STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMMES SHOULD INCLUDE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GOALS, PREPARATORY COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
SOC/4507
STRUCTURAL ADJUSTMENT PROGRAMMES SHOULD INCLUDE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GOALS, PREPARATORY COMMITTEE TOLD
19990520 Preparatory Committee for Special Session on Social Summit Outcome Takes Up Africa and Least Development Countries, Structural Adjustment ProgrammesStructural adjustment programmes should include social development and economic goals, delegates stressed this afternoon in a meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the special session of the General Assembly that will review implementation of the outcome of the Social Summit.
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. This afternoon, the Committee discussed social integration, women's equality, education and health, Africa and the least developed countries, and structural adjustment programmes.
Speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, the representative of Guyana said that structural adjustment programmes developed by international financial institutions should address the needs of the poor and other marginalized groups. Efforts should be made to ensure that women did not bare an undue burden in such programmes and that they were sensitive to the special needs of developing countries. A full analysis of their effects on the economies concerned should be made prior to their implementation.
Despite such structural adjustment policies, the situation in African countries remained fragile, the representative of Botswana said. The growing marginalization of Africa had led to a situation where strategies for social development must be reconsidered. One important conclusion was that Africa should have greater control over its reform processes. On the other hand, developed countries could further aid African success by opening up markets and breaking down trade barriers. There was a need to resolve conflicts and bring about a culture of peace and development in Africa.
Preparatory Committee for - 1a - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
The observer for Switzerland said African rural areas must be considered a priority for development. The promotion of agriculture must include actions aimed at reducing the exodus from rural areas, because many cities were unable to cope with that influx. He added that the informal sector played an important role in many African countries, sometimes accounting for up to half the gross national product (GNP). Bureaucratic regulation must be reduced for that sector, which made it possible for much of the population to survive.
On the topic of equality for women, a representative of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) said that expanding women's opportunities for savings, credit and entrepreneurship, through micro-finance and small- enterprise development, helped ensure that women joined the mainstream of development on an equal footing with men. The feminization of poverty, however, demanded that action go beyond an income-generation approach to deal with core problems, such as offering people ways to improve literacy, health and nutrition.
There was a need to examine the impact of the arms trade on development, said the representative of Pax Christi International. The high social costs of the arms trade should be faced up to. Dealing in weaponry, legally or illegally, was to deal in death -- financial profit from that trade was realized at the price of human misery. She further urged that the momentum against the scourge of landmines not be allowed to wane. Concrete programmes were needed now, not only for landmine removal, but also for the ongoing rehabilitation of victims. Industrialized countries had a moral responsibility to allocate funds for that purpose.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Tunisia, Egypt, Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Malaysia, Lesotho, China, Canada, Germany (on behalf of the European Union), Japan, Bangladesh, Senegal, France and Morocco. The observer for the Holy See also spoke.
Other statements were made by representatives of the United Nations Volunteers, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) (also on behalf of the World Bank and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)), Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), International Labour Organization (ILO), and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme.
Representatives of the following non-governmental organizations also spoke: Oxfam International, International Coalition for Social Welfare, and the International Research Foundation for Development.
The Preparatory Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. Friday, 21 May, to continue its discussions on 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 met this afternoon to continue its consideration of further actions and initiatives to implement the commitments made at the Summit. The first part of the meeting will focus on the commitments concerning social integration, equality and equity between women and men, and education and health; the second half part will focus on the commitments on Africa and the least developed States, and on structural adjustment programmes (for background information see Press Release SOC/4498 of 14 May).
Statements
ROBERT LEIGH, of the United Nations Volunteers, said the General Assembly had designated 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers, for which the United Nations Volunteers was the focal point in the United Nations system. In many countries, the presence of volunteers was central in the provision of health, nutrition and education. Paradoxically, limited consideration was given to the willingness of volunteers to give their time. Volunteering was also central to the process of social integration and signified the self-empowerment of the individual.
ABDELLATIF BEN KILANI (Tunisia) said social integration must affect all social strata so that there was one society for all. Tunisia was convinced of the importance of women. They accounted for half of society and limiting their role would put a brake on the development of society as a whole. They contributed directly to stability and social progress and had a major role in economic development and wealth creation. Tunisia had established a code governing the role of women and the status of the family. The right of women to work was a guarantor of their security.
SOHEIR KANSOUH (Egypt) said her country's constitution recognized human rights without gender discrimination. In that regard, it sought to hold a dialogue between the various segments of society in the form of local boards. Her country believed education was a pillar for social development. It had redoubled its funds for programmes that promoted human rights, the rights of women and the protection of the environment. Egypt also focused on the special needs of children and stressed the need for basic education and literacy. Egypt had also taken a number of steps to improve health care services, especially in rural areas. It also worked against such practices as genital mutilation. She also supported the statement this morning by the delegate from Poland, who had proposed an international legal instrument to protect the family.
Preparatory Committee for - 3 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
MADELEINE SANOU (Burkina Faso) said the current session must pay particular attention to equality between men and women, given that women were most affected by poverty. In 1991, her country had adopted strategies to increase the role of women in the process of development. A fund to support training and education programmes for women had also been created. Also in 1996, a law had been enacted which had made it possible for women to own real estate. Despite all the efforts made, there were still social and cultural reasons that hindered the progress of women. The expansion of education and the role of women in society would ensure a better society for all.
MOHAMED ABDALLAHI OULD RAPHE (Mauritania) said his country placed equality and integration at the forefront of any development policies. Women now held office in Parliament and headed businesses. There were also great efforts being made to ensure full literacy by the year 2000. Development efforts, however, needed the support of the international community, especially from specialized institutions, to ensure their success.
THEIVANDRAN RAJADURAI (Malaysia) said his country was committed to a stable, safe and just society based on non-discrimination and tolerance and was striving to create a feeling of oneness among its diverse ethnic groups. It had a national plan of action for children providing for education and protection of the rights of the child. Implementation of a national joint plan of action on the elderly was planned, as was the strengthening of the family.
M. MAKAKOLE (Lesotho), associating herself with the statement made previously on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said the greatest challenge had been the effective implementation of the commitments made at Copenhagen. Pursuant to the Copenhagen Summit and other international conferences, Lesotho's current three-year plan was looking at ways to improve the country's social structure, and especially its infrastructure and roads. Regarding health, significant improvements had been made in the areas of infant mortality and higher literacy.
YIN QI (China) said her Government respected the rights of all ethnic minorities to exercise their cultural and religious beliefs. China was also devoted to meeting the commitments made at the Copenhagen Summit.
LOUISE GALARNEAU (Canada) said that in 1997 her country had developed a policy to meet "Basic Human Needs". That was one of the six priorities set out by her Government to achieve poverty eradication in the area of official development assistance (ODA). Basic education and primary health care were part of the policy and the Canadian International Cooperation Program was required to spend at least 25 per cent of its ODA budget on that policy. Canada had also committed $50 million for five years to support the
Preparatory Committee for - 4 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
International Immunization Initiative and, as such, supported the expansion of the international World Health Organization (WHO) programme.
Another urgent health issue that needed attention was HIV/AIDS, she said. Canada's international cooperation programming in HIV and AIDS was receiving renewed attention in relation to current strategies and their effectiveness. The programme was also looking at how the pandemic could be addressed more intensively in the future. Since 1987, her country had devoted over $135 million to HIV/AIDS prevention, education and care programmes. Currently, it was also developing a strategy on basic education to improve opportunities in that area for young children, especially girls. Recognizing that the vast majority of the poorest countries were far from achieving the target of universal primary education by 2015, Canada, in principle, supported the adoption of a global action plan for basic education.
KERSTIN TRONE, Deputy Executive Director, United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), said that such issues as access to education, gender equity, human rights, primary health care and sustainable livelihoods must be addressed for the well-being of all people everywhere. For the past year, the UNFPA had been actively involved in preparations for the special session on the International Conference on Population and Development (Cairo, 1995) Programme of Action. Countries had made substantial progress on that Programme of Action and many countries had implemented population concerns into their national policies. More and more couples and individuals were able to choose the number and spacing of children. Also many countries had addressed issues of population flows due to migration and refugees.
She added that many of the goals of the International Conference on Population and Development were relevant to the Social Summit review. Those included the reduction of maternal mortality and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS. To achieve those goals it was critical to reverse the downward trend in ODA -- political will was necessary to achieve the goals of all the major United Nations conferences and summits.
CECILIA ROSE-ODUYEMI, World Health Organization (WHO), said that participants at next year's special session must face the fact that poverty had gotten worse since 1995. Thus, everyone must be prepared to identify how to bring about must faster implementation of the Copenhagen agenda. Health could contribute much more as a central objective of overall human development -- integrated into sectoral policies, implemented within a holistic development framework and not simply as the business of one social sector working in isolation. In that domain, health could make its value-added contribution to both preventing and reducing poverty.
He said the full developmental benefits of better health, however, would be realized only if governments developed better overall macroeconomic, social
Preparatory Committee for - 5 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
and environmental policies. To do so, there must be a serious effort to integrate health objectives into overall development policy. Yet, investments in health were not synonymous with investments in the health sector. Both were needed. Leaving health to the health sector alone would not deliver the necessary impact on poverty. Closer, substantive inter-agency collaboration was required, such as the intention, announced just two days ago, of WHO's readiness to join the United Nations Development Group.
SHELDON SHAFFER, spoke on behalf of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the World Bank, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Recognizing that the provision of a basic education of good quality for all children had not been achieved, UNICEF, the World Bank, and UNESCO were discussing the possibility of establishing a global action plan which would commit countries -- both developed and developing -- to even greater efforts towards achieving that goal by the year 2015. The plan would promote a detailed analysis of national education needs, develop national actions plans and create funding through such mechanisms as debt relief and access to trust funds.
He said that the global action plan recognized that, in an increasingly knowledge-based global economy, achieving education for all was vital to poverty reduction and human development. The plan would mobilize the necessary financial resources and political will to achieve the human development goals agreed to at Copenhagen, and it would strive to deliver the vision captured in the Declaration made at the 1990 World Conference on Education for All. Moreover, it would not duplicate existing structures, and would encompass related goals of early childhood care, adult literacy and youth training.
JIM CARMICHAEL, of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), said that the AIDS epidemic must be tackled on many diverse fronts, but particular attention should be focused on vulnerable populations, including young people, women and children. With regard to young people, UNAIDS and its seven co-sponsors -- UNICEF, UNFPA, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UNESCO, the World Bank, WHO and the United Nations International Drug Control Programme -- were currently developing a new strategy on young people and HIV/AIDS. It would have several components, including: improved quality and coverage of HIV/AIDS-related school programmes; support for the AIDS work of peer and youth groups; the expansion of youth-friendly health and counselling services; and increased attention to orphans and young people living with HIV/AIDS.
Further measures were also needed to help women protect themselves from HIV infection, including expanded access to both female and male condoms, he continued. Special attention should also be given to keeping girls in school, to enhance their knowledge, develop their life skills and lay the basis for
Preparatory Committee for - 6 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
their greater empowerment. To reduce rates of HIV infection in infants and children, the first priority should still be primary prevention among adults, he added. At the same time, integrated intervention packages were now being implemented to reduce mother-to-child transmission. In his view, anti-AIDS initiatives represented part of the further actions required to implement commitments five -- concerning equity between men and women -- and six -- concerning education and health -- of the Copenhagen Declaration.
MARIA ANGELICA DUCCI, of the International Labour Organization (ILO), said the agency had developed solid analytical knowledge on forms of behaviour and the participation of women in the working world. Despite all the efforts of recent years, the real situation of women in the work force had not changed. In one of his first decisions, ILO Director-General Juan Somavia had declared measures to institute gender equality throughout the organization. Non-discrimination was one of the fundamental principles of the ILO. Gender equality was an end in itself, as well as an indicator of the progress of social integration.
SYLVIE BRYANT, representative from the New York Office of the United Nations Office for Drug Control and Crime Prevention, said that although progress had been made since 1995, the problem of drugs still existed. Still, on the supply side, for the third year in a row, there had been a significant drop in cultivation of coca in Peru. Last year, Bolivia had eliminated four times more hectares of coca leaf production than before. There was every reason to hope that through eradication and social and economic development, Bolivia would meet its goal of eliminating coca by the year 2002.
Demand reduction programmes and drug-abuse education were also making a difference, she continued. While drug abuse was very often a symptom rather than a cause of marginalization, it could become a vicious circle. Drug abuse reduced opportunities for basic education, undermined health and bred homelessness, further exacerbating social disintegration. Last year, the international community had set itself some very specific targets in tackling the drug problem. In a special session of the General Assembly in 1998, countries had agreed on five- and 10-year time-frames for reaching their goals. Those goals included strengthening legislation, strategies and programmes by the year 2003. By 2008, drug consumption and production must be significantly reduced.
Ms. FEENEY, of Oxfam International, said that 10 years ago, the world's governments had promised that all the children of the world would get a good quality education by the year 2000. That promise had been broken. Now a new target had been set -- universal primary education by 2015. Based on current trends, however, even that revised target would be missed. At least 75 million children would still be out of school on that date. The Oxfam International campaign -- Education Now -- aimed to ensure that the promises
Preparatory Committee for - 7 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
made to the world's children were not broken again, and that the basic human right of all children to an education was respected.
The world's poorest regions faced the deepest problems, she continued. In Africa the crisis in education was acute and worsening. In the first five years since the call for education for all, an extra 2 million African children had joined the ranks of those children who were out of school. Based on current trends, another 9 million children would join those ranks over the next 15 years. By 2015, Africa would account for three quarters of all the world's children denied the right to education.
The message of the Oxfam campaign was that the crisis in education could be resolved, she said. Some of the recommendations directed at national governments included: free primary education; incentives for girls' education; and investment of at least 3 per cent of gross national product (GNP) in primary eduction. Among the core recommendations for international action were: removal of the debt burden; increased aid for education; reformed structural adjustment; and the establishment of a global action plan for basic education.
Ms. JEGEN, of Pax Christi International, called for an examination of the impact of the arms trade on issues of development. Just as the international community had come to accept the fact that export of tobacco had a negative impact on the health of the importing country, so too was there a need to face up to the high social costs of the arms trade. Dealing in weaponry, legally or illegally, was death dealing. Financial profit from that trade was realized at the price of human misery.
She said that actions for social integration must also be tested by the effect on children, who were at the mercy of their elders. Some practical steps should be devised to hold countries accountable for tolerating exploitative child labour, sexual exploitation of children and the destruction of children in war, where children were not only victims, but were even dragooned into armies and guerilla groups.
She further urged that the momentum against the scourge of landmines not be allowed to wane. Needed now were concrete programmes, not only for landmine removal, but also for the ongoing rehabilitation of victims. Industrialized countries produced mines that were deployed in poor countries, far from their own shores. Those countries had a moral responsibility to allocate funds for the rehabilitation of victims, so that they could be fully integrated in their communities. Also, further initiatives were needed regarding education in non-violent conflict resolution. That important education involved fostering a culture of peace -- an environment where conflicts were handled constructively and even transformed into problems to be solved cooperatively.
Preparatory Committee for - 8 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
THIERRY LEMARESQUIER, Director of the Social Development and Poverty Elimination Division of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said that the UNDP was giving special attention to the economic and political empowerment of women in pursuing its mandate. Expanding women's opportunities for savings, credit and entrepreneurship, through micro-finance and small- and medium-size enterprise development had been important in efforts to ensure that women joined the mainstream of development on an equal footing with men. The feminization of poverty, however, demanded that action go beyond an income-generation approach and deal with core problems, such as offering people ways to improve literacy, health and nutrition. Entitlements to assets and resources must also be ensured.
He drew attention to one way in which the UNDP was mainstreaming gender concerns: the South Asia Poverty Alleviation Programme, which had increased women's incomes and empowered them socially and economically. Likewise, the international community should develop initiatives aimed at integrating gender analysis into macroeconomic planning and policy-making. Another focus was education -- a tool for empowering the marginalized and excluded, especially women in poorer countries and communities. Present challenges included globalization -- double-edged in terms of its impact. Increasing political crises and armed conflicts had also undermined development in many countries. The UNDP's work in Tajikistan, for instance, illustrated innovative approaches to integrating gender programmes aimed at addressing the consequences of internal conflicts and promoting the participation of women in peacemaking and national reconstruction.
TOZI GWANYA, representing the International Coalition for Social Welfare and the South African NGO Coalition, said many teachers, education planners and policy makers were sending their children to private schools in their own countries and to the best schools in the first world. With the difficulty of finding employment, there was no incentive or motivation to attend school, and an increasing number of people were losing interest in education. Students were dropping out at the primary, secondary and tertiary levels.
What was the use of free health services for all when patients travelled a long way only to find there was no medicine in the clinics? he asked. What was the use of free education for all when the end product was intellectual impoverishment and spiritual imprisonment? All policy makers whose children were not learning in the schools they were paid to manage must not be allowed to take part in the Copenhagen review.
NEVILLE S. ARACHCHIGE, representing the International Research Foundation for Development, said the notion of cultural preservation contained negative elements that perpetuated ethnic, racial and class distinctions, as well as superior/inferior bias. Cultural rights were being used as ideological weapons in world politics. Those negative elements, embedded in
Preparatory Committee for - 9 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
positive structures, contradicted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and negated social integration. The international community was itself parochial and one-sided, a situation which needed to be rectified. Social integration could not be achieved if those issues were not addressed.
HUBERT LINHART (Germany), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the Union firmly believed that a stable and democratic political environment was an indispensable precondition for sustainable development. The Union and the African, Caribbean and Pacific countries had agreed in Dakar in 1998 to reshape their cooperation in order to adapt it to the effects of globalization and trade liberalization at the beginning of the twenty-first century. The current "unsustainable" debt burden facing many African countries and threatening their economic security and long-term stability required comprehensive and decisive action by the international community.
He said that creditor countries and institutions should consider taking action to achieve rapid progress towards faster and deeper debt relief to ensure a permanent exit from unsustainable debt burden for the poorest countries. Resources freed by that action should be used for social development, including poverty reduction. Social services were a decisive element for breaking the vicious cycle of extreme poverty. The Union acknowledged the crucial role played by civil society in the delivery of those services and valued the benefits stemming from community empowerment in the process.
For its part, the Union wished to increase efforts to achieve the ODA/GNP targets of 0.7 per cent of GNP for overall ODA by all donor countries and 0.15 per cent for least developed countries, requiring a reversal in the current downward trend of overall ODA as a percentage of GNP. The Union called upon all donor countries to commit themselves to that objective. In strengthening the Union's efforts to support the least developed countries, in particular those in sub-Saharan Africa, particular attention should be paid to measures directed against HIV/AIDS and poverty-related diseases.
SONIA ELLIOT (Guyana) on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that, since the Social Summit in 1995, many developing countries had witnessed a reduction in commodity prices and a decline in economic growth. To address those factors, a number of structural adjustment programmes had been instituted -- development goals of such programmes should be included in the special session. At the national level, efforts should be made to ensure that women did not bear an undue burden of structural development programmes. Those programmes developed by international financial institutions should have social development goals addressing the needs of the poor and other marginalized groups. They should also be sensitive to the special needs of developing countries. Their effects on the economies concerned should be assessed prior to the implementation of structural adjustment programmes.
Preparatory Committee for - 10 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
She said that, also at the national level, the private and informal sectors should be promoted, as should the creation of opportunities for income generation and food security. The world needed new and effective ways of mobilizing resources in that regard. Other national initiatives should include greater investment in human resources to stimulate growth and health awareness campaigns in rural areas. There should also be a strengthening of the rule of democratic law. Conditions should be provided for trade and development in Africa. In that regard, the harmful effects of globalization should be minimized in Africa. There should also be a reversal in the trend of declining ODA.
YUJI KAMAMARU (Japan) said the recent Tokyo International Conference on African Development had been held in October 1998. It had adopted the Tokyo Agenda for Action, with African countries assuming the initiatives and primary responsibilities for development. It included goals for social and economic development and called for specific actions to be taken by African countries and their international partners. Fighting diseases, South-South cooperation and human resources development were included in the Agenda for Action. Follow-up to those policy goals and objectives would be a positive step towards implementing the goals of the Social Summit.
ANWARUL KARIM CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said that, at the national level, development strategies should focus most critically on: capacity-building; redistribution of resources; strengthening democratic institutions; partnership among government, civil society and the private sector; rural development; labour-market policies to cope with changing economies and societies; and the empowerment of women. On the international level, cooperation would lay the foundation for the successful efforts of Africa and the least developed countries.
He said that urgent action would help create a favourable climate for those countries' participation in international trade, including the provision of zero-tariff access of their products to international markets. Appropriate technology and knowledge should be transferred, and priority should also be given to the allocation of concessional resources for those countries' economic and social development. In addition, they should receive special treatment within the framework of South-South cooperation, including through preferential arrangements by regional and sub-regional groups.
Structural adjustment had extracted too high a price and must thus be made more people-focused, he said. Avoiding budgetary cuts for core social development expenditure in times of economic crisis was one option; another was expanding social safety nets rather than removing them. It should also be ensured, at the national level, that women and children did not bear a disproportionate burden. Globally, the partnership among the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization should be
Preparatory Committee for - 11 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
strengthened. Moreover, policy recommendations should include an assessment of their social effects on the countries concerned, and a compensatory system should be introduced for countries that implemented structural adjustment programmes.
IBRA DEGUENE KA (Senegal), associating himself with the statement of the Group of 77 and China, said that at this time of renewed international interest in Africa, the continent, with its huge resources and potential, but also with its struggles and constraints, should occupy its rightful place in the world. The international community had committed itself to support the efforts of African countries and the least developed countries and to increase overseas development assistance for social services. It had also committed itself to taking similar measures in the fight against communicable diseases like HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, among others. Some of those commitments had been followed by concrete actions, but others had not. HIV/AIDS was increasing everywhere in Africa, and was particularly prevalent in southern Africa.
Regarding debt, many interesting and generous commitments had been made, he said. Particularly welcome were the actions of France, the Nordic countries, Germany, the Group of Seven industrialized countries and United States President William Clinton's recent African-American conference in Washington. All the initiatives of the international community should be coordinated and streamlined. Those included the United Nations Decade for Africa, the United Nations Special Initiative on Africa and others. It was more important today than ever before to restructure overseas development assistance, both in quality and quantity, to facilitate access of African products to world markets and to encourage the flow of resources to Africa.
MICHEL THIERRY (France), associating himself with the European Union statement, said that the review of the commitments made at the Copenhagen Social Summit was a difficult task and it would be easy to yield to pessimism. Regarding debt reduction for the most indebted countries, that was a major test of political will for developed countries. Under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative, several European Union member countries had taken important measures. France had cancelled debt amounting to $9 billion, accounting for more than half the debt forgiveness of the last decade. France would continue to advocate a debt reduction approach in all international forums.
MICHEL KAFANDO (Burkina Faso) said that, in the race for development, Africa was the most disadvantaged and handicapped. It was no secret that this part of the world had the greatest number of least developed countries. Despite progress made, the rate of illiteracy on the continent was the highest in the world and maternal mortality also remained high. While access to fresh water and health care had increased, Africa was still far from meeting the
Preparatory Committee for - 12 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
challenges of the Social Summit. Many interventions of the United Nations system had been taken to promote development in Africa. In terms of international cooperation, however, there had been decreases in ODA.
DRISS DADSI (Morocco) said that social fragmentation in many countries was a threat to security and peace. To address that, it was necessary to integrate social concerns into macroeconomic strategies at all levels. It was also necessary to reduce budget deficits and have fiscal responsibility, but that could not be done at the expense of development, or result in poverty and social exclusion. At the international level, ways and means to bring about greater emphasis on social concerns in structural adjustment programmes should be examined. There was also a need for the international community to address trade imbalances and strengthen strategies for mutual cooperation.
EMOLEMO MORAKE (Botswana) said that structural adjustment policies -- or policies of reorientation -- were due not only to international pressures but also to internal pressure and popular support. Despite such policies, the situation in African countries continued to remain fragile. There was a need to resolve conflicts and bring about a culture of peace and development. The growing marginalization of Africa had led to a situation where strategies for social development must be reconsidered. One important conclusion was that Africa should have greater ownership of its reform processes. On the other hand, developed countries could further aid African success by opening up markets and breaking down trade barriers. They could also help by increasing foreign direct investment.
The problem of the spread of HIV was only one manifestation of poverty in the region, she said. Her country was facing a development crisis of great proportions. To address that, the theme of its recent budget was: creating a sustainable environment for development and poverty eradication. During 1998, the education sector had accounted for a large part of the federal budget; however, school drop-out was still a concern. Mindful of the problem of HIV, a large amount of resources had been channelled to curb the spread of the disease.
LOTHAR CAVIEZEL, Observer for Switzerland, said that while the African countryside must be considered a priority for development, its links with the cities must not be neglected. The promotion of agriculture must include actions aimed at reducing the exodus that emptied the countryside and that many towns could not absorb in a satisfactory manner. Efforts must also be made to institutionalize credit in the countryside where there was great potential for the mobilization of savings.
He said the informal sector played an important role in many African countries, sometimes accounting for up to half the GNP. Bureaucratic
Preparatory Committee for - 13 - Press Release SOC/4507 Special Session on Social Development 20 May 1999 8th Meeting (PM)
regulation must be reduced to a minimum for that sector, which made it possible for much of the population to survive.
ANTHONY FRONTIERO, Observer for the Holy See, cited some of the major problems facing Africa: the insufficiency of means for educating children, especially girls; the lack of social services, especially health, given the prevalence of endemic diseases; the heavy burden of external debt; the fratricidal wars fomented by unscrupulous arms dealers; and the pitiful spectacle of refugees and internally displaced people. Only by fostering peace through social justice would efforts to address those ill succeed.
* *** *