PROGRESS ACHIEVED TOWARDS MAJOR GOALS OF 1990 WORLD SUMMIT FOR CHILDREN, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN MID-TERM REVIEW

Press Release
GA/9130

PROGRESS ACHIEVED TOWARDS MAJOR GOALS OF 1990 WORLD SUMMIT FOR CHILDREN, SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS GENERAL ASSEMBLY IN MID-TERM REVIEW

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told the General Assembly this morning that considerable and widespread progress had been made to improve the health, nutrition, education and protection of the world's children, major goals set at the 1990 World Summit for Children.

As the Assembly began its mid-decade review of Summit implementation, the Secretary-General said the achievements of the past six years -- made during a time of unprecedented population growth, proliferating conflict, budget cutbacks and a widening gap between rich and poor -- demonstrated the increased importance of children on the international agenda. Reviewing aspects of what he termed a United Nations "success story", he reported that child immunization rates had reached nearly 80 per cent of children under one; polio had been eradicated in many parts of the world; progress was being made towards eliminating both neonatal tetanus and guinea worm; access to clean drinking water was improving; and 80 per cent of primary school-aged children were now enroled.

None the less, determination was needed to sustain progress and to accelerate achievements in some areas, said the Secretary-General as he called upon the international community to reaffirm the commitments made to children in 1990 and to redouble efforts to achieve the year 2000 goals of the Summit. He said economic policies aimed at more equal distributions of land, credit and income were essential to achieve those ends.

Also this morning, the Assembly elected the following States to serve on the Committee for Programme and Coordination for three-year terms beginning on 1 January 1997: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The newly elected States will join the following countries currently members of the Committee: the Bahamas, Benin, China, Egypt, France, Ghana, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Togo, United States, Uruguay and Zaire.

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Assembly President Razali Ismail (Malaysia) said the election to fill the two seats remaining vacant from among the Western European and Other States would be held following nomination of candidates by the Economic and Social Council.

The Assembly will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 15 October, to discuss the Secretary-General's mid-decade review of the World Summit for Children and to consider the report of the International Court of Justice.

Assembly Work Programme

The General Assembly met this morning to elect members to the Committee for Programme and Coordination (CPC), and to consider a report of the Secretary-General relating to the implementation of the outcome of the 1990 World Summit for Children.

Election

Members of the CPC -- the main subsidiary organ of the Economic and Social Council and the Assembly for planning, programming and coordination -- are elected by the Assembly upon nomination by the Council.

The Assembly will elect 20 members for three-year terms, beginning on 1 January 1997, to the 34-member CPC as follows: four from African States; four from Asian States; three from Eastern European States; four from Latin American and Caribbean States; and five from Western European and Other States (document A/51/269).

By its decisions 1996/222 and 1996/297, the Council nominated the following States to the CPC: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Bulgaria, Cameroon, Congo, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Netherlands, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

Seats are being vacated by Argentina, Belarus, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, Comoros, Congo, Cuba, Germany, India, Indonesia, Iran, Netherlands, Norway, Pakistan, Romania, Senegal, Trinidad and Tobago, Ukraine and United Kingdom.

Secretary-General's Report on Children's Summit

The Secretary-General's report on progress at mid-decade on implementation of General Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit for Children (document A/51/256), recalls that the Summit, held at Headquarters on 29 and 30 September 1990, took place within a month of the passage into international law of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. It represented a historic landmark in the international rise of the children's cause. The Summit adopted a World Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children and a Plan of Action for its implementation identifying seven major goals relating to the survival, health, nutrition, education and protection of children for fulfilment by the year 2000, and a further 20 supporting goals.

According to the report, the Summit presented the United Nations system with its first opportunity for a coordinated response to a major international conference making use of specific, measurable and time-bound goals. Those goals were the product of a consultative process whose outcome had earlier been endorsed by the Executive Board of the United Nations Children's Fund

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(UNICEF) as a series of development goals and strategies for children in the 1990s; their overarching purpose was the reduction of infant and young child mortality, both as an end in itself and as a central indicator of well-being in society as a whole.

The Assembly, in resolution 45/217, urged all States and other members of the international community to work towards the achievement of those goals, and the Secretary-General's report is part of the answer to that call.

Reviewing progress towards the implementation of the Summit outcome, the report provides a regional overview and a mid-decade goal-by-goal review. It states that striking progress has been made in the control of diarrhoeal diseases, polio, guinea worm, measles death reduction, control of iodine deficiency disorders, access to safe drinking water and promotion of breast- feeding.

According to the report, 89 countries have reached the end-of-decade target of over 90 per cent immunization coverage and the goal of eradicating polio by the year 2000 looks promising. At mid-decade, around 1.5 billion more people were consuming iodized salt in 1995 than in 1990 and the population without access to safe drinking water had fallen by one third since 1990. The mid-decade goal of promoting breast-feeding and "baby-friendly" hospitals was effectively met.

Commenting on the lack of progress in certain areas, the report says that while under-five mortality has declined in all regions, the pace of progress has been too slow to meet the end-of-decade goal, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia, which together account for three fourths of all deaths in that age group. Progress towards achieving malnutrition, maternal mortality, sanitation and girls' education goals has been uncertain or negligible.

The report adds that shortcomings in existing systems and data, and in setting of goals have been revealed. As a result, both national governments and the international community are in a better position to establish baseline data and monitor progress. Moreover, the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child has legitimized the Summit goals by assigning to States parties legal responsibility to protect the rights of children and ensure that their basic needs are met.

In order to achieve the goals of the Summit, interagency collaboration must be strengthened, as must networks of support by non-governmental organizations, the media and civil society, the report stresses. The Assembly should consider holding a special session in five years time to examine how far nations have managed to fulfil their "promises for children" and implement the Summit Declaration and Plan of Action, the report recommends.

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Elections for Committee for Programme and Coordination

Following the Netherlands' formal withdrawal of its candidature, the Assembly decided to accept the remaining States nominated by the Economic and Social Council from the regional groups of the African States, Asian States, Latin American and Caribbean States and Western European and Other States, as they were equal to the number of seats to be filled in each of those regions. The States elected by the Assembly from those regional groups to serve a three-year term on the Committee, beginning January 1997, were as follows: Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Cameroon, Congo, Germany, Indonesia, Iran, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and Zimbabwe.

The Assembly then held a secret ballot for the three available seats to be filled from among the four nominated Eastern European States. The results of the voting were as follows:

Eastern European States

Number of ballot papers: 160 Number of invalid ballots: 0 Number of valid ballots: 160 Abstentions: 0 Number of members voting: 160 Required majority: 81

Number of Votes Obtained:

Poland: 131 Romania: 127 Ukraine: 125 Bulgaria: 89

Based on the above vote, the Assembly elected Poland, Romania and Ukraine.

Statement by Secretary-General on Implementation of World Summit for Children

Secretary-General BOUTROS BOUTROS-GHALI, introducing his report on progress at mid-decade on the implementation of the goals of the 1990 World Summit for Children, said the Summit had been the first truly global summit in history and the inauguration of the international community's collective assault on poverty. Summit participants at Headquarters had pledged to achieve seven major and 20 supporting goals relating to the survival, health, nutrition, education and protection of children by the year 2000.

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Now, six years later, considerable and widespread progress for children had been made, the Secretary-General continued. Although variations between countries and regions existed, information suggested encouraging trends towards the achievement of the majority of goals for children in most countries. The greatest progress had been in control of preventable diseases. Immunization rates have increased fourfold in a decade, reaching nearly 80 per cent for children before their first birthday. Polio had been eradicated from large parts of the world, with hopes of eliminating it by the year 2000; progress had been made towards eliminating neonatal tetanus; and guinea worm was on the verge of elimination. There had been dramatic improvements in home management of diarrhoea and some 1.5 billion more people today were consuming iodized salt as a prevention against mental retardation in children. Vitamin supplements were being widely used to prevent blindness and thousands of hospitals around the world were promoting breast feeding. In addition, access to safe water had improved considerably and more than 80 per cent of all primary school-aged children were now enroled.

The Secretary-General said that the fact such progress had been made during a period of unprecedented population growth, proliferating conflict, widening gaps between rich and poor, and cutbacks in government budgets and development, demonstrated the increased importance of children on the international agenda. Also, it demonstrated the effectiveness of the strategies and low-cost interventions being used to improve children's lives. Recognizing the contribution made by the United Nations in the area of development, the Secretary-General also commended the leadership role played by UNICEF in a United Nations "success story".

At the Summit's commemoration ceremony two weeks ago, the Secretary- General continued, the Executive Director of UNICEF, Carol Bellamy, had said the progress made so far must be sustained and special efforts must be made to accelerate progress in areas which had shown disappointing results, such as the slow decline of child mortality rates. The issue of maternal mortality called for greater attention, as did child malnutrition. The quality of basic education needed to be improved, the provision of safe drinking water must keep pace with population growth and adequate sanitation was necessary.

The Secretary-General called upon the international community to reaffirm the commitments made to children in 1990 and to redouble efforts to achieve the Summit goals for the year 2000. He urged civil societies to play a greater role, along with governments at all levels. Economic and social empowerment of the poor was critical. Increased investment in basic social services for all, while necessary, would not be sufficient to sustain reductions in poverty; economic policies aimed at more equal distribution of land, credit and income were essential.

The Convention on the Rights of the Child must become a social tool to meet the needs and respect the rights of the most disadvantaged, the most vulnerable and children of disadvantaged minorities, he said. Improving the

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status, well-being and opportunities of girls and women was particularly important. An integrated approach was needed, supported by the full cooperation of the United Nations system on the ground. The trend of decreasing development assistance must be reversed. The report before the Assembly today told of what works in development and said that international cooperation was getting measurable results. It also demonstrated that the political will existed to put children first. The deliberations over the coming months could help maintain and accelerate the pace of progress for the world's children. The Secretary-General said he hoped another Assembly review in the year 2000 would advance global cooperation on behalf of the world's children into the next century.

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