COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT HEARS ORAL REPORTS BY CHAIRMEN OF WORKING GROUPS ON ITS FUTURE AND ON POVERTY ERADICATION
Press Release
SOC/4400
COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT HEARS ORAL REPORTS BY CHAIRMEN OF WORKING GROUPS ON ITS FUTURE AND ON POVERTY ERADICATION
19960529 No agreement on the membership, frequency and duration of meetings of the Commission for Social Development had been reached as yet in the Working Group that was discussing those matters, the Chairman of the Group told the Commission this morning.The Chairman of the Group on the future of the Commission, Ruth Limjuco (Philippines), said progress had been made on some other areas, including restructuring of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields. Stating that a near consensus had been reached on the structure of the Commission's future agenda, she said negotiations would continue on the identification of issues on which United Nations system-wide coordination needed to be improved. Consultations on the Commission's multi-year programme of activity to the year 2000 would continue.
Also reporting to the Commission, the Chairman of the Working Group on poverty eradication, Sten Arne Rosnes (Norway), said that a draft proposal on poverty eradication submitted by the "Group of 77" developing countries and China and amendments to it by the European Union formed the basis for the Group's negotiations. The pace of negotiations, which would continue today, was satisfactory, he added.
During its current special session, the Commission is reviewing its mandate, terms of reference and scope of its work. It is expected to elaborate its multi-year programme of activity to the year 2000. As the body with the central role in the follow-up to the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, it is also focusing attention on the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action adopted by the Summit, particularly 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.
The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its deliberations.
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