SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION URGED TO APPROVE SUPPLEMENT TO BROADEN, ENHANCE EXISTING RULES ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

Commission for Social Development                          

Forty-Second Session                                       

6^th & 7^th Meetings (AM & PM)                                 

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION URGED TO APPROVE SUPPLEMENT TO BROADEN,

ENHANCE EXISTING RULES ON PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

With international civil society driving the disability movement as a force for global social change, and with United Nations Member States entering final negotiations on an international convention to protect the rights of persons with disabilities, the United Nations’ top expert on the issue today urged the Commission on Social Development to approve a set of measures that would strengthen existing safeguards for that often overlooked segment of society.

Hessa Al-Thani, the Commission’s Special Rapporteur on Disability, said that over the past decade there had been steady progress towards identifying disability as a central focus of human rights efforts.  That evolution, guided by the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities, had led to increased United Nations -– as well as government and civil society –- promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities in law and policy.

And while the Rules had heretofore served as an authoritative guide for Member States to implement disability programming and develop national policies to ensure that persons with disabilities were mainstreamed into the economic, social, cultural, civil and political life in their communities, it had become clear that they needed to be broadened and enhanced to more effectively address issues like women and children with disabilities, and integration of persons with developmental disabilities into society.

So, Ms. Al-Thani urged the approval of a Supplement to the Rules, which would not diminish them, but would create opportunities to better monitor issues that had received inadequate attention, such as personnel training, violence and abuse, and health and medical care. If the Supplement was adopted, she proposed an initial focus on gender, children with disabilities, an adequate standard of living, poverty alleviation and developmental psychiatric disabilities.  She added that neither the Supplement nor the Rules themselves precluded the necessity of an international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.

During the discussion that followed, speakers from several civic groups representing persons with disabilities also urged the Commission to move quickly to approve the Supplement. The urgent situation facing their communities should not and could not wait for protections during the time it would take to bring the Convention into force.  One developmentally disabled speaker, who had been institutionalized some 15 years, was proud to say that he now trained individuals working with disabled people.  He warned that the Millennium Development Goals could not be reached if people with disabilities were ignored.  Disabled people were not sick and should not be treated as such, but they did at times require health cares services, and should have fair access to those services, he said.  

Delegations taking the floor also addressed a number of issues related to persons with disabilities, as well as other social groups, including families, young people and the elderly.  Many described their national efforts to implement the International Action Plan on Ageing, adopted in Madrid in 2002, stressing, among other things, the need to ensure that older persons were integrated into all sectors of their communities.  One speaker from the developing world cautioned against governments becoming trapped in an endless cycle of surveys, mini-surveys and focus groups on ageing.  Stakeholders should attain the data needed in the shortest possible time in order to ensure successful implementation. 

Also today, the Commission heard briefings on technical cooperation by Peter Gudgeon and Fatiah Serour, two Interregional Advisers in the Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).  Johan Scholvinck, Director of the Division, introduced the experts, saying that while DESA was not an operational entity, it was interested in normative and research work, and provided technical assistance and advisory services.  Its capacity to bring normative agreements to the field level, or make analytical work operational, was increasingly being used by governments.

The Commission began its work in the afternoon with a briefing from Vice-Chair Ivana Grollova (CzechRepublic), who introduced a draft outcome document on the session’s priority theme on improving public sector effectiveness.

Participating in the general discussion were the representatives of Ireland (speaking on behalf of the European Union), Zambia, China, Mexico, Bangladesh, Japan, Central African Republic, Kazakhstan, Algeria, Bulgaria, Venezuela, Russian Federation and Jamaica.

The observer for the Holy See also addressed the Commission, as did the representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

The representatives of Jamaica, Zambia and Senegal participated in the dialogue with the Interregional Advisers from the Division for Social Policy and Development.

The Commission will reconvene at 10 a.m., Monday, 9 February, to continue and conclude its consideration of the follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and the twenty-forth special session of the General Assembly and review of the relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups.

Background

The Commission on Social Development met this morning to continue its forty-second session.  It was expected to begin consideration and review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of special groups, with an oral report from its Special Rapporteur on Disability.  [For further information on the session, see Press Release SOC/4636 of 3 February 2004.]

Presentation by Special Rapporteur on Disabilities

HESSA AL-THANI, Special Rapporteur on Disability, said that over the past 10 years there had been steady progress towards identifying disability as a central focus of human rights.  That evolution had led to increased United Nations -– as well as governments and civil society –- promotion of the rights of persons with disabilities in law and policy.

She said that during this time, the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities had served as an authoritative guide for Member States to implement disability programming and develop national plans and policies to ensure that persons with disabilities were brought from the margins of society and mainstreamed into the economic, social, cultural, civil and political life in their communities.  The Special Rapporteur was mandated to monitor implementation of the Standard Rules, she said, applauding the work of her predecessor Mr. Bengt Lindqvist, who had held the post until her appointment last June.

After reviewing Mr. Lindqvist’s activities and efforts to strengthen the human rights focus and perspective of the Standard Rules, raise the profile of the situation of women and children with disabilities, and his proposed Supplement to broaden and enhance the Rules, Ms. Al-Thani told the Commission that after her appointment she had established an Office in Doha, Qatar as her base of operations.  She went on to highlight her activities thus far, including her consultations with the ad hoc committee on the development of an international convention on the rights of disabled persons.

She went on to say that she had participated in the most recent subregional meeting of the World Blind Union, and this past September, had travelled to Beirut to meet with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA), the International Labour Organization (ILO) and other human rights organizations concerned with disability issues.  She stressed that, in all her travels, she had been heartened and excited by the interest the international civil society had been according disability issues.  The disability movement was becoming a global force for change, with increased collaboration among disability groups and governments, and between the disability community and the human rights community.

Turning to the Supplement to the Standard Rules proposed by the former Special Rapporteur, she said that as the Commission took up the issue during its current session, delegations should recognize that such an addition not only added important content to the Rules, but created opportunities to better monitor issues that had received inadequate attention such as personnel training, violence and abuse, social access, “invisible” disabilities and health and medical care.  Those and other issues should be integrated in the general implementation and monitoring system of the Rules, but at the same time should receive priority attention so that frameworks for their implementation could be identified quickly.

While all the topics addressed in the proposed Supplement were of equal importance, adequately addressing them would be an enormous undertaking, requiring human and financial resources that were not immediately available.  If the Supplement was adopted, she proposed an itital focus on specific issues of children with disabilities, gender, adequate standard of living, poverty alleviation and developmental psychiatric disabilities.  The goal would be to help identify what could be done at both the United Nations level and in national policy and legislation.

The first step would be to liase with focal points within the United Nations system in order to foster coordination and cooperation.  Next, it would be important to identify non-governmental organizations with special expertise in those issues, seeking their advice and collaboration on the development of proposed initiatives to be undertaken by States.  Overall, she said the adoption of the Supplement would be an important step in ensuring that the Rules addressed issues that had emerged during more recent decades.  But the Supplement and the Rules themselves should not undercut the necessity of an international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities, she added.

She urged the Commission to increase its efforts to promote the Standard Rules as a tool to assist governments who were responsible for implementing human rights treaties, as well as the various committees monitoring implementation.  The Commission must also look ahead to the role of the Rules once a convention was finalized.  The Rules were a “very different” type of instrument, which provide an action-oriented set of guidelines for policy making and programme development.  The convention, on the other hand, would focus on the human rights principles that would underlie the policies.  She concluded her report with a highlight of several priorities for the coming year, including increased efforts to promote the visibility of the Rules, and continued collaboration between governments and organizations of persons with disabilities.

Statements

RICHARD RYAN (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, said the various events marking the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family should lead to specific outcomes, including a renewed recognition of the role of families in all their forms; a clear focus on how families have been affected by profound social, political, economic, demographic, cultural change; and the strengthening of the programme of work on family issues at the United Nations level by mainstreaming family policy issues into national and international strategies. 

Strengthening families required appropriate supports in the performance of vital tasks such as parenting support, child care and providing a stable family life, he continued.  A special focus on how best to support families in reconciling work and family life was needed.  Special recognition should be given to the importance of preserving the solidarity at the core of families, which was one of society’s greatest resources.  Service provision specifically for families and the family dimension of all relevant services should, therefore, receive particular attention. 

It was also essential to ensure effective compliance with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.  The Union was deeply concerned by the increased number of children orphaned by HIV/AIDS and the growing number of child-headed households, which was a basic challenge to the rights of the child and deserved special attention during the tenth anniversary.

Turning to modalities for the review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, he said the Union was committed to the principles outlined in the Madrid Plan and welcomed the Secretariat’s proposals for advancing the implementation of its recommendations.  The focus on poverty reduction among older women and men constituted an important aspect of the monitoring of the Plan.  It must include specific gender-sensitive ageing policies and incorporate mainstreaming policies into national strategies and international development programmes.  Governments’ reviews of their national poverty reduction strategies should incorporate a review of the key elements of Madrid.

A key element of the review was the bottom-up approach involving the active participation of all older people, he added.  The information-gathering process must assess the views of all older people and take on board the qualitative and quantitative data available.  National governments should be assisted in their efforts by the sharing and exchange of information and by the provision of regional support.  The Union supported the efforts for mainstreaming ageing policies into national and international strategies.

Regarding equalization of opportunities for persons with disabilities, he said the 2003 European Year of Persons with Disabilities had contributed to increasing awareness throughout society of the rights, potential and contribution of persons with disabilities.  As a follow-up to the year, the European Union Commission had prepared a Disability Action Plan, which focused on employment as the most important area for specific action to enhance the social inclusion of persons with disabilities.  He welcomed the Secretary-General’s report transmitting the views of governments on the proposals contained in the Special Rapporteur’s Report.  The Standard Rules had played a central role in the significant process in policy development and legislation on disability, which had been evident over the last 10 years.  It was important to update the Standard Rules on the basis of the experience gained in their implementation.  The Union supported the idea of presenting complementary and additional provisions as a Supplement to the Rules.   

MWELWA C. MUSAMBACHINE (Zambia) said his country had enhanced the capacities of many households by empowering older family members through the provision of social safety nets, including micro-finance and cooking and heating energy-saving schemes.  Zambia also recognized the need to provide women with adequate post-natal leave days, without loss of seniority and remuneration.  Beyond government, civil society was actively engaged in programmes that supported families, including in the areas of counselling, provision of legal advice and economic empowerment.  However, international support was urgently needed in certain areas, including in capacity-building, statistics and new approaches to the development of family policies.  The international community needed to recommit itself to the family by increasing available resources to the United Nations trust fund on family activities. 

Regarding disabilities, he said the situation of the disabled cut across human rights, socio-economic and regional conflict issues.  Policies to tackle the problems of the disabled had to cover those areas.  Zambian efforts alone would never be enough to address the needs of the many disabled, and international support was very much needed.  While he supported the Supplement to the Standard Rules, actual consensus could only emerge in the context of intergovernmental consultations during the current session.  The Commission must take every effort to move forward on the basis of the existing Standard Rules. 

Turning to ageing, he welcomed the report on the modalities for the review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.  The approach suggested by the documents before the Commission was important, as it linked policy formulation to operations.  While a bottom-up approach was useful, he cautioned against governments becoming trapped in an endless circle of surveys, mini-surveys and watchdog groups.  Focus should be on attaining the data needed in the shortest possible time.  Most times governments had enough data on which to deliver urgently needed programmes to the aged.  He supported the five years proposed for the global review and appraisal.  He also supported a strong role on the part of the United Nations system in providing technical assistance for capacity-building. 

XIE BOHUA (China) said family values had always been an important component of Chinese culture.  It had supported the International Year of the Family and carried out various enriching and diverse activities designed to promote family morality.  The Government’s active, family-oriented campaign had promoted health, reading, environmental protection and other social and civic activities aimed at enhancing families and family relations throughout the country.

On persons with disabilities, he said that while China supported those guidelines set out in the Standard Rules, it was clear that certain aspects of the Rules no longer addressed the issues of the day.  He, therefore, stressed the notion that the Rules needed to be supplemented and made more relevant and action-oriented.  He added that through a relevant multi-year action plan that had been inaugurated in 2001, China had pressed ahead with efforts to ensure that persons with disabilities were able to participate fully in society.

On ageing, he said China had adopted the principles set out in the regional Shanghai Implementation Strategy to ensure the protection and promotion of the rights of older persons.  For its part, his Government had increased social security for elderly persons and had elaborated a set of social services in cities and towns to guarantee minimum living standard for that sector.  It had also made special considerations for rural elderly persons.

Ms. ARANDA (Mexico) stressed the importance of ensuring implementation of the Copenhagen Plan of Action, as well as the commitments made at the International Conference on Financing for Development, held in her country two years ago.  For its part, Mexico was working to build a participatory quality government, which focused on new ways of doing things, while improving and optimizing processes and institutions so that the lives of all Mexicans could be improved.

Turning to matters related to special groups, she said Mexico would suggest a new approach to dealing with family matters, which focused not just on family unity, but also on communities.  Mexico’s approach also promoted the protection of family members as individuals, which would lead to mutual respect.  Mexico had also worked to promote and protect the rights of children and was currently carrying out an extensive study of the Mexican family that would provide the Government with a snapshot of family make up and relationships, in order to help create relevant and comprehensive programmes and policies.

She went on to say that later in the year Mexico would take part in the upcoming Pan-American Congress on children, which was expected to focus on the family.  Mexico considered the International Year of the Family more than a commemoration; it was also a chance to strengthen community networks based on and supporting families.  She added that Mexico was pleased with efforts to come up with a baseline document on an international convention on persons with disabilities.  Government and non-governmental actors would be crucial to delivering a relevant and comprehensive instrument. Relevant United Nations agencies should also participate actively in those negotiations.  She added that keeping the international focus on the unique situation of elderly persons was also necessary.

ITEFKHAR AHMED CHOWDHURY (Bangladesh) said poverty eradication had emerged as the principal goal of the social agenda over the last decades.  The public sector needed to play a critical role in national policies for social development, including poverty eradication.  Many developing countries did not have a sufficient level of financial resources to establish public social services.  While development was basically a national responsibility, it could not be fully achieved without international support, empathy and sympathy.  International cooperation was a categorical imperative in fulfilling social development goals.  Civil society involvement in the development process was also essential and could enhance the effort of governments in the delivery of social services.  Socio-economic development could take place only against a matrix of pluralism, democracy, good governance, human rights, gender justice and women’s empowerment. 

In Bangladesh, the family, as a basic social unit, played a vital role in the social scene, he said.  The family had always provided primary care for all social groups.  National and international efforts to strengthen the family must be advanced.  Bangladesh had adopted a national policy for persons with disabilities, as well as a national work plan to implement that policy.  The Government was working closely with civil society organizations to provide education, training, economic opportunity and rehabilitation for them.  In 2001, the Disability Welfare Act had been enhanced and a special foundation for the welfare of the disabled had been established. 

Older persons living in developing countries faced serious challenges today, he said, and there was an urgent need to work towards their overall well-being.  Bangladesh had targeted programmes for the aged population, including old age pensions, widow allowances, and homes for the abandoned, dispossessed and disabled elderly.  The public sector was playing a pivotal role in the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action.  The Government had introduced the Old Age Allowances Programme, which was aimed at eradicating poverty for rural elderly people. 

AKIKO TEJIMA (Japan) said the ultimate goal of social development was to realize a society in which each and every person, although living under different circumstances, could live a healthy and active life.  As in many countries, demographic change in Japan required changes in the pension, medical care and insurance systems.  Japan’s Government would carry out several reforms to create a social security system in which the younger and older generations could support each other.  Improving public sector effectiveness was indispensable to successful implementation of social development.  Promoting decentralization and privatization had been the key to many of Japan’s policy reforms.

Japan’s population was ageing with unprecedented speed, she said.  In Japan, the percentage of the population over the age of 65 was expected to reach some 26 per cent in 2015 and about 35.7 per cent in 2050.  With life expectancy exceeding 80 years, Japanese people enjoyed the longest life expectancy in the world.  While Japan was grateful for that, the reality of an ageing society also presented serious challenges.  In addition to revising its socio-economic system, the Government had been making cross-cutting efforts to promote independence and self-reliance on the part of older persons and had established policies regarding the employment, income, health and welfare of older persons.  Japan’s efforts to improve the quality of life of older persons should be recognized as an example in implementing the goals of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. 

Regarding the issue of disabled persons, Japan’s Government was committed to facilitating a barrier-free society, not only in building and public transportation systems, but also in public awareness and promoting education to realize a society based on respect for individuality.  Japan had been extending its commitment in the field, both regionally and internationally.  Significant progress had been made towards a comprehensive convention on the rights of persons with disabilities and Japan had actively participated in the meeting of the working group to prepare a base for the draft text of the convention.  Japan’s Government would continue to contribute to the process.

FERNAND POUKRE-KONO (Central African Republic) said that with 60 per cent of its population living in abject poverty, it was very important to ensure a healthy and active public sector in his country.  But, with limited financial resources, the sector had seen some deterioration.  Nevertheless, his country had pressed ahead with public sector reforms, working hard to ensure transparency in recruiting procedures, among other things, in order to avoid favouritism and corruption.  Good governance had also been a hallmark of the reforms, as had been overall efforts to improve the employment conditions and wages of public sector workers themselves.

Still, the Government lacked resources for full reform, even though there was a true desire to rectify social sector inequities.  The assistance of the international community, therefore, remained critical to efforts to implement the Copenhagen Plan of Action and the Millennium Development Goals.

LIDIYA GRIBEBENKO (Kazakhstan) said that in 12 years of independence had the country’s public sector had gone through many changes.  Together with international partners, an in-depth assessment of the impact of the transformation in the employment and social protection spheres during the transition period had been conducted.  The welfare system had been introduced and included the goal of poverty reduction.  The social protection of older persons included both the full participation of older persons in society, and care and concern for them.  Measures in that regard included incentives for self-employment, public works and educational programmes.  The average pension had increased by some 100 per cent.  To ensure a dignified life for older persons, a guaranteed minimum pension was being proposed and there would also be voluntary contributions to pensions.  To reduce the burden on the working population, the possibility of step-by-step increases in the retirement age was being considered for women, as they had a higher life expectancy. 

The number of disabled in Kazakhstan was over 400,000, she said.  The country’s existing system for the disabled was based on State guarantees.  Efforts were being made to ensure rehabilitation and to create equal opportunities for them.  Work was being done on a social protection concept that would call for a transition to a system of social welfare.  UniformState standards were being introduced in the area of social services.  Improving professional rehabilitation hinged on improvements in schooling and professional education.  Implementation of a new model would create conditions for effective assistance for the disabled. 

ABDALLAH BAALI (Algeria) said the rallying of the international community around broad social issues at Copenhagen proved that social welfare concerns touched every society at all levels.  That had made the need to strengthen global social development strategies all the more necessary.  And while national governments bore the main responsibility of providing quality essential social services, the international community, particularly developed countries, must step into the gap left by the negative impact of globalization and other unprecedented changes on the international scene over the past 20 years.  Ensuring social development was a collective responsibility, he stressed.

Algeria, he continued, had made continuing strides to enhance the social welfare of its people in areas including education, health care and habitat.  Initiatives had also been aimed at social action to combat exclusion and promote the rights of older persons and were either being prepared or implemented. Algeria had been ever mindful of working in a system of good governance, and keeping the focus mainly on vulnerable populations.  It had endeavoured, despite the cost of social reforms, terrorism and natural disasters, to implement the commitments made at Copenhagen.  But, he stressed that Algeria could not change the lives of millions without enough food to eat without international cooperation and assistance.

IVANKA HRISTOVA, Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Policy of Bulgaria, said her Government was fully committed to implementing the rights of people with disabilities.  The Government had developed the national programme, “Bulgaria for All”, which focused on the need to improve legislation and policy for the disabled.  It included national initiatives for projects in the area of employment of persons with disabilities, as well as cultural, public and sports activities for disabled persons.  In close cooperation with non-governmental organizations, the Government had adopted a National Strategy on Equal Opportunities for Disabled People, an Action Plan and an Employment Plan for disabled persons, as well as a new draft law on the integration of disabled persons.  The United Nations Standard Rules had inspired the elaboration of the Strategy, which fully conformed to European standards for equality and non-discrimination and offered a radical change in the philosophy of social protection and a new policy approach for the social inclusion of disabled persons. 

While disabled people in Bulgaria enjoyed the same rights as all members of society, they continued to face a wide range of obstacles in attaining equal opportunities, autonomy and full socio-economic integration, she said.  In that context, the Strategy aimed at the integration and social inclusion of disabled peoples.  It provided assistance not only to children and adults with disabilities, but also to their families.  The employment plan for disabled persons provided measures for reducing unemployment levels.  A draft law on the integration of disabled persons, which would be adopted later this year, would ensure the establishment of appropriate working conditions, adequate social services and integrated training and education.  The quality of care for persons with disabilities had significantly improved.  Accessibility to public sites by people with disabilities had been improved.  Persons with disabilities were also been supported in starting their own businesses through micro-credit programmes. 

ADRIANA PULIDO (Venezuela) said that for many countries of the world, poverty was the main hurdle to achieving full economic and social integration.  It was, therefore, necessary for social welfare plans and programmes to focus on ways to overcome underdevelopment and reverse the vicious cycle of poverty.  Governments had the main responsibility to design policies to that end, but she cautioned that it would be impossible to meet the commitments guaranteed at Copenhagen and other United Nations conferences of the past decade if national initiatives remained mired in bureaucracy, blocking desperately needed social benefits form reaching the people.

Venezuela’s efforts to promote social development had been founded on principles of social justice and equity.  To reverse the course of poverty and its negative affects on education and health, the Government had focused on the most marginalized Venezuelans, and worked to ensure essential social services, such as proper housing for all.  It had also created room for civic participation both in identifying objectives and assisting with implementation of programmes.  Social justice and inclusion should accompany democracy in order to be effective, she added.  The Government had also focused up to 69 per cent of its annual budget towards providing Venezuelans with the knowledge and tools to interact with society.

Among current projects underway, she mentioned the establishment of 2,800 new teaching centres to guarantee that children who had been excluded from education had access to quality instruction.  Other achievements had been the provision of adequate drinking water, and the rehabilitation of medical centres.  Venezuela had been gradually and systematically introducing and shoring up reforms in the agricultural sector, including through the provision of infrastructure, training and technical assistance.

OLGA SAMARINA, Chief of Department, Ministry of Social Demographic Policy and Social Protection Development of the Russian Federation, welcomed the outcome of the Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002.  The International Plan of Action defined new strategic priorities for full-fledged participation of elderly persons in all spheres of society.  The Commission should monitor the implementation of the Madrid Plan of Action and become its “generator of ideas”.  A 2002 census in the Russian Federation showed that some 30 million people were above the working age.  Support for older persons was a priority of the Government’s social policy.  Measures were constantly being taken to improve the standard of living for older persons, including increases in pensions and expanding the network of medical services and medication.

The drafting of the comprehensive convention on the disabled was an important step, she said.  The first drafting of the convention was an important first step, and good basis for further discussion.  There were many differences of opinion regarding the wording of certain provisions, but that was perfectly natural.  The President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, was focusing on issues regarding the social protection and welfare of disabled persons.  In Russia, 2000 had been the Year of the Disabled, providing new impetus for the implementation of measures for social integration for disabled persons.  Today, there were over 800 legislative acts and numerous federal programmes for the disabled.

She said the Russian Federation shared the Commission’s aspiration to step up international cooperation to strengthen the family.  Russia supported the initiative to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the International Year.  She supported the recommendations in the Secretary-General’s report.  Enhancing the role of the family was an integral part of the Russian Federation’s concept of its demographic policy.  A federal programme to support young families had been enacted.  A reform of the regulatory legislative basis for the provision of targeted support to families with low incomes had also been carried out. 

CELESTINO MIGLIORE, Observer for the Holy See, said that families played a central role in maintaining strong and just societies.  With that in mind, family-oriented policies and programmes should focus on enhancing the social welfare and benefits of all persons, whether young, old or handicapped.  Unfortunately, families today faced myriad social challenges, he continued, stressing that it was, therefore, necessary for governments and international actors to strengthen the effectiveness of the pubic sector, particularly institutions that fostered and facilitated family solidarity.

He went on to say that family legislation should take into account the needs of persons with disabilities, particularly as more and more families had to deal with health care and other issue associated with ageing.  Today, more than ever, families needed protection, and States had the duty to defend family sovereignty, which would in turn shore up national sovereignty.

A representative of the International Labour Organization (ILO) said the ILO for decades had focused on the situation of persons with disabilities, especially with regard to the workplace.  As early as 1955, the ILO had adopted a recommendation on vocational rehabilitation for disabled persons, which was the first international instrument dealing specifically with persons with disabilities.  The ILO Convention Number 159 on vocational rehabilitation and employment, ratified by 75 countries to date, and its recommendation number 168, were adopted in 1983.  Those three instruments comprised the international labour standards on the subject and promoted the principles of equal opportunity, equal treatment, non-discrimination and mainstreaming.

The ILO continued to implement several technical cooperation projects in Africa, the Arab States and the Asia-Pacific region, focusing on strategies to promote training, employment and income-generating opportunities for people with disabilities, he said.  The ILO was also involved in the negotiations for an international convention on the rights of persons with disabilities.  He hoped that with the work of the United Nations, people with disabilities would be able to enjoy their human rights on an equal basis.  To that end, greater advocacy and raising awareness was needed.

The representative of the World Blind Union, speaking on behalf of the International Disability Alliance (IDA), said that there was no reason to postpone consideration of the proposed Supplement to the Standard Rules on Persons with Disabilities.  The sooner the Supplement was adopted, the sooner it could be used in tandem with the Standard Rules to enhance the situation of persons with disabilities worldwide.  Neither of those guidelines could replace the necessity for a legally binding international convention protecting the rights of persons with disabilities, however.  At the same time, the urgent situation facing communities of disabled persons should not and could not have to wait for protections during the time it would take to finalize such an instrument and its eventual entry into force.  The IDA would, therefore, urge the Commission to adopt the Supplement without delay.

A representative of Inclusion International said that as a person with disabilities he had been institutionalized for some 15 years.  Now, he trained people to provide support for people with disabilities.  Specifically, he worked to support people who had difficulties communicating.  He congratulated the Special Rapporteur and endorsed her recommendations to adopt the Supplement to the Standard Rules.  The Millennium Development Goals could not be reached if people with disabilities were ignored.  Disabled people were not sick and did not need to be treated as such.  They did, however, sometimes require health cares services, and should be able to access those services.  The very existence of disabled people was being threatened.  Many times they were denied access to life-saving care.  Sometimes they were even prevented from being born.  As a person with a disability, that disability did not define who he was.  He was a husband, an employee, a taxpayer and board member. 

Introduction of Draft Outcome Document

IVANA GROLLOVA (Czech Republic) introduced a draft outcome document on the priority theme of the session, namely improving public sector effectiveness.  The text had not yet been officially published.  The draft sought to grasp the key ideas of the Commission’s discussion.  Its overall goal was to contribute to the international community’s efforts to find the most optimal sizes and form of the public sector in its crucial role of social services delivery to all.  The first round of consultations on the draft had taken place today.  The second round would take place next week, at which point a compilation text would be considered.  She hoped that the text would be adopted at the end of the session by consensus.

Presentations by Interregional Advisers

JOHAN SCHOLVINCK, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the Department was not an operational entity, but was interested in normative and research work.  The Department did, however, provide technical assistance and advisory services.  Introducing the Interregional Advisers, he said the Department’s capacity to bring normative agreements to the field level, or making analytical work operational, was increasingly being used by governments.

PETER GUDGEON, Interregional Adviser in the Division for Social Policy and Development, said the Division had a broad mandate, including ageing, family, youth, poverty eradication, conflict management and indigenous groups.  Its core task was to follow up on the World Summit for Social Development.  The Division sought to strengthen international cooperation in the context of commitments for action by governments.  Since 1995, the major development had been the establishment of the Millennium Development Goals.  To a large degree, social issues had been subsumed under the Goals.  The concept of “Society for All”, an inclusive agenda that covered not only mainstream social groups, but also the excluded, was the underlying philosophy of the Division’s work.  Economic growth and social progress were inseparable.  Technical cooperation work was supported through a number of modalities, including general trust funds, training and research and building capacity to monitor socially sensitive policies. 

One shortcoming of the Social Summit was that it had not clearly established a road map for implementation, he said.  There had been no costing for what had to be done.  The lack of an effective monitoring process was another hurdle.  Without grass-roots initiatives, success would be impossible.  The move away from a “welfarest” to a development approach was important.  Working with national experts added value to the technical cooperation effort.  Working with United Nations partners and the resident coordinator system was also important.  Given limited resources, it was important to focus on specific issues.  The Division sought to find the best way to link technical cooperation and the normative agenda in the most effective manner.  One problematic area had been the lack of criteria to measure achievements in the field of technical cooperation. 

The Madrid Plan signified a move away from the welfarest to the developmental approach, he said.  Progress on developing the action plans at the country level had been patchy and uneven.  The reasons for that included lack of funding, poor institutional capacity, lack of data and the absence of high-level political priority.  To mainstream ageing, the importance of national capacity-building had to be emphasized.  The global debate tended to be weak in the area of ageing, yet it was a problem that was coming on very quickly in developing countries.  The demographic change was happening so quickly that its implications were not yet known.

FATIAJ SEROUR, also Interregional Adviser in the Division for Social Policy and Development, said that by linking the intergovernmental process with real operational activities -- technical cooperation programmes, in this case –- polices created at national levels could have a real impact on people’s lives.  To that end, technical cooperation crafted a United Nations and government relationship of mutual respect, with the world body playing a facilitating, rather than prescriptive role.  She added that technical advice and support, situation analyses, or help in elaborating poverty reduction strategies could be requested of the Division for Social Policy at any time.  Technical cooperation was not static, she said, but ever-evolving, because it adapted policy-making to national realities.

She went on to highlight the Division’s regional workshop, in this instance hosted by Austria, on capacity-building to mainstream ageing in national development plans.  She said that the meeting had been able to highlight where the gaps were and how to speed up the implementation of the 2002 Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing.  The Division had recently lent a hand at another workshop, held in Beirut, on mainstreaming youth issues in post-conflict reconstruction and social transformation.  The Division planned to provide further assistance and advice to international non-governmental organizations on ageing.  She stressed that the technical advisers did not just go to a country and “bully” their way into an existing programme, but rather had been invited by Senegal to conduct a technical assessment mission.

FAITH INNERARITY (Jamaica) said the work being done was extremely important.  Jamaica had significantly benefited from technical cooperation activities, particularly in the area of social assessment.  Working with the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on the issue of ageing had been extremely useful.  The framework presented this afternoon had wide applicability for the entire social policy agenda.

Mr. MUSAMBACHINE (Zambia) asked that the presentations be circulated to the Commission, as they provided valuable insight into the challenges facing the social development process.

MALICK NDOYE (Senegal) said cooperation with the United Nations system had helped his country refocus in the struggle against poverty.  Resources to improve the quality of social services were needed, as was the expertise of United Nations institutions.  In his country’s experience, while several programmes had been launched, the victims of extreme poverty had not yet been targeted.  It was a matter of needed mechanisms.  He saw the value of the United Nations technical cooperation capacity as a way to continue finding innovative ways to meet development challenges.

Ms. INNERARITY (Jamaica) said the observance of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family represented an opportunity to reflect on the role of that critically important social institution.  Described as the cornerstone of society, the family was the basic unit of social organization.  As the most important agent of primary socialization, the family was generally where children first learned the basic values and norms of their culture, learned to distinguish between what was seen “right” and “wrong” and were introduced to gender role differentiation.  The family and kinship network also played the major role in maintaining and caring for dependent children.

The observance of the tenth anniversary also provided an opportunity to focus attention on critical issues affecting the family, she said.  One major concern was the impact of poverty on the family.  Female heads of households, especially in the childbearing years, were particularly vulnerable to the vicissitudes of poverty due to unemployment or low wages, coupled with the absence of male financial and childrearing support.  The family played an important role in poverty alleviation and coping strategies.  International migration was one of the factors affecting the stability of family.  Migration patterns had led to the introduction of the concept of the transnational family. 

Jamaica welcomed the Special Rapporteur’s report and supported, in principle, the proposal to adopt the Supplement to strengthen the Standard Rules as a monitoring mechanism, she said.  It would be useful if the issue could be addressed more fully during the current session, as it was very important to develop the mechanism by which the proposal could be more effectively pursued.

The representative of the International Council on Alcohol and Addictions, speaking on behalf of a number of other groups, focused on matters related to the International Year of The Family and ageing.  He highlighted the current demographic and social shifts – migration, HIV/AIDS, and ageing -- affecting sustainable development, particularly in developing countries.  He hoped, therefore, that the upcoming celebration of the tenth anniversary of the Year would provide an opportunity for global actors to reaffirm the primary importance of the family as human capital, the wealth and resource base of all societies.

The representative of the Child Welfare League of America said that in order to maintain the integrity of the family, numerous non-governmental organizations strongly endorsed the continued efforts of governments to:  eliminate poverty; provide free public education for all children and women; provide adequate housing, employment and economic empowerment; and achieve gender equality and social integration for the elderly.  The Millennium Development Goals could never be reached unless all those issues were addressed.

The President of the World Federation of the Deaf in a statement read out on his behalf supported the call to adopt the Supplement to the Standard Rules and urged Member States to work together with civil society to ensure that both guidelines were fully implemented.  The statement also urged the Commission to consider the importance of sign language as the medium of communication among the deaf.  Drawing international attention to that issue would underscore the need for all States to enact legislation on sign language, particularly providing sign language services for this large and productive but often ignored segment of society. 

The representative of Rehabilitation International, a coalition of persons with disabilities from more than 85 nations, said the group supported efforts to ensure adherence to the Standard Rules and urged governments to move quickly to approve the Supplement.

Speaking on behalf of a global coalition of deaf and blind persons, the representatives of Disabled Peoples International said that for the past 10 years, the Standard Rules had proved to be a valuable tool for all persons with disabilities.  Adopting the Supplement would provide even broader coverage by focusing on emerging issues or those that had not been adequately covered by the Rules.

A representative of the World Family Policy Centre of the David M. Kennedy Centre for International Studies said many modern social ills could be traced to one root cause, namely the disintegration of family structures.  Resilient healthy families had proven that the family was the necessary foundation for social strength and economic prosperity.  One of the centre’s programmes was the facilitation of a dialogue among non-governmental organizations and civil society in the lead up to the November 2004 Doha Conference on the family, which would consider, among other things, the materials collected during the dialogue.  He invited all members of civil society, missions and governments to collect materials for that important social dialogue. 

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