THIRD COMMITTEE CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND FOLLOW-UP TO 1999 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS

Press Release
GA/SHC/3577

THIRD COMMITTEE CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AND FOLLOW-UP TO 1999 INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF OLDER PERSONS

Any global agenda for human security must make a frontal attack on the critical areas of human neglect by feeding people, educating them and making them healthy, the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) heard this afternoon, as it concluded its consideration of social development and follow-up to the 1999 International Year of Older Persons.

Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the representative of Saint Lucia said the Millennium Declaration had committed the world's nations to creating an environment conducive to development at both national and global levels. To achieve those social development goals in a globalized economy, basic requirements must be fulfilled. The CARICOM had addressed the problem of migration through a progressive adoption of national legislation. Persons moved freely within the Community, which supported regional development and integration.

The representative of Iraq said social development was universal, but developing countries were struggling with underdevelopment. Many difficulties hounded such countries because of unequal trade and lack of technology transfer, not to mention sanctions. The inhuman impact of the sanctions had been documented and would continue for many years. They were infringing on the right to life itself.

The representative of Peru highlighted the paradox of reduced official development assistance, while developed countries experienced unprecedented growth in gross domestic product. The disparity and lack of equity must be dealt with by identifying the sectors served by specific investments and projects, and the international community must be more efficient in assigning scarce resources.

Transparency in good governance was an essential requirement for creating an environment for meaningful economic and social development, the representative of Ghana stressed. Ghana had established the Serious Fraud Office to eradicate corruption and ensure transparency. The Government’s main policy on good governance was to involve all actors in the decision-making and developmental processes.

John Langmore, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development, summarized the deliberations on social development and the International Year. He said it had been a focused debate on an array of national reports and constraints.

Third Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/SHC/3577 7th Meeting (PM) 28 September 2000

Also addressing the Committee today were the representatives of Libya, Ecuador, Malaysia, Republic of Korea, Myanmar, Haiti and Morocco.

The Special Adviser for the Permanent Observer of the Office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also addressed the Committee.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 29 September, to begin considering issues related to crime prevention and criminal justice, and to international drug control.

Third Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/SHC/3577 7th Meeting (PM) 28 September 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) met this afternoon to conclude its present consideration of social development and follow-up to the 1999 International Year of Older Persons. (For background, see Press Release GA/SHC/3573 of 25 September.)

Statements

NANA EFFAH-APENTENG (Ghana) said it was disappointing that the world social situation was deteriorating. The situation in developing countries, particularly in Africa, was alarming. High debt servicing, low commodity prices, declining official development assistance (ODA), and biases in international trade and financial schemes had all combined to make it difficult for governments in the developing world to generate sufficient resources for investment in the social sector. He drew the Committee’s attention to the outcome document of the 24th special session of the General Assembly, which called for the mobilization of resources for social development through, among other ways, debt relief, equitable commodity prices and the halving of poverty by the year 2015. He hoped that the international community would support that call with the requisite political will and resources required to achieve those goals.

He went on to say that since the World Social Summit, Ghana had taken a number of initiatives to achieve that conference’s objectives, including steps to create an enabling environment, action plans for poverty alleviation, promotion of employment and good governance. He believed that transparency in good governance was an essential requirement for creating an environment for meaningful economic and social development. With that objective in mind, the Government had established the Serious Fraud Office in order to eradicate corruption and ensure transparency. The Government’s main policy on good governance was the participation of all in the country’s decision-making and developmental processes through district assemblies.

Real empowerment was gained from education, he continued. In that regard, the Government had established free compulsory and universal education policies, as well as adult literacy programmes. A girl’s education unit had also been established within the Ministry of education. Those policies had evinced a marked increase in school enrollment. However, a gender gap in school enrolment and retention still remained.

Turning to the situation of the aged, he said it was imperative that the international community adopt measures to strengthen the capacity of developing countries to broaden the scope of their social security systems. He also drew attention to the problem of increasing rural migration and its effects on the aged in the developing world. The lack of employment opportunities and unrewarding agricultural activities, which were the main economic activity in the Third World, had forced youth to migrate to big cities in search of “greener pastures”. Consequently, traditional family care and support for the aged was diminishing. This situation should be thoroughly examined by the Technical Committee so that appropriate strategies were adopted.

HANAN KHALID ZOGHBIA (Libya) said investing in human resources was an important part of social development. Her country had undertaken programmes to improve the health and training of its people. Literacy had dropped 40 per cent since the start of that programme. Defence of the family was also high on Libya's agenda. Overall, the development policy was geared to participation. Rights and benefits were to be shared, as in some new employment schemes enabling workers to become owners.

Recalling that Libya had taken an active part in the Copenhagen Summit, she said her country had attained major achievements in the areas of food production and in rural development through an intensive agricultural reform programme. Through other initiatives, women had been brought into the workforce and the housing situation had been improved. The social security of people had been strengthened, including for the disabled.

Libya's policies were on the right track, she said. They focused on the elderly, who played an important part in intergenerational transitions, and on the family, which was the carrier of tradition. As a pillar of society, the family was considered a fundamental right and a safeguard against scourges such as AIDS. The sanctions imposed on Libya had inhibited social development, however. They had caused illness and death due to lack of proper medical care. For proper development, Africa needed support in terms of fair trade so its products could get into the international market.

MICHELLE JOSEPH (Saint Lucia), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), quoted the Millennium Declaration as having committed the world's nations to creating an environment that, at national and global levels alike, was conducive to development and the elimination of poverty. To achieve those social development goals in a globalized economy, and to protect people responsively, basic requirements must be fulfilled: people must be fed, educated and made healthy. Any global agenda for human security had to make a frontal attack on those critical areas of human neglect.

The issue of migration impacted on social development, she said. A symposium by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) held earlier this month in Costa Rica had confirmed that the international economic order and the division of labor in the Americas had been affected by global changes. Legislative controls, as well as inducements, had resulted in the movement of labor across national borders. In the Caribbean, this had resulted in the loss of skilled persons. The CARICOM had addressed the problem through a progressive adoption of national legislation in Member States for free movement of persons within the Community to support regional development and integration. Similarly, CARICOM had developed initiatives at the regional level in cooperation with the international community to benefit and integrate the concerns of youths, the ageing and the disabled into the mainstream.

As an example, she said Saint Lucia had launched a public awareness campaign under the theme, "I'm not disabled, I'm differently abled". Part of an Organization of American States (OAS)-funded programme to promote equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities, a similar programme to end exclusion of the disabled had succeeded in Trinidad and Tobago.

In addition, she said, since families in the Caribbean had experienced pressure from unemployment and poverty, Caribbean governments were enacting measures to address social issues such as domestic violence, foster care and counseling to strengthen the family unit. The CARICOM would work with the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs to address those priority family issues at the regional level.

MARIO ALEMAN (Ecuador) said that the participation of youth delegates in the work of the Committee had thus far proved invaluable. Youth were the present and future of humanity, and they rightfully played a role in its forward progress. He then gave the floor to Diego Monsalve, Ecuador’s youth representative to present his Government’s views on world social development.

Mr. Monsalve said that his presence today spoke to the responsibility of youth to contribute to the present. Young people had rights that they would exercise with ready conviction and optimism. He was very pleased to address the Committee and looked forward to working closely with other organs and agencies of the United Nations. Indeed, the work of the United Nations had, and would always continue to, inspired the world’s youth.

He said that the world’s youth would continue working together in order to build a far more just society that would enable all nations to counter the effects of globalization. The Committee should not be moved by the facts and figures presented in the United Nations World Development Report 2000. Instead, the international community should take action and create development schemes that dealt with the true realities of today’s world. He emphasized the need to alleviate the foreign debt of developing countries, particularly those whose economies were in transition and those affected by natural disasters. If debt were not reduced, poor countries would continue to be forced to divert resources that could be used for social development.

The social, economic and humanitarian situation of older persons should also be addressed, he said. Ageing could be a gift of life. That gift involved sharing experiences, building futures and remaining actively productive. He hoped that the outcome of the Second World Convention on Older Persons would go a long way toward building a society for all ages.

TUNKU NAZIHAH TUNKU MOHD RUS (Malaysia) said that despite the best efforts of governments in the developing world to ensure an enabling environment for social development, productive employment and social integration, certain aspects of unfettered globalization had made those goals unattainable. Globalization had made everyone aware of the interconnectivity of today’s world and how similar were the international communities’ challenges in achieving sustainable social development. New challenges that had proved beyond the power of any single country to tackle alone had made it imperative to enhance international cooperation.

Malaysia, he said, was aware that it needed to achieve both social development and social integration. Thus, that country could not afford to ignore the human potential and capacity of its entire population. Malaysia’s social integration policies sought to incorporate into the social mainstream the individuals and groups that had been negatively affected by or had not sufficiently benefited from the process of economic growth and modernization. Those groups included children, the elderly and the disabled. Social development in Malaysia had been envisioned to create a society that was democratic, tolerant and progressive with an economy that was equitable and resilient.

While policies and programmes targeting Malaysia’s youth had been given high priority, the Government was also committed to improving the quality of life among the elderly and disabled populations. Malaysia had a national Advisory and Consultative Council for Disabled Persons, which formed technical groups to draw up plans of action. As ageing was a lifelong process, Malaysia saw the preparation of the entire population for the later stages of life as an integral part of its social and economic development policies. Steps had been taken to ensure that family ties were maintained and caring for the elderly continued to be the responsibility of families. With regard to the ageing poor or without relatives to care for them, the Government had also provided financial aid and housing facilities.

LIM JAE-HONG (Republic of Korea) said that the International Year of Older Persons had brought a normative shift in the way older persons were perceived. No longer were the elderly regarded as social burdens with respect to human resources. Rather, consensus had emerged that older persons represented an indispensable component of social development. The Republic of Korea had formulated an action plan that emphasized the need to provide capacity building for older persons. The National Pension Scheme was also expanded during 1999 to cover virtually all citizens.

His delegation felt that the International Plan of Action on Ageing had made a commendable contribution to policies and perceptions concerning older persons. However, the Plan needed to be revised so that it better corresponded with the current environment. The revision should consider national and regional differences in situations faced by older persons, and should result in a tailored plan of action and policy options for specific situations.

His delegation welcomed the launching of the database on policies and programmes on ageing. For the database to reach its potential, Member States and non-governmental organizations should cooperate to the fullest extent possible by, among other things, sharing information for its development. The momentum built during the International Year of Older Persons should be maintained and further strengthened. The Government of Korea would continue to do its part.

DAW THAN THAN HTAY (Myanmar) said that five years after the World Summit for Social Development, not much had been achieved in terms of alleviating poverty, especially in developing countries. A large portion of humanity remained desperately poor and many still lived on less than a dollar a day. Poverty and social development could not be separated.

His delegation appreciated the comprehensive report submitted by the Secretary-General on follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons. As this was an important issue in Myanmar, the National Committee for Elderly Persons had been set up, and the International Day of Older Persons had been observed. In his country, it was traditional for a family to assume responsibility for the well-being of its elderly and aged members. There also existed social and religious obligation on the part of the local communities to look after the elderly people. Myanmar believed that it was important to attain full participation of disabled persons in the social life and development of societies. The Department of Social Welfare in Myanmar was currently implementing measures for the welfare and rehabilitation of disabled persons. To achieve the goals for social development programmes, the world needed political stability and economic development. It was a clear danger that the experience of globalization of the early twentieth century would be repeated.

NICOLE ROMULUS (Haiti) said the summits and conferences would not bring the slightest change to ordinary people who continued to live with unemployment and poverty. The developing countries were the poor cousins of globalization -- they paid the oil bills of the richer countries. Advantages remained in the hands of the few countries who had a monopoly on technological advances. Other countries could not implement social programmes because of debt burdens that impeded social progress.

She outlined programmes implemented by her country in the areas of education, health and social services. She then called for more robust and far- reaching measures, so that hopes came more into line with reality.

JORGE VALDEZ CARRILLO (Peru) said that as the debate raged on about the effects of globalization, one thing that was clear was that it was essential that the current economic models, institutions and mechanisms be able to respond to the challenges this phenomenon presented. The scope of the process of globalization needed to be specified, its effects adequately determined and the necessary resources allocated to combat its attendant effects, the most important of which was continuing widespread poverty. Elimination of poverty could be eliminated by investing in quality education, nutrition and health, creating conditions for equal opportunities in productivity, and applying a gender approach in public policies which promoted the empowerment of women.

He highlighted the paradox that had been created by recent reductions in ODA while developed countries were experiencing unprecedented growth in GDP. That paradox made it necessary for the international community to be more efficient in assigning scarce resources. That disparity and lack of equity must be dealt with by first identifying the sectors of the population that were served by specific investments and by each project. The needs of developing countries must be prioritized.

The time had come to assign and measure the results of the international community’s social investment, so that the truly needy were the beneficiaries of those efforts. He emphasized that the availability of resources and the success of programmes that sought to eliminate poverty didn’t just depend on the efforts of the international community -- they also depended on the stability of the financial system, opening up the markets of developing countries, and better terms to manage foreign debt.

FELA HESAN AL-RUBAIE (Iraq) said human rights should be handled in real contexts, such as poverty eradication. Social development was universal, but developing countries were struggling with underdevelopment. Many difficulties hounded these countries because of unequal trade and lack of technology transfer, not to mention sanctions. Iraq had initiated measures to eradicate poverty through programmes for health and employment. Efforts in that regard had been hampered and yet the sanctions continued. The military actions of the United States and the United Kingdom had worsened social conditions countrywide, including by causing an increase in the death rate.

Those inhuman impacts of the sanctions had been documented by organizations and agencies, he said. Other effects such as oil and water pollution had also been noted. Those effects would continue for many years. It was noteworthy that Security Council resolutions involving sanctions always referred to countries in the developing world. Further, the Security Council parameters with regard to sanctions were not honoured -- they were not applied within humanitarian boundaries.

He said they further harmed precisely those for whom Iraq was trying to provide health services, including the elderly and the disabled. In addition, many categories of people could not be offered assistance because of sanctions. Iraq's young people, for example, could not receive a proper education and could not visit their counterparts in other parts of the world. In short, the sanctions were infringing on the right to life itself.

HICHANE DAHANE (Morocco) said that ageing was an ongoing, imperceptible process that could be accepted as merely a fact of life or as a challenge. For example, increased life expectancy had been considered something of a success story for mankind. But it also provided a major challenge to social, economic and public health schemes. The celebration of the International Year of Older Persons had highlighted a holistic approach to the ageing issue, enabling the international community to prioritize its concerns and to address the issue at all levels. In that regard, he welcomed the upcoming Second World Conference on Ageing, as well as the continued work of the United Nations as providing a basis for progress in this area. A unified society could only be achieved through creating and promoting links between the generations.

He went on to say that as a Muslim country, Morocco valued highly the role played by the elderly in society. His country was aware that the elderly were the repository of invaluable cultural traditions, and that their influence touched all spheres of society, including education. Morocco had, therefore, instituted an ambitious national plan with the assistance of non-governmental organizations to provide the elderly with legal protection, medical coverage, social protection and leisure services. Programmes devoted to those fields would strengthen the traditions of family solidarity.

KRISTI POHJANKUKKA, Special Adviser for the Permanent Observer Office of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said that volunteer action was complementary to the public sector. While the work of volunteers could not replace the work of the formal service delivery system, the great impact of their work on the social, political and economic development of societies might come as a surprise to some.

Volunteer action helped to integrate into society people who were excluded or marginalized, like the elderly, young people or the disabled, she continued. The interaction between volunteers and beneficiaries was valuable to both. Therefore, volunteering created an effective way for people to articulate civic

action. She welcomed the General Assembly’s naming of 2001 as the International Year of Volunteers and assured the Committee that her organization would participate fully. She encouraged other organizations to celebrate the Year in creative ways, working together to promote the culture of volunteering.

She said that a good example of the significance of mobilizing volunteers was the African Red Cross/Red Crescent Societies Health Initiative 2010, which had identified the HIV/AIDS pandemic as a top priority. The fight against the disease would be won or lost at the local level -- where people worked and lived. With some 2 million volunteers on the African Continent, the Red Cross/Red Crescent was uniquely placed to address issues of prevention and to promote response at the local level, as well as across national borders.

Although volunteers worked for free, the organization of volunteering cost money, she said. The money invested in volunteering proved very cost efficient, however, as the work executed by volunteers was several times more valuable in pure economic and humanitarian terms. The legal, fiscal and political basis for volunteering was also crucial for the development of volunteering. “We need to work together to improve the volunteering environment in all countries”, she said. “After all, it’s a win-win situation for governments and civil society as a whole.”

John Langmore, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development, in a closing statement, summarized the debate on social development and follow-up to the 1999 International Year of Older Persons . He said it had been a focused debate with many interesting reports on national initiatives and constraints. Many countries had echoed the concerns Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, had expressed at the beginning of the discussion.

He then outlined the initiatives for the next years, beginning with 2001, which would be the International Year of Volunteers. He mentioned the five youth delegates who had called for integration of youth into the United Nations system and said he particularly supported the setting up of trust funds for developing and implementing initiatives.

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