Commission for Social Development

1^st Meeting (AM)

SOCIAL PROTECTION INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT, COMMISSION ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TOLD

At the opening this morning of the thirty-ninth session of the Commission for Social Development, newly-elected Commission Chair, Faith Innerarity (Jamaica), told participants that while the concept of social protection was as old as society, it was now increasingly important.  Ms. Innerarity was elected Chair this morning by acclamation.

As there was now a reliance on market driven strategies to guide economic affairs, “we must ensure that there are protection mechanisms in place to safeguard the vulnerable”, she said.  All must be familiar with saying “I am my brother’s keeper”.  She stressed that the issue of social protection was one of humanity, of human rights, and protecting those who required care. 

Zola Skweyiya, Minister of Social Development of South Africa and outgoing Chairman, said that this year’s priority theme -- Enhancing Social Protection and Reducing Vulnerability in a Globalizing World -- focused on giving practical effect to commitments made at the World Social Summit (Copenhagen, 1995).  It provided an opportunity to substantially review the extent to which the social justice rhetoric had been translated into meaningful change for those currently excluded from the means to improve their lives.

Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Nitin Desai, said it must also be recognized that endemic poverty and deprivation would continue to exist in certain countries and regions.  Mechanisms for social protection at the country and the global level would continue to be required.  Social protection was not charity, but a human right.  It was also an investment that could deliver benefits to all members of society.  Most importantly, in a world where an AK-47 rifle could be purchased for a few dollars, social protection was important for the rich.

In other action this morning the Commission elected, by acclamation, Henrik Hahn (Denmark) as Vice-Chairman of the Commission for the current session.  Election of the remaining Vice-Chairmen and the Rapporteur was postponed until the next meeting.  The Commission also adopted its agenda and approved its organization of work.

A statement was also made by the representative of Sweden (on behalf of the European Union).

The Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, John Langmore introduced the report of the Secretary-General on the priority theme.

During a panel discussion on the priority theme this morning, the Secretary-General of the International Social Security Association of Switzerland, Dalmer D. Hoskins, and Ernesto Murro Oberlin, of the National Social Security Bank of Uruguay, both made presentations.

The Commission will meet again at 3:00 p.m. to continue its panel discussion on its priority theme.

Programme of Work

The Commission for Social Development began its thirty-ninth session, scheduled from 13 to 23 February, at Headquarters in New York this morning. 

The Commission will elect its officers and adopt its agenda and other organizational matters.  It will then begin its considerations of follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, Denmark 1995).

The priority theme for 2001 is "Enhancing Social Protection and Vulnerability in a Globalizing World".  As it begins its considerations today, the Commission will hold an expert panel discussion on the issue.  (For background details of the session see press release SOC/4556 dated 9 February 2001.)

With respect to its priority theme and its sub-theme -- the role of volunteerism in the promotion social development -- the Commission will also have before it statements submitted by various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) (documents E/CN.5/2001/NGO/1, E/CN.5/2001/NGO/4, and E/CN.5/2001/NGO/5).

ZOLA SKWEYIYA, Minister of Social Development of South Africa and the Commission’s outgoing Chairman, said that the session’s priority theme -- “Enhancing Social Protection and Reducing Vulnerability in a Globalizing World” -- focused attention on giving practical effect to the commitments made in the Declaration of the World Social Summit and the Programme of Action.  It provided an opportunity to substantially review the extent to which the rhetoric of social justice had been translated into meaningful change for those who were currently excluded from the opportunities and means to improve their lives.

The global phenomenon of ageing -- with 80 per cent of those affected living in developing regions -- had major implications for social protection systems, he said.  In sub-Saharan Africa, HIV/AIDS had a devastating impact, particularly on young women between the ages of 15 and 35 years.  The burden of care for poor rural households was unsustainable in human terms, let alone the long-term socio-economic costs resulting from the wiping out of a major part of the productive work force by HIV/AIDS.

He recalled that last year, floods had wrought devastation in Southern Africa, particularly Mozambique.  This year, India had been dealt a tragic blow with thousands of deaths and massive destruction resulting from an earthquake.  Such disasters made it clear that disaster preparedness and management should be part of a broader social development strategy.  The scale of the disaster in India should result in a collective response from all countries.

Social development and economic development were mutually reinforcing, he emphasized.  Furthermore, investments in human development were essential to reverse the horror of marginalization and exclusion experienced by women, children and the poor.  The Commission’s work continued to generate hope that, despite tremendous challenges, much had been, and could be, achieved to ensure a better life for those living on the sidewalks of society.

The Commission then elected FAITH INNERARITY (Jamaica) as its new Chairperson.

FAITH INNERARITY (Jamaica), newly-elected Chairperson of the Commission, said that over the past five years there had been a number of deliberations on issues that had arisen at the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, Denmark 1995).  A number of important conclusions and recommendations had subsequently emerged and had been reflected in initiatives taken at the special Commission session held last June in Geneva, Switzerland.

She said this session’s priority theme, “Enhancing Social Protection and Vulnerability in a Globalizing World", represented yet another critical issue that would be discussed by the Commission.  Discussions would begin a process of intergovernmental consideration strategies to implement initiatives of the June 2000 special session. 

She said while the concept of social protection was as old as society, it had now become increasingly urgent.  As there was now a reliance on market-driven strategies to guide economic affairs, “we must ensure that protection mechanisms are in place to safeguard the vulnerable”.  All must be familiar with saying “I am my brother’s keeper”.  Social protection was about humanity, human rights, and protecting those who required care. 

She stressed that the sub-theme of the session -- “the role of volunteerism in the promotion social development” -- was equally important, particularly as the current International Year aimed to recognize the role of volunteers and the role of civil society in social protection.

Election of Officers and Adoption of Agenda and Other Organizational Matters

The Commission then elected by acclamation, Henrik Hahn (Denmark) as Vice-Chairman of the Commission for the current session.  The election of the remaining Vice-Chairmen and the Rapporteur were postponed until the next meeting, as informal consultations among regional groups on those positions were still being conducted.

The Commission then adopted its agenda, as contained in document E/CN.5/2001/1.  Following the adoption of that agenda, the Commission approved its organization of work as set out in document E/CN.5/2001/L.1 and orally amended.

VIVIAN PLINER-JOSEPHS, Commission Secretary, then made a statement regarding various General Assembly resolutions and guidelines, including those regarding such issues as conference servicing resources, the control and limitation of documentation, programme planning and programme budget implications.

NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, said that the Commission had played an important role in helping in efforts to promote social development and integrate it into the work of other institutions.  The most important feature of last year’s Millennium Summit and Declaration had been the world community’s commitment to eradicating extreme poverty, whereby heads of State and government had agreed on important education and health goals.

A second element was a growing sense of concern, over the past year, over the vulnerabilities arising from globalization, he said.  Such vulnerabilities had been seen in the Asian financial crisis, and in other parts of the world, where they had led to a deterioration in education and health.  There was growing concern over vulnerabilities that affected countries which had gained little from globalization.  It was not possible to speak of a world moving inexorably towards integration when the globalization process marginalized some countries.

He emphasized the enormous impact of natural disasters, including earthquakes in India and El Salvador, as well as hurricanes, floods and droughts.  While immediate relief requirements had been addressed, long-term issues must also be addressed.  Poverty eradication must be recognized as a key goal over and above social protection goals that had been discussed in previous years.

Issues of poverty and deprivation could not be addressed without more widespread economic growth, he stressed.  At the same time, the process of economic growth must focus on preventing vulnerability through macroeconomic policies.  There must be equity of distribution of economic growth and in all policy areas, while basic policy structures as well as the physical framework of development policy must also be redressed.

He said it must also be recognized that endemic poverty and deprivation would continue to exist in certain countries and regions.  Mechanisms of social protection at country and global levels would continue to be required.  Social protection was not charity, but a human right.  It was also an investment that could deliver benefits to the whole of society.  Most importantly, in a world where an AK-47 rifle could be purchased for a few dollars, social protection was also important for the rich, otherwise society would not survive.

JOHN LANGMORE, Director of the Division of Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the Secretary-General’s report.

He said social protection was a relatively new concept.  It encouraged societies to develop more effective coverage against new risks and vulnerabilities.  The emergence of social protection as an important social policy goal reflected, among other things, new demands arising from changing labour market conditions, the informalization of employment, liberalization trends, the ageing of population and changing family structures. 

The functions of social protection, as defined in the Secretary-General’s report, were not only defence of the vulnerable, he said.  They included the means to sustainably meet basic needs, capacity-building as function of development, and improving social justice.  All four functions were clearly interconnected.  In that sense social protection was an essential component of human development.

He said that while social protection was a very important policy goal, it was not, and could not be, a panacea.  It did not eliminate the need for determined efforts to fight poverty, to improve access to education and health, or to promote gender equality.  Rather, social protection should be viewed as an important element of the overall development effort, facilitating social and economic change by moderating the costs of economic transition and the structural shifts in affected countries.

EWA PERSSON GÖRANSSON (Sweden) spoke on behalf of the European Union and the associated States of Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey and Norway.

She said while there were some advances in relation to commitments made at the World Social Summit, there were still several areas where progress was insufficient.  She cited the struggle against the feminization of poverty; implementation of good governance, identification of a set of common social indicators, integration of socio-economic and environmental policies, development of partnerships with the private sector, and enhancement of dialogue between governments and international organizations.  The Commission should thus focus its work on how best it could further the development of those and other important areas.  While there were many challenges ahead, there were equally as many opportunities to combat exclusion and poverty while contributing to the creation of a better society for all.

Turning to the priority theme -- social protection -- she said the Union believed that the Commission could function as a forum to reflect on the social dimensions of globalization and to formulate answers, best practices, and lessons learned.  Social protection should be a tool for the empowerment of people to move out of poverty and exclusion so they can participate as active citizens in society. 

She said the Union was still dedicated to assisting developing countries in combating poverty.  It also wished to reiterate its attachment to the United Nations Standard Rules on Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.  Increased attention also needed to be paid to the ageing of populations –- older persons were entitled to respect and attention. 

Turning to the sub-theme -- volunteering –- she stressed that the important contributions of the voluntary sector could never free governments from their primary responsibility to provide basic social services.

Panel Discussion

DALMER HOSKINS, Secretary-General of the International Social Security Association (ISSA), said that social security faced four major obstacles: demographic ageing; questions about the proper roles of private and public sector solutions; questions about the appropriateness of social security in developing societies; and the vulnerability of social security systems to political influence and eventual bankruptcy.

He said that while ageing had been predicted for many years, it had come as a terrible shock that most of those affected would be in the developing countries.  The knee-jerk reaction had been to shift responsibility for the problem to the private sector.  However, economists realized that few savings could be made through that solution.  The active population must tackle the problem.

Regarding the second issue, he said it was necessary to discuss carefully where the public and private sectors performed best; an issue often clouded by ideology.  It was clear that the private sector could provide certain forms of insurance that the public sector would find very difficult to provide.  But the private sector was not interested in insuring poor people, and the State could do it more cheaply.  Social protection was a way to make the economy work more efficiently and to maintain social peace.  The two sectors were not working together to achieve that.  There was a stunning lack of communication.

Thirdly, he said, social security systems that had been promoted by the International Labour Organization (ILO) and ISSA were not appropriate to developing countries.  It had been predicted following independence in Asia, Africa and elsewhere, that the creation of such systems would eventually be extended to cover most of the labour force.  But protection remained very limited, and many countries were going backwards due to the informalization of economies in the Caribbean, Latin America and elsewhere.  The answer lay not in throwing out the whole system, but rather in improving it.

Regarding political exploitation of public social security, thus dooming it to bankruptcy, he said countries like Sweden, Italy and Japan had shown they could carry out responsible reforms to ensure the financial security of public systems, and that voters could be educated.  One major challenge was lack of understanding of how the systems worked, and where the money for pensions and health care came from.  The public did not understand their obligation to pay for social security systems, which led to a lack of confidence in them.

ERNESTO MURRO OBERLIN, Board Member, National Social Security Bank of Uruguay, said he hoped to bring a Latin American perspective to today’s discussion.  With the new system of social security in Latin America, being out of work today did not mean the same as it used to.  There had been changes.

He said there was not a single response or reply to social problems that was valid the world over.  The World Bank had tried for a single global recipe, and books had even been written on the subject.  Similarly, there could not be one single pattern in Latin America for everything.  Nor could one venture to say that everything was the same throughout the region.  Ageing was being debated globally and might well be one the most serious problems faced by Latin America.  Yet, in 17 out of 20 countries studied there, findings showed very youthful populations. So obviously the problem of ageing was not yet at the forefront, despite the preoccupation with it elsewhere.  Clearly then, priorities differed.

He said social security was a fundamental human right.  Factors negatively affecting social security systems included short-term and long-term deficits, declines in the number of contributors to social security systems, and rising administrative costs.  Yet, despite these common negatives, Latin America was far from being a homogenous continent when one analysed economic and social trends. 

He said in Latin America insufficient economic growth was key.  Unemployment was on the increase and poverty was deepening.  In addition, the distribution of income was changing to the particular detriment of the poor.  There were also problems of democratic transition in many countries, coupled with young populations and migrants looking for jobs.  With respect to the latter, frontiers were being blurred.  Differences between incomes were also widening.  One also had to ponder how structural reforms in mixed public and private systems were working.  He also said ideologies must be removed from any discussion of social protection.

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