SOCIO-ECONOMIC DISPARITIES AMONG WORLD'S PEOPLE REPRESENT AN AFFRONT TO HUMAN DIGNITY, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
GA/SHC/3414
SOCIO-ECONOMIC DISPARITIES AMONG WORLD'S PEOPLE REPRESENT AN AFFRONT TO HUMAN DIGNITY, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD
19971014 Nepal Calls for Efforts to Correct Situation Marked by 'Islands of Prosperity Among Continents of Poverty'The disparity in socio-economic conditions of the world's people today was like islands of prosperity among continents of unspeakable poverty, the representative of Nepal said this afternoon, as the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) continued its consideration of social development issues.
Describing the situation as an affront to human dignity, he said that one fifth of the world's population enjoyed 80 per cent of its resources, while the majority desperately competed for the rest in order simply to survive. Such an unacceptable situation should not be allowed to continue. Efforts must be made to build an equitable, just and prosperous world for present and future generations, he said.
Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the representative of Trinidad and Tobago stressed that no country in the world today was immune from social problems. Such problems were multidimensional and could not be divorced from economic, political and cultural issues. An area of special concern to CARICOM States was the high level of unemployment among young men and women. She said that many innovative measures had been taken in the CARICOM area, with priority on skills development and the promotion of entrepreneurship among the region's youth.
The representative of Syria said there was a vast difference between the reality of social development and the aspirations of mankind. Countries must understand their roles in arresting social problems, he said. Since the world had become a global village with rich and poor neighbourhoods, cooperation should be a priority, to support the development efforts of developing countries.
A comprehensive international approach must be taken to the problems of youth, the elderly and the disabled, if societies were to achieve sustainable development, the representative of Kazakhstan told the Committee.
In Kazakhstan, radical economic changes had affected all levels of society, including large families, older persons and young people.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Cuba, the Marshall Islands, Venezuela, Indonesia, Sudan, Costa Rica and Israel.
The Third Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Friday, 17 October, to continue its consideration of social development issues.
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Committee Work Programme
The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to continue its consideration of social development issues, including questions related to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.
Statements
RODOLFO REYES RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said that social action was brought about by policy. Equity and equal opportunity were among his country's greatest achievements over the past three decades, particularly as shown by programmes for youth. He welcomed the holding of the World Youth Forum and the upcoming Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth, but expressed regret that the United States had prevented young people from that country from attending a youth meeting in Cuba. Nearly 1,000 young people who had defied their country were now facing fines and imprisonment.
He said that 1998 would mark the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. That declaration should be strengthened by focusing on those needing special attention, such as the young, the elderly, and the disabled. While the United States blockade had complicated his country's problems in those areas, Cuba would remain a country for all.
NEIJON R. EDWARDS (Marshall Islands) said her Government was undergoing a serious and far-reaching structural adjustment in the public sector and was looking for methods to increase private-sector investment so as to increase private-sector employment. The Government was continuing efforts toward implementation of the programmes of action of the recent series of world conferences, but funds were not available. Support was needed from the international community, and from non-governmental organizations in particular, to help the Marshall Islands fulfil those commitments.
She said that urban migration and high population growth posed continuing challenges for the Government, which was trying to consolidate efforts with cultural organizations, churches and the private sector to find solutions. Basic education was mandated under the Constitution and there was a 10-year education plan aimed at encouraging community-based education. The Marshall Islands was a young country constantly seeking new partners in economic initiatives.
LYDA APONTE DE ZACKLIN (Venezuela) commended the work of the open-ended support group promoting a greater awareness of one society for all ages, as well as the goals of the programme for education for all. Venezuela's national development programme was based on productivity and solidarity and aimed to benefit various sectors of society. For example, three separate programmes for youth aimed at reducing the number of young people who had nothing to do and to remind them of their role by focusing on such approaches as apprenticeships and involvement in sports and recreation. Strengthening of
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the family was another important factor in Venezuela's social advancement programme, she said.
AKMARAL KH. ARYSTANBEKOVA (Kazakhstan) said the problems of youth, the elderly and the disabled required international cooperation. There was need for a comprehensive approach to resolve the problems faced by such vulnerable groups if societies were to achieve sustainable development. In Kazakhstan, radical economic changes had affected all levels of the society, including large families, older persons and young people. Although there was an emphasis on social protective policies, some families could not be provided with the bare minimum of their needs.
She said her Government had adopted legislation to deal with major social problems affecting the population, including laws to provide support for children, assist families with children and provide housing for those in need. Such actions were responding to the goals of the International Year of the Family. The Government had also adopted legislation to provide higher and middle level education and employment for young people.
The disabled had been given greater access to training and productive employment, as well as to cultural and sporting activities, she said. Attempts had been made to provide housing and day care for families and mothers with disabled children. In its attempts to resolve social problems, the Government would be stepping up action in that area and improve the implementation of such measures, while taking account of what had been recommended by recent international conferences. However, during the period of economic transition, it would be difficult to achieve the goals that were being set. Assistance by international organizations, including the United Nations system, would help Kazakhstan to achieve its social development goals.
SUTJIPTOHARDJO DONOKUSUMO (Indonesia) said his country had worked hard to make significant achievements in social welfare. Yet its goals for social progress were far from being realized, since social development was inextricably linked to the economic health of the nation and the state of international relations. The international community must continue to be aware of and responsive to the needs of vulnerable social groups. The observance of the International Year of Older Persons should draw attention to the need for practical strategies and ensure that the needs of older persons were adequately addressed. To achieve the goals of the year, its broad objectives with respect to ageing and appropriate caregiving should be given consideration in research policies and programmes. The necessary technical and financial support must also be provided.
He said his Government had taken a number of initiatives to formulate appropriate policies for older person. In 1996, a national day for the elderly was launched aimed at increasing awareness and improving the elderly people's quality of life, as well as motivating and mobilizing the society to solve the problems of the elderly, both locally and nationally. Indonesia was also implementing the concept of "three generations under one roof" to maintain Indonesia's traditional concept of the extended family.
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Indonesia continued to support the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, he said. Programmes for the disabled should not be divorced from overall national development activities. Development and financial institutions should integrate disability measures into the mainstream of technical cooperation. His Government remained strongly committed to the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond and to its 10 priority areas for action. Indonesia's five-year development plans addressed the concerns of young people by promoting wider access to education, improving participation and leadership of young people in development, and promoting youth institutions and organizations.
SHAHIRA H. A. WAHBI (Sudan) said the human being was the cornerstone of all the policies of his Government and the foundation for its social and economic development efforts. Youth was the main engine of the development process, and a comprehensive national strategy established their rights. The Government supported youth activities and encouraged youth to join the social and military services, as a means of providing training for them. Education was a priority in Sudan. The Government had established a university in each state during the past four years, resulting in a 550 per cent increase in the number of students since 1989. The Government was also working towards eradicating adult illiteracy, particulary in remote areas. Primary education had also been expanded, and technical education was being improved.
The elderly in Sudan traditionally enjoyed a privileged position, as the Islamic religion called for respect for the elderly, he said. The importance of their equal participation in production and development was stressed. The Government had also established programmes for the benefit of the disabled to help them in becoming self-reliant, and would be drafting a plan of action for the disabled, which would take account of the Standard Rules.
The family was an indispensable institution and should be protected, he said. In Sudan, policies had been adopted to facilitate marriages. Special attention was being given to legislation to protect the rights of the family, particularly rural families and the needs of weak families. National projects had been set up to respond to the needs of families attacked by the rebels.
YVONNE GITTENS-JOSEPH (Trinidad and Tobago), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that no country in the world today was immune from social problems. Such problems were multidimensional and could not be divorced from economic, political and cultural issues. Many countries required urgent attention because those problems affected the survival of a large segment of the population.
She said it was heartening to learn that there had been a 10 per cent increase since 1994 in the number of Member States with a national youth programme of action. An area of special concern to CARICOM States was the high level of unemployment among young men and women. Many innovative measures had been taken in the CARICOM area, placing priority on skills development and the promotion of entrepreneurship among the region's youth.
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Other issues of concern to the region were the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities, she said. Although there had been much progress in implementing the Standard Rules for persons with disabilities, stronger action was needed to improve the difficult circumstances of such people. The National Centre for Persons with Disabilities in Trinidad and Tobago was managing a regional project to enable the disabled in the Caribbean to have equitable access to vocational training and employment.
KAMAL CHAULAGAIN (Nepal) said the islands of prosperity and the continents plagued with unspeakable poverty depicted the disparity in the socio-economic conditions of the world's people today. The ever-widening gulf between rich and poor permitted one fifth of the world's population to enjoy 80 per cent of the earth's resources, while the majority desperately competed for the remaining resources for bare survival. That was an affront to human dignity. Such an unacceptable situation should not be allowed to continue when looking to build an equitable, just and prosperous world for present and future generations.
At the World Social Summit two years ago, it was a common concern that prevailing conditions of poverty, unemployment and social disintegration would engulf the world in chaos and be the principal cause of major violence, he said. If left to the countries themselves, those problems would be insurmountable.
In a shrinking world marked by globalization and liberalization, moral concepts and institutional responsibilities had lagged behind technological progress, he said. The United Nations, governments, non-governmental organizations and civil society should treat people as assets, resources and opportunities, not simply as problems, threats and liabilities. That was the real measure of social development, without which there would be no full enjoyment of peace, democracy and human rights.
EMILIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica) suggested a number of specific areas to which the Commission on Social Development might wish to devote its attention, with the aim of improving those situations as the world approached the millennium. She cited, in particular, those that applied to older persons and to persons living in extreme poverty, as well as to those relating to people with disabilities or who were marginalized. Costa Rica was concerned with the rights of the child, as well as of other groups. Education for older persons should be included in social programmes, so as to acknowledge the importance of education to social development and to make it part of the International Year for Older Persons.
AHMAD AL-HARIRI (Syria) said there was a vast difference between the reality of social development and the aspirations of mankind. The world was facing a decline in moral values. The spectre of war and famine loomed high despite the vast resources of the planet. International cooperation was one solution to those ills. Countries must understand their role in arresting social problems. Since the world had become a global village with rich and
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poor neighbourhoods, cooperation should be a priority, so that developing countries might begin development efforts in the interest of mankind as a whole.
Syria had undertaken a comprehensive development process in all areas of life, he said. It guaranteed mandatory primary education and health services to all categories of people, including children, refugees and the elderly. Youth organizations were set up to assist young people with the problems facing them. The family was of particular importance, since it provided the foundation for human development. The country's development plans had led to significant progress reflected in higher living standards in rural areas as well as in the cities, and in more possibilities for productive employment.
However, the Israeli occupation of the Syrian Golan Heights adversely affected the country's social development, he said. The occupation had increased the obstacles to development and were a violation of the rights of the Syrian people. A world free of colonial and foreign occupation and ethnic hegemony would be conducive to creating a world of justice and equality in inter-State relations.
GABBY LEVY (Israel) said that, acting on the basis of the values of Jewish tradition and a contemporary understanding of social issues, modern Israel had taken steps to encourage and support those who were mentally or physically challenged -- individuals who required government assistance to lead lives in which their potential could be developed fully. Also, as a result of war and indiscriminate attacks, Israel had for the past four decades been confronted with the challenge of integrating into society those who had been grievously wounded and disabled.
A new bill on equal rights for people with disabilities had passed a first reading in the Knesset and was now being examined by a specially appointed commission, he said. In the course of that review, it was found that more than 10 per cent of Israel's population suffered from either physical or mental disabilities -- a minority which had suffered from discrimination. The special commission had concluded that only comprehensive and detailed legislation could narrow the gap between the reality of such people's lives and the ideals of equality and human dignity, which were basic principles of Israeli society.
He said it had also been concluded that there was a need for a dual approach which combined the prohibition of discrimination against people with disabilities and the provision of an appropriate response to their special needs. Genuine equality for people with disabilities had to be secured. On the basis of that dual approach, the special commission had approved the guiding principles and major provisions of the new bill.
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