PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON WORLD SOCIAL SUMMIT CONTINUES PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF SUMMIT OUTCOME
Press Release
SOC/4503
PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR SPECIAL SESSION ON WORLD SOCIAL SUMMIT CONTINUES PRELIMINARY REVIEW OF SUMMIT OUTCOME
19990518 Thirty-Four Speakers Address Committee; Stress Need For International Cooperation in Globalization, Social DevelopmentThe need for international cooperation to address the problems of globalization and promote social development policies was stressed by delegations this afternoon, as 34 speakers addressed the Preparatory Committee for the special session of the General Assembly that will review implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.
The special session, to be held in Geneva from 26 to 30 June 2000, is intended to provide the opportunity for sharing and comparing experiences and identifying further concrete means of addressing the 10 commitments of the Social Summit, which was held in Copenhagen in 1995.
The representative of Norway told the Committee that, while governments had the main responsibility for implementing the Social Summit commitments, many countries required cooperation from the international community, not least from the United Nations system. In order to maximize the impact of development programmes, efforts must be coordinated more closely. The World Bank had recently presented the Comprehensive Development Framework, which would have all foreign and domestic actors cooperate on a common development strategy. The special session should review those and other initiatives and consider possible further action.
The representative of India said that the question was not how to avoid the pitfalls of globalization, but how to tackle its successes. Globalization produced economic development, but destroyed social systems. It had aggravated global inequalities and the marginalization of some countries. Within nations, it had created disparities that were unsustainable. Those disjunctions should be at the core of the discussion in assessing the outcome of the Summit and considering further initiatives.
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Similarly, the representative of Croatia stressed that the negative effects of globalization had their greatest impact upon poor countries and countries with economies in transition. Changes in the economic system had affected all aspects of the development process, resulting in increased unemployment and poverty. Those countries could not cope with such problems on their own. In response to globalization, there must be increased international cooperation in the areas of social and economic development, particularly with regard to access to international financial institutions.
The representative of the Russian Federation discussed the social development implications of the fighting in Kosovo. He said the tragedy going on in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a serious threat to social development. How could social development go on with bombings being dropped in the street and the total destruction of the infrastructure? he asked. The illegal North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ran counter to the goals of the Summit and the principles of the United Nations.
Statements were also made by the representatives of South Africa, Ukraine, Turkey, Philippines, Marshall Islands, Iran, Belarus, Armenia, Indonesia, Mongolia, United Republic of Tanzania, China, Mexico, Viet Nam, Kenya, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Senegal, Benin, Morocco, Malaysia, Cuba, Niger, Thailand, Argentina, Sudan, Colombia and Jamaica.
A representative of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) made a statement, as well as a representative of the Inter- Parliamentary Union.
The Preparatory Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Wednesday, 19 May, to consider the further action and initiatives to implement the commitments made at the Social Summit.
Committee Work Programme
The Preparatory Committee for the 2000 Special Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives met this afternoon to continue its general discussion on the topic: preliminary review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Social Summit. (For background information on the Committee's session, see Press Release SOC/4498 of 14 May.)
Statements
DUMISANI S. KUMALO (South Africa) said that four years after the Copenhagen Summit, over 3 billion people still lived on less than $2 a day, with growing inequity between the rich and the poor, unemployment on the increase and job creation efforts constrained by various factors. The heads of State and government of the Non-Aligned Movement at the Durban Summit had expressed their commitment to the implementation of the Copenhagen Programme of Action, to its principles and to the fulfilment of commitments contained in the Summit's Declaration.
He said that particular focus should be given to the multidimensional nature of poverty, the national and international framework conditions and policies conducive to its eradication, and to the promotion of an active and visible policy of mainstreaming a gender perspective. He called on the international community to increase international efforts aimed at integrating developing countries into the global economy and to ensure that the voice of developing countries in decision-making reflected their emergence as important actors in the world economy. He noted the importance of the proposition to adopt a global poverty target for poverty eradication by halving the number of people living in absolute poverty by the year 2015.
For developing countries, he continued, rural development should remain central to poverty eradication strategies, and should include agrarian reform, investment in infrastructure, extension of rural financial intermediation, food security, better education and greater utilisation of appropriate technology, competitive prices and more productivity in the informal sector.
IVAN SAHKAN, Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Ukraine, reaffirmed his country's commitment to the realization of the goals of the Copenhagen Summit and said that, to resolve the problem of poverty, Ukraine was trying to ensure minimum living standards and social protection of the most vulnerable social groups. Reform of a State pension system was on the way. Special attention was being paid to social security for the elderly. Housing subsidies and services for the elderly and the disabled were being implemented, and aid was being provided to poor families.
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However, despite numerous efforts, Ukraine was still encountering serious problems, he said. From the former Soviet Union, it had inherited a structurally unsound economy, and the situation was being exacerbated by ecological difficulties and the aftermath of the Chernobyl disaster. Trying to find ways to resolve those problems, Ukraine was working on a complex of anti-crisis measures.
Apart from national efforts, countries in transition also needed international support, he said. He supported the international community in elaborating further measures directed at overcoming the negative effects of economic crises. He hoped that the special session would be directed at working out concrete practical measures. Maybe a short political document should be adopted to reaffirm the commitments of Copenhagen and to elaborate the urgent measures for harmonious social development in the next century.
IVAN SIMONOVIC (Croatia) said it was well understood that developing countries, and particularly the least developed among them, required the greatest assistance for development. At the same time, countries with economies in transition, where changes in the economic system had affected all aspects of the development process resulting in increased unemployment and poverty, could not cope with those problems on their own. The negative effects of globalization had their greatest impact upon poor countries, he added. In response to globalization, there must be increased international cooperation in the areas of social and economic development, particularly in regard to access to international financial institutions.
He said that the recently enhanced role of the Economic and Social Council as a bridge between the Bretton Woods institutions and the rest of the United Nations system was a positive step. The Preparatory Committee session should move further in the direction of a more complete and full realization of all commitments at the dawn of a new millennium. Nations should be aware that, in order to meet the goals of the Social Summit, there was a need for increased international solidarity.
YUSUF ISIK (Turkey) said that a major component of an efficient market economy was a set of strong, articulate social structures and social policy systems. At the conceptual level, equal opportunities, particularly with regard to education, emerged as a critical factor at a time of increasingly knowledge-based competition. An objective assessment of the full cost of avoiding or postponing the economic and social reforms, which had acquired overwhelming acceptance worldwide, would be beneficial.
It was necessary to develop mechanisms assuring the insulation of basic social services from the negative effects of economic cycles, he said. That also constituted an area of great relevance for international aid and the concept of international social safety nets. Also, avoiding the exclusion of
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developing countries from information super-highways continued to be an objective of paramount importance.
In order to adequately deal with such critical areas as agriculture, food prospects and main infrastructures, all worldwide developments in those areas required a 20- to 25-year international outlook. Therefore, it would be fruitful to consider the introduction, at the special session, of international visions for 2020 or 2025 for a number of critical issues in the context of the 10 basic commitments. Although their elaboration would require highly specialized work, they would contribute to a more pertinent preparation and prioritization of the steps to take for the implementation of the Summit's objectives and the 10 commitments at the special session.
MARIA LOURDES V. RAMIRO-LOPEZ (Philippines) said that in June 1998, the Government had embarked on a 10-point action programme to accelerate the human development of the Filipino people in general and to eradicate poverty in particular. The action agenda included: governance; fiscal policy; monetary policy; exports and investments; infrastructure; agriculture; safety nets and social services; education; science and technology; and environmental protection. The country remained committed to pursuing and accelerating the implementation of the commitments made in Copenhagen in 1995.
As a member of the international community, the Philippines would continue to honour its international commitments, she said. By so doing, the country affirmed its faith in achieving its goals through greater cooperation among nations. However, those efforts would be situated within the national context and in accordance with the current set of development priorities, taking into consideration the need to mitigate the adverse impacts of the financial crisis. She said that the continuing inadequacy and inequitable access to social development opportunities had to be addressed, particularly for vulnerable groups such as disadvantaged women, children and youth, persons with disabilities, senior citizens, informal workers, indigenous peoples, dysfunctional families, victims of disasters and calamities, and victims of armed conflict. Operationally, the country would seek to achieve the target of at least 20 per cent in terms of proportion of budget for basic social programmes, consistent with the 20:20 initiative. The Philippines advocated preferential interest rates from international creditors for loans earmarked for social development projects.
HIROSHI YAMAMURA, Minister of Internal and Social Affairs of the Marshall Islands, said that his country's National Population Policy, National Women's Policy and National Youth Policy were the most important aspects of current efforts to address social development. While policies targeted the socially disadvantaged, they were also the most important aspect of developing a healthy nation. His country continued to spend at least 20 per cent of its
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budget on social issues, and national policies included strategies for population growth, preservation of culture, resource management, addressing inequality and improving education and the health status of the people. A Mobile Team for Development had also been established, he added.
That Team, he continued, sought to overcome the difficulties of living in a small island developing State where many communities were dispersed over large distances and the main services and activities were concentrated in two main urban centres. It sought to inform communities about nutritional and population issues, listen to them, hear their needs and, at the same time, tell them about the development opportunities that might be available to them. He noted that the relatively youthful population of his country presented major challenges to the Government. The demand for social services, such as education and health, would continue to grow and employment opportunities in the short and medium term would have to be provided. In the long term, Marshallese youth would have to play a major and significant role in national and economic planning.
He said the after-effects of the nuclear testing programme that had taken place in his country in the 1940s and 1950s had resulted in the death of many Marshallese due to radiation-linked diseases. In addition, many of the people did not really understand what was happening to them. Secrecy and misleading advice were largely to blame for that. The social problems that had been caused were not easily described to outside audiences and covered a range of issues. When a community was removed from its land, the move effectively tore through the social fabric of the community. The displaced communities, in cooperation with the Government of the Marshall Islands, were in the process of seeking to rehabilitate the affected areas. While some assistance had been received from the former administrating Power, it had not been adequate.
HADI NEJAD HOSSEINIAN (Iran) associated himself with the statement made previously by the representative of Guyana on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. He emphasized the importance of an international environment conducive to social development. In that context, trade needed special attention, particularly the imperative of removal of non-trade barriers and unilateral coercive measures, which were against international law. Another area of special attention concerned the weaknesses of international finance.
The goal of reducing absolute poverty by half by the year 2015 would not be achieved, unless and until the necessary requirements were secured -- not in words and on paper, but in reality and in action, he continued. The problem of full employment needed to be tackled at both national and international levels. With regard to social integration, the central aim was to create a "society for all", in which every individual had an active role to play.
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The problem of drugs had been identified as a major cause of social disintegration, he said. Combating the drug menace should receive undivided attention in the review process. There was no universal method for promoting social integration and full participation in all societies, and diversity at the international level should be respected. The ultimate objective of social development was to assist societies to develop a humane social structure and relations within their own cultural, ideological and philosophical parameters. That, of course, did not negate the necessity of dynamic interaction and exchange with other societies and value systems.
ALYAKSANDR SYCHOV (Belarus) said it had become quite clear just how difficult it was to implement a social policy in a time of economic transition. In addition, global financial shocks had meant colossal financial costs for economies in transition.
He said that one of the most important questions before the Preparatory Committee concerned the format for the participation of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in the special session and the participation of civil society and the private sector in the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. It should not be forgotten that the General Assembly was an intergovernmental body.
Belarus was prepared to cooperate with the Bureau of the Preparatory Committee and Member States in order to make the special session a success.
DAVIT HAKOBIAN (Armenia) said the process of democratization in Armenia, as in other countries in transition, had been accompanied by various social problems. Armenia's difficulties had been made particularly serious as a result of the 1988 earthquake and of the economic blockade by Azerbaijan.
He said the primary challenge was the problem of poverty. Twenty-eight per cent of Armenia's people were living in destitution, while 70 to 90 per cent were below the poverty line. Another problem was unemployment. About 160,000 people were registered as unemployed. With poorly paid workers exerting further pressure on the social fabric, a third challenge had emerged -- that of forced migration, which had been exacerbated by the Nagorno-Karabakh confrontation of the early 1990s. Unemployment, poverty and forced migration have destroyed the balance of Armenian society.
ARIZAL EFFENDI (Indonesia) said it was disturbing that the goals of the World Summit for Social Development seemed at times distant and uncertain, in part because of the challenges countries faced in integrating themselves into the global economy. Too great an emphasis was placed on private financial flows and market forces, and so the essential foundations of macroeconomic stability and sustained growth had been weakened. Progress in implementing Social Summit commitments would require resources for development.
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Unpredictable private capital could not replace the need to reach agreed-to levels of official development assistance (ODA). External debt burdens must be addressed. International cooperation to assist in national capacity- building was also needed.
National efforts must be redoubled, he said, and Indonesia was creating an enabling environment for social development. That included strengthening the democratic process, promoting the culture of work and strengthening ethical standards. b Ratification of important human rights instruments was planned, as was legislation to prohibit monopolistic practices, unfair competition, corruption, collusion and nepotism. The new government of reform and development reforms included credit schemes for training, and programmes for education of street children and improved infant nutrition. A "needs based approach" would enable a more efficient use of available resources. Action was being taken to combat violence against women and gender inequity. The goals and aspirations for Copenhagen could not be allowed to falter, he said. The plan was in place, the political will had been expressed, and the poor and vulnerable demanded action.
JARGALSAIKHANY ENKHSAIKHAN (Mongolia) said that the peaceful advancement of humankind and its safe livelihood could no longer be sustained in a world afflicted by abject poverty, external debt, continuing repercussions of the recent financial crisis, wide-spread hunger and malnutrition, violence and discrimination, drugs and disease.
Last year, his Government had launched a "One World United Nations Conference Series" project in close partnership with the United Nations family bodies in Mongolia and NGOs, he said. That project was aimed at ensuring national and international integrated follow-ups to the world conferences and summits held in the 1990s. One of the six conferences within that project was specifically devoted to social development issues. Held in Ulaanbaatar last February, it focused on the empowerment of Mongolian youth, its citizens and its leaders to take action on issues related to poverty eradication, full employment, social integration, equality and universal access to education and health care for all.
The current decline in ODA and in contributions to the United Nations core resources was a matter of concern, he said. As a developing, landlocked country, with limited financial resources, Mongolia was at present relying, to some extent, on external resources for development. Therefore, he welcomed the cost-sharing practices in the United Nations system's operational activities and would like to re-emphasize the need to increase the core resources on a predictable, continuous and assured basis. He also favoured increase in non-core resources and earmarked fundings, as well as in mobilization of the private sector support.
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DAUDI NGELAUTWA MWAKAWAGO (United Republic of Tanzania) said his Government had not been impervious to the demands and challenges of globalization, nor had it been immune to its negative consequences. Amid the whirlwind that had come in with globalization, the Government had managed to put in place a stable, predictable and conducive macroeconomic framework. In that connection, his country had improved tax adminstration, debt financing had been virtually eliminated, and budgetary controls were strictly enforced. As a result of institutional reforms, it had also been possible for private banks and other financial institutions to operate in the United Republic of Tanzania.
In 1996, the United Republic of Tanzania had reviewed its investment promotion policy and had approved a new policy that emphasized a number of measures, including maximum mobilization and utilization of domestic capacity, he said. That effort had helped redefine the role of the private sector, putting it in a more central role. The bold measures taken by the Government, however, had exposed a number of obstacles. With little previous experience, the Government had to learn as it went along and was still learning. Recent political and economic reforms had had a serious impact on public services. To address that concern, his country was now shifting towards a more participatory and market-based approach to social organization.
SHEN GUOFANG (China) expressed the hope that the special session would focus on issues affecting all countries, particularly the developing countries. Caution should be exercised over making social development issues political or ideological.
He said that, while national governments bore the primary responsibility for the implementation of social policies according to their own national conditions, there was need for international cooperation in promoting social development. The United Nations should play an even more active role in coordinating this international cooperation, through the dissemination of information, among other means.
ROSALBA CARRASCO (Mexico) said that countries had developed policies and initiatives that were consistent with the Summit objectives; however, the financial crisis had hindered development and many countries had been forced to abandon some efforts in that regard. The objectives of the special session should include creating a frame-work to evaluate development progress. The session should also set realistic goals for the reduction of poverty, increasing employment and enhancing integration.
Mexico was attempting to make a systematic evaluation of its development programmes to assess their results, she said. Her country continued to be committed to the goals of the Summit and supported the efforts of States to achieve social equality and well-being of all people for the next millennium.
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NIKOLAI TCHOULKOV (Russian Federation) said the Social Summit had encouraged many States to take a fresh look at the priorities of their development policies. The challenges of the Summit were just as acute as ever and there was a real danger that the social ills that the Summit was meant to address would grow in the next century -- those included poverty, marginalization and inequality. The tragedy going on in the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia was a serious threat to social development. How could social development go on with bombings being dropped in the street and the total destruction of the infrastructure. The illegal North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) strikes against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ran counter to the goals of the Summit and the principles of the United Nations.
The next priority in the reform efforts of the Russian Federation included targeting assistance to the most vulnerable groups of the population, he said. The special session should address the needs of countries in transition and give new impetus to their development efforts. There should also be discussions on ways to give them more substantial assistance, including financial assistance. He added that the special session should have a detailed, slogan-like name that referred to future goals. A possible title could be "market, democracy and justice for the twenty-first century".
NGO QUANG XUAN (Viet Nam) said that about a quarter of humankind still lived in severe poverty, while more than another quarter was on the borderline. There was persuasive evidence that the causes and experiences of poverty were different for men and women. While countries tried hard to broaden the coverage of basic social services, inequity was increasing. The fight against social evils and crimes continued and was getting ever more complex and difficult as globalization intensified.
He said that in order to fully realize the 10 commitments of the Copenhagen Social Summit, at the national level, it was important that each government undertake its leading role and responsibility in social development and work out appropriate policies and regulations to engage effective participation of the entire society. Social development must be based on social justice and progress and kept in a complimentary relationship with the economic growth of each country.
At the international level, he said, concrete actions were needed to enable the right to development of nations, especially the poor countries. In that connection, the delegation of Viet Nam fully supported the many proposals made by the Group of 77 and China, and particularly reiterated the call for international cooperation to maintain peace and security, and to assist the less developed countries in addressing their top development priorities.
Many countries considered social concerns an integral part of socio- economic development, he said. The Government of Viet Nam firmly believed
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that economic growth created the basic favourable conditions for social development and that, in turn, social development constituted the ultimate goal of and an important driving force for economic development.
NJUGUNA M. MAHUGU (Kenya), said that at a national level, his country sought to achieve social progress within the framework of sustained economic growth. In some respects, considerable progress had been made. For example, there had been progress in raising standards of education, increasing literacy levels and life expectancy, while other areas, such as primary school enrolment and provision of basic health care services had become casualties of the slow-down in economic growth. Realizing the negative impact of structural adjustment programmes and economic stabilization programmes on the poor and vulnerable sectors of society, the Government had designed, financed and implemented a variety of social action and poverty-monitoring programmes. Another area of social service provision which required the involvement of various stakeholders was the creation of productive employment opportunities.
The Government of Kenya fully appreciated the importance of achieving universal access to basic social services and would continue to play a leading role in policy reform, financing and management, in order to encourage innovations in service delivery. However, to realize those commitments, it urged all development partners, including non-governmental organizations, the private sector and community-based organizations, to continue to support its efforts in that endeavour. For its part, the Government would also consider ways of re-allocating resources from non-social sectors, so that all people could enjoy a better quality of life.
MICHEL KAFANDO (Burkina Faso) said the assessment of the implementation of the commitments of the Summit was far from brilliant, but that should not discourage the international community. It should instead prompt it to take greater actions for social development. Regarding his country's efforts, Burkina Faso had developed a profile study on poverty which allowed it to understand the problem of poverty and to develop priorities in combating it. It had also created a strategy to enhance development through the rational use of resources and the development of micro-enterprises.
Government policies focused on the challenge of guaranteeing to each citizen food, health and environmental security, he said. Authorities were determined to mainstream social development into national policies. Burkina Faso understood that there could be no economic growth without social stability and development.
FESSEHA A. TESSEMA (Ethiopia) said his country had witnessed significant improvements in the area of poverty reduction since the adoption of a new economic policy and strategies in 1994. Among the strategies formulated before the World Summit was agricultural development-led industrialization.
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Various studies had indicated an increase in per capita income and a decline in the level of absolute poverty. A welfare monitoring system focusing on poverty in development activities had been established to monitor the social consequences of economic reform programmes and policies.
He said that, although Ethiopia had made significant progress in improving the economic and social well-being of its people, much remained to be done. High population growth, environmental degradation, deep-rooted poverty and the outbreak of conflicts were and would be serious obstacles to the pursuit of development activities. In its renewed commitment, the Government of Ethiopia had embarked on both health and education sector development programmes whose respective action plans had been prepared and were being implemented.
OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said that enabling people with disabilities to participate fully and actively in society was essential in efforts to promote a society for all. It was an issue of key importance to the implementation of several of the Summit commitments and an area where further initiatives were needed. It was also an important human rights issue. Since the Summit, Norway had taken several steps toward that goal. Last year it had presented a national plan of action for people with disabilities. Its key features were to create an accessible society and to increase employment opportunities for people with disabilities. Furthermore, the Government was currently reviewing international cooperation in that area.
The main responsibility for implementing the Copenhagen commitments lay with governments, he said. In many countries, however, it would require cooperation from the international community, not least from the United Nations system. In order to maximize the impact of development programmes, all actors involved must coordinate their efforts more closely. The World Bank had recently presented an interesting proposal known as the Comprehensive Development Framework. According to that proposal, all foreign and domestic actors should cooperate on a common development strategy with national authorities in the driver's seat. The special session should review those and other initiatives.
IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal) said the main objectives of the Social Summit had not yet been achieved. Poverty continued to be a problem for countries in the North, as well as in the South, and human rights were not respected everywhere. There were also problems of access to foreign markets, despite efforts to create an open environment for political and economic efforts. It was true that, since the Summit, the community of nations had become aware of the priority of the social sector in development policies. One of the fundamental questions that must be resolved was that of financing for social development, particularly for countries in the South. It was important to mobilize additional external resources in that regard.
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The special session should address the question of how financial resources could be dedicated to financing health, education and other basic social services, he said. Developing countries lacked funds, not national political will. The international community should redefine its priorities and stop the drastic decrease in ODA. It should also substantially reduce or even cancel a large amount of the debt of poor countries.
GREGOIRE LAOUROU (Benin) said his country was entirely in step with the international community in its belief that access to all health and social services was an ethical, legal and economic duty to its citizens. Since 1995, the Programme of Action had become a guideline to Benin in the social arena. The Government's plan of orientation from 1998 to 2002, emphasizing good governance, had been disseminated and shared by all social sectors of the country and served as a reference point to the Government in both the economic and social areas.
He said that in order to ensure success in the fight against poverty, his Government had defined its priorities as basic education, access to services such as primary health care and food security, among others. It had created community units for development, 100 of which had been established as an experiment. Those were headed by management companies, which, in partnership with the Government, had mobilized large sums of money for schools and bridges and health centres. Promoting employment was another significant concern that was viewed as an element for managing national solidarity. Thus, a national employment programme, which allowed for the creation of some 20,000 jobs per year, had been devised.
Equitable and universal access to education and primary health care were other priorities, he said. Improving the human development indicator was another major concern, as well as increasing resources for social services and improving access to education and health. The human development indicator had shown a gain, as a result of efforts to increase the rate of school attendance by children, reduce the illiteracy rate among adults and prevent barriers to school attendance by girls through eliminating school taxes in the rural sector. Hopefully, the Geneva Summit would be a decisive step forward in eradicating poverty.
NAIMA SENHADJI (Morocco) said her country was committed to dynamic change for social progress and to implementing the Summit goals. It focused on areas such as promoting employment, generating income and fighting social exclusion. Programmes had been created to help marginalized and excluded populations that did not have recourse to other social programmes. Policies also focused on the poorest and most vulnerable areas of the country. The Government was in the process of creating a social development agency to create a comprehensive strategy for social development.
Her country's social priorities focused on three main points: literacy, basic health and social promotion, she said. In rural areas there were
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programmes for constructing roads, as well as facilities to provide potable water. Those programmes had been endorsed by international organizations, such as the World Bank and the International Labour Organization (ILO).
THEIVANDRAN RAJADURAI (Malaysia) said the continuation and worsening of poverty in the developing world clearly was not due to States' unwillingness to adapt and adjust to globalization; rather, it was due to the negative aspects of globalization. Many national initiatives to promote social development programmes had been delayed due to lack of financial resources. As a result, the noble aspirations and goals of the Summit had yet to be satisfactorily attained. The notion of people-centred sustainable development was still being grappled with. Unemployment and social disintegration was still ongoing and funding commitments were not forthcoming.
The international community needed to reaffirm its commitments in those areas, he added. It needed to look at globalization and realize that the free market was not a panacea of economic development. Nations needed to cooperate to address what was acknowledged as a global concern, where societies continued to be marginalized in the development process. There was still no equitable growth -- no social and economic equity in many parts of the developing world despite well-designed social and economic development plans. There was a need to strengthen existing cooperation and expand new international collaborative efforts in addressing development problems.
RAFAEL DAUSA CESPEDES (Cuba), associating his delegation with the statement of the Group of 77 and China, said the world of neo-liberal globalization was also one of exploitation and social inequality which left more and more people unprotected. Social development would only be possible in a world where there was a fair distribution and rational use of the abundant material wealth that humankind was capable of creating.
He said that in today's world, there was great opulence for a tiny minority and remote hope for a large majority. For how long could they coexist? Full social equality could not become a reality until there was a balanced and fair distribution of the world's resources. Official development assistance was shrinking while minority countries devoted 3 per cent of their gross domestic product (GDP) to military expenditure.
Currently, there was a cruel aggression against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, he said. The bombing of its territory by NATO had produced severe casualties, and the consequent humanitarian crisis was alarming.
He added that what was a fantasy for a large part of humankind was a reality in Cuba, which had succeeded in providing access to health care for 100 per cent of its population. Cuba would never accept political and economic blackmail.
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NANA AICHA FOUMAKOYE (Niger) said the commitments undertaken at the Copenhagen Summit aligned perfectly with the concerns of her country. Implementation of the Summit's recommendations had resulted in programmes against poverty and a national programme for social development, which aimed to reduce the scourge of poverty in both the long and short terms. The programme sought to improve economics for the poor and strengthen the State's institutional capacity, among others. In addition to combating poverty, the national plan also covered, among other areas, the pursuit of social justice and equity, and integrated such sectoral policies as child and social protection and the advancement of women and population.
In an attempt to create employment, she said her Government had revised the labour code and was attempting to include young graduates in training programmes in private and semi-private enterprises. Indeed, 30 per cent of public expenditures was devoted to the social sector, and 12 per cent was devoted to basic social services. The results, though modest, seemed very encouraging. The human poverty indicator had improved, and there was a positive evolution in life expectancy. Improvement had also been registered in the rates of mortality of young children, maternal mortality, and illiteracy. The immunization outreach for women and children had also improved.
Progress the in Niger could not be consolidated without continued vigorous actions towards good governance and a strengthened national economy, she said. The Niger was currently in a transitional period and, as such, it was formulating fundamental texts to guarantee consolidation of democratic institutions, which offered the best antidote to poverty.
VITAVAS SRIVIHOK (Thailand) said social and economic development were the twin and mutually reinforcing pillars of development strategy. Despite close interlinkages between those two in the Asia-Pacific region, over the past two decades rapid economic growth had worsened income distribution and exacerbated regional disparities. Economic growth had not resulted in concomitant social development. During the past four years, a people-centred development strategy had been developed as Thailand implemented the Copenhagen Summit, while instituting economic reforms.
The experience had led to observations applicable to the priorities and "further initiatives" for the Special Summit, he said. First for sustainable development, economic growth and social development had to proceed apace in a balanced manner, and the gap between the two had to be as narrow as possible. Also, globalization was a vehicle to a higher level of development, but it should not be given free rein. To cope effectively with the social impact of globalization, people needed to be empowered.
The financial crisis had also shown that there was more to development than simply growth, he said. Reform and restructuring had to encompass the
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political, economic and social arenas, even as it was now obvious that social problems facing crisis-hit countries were too big for one country to face alone. For social development, partnerships and networks were needed at both the national and regional level, with the issue of social services for all should closely linked to the mobilization of resources.
SATYABRATA PAL (India) said that the question was not how to sidestep or avoid the pitfalls of globalization, but how to tackle its successes, which produced economic development, but destroyed social systems. That was the almost impossible choice faced by democratically elected governments. Even where globalization had helped developing countries, its successes had also opened up a series of paradoxes. It had aggravated global inequalities and the marginalization of some countries. Within nations, it had created disparities that were unsustainable. Those disjunctions should be at the core of the discussions on assessing of the outcome of the Summit and considering further initiatives.
Social development of the developing world required international cooperation and assistance, he continued. But, those were too often conceptualized as or limited to ODA, debt relief and socially sensitive structural adjustment policies. What was required was both less and more than that. Less, because what was required was not handouts, but a change of attitude. More, because what was required was a relationship, rather than a tendency to attribute the problems of development to domestic shortcomings, such as governance.
No country today devised economic policy by itself; a variety of international players were involved in the shaping of the economic policies of even the more powerful economies, let alone the weaker ones. There was, therefore, a paramount need to address the issues of: a level-playing field; and relative bargaining power and international cooperation for development within an integrated global economy, as part of the enabling environment for social development for developing countries.
The World Bank's Comprehensive Development Programme had been presented as a panacea, he said. But that Programme, too, like the problems it tried to address, must be thought through, and it must be proven in practice. It presupposed a cooperative relationship between governments, donors, the private sector and civil society, which was highly desirable, but by no means a given. As governments had discovered in the implementation of Agenda 21, and as they would again under the World Bank's Programme, they were only one of the players involved, but it was necessarily governments that bore the responsibility for failures.
He said it was India's conviction that the area of greatest attention during the Preparatory Committee should be the "international enabling
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environment" for social development. While there was a lot that countries could do, and were doing, to promote social development at the domestic level, their efforts were contingent on the international environment. Unless that was stable and propitious, national efforts would be built on a foundation of sand.
FERNANDO ENRIQUE PETRELLA (Argentina) said that, since 1995, global recessional situations had added critical aspects to the unemployment situation in his country. The new globalized labour market required that the right to work have a broader base. The reincorporation of marginalized peoples required a relinkage of education, economics and social participation. New forms of social contracts must be found, as well as a new model of the State.
He said that, at the international level, ODA had shrunk, external debt had increased and the products of developing countries had difficulty gaining access to world markets. Those difficulties, pointed out by ministers during yesterday's session of the Preparatory Committee, must be addressed.
Mr. ABDELMAGID, Director-General of the Foreign Ministry of the Sudan, said that social development could not be separated from economic development or from an environment of peace and stability. His country continued its efforts at implementing the Copenhagen Programme of Action. Among the most important sectors were those concerning youth, who constituted the backbone of social development, women and the elderly. His Government was also paying more attention to the education sector. Chances for university education had increased, with the establishment of 26 universities and other institutions in the country. It had also provided basic education for children all over the country.
The Government had been making great efforts to achieve peace in southern Sudan. It had heeded the efforts of the Intergovernmental Authority on Development and the international community in trying to achieve a ceasefire. However, the rebel movement had refused to negotiate, leading to the continued suffering of the people and the loss of resources.
ALVARO FORERO (Colombia) said that many of the world's poor were still waiting for the policies and goals of the Social Summit to be implemented. In that regard, humanitarian emergencies had increased in recent years, and many of them were due not to natural disasters, but to human conflicts. The current humanitarian situation was related to the lack of social policies and an inadequate social structure. Nationally, Colombia had reoriented public expenditures and taken other actions to support its social development. Such efforts, however, were taken in the face of severe acts of urban violence and armed conflict. Such conflict had taken a great financial toll on the country. Despite that problem, his country was convinced that peace would generate the social capital with which it could pursue social development.
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FAITH INNERARITY, Director of Social Security in the Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Sport of Jamaica, said that if the international community was going to be successful in moving the Summit agenda forward, the expectations of the special session must be clearly established and be the driving force behind the preparatory process. In order to adequately propose further initiatives, it was necessary to undertake a full and accurate assessment of what had been achieved. However, that should not involve just listing accomplishments. It required an analysis of how development programmes could be sustained.
She added that it was clear that an enabling environment was most critical to the attainment of all the commitments of the Summit. In that regard, the analysis of the impact of globalization, the financial crisis, debt burdens and other issues must constitute central elements of the review. It must also be remembered that democracy was not a mere end in itself, but also a means of fulfilling the needs of society. The process and goals of democratization must also go beyond actions within States and extend to the functioning of international bodies.
JIM CARMICHAEL, of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said AIDS was now the world's most deadly infectious disease. Decisive action against HIV/AIDS was needed if the commitments set forth in the Copenhagen Declaration were to be fulfilled. Sub-Saharan Africa must be a priority focus, as it had accounted for 70 per cent of new infections in 1998, 83 per cent of all AIDS deaths, and 95 per cent of the world's AIDS-related orphans. Other priorities should be young people, who accounted for over 50 per cent of new infections worldwide; women, who were biologically and socially vulnerable to the disease; and children, who were infected through mother-to-child transmission.
Resources mobilized to date did not match what was needed to fight the epidemic, he said. The ICPD+5 Programme of Action called for $1.3 billion annually for basic preventive activities, but the amount provided by donors was less than half of that. Resources for HIV/AIDS had increased since 1987, but ODA funds per infected person had shrunk by more than half. That trend must be reversed if the epidemic was to be addressed properly.
SANTIAGO ROMERO-PEREZ, Director of the Inter-Parliamentary Union Office at the United Nations, cited specific proposals at the national level that indicated the keen interest of parliaments to work for the successful implementation of the Copenhagen Programme of Action. They included: a call for parliaments to enact legislation to implement the core labour standards agreed by the World Summit and reaffirmed by the ILO; a call to establish a mechanism in each parliament, where it did not yet exist, to constantly review and promote its action in support of the Programme of Action; and a call for parliaments to hold a special debate on social development to assess progress
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in implementing the Programme of Action, as part of the preparations for the General Assembly special session.
At the international level, he said, the Union had already begun to enact recommendations from its tripartite meeting on the follow-up to the World Summit, including its discussions with the World Bank on issues related to the revision of the current financial and economic model and the issue of debt relief.
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