SPEAKERS IN COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STRESS IMPORTANT ROLE TO BE PLAYED BY ELDERLY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

12 February 1999

Press Release
SOC/4489

SPEAKERS IN COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT STRESS IMPORTANT ROLE TO BE PLAYED BY ELDERLY IN CONTEMPORARY SOCIETY

19990212 Commission Concludes Discussions Related To Situation of Social Groups and Social Services for All

Several speakers this morning stressed that it was from the elderly that societies and communities imbibed ethical values and moral precepts, as the Commission for Social Development concluded its discussion on the review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups.

In that context, the representative of the Philippines said that older persons were valuable resources. They were an excellent medium for imparting traditional values and culture, and could be caregivers to the very old and the very young members of society. They could also be a valuable addition to the workforce, especially in light of the growing trend of relatively fewer young people entering the labour market.

The Minister for Social Affairs of Cameroon said there was now alarm that the third age had stopped being what it should be -- a golden age. In rural sectors of Cameroon elders were venerated and accepted as the repositories of ancestral wisdom and traditions. Their departure was considered a great loss to society.

The increase in the elderly population and the sharp decline in the younger population would have significant implications for future social stability, noted the representative of Nepal. The representative of Mexico said that promoting the full integration of older persons into society's social development was not just a political commitment but an ethical one.

With regard to disabled persons, the representative of Indonesia said that poverty prevented them from participating in programmes for socio- economic advancement. Due to lack of resources in many developing countries, the disabled had to overcome obstacles imposed by their disability and those of their socio-economic environment. The implementation of effective policies and programmes for the disabled could not be divorced from overall national development activities.

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Also this morning, the Commission concluded its consideration of social services for all. The representative of Kenya said the goal of social services and education for all was a fast-fading mirage in the developing world. It was crumbling under the weight of disruptive social changes, increasing poverty, rapid urbanization and associated socio-economic and cultural transformations. Pressed "between a rock and a hard place", governments were forced to confront the economic pressures stemming from debt burdens and the consequences of structural adjustment programmes.

Statements were also made by the Secretary of State for Family Affairs of Poland, and the representatives of Haiti, Turkmenistan, Argentina, Guatemala, China, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, 16 February, to consider the priority theme: initiation of the overall review of the outcome of the Social Summit.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission for Social Development met this morning to conclude its discussions on social services for all, and its review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups. (For further background, see Press Release SOC/4482 of 8 February).

Statements on Social Services for All

NICOLE ROMULUS (Haiti) said that the delivery of social services was a challenge and one of the main concerns of governments. Haiti shared the view that governments must show leadership in the delivery of social services. In that regard, partnerships were necessary and she endorsed the Secretary- General's proposal for synchronizing social and economic policies. During Haiti's dictatorship there had been a lot of political instability causing a massive exodus of Haitian professionals. Today the delivery of social services remained the priority of priorities for the Government. Reforms had been embarked upon, but the lack of resources had hindered the creation of the necessary environment for the delivery of social services for all.

The Government was multiplying its efforts to ensure access to basic social services for all its citizens, she said. Haiti had built South-South cooperation with Cuba in many sectors, particularly in the area of health. The level of cooperation was seen in the political will and firm commitment expressed by both leaderships. The deployment of Cuban personnel had made it possible to meet the immediate needs of Haitians. The ultimate goal was to guarantee universal access to high quality social services.

R.A. ODERA (Kenya) said that four years after the Copenhagen Social Summit, the stated goal of providing social services, and particularly education for all, was a fast-fading mirage for many in the developing world. The goal was crumbling under the weight of disruptive social changes, increasing poverty, rapid urbanization and its associated socio-economic and cultural transformation. Pressed "between a rock and a hard place", she said, governments -- the primary providers of social services -- were forced to confront the economic pressures accruing from an ever-increasing debt burden and the harsh consequences of structural adjustment programmes.

Even with the best will in the world, it was a sad fact of life that governments were forced to spend as much on debt repayment as on the vital health and education sectors combined, she said. "The result is that the standard of education available to the majority poor population is declining, the level of teacher training is at best poor, the infrastructure is crumbling and there is scarcity of learning materials."

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She said a strong case could be made for reallocation of expenditure within the education sector. Her Government was committed to investing in the provision of education in the belief that literacy was a prerequisite to individual empowerment, participation on development and to a person's realization of his or her full potential. In the 1980s and 1990s, Kenya had achieved some measure of improvement in social indicators. However, for various reasons, such as prolonged drought in 1984 and again in 1992 to 1993, and negative external terms of trade, per capita income growth over the same period was not consistent. She said the low economic growth rate, coupled with a high birth rate, had meant that the 4 million people who should have joined the work force in the 1990s had not been absorbed. Unemployment, especially among young people, had increased in urban areas from 11 per cent in 1977 to 22 per cent in 1992. Productive employment opportunities were also declining in rural areas as was the average size of land-holdings.

Despite the obvious challenges Kenya faced, she said, the Government remained committed to achieving the goal of providing social services for all, beginning with universal primary education, increasing life expectancy and improving nutrition levels for all.

ENVER RAHMANOV (Turkmenistan) said education was the major security of any society. There was no progress in social development without society guaranteeing that it would bring up a child to become a healthy, educated and responsible citizen. High priority was given to the registration of births and to the provision of basic services and education to every child in his country. Young mothers were provided with a three-year paid maternity leave by the Government. Child-care aid was also provided to low-income families until the child reached the age of three. All citizens were guaranteed education without prejudice as to ethnicity, social origin, material well- being or gender. Education was free at all levels, and the literacy rate among women was 99 per cent of that of men.

The quality of education had become an important issue since the collapse of the former Soviet system of education, he said. His Government therefore welcomed the cooperation given by Turkey, France, the United States Agency for International Development and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). His Government also paid attention to healthcare issues and access to reproductive facilities and clean water supply. The provision of those services had been made difficult by financial difficulties due to the country's economy being in transition.

He thanked United Nations agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) for their valuable contribution to the country's social programmes, particularly the President's Programme called Health, which included child

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immunization, production of iodized salt, reproductive health and elimination of iron deficiency. He urged donor countries to increase their development assistance to Turkmenistan.

RICARDO LUIS BOCALANDRO (Argentina) said the deep transformation of Argentina's economy in 1991, the adoption of fiscal balancing schemes and an improved social sphere had begun to stabilize the economy. Inflation control policies had improved living standards and working areas most affected by inflation. The transformation had given a new dynamism to the system. It encouraged small- and medium-scale enterprises that contributed to the creation of new jobs. Unemployment insurance, training programmes and projects for young people had all been established.

In addition, Argentina was endeavouring to address the main summit recommendations of the present decade. One of the country's main problems and priorities related to poverty. There was now a nutritional programme that spanned the gap between young children and the elderly. The social and economic plan of the Ministry of Culture and education had undertaken to build schoolrooms and other education-related infrastructure. Argentina wanted to ensure that that social sphere was a constituent one of State. New policies would respond to challenges and to equate economic growth with social fairness.

LUIS RAUL ESTEVEZ (Guatemala) said he was surprised that the Secretary- General's report on social services for all diverged away from its analytic function. As a result, that function was now a burden left to individual Member States. Such information was normally useful to countries and non- governmental organizations and facilitated a more in-depth debate. Basic social services for all was the primary response of the State. It was a difficult task faced by various complex obstacles. The State was also expected to maintain the services, improve the quality and effectiveness and yield benefits. Guatemala was multicultural and multilingual. Education was therefore a challenge requiring double the efforts of those countries which did not have such a multicultural reality.

Such a challenge would discourage many, he said. Guatemala's efforts, however, had borne fruit. The peace agreements envisaged ambitious social projects. To achieve a firm and lasting peace, the country needed to be built on socio-economic needs that responded to the whole population. The national plan for 1996 to 2000 aimed to expand the goals of primary education and remove illiteracy. Health indicators, while improving, were very slow. The health system structure did not respond to the population's needs because it was based on a centralized bureaucratic system. Expansion was needed in many areas. Basic social services could be provided using formulas that were in accordance with the needs of each community. Since public resources could

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remain at the same levels, it was necessary to use them efficiently and to supplement them with funds from other sources.

Statements on Situation of Social Groups

INGA KAUL, representative of the UNDP, said that an inter-generational meeting had been held in January in Washington, D.C., to bring out the life cycle dimension in the discussion of multi-generational issues. The main focus of the meetings had not so much been on discussing the usual issues facing youth and older persons, but on realizing just how difficult it was to hold dialogue and understand each other, as well as realizing what important resources youth and the elderly were for society. The meeting had demonstrated that it was indeed difficult to reach a common understanding between the generations. It was hoped that such inter-generational dialogues would be repeated in the coming years. The problems of youth and the elderly cut across cultures and affected every society.

LINDA BLACK, a poet, made a presentation on social artistry, to demonstrate just how important it was for people to speak through the arts.

KAZIMIERZ KAPERA, Secretary of State for Family Affairs of Poland, said that the highly developed countries had experienced the decline of multi- generational families. The Polish tradition and culture had manifested strong inter-generational links and conviction of the necessity of promoting multi- generational families and consolidation of their participation in providing care for older people. The family in Poland constituted the basic, natural and universal social group with a place for everyone -- parents, children, grandparents and other relatives. Its role was not limited to mutual assistance. The family community was the source of emotional security. It dealt particularly with the family sense of acceptance, recognition, usefulness and security, which were much needed, especially after retirement from active professional life, which considerably intensified the sense of isolation and loneliness.

He stressed the existence of many factors which limited the possibilities of rendering services by the adult generation for senior citizens. They included the growing professional activity of young women, regional mobility of young people and universal aspiration to live separately from parents and children. The scarcity of apartments for multi-generational families constituted a considerable barrier in meeting the need of living together. That was why there was an urgent demand for removing the existing barriers in that regard everywhere where the multi-generational family was recognized and socially needed. That need should be the subject of legal regulations at the regional, national and international levels.

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LINGLINGAY F. LACANLALE (Philippines) said the demographic profile of the Asia and Pacific region in the next half century was one where the proportion of the population aged 65 and over was expected to more than double in almost every country. For its part, her country had drawn up a six-year Plan of Action for Older Persons covering the period from 1999 to 2004. It was also focusing on two emerging issues: the provision of services to older persons in need and the mobilization of older persons as a resource for other sectors of society. Philippine society placed great reliance on the traditional family as the primary support system for the elderly. That duty, deeply rooted in Asian values, was constitutionally mandated in her country and was translated into programmes that provided incentives to families who supported their elderly in order to ease the Government's resource burden.

She said that although in many societies they were considered a burden, older persons were valuable resources. They were an excellent medium for imparting traditional values and culture and could be caregivers to the very old and the very young members of society. They could be a valuable addition to the workforce, especially in light of the growing trend of relatively fewer young people entering the labour market. Unfortunately, those traditional roles of the elderly and the family were gradually being eroded because of migration, urbanization and poverty. The challenge would be to modify or adopt institutions and development processes that would keep those roles from being eliminated when they were needed most.

XIAO CAIWEI (China) said his country had one fifth of the world's older persons. By the year 2000, that population would reach 400 million. Aware of those social implications, the Chinese Government attached great importance to the question of ageing and had initiated a national seven-year plan for the elderly from 1994 to 2001. That had been followed by various development plans by local governments. In 1996, China's National People's Congress had adopted a law on protecting the rights of the elderly.

He said that a national social security system for the elderly had also been established and various welfare and relief schemes were being vigorously developed. There were 136,000 projects to help the elderly and 39,000 homes for them. China attached great importance to international and inter-regional cooperation on the issue of ageing. In cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), his country had hosted the Asia Pacific Meeting that had adopted the Asia Pacific Plan of Action on Ageing. In November, China would also host a regional meeting in Shanghai on the International Year of Older Persons.

GUSTAVO ALBIN (Mexico) said that Mexico's President had recently presented to the country a programme for social development. The three pillars which governed the true development of the country were social justice, democracy and economic growth. In keeping with its Copenhagen

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commitments, Mexico had embarked on a gradual process of meeting its challenges. Its policy was based on an integrated approach to broaden basic social infrastructure, encourage equality between men and women and promote social participation of all. Its aim was to create an environment to overcome injustice and inequality, and a new relationship between government and society. In 1989, 33 per cent of the national budget had gone to social development. Today, that number had risen to 60 per cent, which represented the Government's growing commitment to social development.

In light of the International Year of Older Persons, Mexico was undertaking activities to promote the self-esteem of older persons and to maintain their full integration into society's social development, he said. Those activities included programmes for medical benefits and legal defense; the establishment of community centres, where they could find educational and recreational activities; and a work fund to promote economic self-sufficiency. It was more of an ethical commitment than a political one. The Government had recently legislated the establishment of a Mexican Youth Institute for the integration of young people, who represented one third of the population, into the social development of the society. Implementation of Copenhagen commitments was a path which suffered from limitations, but Mexico had been making progress.

Ms. LISTYOWATI (Indonesia) said that it was poverty which prevented many disabled persons from acquiring the necessary assistance that would enable their participation in programmes for economic and social advancement. It was the lack of resources which prevented many developing countries from applying the architectural changes necessary for a barrier-free society. The disabled in the developing countries had to, therefore, overcome not only the obstacles imposed by their disability, but also by their socio-economic environment. She stressed that the implementation of effective policies and programmes for the disabled could not be divorced from overall national development activities.

For its part, Indonesia continued to provide services through both institutional and non-institutional means, and with the participation of non- governmental organizations, she said. While improving the overall economic situation of the country would significantly impact the lives of the disabled, Indonesia realized the obligation to implement such programmes that were within its capacity. Turning to youth, she said, the complexity and diversity of issues which young people had to cope with in today's societies needed to be recognized. Technology had provided considerable opportunities coupled with the need for responsibility, while at the same time age old problems such as unemployment and education had to be grappled with.

BHOLA NATH CHALISE (Nepal) said that it was from the elderly that societies and communities imbibed ethical values and moral precepts. In that

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light, his country had formulated specific policies, strategies and programmes for social protection. Those addressed the helpless, the disabled, senior citizens, the downtrodden, the oppressed and the famished. "We have also deemed it necessary to utilize the experiences and contributions of senior citizens and disabled people in the mainstream of national development, aiming at the same time to protect their rights", he added.

He said the State would honour and protect senior citizens, helpless widows and the disabled together with mainstreaming their capability, experience, knowledge and peculiarities in national development. In view of the ideas gaining ground to help the elderly, Nepal urged governments, non- governmental organizations and the private sector to extend all-out support and cooperation to the United Nations programme on the ageing in preparation for a practical and innovative framework for the International Year of Older Persons. The increase in the elderly population and the sharp decline in the younger population would have significant implications for future social stability, he added.

MARIE-MADELEINE FOUDA, Minister of Social Affairs of Cameroon, said the problems of the third age in African society were traditionally unknown. Today they were exacerbated by the difficulties of modern life. There was now alarm that the third age had stopped being what it should be -- a golden age. In the Cameroon pyramid, the youngest were at the very bottom. In the rural sectors the elders were venerated and accepted as the repositories of ancestral wisdom and traditions. Their departure was considered a great loss to society.

She said that today in the Cameroon, people over the age of 65 represented 3 per cent of the population of 15 million. The increase in the number of elderly people was accompanied by the fall in family income and the persistent financial crisis. There was therefore a need to rapidly put in place a programme to care for the third age. The cooperation and solidarity of the international community was needed more than ever need to ensure success in providing social services for the elderly.

BIENVENIDO ROLA, Senior Social Affairs Officer, the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Social Development Division, said that the twin processes of mortality and fertility reductions had resulted in a dramatic increase in the proportion of older persons in the region. That had brought forth related socio-economic changes, the most critical of which to the national economy was the shift in the structure and composition of the economically active population. There would be a gradual deterioration in the ratio between the economically active segment and those who depended on that group for resources and sustenance. The rapid ageing of the population had particular implications for the socio-economic development of the countries in the region, including diminishing participants in the labour force, increasing

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economic dependency and rising incidence of caregiving to older persons by members of the family.

He said that the Governments of the ESCAP region had recognized the significance of the demographic changes that were taking place as a result of socio-economic progress. They had also recognized the need to address issues relating to older persons in their dual role as participants in the national development process and beneficiaries of social progress. Although many ESCAP members were increasingly giving attention to issues pertaining to ageing and older persons, progress had been slow with respect to formulating appropriate policies and establishing the requisite infrastructure to meet the basic needs of older persons and promote their participation in development.

The adoption of the Macau Declaration and Plan of Action was a part of a series of ESCAP activities in preparation for the International Year of Older Persons, he said. The ESCAP's activities focused on three areas: strengthening of regional and national capacities for development; promotion of cooperation between governments, non-governmental organizations and other members of civil society for the benefit of older persons; and preparations for the Year.

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