COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON POVERTY ERADICATION STRATEGIES

24 May 1996

Press Release
SOC/4397

COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES DISCUSSION ON POVERTY ERADICATION STRATEGIES

19960524 Concerted national and international action, more resources, debt relief and fair trade practices were necessary to combat poverty, the Commission on Social Development was told this morning as it continued the general discussion on strategies for poverty eradication and on the review of its functioning.

Integrated strategies were needed to meet basic human needs and to ensure sustainable development, it was stated. The need for adjustment programmes with a human face was emphasized. It was also stressed that the fight against poverty was a task for both the developed and the developing countries.

The social costs of economic reforms were highlighted by the representatives of Belarus and the Russian Federation. They called for international support for economies in transition. The need for new social mechanisms, including changes in taxation and investment policies was also mentioned.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Chile, Philippines, Venezuela, Kazakstan, Ethiopia, Algeria, South Africa, Gabon, Cote d'Ivorie, Mongolia, Sudan, Indonesia and Pakistan. Representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also spoke, as did representatives from the American Association of Retired Persons, Franciscans International and the Ambedkar Centre for Justice and Peace.

The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m today to continue its deliberations.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission for Social Development met this morning to continue the review of its functioning and its general discussion on strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty. (For details, see Press Release SOC/4390 of 17 May.)

Statements

JEAN SMITH, of the American Association of Retired Persons, speaking on behalf of the Caucus of Older Persons, supported the establishment of an intergovernmental group to guide the preparations towards the 1999 International Year of Older Persons. The Caucus had contacted all Member States asking them to identify non-governmental organizations in their countries considered to be the most active on behalf of ageing populations. They were being urged to plan and implement activities in preparation for the International Year.

She said the organizational framework was already in place and the potential for successful observances leading up to the Year was great. The approach to achieving that end, through an intergovernmental group that would report to the Commission, was sound. She urged Member States to consider that proposal as a model approach that could be applied to other sectoral issues.

MARY PLANTE, of the Franciscans International, said the United Nations should be "more than the world's ambulance or fire service". Governments and their programmes were not the only answer to the problem of poverty. The greatest need was to look at the structures and laws that might prohibit or hinder the people's ability to participate in their own development. People's participation in decision-making would encourage them to accept innovation.

YOGESH VARHADE, of the Ambedkar Centre for Justice and Peace, said there were 560 million poor in south Asia. Out of those, 300 million did not have enough to eat. A majority of those 300 million were "untouchables" of the Hindu caste system. Under that system, Hindus of the high caste deemed themselves polluted by the mere touch of the untouchables. Less than 15 per cent of Hindus of the high caste had been in control of 85 per cent of India's resources and the human rights violations against the untouchables had been recorded by the Government of India itself. He stressed the need for empowering those people and emphasized that fundamental rights to food, health and education had to be fulfilled. The Commission must dismantle "apartheid in south Asia", he said, stressing the need for creating an infrastructure for self-sufficiency.

EDUARDO GALVEZ (Chile) said his Government had put in place programmes aimed at achieving economic development with equity. Its budget provided for

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social services and investments for the poor. Specific programmes to provide electricity, telephone and other services had been provided. The Government was also investing in infrastructure programmes which had social impact. Those programmes were being carried out in order to effectively involve the poor, and included support for small businesses and improvement in labour relations. The private sector was also involved in programmes to eradicate poverty, he added.

RUTH LIMJUCO (Philippines) said a national and regional framework to monitor development was being set up in her country. As poverty continued to exist with bounty, development had to include the enhancement of people's spiritual self. Strategies had to be designed to be sustainable and to take into account the culture and psyche of the people. The social reform agenda in the Philippines had been expanded. An effort was being made to energize the bureaucracy, insist on participation of the non-governmental sector and to mobilize resources. A realignment of funds was also under way. She stressed that the fight against poverty was a task for both the developed and the developing countries.

CARLOS ALTIMARI (Venezuela) said his Government was striving to provide material goods and services to improve the lives of people and was committed to the goals of the 1995 World Summit for Social Development. In addition to improving the economy, the government was committed to strengthening programmes for the neediest and improving ongoing social programmes. The needs of children, young mothers and the elderly were being looked at. Programmes were being aimed at health, feeding and employment. In addition, family subsidies had been provided and there was a school feeding programme for children.

T. RAMISHVILI (Russian Federation) said his Government was aware of the costly effects on the poor of its economic reforms. The problem of underemployment was real in the country. A system of compensation for older persons, the sick and other disadvantaged had been established, although still required improvement. Eradicating poverty through redistribution of income for the poor was not enough. There was need for social mechanisms, including changes in taxation and investment policies. The Russian Federation was actively participating in programmes connected with the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. It planned to introduce by 1 November a draft legislation on minimum social standards covering wage and social assistance. He called for international support for the efforts of the economies in transition.

MURAT A. SMAGULOV (Kazakstan) said the present policy of his country was directed towards the solution of serious social problems. It had targeted certain vulnerable population groups, such as the unemployed and low-income families. More than 5 million people in Kazakstan were covered by social

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service and regional charitable funds had been established. The Government was benefiting from cooperation with the World Bank and other international organizations in the social and economic fields. It was also focusing on training and retraining of the unemployed, particularly women and youth.

SILESHI SHEWANEH (Ethiopia) said eradication of poverty demanded concerted and united action. Integrated strategies were needed to meet basic human needs and to ensure sustainable development. No part of the world was immune from poverty. The shortage of resources, debt burden and the imbalance of trade necessitated that action at the national level be complemented by international action.

ALENA GRYTSENKA (Belarus) said the economic reforms in her country had been accompanied by a drop in real income. The constraints placed on the budget as a result of the Chernobyl disaster had made the situation worse. A fifth of the country's budget was used to deal with the consequences of the disaster and 23 per cent of its territory remained contaminated. Moreover, in recent years, as real wages had dropped, the situation of poor families had become worse. The Government had taken steps to provide protection for mothers with young children, and legislation had been enacted to support parents caring for invalid children. Housing subsidies had also been introduced. She called for more support from the international community for countries in transition, stressing the importance of increased investment and transfer of technology.

BOUBACAR TOURE, a representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said the organization foresaw a constant improvement per capita in the world food situation until the year 2010. Unless extraordinary measures were taken, however, it would not be possible to achieve a considerable reduction in malnourishment and food security for all. That situation had led to the decision to hold a World Food Summit at the level of heads of State and government. The Summit, to be held from 13 to 17 November at FAO headquarters in Rome, would be an opportunity for world leaders to make commitments and for specific measures to be taken to eradicate hunger and improve food security.

PIERRE LEMARRESQUIER, a representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said there was no one efficient way to fight poverty without economic growth. If the fight against poverty was a State's responsibility, it had to be recognized that the globalization of the economy had a big impact on the development of countries. Private investment was still very selective and only directed at the most advanced developing countries. The debt burden was still a threat to the ability of States to get rid of their poverty. The Social Summit had enlarged the framework of action to fight poverty and its recommendations must be translated into action. The UNDP had given priority

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to the elaboration of an integrated strategy to help States in their national actions.

AMINA MESDOU (Algeria) said a true international partnership was required to solve the problem of poverty. It was time for structural adjustment to be given a second look. Algeria was exposed to the instability in the international environment. It was implementing economic reforms at considerable social cost. It had established a social network to support marginalized people. Algeria needed international support to carry out its economic reforms.

IRMA ENGELBRECHT (South Africa) said her Government had launched rural and urban development strategies in 1995 and requested comments from the public. On the basis of the comments received, official policy documents would be published. South Africa was committed to eliminating poverty and creating full employment by the year 2020. Among the pillars of South Africa's policy to formulate integrated growth and development, she cited the creation of employment, investment in people as the productive and creative core of the economy, a creative national crime-prevention strategy and a system of social security.

SEBASTIEN MAMBOUNDOU-MOUYAMA (Gabon) said that at the beginning of the 1980s, primary education was free to all children born in Gabon. However, recently many enterprises that provided jobs had to be closed and that had affected the provision of such benefits. In view of the worsening public health situation, the Government recently had undertaken a programme of immunization. Since 1990, it had also started programmes for basic education and vocational training. An operation called "taxi programme" had been started, under which young people with licenses received loans to buy taxis for which they could gradually pay. In addition, people who were not covered by the social security system were being brought under a fund called the social security national fund.

KABA CAMARA (Cote d'Ivoire) said policies to eradicate poverty could not succeed without international support and an enabling global environment. There was a need to increase the flow of resources for poor countries to enable them to implement programmes to combat poverty. One year after the Social Summit, African States were still suffering severe economic problems. Urgent measures should be taken by donor countries to implement measures recommended by the Summit concerning the foreign debt problems. Fluctuations in commodity prices posed severe problems for African States which depended on single crops. The civil society, particularly women and the private sector, should be involved in programmes for poverty eradication. Cote d'Ivoire had set up a fund to help the poor that had women as the main beneficiaries. The Commission should make recommendations to provide guidelines to implement the decisions of the Copenhagen Summit.

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OCHIR ENKTSETSEG (Mongolia) said while the primary responsibility for anti-poverty programmes rested with governments, international assistance was indispensable. Her delegation was heartened by the commitment of the European Union to abide by the official development assistance (ODA) target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) and hoped other donors would follow suit. In 1994, her Government had adopted a programme to eradicate poverty. Twenty- six per cent of the population had been classified as poor, and the situation was particularly serious in the rural areas. Poverty alleviation programmes were aimed at reducing poverty from 26 to 10 per cent by promoting human development and strengthening basic social safety nets.

AHMED ABDEL-HALIM (Sudan) said the Copenhagen Summit had been a historic turning point for social development. He called on the Commission to remain independent of other bodies and stressed the need for more frequent sessions. Stating that he supported the position of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, he said any marginalization of the Commission had to be rejected. The mandate of the Commission should be expanded and its bureau must be opened up to all its members. Moreover, important decisions should only be taken by the full membership. Sudan's strategy for poverty eradication aimed at self-sufficiency. As a result, more than 2 million families had been able to start up enterprises and all the sectors had been stimulated to participate in social development. A social bank had been established with the help of charitable donations and the other guarantees required by a modern bank. Stressing the need for international support to the poverty eradication efforts, he pointed out that such support had declined in recent years.

SUTJIPTO DONOKUSUNO (Indonesia) said that for years the goal of his Government had been to alleviate poverty and meet basic needs of its population. The Government had already implemented Social Summit commitments regarding allocation of more resources to social development. Approximately 27 per cent of the national budget had been allocated to social development. Between 1971 and 1994, over 40 million new jobs had been created. Over the past 20 years, the economy had consistently grown at an average annual rate of 7 per cent. Consequently, the percentage of the population living below the poverty line had declined from 60 per cent to 13 per cent. A national anti- poverty programme was being implemented to encourage greater community participation and self-reliance.

AHMAD KAMAL (Pakistan) stressed that the follow-up to the Social Summit's outcome had to be system-wide. Developed countries must meet their commitment to allocate 0.7 per cent of GNP for ODA. Social development must be based on sustained economic growth, and time-bound strategies were required for poverty eradication. The analytical content of the Secretary-General's report before the Commission on poverty eradication was weak, the political context was skewed and the philosophical focus was blurred. It emphasized

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that implementation of the Copenhagen outcome was primarily the responsibility of national governments, although it acknowledged that international assistance and cooperation were essential. That was contrary to agreements reached at the Summit that had recognized inter-dependence between national and international efforts. Pakistan had identified the most vulnerable groups, namely women, children, the elderly, migrants and refugees, for social welfare and rehabilitation programmes. A comprehensive $8 billion social action programme had been launched to meet the needs of people in areas such as education and primary health care.

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