SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION CONCLUDES THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 9 - 19 FEBRUARY
Press Release
SOC/4495
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION CONCLUDES THIRTY-SEVENTH SESSION AT HEADQUARTERS, 9 - 19 FEBRUARY
19990222 Adopts Texts on Social Services for All, Initiation of Overall Review Of Social Summit Outcome, Year of Older Persons, Policies Involving YouthConcluding its thirty-seventh session on Friday evening, 19 February, the Commission for Social Development agreed that access to social services for all is essential to enable people to satisfy their basic human needs and to live lives of dignity, safety and creativity, while participating fully in society.
It took that action as it adopted, without a vote, a set of agreed conclusions on social services for all, as orally revised. That text will be transmitted to the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives and to the Economic and Social Council.
The Commission also adopted, without a vote, a resolution on the initiation of the overall review of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit, as orally revised.
In addition to the above texts, the Commission adopted, also without a vote and as orally revised, a resolution on the International Year of Older Persons (1999). In the same manner, it recommended for adoption by the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, a draft resolution on policies and programmes involving youth. It also adopted the report of its current session.
In his closing remarks, Aurelio Fernandez (Spain), Chairman of the Commission, said that in the area of social services for all, a convergence of views from both the developed and developing world had emerged. That opened a window for discussion at the special session. In reviewing implementation of the Social Summit, a great range of ideas had been generated, which would provide a lot of impetus in the lead up to the special session.
Cristian Maquiera (Chile), Chairman of the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session of the General Assembly, said the Summit would be the backdrop for all of the session's substantive and operative work. Copenhagen would not be rewritten, and that was a fundamental intellectual challenge. While circumstances had changed, nothing more needed to be added to the Summit's goals. The only thing that needed to be included was the financial crisis. The reasons for the Summit were still valid today.
Action by Commission
The Commission adopted agreed conclusions on the theme social services for all (document E/CN.5/1999/L.4) and decided to transmit them to the Economic and Social Council and to the Preparatory Committee for the Special Session at its first substantive session.
According to the agreed conclusions, investment in social services will contribute to poverty eradication, peace, equity and equality, social progress and cohesion, economic productivity, productive employment, and full participation of all peoples in society. Governments have the main responsibility for creating an enabling environment to promote the establishment and maintenance of efficient social services and to ensure gender and racial equality and equity in access to social services. Ensuring that high-quality, basic social services are available to all must be a high priority for all governments, requiring them to ensure that the implementation of the Copenhagen Programme of Action is a central political goal to mobilize the necessary resources, to enhance political will and to recognize the importance of accountability, transparency and participation. In many countries, a major obstacle to the provision of social services is lack of development.
Access to social services for all is essential to enable people to satisfy their basic human needs and to live lives of dignity, safety and creativity while participating fully in society. Special efforts should be made to ensure that all social services are accessible to those who are living in poverty, are disadvantaged or socially excluded, or have special needs. Services should be adapted to ensure they remain appropriate to the needs of those groups.
The conclusions also cover the areas of delivery and provision of social services to promote social development; partnership; information; mobilization of resources for social services; and international cooperation for social services.
According to the resolution on the initiation of the overall review of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (documents E/CN.5/1999/L.8 and Corr.1), the Commission took note with appreciation of the reports of the Secretary-General on the preliminary
Social Development Commission - 3 - Press Release SOC/4495 13th Meeting (PM) 22 February 1999
assessment of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit and the Secretary-General's report on further initiatives for the implementation of the outcome of the Summit (documents E/CN.5/1999/3 and E/CN.5/1999/4).
Moreover, the Commission invited governments to provide additional inputs, in particular proposals concerning possible further initiatives, to the Preparatory Committee to facilitate its work at its first substantive session. Also, it requested the Secretary-General to update those reports before their presentation to the Preparatory Committee in May, reflecting the proposals and suggestions made during the discussions in the Commission, as well as any additional inputs submitted by governments.
By the terms of the resolution on the International Year of Older Persons, 1999: towards a society for all ages (document E/CN.5/1999/L.5), the Commission urged States to present to the General Assembly at the four plenary sessions of its fifty-fourth session, that are being devoted to follow-up to the Year, their national reports on observances of the Year, policy approaches to ageing, and best practices for a society for all ages. It also urged interested States, United Nations agencies and bodies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), research centres and the private sector to continue to support the United Nations programme on ageing in developing a long-term policy-oriented research agenda and in facilitating promotional and coordination activities for 1999 and beyond.
The Commission requested the Secretary-General to solicit the views of States, NGOs and the private sector on updating the International Plan of Action on Ageing and on the desirability and feasibility of convening in the year 2002 a review of the outcome of the World Assembly on Ageing, including the interrelationship of ageing and development.
The Commission recommended for adoption by the General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council, a draft resolution on policies and programmes involving youth (document E/CN.5/1999/L.6/Rev.2). Under its provisions, the Assembly would call on all States, all United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies, the regional commissions and the intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations concerned, particularly youth organizations, to make all possible efforts towards the implementation of the Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond and to consider, within its framework, the appropriate ways and means to follow up the Lisbon Declaration, in accordance with their experience, situation and priorities.
It would also call on all States, all United Nations bodies, the specialized agencies, the regional commissions and intergovernmental and non- governmental organizations to exchange knowledge and expertise on youth- related issues, upon setting up the ways and means to do so. It would further call on Member States, all United Nations bodies and NGOs to continue to implement fully the guidelines for further planning and follow-up in the field
Social Development Commission - 4 - Press Release SOC/4495 13th Meeting (PM) 22 February 1999
of youth, adopted by the Assembly by its resolution 40/14 of 18 November 1985, and the guidelines for the improvement of the channels of communication between the United Nations and youth and youth organizations, adopted by Assembly resolutions 32/135 and 36/17, and in particular to facilitate, in accordance with those resolutions, the activities of youth mechanisms that have been set up by youth and youth organizations.
Further, the Commission took note of the following documents: report of the Secretary-General on the status and role of cooperatives in the light of new economic and social trends (document A/54/57); report of the Secretary- General on the implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond (document A/54/59); report of the Secretary-General on the preliminary assessment of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (document E/CN.5/1999/4); and interim report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons (document E/CN.5/1999/5).
It also took note of a note by the Secretary-General on the nomination of members of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (document E/CN.5/1999/10), of the report of the Board of the Institute (document E/CN.5/1999/9), and of the note by the Secretary-General on the proposed programme of work of the Division for Social Policy and Development for the biennium 2000-2001 (document E/CN.5/1999/L.2).
In addition, the Commission approved the provisional agenda for its thirty-eighth session (document E/CN.5/1999/L.9), and adopted the report of its thirty-seventh session (document E/CN.5/1999/L.7).
Highlights of Session
At the just concluded session, the Commission held a special presentation on basic education for all. On that occasion, the Director-General of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) noted that, while all the targets set for achieving education for all in the last decade had not been met, the centrality of education in sustainable development was universally understood. The Executive Director of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) noted that the investment priorities of many governments focused on higher education, when they should be aimed at the area that would reap the biggest development paybacks -- programmes for children up to the age of eight.
As part of the consideration of its priority theme: social services for all, the Commission held an expert panel discussion during which the challenge of determining which social needs should receive attention and priority was among the issues discussed. Some panellists observed that the social services challenge was more daunting in the developing countries where old needs had yet to be met and new needs were arising when there was a squeeze on available resources. Other panellists noted that delivery of social services within an
Social Development Commission - 5 - Press Release SOC/4495 13th Meeting (PM) 22 February 1999
ever-increasing gender gap was yet another challenge in a century where discrimination against women was a reality. Delivery of social services as part of an integrated process was another challenge, since the present delivery system was based on medical mode -- identifying a need and providing for it. That identified the problem in isolation and did not address it.
In the course of the Commission's general discussion of social services for all, globalization, primary health care, eradication of poverty, foreign debt, sustainable funding and the interplay between economic growth and social development were identified as some of the key issues that needed to be addressed on a priority basis.
The Executive Director of the World Health Organization (WHO) stressed that health must be a central aspect of macroeconomic and social policy, as it would help draw them together into one coherent policy for sustainable development. Many countries emphasized that competing demands on scarce resources predetermined governments' capacities to provide for all. No amount of political will could replace the purchasing power needed to provide universal social services.
One representative noted that the world of neo-liberal globalization was also one of exploitation and social disparity. While the process was inevitable, it could lead to unemployment and injustice, as well as to imposing cuts on social programmes, resulting in an increasing number of unprotected people.
During its consideration of the review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, the Commission was told, among other things, that:
-- The consequences for all societies could be dire if the capacities of older people to give, as well as to receive, were not taken into account and harnessed. The International Year of Older Persons was not only the rediscovery of a forgotten resource, but also the recognition that the elderly must be consulted on policies that affected them.
-- National policies needed to include measures for active ageing. Those should include: full participation and integration of older persons in society; their access to quality care, including health care; the provision of housing facilities; establishment of an environment reflecting the needs of older persons; and measures for strengthening inter-generational solidarity and social cohesion.
-- Disabled people had the right to be provided with the opportunities and tools to make contributions to development. There was a need to devise remedies that would lead to better lives, a better society and a better world. The issue of increased integration of vulnerable groups must be addressed concretely and decisively.
Social Development Commission - 6 - Press Release SOC/4495 13th Meeting (PM) 22 February 1999
-- Poverty prevented disabled people from participating in programmes for socio-economic advancement. The implementation of effective policies and programmes for the disabled could not be divorced from overall national development.
While considering its priority theme: overall review of the outcome of the implementation, the Commission was told that:
-- Development of good practice in financial and corporate governance had to be accompanied by principles of good practice in social policy. The aim must be to ensure that financial policies were compatible with good social policies. Further, that vulnerable populations were not only protected in the event of financial crises, but also had a greater voice in the formulation of policies that affected them.
-- Setbacks in economic development would inevitably ruin social development. Since economic and social development were interdependent, global social development had been negatively affected by the recent financial crisis. While the Summit had promoted efforts in the social development field, the overall situation around the world gave little cause for optimism.
-- HIV/AIDS was now more than a health issue -- it had become a fully fledged developmental issue, and, as such, it impacted several of the commitment of the Copenhagen Summit. With over 47 million people infected to date, and nearly 6 million new infections last year, the AIDS epidemic was wreaking havoc with social development efforts.
During a panel discussion on youth, the Commission was told that:
-- A plan of action that would force a paradigm shift and make decision- makers sensitive to the needs of youth was still needed. -- The responsibility of governments was to give the appropriate responses to the aspirations of young people, seeing them as resources, rather than as problems.
-- Input from youth was needed to ensure that their needs and views were reflected in all levels of policy development.
-- National youth policy was not meant to simply support the existing order, but to transform society. That was the challenge in following up the Lisbon and Braga youth conferences held last year.
As part of its consideration of the report of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, the Commission renominated, for confirmation by the Economic and Social Council, Harris Mutio Mule of Kenya, Valery Tishkov of the Russian Federation, Bjorn Hettne of Sweden, Frances Stewart of the United Kingdom, and Jonathan Moore of the United States, for a further period of two
Social Development Commission - 7 - Press Release SOC/4495 13th Meeting (PM) 22 February 1999
years. Also, it nominated Jacques Roger Baudot of France as the new member to the Board, for a period of four years ending on 30 June 2003. Thandika Mkandawire, Director of the Institute, presented its report.
Membership, Officers
Aurelio Fernandez (Spain) was the Chairman. Faith Innerarity (Jamaica), Maria Lourdes Ramiro-Lopez (Philippines), and Joanna Wronecka (Poland) were Vice-Chairmen. Mathe Diseko (South Africa) was Vice-Chairman cum Rapporteur.
Following is the Commission's current membership: Algeria, Argentina, Belarus, Cameroon, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Finland, France, Gabon, Gambia, Germany, Guinea, Haiti, India, Iran, Jamaica, Japan, Malawi, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Nepal, Netherlands, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Republic of Korea, Romania, Russian Federation, South Africa, Spain, Sudan, Swaziland, Sweden, Thailand, Turkey, Uganda, United States and Venezuela.
* *** *