COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BEGINS SPECIAL SESSION

Press Release
SOC/4391

COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT BEGINS SPECIAL SESSION

The Commission for Social Development must decide how best the decisions of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development should be implemented and the mechanism for doing so, the Under Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, said this morning as the Commission began an eight-day special session.

Mr. Desai said a crucial task for the Commission was to provide a high- level political forum to ensure that issues raised at the Social Summit continued to be highlighted. He stressed the need for involvement of the civil society in the implementation of the Summit's decisions.

During the current session, the Commission will review its mandate, terms of reference and scope of work. It will also focus attention on the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted by the Summit, in particular, Commitment 2 of the Declaration and Chapter 2 of the Programme of Action, both of which deal with the goal of poverty eradication through decisive national actions and international cooperation.

Also this morning, the Commission elected Koos Richelle (Netherlands) as Chairman, Ruth Limjuco (Philippines) and Julia Tavares de Alvarez (Dominican Republic) were elected Vice-Chairmen. Sileshi Shewaneh (Ethiopia) was elected Rapporteur. The election of a third Vice-Chairman was postponed. In addition, the Commission adopted its agenda and organization of work.

The newly elected Chairman, Mr. Richelle (Netherlands), said members had to ensure that their recommendations contributed to efficiency and effectiveness in the Commission's work. He called for changes in the Commission's preparatory process for its sessions, adding that it could not be expected that it would fully discuss its substantive theme of poverty eradication in eight days.

Speaking on the review of the functioning of the Commission, several speakers called for the expansion of its membership and the lengthening of its sessions. Statements were made by the representatives of Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), China, Dominican

Republic, Argentina, Republic of Korea and Gabon. Representatives of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and of the Development Caucus, a coalition of non-governmental organizations, also spoke.

The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today.

Statements

KOOS RICHELLE Netherlands, the Commission's new Chairman said the Commission's work programme should reflect the core issues of the 1995 Copenhagen Summit, namely poverty, employment and social integration, as well as the important relationships among them. To avoid operating in a vacuum, increased coordination of all activities was necessary. The Economic and Social Council had an important role to play in harmonizing the work programmes of the Commission with those of its other functional bodies, as well as in providing policy coordination. The Commission should assist the Council in that task by keeping an open eye for relevant developments within its mandate.

He said members had to ensure that their recommendations contributed to the efficiency and effectiveness of the Commission's work. In that respect, the Commission had to consider changes in the preparatory process for its sessions. It could not be expected that the Commission could fully discuss its substantive theme of poverty eradication in eight days. He proposed that the discussion should focus on three specific issues: formulation of integrated strategies, meeting the basic human needs of all and the promotion of self-reliance and community-based initiatives. He expressed appreciation to the non-governmental organizations that had contributed to the Summit's follow-up process.

NITIN DESAI, Under Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, introduced a report of the Secretary-General which provides a historical perspective of the Commission's functioning and outlines some options that it may wish to consider. He said the Commission must decide how best the recommendations of the Copenhagen Summit could be implemented and the mechanism for doing so. The challenge the Commission faced was how integration of social issues could be included in the work of the United Nations. A crucial task before it was to provide a high-level political forum to ensure that issues raised at the Summit would continue to be highlighted. The civil society should also be involved in the implementation of the Summit's decisions. A great deal of action had to take place at the national level. The Commission should find ways of interacting with the various activities related to the implementation of the Summit's decisions.

He said a very high number of countries had responded to a letter of the Secretary-General urging governments to set out strategies and targets for

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action in eradicating poverty. Panel discussions which would be held during the session were aimed at providing a forum for exchange of ideas. The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and representatives of the three task forces set up to follow up on the various United Nations development-related conferences would hold an open forum next week with the Commission. Non-governmental organizations would also show during the session what they had been doing in implementing the decisions of the Summit. The Commission should act as a political platform to keep the outcome of the Summit alive and also ensure the preservation of the consensus achieved there.

EMILIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the Copenhagen Programme of Action must be translated into national action, adding that the Commission had the primary responsibility for the Programme's implementation. Documents should be made available to members of the Commission well in advance of its sessions and the Commission should revise and update its working methods. Experts from developing countries should be invited to address the Commission on matters concerning poverty and other social issues.

She called for an expansion in the membership of the Commission to 53 members, with provision for equitable geographical representation. The Commission should meet annually and the length of its sessions should be expanded. In addition, it should accord increased importance to regional commissions. Such substantive changes would mark a positive factor in dealing with deteriorating social situations.

WANG XUEXIAN China said the task confronting all governments and the United Nations was to earnestly carry out the follow-up to the Summit. The current session should make concrete recommendations on how the United Nations work in the field of social development could be improved. The Organization should increase resources and strengthen the mechanism for the follow-up to the Summit and promote social development of Member States.

The Commission should adhere to a pragmatic principle in social development by taking solid actions to implement the consensus reached at the Summit he said. In formulating its multi-year programme of work, the Commission should give priority to such areas as poverty, education, allocation of resources and international cooperation. It should vigorously promote international cooperation and encourage the developed countries to give advice and technical assistance to developing countries. The Commission should also strengthen coordination between United Nations bodies. He called for the enlargement of the Commission's membership. China had formulated a national social development plan to the year 2010. It would support and cooperate with the United Nations in the field of social development and would also make contributions for its promotion at the global level.

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JULIA TAVARES DE ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic) said for the Commission to play a central role in the follow-up to the Social Summit, it had to continuously review its agenda and methods of work, including finding new and innovative methods of work. The Commission should meet annually for 10 working days and its membership should be increased. There should be two major items for discussion each year: the follow-up to the Social Summit and monitoring of other international plans, programmes of action and related events or documents. The Commission should also develop a closer relationship with the private sector and representatives of the civil society. More active and direct relationships with other commissions and committees of the United Nations should also be developed.

Noting that 1999 had been proclaimed the International Year of Older Persons, she suggested that the issue of ageing should be on the agenda of the Commission every year up to 1999. The overall monitoring of the Social Summit should make explicit reference to the situation of older people and non- governmental organizations with particular interest in the issue should be invited to participate in the Commission's work. The provisional agenda of the Commission's thirty-fifth session called for an open-ended ad hoc working group to be established to review preparations for the observance of the Year of Older Persons. That working group should be established at the current session and start meeting officially in 1997.

JUAN CARLOS BELTRAMINO (Argentina) said a fresh orientation was needed in dealing with the complexity of problems in the social arena. The new method should identify specific problems in the social arena and negotiate solutions which would take into account problems that might be encountered. The holding of consultations on issues to be discussed at the following session of the Commission should be encouraged during the inter-sessional period. A consensus seemed to have emerged on the importance of agreeing in the inter-sessional period on the topics to be discussed in the session.

He stressed that appropriate work to prepare for the Commission's sessions was essential as they were far too short. Such preparation should not focus only on procedural issues, but on substantive matters as well. The inter-sessional discussions could be coordinated by the Chairman and members of the bureau, with discussions being kept confidential. Attempts must be made in the inter-sessional period to arrive at a consensus draft resolution.

MYUNG CHUL HAHM (Republic of Korea) said the Commission should tackle the core issues of an environment conducive to social development, poverty eradication and the expansion of employment and social integration in a comprehensive and coordinated effort. The follow-up framework should be a two-tiered structure with individual governments on one level and international cooperation on another. The Republic of Korea had formulated a

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framework for national welfare for the twenty-first century. The plan aimed at attaining a higher standard of living for the country's population. At the international level, the Republic of Korea would this year "more than double the entire scale" of its official development assistance and provide technical training for 1,000 people from the developing countries.

He said a draft resolution should be adopted outlining an effective review of the implementation of the decisions of the Summit, including enhancing monitoring activities related to social development undertaken by the various entities of the United Nations system. A coherent presentation of relevant coordinating recommendations and proposals for consideration by the Economic and Social Council should also be contained in the text. He was in favour of enlargement of the Commission's membership, and welcomed the involvement of non-governmental organizations and experts in the work of the Commission.

SEBASTIEN MAMBOUNDOU-MOUYAMA (Gabon) said the Commission's current membership of 32 was sufficient for its work. Lengthening the Commission's sessions would burden the Organization, which was facing financial problems. The Commission should meet once in February.

BEATRICE VON ROEMER, of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions, said her organization was now engaged in efforts to ensure that the decisions of the Summit would become a reality. A seminar had been organized by the Confederation for that purpose. The process of adopting policies and programmes for implementing the decisions of the Summit had been painfully slow. The Confederation would like to see the Commission become a dynamic force, with action-oriented activities. She supported the involvement of civil society in the work of the Commission, adding that the Confederation had a lot of expertise which could be placed at its disposal. She called for the involvement of ministers for finance in the Commission's work.

LEONOR MAGTOLIS BRIONES, of the Development Caucus, said that group had been monitoring implementation of the decisions of the Summit, as well as those of the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women at the local and international levels. It had written a report, entitled "Social Watch", which was available to the Commission. There was no more need for further studies. The recommendations of the United Nations development-related conferences must be implemented.

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