FORUM ON FINANCING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 7-8 FEBRUARY

                                                            Note No. 5707

                                                            6 February 2002

Note to Correspondents

FORUM ON FINANCING SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 7-8 FEBRUARY

The first meeting of the International Forum for Social Development, an initiative of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), will be held on the 7-8 February at United Nations Headquarters, prior to the opening of the fortieth session of the Commission for Social Development, taking place from 11 to 21 February.

The two-day event will start at 9:30 a.m. on 7 February in the Economic and Social Council Chamber.  The forum, which will focus on the theme “Financing Global Social Development”, will feature about 50 personalities from governments, international and regional organizations, the private sector and civil society. The Forum aims to generate dialogue and ideas that will contribute to promoting social development by reorienting the globalization process towards an inclusive and equitable society.  It seeks to address current questions and problems faced by developing countries in a social and long-term perspective.

Background

Globalization, accompanied by a wave of trade liberalization and privatization, presents new challenges as countries strive to promote the well-being of their citizens.  Increasingly, there is concern that globalization, while producing extraordinary wealth in the private sector, has not generated the necessary resources for social development.

Over the last decade, United Nations Member States have agreed upon specific international targets, such as reducing the proportion of people living in poverty by half before 2015, and there are goals to reduce hunger and provide safe drinking water.

The International Forum for Social Development is part of the efforts of the United Nations to implement the agreements reached by its members at the global conferences of the last decades of the twentieth century, notably the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995 and the Millennium Summit convened in New York in 2000.  The Forum could also be of relevance to the Conference on Financing for Development, which is working to put development needs at the centre of the financial world, and the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is working to launch development initiatives that promote economic growth, social development, and environmental protection.

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The Forum, which will consist of an open symposium followed by a smaller and closed seminar, will grapple with questions concerning whether more resources are necessary temporarily, or whether there needs to be a permanent mechanism.  It will also explore the economic, political and moral rationales for transferring resources from affluent to poor social groups and countries.

Note:  For further information, please contact Dan Shepard, Department of Public Information, (212) 963-7704; e-mail shepard@un.org.

Provisional list of Participants

Ms. Gemma Adaba, International Confederation of Free Trade Unions

Mr. Tony Addison, UNU/WIDER (World Institute for Development Economics Research), Finland

Mr. Qazi Faruque Ahmed, International Council for Social Welfare

Mr. Khalid Alioua, University of Casablanca, Former Minister, Morocco

Mr. Reynaldo Bajraj, Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Mrs. Barbara Baudot, Triglav Circle

Mr. Tony Colman, Member of Parliament, United Kingdom

Mr. Eduardo Doryan, The World Bank

Mr. José Carlos García Fajardo, Complutense University of Madrid, Spain

Mr. Oded Grajew, Instituto Ethos, Brazil

Ms. Eva-Maria Hanfstaengl, International Cooperation for Development and Solidarity

Ms. Sheena Hanley, Education International

Mr. Huang Ping, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, China

Mrs. Faith Innerarity, Chairperson of the Commission for Social Development

Mr. Anders B. Johnsson, Inter-Parliamentary Union

Ms. Jacqulyn Joseph, Caribbean Community Secretariat

Mr. Sergey Kapitza, Russian Academy of Sciences, Russian Federation

Mr. Martin Khor, Third World Network

Mr. John Langmore, International Labour Organization

Ms. Linda Low, National University of Singapore

Mr. Jens Erik Lund, The Copenhagen Centre, Denmark

Mr. Marcelo Mariano, World Social Forum

Mr. Peter Marris, Yale University, United States

Mr. Diarmuid Martin, Permanent Observer Mission of the Holy See to the United Nations in Geneva

Mr. Francois-Xavier Merrien, Université de Lausanne, Switzerland

Mr. Thandika Mkandawire, United Nations Research Institute for Social Development

Mr. Rogate R. Mshana, World Council of Churches

Mr. Goenawan Susatyo Mohamad, MBM TEMPO, Indonesia

Mr. Reinhard Munzberg, International Monetary Fund

Mr. Saad Nagi, Ohio State University, United States

Mr. Salim Nasr, Lebanese Center for Policy Studies, Lebanon

Mr. Deepak Nayyar, University of Delhi, India

Mr. Poul Nielson, Commissioner, European Commission

Mr. Abdul Magid Osman, Banco Comercial e de Investimentos, Mozambique

Mr. Ablassé Ouedraogo, World Trade Organization

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Mr. Heikki Patomäki, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom

Mr. Kwame Pianim, New World Investment Ltd., Ghana

Ms. Vijaya Ramachandran, The World Bank

Mr. David Reed, World Wildlife Fund

Mr. Koos Richelle, European Commission

Mr. Cameron Smith, Journalist, Canada

Mr. Willy Thys, World Confederation of Labour

Mr. Tu Weiming, Harvard University, United States

Mr. M. Suheyl Umar, Iqbal Academy, Pakistan

Mr. John Weeks, University of London, United Kingdom

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