Commission for Social Development

Thirty-ninth Session

9^th Meeting (AM)

TOO MUCH CONFIDENCE INVESTED IN UNREGULATED MARKET IN PAST DECADE,

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TOLD

There had been too much confidence during the past decade in an unregulated market and too little understanding of the necessary relation between public policy, the market and development, Thandika Mkandawire, Director of the United Nations Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), told the Commission for Social Development this morning, when it met to consider the Institute's reports.

Introducing one of the Institute's reports -- on United Nations conferences relating to social development -- he said that until governments and public-spirited citizens reasserted their rights to orient socio-economic policy towards more inclusive and egalitarian goals, the central commitments of the World Summit on Social Development (Copenhagen 1995) were unlikely to be met.

Noting that the Institute was still inadequately funded given the breadth of its mandate, he urged members to contribute to its funding.

Also this morning, the Commission nominated six new members to the Institute's Board.  It also renominated three members for an additional two years.

Subject to confirmation by the Economic and Social Council, Tony Atkinson (United Kingdom), Jean-Paul Fitousi (France), Anna Hedborg (Sweden), Amina Mama (Nigeria), Adele Smith Simmons (United States) and Jomo Kwame Sudaram (Malaysia) will serve four-year terms on the Board.  They replace Bjorn Hettne, Jonathan Moore, Harris Mule, Frances Stewart and Valery Tishkov, as well as filling the vacancy caused by the decision of Graca Machel not to seek renomination.

The Commission renominated Heba Handoussa (Egypt), Marcia Rivera (United States) and Gita Sen (India) for a further two-year term until 30 June 2003.

Earlier, the Commission had considered the draft programme of work of the Division for Social Policy and Development for the biennium 2002-2003.

Speaking during this morning's meeting were the representatives of Mexico, Iran (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China), Cuba, Algeria, United States and India.

John Langmore, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, and two other Division staff, answered procedural questions.

The timing of the Commission's next meeting will be announced in the United Nations Journal.

Background

When the Commission for Social Development met this morning, it had before it the report of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (document E/CN.5/2001/3), covering the Institute’s activities for 1999 and

2000.  During those two years, the Institute intensified the outreach effort begun early in the last decade, undertaking five activities relating to the special session of the General Assembly to consider implementation of the World Summit for Social Development (Geneva 2000).

The report states that although there are signs that the ideological climate for rethinking development policy is more favourable than it has been for years, there has been no fundamental rethinking of economic policies themselves, nor any serious attempt to integrate social and economic policy.  While the necessity for social protection has increased, resources allocated for it are shrinking as a result of declining aid, cuts in government expenditure and tax avoidance.

During the past decade, their has been far too much confidence in an unregulated market and too little understanding of the necessary relation between public policy and development, according to the report.  Until governments and public-spirited citizens reassert their rights to orient economic and social policy towards more inclusive and egalitarian goals, central commitments of the Social Summit are unlikely to be met.

The report says that the Institute also contributed to preparatory work for the Beijing +5 (Women 2000) review process during late 1999 and early

2000.  Its contributions to Women 2000 focused on three related dimensions of “rights-based” development:  the implications of changing approaches to social service provision for women’s basic needs and social rights; women in contemporary democratization; and the relations between women’s rights, multiculturalism and universalism.

According to the report, research suggests that in a significant number of countries, the acknowledgement of formal rights for women has not been matched by an increase in substantive rights, or by an improvement in their quality of life.  While it is often assumed that democracy is gender-neutral and naturally supports improvements in the condition of women, they are seriously underrepresented in almost every national assembly.  Many political leaders who otherwise work for civil liberties have regressive views on the subject of women’s rights and gender justice.  Tensions between the concept of individual rights and that of group rights sometimes causes the failure of democratic movements to address gender concerns.

The report details the Institute’s current programme of research.  It covers research projects in the fields of social policy and development; democracy, governance and human rights; civil society and social movements; identities, conflict and cohesion; technology and society; and improving knowledge for social development in international organizations.

The Institute was established in 1963 with a mandate “to conduct research into problems and policies of social development and relationships between various types of social development and economic development during different phases of economic growth”.

Although it is part of the United Nations system, the Institute finances all of its activities through voluntary contributions from governments, international agencies and foundations.  Its core funding has risen significantly in nominal terms since the last reporting period, as most donors have increased their contributions.

The Commission also had before it the draft programme of work of the Division for Social Policy and Development for the biennium 2002–2003 (document E/CN.5/2001/L.2).  Also before it was the nomination of members of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (document E/CN.5/2001/8).

FAITH INNERARITY (Jamaica), Commission Chairperson, announced that Vice-Chairperson ANZHELA KORNELIOUK (Belarus) would also serve as Rapporteur.

JOHN LANGMORE, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, made opening remarks regarding documentation to be considered by the Commission.  He drew special attention to the focus on implementing the key themes of the Copenhagen Summit as well as on the topics of poverty eradication, ageing, youth and disability.

ROBERT HUBER and CARLO GENELETTI, Division for Social Policy and Development, outlined some of the major areas that had been the focus of Geneva 2000 as well as some technical aspects of the Division’s work.

Mr. LANGMORE, referring to criticism yesterday that documentation did not discuss youth policy, said that the Division did not have enough staff to cover such a broad topic adequately.  However, it would be fully covered at an upcoming meeting to be held in Dakar, Senegal.  The central concerns of youth globally were being actively addressed and while there was no panacea to problems affecting youth, there were scores of useful approaches.

ERNESTO HERRERA (Mexico) said that the contents of the programme budget could be reformulated in the light of the results-based programming referred to by General Assembly resolution 55/231.  It requested the Secretary-General to ensure that indicators of achievements and expected accomplishments were reflected as achievements of the United Nations and not just those of Member States.  Also, the programme budget report's identification of external factors seemed to indicate that responsibility was being transferred to Member States.

Mr. LANGMORE agreed that indicators should reflect the role of the Secretariat as well as that of Member States.  However, the two were interdependent.  Many mandates were about attempting to achieve greater implementation of goals, policies and programmes set by the Organization's parliamentary bodies.  The reference to external factors was an attempt to identify constraints on implementation, rather than to hand over responsibility to Member States.

MOHSEN ESPERI (Iran) said that the "Group of 77" developing countries and China had some problems with the methodology and contents of the report and would make a statement at a later date.

LUIS ALBERTO AMOROS NUNEZ (Cuba) said that Mr. Langmore’s explanation on youth policy coincided with his own delegation’s view.  Cuba also agreed with the representative of Mexico that the activities to be assessed should include the Secretariat’s support role.  The activities of Member States should not be the main focus, although they must also be assessed.

DALILA SAMAH (Algeria) sought clarification on elements of external factors.  Too much emphasis was placed on the situation in some countries, while it was forgotten that much also depended on the international situation, particularly the economic environment.

Regarding negotiations two years ago on the drafting of a resolution on cooperatives, she asked when and where the guidelines had been adopted.

She also asked whether there was an Economic and Social Council resolution on the organization of different segments and panels, and on the selection of experts.  She hoped that the Secretariat would inform members so they could propose experts.

Mr. LANGMORE said in regard to external factors that there had been an inadequacy in drafting that part of the report.  The international situation was a major constraint on what any country could do.

Referring to cooperatives, he said he thought the Assembly had adopted such a resolution a year or two ago.  However, he would check up on that as the resolution may still be in draft form.

On the selection of experts and panellists, he said he would have to look up how the relevant decision could be implemented.

Mr. HOFFMAN (United States) said it had been agreed at Copenhagen +5, that the Economic and Social Council would look into activities with a view to launching a global campaign to eradicate poverty.  Had the Council actually launched the campaign?

Mr. LANGMORE said the issue had not been discussed because there was no recommendation as yet from the Secretariat.  The global campaign was a very ambitious idea and there was no precise idea of what it would entail.

Mr. HOFFMAN (United States) said it was a sensitive issue that required much examination.

THANDIKA MKWANDAWIRE, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD), said since 1999 his organization’s activities had been spelled out by the programme titled “2000+:  A Vision for the Future and the Institute”.  That programme was guided by five overarching themes.  The first was social policy and development and the leitmotif was that economic development should be democratically sanctioned and socially inclusive. 

He said the second theme addressed democratization and human rights.  The programme pointed to the importance of paying attention to specific problems of political and institutional reform at the local, national and international levels.  The third theme focused on innovative attempts to design public policies that improved race and ethnic relations while reducing xenophobia.

He said the fourth theme dealt with state-society relations in the development process.  Over the past biennium, UNRISD had sponsored a number of studies of civil society exploring subjects ranging from the creation of a “global civil society” to analysis of the challenges faced by social movements. The final theme dealt with technology and society.  The UNRISD’s work in that area drew on case studies and debates at national and international levels, in order to explore ways to encourage more socially responsible applications of science and technology.

Over the last two years, he said, UNRISD had intensified its follow up of a number of United Nations conferences on social development.  A considerable amount of his organization’s research had been in response to those conferences, which had identified issues of global concern.  The largest of UNRISD’s projects evaluated progress  towards fulfilling the commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration –- namely to create an enabling environment for social development.  The findings were contained in a report called ‘Visible Hands:  Taking Responsibility for Social Development’.

Eight areas of policy and institutional reforms were explored in that report, he continued.  Those areas were:  attempts to integrate socio-economic policy; initiatives to improve the flow of resources for social development; democratization; public sector restructuring; efforts to strengthen corporate social responsibility; the role of civil society in service provision and international decision-making; attempts to make development more accountable to women; and the promotion of people-centred development. 

He went on to say that the report concluded that during the past decade there had been far too much confidence in the ‘invisible hand’ of an unregulated market and too little understanding of the necessary relation between public policy, the market and development.  Until governments and public-spirited citizens reasserted their rights to orient socio-economic policy towards more inclusive and egalitarian goals, the central commitments of the Social Summit were unlikely to be met.  He also outlined a number of other reports produced by his organization on institutional arrangements for social integration, social policy in West Africa, research related to Geneva 2000 and on the Women

2000 review process. 

He said the Institute was also involved in a new special activity through which it hoped to contribute to the work of the broader United Nations system.  It was concerned with improving research and knowledge on social development

within international organizations.  In conclusion, he said the Institute was still inadequately funded given the breadth of its mandate.  He urged members to contribute to its funding.

ASITH KUMAR BHATTACHARJEE (India) said that United Nations agencies or non-governmental bodies were the main source of most of the data contained in the report.  It contained errors in statistical representation, particularly with regard to the Asian region.

Mr. MKANDAWIRE replied that one of the Institute's major problem's was the dissemination of its publications.  Regarding data, there was an effort to make the data comparative.

Nominations

Ms. INNERARITY (Jamaica), Commission Chairperson, then called for nominations for five new members to the Institute’s Board for a four-year term expiring on 30 June 2005.  They would replace outgoing members Bjorn Hettne, Jonathan Moore, Harris Mule, Frances Stewart and Valery Tishkov.

In addition, the Chairperson called upon the Commission either to extend the terms of Heba Handoussa, Marcia Rivera and Gita Sen for an additional two years, expiring on 30 June 2005, or to nominate new members to replace them for a four-year term.

She noted that Graca Machel had indicated that she would not seek renomination for a further two years and that the term of Jacques Baudot would expire in June 2003.  Therefore, if the Commission decided to renominate Heba Handoussa, Marcia Rivera and Gita Sen, given that Mr. Baudot's term would expire in June 2003, there were six vacancies to be filled.

The Commission then renominated Heba Handoussa (Egypt), Marcia Rivera (United States) and Gita Sen (India) for a further two-year term until 30 June 2003.

It then nominated the following as new board members for a four-year term until June 2005:  Sir Tony Atkinson (United Kingdom), Jean-Paul Fitousi (France), Anna Hedborg (Sweden), Amina Mama (Nigeria), Adele Smith Simmons (United States) and Jomo Kwame Sudaram (Malaysia).

They would replace Bjorn Hettne, Jonathan Moore, Harris Mule, Frances Stewart and Valery Tishkov, as well as the vacancy by Graca Machel's decision not to seek renomination.

[The appointment of those nominated is subject to confirmation by the Economic and Social Council.]

The Commission's next meeting will be announced.

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