HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CALLS FOR ATTENTION TO ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS IN ADDRESS TO SECOND COMMITTEE

30 October 1996

Press Release
GA/EF/2740

HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS CALLS FOR ATTENTION TO ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND CULTURAL RIGHTS IN ADDRESS TO SECOND COMMITTEE

19961030 Consideration of Poverty Eradication Begins; Three Draft Resolutions Introduced by 'Group of 77' Developing Countries

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights this afternoon called for attention to be paid to economic, social and cultural rights, which were at the core of problems related to extreme poverty. He was addressing the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), as it began consideration of eradication of poverty.

Jose Ayala-Lasso told the Committee that a Research and Right to Development Branch had been created in his office to act as a pivotal point for all development-related activities. He stressed that poverty eradication required the establishment of partnership between people living in poverty and the rest of society, based on mutual respect and recognition of rights and responsibilities.

Speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, the representative for Costa Rica stressed the need for a predictable and adequate flow of resources to those countries. Drawing attention to the decline in resources for multilateral development institutions, he said that reallocation of resources, when their overall availability was uncertain, stagnant or shrinking, was unlikely to be sufficient to meet the challenge of poverty.

The representative for Ireland, speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said mobilization of substantial new and additional resources from all sources was important to tackle poverty. He drew attention to encouraging developments in that regard, including work being undertaken in carrying out the 20/20 initiative, as agreed at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, which is based on allocating 20 per cent of official development assistance (ODA) and 20 per cent of national budgets to priority social programmes.

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The Minister for Women and Children Affairs of Malawi, Lilian Patel speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said its member Governments had consolidated democracy, good governance and the rule of law and that was making it possible for them to work together for economic prosperity. However, the challenge was not only the consolidation of democracy, but social and economic development.

The representative for Canada said his Government's development assistance programming was guided by a poverty reduction policy which recognized the complexity of poverty, and articulated a multi-level strategy to reduce both the number of people living in poverty and the extent of their deprivation.

The Assistant Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Andrzej Krassowski, introduced the Secretary-General's report on eradication of poverty.

Statements were also made by the representatives for Bangladesh, Tunisia, China, El Salvador (on behalf of Central American countries), Benin, Nepal, Chile (on behalf of the Common Market of the Southern Cone - MERCOSUR), Burkina Faso, Philippines, Madagascar, India, Russian Federation and Morocco. Representatives of the World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) also spoke.

Also this afternoon, the Committee heard the introduction of three draft resolutions on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity, implementation of the outcome of the Barbados Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, and progress at mid-decade on the implementation of the goals of the 1990 World Summit for Children. The texts were introduced by representatives of Costa Rica, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 31 October to continue its deliberations.

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Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to begin consideration of eradication of poverty in the context of sustainable development and international economic cooperation. It was also scheduled to hear the introduction of two draft resolutions on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and of the outcome of the global conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, respectively, and on progress at mid-decade on achieving the goals of the World Summit for Children.

For its consideration of poverty eradication, the Committee has before it a report of the Secretary-General (document A /51/443) summarizing action taken by the United Nations system to mark the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, which was observed in 1996. The report also describes initiatives taken by the United Nations system to lay the foundations of long- term support for the goals and objectives of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006). That is followed by a number of suggestions on action in support of the Decade for consideration by the Assembly.

According to the report, the challenge of responding to the demands of the Year involved a re-examination of each of the entities of the United Nations system, and by the system as a whole, of their activities and programmes in order to elaborate a coherent and coordinated set of actions.

The report notes that poverty is a core issue for the three inter-agency task forces established by the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) in October 1995 to follow-up cross-cutting themes of recent United Nations conferences in the social, economic and related areas. The task forces will report their findings to the Committee in April 1997, it adds.

In its recommendations for specific activities during the Decade, the report says the Assembly could invite the funds, programmes and agencies of the United Nations system to make widely available policy statements setting out programmes in support of the Decade. The Assembly should reaffirm the importance of States fulfilling the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product (GNP) for official development assistance (ODA) and endorse an increase in the share of funding for social development programmes agreed to at the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development.

The Assembly should also reaffirm the urgency of ensuring an appropriate level of funding of international organizations and multinational financial institutions to enable them to support effectively the goals of poverty eradication and meeting the basic social needs of all, the report continues. Other recommendations include that the Assembly might wish to encourage national efforts to mobilize private, voluntary and in kind resources in

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support of anti-poverty programmes. Innovative ideas for generating funds for globally agreed commitments and priorities, in particular those established at recent United Nations conferences, could also be stressed by the Assembly. The report also makes suggestions on specific activities for each year of the Decade for consideration by entities in the United Nations system, especially those most directly concerned with poverty eradication.

Drafts for Introduction

The draft resolution on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (document A/C.2/51/L.5) is sponsored by Costa Rica, on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, and by Colombia, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. By its provisions, the Assembly would welcome the results of the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, held at Jakarta from 6 to 17 November 1995, and would take note of the Jakarta mandate on marine and coastal biological diversity, which proposes a framework of global action.

In addition, it would call upon States that have not yet ratified the Convention to expedite procedures of ratification, acceptance and approval. It would call upon the international community, including the multilateral mechanisms and existing funds and programmes, to provide adequate and additional resources, in an expeditious manner, for activities related to the Convention. The Assembly would decide to include in the provisional agenda for the fifty-second session, an item entitled "Convention on Biological Diversity", and the Executive Secretary of the Convention would be invited to report to it on a regular basis.

A draft on the implementation of the outcome of the 1994 Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States held in Bridgetown, Barbados (document A/C.2/51/L.7) is sponsored by Costa Rica, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, and by Colombia, on behalf of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. Under its terms, the Assembly would call upon Governments, as well as bodies of the United Nations system, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, to continue to implement fully all the commitments and recommendations made at the Barbados Conference and to continue to take the necessary actions for effective follow-up to the Programme of Action adopted by it.

In addition, the Assembly would call upon the international community, and financial institutions, including the Global Environment Facility (GEF), to support commercial energy development in small island developing States based on environmentally sound renewable sources with demonstrated viability. Furthermore, the international community would be called upon to assist those States improve and acquire the means of maritime transport and development of infrastructure, including airports and harbours, roads ad telecommunications. The Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development would also

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be requested to formulate appropriate modalities for mobilizing resources for effective implementation of the Programme of Action.

Further, by the draft, the Secretary-General would submit to the Assembly at its fifty-third session a report on the plans, programmes and projects for the sustainable development of small island developing States that had been implemented, being carried out or envisaged within five years of the date of the report. The Assembly would decide to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first session an item entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States".

Submitted under the Committee's consideration of operational activities for development, a draft resolution concerning progress at mid-decade on the implementation of Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit for Children (document A/C.2/51/L.8) is also sponsored by Costa Rica, on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. The draft would have the Assembly call upon Governments to adjust, refine and prioritize their goals and strategies within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The Assembly would also call on relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to take account of the lessons learned at mid-decade and invite relevant governing bodies to consider specific measures to address the special needs of children for the achievement of the goals of the 1990 World Summit for Children for the year 2000. In addition, they would also be called upon to strengthen inter-agency collaboration on refugee children and to take the necessary steps to ensure that such collaboration was considered in related policies and programmes.

Also by the text, the Assembly would urge developed countries to increase substantially their ODA, including contributions to the operational activities of the United Nations system. The Assembly would also stress the need for attention to be paid to the special needs of children of least developed countries and sub-Saharan Africa and in other developing countries that had not yet reached the mid-decade goals of the Summit. It would also stress the need for greater efforts to involve children themselves in all matters affecting them in accordance with the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The Assembly would stress the need for sustainable progress in the attainment of goals through, among other measures, support for national capacity-building, including that of local communities and civil society, including non-governmental organizations. It would also stress the need to continue strengthening and expanding effective partnerships among governments, the United Nations system and other international organizations and donor agencies, and the civil society, including non-governmental organizations, to ensure the full achievement of the Summit's goals by the year 2000.

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Introduction of Drafts

ANA TERESA DENGO (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, introduced the draft resolutions on the Convention on Biological Diversity and on implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

OSCAR ACUNA (Costa Rica), also on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, introduced the draft resolution on progress at mid-decade on the implementation of General Assembly resolution 45/217 on the World Summit for Children.

Statements on Poverty Eradication

ANDRZEJ KRASSOWSKI, Assistant Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, in an introductory statement, said poverty eradication had again assumed a central place in the work of the Organization and of the United Nations system as a whole. The Assembly decision to observe 17 October each year as the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty and to proclaim 1996 as the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty were important symbols of that renewed concern. The report of the Secretary-General before the Committee was limited in scope. It confined itself to a summary of action taken by the United Nations system in observance of the Year and a description of initiatives by the system to lay the foundations of a long-term programme of support for the goals and objectives of the Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), as agreed upon at the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development.

JOSE AYALA-LASSO, High Commissioner for Human Rights, said poverty eradication required the establishment of partnership between people living in poverty and the rest of society, based on respect and solidarity, as well as recognition of the rights and responsibilities of both the poor and the non- poor. Successful partnership rested on several bases, including ensuring access to fundamental services, protecting and empowering families, investing in human resources and sharing knowledge between the poor and the non-poor. Also important were training individuals and institutions working with the poor and assessing progress with participation of the poor.

Efforts to eradicate poverty should include analysis of the institutions charged with the implementation of strategies, he went on. His office would be working for a general promotion and protection of the different human rights, but it was necessary to give strong attention to economic, social and cultural rights which had been neglected for many years and which were at the core of problems related to extreme poverty. He was ready to work towards the full implementation of the recommendations of the Social Summit.

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In the past months he had undertaken initiatives to address the question of poverty eradication, meeting with the five Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions, and holding discussions with the President of the World Bank, he said. Five areas identified in those meetings as contributing to poverty eradication were exchange of information and cooperation in the preparation of country projects, exchange of expertise on reconstruction and development assistance in the transition to democracy, building of national capacities for governance and rule of law and promotion and protection of human rights, cooperation of field offices, and human rights education. Four seminars had been tentatively scheduled to be held in the coming months in four different regions at which emphasis would be laid on the implementation of the right to development.

Briefing the Committee on the restructuring of his office, he said a research and right to development branch had been created to act as a pivotal point for all activities relating to the right to development and to provide the priority and focus that the right to development needed.

MR. ACUNA (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said on 17 October, the international day for poverty eradication had been celebrated. Poverty eradication in the developing countries represented a major challenge for the United Nations system. Given the variety of mandates and activities of the United Nations in that area, harmonization and coordination among all those who intervened in the struggle to eradicate poverty was crucial.

The significant decline in resources for multilateral development institutions made it difficult to respond to the massive challenge of poverty eradication, he said. On the one hand, there was a strong recognition that poverty eradication was a priority concern, on the other hand, there was a general trend over the last few years of declining resource commitments to multilateral development institutions.

Even a reorientation and reallocation of resources, when the overall resource availability was uncertain, stagnant or shrinking, was unlikely to be sufficient to meet the challenge, he said. A predictable and adequate flow of resources was essential if poverty eradication was to be considered a realistic goal. A mobilization of new and additional resources was also needed, he added.

Poverty eradication was an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of mankind, he stressed, noting particularly women in combating poverty. Women, particularly in developing countries, should be provided with economic and social opportunities which would enhance their capabilities to contribute to development, he emphasized. The eradication of poverty was not only a national challenge but a global commitment, he concluded.

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CONOR MURPHY (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union and also of Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Iceland, said there was an urgent need to strive for the fulfilment of the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of the GNP of developed countries for ODA as soon as possible. Donor countries had agreed and should ensure that, within that target, 0.15 per cent to 0.2 per cent of GNP should be earmarked for the least developed countries. Mobilization of substantial new and additional resources from all sources, would also be instrumental. There had been some encouraging developments in that context, including the work that interested countries had undertaken in developing and carrying out the 20/20 initiative, as agreed at the Social Summit, and which is based on the idea of allocating 20 per cent of ODA and 20 per cent of national budgets to priority social programmes.

High priority should be devoted to strengthening the collaboration between the United Nations system and the Bretton Woods institutions in the area of economic and social development at all levels, he said. On the question of resource mobilization for the Poverty Eradication Decade, the European Union suggested that the Assembly should be guided by the terms of the relevant part of the agreed conclusions which emerged from the 1996 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council.

ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said over one billion people in today's world went hungry to bed. The eradication of poverty required access to economic opportunities, basic social services and an enabling environment which would promote sustainable livelihood. Empowerment of people living in poverty should be the cornerstone of development strategies. In both the developed and developing world, poverty increasingly had a female face. Out of the 1.3 billion absolute poor today, over 900 million were women. If the number of poor continued to grow, the number of absolute poor would increase after the International Decade to be observed from 1997 to 2006.

Poverty alleviation still continued to be equated with welfare, he said. Empirical evidence indicated that overcoming poverty was not only financially feasible but also economically viable. There was a growing awareness that the poor were willing and capable of pulling themselves out of poverty if given access to basic economic opportunities. That insight had led to growing support for microcredit programmes that served the very poor. He welcomed the convening of a Micro-Credit Summit in Washington, D.C. from 2 to 4 February 1997.

M. ABDERRAZAK AZAIEZ (Tunisia) said poverty eradication had been the goal of all the major United Nations conferences. The United Nations family had a colossal task which could be carried out only by harmonization of work between the United Nations, its agencies and the Bretton Woods institutions. In addition, all the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council had focused on poverty eradication. A general consensus had emerged on the

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need to implement commitments of United Nations conferences and to establish an environment which would make poverty eradication possible. To that end, it was important to find a solution to the problems of debt and technology transfer.

In Tunisia, a National Solidarity Fund had been established in 1992 to contribute to the growth of those who did not have access to resources, he said. The economically poor and disadvantaged had been placed at the top of the nation's priority. He expressed concern over the fact that the contribution to multilateral development agencies had declined in recent years. In addition, there had been a decline in ODA as well as of resources available to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

CUI YING (China) said the fundamental way to eradicate poverty through sustained efforts was to help developing countries foster their internal capability to raise living standards. A comprehensive approach to dealing with the problem was necessary. The principles of sustainable development, protection of the environment, curbs on excessive population growth should be observed, and targeted measures suited to local realities adopted. International cooperation should also be enhanced with the international community fulfilling commitments made at the various international conferences and effectively carrying out the relevant follow-up.

Coordination within the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, should be enhanced, she said. Activities carried out by the United Nations system to eradicate poverty should be combined with actual needs of recipient countries to ensure successful follow-up actions. Since 1984, her Government had mobilized resources to carry out planned, organized large-scale efforts to eradicate poverty. The number of people in poverty in the country had declined from 80 million at the end of 1993 to 65 million at the end of 1995. The Chinese Government was currently intensifying its efforts in poverty alleviation to achieve its objective of eradicating absolute poverty by the end of the century.

CARLOS GARCIA (El Salvador), speaking also for Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua and Panama, said the relevant Assembly resolutions relating to poverty eradication should be enthusiastically implemented. An across the board strategy that put people at the centre of development was needed. Priority was being given in their region to developing programmes and providing more support for national and regional structures to combat poverty. Those countries had adopted a treaty on Central America's social integration and for the promotion of sustainable development, environmental protection and investment in social development to improve conditions of disadvantaged populations.

Domestic legislation was being put in place to implement the Convention on the Rights of the Child, he said. They were also improving conditions of

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women and empowering them as well. He expressed concern about the situation of the least developed countries, and the effects that globalization had had on their economies. Programmes to eradicate poverty should get new and additional resources. There should be better access to markets and better prices for the products of developing countries. Access to appropriate technologies was also required. Stating that political will was essential to eradicate poverty, he supported the role of the Economic and Social Council in efforts toward that end.

ROGATIEN BIAOU (Benin) said all countries in the world ran up against the problem of absolute poverty. The statements and declarations on poverty would not help if resolute action was not taken to combat poverty. At the Copenhagen Summit, heads of State and Government had committed themselves to eradicating poverty and had recognized that task as an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind. The Secretary-General had called for the development of a new culture which would not only try to mitigate poverty but to eradicate it. On 17 January this year, the UNDP Administrator James Gustave Speth had started the poverty clock. The hands of the clock reminded the world that every day more than 60,000 people joined the ranks of those living in poverty.

At the national level, Benin was trying to provide education, health and sanitation to its population in order to eradicate poverty, he said. It was trying to ensure that its people enjoyed a basic minimum. He invited development partners to help his country achieve that goal and stressed that eradicating absolute poverty was achievable.

KHAGA RAJ ADHIKARY (Nepal) said while the primary responsibility to eradicate poverty fell within the purview of national governments, the international community must contribute to the creation of an international economic environment conducive to the solution to that problem. That international environment was increasingly becoming unfavourable to developing countries, particularly the less developed countries. The overall ODA level had been declining in recent years. The present average percentage of ODA had declined drastically and was only 0.27 per cent of GNP of developed countries. He expressed gratitude to Nordic countries for maintaining their high level of ODA.

In many developing countries, the production sector was not well equipped and developed, he said. There were anomalies in distribution of goods and services to the poor. Investment in medium and small-scale enterprise could be of help in such cases. That had to be complemented by further encouraging collateral-free small amounts of loans to people, particularly women.

JUAN SOMAVIA (Chile), speaking on behalf of the Common Market of the Southern Cone (MERCOSUR), (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay, Bolivia and

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Chile), said those Governments had made the fight against poverty a priority. In the last several years they had all carried out major structural economic reforms and involved civil society in their development efforts, always stressing the human dimension of their development programmes.

Policies should aim at further developing the market machinery and growth to meet the needs of all, he said. He stressed the need for exchange of national experiences. There should be imaginative processes for private investment; education should be improved as should the health system and access to credit for the poor. He also stressed the essential contribution of women. Policies that focused on improving the situation of the marginalized were necessary, he said, welcoming the UNDP Human Development Report as an invaluable tool for Governments.

PAUL ROBERT TIENDREBEOGO (Burkina Faso) said there could be no once-and- for-all solution to the problem of poverty. In that context, the declaration of the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty was not sufficient. Burkina Faso looked forward to the work of the task forces of the ACC.

The idea that the primary responsibility for mobilization of resources rested on individual countries was unacceptable, he said. How could a country mobilize resources when it was faced by droughts and armed conflicts? It was ironic that the victims of structural adjustment were those who had the least. Stating that poverty did not have borders, he emphasized the need to "talk less and act now".

ALFREDO SFEIR-YOUNIS, a representative of the World Bank, said a programme to reduce poverty should be framed in terms of both general labour- intensive methods of employment, of assuring the poor with education and health, as well as provision of other social services and safety nets. It might also need to be designed in terms of enhancing the ability of the poor to accumulate capital in several forms. Civil society's participation, organization of water users associations in irrigation development and governance were good examples of institutional capital accumulation. In some areas of the world, the number of poor people was increasing in absolute and relative terms, reflecting a process of impoverishment which needed to be addressed in a very systematic manner.

He drew attention to several elements as causes of that process, such as limits and boundaries of economic policies regarding natural resources and the environment, subsidies and demographic factors. They should be taken into account in the design and implementation of poverty alleviation programmes, he said.

MARIETTA P. GOCO (Philippines) said eradicating poverty was an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind. The work of the three

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inter-agency task forces of the ACC on an enabling environment for social and economic development, on basic social services for all, and on employment and sustainable livelihoods was notable. The task forces should be encouraged to carry out their mandates to the fullest, thus providing a solid foundation for the United Nations support to each member country's efforts towards poverty eradication.

In 1991, it had been estimated that the Philippines had 2.7 per cent of the world's poor, she said. The Government had set for itself the specific target of reducing poverty incidence from 39.2 per cent in 1991 to 30 per cent in 1998. A Presidential Commission to Fight Poverty had been created which had evolved a six-point strategy. Among other things, the focus had been on reviving economic growth to create employment and livelihood, expand social services to provide basic minimum needs and build the capacities of the poor to help themselves. Based on that strategy and bolstered by aid from United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, the Philippines had formed its social reform agenda.

LILIAN PATEL, Minister for Women and Children Affairs of Malawi, speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said the role of subregional organizations in poverty eradication should be recognized and strengthened. The SADC should be supported to implement and follow-up on the various United Nations conferences. The commitments of the international community towards poverty eradication should be matched with adequate resources. The Community welcomed the active role envisaged for the Resident Coordinator system but emphasized that the system should focus on the priorities outlined by Governments themselves. The Community supported recommendations on resource mobilization and was already pursuing the 20/20 initiative adopted at the Social Summit.

While welcoming the suggestion concerning the need to re-examine and redirect public spending, she emphasized that the Community's problem was the actual lack of resources. The SADC was convinced that specific activities should be identified within the context of the Poverty Eradication Decade, and proposed the following as a theme for the Decade: "Eradicating poverty is an ethical, political, economic and social imperative of mankind". Although there was a need for increased awareness-raising, that should not be the main purpose of the Decade. Its success should be measured in terms of actual eradication of poverty.

The SADC countries were confident that, on the whole, sound foundations for long-term stability and cooperation in their sub-region had been laid, she said. The consolidation of democracy, good governance and the rule of law and the pursuit of national reconciliation by their Governments was making it possible for them to work together for economic prosperity and for the benefit of all their people. The challenge, therefore, was not only the consolidation of democracy, but also social and economic development.

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RICHARD IBRAHIM NORBERT (Madagascar) said poverty led to environmental degradation and impinged on human rights. In 1995, over 67,000 people had joined the ranks of the poor. Even as poverty eradication had been recognized as a goal in the United Nations conferences, the level of ODA had continued to decline. The average ODA was at its lowest in over 27 years and increasingly assistance was being provided with conditionalities. He stressed that relief and writing off the debt of most disadvantaged countries must be envisaged.

The Government of Madagascar attached particular importance to poverty eradication, he said. To that end, it had appointed a Vice Prime Minister for Social Affairs and a national programme for combating poverty had been drawn. The African continent was particularly affected by poverty. He noted the launching of the system-wide Special Initiative on Africa by the Secretary- General to accelerate its development. Madagascar was appreciative of that step.

ROLANDO BAHAMONDES (Canada) said his country had recently taken concrete steps to further strengthen its commitment to poverty eradication, committing 25 per cent of its ODA towards meeting basic human needs. Canadian development assistance programming was now guided by a poverty reduction policy which recognized the complexity of poverty, and articulated a multi- level strategy to reduce both the number of people living in poverty and the extent of their deprivation. The most effective use of resources also required coordination among donors, minimizing duplication and concentration of donor efforts on areas in which they had comparative advantage.

Canada welcomed efforts undertaken by the UNDP to coordinate programme efforts at the country level through the country strategy note, the resident coordinator system and field thematic groups, he said. It was essential, however, to recognize that approaches to reduce poverty at the country level were best developed, managed and monitored under the leadership of the recipient Government. Realistic and measurable targets should be set to assess progress. He urged other bodies in the United Nations system to assist the Commission on Sustainable Development in fulfilling its mandate as the intergovernmental focal point for discussions on poverty eradication. Canada believed that the United Nations system had a crucial role to play in the international community's effort to eradicate poverty and it remained committed to supporting and enhancing its effectiveness.

SURJIT SINGH BARNALA (India) said poverty had many dimensions. It expressed itself in the form of hunger, illiteracy, lack of minimum education, lack of drinking water, lack of minimum health facilities, lack of shelter and lack of employment opportunities. The causes of poverty were a varied mix of social, economic, historical, natural and geographical factors. A strategy of development which combined efforts at general economic growth on a broad front with specific programmes designed to address specific categories of population was required. In addition to efforts directed at a favourable international

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economic environment, specific approaches needed to be worked out. Equally important was the gender issue, which needed to be addressed to eliminate centuries of inequality born of patterns of male domination in society.

Any model of development had to suit to the perceptions of the target groups, and generate in them a sense of ownership for the programmes adopted, he said. Therefore, there were no universally acceptable models of development. India had recently amended its Constitution to devolve considerable financial and administrative powers to local bodies at the village and town levels.

ANDERS WIJKMAN, Assistant Administrator, and Director of the Bureau for Policy and Programme Support of UNDP, said the agency was working with other organizations in the United Nations system on a coordinated strategy to help countries attack poverty. The UNDP was active in all inter-agency task forces established by the ACC to improve coordinated follow-up to the recent United Nations conference mandates. In the task force on the enabling environment, chaired by the World Bank, UNDP was proposing to take leadership for one of the five country reviews that would be carried out and to work jointly with the World Bank on another.

In the task force on full employment and sustainable livelihoods, chaired by the International Labour Organization (ILO), UNDP was leading the reviews of the employment and livelihood policies in two out of seven countries, examining their relationship to anti-poverty strategies, he said. Discussions were also under way for the development of a common set of indicators to be used in the preparation of common country assessments, which would lay the ground for improved delivery of development assistance through joint planning and programming of development activities at the country level. In addition, discussions were also being held with the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to further work on issues of economic globalization and poverty. Other forms of collaboration were developing, such as one on building and using cost-effective and policy- relevant survey methods for poverty monitoring.

VASSILY NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) said the eradication of poverty was an inter-sectoral question. Therefore, the inclusion of the question of poverty in the work of the three inter-agency task forces was welcome. The Russian Federation looked forward to their reports. Also, the development under the United Nations auspices of a single system-wide goal in its interactions with national Governments as they combated poverty was important.

It was necessary to forgo stereotypes in the area of poverty, he said. Many times it was difficult to establish a cause and result relationship so far as poverty was concerned. Although the Governments had the main responsibility to implement national plans, the role of international community in combating poverty could not be slighted. It was important not to

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get carried away by the end of the millennium. While eradication of massive and absolute poverty should be a goal, the sad reality was that in one form or another, the subject would be on the United Nations agenda permanently.

FARIDA JAIDI (Morocco) called for better coordination within organs of the United Nations system in implementing poverty eradication programmes. Strategies to alleviate poverty called for more resources and should place people at the centre of development efforts. Involvement of civil society was required as was international cooperation. Her Government had given priority to job and income creation programmes. It was implementing the various decisions of recent United Nations conferences including those relating to the rights of women and children. Empowering women was critical to poverty eradication because of their contributions to economic development through paid and unpaid activities.

She said that with the assistance of United Nations agencies, the World Bank and the European Union as well as other institutions, her Government had launched a programme to alleviate regional development imbalances and social disparities through social and rural policies.

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