COHERENT, COORDINATED POLICIES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD, AS SUBSTANTIVE SESSION BEGINS

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Third Committee

2^nd & 3^rd Meetings (AM & PM)

COHERENT, COORDINATED POLICIES NEEDED TO ACHIEVE SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT,

THIRD COMMITTEE TOLD, AS SUBSTANTIVE SESSION BEGINS

Short-Term Economic Considerations Distract International

Community from Tackling Social Objectives, Under-Secretary-General Says

The urgent need to achieve international, regional and national social development through coherent and coordinated policies, emerged as one of the core messages of delegations, as the General Assembly’s Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) began its substantive work today.

Addressing the Third Committee for the first time in the capacity as Under-Secretary-General for the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), José Antonio Ocampo, expressed concern that recent mediocre growth of the world economy had impeded progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.  Furthermore, the inevitable preoccupation with short-term economic considerations had distracted the international community from tackling the long-term -– largely social -– development objectives of the Millennium Declaration.

To meet the Millennium Development Goals, it was essential to shed the prevailing hierarchical approach to economic and social policies, in which the economic dimension was considered “hard” and the social “soft”.  To eradicate poverty and enhance equity, it was necessary to reconcile economic growth, employment generation and active social policies.  As a guardian of the social agenda, the Third Committee had a special responsibility to ensure that this agenda was better understood and more effectively translated into action, he concluded.

Also addressing the Committee was Johan Scholvinck, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development of DESA, who introduced the eight reports of the Secretary-General before the Committee on social development issues.  He echoed the Committee’s role in confronting poverty and income disparities and stressed that “tackling poverty could not be left to the pursuit of economic policies alone”.  He called for the integration of social development goals into economic policies.

Speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, the representative of Morocco said that although ensuring social development was primarily the responsibility of governments, developing countries needed international assistance in addressing the plight of poverty.  Economic and social policies must be consistent to leverage growth and economic progress, while focusing development on the well-being of the population and its social needs, such as health and education.

He added that to attain social development goals, there must be a substantial increase in official development assistance to fulfil the commitment of 0.7 per cent of gross national product of developed countries going towards development.

The representative of Benin reiterated the difficulties faced by the 34 least developing countries in attaining social development and stressed the need for the international community to assess the impact of both national and international economic and social policies.

The need for coherence of policies on goals and objectives of social development; coherence of social policies and economic policies; and coherence between national and international cooperation for development policies, was stressed by the representative of Indonesia.  Such coherence must exist not only in the form of policy-making on social development, but also in policy implementation and follow-up activities.

Following the presentation of the Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development, several speakers raised concern about the work of the United Nations on family issues.  As the family was the basic unit of society, speakers stressed the need to maintain and strengthen the family focal point and not disband it.

Mr. Scholvinck responded to questions raised and assured members that the work on family issues would not be discontinued.  The Division was placing the family –- an institution of society -– into a broader discussion on how to improve social protection and development of individuals, families and communities.

Also speaking today were the representatives of Italy (speaking on behalf of the European Union), Brazil, Switzerland, Peru (speaking on behalf of the Rio Group), Venezuela, Cuba, Botswana (speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community), Egypt, Denmark, Uruguay (speaking on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) Group of countries), Mexico, Australia, Lebanon, China, Jordan, Japan, and the Russian Federation.

Representatives of the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), the International Labour Organization (ILO), and the World Bank also addressed the Committee today.

The Committee will reconvene at 10 a.m. Tuesday, 7 October, to continue its consideration of issues related to social development.

Background

The Third Committee of the General Assembly (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) today is expected to consider the following three Assembly agenda items:  the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly; social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled people and the family; and follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons -– Second World Assembly on Ageing.

On the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development, the Committee will have before it a report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly (document A/58/172) which focuses on two broad themes –- the coherence of policies to promote social development, and participation and partnership as objectives and means of social development.  The report contains a brief analysis of the recommendations made by the Commission for Social Development at its forty-first session on the priority theme “National and international cooperation for social development”, as well as an assessment of the issues addressed and recommendations to the General Assembly.  The recommendations made by the Commission for Social Development on national and international cooperation for social development emphasize the importance of coherent and participatory policies to further social development goals.  Policy coherence requires a better understanding of the direct importance of the promotion of a culture of conflict prevention and peace for social development.

There is also a letter dated 14 July 2003 from the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General (document A/58/204) transmitting the final communiqué and declaration adopted by the thirty-fourth meeting of the Chairmen/Coordinators of the Chapters of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, held in Geneva on 26 and 27 June 2003.

On social development issues, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family, the Committee has before it several reports.

A report of the Secretary-General on the review and appraisal of the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons (document A/58/61) reports on progress in implementing Assembly resolution 56/115 on this topic; reviews and assesses policy and programme trends from the disability perspective since the last review; and submits recommendations for the further implementation of the goals of the World Programme of Action –- full equality and participation of persons with disabilities in social life and development.

The review concludes that governments are strongly committed to the equalization of opportunities and to the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of development.  However, the advancement of persons with disabilities in a broad human rights framework will require fresh thinking and approaches based on practices that contribute to purposeful action and concrete results in equalizing opportunities.

Recommendations are also submitted on policy options to promote the rights of disabled persons in the context of development; substantive aspects of mainstream approaches to the equalization of opportunities; and improved coordination of activities of the United Nations system to promote the advancement of persons with disabilities in the context of development.

A note by the Secretary-General on the preparations for and observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2004 (document A/58/67) states that the Secretary-General has reported on these preparations through the Commission for Social Development and the Economic and Social Council (see document E/CN.5/2003/6).

A note by the Secretary-General on the World Youth Report 2003 (document A/58/79) explains that his review of and recommendations on the World Youth Forum’s structure, organization, participation, and process can be found in document E/CN.5/2003/4.

The Committee will also address a report of the Secretary-General on promoting youth employment (document A/58/229), which reviews progress achieved by the Youth Employment Network, discussing the context of youth employment and providing the results of a survey of the status of national action plans for youth employment in Member States.  It further provides information on the background of the Youth Employment Network and discusses its work and achievements to date.

The report also contains a summary of the outcome of the second meeting of the High-level Panel of the Youth Employment Network and concludes that since the launch of the Network, the urgency of providing young people with access to decent and productive work has grown.  The report further states that the Network has succeeded in demonstrating how diverse partners in the international community can work together to address the various dimensions of this challenge.  As the focus in the next phase of the Network’s activities is clearly on action at the country level, it is urgent that Member States submit their national reviews and action plans on youth employment by March 2004, and that steps be taken to mobilize, both nationally and internationally, the resources necessary for implementation of these action plans.

A report by the Secretary-General on cooperatives in social development (document A/58/159), reports on the progress achieved in the implementation of General Assembly resolution 56/114 of 2001, particularly concerning activities to promote a supportive environment for the development of cooperatives.  Also discussed are the contribution of cooperatives to poverty eradication, the generation of full and productive employment, and the enhancement of social integration.

The report offers concluding observations together with a summary of proposals to promote the development of cooperatives and a supportive environment for that development.  These include recommendations to strengthen national cooperative training and information centres; to strengthen the focus on integration; and to ensure that the United Nations provides further assistance for human resource development and technical advice and training through conferences, workshops and support for international cooperation.  In this regard, it was suggested that it might be necessary to provide specific United Nations funds for creating and developing cooperatives.

A report on the World Social Situation (document A/58/153), was released today.  A summary will be provided in tomorrow’s press release.

The Committee also has before it relevant chapters of the report of the Economic and Social Council (document A/58/3).

Discussing the follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons, the Committee will have before it the report of the Secretary-General on the follow-up to the Second World Assembly on Ageing (document A/58/160).  The report introduces the road map for the implementation of the Madrid International Plan on Ageing.  It also highlights the main gender dimensions of the Madrid Plan of Action, reviews progress in defining the modalities for the review and appraisal of the Plan and outlines major developments during the first year of the implementation process.  The report recommends that the General Assembly consider requesting the Statistical Commission to begin to develop modalities for disaggregating statistics on the basis of age and sex as soon as possible.

The report further advises the General Assembly to consider requesting United Nations organizations and specialized agencies to take up the issue of mainstreaming ageing in their work programmes and to report on their progress to the Commission for Social Development.  It stresses that opportunities for systematic attention to the gender aspects of ageing and the situation of older women should continue to be enhanced within the United Nations system.  Opportunities should also be explored for further coordination and collaboration between the Commission for Social Development, responsible for follow-up to the Madrid Plan of Action, and the Commission on the Status of Women on older women’s issues and in the framework of their multi-year work programmes.

Statements

JOSE ANTONIO OCAMPO, Under-Secretary-General, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), said the Third Committee was meeting at a time when the world economic recovery was gaining traction and the short-term outlook seemed promising.  Nevertheless, the mediocre growth of the world economy for the past two years had impeded progress towards the Millennium Development Goals.  Furthermore, the inevitable preoccupation with short-term economic considerations had distracted Member States from tackling the long-term -– largely social –- development objectives of the Millennium Declaration.

The challenge must be to ensure that growth was equitable, inclusive, pro-development and supportive of equality between men and women, he said.  To meet that challenge, an essential step was to shed the prevailing hierarchical approach to economic and social policies, in which the economic was considered “hard” and the social “soft”.  This approach must be replaced by one in which social development goals were fully and effectively integrated into economic policies.  To reduce poverty, eliminate extreme poverty and to enhance equity, social integration and gender equality, it was necessary to reconcile economic growth, employment generation and active social policies.

The links between social development and economic policies were multidimensional, he continued.  Social cohesion and an adequate accumulation of human capital by women and men were essential prerequisites for economic growth.  A sound macroeconomic environment was a necessary condition for a successful social policy.  There was now a consensus that macroeconomic instability was harmful for both growth and equity.  Social policies must focus on supporting an inclusive growth process.  The best social outcome was one in which women and men shared the benefits but also contributed to economic development.  Social policies contributed to both equity and growth when they sought to strengthen the weakest, to accommodate the less adapted, to endow the poorer agents and to reinsert the losers as active economic citizens.

He stressed that an improved social security system was a key element of an integrated approach to eradicating poverty and improving equity.  To be effective, these systems must provide for universal coverage and solidarity and cover basic risks in an integrated way, particularly those concerning nutrition, health, ageing and unemployment.  It was, however, important to recognize that in countries where the labour force was largely rural or informal, such schemes could only be developed gradually.

New institutions were required to support the development of integrated policy frameworks, he said.  These institutions were necessary to encourage social actors to speak for the poor, coordinate economic and social authorities, make the social effects of economic policy highly visible, and most importantly, effectively mainstream social objectives into economic policy-making.  The lack of such institutions was a deeply felt problem and a major impediment to progress in many countries.

Rising inequality was making the social integration goals of the World Social Summit all the more difficult to achieve, he said.  Yet it was essential that every effort be made to develop, reinforce and sustain institutions and mechanisms that encouraged social integration.  Social cohesion and solidarity were fundamental conditions of social progress and economic development.  Fuller progress in tackling the agenda of the World Social Summit would require a major effort at all levels –- national, regional and international -– in accepting, promoting and demanding that priority be given to more effective social investment efforts.  As guardians of the social agenda, the Third Committee had a special responsibility in ensuring this agenda was better understood and was effectively translated into action.

JOHAN SCHOLVINCK, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development of DESA, introduced the eight reports of the Secretary-General before the Committee.  He said this year’s report on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly focused on two themes:  policy coherence and partnership, which had emerged as core organizing principles of today’s development agenda.  The Commission for Social Development had stressed those two principles as a means of promoting consistent policies and maximizing opportunities for social and economic development in the context of globalization.

There were six reports on Social Development, including questions relating to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family, he said.  The report on disabled persons stressed that the advancement of equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities in a broad human rights framework would require innovative approaches.  A second report described preparations for observing the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2004 and encouraged governments to promote research on family-related issues and to formulate national strategies for enhancing the well-being of families.  The third and fourth reports reviewed the current global situation of young people, highlighting priority areas, such as youth employment, and made recommendations.

The Report on the World Social Situation, a collective effort of the staff of the Division for Social Policy and Development, focused on the theme of social vulnerability faced by youth, older people, persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and migrants.  The report puts forward policy challenges faced by national governments and the international community in order to reduce social vulnerability, noting that the most important sources of social vulnerability included:  income insecurity and poverty resulting from lack of employment opportunities, labour market exclusion and the destruction of traditional livelihood.

The report on ageing introduced the road map for the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, including recommendations for policy development that promoted an intergenerational approach that met the needs of all generations to discourage age-based discrimination.

Concluding, Mr. Scholvinck highlighted the Committee’s particular role in confronting poverty, and income disparities, adding that it was regrettable that those issues were not part of the work of the Third Committee.  “Tackling poverty cannot be left to the pursuit of economic policies alone”, he noted, calling for the integration of social development goals into economic policies.

MOHAMED BENNOUNA (Morocco), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that although some progress had been made worldwide in some areas of social development, a considerable amount of the global population still lived in difficult conditions characterized by increasing poverty, unemployment, unsanitary housing, and the spread of pandemics such as HIV/AIDS.  Even though most of the major United Nations Conferences and Summits in the economic and social spheres had endorsed the recommendations and commitments made in Copenhagen and Geneva, those were far from having been achieved.

He said the Group of 77 and China reiterated that although ensuring the development of their people was primarily the responsibility of governments, developing countries imperatively needed international assistance and solidarity to meet the challenges of poverty, marginalization and underdevelopment.

Creating a global environment conducive to overall development required the mobilization of stable and adequate financial resources; facilitating developing countries’ access to developed countries’ markets; technology transfers; national and international good governance; respect for human rights; gender equality and the participation of developing countries in international economic decision-making.  He said economic and social policies should be consistent in order to leverage the necessary means for growth and economic progress while focusing development on the well-being of the population and its social needs, such as health, education and poverty eradication.

The Group of 77 and China believed that employment strategies should be designed to achieve social and economic objectives such as the eradication of poverty, social integration, the development of economic networks, the promotion of gender equality, the promotion and respect of worker’s rights, and the increase of productivity in urban and rural areas.  Obviously, cooperation and partnerships with various civil society and private sector partners were necessary, he said.  To attain social development goals, setting up partnerships between developed and developing countries must result in a substantial increase of official development assistance (ODA), in order to fulfil the commitment of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for such assistance.

ANDREA CAVALLARI (Italy), on behalf of the European Union, said the Union continued to support the implementation of the commitments made at the Copenhagen Summit and at the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly to pursue the goals of eradicating poverty and promoting social development.  The European social model was based on good economic performance, a high level of social protection and education.  Full employment in the European Union was the core of the Lisbon Strategy and the essential goal of economic and social policies.

As the 2003 Spring European Council had reaffirmed, he said, the European Union was committed to a rights-based approach to development; gender equality; non-discrimination in the labour market with increased participation of women, immigrants, older people and young people; and social protection policies targeted to help and integrate underrepresented and disadvantaged groups.

Regarding the conclusions of the Commission for Social Development at its session in February 2003, he called on Member States to promote social development based on respect for human rights, the principle of good governance and the promotion of decent work and gender equality.  The European Union recognized the important role of the private sector in social development and stressed the value of “corporate social responsibility” as expressed in fair practices, respect for workers’ rights, decent working conditions and equal opportunity.  Special attention should be given to the Global Compact initiative and its nine universal principles.

Turning to the Millennium Development Goals, he said each country had primary responsibility for its own social and economic development.  He emphasized the role of national policies and development strategies in promoting good governance, respect for human rights and solid democratic institutions responsive to the real needs of people.  Social inclusion, without discrimination, was imperative, and the European Union considered employment and education as the best safeguards against social exclusion.

The European Union strongly supported the work of the International Labour Organization (ILO) in promoting a common approach to social development, he said.  Managing globalization required an integrated approach that encompassed social, economic, employment and environmental policies.  Globalization offered opportunities and positive challenges, as well as obstacles.

He said many developing countries had been undermined by a highly distorted international market in agriculture, and the European Union provided support to trade development and the competitiveness of rural economies.  It had developed a strategy to fight rural poverty by supporting economic policies to enable broad-based growth and ensure more equitable access to productive markets.

The European Union reaffirmed its commitment to the World Programme of Action for Youth and to the promotion of education, health, and employment for youth, he said.  Youth was a powerful resource that must be involved in the building of a new Europe.  The Union also attached great importance to the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, as the Union recognized the social, cultural, economic and political contribution of older persons to society.

HENRIQUE VALLE (Brazil) said his country was dedicated to advancing sound fiscal policy -– which Brazil recognized as indispensable to long-term, sustainable development –- without sacrificing immediate social goals.  Efforts to reform the economy had been paralleled by the launching of social projects, designed in accordance with the need to spend limited resources as efficiently as possible.  The Government had given priority to establishing and maintaining an extensive database on the country’s poor populations to certify that resources spent nominally to reduce poverty effectively reached those in need.  That initiative would enable the Government to ascertain the impact of its social programmes, including “Fome Zero” on hunger eradication and “Bolsa Escola” on stipends for low-income families to keep their children in schools.

Brazil welcomed the burgeoning attention given to matters such as the role of family units, ageing, disabled persons and youth, as it shed light on significant features of social development, he said.  On ageing, he informed the Committee of the recent adoption in Brazil of a new statute on the elderly, which addressed, among other issues, the need to ensure equal access to private health plans, as well as to public transport and leisure.  A fundamental aspect of promoting human rights for elderly or disabled persons was to create a social situation that offered opportunities for active engagement, enfranchising those groups as both beneficiaries and agents of the promotion of social development.  He encouraged the intersection of all those issues with others, such as gender equality, AIDS prevention, sexual orientation and poverty eradication to ensure balance and in the instruments emanating from the Assembly.

JEAN JACQUES ELMIGER (Switzerland) said his country was resolute in its commitment to promote social development.  Alone, Switzerland could do nothing.  All Member States together must share the commitment in order to effectively rise to the challenge of social development.  It was the primary responsibility of States to work for the promotion of democracy and human rights, and the strengthening of national and international cooperation was important.

He said there must be transparency in the management and financing of social development to ensure job creation and the enhancement of working conditions.  The private sector could uphold more values and commitments taken by States in the area of social development, even if States remained primarily responsible.  The voluntary participation of States in the Global Compact initiative was an encouraging sign.  Civil society and the private sector must together develop partnerships for the benefit of social development.  A great hope had emerged with establishment of NEPAD, which should serve as a model for sustainable development for other world regions.

MARCO BALAREZO, (Peru) speaking on behalf of the Rio Group of Latin American countries, said the international community must give priority attention to social development, the struggle against poverty, social exclusion and inequality.  At the same time, it must promote the convergence of economic and social policies.  Economic growth was not enough as a condition to reach development -- social development was essential to meet the needs and aspirations of people.

Social development demanded the fulfilment of responsibilities on the part of governments, he said.  The Monterrey Consensus recognized the responsibility of each nation regarding its own economic and social development.  It had recognized the link of national economies with the global economic system, and the fact that the success of national development efforts depended not only on the adoption of adequate politics on the part of governments but also on a favourable international economic environment.

Essential factors for a favourable international economic environment were direct foreign investment, international trade, sustainable financing of the external debt, official assistance for development and a greater coherence and coordination with the monetary, financial and commercial international systems.  The Rio Group believed that democracy, as well as economic and social development, were interdependent and mutually reinforcing.  In this context, the aggravation of poverty in the region in the past years, together with a serious and prolonged global economic stagnation, constituted a serious threat to social peace and democratic institutions.

Democracy and a transparent administration of all sectors of society were the central basis to achieve sustainable development.  Social development and social justice would not be attained without equal opportunities, social participation, peace and security, or human rights.  The Rio Group renewed its commitment to the Inter-American Democratic Charter as an instrument to promote development and the strengthening of democracy and citizen participation.

MILOS ALCALAY (Venezuela) said that to achieve full development and access to a better quality of life for all men and women it was essential to find the right balance between social development, economic growth and protection of the environment.  There had been many international summits that had addressed that issue, and the international community had recognized the part it must play in solving the many economic and social problems that afflicted human beings throughout the world.  The international community must work together to offset the negative impact of globalization, which had highlighted the differences between developed and developing countries.

The Government of Venezuela had adopted a national plan for economic and social development that sought to achieve social equilibrium based on improving the quality of life, health care and achieving a better distribution of wealth.  Venezuela had tried to create a new social and ethical order and had tried to increase public participation in working toward the collective interest.  The Government was trying to develop the country’s people so they could live in dignity.  It had also adopted laws to ensure access to credit for those most in need.  Venezuela had tried to ensure that land was used in sensible ways that would increase arable areas and to ensure that everyone benefited.

JORGE CUMBERBATCH MIGUEN (Cuba) said reality compelled the international community to carry out a serious analysis of the implementation of the Copenhagen commitments.  Despite public and private commitments and promises, 1.2 billion people were living on less that one dollar a day.  More than 10 million children died every year from preventable diseases; 1 billion people had no access to drinkable water; and 42 million were living with HIV/AIDS.  Most of those problems were encountered in developing countries that were still suffering from the looting that took place during colonialism.

However, there were also shameful pockets of poverty in developed countries, he said.  Governments of developed countries had not lived up to the commitments they made in Copenhagen.  In addition to decreasing official development assistance, developed countries were setting up barriers and obstacles for developing countries in the global economic environment.

The Government of Cuba had undertaken several initiatives aiming towards social development through projects targeting the youth and ageing and disabled people.  Such activities had been undertaken despite the almost 50-year-long economic embargo imposed on Cuba by a neighbouring State.  There had been a significant decrease in child mortality rates, increases in life expectancies and literacy rates, as well as increases in the number of people with access to drinkable water.  The third world was, however, facing a serious problem in achieving social development, which could only be achieved through international cooperation and respect.

A.M. DUBE (Botswana), on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said the Community still confronted serious poverty, with 40 per cent living on less than one dollar a day and many facing limited access to safe water and health services, as well as high infant mortality and illiteracy rates.  The SADC had recorded an improvement in the food security situation during 2003-2004 compared to the previous period but still faced acute food shortages due to droughts and floods.  On the whole, the economic performance of the Community remained fragile.  The breakdown of trade talks in Cancun and the failure to reach an agreement on the reduction of agricultural subsidies in developed countries was a major concern to the SADC.

He stressed that the Community was most seriously affected by the HIV/AIDS pandemic, whose impact was threatening the socio-economic gains made by the Community over the past two decades.  Human capital and public-health resources were under enormous strain, with the number of orphans growing at an alarming rate.  The Declaration on HIV/AIDS, adopted by the SADC heads of State and government in July 2003, highlighted the urgent attention needed in several priority areas, including improving treatment and prevention measures.  The SADC welcomed the latest developments in the World Trade Organization (WTO), which would allow countries without the capacity for pharmaceutical production to import cheaper generic drugs to combat the pandemic.

Regarding New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), SADC member States were committed to integrating NEPAD priorities in agriculture, health information, communication and infrastructure development into national development plans. The SADC also supported the proposed International Convention on the promotion and protection of the rights and dignity of disabled persons.  It recognized the vital contribution of older persons in keeping families and communities together in the face of HIV/AIDS and was committed to the mainstreaming of ageing into development programmes as a way of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

AMR MOHAMED ROSHDY (Egypt) said the international community had shown increased interest in social development since Copenhagen.  That had led to the consolidation of important international principles, such as the right to development.  Social development must include respect for cultural diversity between countries and cultures, and it would not be possible without adherence to the right to self-determination, including the right of peoples to exercise full sovereignty over their natural resources.

Foreign occupation and the denial of the right to self-determination hindered moves towards social development, he said.  It was, therefore, necessary for the United Nations to address how to achieve social development in countries under foreign occupation.  Prior to examining levels of social development in the world, the United Nations must examine the freedom of human beings.

CAMILLA BLOMQUIST (Denmark) said that as a youth delegate in the Danish delegation, she believed the solution for further integration, peace and human dignity rested with the world’s youth.  Young people had valuable contributions to make in strengthening their communities and were a cornerstone for bringing about change.  An integrated youth strategy was needed to ensure better cooperation between United Nations programmes, governments and young people.

The World Youth Report 2003 reflected a vague position of the youth in the United Nations.  Its recommendations lacked true action and the evaluation of the World Youth Forum could have been more forward-looking.  Most important it did not reflect on the need to strengthen the youth agenda within the United Nations.

As a first priority, she recommended the development of a proper monitoring and evaluation mechanism.  The second task should be to work for a youth event parallel to the General Assembly, which would provide a forum for showing world leaders the special challenges facing today’s youth.  Thirdly, cooperation between youth coordinators from different United Nations agencies and programmes must be reinforced.

The Millennium Declaration, the most important compact ever between rich and poor, should also be seen as a compact between generations that would aim to change the living conditions between young and old people, she said.  It was important to discuss how youth could play a stronger role in ensuring the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals.

The world’s attention was seldom drawn to the particular challenges facing youth, and there was not enough statistical evidence relating to the problems of young people, she said.  Of the crucial areas where youth must be given special attention, HIV was probably the most urgent.  There were 11.8 million young people living with HIV/AIDS, and more than half of the newly infected were between 15 and 24 years old.  Governments must show renewed commitment to engage in the fight against HIV/AIDS, enforce young people’s right to sexual education at schools and provide access to protection against sexually transmitted disease.

FELIPE H. PAOLILLO (Uruguay), speaking on behalf of the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR) Group of countries (Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Paraguay), said there was a need for coherence in social development policies, and the principles and objectives established during the World Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen provided a sound starting point.  People-centred social development could, however, only be achieved in environments that upheld human rights principles.

The MERCOSUR had joint efforts in addressing many social development issues, both nationally and regionally, particularly concerning the eradication of poverty, he said.  Policies on health and education targeted the rights of the child, as well as the rights of vulnerable groups.  Measures had also been adopted to address the needs of marginalized sectors, such as children, elderly persons, and people with disabilities, aiming to involve them in the development process.

The major conferences held by the United Nations since the year 2000 had addressed issues related to social development, he said.  The MERCOSUR Group stressed the importance of national and international development cooperation, through technology transfers, human resources training, and increased official development assistance.

LUIS ALFONSO DE ALBA (Mexico) said the fifty-eighth session of the General Assembly held special challenges for the Third Committee to address the concerns of people with disabilities and older people.  From Mexico’s perspective, social development could be achieved only with the participation of all sectors of society without exclusion of anybody.  All people, including older persons and persons with disabilities, must participate in the building of a more equitable society.

One of the most important steps Mexico had taken on a national level to eliminate discrimination addressed the vulnerability of a number of groups.  The law in question identified existing administrative and legislative gaps and entailed the establishment of a national council to prevent discrimination.  Holistic and comprehensive criteria were necessary to link human dignity with social and economic development.

Regarding older persons, he said it was indispensable to incorporate the ageing perspective into national strategies for development and for poverty eradication.  Mexico would like to further promote the development of older adults by promoting their active life as individuals without discrimination and enhancing their autonomy and participation in the planning of policies affecting them.

ADAM SMITH (Australia) said today’s young people lived in an uncertain and rapidly changing world.  While on the surface issues for young people around the world appeared incredibly different, they were fundamentally the same.  Young people everywhere wanted to feel safe, valued and respected.  Australia was a fortunate nation –- rich in social values and goodwill.  However, the community did not always know how to best engage, challenge and inspire young people.

Some older Australians were particularly receptive to fear-based media reports about young people, exacerbated by a lack of understanding, he said.  Research had shown that young people benefited from having a strong, positive relationship with at least one significant adult outside of their family.  While protecting children and young people was paramount, youth also needed to be exposed to perceptions and ideals of people of all backgrounds and of all generations.

The Australian Government was a driving force in many initiatives that aimed to give a voice to children and young people, celebrate their achievements and promote greater community connectedness and youth empowerment, he said.  The Foundation for Young Australians was another key stakeholder in creating opportunities for young people as equal members of society, with a shared responsibility for creating a world that elicited the best from each individual.  It was important to recognize the value in engaging with young people and acknowledge the fact that while they might represent less than 18 per cent of the Australian population, they were 100 per cent of its future.

SAMI ZEIDAN (Lebanon) said Lebanon upheld the value of human potential and had constantly strived to improve conditions conducive to social development.  Attaching great importance to youth employment and the need to target youth for increasing employment opportunities, Lebanon was preparing a National Action Plan for youth employment in 2004.

Lebanon also attached great importance to the rights of disabled persons, especially in the aftermath of a long war that had resulted in an increase in the number of persons with disabilities, he said.  The parliament had passed a law in June 2000 affirming its commitment to safeguard their rights and dignity.

Lebanon looked forward to participating actively in the Working Group of the Ad Hoc Committee on a Comprehensive and Integral International Convention on Persons with Disabilities.  He hoped the drafting process would lead to an effective instrument that embodied a rights-based approach to the plight of disabled persons, with special consideration given to their particular concerns in developing countries.

ZHANG YISHAN (China) said promoting the coordinated economic and social development and achieving common prosperity had always been the shared aspiration and pursuit of all people.  While the international community had been intensifying its efforts and had made continuous steady progress in this regard since the Summit on Social Development and the special session of the General Assembly on Social Development, human development was still faced with formidable challenges.  Non-traditional security issues such as poverty, environmental degradation, unemployment, drugs, transnational crime, HIV/AIDS and outbreaks of other infectious diseases had increasingly come to the fore, with some becoming more urgent than ever.

He made three observations on how to promote social development in a balanced and coordinated way.  First, international cooperation must be strengthened to eradicate poverty.  The international community must join efforts to prevent situations where the rich became richer and the poor became poorer.  Secondly, efforts were required to further promote the coordination of economic and social development.  Social stability and progress constituted an important foundation for economic development, whereas economic prosperity offered a strong guarantee for social progress.  They were mutually complementary and neither could be neglected.

Thirdly, it was necessary to strengthen capacity-building in global public health, he said.  Capacity-building in public health was essential for the achievement of successful and healthy economic and social development of countries.  The Chinese delegation would submit during this session a draft resolution entitled “Strengthening capacity-building in global public health”, which he hoped would enjoy the support of Member States.

JOEL WASSI ADECHI (Benin) said that social development remained a great challenge to the 34 least developing countries.  There had been some progress concerning health and access to clean drinking water; however, there were still obstacles impeding the achievement of development.  It was gratifying that the international community was beginning to understand the complexities of poverty, including the need to assess the impact of economic and social policies, and he stressed the importance of the family and the community as development agents.

A sectoral approach had allowed addressing some aspects related to the family; however, a more holistic approach was required when looking at the traditional family unit, he said.  Yet, the international community had failed from reaching consensus on what comprised a family unit.  It was important to look at the real issues in order to find suitable solutions to that impasse.

Social development policies must stress the importance of the family as a unit, he said.  The family unit was crucial on many levels, including methods of addressing HIV/AIDS, as well as conflict resolution and peace-building.  The lack of definition that the family unit was currently facing must not impede the international community from aiming to strengthen and support the family unit.  The United Nations division concerning family issues was not receiving enough support or enough resources.  It was suggested that an Ad Hoc Group be established to assess the future operations of that division with a view to strengthen it.  This would be an opportunity for the international community to give the family unit its due attention.

SIGIT WARDONO (Indonesia) said his country supported the Secretary-General’s recommendations regarding:  the coherence of policies relating to the goals and objectives of social development; coherence and integration of social policies and economic policies; and coherence between national and international cooperation for development policies.  That coherence must exist not only in the form of policy-making on social development, but it must also exist in the form of actual implementation and follow-up activities.  Development was the utmost responsibility of each government.  Without international support and cooperation, however, one could not successfully overcome the challenges to meeting social development objectives.

He emphasized that the implementation of targets contained in Millennium Development Goal 8 on global partnerships for development required the creation of a trading and financial system that was rule-based, predictable and non-discriminatory.  The needs of least developing countries also should be addressed, including the debt problem of developing countries; access to affordable, essential drugs and available benefits for new technology and information and communications technology.

The international community must create an enabling environment conducive to development, he said.  Such an environment must address the concerns of developing countries to allow them to achieve poverty eradication, universal primary education, promote gender equality and the empowerment of women, reduce child mortality, improve maternal health, combat HIV/AIDS and other diseases, encourage sustainable development, create employment and achieve social integration.

MU’TAZ HYASSAT (Jordan) said that despite the vital role played by families as the nucleus of society, there was a major need to assess the relationship between social development and the family.  Greater importance must be attached to the family and its role on social development issues.  Greater emphasis should be placed on researching that relationship.

Regarding disabled persons, the United Nations should continue to promote their rights, and Jordan supported the creation of a working group leading to a convention to protect those rights.

Older persons were a considerable source of production and activities and possessed a wealth of psychological and other resources, he said.  Greater efforts should be taken to ensure the implementation of the Madrid Action Plan for older persons.

AKIKO TEJIMA (Japan) said the diverse issues of social development addressed by the United Nations were challenges for developing and developed countries alike.  All countries were in pursuit of better lives and well-being for all members of society –- the aim of social development.  Both national efforts and efficient international cooperation were essential to attain them.

The Government of Japan reaffirmed its determination to steadily implement the outcomes of the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, she said.  Japan would create an equitable and sustainable social security system where people could be confident that their lives would be lived in health and safety.  The Government had been making efforts, including reform and reformulation of domestic systems and policies, to address social development issues and to do so from a number of perspectives.

Japan appreciated the road map for implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing presented in the Secretary-General’s report, she said.  Japan supported the idea that mainstreaming ageing and capacity-building were major facets of the national implementation process.  The people of Japan now enjoyed the longest life expectancy in the world, exceeding 80 years, and the number of persons over 100 years of age now exceeded 20,000.  Japan had, therefore, been revising its socio-economic system and had initiated reforms of its pensions and medical-care system, hoping they were consistent with the road map.

DIMITRY KNYAZHINSKIY (Russian Federation) said the implementation of social development policies must lead to a reduction in poverty.  In the Russian Federation, there was currently a plan for forming a more effective social services system.  He expressed appreciation for the important work of the Commission on Social Development and hoped that it would remain the main coordination body on issues related to disabled persons, ageing, and youth, in order to improve social situations throughout the world.  That would have to include targeted assistance to developing and emerging economies.

Concerning a comprehensive convention on the rights of disabled persons, he stressed that the Russian Federation supported the ongoing deliberations and wanted to take part in further consultations on that important issue.

A National Committee on Disabilities had been established in the Russian Federation, and the year 2003 had been proclaimed the Year for Disabled Persons, he said.  Draft plans had also been completed on the federal events that were to take place in connection with the tenth anniversary of the Year of the Family.  The Committee was informed of a programme under way assisting young and low-income families, as well as recent reforms in the pension system.  For the first time, the population could decide for themselves what kind of investments they wanted to make for their pensions.

KUL GAUTAM, Deputy Executive Director of the United Nation’s Children’s Fund (UNICEF), said that questions related to the family were of special relevance to UNICEF’s mission.  While incomes for many families had increased since the Year of the Family in 1994, a large number remained in poverty, and disparities between rich and poor were rising.

With increasing urbanization, globalization and the impact of HIV/AIDS, families faced new stresses, he said.  More than 13 million children had lost one or both parents because of HIV/AIDS.  In the past decade, more than 1 million children had been orphaned or separated from their families as a direct result of war.  In central and eastern Europe, the number of children being raised in institutions now exceeds 2 million and the numbers continue to grow.

The UNICEF recognized that the best environment for raising children was within a strong, loving, supportive family and that fulfilling the rights of children and women was essential to having strong families, he continued.  This meant encouraging gender equity and promoting responsible fatherhood, shared parenting, and ensuring women’s rights under the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women.  States could support families in many ways:  making health services more accessible; developing skills and capacities of families; removing barriers to the active involvement of fathers; and supporting the legal status of women as mothers, wives, heads of households and community leaders.

The UNICEF’s action plan for the International Year of the Family included efforts to strengthen families, to support initiatives for data collection and advocacy on family issues, and to devise ways of helping children without families, he concluded.

JOHN LANGMORE, Director, International Labour Organization (ILO), said that despite widespread rhetorical commitment to equitable economic and social development, there had commonly been conflict between national macro-economic policies and social goals, in both developing and developed countries.  The long-term social development objectives and their concomitant policies were increasingly made subordinate to short-term economic policy agendas, with the risk that coherence between those policies would be tenuous at best or lost at worst.  Among the reasons was that global economic and financial interdependence had reduced the scope for national independent policy action.  Yet, at the same time as increasing economic and financial interdependence reduced the capacity for countries acting alone to focus on those goals, it also increased capacity for effective collective decision-making by international society to work toward those objectives.

He said a recent study had concluded that there was still scope in many countries for strengthening the engagement of parliaments and groups like trade unions, business organizations, churches and community associations in discussion of national poverty reduction strategy.  Also, reducing the global democratic deficit would likely contribute to greater policy coherence, as electoral preferences received more attention than ideological positions or special interests.

JUDITH EDSTROM, sector manager of social development for the World Bank, said the attack on the United Nations headquarters in Baghdad had dispelled the notion that a commitment to deliver on poverty reduction and the Millennium Development Goals would assuage the sense of social exclusion and imbalance in global equity that many of the world’s people, especially its young people, felt.

The World Bank’s president had said that the world must be “rebalanced” to provide equal rights for women, rights for disabled and disadvantaged persons and the right to a clean environment.  The goals set to achieve development effectively could be met without fully embedding social dimensions of development to create societies that enabled people to achieve their aspirations.  Economic development must go hand in hand with social development, and together, create a circle based on a positive climate for investment and “pro-poor growth”.

Regarding vulnerable groups, inclusion was a pillar of effective development and must entail bringing people into society who have been marginalized and who have faced discrimination.  The World Bank was increasingly working on inclusion, protection and empowerment for youth, older persons and people with disabilities.  The World Bank joined with others to pledge support for the values of the United Nations and welcomed views on its strategic directions.

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