ROLE OF STATE, MARKET, MUST BE BALANCED IN DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS THIRD COMMITTEE
Press Release
GA/SHC/3412
ROLE OF STATE, MARKET, MUST BE BALANCED IN DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS, UNDER-SECRETARY-GENERAL TELLS THIRD COMMITTEE
19971013 Nitin Desai Says Social Dimension Missing From Development, As Committee Begins Discussing Social Development QuestionsAn alternative approach to development had many dimensions and called for a balance between the role of the State and the role of the market, rather than the dominance of one over the other, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) was told by the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, this afternoon, as the Committee met to begin consideration of social development questions related to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.
Mr. Desai said it was a question of making structural changes that would integrate social justice and gender mainstreaming. The international community must not take refuge in the fact that private investment was increasing. Governments should ensure that public budgets targeted projects to correct societal imbalances that could not be left to the market.
Stressing that a social dimension was missing from development, he noted the persistence of poverty, unemployment, social strife, social discrimination and gender inequality. In addition, he added that certain parts of the world had been left out of development processes, including Africa, the least developed countries and other countries, such as small developing States and landlocked countries.
Welcoming Mr. Desai's statement, the representative of Nigeria said that although the 1995 World Summit for Social Development brought to the fore the need to pool resources in addressing social issues, there were indications that the gap between the rich and poor nations continued to grow. In Africa, issues such as the external debt and privatization continued to impact negatively on attempts to provide basic services. To assist in improving that situation, new and additional resources were needed, but were not readily available.
The representative of Paraguay, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, stressed the Group's commitment to specific areas, such as to the International Year of Older People and the proposed World Conference of
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Ministers Responsible for Youth. She called for the Secretary-General's reports to contain more detailed descriptions of the national policies and programmes of action on youth. The representative of the Netherlands, stressing the importance of the participation of young people in the United Nations, called for a post of Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights.
Also this afternoon, the Committee decided that it would not hold meetings on Wednesday, 15 October, to allow delegates to participate in the informal meeting on reform issues. Instead, the Committee would meet on Friday, 17 October. On Thursday, 16 October, the Committee would also suspend its meeting, so that members could participate in the plenary discussion regarding the World Summit for Social Development.
The Committee Chairman, Alessandro Busacca (Italy), informed the Committee that the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, would address the Committee on Friday, 14 November, and engage in dialogue with members of Committee.
He also informed the Committee that two sets of consultations had begun: preparation of an omnibus resolution on drugs, coordinated by Mexico; and preparation of a resolution on the rights of the child, coordinated by the United Kingdom. In addition, Egypt had been asked to conduct informal consultations on a possible comprehensive draft resolution on the implementation of the outcome of the Fourth World Conference on Women.
The Secretary of the Committee, Kate Starr Newell, informed the Committee that the first meeting of the International Steering Committee for the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth would be convened at Headquarters tomorrow, from 12:45 p.m. to 2:45 p.m., under the chairmanship of the Secretary of State for Youth of Portugal, Antonio Jose Martins Seguro.
Statements were also made this afternoon by representatives of the United States, Japan, Ecuador, Colombia, Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Morocco. Also making statements were the Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Director of the Division for Social Policy and Social Development, Department of Economic and Social Policy, John Langmore, introduced a number of reports.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 14 October, to continue its consideration of social development questions related to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.
Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to begin its consideration of social development questions related to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.
The Committee had before it reports by the Secretary-General on: monitoring implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities; the International Year of the Family; implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond; and a progress report by the Secretary-General and the Director General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) on the implementation process of the education for all.
In addition, the Committee had before it a draft resolution on the International Year of Older Persons recommended by the Economic and Social Council, and a report of the Council on cooperation of the United Nations with the Government of Portugal in holding the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon in August 1998. Also before the Committee is a letter dated 10 July from the Secretary of State for Youth of Portugal on possible elements of the draft Lisbon declaration on youth policies and programmes, to be adopted at the first session of the world Conference.
The Committee will also consider the report of the Economic and Social Council and the report of the Secretary-General on the review and appraisal of the World Programme of Action on disability (to be issued).
By a note (document A/52/56), the Secretary-General transmits the final report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission for Social Development concerning monitoring of the implementation of Standard Rules on equalizing opportunities for persons with disabilities. The report is based on surveys among governments and non-governmental organizations, conducted with advice of a panel of experts established by six major international non-governmental organizations involved in the disability field.
The report concludes that while the very progressive recommendations in the Standard Rules are not fully implemented by even the most advanced countries, they are widely accepted and are the main policy guidelines in the disability field for both governments and non-governmental organizations. The Rules are used in three ways: as a basis for new legislation; as guidelines for national plans of action; and as a basis for evaluating policies and programmes. However, it was found that measures for advancing knowledge of the Rules needed to be strengthened on both the national and international levels.
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On the international level, the report indicates that United Nations agencies working in the disability field are familiar with the Standard Rules, but they also have their own guidelines. While those guidelines are compatible with the Rules, the Secretariat should improve coordination and identify areas for cooperation and joint action, both between itself and specialized agencies and across those agencies, to develop inter-agency mechanisms as a guide for States to develop policy. In addition, no serious effort was being made to integrate disability measures into mainstream activities for development cooperation, either by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) or other institutions. Such integration is urgent for future implementation of the Standard Rules.
Nationally, the report states, most countries with an officially recognized policy on disability emphasize rehabilitation and prevention, but there is very little broadening of policies to include accessibility and participation measures. That situation resulted in the violation of human rights of persons with disabilities in the areas of education and employment, among others. To achieve full participation, governments must develop accessibility measures though cooperation with organizations, particularly with strong, cooperative groups of persons with disabilities.
The Special Rapporteur reports a lack of monitoring and evaluation procedures to be a weakness in government handling of disability matters. In that regard, the Rules are conducive to promoting implementation since, while they are not legally binding, they have been elaborated in close cooperation with numerous governments and major international non-governmental organizations, which fosters a strong commitment from all parties to promote implementation.
The report states that both the child aspect and the gender perspective are vague in the texts of the Rules, and both should receive more attention in future implementation efforts. Likewise, there is no rule in the important area of housing and shelter, a serious shortcoming that must be redressed. The Rules will play a significant role in policy development in years to come, the Special Rapporteur states, in particular with the rapid development of information and knowledge about human rights for persons with disabilities.
The Secretary-General's progress report on the International Year of the Family (document A/52/57) provides an analysis of the family related provisions from the outcome of the World Summit for Children and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the World Conference on Human Rights, the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). It also reviews follow-up activities to the International Year of the Family at the national, regional and international levels, by
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intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations and by research and academic institutions. It also contains specific proposals for follow-up action by the Secretariat.
Secretariat activities relating to the follow-up to the International Year of the Family have been integrated into the work programme of the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the report states. As the focal point within the United Nations system and guided by the recommendations of the global conferences of the 1990s and specific intergovernmental mandates, the Division continued to consult and cooperate with governments, non-governmental organizations and other partners on an effective follow-up to the Year.
The Division plans to continue to promote international cooperation as part of its follow-up to the International Year, including: assisting in integrating family concerns within the multi-year work programme for 1997-2000 of the Commission for Social Development; organizing a series of subregional expert group meetings; developing an inventory of best practices of family policies; preparing a global family country-profile report in 1999; and mobilizing resources, also through the Trust Fund on Family Activities, to support the above initiatives, which had resources of approximately $360,000 at the end of 1996.
In his analysis of the international conferences, the Secretary-General notes that each agenda, plan or programme of action contained recommendations and provisions related to family issues, which were seen as integral components of development. In discussing family issues, the conferences started from the premise that the family is the basic unit of society and the vortex of concerns for sustainable development. They reinforce the interrelationship between family well-being and sustainable development, particularly by encouraging actions directed to integrating a family-sensitive approach to development strategies and recognizing that the family is entitled to the widest possible protection and support.
The report states that the conferences covered a broad array of family-related issues, which may be summarized under five core themes: human rights; strengthening families; situation and needs of the child; advancement of women; and poverty eradication. The five themes are reviewed to show how they were integrated into the conferences' specific plans and programmes of action.
The progress report of the Secretary-General on the Implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond (document A/52/60) states that the Programme of Action urges governments to formulate and adopt an integrated national youth policy to address youth-related concerns. Adopted in 1995 by resolution 50/81, the Programme of Action also
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called for national coordinating mechanisms to be appropriately strengthened for integrated national youth policies and programmes, and for their creation where they did not exist.
At the national level, the present report has revealed at least six major obstacles to effective governmental action to implement the Programme of Action, including: inadequate political will to treat both the problems and potentials of youth on an inter-sectoral basis; lack of integrated national youth policy; insufficient training opportunities for personnel from youth-related ministries; low budgetary support for the delivery of youth policies; problems of defining youth and its subgroups and their varied needs; and lack of systematic national reviews of the situation of youth. Of the 185 Member States, 144, or 78 per cent, had formulated a cross-sectoral national youth policy, while 73 Member States, or 40 per cent, had implemented a national youth programme of action.
At the regional level, the report states, there has been an uneven reaction by the regional commissions to General Assembly resolutions 49/154 and 50/81, which called on them to take action to review and appraise the regional situations of youth and to design regional youth programmes of action to prepare for and follow up on the World Programme of Action in each region. A review of regional intergovernmental action on youth since 1985 revealed that only the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has taken regional action to promote the World Programme of Action for Youth.
At the global level, the report states, that in the 50-year history of the United Nations, there has never been a regular series of meetings under the aegis of the Organization to bring together senior government officials to provide a global focus on youth policies and programmes. As of 1996, approximately 166 Member States have youth-related departments and ministries. The report stresses that without the direct involvement of governments, non-governmental organizations and intergovernmental constituencies at a global level, the World Programme of Action for Youth will remain on the shelf. Moreover, the youth-related operational activities of the United Nations have not been directly related to the global standards adopted on youth by the General Assembly and global discussions have not been related to such operational projects.
According to the report, a number of recommendations have been made by the World Youth Forum of the United Nations, held in Vienna in November 1996. The Forum, which brought together approximately 400 representatives of non-governmental organization youth organizations, youth-related agencies and organizations of the United Nations system and others from 150 countries, had as its main objective to promote the implementation of the World Programme of Action by reflecting the views of youth and the initiation of joint youth projects. The outcome consisted of a report and working arrangements based on
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the recommendations for joint action regarding youth policy, youth training and youth projects proposed by the Forum's 12 working groups, which were based on the World Programmes' priority issues -- among them employment, health, poverty, drug abuse, racism and xenophobia, girls and young women, youth participation, and youth rights and communications.
In addition, in the report the Secretary-General recommends that the United Nations Youth Fund, as well as other youth-related funds in the United Nations system, be used to support national review meetings, especially in the least developed countries and at least in all regions of the South. The youth-related organizations and agencies of the United Nations system, including the regional commissions, should support and follow up national youth programmes of action adopted by such meetings. Furthermore, the regional commissions should become more involved in both intergovernmental and non-governmental review meetings. They should also arrange biennial meetings to review and discuss issues and trends and to identify proposals for regional and subregional cooperation, through the provision of a suitable venue and appropriate input regarding regional action.
At the global level, the report stresses that the time has now come for implementing Programme of Action recommendations and reporting to the Assembly on progress achieved and obstacles encountered. The recommendations include: strengthening the role of the Commission on Social Development in continuing its policy-level dialogue on youth for policy coordination and periodic monitoring of issues and trends; convening regular ministerial-level meetings at the international level, under the aegis of the United Nations, and meetings of the Youth Forum of the United Nations System; and broadening the role of the Youth Fund to support the implementation of the Programme of Action through pilot action to encourage youth participation in devising and carrying out operational projects.
The Committee also has before it a report of the Secretary-General, jointly with the Director-General of UNESCO, on progress made in implementing the education for all objectives (document A/52/183). The report includes conclusions and recommendations reached at Amman during the 1996 mid-decade meeting of the International Consultative Forum on Education for All, which was established to follow up on the World Conference on Education for All: Meeting Basic Learning Needs, held in Jomtien, Thailand, in 1990.
Overall, the report finds progress towards the education for all goals to be real, but uneven, both within and between countries, as well as in regard to target dimensions identified in the Framework for Action to Meet Basic Learning Needs, the main reference instrument for the international community, adopted in Jomtien. Shortfalls in achieving goals are particularly marked in closing the gender gap, giving sufficient attention to out-of-school literacy and gaining support for early childhood development programmes in
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many countries. The report calls on governments to set firm targets and timetables, in accordance with challenges prioritized by the Amman Affirmation, which is annexed to the report.
Affirming that, in a world in which creativity and knowledge play an even greater role, education is nothing less than the right to participate in the life of the modern world, the Amman Affirmation summarizes gains at mid-decade, such as that worldwide, an estimated 50 million more children are enrolled in schools than in 1990. Based on experience, the Affirmation restates both the possibility and necessity of bringing the benefits of education to the more than 100 million of the world's children still without access, and it sets out the primary challenges. These include: education of women and girls; training and motivation of teachers; fostering a full vision of a learning society that recognizes the integrated role of parents, teachers and communities in education; and the effective use of resources to bring quality education within the reach of all the world's people.
A note by the Secretariat reproduces a draft resolution on the International Year Older Persons: Towards a society for all ages (document A/C.3/52/L.2) that the Economic and Social Council recommended to the Assembly for adoption. By that draft text, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General to officially launch the International Year for Older Persons in 1998, on the occasion of the International Day of Older Persons. It would decide to devote four plenary meetings at its fifty-fourth session to follow-up to the Year.
Also by the draft proposal, the Assembly would encourage all States, the United Nations system and all other actors to take advantage of the International Year of Older Persons to increase awareness of the challenge of the demographic ageing of societies, the individual and social needs of older persons, the contribution of older persons to societies and the need for a change in attitudes towards older persons.
By the text, Member States would be invited to take account of the increasing number and percentage of older persons in need of help and to develop comprehensive strategies at the national, regional and local levels to meet the increase in demand for care and support for older persons as individuals, within their families and communities, and within institutions, bearing in mind the changing socio-economic, technological and cultural environment.
The Assembly would also emphasize that activities for the Year should be initiated primarily at the national level. Among the action to be taken by Member States, the Assembly would: invite States to develop comprehensive strategies at the national, regional and local levels to meet the increase in demand for care and support for older persons as individuals, within their
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families and communities, and within institutions; encourage States to establish a national focal point and formulate national programmes for the Year, bearing in mind the conceptual framework referred to in a 1995 Assembly resolution on the year; and invite States to consider convening high-level and other meetings at the regional level to discuss the theme, "A society for all ages".
By the draft text, the Assembly would also call upon States to include a gender dimension in their national programmes for the Year. Non-governmental organizations, including those specialized in the question of older persons, would be invited to develop programmes and projects for the Year, in cooperation, with local authorities, community leaders, enterprises, the media and schools. National and international development agencies, bodies and international financial institutions would be invited to explore feasible approaches to improving the access of older persons to credit training and appropriate technologies for income generation, and the participation of older persons in family enterprises, community enterprises and microenterprises.
In addition, the draft proposal would encourages the Secretary-General to allocate sufficient resources for promoting and coordinating activities for the Year, bearing in mind the Assembly resolution on the Year adopted during the forty-seventh session in which it was decided that observance of the Year would be supported from resources of the regular budget for the biennium 1998-1999 and from voluntary contributions.
The Secretary-General's report to the Economic and Social Council (document E/1997/103), on cooperation of the United Nations with the Government of Portugal in holding a World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in Lisbon, scheduled for 8 to 12 August 1998 as part of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond, states that the objectives of the Conference are derived from mandates of the General Assembly and of the Economic and Social Council. Those mandates concern the need for the Conference to provide an effective forum for a focused global dialogue on youth-related issues and a specific means to review, appraise and further promote the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond. The expected outcome of the Conference is a Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes by ministers responsible for youth to further promote the Programme of Action through more focused and specific intersectoral measures at the regional, national and local/municipal levels.
The report states that the United Nations and Portugal's Government have agreed on a number of pre-conference preparations, at no cost to the United Nations, including: informal consultations on the substantive outcome of the Conference (draft Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes) among States Members of the United Nations at the 1997 substantive session of the
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Economic and Social Council and at the fifty-second session of the General Assembly; liaison for the existing pre-conference regional and interregional meetings of ministers responsible for youth to promote preparatory discussions among the ministers for the World Conference; and establishment of a steering committee of representatives from regional intergovernmental ministries and at least two from youth-related ministries in each of the five United Nations regions to coordinate the substantive preparations for the World Conference.
The report summarizes steps undertaken towards the Conference, including non-governmental organizational activity and coordination between non-governmental youth organizations, youth-related organizations and agencies of the United Nations system, and other intergovernmental organizations concerned with youth. Links will be established between the World Conference and other youth-related initiatives through cooperation with the Government of Portugal and the United Nations. The Government has indicated its complete guarantee of security matters and public information services for the World Conference, as well as details regarding such aspects as premises, local personnel, reception for eminent persons and customs formalities, with planning missions continuing in 1997 and 1998.
A letter, previously presently to the Economic and Social Council, dated 10 July, from the Secretary of State for Youth of Portugal and addressed to the Secretary-General (document E/1997/104), transmits a note on possible elements of the draft Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes to be adopted at the first session of the World Conference. The note was prepared by the Government of Portugal, in cooperation with the United Nations, to serve as a basis for informal consultations among Member States on this subject during the 1997 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council.
Statements
NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, stressed that the work of both the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) and the Third Committee must be seen in conjunction, because there were points of intersection between the issues of both Committees. Development cooperation could not be seen only in terms of nations working together for the short- and medium-term, but rather had to take into account areas of general interdependence.
Citing such issues as the persistence of poverty, unemployment, social strife, social discrimination, slow progress in gender mainstreaming and gender inequality, he stressed that a social dimension was missing from development. Furthermore, certain parts of the world had been left out of development processes, including in Africa, the least developed countries and other countries, such as small developing States and landlocked countries.
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As a result, he continued, in addition to national strategies taking account of social inclusion and distributive justice, action was needed at the international level. In that connection, a middle ground must be found between intervention and the laissez-faire approach. The work of the Third Committee was responsible for ensuring that such questions were addressed. The search for an alternative approach was taken up at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development and at the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. The alternative had many dimensions, and called for a balance between the role of the State and the role of the market, rather than the dominance of one over the other.
The approach was not a matter of safety nets or social protection, but a question of structural changes that would integrate social justice and gender mainstreaming, he said. Regarding gender mainstreaming, the deeper issues must be how to integrate gender issues into national budgets. The issue of the budget must be addressed. The international community must not take refuge in the fact that private investment was increasing. The public budget was central. It should ensure that there were targeted projects to correct societal imbalances that could not be left to the market, but required public resources and overseas investment resources.
He said the recent United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) report referred to the inequalities between nations. If countries were to address such adverse consequences, there would have to be a sense of how the international community managed the market. Therefore, the policies of the Bretton Woods institutions would have to be addressed. The Third Committee had played a central role in bringing such questions to the attention of the international community. The challenge now was to begin to influence policies at the local, national and international levels.
Turning to United Nations reform, he reminded the members of the Committee that he was addressing them for the first time as Under-Secretary-General of the new Department for Economic and Social Affairs. The process of bringing together three social and economic departments was just starting and was part of a broader process of consolidation and coordination, which began with the creation of the four executive committees. The Executive Committee for Economic and Social Affairs brought together all the entities involved in the work of the Second and Third Committees. Its objective was improving the quality of service to the Committees and bringing a range of functions into much closer partnership. In the social sector, for example, all the relevant sections would be brought together to combine analytical functions supporting the intergovernmental process and the policy advisory and technical cooperation services.
As a result, he hoped that Member States would see a clearer connection between policy development and operational activities for development. The
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purpose of reform was to strengthen and enhance the United Nations to address the new issues confronting the Organization.
JOHN LANGMORE, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the reports before the Committee.
The first report was the Secretary-General's report on the operational framework for the International Year of Older Persons, 1999 (document A/52/328).
That report provides details of United Nations activities for the International Year, whose theme, "Towards a society for all ages", lends itself to a broad exploration of the situation of older persons, while promoting the ideal of a society that accommodates itself to all. In the most recent action on the Year, the Economic and Social Council at its 1997 substantive session adopted a resolution on the Year and recommended its adoption to the fifty-second General Assembly.
The report states that the United Nations programme on ageing (in the Division for Social Policy and Development) is serving as lead agency for the Year. Section III of the report provides a suggested structure for organizing activities for 1999 in four areas: raising awareness; looking beyond 1999; reaching out, including to non-traditional actors; and improving networking, particularly in areas of research and information exchange.
The Secretary-General's recommendations to achieve the broad operational and conceptual frameworks for the Year include research, policies and programmes to address two areas -- active ageing and caregiving for frail older persons; and adoption in 1999 by the Assembly of a short consensus text on the society for all ages, to underscore the lifelong and society-wide dimensions of individual and population ageing.
Some of the highlights of preparations for the Year include: the launching of the International Year on the International Day of Older Persons on 1 October 1998; and, in 1999, devoting four plenary meetings of the fifty-fourth session of the General Assembly to follow-up to the Year. Prior to that, in 1998, the Commission for Social Development will review options for future review and appraisal of the implementation of the Plan of Action for Ageing, and it will examine essential elements of the Year's theme in the context of another theme -- on disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons. At its session in 1999, the Commission is also expected to examine the changing mix of welfare provisions for frail and older persons.
The report states that guidelines for improving the situation of older people are already well developed and include: the United Nations Principles
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for Older Persons, which list 18 principles on the areas of independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity; the International Plan of Action, containing 62 recommendations on issues such as employment and income security, housing and the environment, and social welfare and the family; and a 1995 general comment on the economic and social and political rights. The Plan of Action Principles and general comment provide a broad framework for action on ageing and draw attention to specific groups that have tended to be excluded from mainstream socio-economic development, such as older women, migrants, refugees, indigenous elders and the "oldest old".
According to the report, beyond 1999 the feasibility of formulating a long-term perspective plan to the year 2020 is being explored based on demographic trends, which show that the speed of ageing in developing countries and the high proportion of older persons in developed countries could have profound implications on many areas of society. Related national initiatives reported during the Assembly's plenary observances in 1999 will contribute to the preparation of a 2020 strategy. The report notes that by August, nearly 50 national focal points had been established for implementing national activities for the International Year of Older Persons.
Mr. Langmore then introduced the report on the review and appraisal of the World Programme of Action on Disabilities (document A/52/351). In that report, the Secretary-General states that a major lesson of the implementation experience had been recognition of the need to address disability issues both in the context of overall development and with reference to a broader human rights framework. Another lesson was the expansion of constituencies concerned with disability issues. A third was the continued validity of the substantive content and multi-dimensional character of the World Programme of Action. An emerging issue that needed more detailed attention was the relationship among population ageing, impairment and disability.
Data on the implementation of the World Programme of Action suggested continued validity of the Programme as a framework for advocacy and policy design, the report states. Recommendations, thus, focus on two sets of issues: priorities in implementation strategies; and suggested resource allocations to strengthen capacity for further implementing the World Programme.
The report concludes that the effective strategies link disability issues with overall development variables and within the broader human rights framework of the United Nations. The broader human rights framework introduces concern with empowerment and accessibility, both of which are essential for equalization of opportunities and self-reliance. The report suggests three areas for action and resource commitments: data and statistics; methods and procedures for inclusive planning; and
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capacity-building along with institutional development towards a society for all.
Mr. LANGMORE then introduced the reports on: International Year of the Family; and report of the Special Rapporteur of the Commission on Social Development on Monitoring Implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. On youth, he reviewed the three major international standards on youth adopted by the Assembly: the 1965 Declaration on Promotion among Youth of the Ideals of Peace, Mutual Respect and Understanding between Peoples; the 1985 Guidelines on Further Planning and Suitable Follow-up in the Field of Youth for International Youth Year: Participation, Development and Peace; and the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond (adopted in 1995).
He then introduced the report on implementing the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond. He added that the social programmes presented in the reports were embryonic forms of public goods. He hoped that Member States would suggest ways of increasing their national and global effectiveness.
SAM OTUYELU (Nigeria) said the World Summit for Social Development brought to the fore the need for international organizations, non-governmental organizations and civil society to pull resources together to address social issues. Sadly, the recent social development report indicated that a widening gap between the rich and poor nations continued to grow.
Many countries continued to lack basic social services, he said. In Africa, indebtedness and privatization continued to negatively impact attempts to provide those basic services, which were generally available only at prices out of the reach of certain groups. To assist in the improvement of that situation, new and additional resources were needed but not readily available. Present policies were adversely affecting the savings of the retired and the elderly. As a result, they were being drawn into poverty. There was need for research into such developments.
The capacity of Member States must not be undermined through negative action on foreign exchange markets, he continued. Such action brought uncertainty to financial markets. It was time to work for a more humane international order in which the interests of more vulnerable groups would be protected and promoted through international cooperation. The widening gap between rich and poor nations should give the international community food for serious thought.
JACK SPITZER (United States) said the issues of social development touched everyone and he looked forward to sharing experiences in addressing those issues. He commended the Commission for Social Development and the
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International Labour Organization (ILO) for work earlier this year related to the theme, "Productive Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods". He further commended efforts to promote jobs that met basic labour standards, which was important not only from a moral standpoint, but from a trade and economic growth perspective.
The United States had long been an advocate for inclusion, independence and empowerment of persons with disabilities, he said. He reiterated the desire to share experiences in that area with others. Another area of critical importance was action to expand non-governmental organization access to the General Assembly and to optimize contributions of civil society to the work of United Nations bodies.
He said that in a year in which there was so much discussion about reform, Member States should not lose sight of the reasons for undertaking those difficult efforts. Economic components were part of social development, but the Commission on Social Development and the Third Committee offered an opportunity to exchange experiences with other delegations, with a view to implementing programmes to advance social development, enhance social integration and provide basic social services for all.
MARTHA MORENO (Paraguay), spoke on behalf of the Rio Group (Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Uruguay, Venezuela, Honduras and Guyana). She said members of the Group gave particular importance to the topic of social development in all its aspects and were committed to the Declaration of the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development and its Plan of Action. Members of the Group were characterized by democratic regimes that respected individual freedoms. The rule of law was the overall norm. In those circumstances, the Group had, as its main concern, the struggle against poverty and the search for conditions that allowed young people, older, disabled persons and families to count on favourable economic and social environment.
She noted the Group's commitment to specific areas, such as the International Year of Older People and the planned World Conference of Ministers in Charge of Youth. In the future, she hoped the Secretary- General's reports would contain more complete and detailed descriptions of the national policies and programmes of action on the topic of youth. Social development imposed great responsibilities on Member States, and the Group would continue to confront those issues with responsibility and decisiveness.
MARJON VAN HOUTE (Netherlands) said that, as youth representative, she was concerned that only a few youth representatives attended the General Assembly. A relatively new way for youth non-governmental organizations to formulate ideas and recommendations on a global level about global youth policy and issues was the World Youth Forum. The Forum's report had contained
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many useful recommendations, one of which was to request filling of the vacancy concerning the post of Special Rapporteur on Youth Rights.
She said an important issue with regard to youth was interaction with the private sector, with could lead to non-governmental organization involvement in internal discussions of companies, leading both sides to benefit from the exchange of ideas. That could provide opportunities for youth non-governmental organizations in such areas as youth unemployment.
The participation of young people in the United Nations system was a very important issue, she said. She made two suggestions for the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth. First, the Conference should address the issue of sending youth representatives with the national delegations to the United Nations General Assembly. Second, specific arrangements should be made ahead of time to coordinate between the World Youth Forum and the Conference, so that all participating youth organizations could effectively participate in follow-up.
NAGAKO SUGIMORI (Japan) pointed to three issues of special interest in the area of social development: follow-up activities to the Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development; disabilities; and observance of the International Year of Older Persons in 1999. It was particularly important to involve not just decision-making organs of the United Nations in those issues, but also funds and programmes of operational activities in implementing the outcome of the Summit.
She then highlighted seven critical policy issues, on the basis of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action: sustaining opportunities for employment; building a society of equal opportunity for men and women; promoting social integration; providing support for the socially vulnerable; promoting human development and creating an enabling environment for education; protecting the environment by promoting sustainable development; and improving social infrastructure. Also, she added, strengthening bilateral and multilateral development cooperation in the area of social development was important, as was emphasizing the importance of cooperation and collaboration among the government, non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society.
She said she welcomed activities for the International Year of Older Persons in 1999 and that her country had begun preparations at the national level. The Government was setting up a steering committee to accelerate the process in consultation with national non-governmental organizations. Finally, all parties, civil and governmental, were called upon to work towards achieving the targets set out in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, with an eye towards the year 2000, when the United Nations was
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scheduled to conduct an overall review and appraisal of the implementation and outcome of the Social Summit.
MONICA MARTINEZ (Ecuador) said her Government's 1996 national plan contained policies supportive of youth and dealt with such problems of youth as unemployment, delinquency and drug and alcohol abuse. She expressed appreciation to Portugal for hosting the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth. Regarding the International Year for Older Persons, she supported the initiatives already taken. Her own country had set up a national body to prepare for the Year. The report on the operational framework for the Year was a good source of ideas and would assist countries in developing policies for older persons.
She went on to say that legislation had been adopted in her country to address the situation of disabled persons. Their situation, as well as those of other disadvantaged groups, was closely related to the socio-economic situation in the country. It was fundamental to ensure international cooperation for such activities. She welcomed the work of the Special Rapporteur on the Standard Rules. Her country was a firm defender of the family as the nucleus of any society oriented towards insuring the well-being of its citizens. The family had a crucial role to play in promoting and protecting all human rights, including the right to development.
EDITH CAMERANO (Colombia) welcomed the report of the Special Rapporteur on the Standard Rules concerning persons with disabilities. To implement them, a national consultative committee would launch strategies and programmes that would guarantee the integration into society of persons with disabilities. However, financial resources allocated to such programmes were scarce, especially in the educational field. Priority should be given to allocating technical and financial resources from the United Nations system to support integrative education programmes in countries that had been promoting that right. She proposed that the year 2000 be named the international year of integrated education of persons with disabilities.
Regarding social development, the President of Colombia had proposed a social policy referred to as "social leap", she said. On youth policy, her Government was promoting policies to encourage a better quality of life for young persons and to encourage their involvement in the economic arena. A law concerning youth had been adopted in Colombia to increase their participation in economics, politics and culture. The World Programme of Action for Youth required the commitment of the developed countries, as well as organizations responsible for its implementation, to assist countries that were comparatively disadvantaged. On the family, she said a regional summit on infancy for Latin America and the Caribbean would be convened in Cartagena from 1 to 3 March 1998. She hoped the relevant bodies of the United Nations system would to support the summit.
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JULIA TAVARES DE ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic) referred in particular to the Secretary-General's report on the operational framework for the International Year of Older Persons in 1999 as containing innovative thinking in both substantive and practical terms in expounding the new concept of a "society for all ages", with its four dimensions: the situation of older persons; life-long individual development; multi-generational relationships; and the relationship between the ageing of populations and development.
She said that, so far, most efforts had been based on a welfare model, viewing older people as vulnerable and needy. However, in the face of worldwide population ageing, productive ageing would not just be an interesting phenomenon, but would become a matter of survival. Therefore, to influence politicians and policy makers, it was important not only to change attitudes about ageing, but to emphasize that all groups, including the elderly, were to be treated from the point of view of rights and obligations. Thus, productive ageing must be fostered to encourage a view of society that emphasizes the interdependence of all, making sure the media reflected the positive contribution of older persons to society.
CARLOS ENRIQUE GARCIA GONZALEZ (El Salvador) said improving the quality of life was of particular concern to his Government, which was giving special attention to the world social situation since achieving social peace. National development was one of his country's highest priorities. Further, El Salvador was cooperating with other delegations who believed that protecting families and other questions concerning youth were important enough to incorporate into overall development. It was a matter of civil, moral and spiritual values.
Citing drug control and promotion of women's rights among the most important of the social issues of concern, he outlined a number of national plans for promoting actions in line with the United Nations programme for social advancement. Those efforts included a plan to establish information centres to protect rights of migrants. In particular, his country was resolved to contribute constructively to the debate on the items before the Committee.
YAMINA BENNANI-AKHAMLICH (Morocco) said that, despite remarkable progress, there were many obstacles and even slippage in some areas of social progress. The world faced both old threats and new in its advance towards the millennium. Arms trafficking and transnational crime were among the emerging "end-of-the-century problems" which, from whatever perspective they were considered, could be handled only by cooperation. Yet, among the conditions most unacceptable was that millions of people still lived in poverty. The World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen had set out the formula for a new world partnership for interdependence and mutually advantageous benefits.
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The capacity of a country to meet the needs of its population was based on factors such as stability and other social indicators and not on armed power, she said. Establishment of an environment propitious for social advancement was based on human rights, which entailed recognition of fundamental social rights as founded in a constitution, social integration and protection of fundamental freedoms.
Recapping numerous initiatives taken by her country, she indicated, for example, that a Moroccan national charter of the family had come from the launch of the International Year of the Family. While national measures did not benefit the entire population -- for example, the poor and those in rural areas were not fully reached -- Morocco had seen significant progress in such areas as family planning. It had, thus, drawn up a national social advancement plan in a programme of social cooperation with United Nations organizations and agencies, as well as with regional groups, to achieve progress in such areas as literacy for women. Therefore, Morocco supported in particular, the recommendations on the International Year of the Family, on Older Persons, and on the rules for equalizing opportunities for the disabled.
HIROFUMI ANDO, Deputy Executive Director (Policy and Administration) of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said as the world approached the next millennium, some 17.5 per cent of the estimated world population of roughly 6 billion in the year 2000 would be between the ages of 15 to 24. More than 85 per cent of that group lived in developing countries with specific problems and needs that demanded the attention of the international community. The urgent need to focus on and respond to challenges faced by youth was compelling, considering that: 15 million adolescent women gave birth each year, accounting for more than 10 per cent of all births worldwide; one in 20 adolescents contracted a sexually transmitted disease each year; half of all cases of HIV infection were in people under the age of 25; and some 20 per cent of adolescents were illiterate in less developed countries.
Underlying those serious facts were both biological and socio-economic factors, including physical immaturity, poverty, lack of education and lack of appropriate health care, he continued. Traditional practices also compounded those problems. It was, therefore, important for the United Nations system to facilitate young people's participation and opinions in its activities, as called for in a number of international instruments on youth participation and in recent international conferences, such as the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development and the Fourth World Conference on Women.
Since the 1994 Conference on population and development, he said, UNFPA had increased its work in those areas, evidenced by the fact that nearly all of its country programmes contained a major focus on adolescents. It has also organized a number of activities for youth, including regional meetings on
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youth. Also, the UNFPA had participated in the World Youth Forum hosted by Austria last November and looked forward to participating in the next World Youth Forum, to be held in Portugal in August 1998. The agency welcomed the initiative of the Portuguese Government to host the World Conference on Ministers Responsible for Youth, in cooperation with the United Nations, in August 1998.
NINA SIBAL, of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), addressed the mid-decade progress report on the implementation of the education for all objectives, which were adopted at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All and reviewed in June of this year by the International Consultative Forum meeting in Amman, Jordan. She said the mid-decade review of the progress towards education for all goals showed that significant progress had been made in providing primary schooling, but less spectacular progress had been made in reducing adult illiteracy. The absolute number of illiterates had remained at approximately 885 million persons, despite population growth, but the illiteracy gap between men and women had not declined. There were still two illiterate women for every illiterate man. All bodies of the international community were working with governments and other providers of basic education to achieve the education for all goals, which were important in themselves, but which also contributed to equipping people for sustainable livelihoods and to building peaceful and democratic societies.
Stating that 1998 would be a major end-of-decade assessment of progress towards the education for all goals, she said UNESCO would welcome a General Assembly resolution calling for Member States' assessments about how well the basic learning needs of their people were being met and redefining the education for all goals and action plans at the turn of the century.
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