COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES DEBATE ON CONTRIBUTING TO REVIEW OF WORLD SUMMIT IMPLEMENTATION

Press Release
SOC/4527

COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT CONTINUES DEBATE ON CONTRIBUTING TO REVIEW OF WORLD SUMMIT IMPLEMENTATION

The Commission for Social Development this morning continued its exploration of how to contribute to the review of implementation of the outcome of the World Summit on Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995), hearing from a number of countries on their national situations, and on the need for more resources for social development.

China's representative said developed countries must offer real cooperation and formulate a clear-cut timetable and programme of action to benefit social development in developing countries. The majority of developed countries were offering increasingly less official development assistance (ODA), and promises of technology transfer, cooperation and debt reduction remained empty. The impact of economic globalization had permeated all sectors of social life and further widened the gap between the rich and poor. Developing countries were now at an even more disadvantaged position.

Cameroon's national efforts could have made significant progress if they had been backed up by ODA and strict implementation of the 20/20 initiative would have meant more resources for increasing essential social services, that country’s representative said. While his Government had increased funds for education, health and several other social sectors, the share of ODA it received for education and health was less than 1 per cent. Cameroon’s debt burden represented over 95 per cent of its gross national product (GNP) and servicing that debt had affected allocations to the social development sector, particularly the eradication of poverty.

Without debt relief or cancellation, the worthy efforts and sacrifices by African countries would not be sufficient, Algeria's representative said. She called for more vigorous solidarity to be shown to Africa, where half the population lived in poverty.

Many speakers this morning addressed the impacts of globalization. Jamaica's representative said that while current world trends seemed to herald the triumph of the free market and the process of globalization, many developing countries would attest to the fact that while globalization presented opportunities, it also brought immense risks. It seemed that in embracing the free-market mechanism as the model for economic and social development, the principles of social justice and equity were often abandoned. The Commission should be concerned with the social responsibility of business, she stressed.

Commission for Social Development - 1a - Press Release SOC/4527 3rd Meeting (AM) 9 February 2000

The representative of the Republic of Korea said globalization had seemingly laid waste to 50 years of hard-won progress in many countries, including his own. By the end of 1998, a year after the Asian financial crisis, the Republic’s economy was a shadow of its former self, and rising unemployment and inflation were threatening its prosperity. The vagaries of global capital flows overwhelmed the financial system. Yet, the experience also revealed the possibilities of globalization, as the Government, in close cooperation with the private sector and international partners, had undertaken a set of structural reforms, and the economic situation had begun to improve.

Colombia's representative, speaking for the Rio Group, said the international environment, which presently favoured international cooperation and the new development modalities characterized by globalization, would influence the future development of Latin America and the Caribbean.

In other comments today, Iraq's representative called on the Commission to address the destructive impact of economic sanctions, particularly as the last decade had witnessed the remarkable increase of their use. Iraq's development process, he noted, had come to a complete stop due to the sanctions.

Also this morning, statements were made by the representatives of Canada, Pakistan, Romania, Belarus, Morocco, Philippines, Indonesia and Swaziland.

During a dialogue segment, the Commission also heard from representatives of the following non-governmental organizations: International Council on Social Welfare; International Social Science Council; International Movement ATD Fourth World; International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres; and NGO Committee on the Family.

The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. today to consider United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups.

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Commission Work Programme

The Commission for Social Development met this morning to continue its thirty-eighth session. It was expected to continue consideration of its priority theme, "contribution of the Commission to the overall review of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 1995)", and to hold a dialogue with non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

The General Assembly is expected to hold a special session in Geneva next June to appraise the implementation of the Summit’s 10 goals embodied in three core themes: eradication of poverty; achievement of full employment; and the promotion of secure, stable and just societies. (For background on the session, see Press Release SOC/4524, issued 7 February.)

Statements

ANDRES FRANCO (Colombia), on behalf of the Rio Group, said the Group had undertaken a permanent commitment to implement the three goals as part of a process of economic development characterized by regional cooperation. The Group’s members intended to participate actively in the present appraisal process and would hold further evaluation exercises in Mexico later in the year.

From 1990 to 1997, the region had experienced a decline in poverty, he said. In the recent past, however, it seemed as if the absolute numbers of those living in poverty had been increasing, due to various crises a number of countries had been experiencing. Unemployment had also declined, but that too was currently on the increase, particularly among younger persons. The social agenda had experienced an increase of public per capita spending with the greatest growth in investment in education and health and, to a lesser extent, in social security. There had also been broader participation by the civil society sector, among other groups.

He said that the international environment, which presently favoured international cooperation and the new development modalities characterized by globalization, would influence the future development of Latin America and the Caribbean.

LOUISE GALARNEAU (Canada) said her Government supported the view that the objective of the special session was not to renegotiate the agreements reached in Copenhagen; the aim, in focusing on the Copenhagen commitments, was to evaluate the effectiveness of implementation to date, and, based on that review, to consider further initiatives. Real change took time, and five years was a relatively short period to assess progress, given the breadth of issues to be addressed. Globalization had impacted social and economic development more significantly than had been envisaged in 1995. As a result, governments had had to address the effects of globalization while striving to promote social development.

She said she was concerned that the tone of the "non-paper" -- entitled "Elements for agreed conclusions" -- currently being considered was pessimistic, she said. In addition to identifying barriers, efforts and initiatives in areas such as poverty, employment and integration needed to be acknowledged. Due to complicating factors, not all such efforts had been successful, but many had yielded results.

Another concern was that the cross-cutting issue of gender equality was being isolated in two sections under "social integration" without discussion of key trends, such as the feminization of poverty, paid versus unpaid work, the increasing participation of women in the labour force, trafficking of women, and violence against them, she said. It would have been preferable to include an analysis in each section. The links between gender equality, poverty and employment must be recognized, as a fundamental structural and economic issue.

International institutions, national governments and NGO partners were striving to approach social development in an integrated manner, and so too should the Commission, she said. She then stressed the importance of enhancing the use of qualitative and quantitative indicators to assess and monitor the progress towards meeting goals. As governments could not ensure the full implementation of the Copenhagen commitments alone, the non-governmental sector must continue to play an important role.

SUH DAE-WON (Republic of Korea) said two new challenges confronted the pursuit of the three core goals of Copenhagen. The first, the process of globalization, seemingly laid waste to 50 years of hard-won progress in many countries, including the Republic of Korea. By the end of 1998, a year after the Asian financial crisis had affected the State, the Republic’s economy was a shadow of its former self, and rising unemployment and inflation were threatening its prosperity. The vagaries of global capital flows overwhelmed the financial system. Yet, that experience embodied the possibilities of globalization, as the Government, in close cooperation with the private sector and international partners, had undertaken a set of structural reforms and the economic situation had begun to improve.

A specific strategy should be devised for both globalization and humanitarian crises, he noted. In that light, his Government supported the new initiatives of the Secretary-General’s report, particularly for the rehabilitation of the public sector. The experience of the past decade had demonstrated that good governance and strong public institutions were basic conditions for social development.

He also supported recommendations for the employment sector, noting that industrialization that produced employment would help ease the gap between the rich and the poor and contribute to conditions that were more favourable for social development. Moreover, improved working conditions for workers engaged in low-skilled work could have a positive impact on productivity and incomes without aggravating unemployment.

FAITH INNERARITY, Director, Social Security, Ministry of Labour, Social Security and Sport of Jamaica, reviewed programmes and policies illustrating her Government's commitment to advancing social development. But harsh realities continued. There were many theories as to why societies waxed and waned, including competing perspectives on economic and social progress and decay. Current world trends seemed to herald the triumph of the free market and the process of globalization. However, many developing countries would attest to the fact that while the trends presented opportunities, they also brought immense risks. As the Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs had said yesterday, free market and globalization must be tempered by values. But it seemed that, in embracing the free-market mechanism as the model for economic and social development, the principles of social justice and equity had been abandoned by many.

Many developing countries had undergone "shock treatment" in their economic and social policies, she continued. A range of expensive prescriptions had been filled, but the side effects were enormous, including a high-debt burden. The symptoms had been treated, but not the underlying causes. Inequality was one of those underlying causes. The profits of certain corporate entities surpassed the gross domestic product (GDP) of many poor countries. The social responsibility of business must be of concern to the Commission.

The twentieth century had witnessed unprecedented advances in science and technology, she said. More than two decades ago, human beings had landed on the moon; scientists might shortly be able to analyse the DNA of ants; and telecommunications had made the world a global village. Such advances testified to the immense capacity of humankind. Could that capacity not be harnessed to overcome the hurdles that stymied efforts at social development? she asked. The Secretary-General's report highlighted a number of directions for action and those, along with further initiatives being elaborated in the preparatory committee, should be vigorously pursued. The vision of Copenhagen, the creation of a society for all characterized by respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, equity, social justice and equality, was attainable. Where there was a will, there was a way. "But do we have the will?" she asked.

OMAR ASGHAR KHAN (Pakistan) said the imperative of globalization was that both developed and developing countries had common stakes in enhancing cooperation and harmony among all people regardless of where they lived. During the past five years, however, consumption patterns had reflected an increasing income disparity between the world’s richest and poorest. The richest fifth consumed 86 per cent of all goods and services, while the poorest fifth consumed merely 1.3 per cent. A similar trend was reflected in trade, marketing and lending institutions. Therefore, a level-playing field for all countries was needed to promote globalization of prosperity.

Pakistan had taken a number of initiatives to achieve the objectives of social development, he remarked. The Government believed that transparency in governance was an essential requirement for creating an enabling environment for meaningful economic and social development. It had established a national accountability bureau to eradicate corruption and ensure transparency in its functions. It had also identified poverty alleviation as the main focus of its development policy.

He said that, as part of his Government’s employment generation strategy, the National Training Board -- consisting of government representatives, the private sector and trade unions -- was involved in establishing vocational training institutes and skill development centres. In addition, the Government had been paying special attention to providing universal access to education for

both boys and girls. The Social Action Programme, geared towards providing primary education, basic health care, population planning and sanitation, had shown promising results.

ION GORITA (Romania) said that like, other central and eastern European countries, Romania had experienced the social costs of the transition to a market economy. Economic reform had been accompanied by difficulties in social welfare, which, in turn, affected the income and living standards of the population. To cope with those difficulties and in the framework of the national process of preparing for accession to the European Union, Romania had initiated a number of measures aimed at eradicating poverty, promoting employment and fighting against marginalization. Those measures were implemented in cooperation with United Nations organizations, and benefited from support of European institutions. For example, the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare had elaborated a yearly programme for the professional training of unemployed persons -- over 60,000 persons benefited from this each year.

Actions for social development were accompanied at the legislative level by a series of new initiatives, stemming from the objective of harmonizing social legislation with European Union standards and regulations, he continued. New legislation included a law on employment and social welfare for persons who had lost their jobs, a law on professional training for adults and a law on the protection of employees.

An area of special concern was the need for new resources for social development, he said. Also, the Government was deeply concerned with the reform of the social security system, and had paid particular attention to the reform of the pension system. New pension schemes would be operating in the coming years to make the system more responsive to the present trends in population structure, as well as to general economic trends. The social assistance system had been modified and improved to better respond to the needs of the most vulnerable groups, such as children in difficult circumstances, single mothers, families with many children, and disabled persons. Social policies in favour of the elderly were another priority. Convinced that gender equality was an important condition for achieving a sustainable economic and social progress, Romania had taken significant steps to ensure equal opportunities for both men and women.

OLGA DARGEL, Minister for Social Protection of Belarus, said that, among other effects, there was an imbalance in economic relations and a drop in the standard of living of people living in transitional economies. Belarus had experienced a breakthrough in its socio-development policies during the 1990s and, by 1996, had overcome the drop in production and acquired positive dynamics in macroeconomic processes. Investment had resumed and inflation had been overcome resulting in financial improvements for enterprises. But, since 1999, the State had experienced a number of domestic and external problems that had negatively affected that growth.

The Government had established a 10-year project –- from 2000 to 2010 -– to gradually bring the parameters for the socio-economic life of its people closer to those for persons living in countries with more developed economies. The projects aimed to establish multi-faceted external cooperation, including

trade and economic relations. In addition, there were currently about a dozen State programmes based on health and social sectors. Many had been implemented with support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and employment programmes were being implemented with assistance from the International Labour Organization (ILO).

DALILA SAMAH (Algeria) said the current evaluation of the implementation of the Copenhagen agreements should address all 10 commitments made in 1995 and not just the three core issues of poverty eradication, employment and social integration. The report of the Secretary-General was important and highlighted States' efforts to translate the Copenhagen commitments into action and establish more just and egalitarian societies. Progress had been achieved, but it was also true that poverty was more widespread, a situation that was aggravated by international economic processes, including globalization, whose benefits were far from being shared by all today.

Timid advances in the social area must not obscure what remained to be done, she continued. Developed countries had tried to implement their commitments, but cooperation from development partners was essential. The situation in Africa was alarming -- half its population lived below the poverty line. Despite the international community's efforts to support the initiatives by African governments, improvements had been minimal. Without debt relief or cancellation, the worthy efforts and sacrifices by African countries would not be sufficient. More vigorous solidarity must be shown with Africa.

Algeria's public authorities had always given priority to meeting the basic needs of the people -- including in the areas of health and education, she said. Appreciable results had been achieved, which her country had endeavoured to preserve since the Summit, despite financial constraints. But national efforts, to be durable, must be supported by a more favourable international economic environment. The Social Summit had aroused hopes. Progress had been made, but just as much remained to be done. The Commission's present session constituted an important stage in the Copenhagen process, identifying obstacles to the full achievement of the Copenhagen aspirations. Those obstacles must be eliminated or at the least reduced, to respond to the legitimate aspirations of people.

SHEN GUOFANG (China) said poverty eradication should continue to be the focus of social development efforts. It was an important yardstick of human progress, and, despite tireless efforts by the international community, statistics still showed that the world’s poverty problem was far from being resolved. It was worsening in some regions, and one third of the poor lived in developing countries.

He said that the impact of economic globalization had permeated all sectors of social life and further widened the gap between the rich and poor -- cornering developing countries to an even more disadvantageous position. Social stability was the prerequisite for social development; however, frequent regional armed conflicts and chaos had seriously hindered that process. Also, the majority of developed countries were offering increasingly less official development assistance (ODA), and promises of technology transfer, cooperation and debt reduction remained empty. To counter that, developed countries must

offer real cooperation and formulate a clear-cut timetable and programme of action to benefit social development in developing countries. There was no uniform model to follow in the push for social development.

The Chinese Government had always given high priority to and worked actively for social development, he continued. Moreover, they had already formulated the ninth national plan for national economic and social development with long-term objectives for 2010. Since the beginning of the past decade, relevant laws and regulations had covered the labour and social security system, education, public health, human rights and protection of special groups. Also, the Government maintained close contact and cooperated with NGOs in support of the work of those organizations. Every year, due to hard work, the decrease in the number of poor people exceeded 10 million, and over 7 million jobs had been created.

MOHAMMED AL-HUMAIMIDI (Iraq) said the development process had come to a complete stop in his country due to the imposition of sanctions. All efforts had been directed to reducing the negative impacts of the embargo and finding innovative ways to cope with the social impact of the embargo. The reports of the relevant international bodies were full of statistics showing the damage Iraq had sustained. The latest report of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) had included the results of surveys on infant mortality throughout the country. The number of deaths of children under five years old had increased from 56 deaths per thousand in the late 1980s to 131 deaths for every thousand during the period 1994-1999. The infant mortality rate had increased from 47 deaths per 1,000 live births to 108 deaths for every 1,000 live births for the same period.

The UNICEF report had concluded that the death of more than half a million children under five years old would have been avoided had the sanctions not been imposed on Iraq, he said. The report evaluating Iraq's humanitarian situation for the Security Council (document S/1999/365) stated that the sanctions had moved Iraq from relative prosperity to extreme poverty. That report underlined the risks that the economic effects of the sanctions had on the psychological and social cohesion of the Iraqi people, reflected in higher rates of criminality, begging, prostitution, anxiety and alienation. Unemployment had impelled Iraqis with high educational credentials to quit their jobs as teachers or doctors, and instead work as cabdrivers or guards. That, in turn, had negatively affected health and education.

The international community, in the upcoming General Assembly special session, must address how to face the destructive impact of economic sanctions for countries living under those sanctions, he said. The last decade had witnessed the remarkable increase of the use of such sanctions. The Secretary- General's report on implementing the Copenhagen agreements stated that economic sanctions had severely constrained development in several countries. Development could not be achieved without financial resources and international cooperation. Iraq had been deprived of both due to the economic embargo and military aggression. The international community should fulfil the Copenhagen commitments. A first step would be working towards lifting the sanctions that had been imposed on Iraq for more than 10 years, and which had no legal or moral grounds now that Iraq had fulfilled its legal obligations.

DRISS DADSI (Morocco) said his Government had developed a social strategy that focused on eradicating poverty, as well as on populations who needed other social services, such as institutionalization, and those persons who were marginalized in the society. The Government had entered middle- and long-term reform projects to promote the environment for better social and economic conditions in the State.

In March 1999, Morocco had hosted the regional follow-up to the Summit and had made several viable proposals to encourage investment, he noted. But the State was aware of the commercial constraints existing in the area of trade, in particular. For example, the ban on agricultural products from southern countries was a major handicap to free trade, as it was detrimental to producers, particularly to persons living in rural areas who depended on that industry for their livelihood.

In efforts to implement the commitments, his Government had engaged an employment policy geared towards self-employment, had launched training and literacy programmes and had rescheduled the debts of young entrepreneurs. It was also studying policies for social security, health insurance, public housing and workers compensation and was preparing a draft labour code which had measures for strengthening partnerships in labour practices. The Government had established programmes for women and children, as well as an agency for social development to deal with the problems of the poorest people.

MARIA LOURDES RAMIRO-LOPEZ (Philippines) made specific comments on the main findings contained in the Secretary-General's report. On the importance of rehabilitating the public sector, she said that should not just be seen in terms of transparency, but also in terms of ensuring cost-effectiveness and responsiveness to different social sectors. On the working poor, she said the issue at hand was not merely that it was growing in magnitude, but that it also involved government perception of the poor as a productive unit of society. Proving credit worthy remained a challenge in projects with credit assistance for low-income people. Discussion could touch on human resource development strategies, including the offering of education and training.

In implementing pro-poor policies, the Philippines took a grass-roots approach that "felt the pulse" of the masses and involved them in matters that affected them, such as the choice and implementation of various livelihood projects at the community level, she went on. But while ample opportunities existed to maximize what developing countries could do to advance social progress, their efforts were taking place in a highly globalized world. National efforts could be assisted by other countries, or negated by adverse developments in the global economy.

There was need to expose the asymmetries of globalization, she said. Liberalization of trade in goods had proceeded more slowly in some sectors, such as textiles, garment and footwear, where developing countries were more competitive. Major trading blocs continued to protect agricultural sectors through subsidies, making it difficult for agricultural exports from developing countries. The private sector should be instilled with social conscience and corporate social responsibility. The international community must provide an enabling economic environment to support the efforts of developing countries for social progress and enable them to maximize the benefits they derive from globalization. There must be a synergy of what countries themselves must do and the international community's support for social progress. Otherwise, the concern for social development was simply "an imposition of what others would want others to do".

SYAUFII SYAMSUDDIN (Indonesia) said that, despite his country’s genuine commitment to the goals of the Summit, its social development agenda had been reversed by an economic crisis and, in a matter of months, decades of progress had been lost. In 1997, the poverty level had only been 12 per cent -- that figure had now risen to 18 per cent. If the Government had not made a strong commitment to social welfare and equity, the figure would be much higher. The new Government was determined to ensure that the social welfare of Indonesians would be restored to pre-crisis levels and moved towards the level envisaged at Copenhagen.

He said that the Government had adopted innovative approaches to support programmes at the local level, including use of block grants to subdistricts, which were allocated based on the number of poor people living in each subdistrict. That initiative allowed for more focus on social development and enabled greater local input in the execution and delivery of the programme. Another important undertaking had been to link education with employment opportunities. The economic crisis had been particularly devastating on education and required government intervention. The social safety net programme had helped to maintain enrolment in schools through allocating scholarships to poor families and had given operational grants to improve educational facilities.

It was through education that people were empowered, he said. That important theme, within the context of globalization and new technology, must be addressed during the special session.

MOSES M. DLAMINI (Swaziland) said that the goals of Copenhagen had not been achieved in all regions, but that did not necessarily mean that they could not be realized. Rather, it reflected the authenticity of observations made that without resources the goal of poverty eradication would not be reached. Developing countries were faced with increasing debt burdens, which were the primary obstacle to achieving progress. He hoped the heavily indebted poor countries (HIPC) initiative would significantly reduce debt-servicing costs for those countries where it was applied, and that the initiative would, over time, be extended to other indebted countries. He encouraged developed countries to continue their efforts to cancel bilateral debts.

The issues of poverty eradication and promotion of employment were interlinked, he said. It was important to consider all social groups in addressing issues to promote a secure, stable and just society. Marginalization of any group was unjust, and efforts must be strengthened to meet goals of eliminating gender inequality and ensuring the integration and full participation of people with disabilities, the youth, and the ageing.

While Swaziland's budgetary allocations for health services had increased annually, those efforts had been undermined by the HIV/AIDS situation, he said. Last year, the King of Swaziland had declared HIV/AIDS a national disaster.

HIV/AIDS was also a major source of poverty. It increased poverty among orphaned children and the elderly by reducing household income, and had resulted in the loss of productive working population and the diversion of resources from economic to social sectors.

The scourge resulted in food production and increased dependency, he said. Women and children were especially vulnerable. United Nations system bodies, intergovernmental and non-governmental groups should work with governments, particularly in the worst-hit African countries and communities, to make combating HIV/AIDS a priority on the development agenda and implement effective prevention strategies and programmes.

MARTIN BELINGA EBOUTOU (Cameroon) said his country’s implementation of the goals had suffered because of the economic crisis it faced. The Government had developed stringent strategies, using only available human and financial resources, to achieve economic growth. To realize its social development goals, the budget allocation for education, health and several other social sectors had increased. However, the share of ODA allocated to education was very low -– less than 1 per cent -- and the same applied to the crucial health sector. National efforts could have made significant progress if they had been backed up by ODA, he pointed out, and strict implementation of the 20/20 initiative would have meant more resources for increasing essential social services.

He said his country’s debt burden represented over 95 per cent of its gross national product (GNP), and servicing that debt had affected allocations to the social development sector, particularly the eradication of poverty. Cameroon had established legislation to regulate the labour market to provide better access to employment. The Government had privatized road maintenance to assist small- and medium-sized enterprises. Also, hospitals were able to keep all their income so they could improve the level of their services. For those activities to have an impact, civil society must be involved and there must be sensible and rigorous management of resources, hence, the promotion of high moral standards and transparency in government administration.

Dialogue with Non-Governmental Organizations

JULIAN DISNEY, of the International Council on Social Welfare, said that the opportunities for NGO input were severely compromised by the late hour, and he hoped that next year the Commission would allow sufficient time, as it had last year.

The International Council represented organizations in over 100 countries involved in working with people in poverty or other forms of disadvantage. He could not agree with the view expressed by the Canadian Government that the documents before the Commission were "on the pessimistic side". The situation was, in fact, very severe. There had been little real action to address the major issues, although the financial crisis had brought some questioning of the macroeconomic processes. Unfortunately, once the danger to the major economic powers had receded, so too had the concerted efforts to mitigate its effects. The same pattern had been seen with the HIV/AIDS pandemic -- once the most severe danger to the major economic powers had lifted, its attention had lagged. The problems revealed by the economic crisis remained. The General Assembly's special session in Geneva was a United Nations decision-making body, he said. It should focus on what the United Nations itself should do and other initiatives at the international level. While there was much to do on national level, it was better to "put one's own house in order". He hoped the Assembly would adopt process and structures that had a reasonable prospect of being implemented, as a start in moving towards substantial and difficult changes.

The International Council advocated three points for Geneva: the adoption of an international anti-poverty pact, a framework for developing international standards for social development, and reinvigorated action to strengthen the Economic and Social Council. Regarding the first, the starting point was the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) adoption of seven targets. They were good and the 15-year time frame was realistic and ambitious. It was important to seize on them as having come from the richer countries. There should also be clear time frames on ODA, and coordinated reforms of domestic taxation systems to increase available funds for investment in social development. Distortions on domestic tax systems deserved more attention than had been received.

Regarding the standards for social development, he said that those already existing should be elevated to highest priority in the United Nations system. But there was also need to add to the standards. Since economic policy affected social development, social development standards must include economic policies. The United Nations should reject the division between social and economic policy, and stop the trend that exiled those who worked in social development to the micro field, and prevented them from working in the macro field.

The Economic and Social Council must be strengthened, he said. For several reasons, it had not been able or effective enough to play a key role. There had been recent improvements, but much remained to be done. Developing countries had the most to be gained. There would be opposition to strengthening the Council, and if developing countries did not apply disciplined measures to do so, it would be even harder. He drew attention to a paper distributed in the room elaborating on those proposals, which were catalytic processes. The special session must go beyond words and spark action.

KURT PAWLIK, International Social Science Council, said his group brought together social and behavioural, economic and legal sciences. He reviewed the membership and some projects in which the Council was involved. The Council had never before addressed the Commission. It was pleased to do so today, and hoped to expand its relations with the United Nations. For example, his group found it shameful that there were systems to guard against natural disasters, but little to guard against social disasters. History had written a terrible record on this. The Council hoped to be able to contribute to the system of early warning for conflict. Another aim was to make social science research data more available to scientists and political decision-makers.

JEAN TONGLET, International Movement ATD Fourth World, said the issue of partnership with poor families and communities had gained increased attention. Full partnership with the poorest led to overcoming extreme poverty, a process

in which the culture of peace would play a major role in the coming decade. To build a foundation for that process, he recommended that: time be invested to discover the hidden realities of people’s lives; projects be based on the aspirations of the poorest, rather than on their problems; and the family unit be strengthened.

He noted that every measure could not be undertaken at the same time, but public policy should indicate a strong political will to implement the Copenhagen commitments. Governments should initiate a process where the poorest could contribute to elaborating national plans for the eradication of poverty. For example, the South African programme of action was not limited to government departments, it also included plans for poverty alleviation and eradication by NGOs, the business sector and educational and religious institutions. Also, a working group should be set up to study the feasibility of a legally binding convention on overcoming human poverty, again in partnership with the poorest people. That convention should not define new rights for specific groups, but promote a coherent, dynamic and forward-looking approach recognizing the dignity and rights of every human being.

NATALIE RICCIO, International Federation of Settlements and Neighbourhood Centres, made suggestions for delivering broad range social services for poor people, for furnishing micro-credit to low-income individuals and vulnerable groups, as well as for identifying and using social indicators and for providing information about community development projects to neighbouring and other communities facing similar problems.

She said that neighbourhood community centres historically provided a wide range of social services to meet the needs of the community and, recently, guidelines had been developed for establishing multi-service organizations capable of evaluating community needs and furnishing appropriate services. Those guidelines should be adjusted to meet national and local requirements. Also, local banks and other funding sources should be encouraged to make funds for grants and low interest loans available to NGOs, as many of those organizations had established credit unions and similar agencies that had experience in administering such programmes.

Non-governmental organizations had long advocated using social indicators as a mechanism for evaluating programmes dealing with social development, she said. She urged the Commission to support the use of a variety of social indicators in addressing the implementation of the Summit. Also, there needed to be an exchange of information among communities dealing with community needs and experiences. That concept was closely connected to that of partnership in implementing United Nations plans and programmes of action on the situation of various social groups.

PETER CROWLEY, NGO Committee on the Family, said families should be seen by governments as a bridge to civil society, and not only as an area of concern. Instead of overburdening the family, which often functioned under extenuating circumstances, for the benefit of the individual and society, it should be supported, strengthend and faciliated in the interest of all humankind. None of the commitments of Copenhagen could be met without recognizing families as first respondents. He regretted the low profile of families in the follow-up to the Social Summit and stressed that due consideration should be given to family issues in future initiatives.

A review of the global situation of the family should be undertaken in the year 2004, to observe the tenth anniversary of the Year of the Family. His network encompassed almost 1,500 family-oriented organizations worldwide and could be integrated into a concept to further the goals in the run-up to 2004. The NGO Committee on the Family sought a comprehensive approach to building civil society. Its 2000 Plan of Action focused on networking and building self- managing skills. A family dimension should be mainstreamed in the future programmes of the Commission and the United Nations Secretariat.

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