PANEL ON POVERTY, HUMAN RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT HELD IN JOINT SECOND AND THIRD COMMITTEE MEETING MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ERADICATION OF POVERTY
Press Release
DEV/2188
OBV/66
PANEL ON POVERTY, HUMAN RIGHTS, DEVELOPMENT HELD IN JOINT SECOND AND THIRD COMMITTEE MEETING MARKS INTERNATIONAL DAY FOR ERADICATION OF POVERTY
19981016 Poverty should not be seen solely in terms of income; it was multidimensional -- consisting of unemployment, loss of cultural identity, deprivation and alienation, said Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, in a panel discussion this afternoon chaired jointly by the Chairmen of the Second and Third Committees.The panel, on "poverty, human rights and development", was held in observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty.
Mr. Desai added that a concept of development that was measured purely in terms of material production and consumption was incomplete. A materially wealthy society lacking social cohesion could not be a rich society. It was difficult to conceive of human rights in an underdeveloped society. There could be no civil and political rights without economic and social rights.
The current economic crisis had led to an understanding that international monetary policy had failed, said Douglas Hellinger, Executive Director of the Development Gap. Even well-meaning governments in the South were forced to address first the needs of their creditors, and second the needs of their people. Structural adjustment programmes created hardship, causing unemployment and undermining the basic rights of workers. The civil unrest that was so often a result of harsh economic circumstances, the demonstrations and protests, were often met with repression.
Bacre Ndiaye, Director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said a concentration of efforts and minds as well as real courage were needed to bring about true change. Too many people believed that fighting for human rights was too difficult. That belief disguised a lack of will. Human rights did not grow out of a system which had experienced only peace, but out of one that had experienced war and deprivation of rights.
Despite the potential they had to contribute, those hardest hit by poverty were rarely given the opportunity, said Diana Skelton, of the ATD Fourth World International Movement. The poor had a key role to play in reminding the world of the most extreme violations of human rights and the
Panel on Poverty - 1a - Press Release DEV/2188 OBV/66 16 October 1998
myriad daily efforts they attempted in defense of human rights and human dignity. A human rights-based perspective in the fight against poverty began by ensuring that the poorest had access to the most basic right: that of speaking for themselves and being heard.
Introductory statements were made by the Bagher Asadi (Iran), Chairman of the Second Committee, and Ali Hachani (Tunisia), Chairman of the Third Committee.
Committee Work Programme
In observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, a panel convened jointly by the Chairmen of the Second and Third Committees will co-preside over a panel discussion on the theme "poverty, human rights and development", which was chosen by the General Assembly. The panellists will be: Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs; Bacre Ndiaye, Director, New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Diana Skelton, ATD Fourth World International Movement; Douglas Hellinger, Executive Director of The Development Gap.
Statements by the Chairmen
In an introductory statement, the Chairman of the Second Committee, BAGHER ASADI (Iran), said this was the first time that a joint panel discussion between the Second and Third Committees had been held for the observance of the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. That day was proclaimed by the General Assembly, by its resolution 47/196 of December 22, 1992. The theme chosen for 1998, within the context of the International Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), was "poverty, human rights and development". The Day offered an opportunity to assess the international community's achievements and failures in working for the realization of the pledge of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and to reflect on its relationship to economic and social progress.
ALI HACHANI, (Tunisia) Chairman of the Third Committee, said the international debate on human rights had for too long been dominated by the assumption that human rights was all about civil and political rights, while development was all about creating economic growth. It was time to give the economic, social and cultural rights their rightful place in human rights machinery as well as in practice. The universality, interdependence and indivisibility of all human rights had constantly been underlined. There was a broad consensus today in characterizing the human rights-based approach to development as one that emphasized human dignity, empowerment, participation, equality, non-discrimination, inclusion, rule of law, and solidarity.
Panel discussion
NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said there was a tendency to see poverty solely in terms of income. However, it was a multidimensional matter. The dimensions of unemployment, loss of cultural identity, deprivation and alienation must be looked at together. Self-respect was what the poor put at the head of their priorities. A concept of development measured purely in terms of material production and consumption was incomplete. A materially wealthy society lacking social cohesion could not be a rich society.
Panel on Poverty - 3 - Press Release DEV/2188 OBV/66 16 October 1998
He said it was difficult to conceive of human rights in an underdeveloped society. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights spoke not only of civil and political rights, but also about cultural, economic, education and health rights. The agenda remained incomplete without those economic and social rights. There could be no civil and political rights without economic and social rights. The corpus of human rights must be seen as a totality and there should be no distinction between civil and human rights and the others.
BACRE NDIAYE, Director of the New York Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, said that in discussing the issue of poverty, human rights and development, it was important to note that by protecting those rights, conflicts based on exclusion could be fought. A concentration of efforts and minds, as well as real courage, were needed to bring about true change.
He said that too many people believed that fighting for human rights was too difficult, a belief that disguised a lack of will. Some were not really interested in trying. Human rights did not grow out of a system which had experienced only peace, but out of one that had experienced war and deprivation of those rights.
DIANA SKELTON, of the ATD Fourth World International Movement, said there were far too many living in the world today and some were more terribly marked by poverty than others. In the international dialogue on human rights, for many years some States stressed the importance of civil and political rights, while others gave more weight to social and economic rights. Cultural rights had often been completely forgotten. There was a tendency to separate what the Universal Declaration of Human Rights had drawn together. In 1986, the Universal Declaration on the Right to Development clearly linked the issues of widespread poverty and human rights, and called for every person to be able, not only to benefit from development, but to be able to participate in it actively.
She added that, despite the good that those hardest hit by poverty could be contributing to the world, they were rarely given that opportunity. The world had a great deal to learn from the poor. They had a key role to play in reminding us of the most extreme violations of human rights, they showed the world the myriad of daily efforts they attempted in defense of human rights and human dignity. She added that a human rights-based perspective in the fight against poverty began by ensuring that the poorest had access to the most basic right: that of speaking for oneself, expressing oneself and being heard.
DOUGLAS HELLINGER, Executive Director of the Development Gap, said that the connection between development and human rights was clear when people were not getting what they needed. The resulting pressures on the system led to
Panel on Poverty - 4 - Press Release DEV/2188 OBV/66 16 October 1998
conflict. It was incumbent on governments to follow the course of development that their people needed. Yet even well-meaning governments in the South were forced to address first the needs of their creditors, and second the needs of their people. Structural adjustment programmes had worsened conditions for the people, creating unemployment and undermining the basic rights of workers; it was not surprising that people reacted to such economic repression. Even progressive governments who had been sincere in telling their people they would improve conditions, had met with the inflexibility of international financial institutions. The civil unrest that was so often a result of harsh economic circumstances, the demonstrations and protests, were often met with repression.
The current situation in Asia had been a financial crisis that was turned into an economic crisis by the International Monetary Fund, he said. The resulting severe conditions in the region had led to infringements of human rights. There should be a voice for civil society in the planning of economic policy, and local knowledge and input should never be ignored. The current crisis had also created opportunities. It had created the beginning of understanding that current international monetary policy had failed. The process of globalization must be managed for the good of all the people of the world, not just for the bankers. There should be greater flexibility for countries to be able to determine their own paths, with the support of civil society and the private and public sectors around the world.
Question and Answer Period
On rights-based approaches and development-based approaches, Mr. DESAI said programmatic work at the national level would have to do more than just income and employment-building services. It would have to encompass social and cultural rights as well. Development issues did figure heavily in the work on human rights; however, there was a need for clarity on what was going to be done and where. This joint meeting of the Committees allowed discussion on both sets of issues. This was a unique strength of the General Assembly process and it was an area that should be moved forward.
Also on rights and development-based approaches, Mr. NDIAYE said the two go hand-in-hand and what was important was to focus efforts on human dignity. Giving responsibility to all actors was crucial and was synonymous with greater participation in the development effort, in particular the participation of women. The world should break once and for all with the idea that economic development could be reduced to statistics. Economic development was about human beings and human rights. One could no longer accept any kind of fragmented approach to development.
Ms. SKELTON, responding to questions, spoke of the importance of the link between financial and human resources. In every village or town, no matter how poor, there was always someone who tried to make a difference to
Panel on Poverty - 5 - Press Release DEV/2188 OBV/66 16 October 1998
the lives of those around them -- be it a merchant who saved scraps of fabric to give to them, or a nurse who cared for them. Those people were important human resources. The international community needed to work through such people. Without the input of those who were right on the ground, serious mistakes could be made. Only after years would there be enough trust to discuss the real circumstances and to know how to help. That was one of the ways in which human resources must be linked to financial resources, so that the financial resources could be utilized in a way that was helpful.
Mr. HELLINGER, responding to a question about the World Bank, said the Bank had rediscovered poverty in 1990, but the issue had been treated as an add-on. Structural adjustment policies, which were causing major damage, had not been fundamentally challenged at the Bank. Other programmes the Bank had instituted to alleviate poverty were just window-dressing. It was incredible that A relatively few people in Washington and a few other capitols could dictate the parameters of development policies around the world. Countries such as Haiti or South Africa, which had struggled for years under repressive regimes, were now finding that their development policies were dictated from outside. Those policies were leading to circumstances that created tensions and human rights abuses. He said that it was an encouraging sign that the World Bank was beginning to break with the International Monetary Fund.
* *** *