HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS TO ASSESS PROGRESS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF 1995 SOCIAL SUMMIT OUTCOME
Press Release
HIGH-LEVEL OFFICIALS TO ASSESS PROGRESS ON IMPLEMENTATION OF 1995 SOCIAL SUMMIT OUTCOME
19990514 Deputy Secretary-General Louise Fréchette will address the opening meeting of the two-week session of the Preparatory Committee for the special session of the General Assembly on implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995), which will hold its first substantive session from 17 to 28 May at Headquarters.Also addressing the meeting will be the Director-General of the International Labour Organization (ILO), Juan Somavia, who, as Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations, chaired the preparatory process for the Social Summit and was a key player during its negotiations. Mr. Somavia will be speaking live from Geneva via satellite.
Other speakers at the opening meeting will be a Vice-President of the World Bank, Ian Johnson, and Aurelio Fernandez (Spain), Chairman of the United Nations Commission for Social Development. Mr. Fernandez will report on the recent meeting of the Commission which reviewed key elements of the Social Summit follow-up. The Preparatory Committee session will be opened by its Chairman, Cristian Maquieira (Chile).
The outgoing Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), James Gustave Speth, will also speak. Mr. Speth is leaving the United Nations to take up an appointment at Yale University. John Langmore, Director for Social Policy and Development of the Department for Economic and Social Affairs, will report on the status of preparations for the General Assembly special session, which will be held in Geneva from 26 to 30 June 2000.
A high-level dialogue among government Ministers on action taken since the Social Summit and further initiatives required will be a feature of the session's first day of meetings. They will assess progress made so far and proposals for further action to implement the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. The high-level dialogue will take place from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. in Conference Room 2.
Also, during the morning of 17 May, the Preparatory Committee is expected to decide on the accreditation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that have applied to participate in its meetings. NGO participation in the special session itself will be discussed during the second week of the Preparatory Committee's session.
- 2 - Note No. 5561 14 May 1999
For background information on the session, see Press Release SOC/4498 issued today by the Department of Public Information (DPI).
For further information on the session, contact DPI's Development and Human Rights Section, tel: (212) 963-3771 or (212) 963-8104; fax: (212) 963-1186.
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