copenhagen Summit. The roles of the Economic and Social Council and the Commission for Social Development were crucial. He looked forward to completion of consultations begun at the substantive session of the Council. He agreed that the Commission would need to be strengthened to bring it into line with other functional commissions.

FERNANDO BERROCAL-SOTO (Costa Rica) said the General Assembly should take decisions and advance with determination and firmness on the commitments in the Social Summit's Declaration and Programme of Action. That should be done with the active cooperation of Member States and organizations of the United Nations system, with international support reinforced by regional and national efforts. Public and private sectors as well as the rest of civil society should be involved. Cooperation between the Bretton Woods institutions and organizations of the United Nations system was vital.

The new spirit of reconciliation and honest and open negotiation achieved at Copenhagen should be used in confronting the issues on the international agenda, including the reform and restructuring of the United Nations system. Member States should not let 1996 pass by without a determination to deal with eradication of poverty. They should also create the coordinating mechanisms for public and private organizations which represent the civil society to work together to implement the first commitment of the Social Summit -- poverty eradication. That would give meaning to the proclamation of 1996 as the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty.

RADHIA MSUYA (United Republic of Tanzania) said her country endorsed the statement made by the representative of the Philippines on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. One of the major commitments made in Copenhagen was the commitment to poverty eradication. The imperative, therefore, for most developing countries was to expand productive employment which was the basis for improved living standards.

One of the central challenges of governments was to give practical meaning to people-centred development, she continued. However, national governments could not be the sole players. Civil society ought to be empowered to participate in economic and social decision-making processes. While it was the primary responsibility of States to attain the Summit's goals, those goals had to be achieved in broad partnership with the international community through the United Nations. Therefore, the international financial institutions, regional organizations, local authorities and all actors of civil society would have to be involved in the enterprise.

JULI MINOVES-TRIQUELL (Andorra) said that the text that had emerged from the Copenhagen Summit had been accepted by the entire United Nations. It expressed a vision of development that must now be translated into action.

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The responsibility weighing on the delegates needed to be recognized. The results of efforts undertaken to realize peace and development would benefit all of humankind.

He wished to see a debate and programme of action aimed at youth unemployment. It had been calculated that the developing countries would have to create some 650 million jobs and ensure a respected old age. More than kind words was required to implement the Copenhagen Declaration, however. "Let us not leave the world unchanged", he said.

TUNGURU HUARAKA (Namibia) said his Government was fully committed to implementing the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, and he endorsed the statement of the Philippines on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. Primary responsibility for implementation lay with Member States. The Namibian National Committee had been created to implement and monitor the commitments at the Summit. That National Committee was empowered to establish policy and oversee execution of the programmes; resolve policy issues and problems, ensure the integration of programme activities and liaise with other relevant bodies, particularly those engaged in fighting poverty, unemployment and social disintegration.

He said Namibia's First National Development Plan for the period 1995 to 2000 had just been completed. Its objectives were reviving and sustaining economic growth, creating employment opportunities, reducing inequalities in income distribution and eradicating poverty. As was to be expected in a developing country, the underlying factors of poverty in Namibia were environmental factors and the legacies of apartheid, including educational differences, lack of access to land, financial resources, unequal access to social services and a constraining legal framework. Namibia concurred with the proposal of the Secretary-General that a special session should be convened in the year 2000 to review and appraise the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit.

FERDI BERGH (South Africa) said his Government had embarked on a fundamental reform of its welfare system, in line with its Reconstruction and Development Programme and the Constitution. The policy included restructuring of social welfare services, development programmes and social security. Through that policy, the Government was committed to creating a people-centred social welfare system that would facilitate the development of human capacity, self-reliance and promotion of social well-being.

He said the Department of Welfare and Population Development had begun work on a five-year strategic plan that would target the poorest 40 per cent of the population. Priorities would include a national plan of action for families, children and youth; poverty prevention; countering the abuse of women and empowering them economically; fighting alcohol and drug abuse; addressing chronic illness such as HIV/AIDS; and promoting the rights of

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physically and mentally disabled people. The key to achieving those goals would be family-centred and community-based care and rehabilitation programmes.

MOSES M. DLAMINI (Swaziland) said implementation of the Summit commitments required a review of economic policies and mobilization of new and additional financial resources. It also required cooperation at regional and international levels and assistance from development partners and United Nations agencies. The Social Summit provided a landmark for a people-centred strategy for sustainable development. Gender issues should be addressed as both development questions and human concerns, and the efforts of women incorporated in national strategies. Participation of youth, especially the female-child, should also be integrated in the development process. Swaziland believed there should be an enabling environment for peoples' empowerment and the building up of their capacities for self-reliance.

There had been remarkable economic progress in his country, but the bulk of the people were still largely outside the mainstream of economic activity. In recommendations of a recently concluded economic review in the country, it had been stated that priority should be given to employment creation and economic opportunities. A small- and medium-enterprise support scheme had been launched for the unemployed, including pensioners. Swaziland was working on a framework for international cooperation in the context of the Agenda for Development [a comprehensive blueprint in all areas of sustainable development, adopted at the Rio de Janeiro Conference on Environment and Development] to ensure the integrated and comprehensive implementation, follow-up and assessment of the Summit commitments, together with the recommendations of the other United Nations conferences and that of the forthcoming Habitat II.

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