SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IS NOT CHARITY, BUT FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, USG FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS TELLS THIRD COMMITTEE

5 October 1998

Press Release
GA/SHC/3464

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT IS NOT CHARITY, BUT FUNDAMENTAL RIGHT, USG FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL AFFAIRS TELLS THIRD COMMITTEE

19981005 Debate on Questions Relating To Youth, Ageing, Disabled Persons, Family Begins

While the world focused its attention on the global financial crisis, the crucial issues facing the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) should not be placed on the back burner, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, stated this afternoon as the Committee met to begin consideration of social development, including questions relating to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.

The issues under consideration by the Committee were central to discussions of the financial crisis, he said. As many countries faced their worst economic situation in 50 years, social structures that had been built up over many years were being destroyed. The crisis of the past year was eroding the social compact, and could not be viewed simply as a financial or economic crisis. It was a social crisis, and the solutions lay not just in economic policies, but in policies that also worked towards social development, which was not a discretionary act or an act of charity, but something that reflected a fundamental right.

John Langmore, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said it was clear the international financial structure was flawed. That had led to severe socio-economic consequences, increasing poverty and exclusion from education and health services. Stabilization of the international financial system was imperative for social development, and priority must be given to social programmes such as basic education, health and social protection.

Speaking on the International Year of Older Persons, the representative of the Dominican Republic said there was a risk that when a day or a year was set aside for any given group, that group was in danger of being set aside once the period had finished. She warned that a sober demographic reality loomed ahead. It was vital to mainstream older persons and to include them in programmes and policies. That would be a daunting task, she said, "but if we don't do it, the resulting demographic disaster will be catastrophic".

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The representative of Singapore said his country expected citizens to assume responsibility for planning for old age through measures such as a compulsory savings scheme. Singapore had walked away from the welfare approach of the past, but the Government enhanced the ability of individuals to look after themselves by providing tax relief and housing incentives that encouraged children to live near their elderly parents.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Indonesia, Bangladesh, United States, Japan, Cuba, Costa Rica (on behalf of central American countries), Saudi Arabia, China and Kuwait, as well as by a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

At the outset of the meeting, Ali Hachani (Tunisia), Chairman of the Third Committee, informed the Committee of the death of Sanjaasuren Zorig, a prominent democratic leader of Mongolia, who had for many years been involved with the United Nations in its work on human rights. The Chairman conveyed his condolences to the delegation of Mongolia and the family of Mr. Zorig.

The representative of Mongolia said the death of Mr. Zorig had been a great loss for the people of Mongolia. It was an untimely loss of a respected advocate for human rights. She thanked the Chairman for his expression of condolence.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 6 October, to continue its consideration of social development, including questions relating 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, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family.

The Committee has before it a report by the Secretary-General on the International Year of Older Persons and the relevant sections of the report of the Economic and Social Council (document A/53/3, to be issued).

Also before the Committee is a letter from Portugal transmitting the texts of the Lisbon Declaration on Youth, Policies and Programmes, which was adopted at the first World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth (Lisbon, 8 - 12 August); and the Braga Youth Action Plan, which was adopted by the third World Youth Forum of the United Nations System (Braga, Portugal, 2 - 7 August).

The Secretary-General's report on Preparations for the International Year of Older Persons (document A/53/294) notes that 1999 was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the General Assembly in resolution 47/5. Observance of the Year will be guided by concepts and strategies which have their origin in the World Assembly on Ageing, held in 1982 in Vienna. The recommendations of the Vienna Plan of Action on Ageing, adopted at the World Assembly, concern education, employment and income security, housing and the environment, health and hygiene, social welfare and the family.

Promotion of the 18 United Nations Principles for Older Persons, promulgated in 1991 in resolution 46/91, is the overall objective of the year. The Principles provide guidance in the areas of independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity. The theme of the year is "Towards a society for all ages". Four facets for debate and action are also included in the conceptual framework of the year. They are: the situation of older persons; lifelong individual development; multigenerational relationships; and the interplay of population ageing and development.

Twenty years have been added to the average lifespan in the second half of the twentieth century, the report states. That life extension has been too recent and rapid to have been integrated into the concept of life as a unified whole, as a progression of interrelated stages. The age structures of families are changing, and the traditional pyramid of many youth and few elders is giving way to the inverse family pyramid of potentially one child, two parents, four grandparents and several great-grandparents. The nature and scope of demographic ageing will be explored at a special session of the General Assembly in 1999, according to the report.

The idea of a society for all ages is approached in the report as the individual lifecourse and the social milieu of family, neighbourhood,

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communities of interest and the macrosocial environment. The report says older persons are demographic and social pioneers. Grandparents range in age from 35 to 105, and grandchildren from newborns to retirees. Midlife has become an important transitional phase. It is a developmentally flexible time, and may be considered the prelude to active ageing, as adolescence is to active adulthood.

The adult years are a time for launching career and family and, when feasible, for engaging in continuing self-development and civic activities. Through such activities, individuals can build up their economic, social and human capital and thereby ensure well-being in later life. Unemployment can lead to material poverty, particularly in developing countries, while employment, conversely, can create "time poverty" -- when it occupies the centre of the day, week and year so that other important institutions (family, community and school) become relegated to peripheral times in the evening and weekend.

The report goes on to state that education is one of the keys for young people: the consequence of missed or missing educational and work opportunities is likely to be poverty. The consequence of hunger, stress, addictions and other manifestations of material and psychological poverty is chronic disease in mid and late life, restricting one's ability to participate mentally and physically.

The report also discusses the fostering of enabling environments in families, neighbourhoods, communities of interest, and broad societal institutions based on principles of reciprocity and interdependence. Raising awareness is being undertaken by Member States, the United Nations system, intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations.

One of the strategies in preparation for the Year has been to reach out to those segments of society which have excluded older persons in their work or have taken a traditional approach to ageing, the report states. Outreach to the media is being spearheaded by the Department of Public Information, which, earlier this year, began an information campaign to raise awareness of the Year and its objectives. Activities to date have included outreach through written, radio and television productions and special briefings and mailings. The United Nations programme on ageing, the lead agency and secretariat for the Year, has coordinated international activities and provided conceptual leadership, with the ultimate aim of strengthening policy development at the national level.

A wide range of activities have begun around the world in observance of the Year, and nearly 80 countries have established national committees, the report goes on. The General Assembly may invite countries that have not yet begun their observances to do so now. It may also invite countries to report on their observances at the plenary sessions of its fifty-fourth session, at

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which, as decided by resolution 52/80, four plenary meetings should be devoted to the follow-up to the year.

Promoting investments in human development over the entire lifespan and supporting age-integrated social institutions are worldwide challenges, says the report. The Assembly may invite national committees to consider addressing those challenges through a set of principles or practical strategies towards a society for all ages aimed at mainstreaming ageing into programmes and policies, while ensuring that the immediate developmental, income-security and health care needs of older persons are met.

The power of the media to influence images of ageing and opportunities for older persons needs to be recognized, the report states. Trends towards negative stereotyping and the exclusion of older persons need to be addressed. The Assembly may encourage the media to follow-up on the official launch of the Year, held on 1 October, by launching or intensifying a media campaign in January 1999, focused on the United Nations Principles for Older Persons and the theme of a "Towards a society for all ages", and invite organizations of older persons and others to engage the media in a debate on ageing.

The report adds that institutions of civil society at the local, national and international levels are playing a vital role in promoting the Year, often through multigenerational and multisectoral collaboration. The Assembly may commend those efforts and invite those institutions to focus their observances of the International Day of Older Persons (1 October) in 1999 on the theme of "late life potentials and contributions in a new age".

Under the text of the Lisbon Declaration (document A/53/378), governments participating in the Conference in August committed themselves to national youth policies that included: establishing the necessary policies and programmes by the year 2000 to improve living standards for young women and young men, and to permit the effective implementation of such policies; reviewing the situation of youth and their needs and incorporating young people's own assessment of priorities, through their participation in a consultative process; and ensuring that young women and young men actively contribute to the formulation, implementation and evaluation of national and local youth policies, programmes and action plans.

Participating governments also committed to introducing measurable, time-bound goals and indicators to allow a common basis for national evaluation of the implementation of policies; and to ensuring the mainstreaming of national youth policy and international development plans and programmes. Other areas covered in the Lisbon Declaration are the participation of youth in all spheres of society, including the right to development of all young men and women.

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Statements

NITIN DESAI, Under Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said there were many important issues before the Third Committee that must be discussed within the context of a world situation that was extremely uncertain. The state of the world economy was likely to be the worst in the last 50 years. The international community was looking at a substantial decline in incomes and growth in many countries, and a major recession in Japan.

Those factors were leading to a huge increase in poverty and unemployment, he said. Social structures that had been built up over many years were being destroyed. The economic and social crisis was worse than had ever been faced by many countries. The work of the United Nations over the last 50 years had been built up not only as a reaction to the Second World War, but also to the effects of the Great Depression.

The crisis of the past year was eroding the social compact, which was crucial to the agenda of the Third Committee, he said. The crisis could not be viewed simply as a financial or economic crisis. It was a social crisis. In looking for solutions to address it, that was a dimension that must be kept in mind. The solutions lay not just in economic policies, but in policies that also worked towards social development.

The solutions must make sense for the millions who had lost their work, or who had returned to poor rural communities, he said. The answer was not necessarily in withdrawing from the forces of globalization, but at the same time, it must not only be aimed at restoring confidence in capital markets.

This year also marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, he said. Human rights had largely been seen in terms of civil and political rights, but they must also be seen in terms of economic, social and cultural rights. Both sets of rights were interconnected and interdependent. There was a growing interest in looking at the whole of development from a rights-based approach. Social development was not a discretionary act or act of charity, but something that reflected a fundamental right.

When the rights-based approach was used, progress was faster and more definite, he said. That was particularly true in issues relating to children and women. Other examples included work that had been done for people with disabilities, and the work on ageing. On the one hand, it was important to find a shared agreement on what was the corpus of rights, and on the other hand, to design a programmatic work to reinforce those rights. It was not simply a matter of enacting those rights in law; the exercise of those rights required programmatic interventions. It was no use saying that a disabled child had the right to go to school, if the facilities did not exist, for example.

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The discussions of the Third Committee could bring the rights-based area and the programmatic development together in a unique way. The Third Committee had a very important agenda ahead of it, and it was important that the issues it handled not be put on the back burner while the world focused its attention on the global financial crisis. It was important to remember that the issues under consideration by the Third Committee were central to discussions of the financial crisis.

JOHN LANGMORE, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development, said it was clear the international financial structure was flawed and must change. As a result there had been severe socio-economic consequences, increasing poverty, and exclusion from education and health services. Instead of looking for causes, it would be more constructive to discuss how to ease those problems, he said.

As the political heart of the international system, the representatives of the United Nations were responsible for articulating shared international socio-economic goals, priorities and policies, he said. The ultimate goals set by the 1995 Social Summit were the eradication of absolute poverty, the achievement of full employment and the fostering of secure, stable and just societies.

These goals required the constant and complete integration of the social dimension of polity with the economic; international financial stabilization was imperative for social development and priority must be given to social programmes, such as basic education, health and social protection. Further, more countries may find value in considering the establishment of a national social contract with clear, consensual aims, and comprehensive policies for their achievement. The best way in which government could encourage private sector growth was to ensure that credit was readily accessible at manageable interest rates, he said.

Mr. Langmore then introduced the principal subject for discussion, preparations for the 1999 International Year for Older Persons, with the theme a "Society for all ages." (For background see document A/53/294.)

SUTJIPTOHARDHO DONOKUSUMO (Indonesia) said the rapid ageing of societies was faster in developing countries, with weaker social safety nets and safeguards, than in developed countries, which had a greater capacity to adapt to the consequences.

One intersecting concept throughout the discussions of initiatives on both youth and ageing was that of individual life-long development and the implicit recognition that health and well-being at the later stages of life were inextricably linked to opportunities and healthy development during the formative years. In that regard, Indonesia welcomed the outcome of the Lisbon Declaration, which had focused the attention of the international community on the problems faced by today's youth.

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He drew particular attention to the urgent need of creating employment opportunities for youth, which was a central factor in alleviating the poverty which minimalized large sectors of societies and adversely affected all. Despite the goal that had been set at the World Summit for Social Development, approximately 30 per cent of the world's workforce was today either unemployed or underemployed.

Of equal concern, he went on, were the issues confronting older persons. The launch of the International Year of Older Persons was an auspicious occasion in increasing awareness of the revolutionary demographic changes that were occurring and the need to adopt policies that would facilitate programmes of the future. The quality of life was as important as its longevity. During the Year, the international community must seriously address the question of how to translate the idea of a society for all ages into reality.

KISHORE MAHBUBANI (Singapore) said it was clear the percentage of old people in the world's population was increasing. In 1950, there were approximately 370 million people above the age of 65; in 2000 that figure would rise to almost 600 million, representing an increase from 5 to 10 per cent of the world's population. In East Asia, between 1950 and 2050 there would be an almost 20-fold increase of people above 65 -- from 18 million to 350 million. Whereas as Sweden had taken 84 years for the proportion of its aged population to increase from 7 per cent to 14 per cent, it had taken Singapore only 18 years.

Singapore followed a few key principles in meeting the needs of older persons, he said. First, citizens were aware they must assume responsibility for planning for old age through such measures as a compulsory savings scheme and the Central Provident Fund (CPF). Second, the family, rather than the State, should take primary responsibility. His country had walked away from the welfare approach, where the Government assumes chief responsibility for taking care of the elderly, values that had served the society through 4,000 years of East Asian history.

That did not mean the Singapore state was a minimalist one, he said. However, the Government had enhanced the ability of individuals to look after themselves by giving special incentives such as tax relief and housing incentives to encourage children to live near their elderly parents. Space- poor Singapore would have to design unique schemes to accommodate the elderly in the more expensive city environment, he concluded.

JANNATUL FERDAUS (Bangladesh) said the theme "Towards a society for all ages" underscored the need to de-marginalize the elderly so that the needs of one in every 10 persons in the world would not be ignored. Policies were needed to strengthen both individual lifelong development into late life, focused on self-help and independence, and create an enabling environment for families, communities and social institutions.

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While the world was greying, it was also getting younger day by day, since there were more young people in the world today, she said. The youth too needed an enabling environment so they could be nurtured and utilize opportunities to their full potential. In that regard, she expressed appreciation for the useful proposals in the Braga Youth Action Plan adopted at the Third World Youth Forum.

CALIBORNE PELL (United States) said that older persons should have the freedom, independence, and free exercise of individual initiative in planning and managing their own lives; they should have the opportunity for employment without age discrimination and have protection against abuse, neglect, and exploitation; and they should also have the opportunity to participate in and to contribute to a wide range of meaningful civic, cultural, educational, and recreational activities.

While society was familiar with the various demographic estimates of what the ageing population would be in the next century, he expressed concern about the resources available to care for the ageing. But to focus exclusively on those questions would be to imply that the ageing population was a net drain on the earth's precious resources. That issue would have to be looked at from a new angle, he said, calling on individual States to work closely with the United Nations system to contribute to that exchange.

SONOKO NISHITATENO (Japan) said Japanese society was ageing at a rate faster than ever before -- and the rate at which it was ageing was still accelerating. It had become difficult for families to provide all the services which older people needed. Comprehensive administrative measures were required, and were being taken. Japan had implemented its Basic Law on Measures for an Ageing Society in 1995, and in 1996, its General Principles Concerning Measures for an Ageing Society, which covered a wide range of areas including work and income, health and welfare, learning and social involvement.

It was important to remember that it was the young people of today who would play an important role for achieving the goal of a society in which all ages could fully participate, she said. The world was changing so rapidly that the situation of youth was growing increasingly complex and difficult to address. It was more important today that youth-related issues received greater attention. It was particularly important that the participation of young people themselves be included in policies relating to youth.

Turning to the issue of persons with disabilities, she said it was important to remember the non-combatants who had been injured by anti- personnel landmines. The Government of Japan was willing to provide support for the international effort for mine-clearance and victim assistance in cooperation with the relevant international organs and non-governmental organizations.

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RODOLFO REYES RODRIGUEZ (Cuba) said strategies for the youth, disabled and the elderly were a priority for his country. In that regard, he welcomed the adoption of the Lisbon Declaration in August this year and hoped that follow-up action would be taken by the current Assembly session. Cuba welcomed the launching of the International Year of the Older Persons and was determined to contribute to its observance.

In 1999 in Havana, there would be a special event focusing on the elderly, which would address, among other issues, the creation of opportunities and full medical assistance for the elderly, he said. The same was true for the disabled, for example, with the establishment of special schools for the disabled. Given that 1998 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the fifth anniversary of the Vienna World Conference on Human Rights, a charter of human rights for special social groups, including the elderly, youth, and the disabled, should be drafted. It was not enough to acknowledge rights, but to guarantee rights in programmes and to provide access for those groups.

In spite of the illegal embargo by the United States, Cuba contributed its share to social development, in contrast to the neo-liberal economies, where there was a sharp decline of assistance for development, he said. In Cuba, this assistance had increased from 33 per cent in 1996 to 35 per cent in 1997.

EMILIA CASTRO DE BARISH (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the countries of Central America, said it was important not to forget the human dimension of social development. The report of the Secretary General on the observance of the International Year of Older Persons was an important one. She was enthusiastic about the International Year of Older Persons, which coincided with the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was important to remember that older persons had rights as well.

Central American policies in that important field were consistent, she said. In Costa Rica, as the country prepared to celebrate the Year in 1999, the First Lady of the Republic had been actively participating in the work of the national committee that had been set up to coordinate the activities for the Year. A national programme of activities had been elaborated for the year.

A plan of action had been prepared in Costa Rica that included a golden citizen programme that was established to improve the quality of life of persons over 65, she said. It covered areas that included transportation, public services, employment, communications and information. A scholarship fund had also been established for young people, who would in turn work towards the well-being of the elderly. Other countries in the area had also implemented many polices to benefit older persons.

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NAIF BANDAR AL-SUDAIRY (Saudi Arabia) said his country was committed to the principles of the Islamic rules of the sharia for social development. It was committed to providing financial and technical assistance to the needy and to the handicapped, to assure the best living conditions for its people. Help for the aged, the handicapped and the disabled were provided through pensions and through benevolent organizations that were funded by the Government.

However, the issue needed a global perspective, he said. Meanwhile, his Government gave assistance to children from birth to the age of 12, created specialized schools for the handicapped, and for orphans. Saudi Arabia was interested in sharing information with other countries in those areas. The main aim was to transform those people in producers, which it did by providing incentives for employers for the people carrying out special tasks. It was important to train a good productive citizen about his role so he could contribute to society.

LI SANGU (China) said the ageing of the population would be an important problem facing many countries in the twenty-first century. The international community had gradually become aware of the impact that phenomenon would have on societies, economies and cultures, as well as on global peace and development in the next century. The International Year of Older Persons was a great event in the field of ageing.

With a population of 1.2 billion people, China was facing a critical problem with the rapid ageing of its population, she said. In response to that problem, the Government of China had established a network of institutions in charge of work in the field of ageing. It had approved the establishment of the China National Committee on Ageing, which was charged with recommending guidelines, policies and planning.

China had also established a social security system comprising the state, the society, the family and the individual, she said. A large number of retirement communities, nursing homes, and old peoples' homes had been built to provide living facilities. Activity centres and universities for old people had been funded to provide cultural and educational opportunities. The whole society had been called on to participate in activities for older persons, and the Government had worked to promote the traditional virtues of respect and caring for the aged. She noted that this morning, China had signed the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

JULIA TAVARES DE ALVAREZ (Dominican Republic) said that there was a risk that any time a day or year was set aside for any given group, the people in that group would be set aside once the day or year was over. "Our task, after all, is not to add older people to the calendar, but rather to put them on the map, the map of the world, the whole world." She continued, "Once, we spoke only of what we could do for older people; now, we refer to what older people can and do contribute to society", adding that the year should be the beginning of continued progress towards securing a 'society for all ages'.

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In most developing countries, the family constituted a veritable "social security" for older people, she said. But urbanization, industrialization and migration had undermined family structures in many developing countries. She warned that a sober demographic reality loomed ahead. What was required to deal with that reality was mainstreaming older persons and including them in programmes and policies. That was a daunting task that had not been done on a large scale in modern times. "But if we don't do it, the resulting demographic disaster will be catastrophic", she said.

There was a need for a radical change in the perception of older persons, as perceptions preceded policy, she went on. The media and its influence should be used to eliminate stereotypes and create a new image of older persons, an image more in keeping with the realities of today's world.

MARIAM AL-AWADI (Kuwait) said her country's interest in the disabled was anchored in its Constitution. Care for the vulnerable groups of society was a key component of social welfare, and that was supported by the State. Kuwait's extensive social welfare policies also envisaged furthering international cooperation to exchange information in the interest of advancing work for the vulnerable.

An important element of Kuwait's policies towards the disabled was seeking to alleviate the trauma of the disabled that had been brought about by the occupation of the country by Iraq, she said. Many disabled persons had been tortured, abused and killed by the occupying forces. The responsibility of Kuwait towards its disabled population had increased after its liberation from Iraq. The number of disabled persons had also increased as a result of the occupation. Many disabling injuries had been caused by landmines planted by the Iraqi forces. Seventy per cent of landmine victims had been children, and many people who had been removing landmines had been killed and injured by them. Landmines constituted a long term hazard for Kuwait as its citizens were constantly being injured by them.

NINA SIBAL, a representative of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said that the social exclusion of older generations, especially in urban areas, was becoming a matter of serious concern in developing and industrialized countries alike. The launching of the Year was an expression of such a concern and an effort to mobilize worldwide action with the view to create a "society for all ages".

The UNESCO was committed to empowering older generations, a goal which was intertwined with a new approach to education. Recently, the International Conference on Adult Education in Hamburg, Germany, had adopted a broader definition of adult education, which included more than literacy courses and education for all throughout life. However, "maybe they would prefer income- generating activities rather than literacy classes", she said.

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The UNESCO and the American Association of Retired Persons were collaborating and had identified a number of priority areas, such as adult learning, including lifelong learning and the Culture of Peace with special emphasis on the role of older volunteers, particularly former educators, in promoting it through the classroom and by electronic media, she said. It was a hopeful sign that some countries had actually increased their funding to education. For example, Brazil and Bangladesh had doubled their education budgets since 1990.

The United Nations had also put in efforts to coordinate policies for youth, she said. The World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond had been adopted during the fiftieth session of the General Assembly, calling for actions from all agencies, funds and programmes of the United Nations. A Youth Charter for a Twenty-first Century Free of Drugs had also been launched as the main instrument of the international campaign against drug abuse. Hundreds of non-governmental organizations and associated schools in 80 countries had joined in that effort.

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