SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION CONTINUES DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL SERVICES FOR ALL
Press Release
SOC/4487
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION CONTINUES DISCUSSION OF SOCIAL SERVICES FOR ALL
19990211 One of the most important indicators of the health of a society was the well-being of families, Olga Dargel, Minister for Social Protection of Belarus, told the Commission for Social Development as it met this morning to continue its discussion on social services for all and to hold a non-governmental organization dialogue segment on the issue -- its priority theme.In Belarus, family violence had increased, hindering children's development and negatively impacting the moral health of the population. Attention to people, especially those in difficult situations, was not a secondary addendum to reforms, but the main condition for progressive change. There was also a need to take into account the special needs of countries in transition. She called for the creation of an international data bank on some of the world's more advanced social projects.
The representative of Bangladesh stressed the need for sharing the experiences of different countries in policy-making, planning and implementation of the provision and financing of social services. That exercise would have a North-South dimension. He also stressed the usefulness of the regional approach in that regard. Countries which shared similar social, economic and cultural characteristics were in an excellent position to cooperate among themselves on the issue of social services.
The representative of India said the Secretary-General's report on social services saw the provision of those services as a question of management, detached from the real world of power and politics, rival priorities, competition for scarce resources, trade-offs, and structured inequalities. It tended to blame implementation failures on internal failures of political will, rather than on collective or international failures. National efforts had a greater chance of success if they were in harmony with international efforts. All too often, national efforts were undermined and rendered non-functional by much more powerful or contrary international forces.
The representative of Uganda said that the concern expressed by Thomas Carlyle in 1852 -- that in the midst of plenty the people perish -- was the concern of the international community today. In the last 25 years, poor countries had increased economic growth, gross domestic product (GDP), life
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expectancy, literacy rates and access to safe water, and infant mortality rates were falling. Poverty, however, persisted suggesting that policies employed so far were inadequate or had failed and must be changed.
The representative of the School Sisters of Notre Dame said that commitment 5 of the Copenhagen Declaration had called on all to promote and attain universal and equitable access to quality education and health. However, nearly 1 billion people, two thirds of them women, would enter the twenty-first century without being able to read a book. The lack of education made it difficult for people to interact in society in peace. Such deficiency harmed social development and international peace and security.
The representative of the International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity, said a truly developed society was one which distributed its wealth equally so that its entire population had the opportunity and the resources to live in dignity. Showing solidarity with those suffering from the financial crisis meant putting the interest of the common good before the individual interests of better-off people. It meant acting against social injustice and helping the most destitute, based on a "preferential option for the poor".
Statements were also made by the Minister for Social Affairs of Cameroon and the Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic. The representatives of the Philippines, Indonesia, Benin, Russian Federation, United States, Ecuador and Iran also spoke, as did representatives of the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), the International Federation of Neighbourhood and Settlement Centers, the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), and the International Federation for Home Economics.
The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to consider the review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups.
Commission Work Programme
The Commission for Social Development met this morning to continue its discussion on social services for all. It was also expected to hold a dialogue segment with non-governmental organizations (NGOs). (For background information on the session, see Press Release SOC/4482 of 8 February.)
Statements
LINGLINGAY F. LACANLALE (Philippines) said that in her country, the Minimum Basic Needs Approach served as the central strategy for prioritizing the primary requirements of different types of needs of the family and the community. It was a focused, sustained, participatory and integrated implementation of government poverty-alleviation efforts. It used the convergent and bottom-up approach to local governance under a decentralized system of service delivery. For the past four years, major programme interventions were focused on the identification of beneficiaries and the integration and delivery of social services through the Minimum Basic Needs Community Based Information System and the Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services Project. As a result, the overall unmet needs of families in 1,154 villages, such as potable water, sanitation, day-care or pre-school and durable housing, were reduced by an average of 52 per cent in 1997.
She said that despite the progress made in alleviating poverty, the Philippines continued to face many challenges. Although poverty had decreased from 39.9 per cent of the total families recorded in 1991 to 32.1 per cent in 1997, it was still prevalent. Access to education remained inadequate due to lack of infrastructure support. Housing was lacking. While there had been an improvement in the health status of Filipinos, services were still inaccessible, particulary to those in the rural and remote areas. The Asian financial crisis and the adverse conditions brought about by the El Niño phenomenon caused severe dislocations to the most vulnerable groups. Those crises caught the Government unprepared as there were not enough safety nets to cushion their impact. Despite the increasing share of social services in the budget, resources flow was still inadequate to meet international norms. Two major concerns which the Government was addressing were the mobilization of additional resources for social development, and a more efficient and effective local governance structure.
MUHAMMED ENAYET MOWLA (Bangladesh) said that there was an urgent need to organize the provision of social services so that they were accessible to all. The important question was "what should be the role of governments as service providers". His delegation believed that basic services in developing countries would have to be provided primarily by governments. Those services would have to target the poorest and most vulnerable segment of the population. The poor could not buy basic services for themselves and, therefore, no lucrative market existed for private service providers. One innovative way could be
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through organizing communities to provide services. Communities could run some services on their own in a cost-effective manner. In urban areas, communities could ensure garbage collection and disposal, maintenance of common spaces and neighbourhood patrolling. In rural areas, they could work to eliminate adult illiteracy and provide safe drinking water and primary education to all. A community-based approach to advocacy on social issues was also most effective. "We have tried these approaches in Bangladesh. The results are most encouraging."
He said international cooperation was essential in providing social services for all. One important element in that regard was the need for sharing the experiences of different countries in terms of policy-making, planning and implementation of the provision and financing of social services. That exercise would understandably have a North-South dimension. He stressed the usefulness of the regional approach in that regard. For some years, the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) had been active in social issues. Regional countries which shared similar social, economic and cultural characteristics were in an excellent position to cooperate among themselves on the issue of social services. The issue of social development could not be looked at in isolation -- it should be an integral part of all development planning and initiatives.
MOCHAMAD SLAMET HIDAYAT (Indonesia) said that while governments had the primary responsibility for ensuring basic social services for all, an international partnership was needed, which not only provided the requisite technical support and programme assistance, but also worked to mobilize resources commensurate to the challenge. That was essential for developing countries to attain the means through which they could exercise the responsibility they held. Only through such global partnership could the self-reliance essential for providing adequate services at all levels be achieved. Education was inextricably linked with the development needs of Indonesia, and it was an essential component of current and future economic and social growth and development. While the country was now experiencing an increase in school drop-out rates, as a direct consequence of the financial crisis, it was nevertheless taking measures to adapt to the situation in the short term, while remaining committed to compulsory education.
Likewise, health care and nutrition had and would continue to play a central role in government policy, he said. A deterioration of health services would result in increasing levels of unemployment and feed into increasing cycles of poverty. Through such mechanisms as community based and operated health centres, Indonesia had long endeavoured to provide primary health care to the poor and to rural and remote regions of the country. Those centres had proved successful and were directed towards providing social services to the most needy. Their success also lay in the fact that the community itself played a role in determining needs, thus making the targeting of social services far more effective.
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LUDEK RYCHLY, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of the Czech Republic, said that the new system of social assistance in his country was intended to cover the basic needs of persons who lacked funds or ability to provide for themselves. It also reacted to other negative phenomena, such as alcoholism, drug abuse and prostitution, which endangered its basic values. Its main tools were social counselling, material help and social services. As in other social protection systems, it had to be based on a strict and clear definition of the role of the State and the role of the local governments and NGOs.
The State should play only the role for the fulfilment of which it was really competent, he said. The centre of interest in the field of social assistance would be transferred, according to the new legislation, from the current material help to social work, from the current emphasis laid on social services provided due to the unfavourable state of health, to services of social intervention. Activities of the State would be oriented towards the field of services of social intervention and social prevention. For securing the basic provision of those services in regions, district offices would be responsible for funding those services on the basis of tenders.
FASSASSI A. YACOUBOU (Benin) said that while the lack of provision for water and electricity and the need for food were major problems in his country, the struggle against poverty and satisfying essential human needs were being actively addressed. The Government was aiming at meeting 90 per cent of water needs by the year 2000, and guaranteeing electricity to all its people. So far, 35 per cent of the national budget was devoted to education. However, a failure to link education to employment was harmful to young people, he cautioned. Despite efforts on all sides to achieve social progress, the population of his country still had many developmental needs and remained marginalized in many ways.
He said the population expected much of the reforms undertaken by the Government. Many hoped that the national economy would move towards a greater and more sustained growth rate that they could tangibly feel in their wallets. Today, however, any growth in his country essentially serviced debts. There was no doubt that development objectives were hard to separate from development in general. The developed world had a great advantage over the developing world in terms of social services. The need for social services could be defined in terms of development. It was important that basic needs and social services be identified on a country-by-country basis and that specific strategies be developed to address those needs.
MICHAIL LEBEDEV (Russian Federation) said the international community continued to encounter serious social and economic difficulties. His country had sought to seriously improve the financial and living conditions of its people. Despite a deep systemic crisis in the Russian economy, and a troubled world economy, the adoption of certain measures by his Government confirmed
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its will to strengthen the role of the State in providing social services and ensuring a stable economy. The Government sought a firm social policy based on a solid economic foundation. The Russian Government was undertaking efforts to guarantee a functional system, ensure quality of life, lessen social tensions, bring order to the existing system of social services, and expend money for social services. The reform policies would continue with an orientation that would ensure social progress and economic growth.
He said his country supported the Commission's programme of work to the year 2001. The main task ahead was to strengthen international cooperation for social development. The Russian Federation expected the international community to support the measures currently being undertaken by his Government in the social sphere. That would also strengthen peace and security in the world. The Russian Federation had supported the General Assembly decision to proclaim an International Year of the Older Person. The Russian Red Cross had implemented a number of projects in that respect, especially during the winter months, where it assisted the poor and single pensioners.
OLGA DARGEL, Minister for Social Protection of Belarus, said that her country's experience in social transformation, in the context of political transition, could be of interest to other countries. One of the most important indicators of the health of a society was the well-being of families. In Belarus, one out of every two families breaks up, and there had been 8,000 children born out of wedlock in one year. Family violence had increased, hindering children's development and negatively impacting the moral health of the population. Attention to people, especially to those in difficult situations, was not a secondary addendum to reforms, but the main condition for progressive change. It was why a system of social services for the population was an objective necessity.
While noting the positive developments in the country, she emphasized that the present potential did not satisfy the existing needs for social services for families and children. The Government had developed a draft law on social services to determine strategies for carrying them out. To support children with special needs, the Government had established a data bank on children with various physical and psychological problems to give them special assistance where they lived. It had also organized schools for the parents of such children. Change required the participation of all segments of society. In addressing the ageing process, the gender perspective had to be taken into account, since women made up the majority of older persons.
It was necessary to establish State and non-State social agencies to provide and enhance the quality of those services, she said. The solving of any social problem rested on the financial potential of the society, which in Belarus was limited. It was becoming clearer that carrying out a social policy was no longer limited to State organizations. Non-governmental
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organizations, churches, political parties and other actors had to help out, especially in attracting additional resources. There was also a need to take into account the special needs of countries in transition in the Organization's discussion of provision of social services. In that context, it might be useful to establish an international data bank on some of the more advanced social projects in the world.
SETH WINNICK (United States) said the United States welcomed the Secretary-General's report on social services for all and the reports from the New York and Bangkok workshops. They comprehensively presented all factors to be considered to fulfil the Copenhagen commitment to universal coverage and access to basic social services. They also provided an excellent overview of modest progress made and challenges still to be faced. The task now was to move beyond the theoretical to consider practical measures Member States could take.
His President had recently described initiatives aimed at providing basic social services to all in the United States, he said. Those included child-care initiatives and tax credits to help the aged and disabled. Another tool was knowledge about disease prevention, and bold efforts to end racial disparities had commenced. Those built opportunities and empowered communities and people, not from the perspective of government as nanny, but from the bottom-up.
Government bore primary responsibility for social services, he said, but the role of the international community must be recognized. Its institutions must become as modern as markets -- transparent, accountable and incorporating social development objectives and human rights. They must promote policies that increase the earning power of the poor and protect the most vulnerable from negative aspects of essential adjustments. The private sector must become an active partner, by raising labour standards and seeing social investment as the key to long-term economic returns. Where foreign debt was unsustainable and an impediment to recovery, the United States would do its part.
GAUTAM MUKHOPADHAYA (India) said the report of the Secretary-General on social services for all tended to see the provision of social services largely as a question of management, detached from the real world of power and politics, rival priorities, competition for scarce resources, trade-offs, structured inequalities, and indeed from the wider political economy of nations. The focus was almost exclusively on national or domestic efforts within existing circumstances without questioning those circumstances. The report had a tendency to blame failures of implementation on internal failures of political will rather than on collective or international failures. In that way, it echoed the view shared by the more advanced countries in the general debate so far.
It was curious that while organizational constraints and lack of resources were identified as obstacles to the provision of basic social services, lack of development was not, he said. There could be no question that government had the
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primary responsibility to provide for basic social services and well-being of its people. But nations exist in an international environment that could be either enabling or disabling. National efforts had a greater chance of success if they were in harmony with international efforts. All to often, national efforts were undermined and rendered non-functional by much more powerful or contrary international forces.
GERMAN ORTEGA (Ecuador) said Ecuador had earmarked a large portion of its national budget for education. The results of efforts in that area were evident in the large decrease in illiteracy and the increase in the levels of education at all stages. There was also an improvement in academic performances, and more children were staying in school. In addition, a free breakfast programme for schools had also been introduced. While there were no refugees, no critical AIDS epidemic and no social conflicts, the immediate challenge was to overcome critical poverty. During the first semester of last year, a storm unleashed on Ecuador due to the El Niño phenomenon caused great damage to the country's infrastructure. Roads disappeared and bridges were destroyed.
The poverty caused in the storm's wake resulted in mass migration by people to the bigger cities, he continued. Those factors coupled with falling oil prices were responsible for unprecedented fiscal imbalances. Recently, there had been an elimination of subsidies on water, electricity and gas. It had been found that the wealthy were using those subsidies to heat swimming pools. Illegal exports of subsidized items to neighbouring countries had also taken place. Subsidies were now aimed at those who really needed it. Another decision was the elimination of the free health service. Now all public hospitals could charge a fee. The poor would not be excluded, he stressed. Under the free health system, the middle class seemed to have benefited more. As stated on Tuesday at the Commission's opening session, it was better to pay for a service than to not be able to receive it because it could not be given.
SEMAKULA KIWANUKA (Uganda) said the concern expressed by Thomas Carlyle in 1852 -- that in the midst of plenty the people perish -- was the concern of the international community today. In its search for a new integrated solution, the United Nations had organized a number of international conferences in the 1990s. Their core theme was the eradication of poverty, because poverty put a ceiling on provision of social services and improvement of the human condition. In the last 25 years, poor countries had increased economic growth, gross domestic product (GDPs), life expectancy, literacy rates and access to safe water, and experienced falling infant mortality rates. Poverty, however, persisted, suggesting that policies employed thus far were inadequate or had failed and must be changed.
The change must be to a focus on basic human needs, he said. They must be inserted as specific objectives in development strategies. Development must include non-material necessities and bring out the significance of institutional change. Basic needs strategies should cover shelter, safe
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water, healthy employment, education, transportation and communications, and recognize that most developing countries had rural majorities that must be integrated into the development mainstream. In Uganda, administration had been decentralized, universal primary education had been introduced, and youth, women and the disabled had been brought into the political arena. Micro-credit was used to empower women, and policies for agricultural modernization and diversification were in place.
MARIE-MADELEINE FOUDA, Minister for Social Affairs of Cameroon, said that the discussion on social services for all was important because it concerned the dignity, security and life of all people. For Cameroon, education, health, the advancement of women and combating poverty represented some of the challenges for the twenty-first century. In the case of developing countries, the means of financing social programmes presented a further challenge. Cameroon's goal was to guarantee a quality basic education to all its citizens by the year 2000. To achieve that goal, the Government had increased the school infrastructure -- to bring schools closer to children and to ensure better pedagogical follow-up. Despite various efforts, the situation suffered heavily due to the economic crisis and the drop in international assistance. It was further worsened by the heavy debt burden. However, with the support of a number of United Nations agencies, Cameroon had set up programmes to ensure that girls stayed in school until the end of the primary level.
In the area of health, strong decentralization of health institutions had made it possible to bring sick people to the centres of health-care services, she said. There had also been programmes to address the combat and prevention of HIV/AIDS, mental health, and to increase greater access to necessary medicines. Implementation of Cameroon's policies for health coverage was affected by the impact of the economic crisis and the drying up of resources. The Government's policies had intended to ensure the respect and full dignity of women, who made up 51 per cent of the population. Following the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the Copenhagen Summit, Cameroon had created a national plan for integrating women into the country's development, improve their legal status, protect the girl child and improve the institutional framework.
SEYED NEJAD HOSSEINIAN (Iran) said Iran believed social services for all lay at the heart of social development and ranked among the most basic responsibilities of any social system and national government. The 10 commitments contained in the Copenhagen Declaration would best materialize when considered as a package, not approached selectively. With the destabilizing traumas of globalization, the consequences of the absence of such a concurrence had been witnessed. Instability in international financial markets adversely affected economic and social systems in developing countries, derailing attempts to provide social services. Deteriorating commodity prices and non-tariff and discriminatory trade barriers were major obstacles to implementation of the Copenhagen consensus.
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Iran had tried in earnest to integrate the Copenhagen objectives in national development plans, he said, with priority given to social services provision. Indicators clearly showed accomplishments had been achieved. There had been substantial progress in provision of roads, schools, clinics and potable water. Despite the impact of declining oil prices, the Government remained committed to social policies, as the expansion in the role of civil society in national life indicated. Upcoming elections would represent a concrete manifestation of full participation in public life. The central responsibility for social services was national, but concrete international steps towards equitable access to markets, investment and technologies, donor assistance, debt relief and debt alleviation were imperative.
DIANE LOUGHRAN, American Association of Retired Persons (AARP), said that to help meet aims of the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, the AARP was presenting a compilation of writing from older persons around the world on the subject of human rights. It was initiated to celebrate the dual occurrences of the fiftieth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the 1999 International Year of Older Persons. The booklet was being presented to the Commission on behalf of older persons worldwide, in the spirit of promoting the principle of caring for one another's well-being and fostering the spirit of mutual support within the context of human rights education. The writings were selected from over 400 participants in a global postcard campaign among older persons in more than 40 countries, she said. The responses ranged from random thoughts and introspection to poetry and solemn prose. Only a small number of postcards could be included in the booklet, but efforts to exhibit all of them more widely would be made throughout the International Year of Older Persons.
CAROL R. LUBIN, representative of the International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres, said that the various United Nations definitions of social services were too limited. A comprehensive definition should include not only health and education, but the strengthening of community organization; provision of services specially designed for vulnerable populations -- such as battered women's shelters; programmes for people living with HIV/AIDS; day care for single-parent families; mental health treatment; services for the elderly; provision of activities for all age groups; and specialized services for immigrants and refugees.
Moreover, when the Organization discussed education, it tended to marginalize vocational education, which was an essential factor in increasing productive employment, she added. Another aspect of social services was the assurance that allocation of water resources for domestic consumption was given a higher priority than for agriculture and industry. While shelter was included in the United Nations definition, there were no standards set for the adequacy of the shelter. Therefore, she called for a reformulation of the
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definitions used to take into account a more comprehensive approach to basic social services.
Closely related to the above was the use of appropriate social indicators for evaluating both the services available and the impact of the various service projects on the local communities, she said. Many of the indicators used were statistically based and stressed the utility of quantitative indices rather than qualitative ones based on the impact of programmes on human livelihood. Governments, the United Nations and other governmental bodies were urged to give NGOs, which had greater practice in the area, the opportunity to work with them in developing more appropriate social indicators.
CHING CHABO, representative of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), said that social services should be provided under the principles of equity and social justice with the participation and involvement of parties concerned, such as trade unions. They should also be adequately and fully implemented. The lack of social safety nets and their adequate implementation had deepened the sufferings of the people in the countries worst hit by the Asian economic crisis. Legal frameworks and policy measures should be put into place by governments for the provision of social services. Moreover, the spirit and principles of international instruments, such as the International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions, had to be reflected in the provision of laws and policy measures. Further, there should be no discrimination in the provision of social services.
Adequate budgetary allocations for social services were required, she continued. For example, inordinate budgetary allocations for defence should be rechannelled for social services. In addition, international financial institutions, including regional development banks, should provide funds for social services in times of need. Such funds could be in the form of grants or loans with no interest and/or handling charges. The World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) should be reformed as called for by the Copenhagen Summit, so that structural adjustment programmes promoted good governance, respect for human rights, core labour standards, increased employment and poverty reduction, rather than policies of austerity.
Sister ETHEL HOWLEY, School Sisters of Notre Dame, said that there had been some global progress since the 1995 Copenhagen Summit. Governments had adopted platforms of action and taken a number of initiatives. Yet, the number of those in poverty was increasing and the number of the unemployed was still high. Commitment 5 of the Copenhagen Declaration had called on all to promote and attain universal and equitable access to quality education and health. Nearly 1 billion people, two thirds of them women, would enter the twenty-first century without being able to read a book. The lack of education made it difficult for people to interact in society in peace. Such deficiencies harmed social development and international peace and security.
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She said local and national governments and United Nations agencies should encourage training programmes for teachers in local rural communities. She also recommended partnerships in local areas with community leaders, NGOs and local governments on issues of education and health. Ways to finance projects also had to be devised. The obstacles impeding quality education and health were corruption and civil unrest. There were many incidents of widespread corruption among local school personalities, she said. There was also abuse of girls in puberty by male teachers. Many governments needed to put mechanisms in place to prevent that abuse of power. Resources were also needed to continue programmes in refugee camps and in other situations where programmes had been suspended because of armed conflict and unrest.
BART BODE, representative of the International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity, said that the current financial system did not succeed in channelling sufficient funds to finance crucial world problems, such as adequate social development in poor countries and social services for all. A truly developed society was one which distributed its wealth equally so that its entire population had the opportunity and the resources to live in dignity. To show solidarity with those who were suffering from the financial crisis meant putting the interest of the common good before the individual interests of better-off people. It meant acting against social injustice and helping the most destitute, based on a "preferential option for the poor".
The just redistribution of necessary resources could be achieved, for instance, through a definition of fairer worldwide trading and investment rules, as well as taxing excessive speculation on currencies. The main concern was with the social impact caused by economic upheavals, which set development back years, if not decades. There was an urgent need for re-regulation of the global economy, with particular attention to the impact on impoverished peoples. He also encouraged a debate on proposals for alternatives which guarantee the people- first approach to global financial reform.
MARY MILLER, representative of the International Federation for Home Economics, said that, to implement a sound social plan, it was necessary to establish basic services for the entire family. Those issues included income security, health, shelter, education and psychological multi-generational challenges. It was crucial that the planning of those services, whether under governmental or voluntary civic auspices, included the families and local communities. Only the people themselves could provide the criteria for deciding the value of alternatives and outcomes, and their impact on the community. Social participation and integration were both a means and an end. Also, social services should be readily available in an accessible location, in familiar social institutions such as schools, community centres and places of worship.
As governments and NGOs prepared for the review process of the Copenhagen Summit, it was crucial that the issues and concerns of the family, the basic unit of society, be addressed, she continued. Family issues had to be mainstreamed in all discussions for social development.
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