COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT, 7-16 FEBRUARY, TO ADDRESS

EMPLOYMENT, AGEING, DISABILITY, YOUTH

 

Youth Employment Emerging Issue on Commission Agenda

Employment, ageing, disability and youth will be the main issues addressed by the Commission for Social Development when it convenes from 7 to 16 February at United Nations Headquarters (Conference Room 4) for its forty-fifth session.

The Commission will discuss shifting trends in employment, such as the rise of unemployment even when the economy is going strong, the growing conditions of job insecurity and instability experienced by workers worldwide, the expansion in the number of the self-employed and the fast growth of the service sector, which is poised to overtake agriculture as the world’s largest source of employment.

The Commission will review the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, five years after it was adopted at the Second World Assembly on Ageing.  The Plan is the first international agreement that specifically recognizes the potential of older people to contribute to the development of their societies, and commits Governments to include ageing in all social and economic development policies.

The Commission will also hear the latest report of the Special Rapporteur on Disability, Sheikha Hessa Al-Thani, and examine the findings of the forthcoming World Youth Report 2007.

Participants include Les Kettledas, Deputy Director-General, Labour Policy and Labour Market Programmes, South Africa's Department of Labour,, who on 7 February will deliver the keynote address on “Promoting full employment and decent work for all”; Sheilabai Bappoo, Minister of Social Security of Mauritius; Marion Williams, Governor of the Central Bank of Barbados; Bagher Asadi, Senior Expert at Iran’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Bharat Wakhlu, President of Tata Incorporated, United States; Bishop Zephania Kameeta of Namibia’s Evangelical Lutheran Church; and Magatte Wade, High-Level Panel, Youth Employment Network.

Panel discussions will address macroeconomic policy for full employment and decent work for all (7 February), labour mobility, youth and families (8 February), good practices for promoting full employment and decent work for all (9 February), ageing (12 February) and a presentation of the World Youth Report 2007 (12 February).

Under the item “emerging issues”, a discussion will focus on “Youth employment:  impact, challenges and opportunities for social development” (13 February).

Lunchtime side events, organized by Germany, Finland, the AARP Global Ageing Program, HelpAge International and others, will address issues such as “Income Security for Older People” and “Disappearing Pensions in Rich Countries” (see full list at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/csocd2007.htm).

A Civil Society Forum, co-sponsored by the NGO Committee on Social Development, the Fredrich Ebert Foundation and the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, will convene on 6 February (Conference Room 4) and present the following day its conclusions to the Commission.

The outcome of the priority theme of the Commission, “Promoting full employment and decent work for all”, will be a Chairman’s summary, in line with the new two-year cycle established by Member States.  Its conclusions will feed into the Commission’s policy session of 2008.

Employment

Before the Commission is a report of the Secretary-General on Promoting full employment and decent work for all (document E/CN.5/2007/2).  Total employment has risen since the mid-1990s, the report says, but problems of unemployment and underemployment have worsened.  A large number of people, despite working, remain below the poverty line.  An increasing share of the labour force works under conditions of job insecurity, instability and discrimination. 

The global labour force (people who were either working or looking for work) grew between 1995 and 2005 by some 438 million, or 16.5 per cent, to over 3 billion, says the report.  In 2005, about 84 per cent of the global labour force was in developing countries, with Asia and the Pacific accounting for about 60 per cent of world employment.  The number of people in work rose by 400 million (16.3 per cent) to 2.85 billion.  But at the same time that global economic output grew by 3.8 per cent per year, the number of unemployed worldwide rose by 21.9 per cent, to 192 million people, and the unemployment rate rose from about 6 to 6.3 per cent.

Looking at the situation by region, the unemployment rate in developed economies declined from 7.8 per cent in 1995 to 6.7 per cent in 2005.  It remained more or less unchanged in Central and Eastern Europe, East Asia and Latin America and the Caribbean, and declined from 14.3 per cent to 13.2 per cent in the Middle East and North Africa.  But it rose significantly, from 3.9 per cent to 6.1 per cent, in South-East Asia and the Pacific, and from 4 per cent to 4.7 per cent in South Asia -- despite annual growth in gross domestic product (GDP) of 5.8 per cent.

Africa’s unemployment is highest in the world and is unevenly distributed across countries, gender and age groups.  The unemployment rate in sub-Saharan Africa worsened from 9.2 per cent to 9.7 per cent -- despite annual GDP growth of 3.9 per cent.

Overall, 1.4 billion of those working do not earn enough to lift themselves and their families above the two dollars a day poverty line -- and among those, 485 million workers live on less than one dollar a day.

Almost half of the world’s unemployed are young people aged 15 to 24, although youth make up only 25 per cent of the working-age population.  Youth unemployment rates increased globally from 12.1 to 13.7 per cent between 1995 and 2005.  In most areas, youth unemployment rates are up to three times that of the general population, and in many countries labour markets are unable to accommodate the growing number of skilled young graduates.  Youth unemployment affects stability and safety:  crime rates have risen dramatically in the countries with economies in transition, and in many places juvenile crime has risen by more than 30 per cent since 1995.

Women’searnings are substantially lower than men’s throughout the world.  Women are also overrepresented in the informal economy, where jobs are less stable and workers’ rights are less protected.  The increasing number of women working outside the home poses a problem for social integration, since work outside the home often means less time spent in traditional roles.

Older persons in poorer regions continue to participate, to a great extent, to the labour force because of the limited coverage of social security systems and the relatively low guaranteed incomes.

Persons with disabilities are disproportionately unemployed:  in some countries, as many as 80 per cent of them are without work.  They are often underemployed, paid below minimum wage and doing work below their skill levels.  Many work in the informal economy.  According to estimates by the International Labour Organization (ILO), 368 million of the world’s working-age people have a disability.

Poverty is pervasive in mostindigenous communities because of lack of employment opportunities.  Migration, which is becoming the coping mechanism for indigenous populations, increases their vulnerability, because migrants often lack the skills required to operate in the formal economy and are often discriminated against.

However, the report notes, Governments have sought to improve the labour market opportunities of women and youth.  The inclusion of persons with disabilities has also gained impetus and Governments are beginning to enact policies and programmes to address the needs of indigenous peoples.

Looking at trends by sector, the service sector could soon overtake agriculture as the largest global source of employment.  The fastest-growing sector, it employed 1.1 billion people in 2005, almost equal to the number employed in agriculture.  Its share of total employment rose from 34.5 to 38.9 per cent over the last 10 years.  Industry in 2005 employed about 600 million people, or 21 per cent of world employment.

The informal sector has grown in recent years and is estimated to employ between one half and three quarters of non-agricultural workers in most developing countries.  The share of informal workers ranges from 48 per cent in North Africa to 78 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa.

Self-employment has grown in recent years.  In developing countries, self-employment outside of agriculture accounts for 60-70 per cent of informal work.  The growth has also been significant in developed countries.  In the United States, the number of businesses with no paid employees was 18.6 million in 2003, the highest figure since the Census Bureau began releasing such statistics.

Another trend is the continued migration of peoples across borders:  in 2000-2005, out-migration from Asia was 1.3 million people, from Latin America and the Caribbean 0.8 million and from Africa 0.5 million.  Net immigration was largest in North America (1.4 million) and in Europe (1.1 million).

Various trends are affecting the workplace, the report says.  Stiff competition under increased globalization has led to reduced job security and job-related benefits, as well as to a diminished role for organized labour.  The “standard” employment relationship has been declining in favour of more precarious forms of employment that typically offer lower wages, poorer working conditions and less social protection, such as on-call or temporary work, self-employment or home-based work.  Where State-supported social protection systems exist, they have not been modified to accommodate the growth of precarious employment.  As production increasingly shifts to developing countries, weak technical support, limited training and lack of regulatory oversight lead to greater health and safety risks for workers.

To address this situation, says the report, the goals of full and productive employment and decent work for all should become central in national and international policies and national development strategies.  A key challenge is creating an international and national enabling environment that supports full employment and decent work. 

International policies should support growth, enterprise development, poverty reduction and the creation of decent work.  Globalization has increased interdependence in macroeconomic policies and countries have little policy space to increase employment through more expansionary macroeconomic policies.  Better coordination of macroeconomic policy among countries is needed to attain full employment and decent work.

Offshoring, which can have a considerable impact on the labour market of developing countries, should be better regulated to arrest a possible “race to the bottom” in labour standards.  At the same time, for many countries participation in these systems is an important way to attract investment and increase technological capacity.

The employment intensity of growth should be increased through measures to remove policy discriminations against the agricultural sector.  Programmes should provide small agricultural producers with credit, extension services and marketing assistance.  Likewise, policy changes should remove biases against small enterprises, provide incentives for their subcontracting and provide them with more information and marketing assistance.

Active labour market policies (ALMPs) should facilitate adjustment to changes brought about by trade liberalization and globalization.  These include retraining for displaced workers, job search assistance and other measures to facilitate labour mobility.  Social dialogue should be strengthened on economic reform programmes and on worker-management cooperation about enterprise restructuring.  Such dialogue is essential to reach consensus on reforms that improve the functioning of labour markets while preserving essential protection for workers.

Most of the world’s population is still excluded from social security protection -- a basic component of decent work.  Better social security systems must provide for universal coverage and cover basic risks -- especially nutrition, health, ageing and unemployment -- in an integrated way.  The different impact of social security systems on women should be addressed, since women may be beneficiaries, but also bear the burden of family and informal care when such systems are absent, restructured or cut down.

Policymakers’ tendency to equate progress in reducing unemployment or poverty with progress in social integration is inadequate.  In particular, employment and poverty reduction strategies still do not adequately target marginalized and vulnerable groups.  Various social, political and economic forces have opposed improving social integration through employment, and have led to the marginalization of various segments of the labour force, especially the most vulnerable.  Specific efforts should address this increasing marginalization to make the objectives of full employment and decent work attainable for all.

Youth

Also before the Commission, a report of the Secretary-General on Follow-up to the World Programme of Action for Youth (document A/62/61 -- E/2007/7) addresses the progress achieved and the constraints that young people face in participating in the global economy.  The report identifies possible indicators to be used in assessing implementation of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond.

The report submits a series of recommendations to the Commission:  integrate youth in the global economy by providing employment under decent work conditions; ensure that youth development is addressed in national policies and programmes; ensure funding for education and for the acquisition of requisite skills to overcome the mismatch between available skills and the demands of a labour market shaped by globalization; improve young people’s ability to enter the world of work and enhance their access to the changing labour market, including through quality education, training and skills development; promote youth involvement in information and communications technologies (ICT) and reach youth living in areas outside ICT networks; and encourage Governments to establish mechanisms to monitor youth development in the context of the global economy.

Section II of the document responds to an Economic and Social Council’s request for a report on the progress achieved by the Youth Employment Network -- a partnership established in 2001 between the United Nations, International Labour Organization (ILO) and the World Bank.  The Network brings together policymakers, employers’ and workers’ organizations, young people and others to shape policy and programme solutions to youth employment problems.  After focusing on awareness-raising, advocacy and the establishment of partnerships, the Network has shifted to more operational activities, and bodies to coordinate national action plans have been set up in Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Uganda.

The report recommends to the Commission that it encourage those countries that have prepared national reviews and action plans on youth employment to move to the implementation stage; that it encourage countries that have not yet prepared action plans to do so; that it encourage countries to submit periodic progress reports on their action plans; and that it invite the Network secretariat to report on progress achieved to the sixty-third session of the General Assembly.

Ageing

A report of the Secretary-General addresses Major Developments in the Area of Ageing since the Second World Assembly on Ageing (document E/CN.5/2007/7).  Progress in achieving “a society for all ages” has been uneven, the report says.  Growing awareness of ageing is a clear sign of advances, but in many countries progress since 2002 in achieving the objectives of the Madrid Plan of Action appears rather slow.

The report suggests that the Commission recommend to Governments to redouble their efforts to integrate older persons into the mainstream of development policies.  Coordinated actions should seek to improve working conditions for older workers, dismantle employer barriers to hiring and retaining older workers, promote employability and provide better care services.

Governments should also empower older persons, by creating sustainable systems of social protection, protecting their rights, facilitating participation and promoting positive and balanced images of ageing.

The Commission should reiterate the importance of independent and impartial monitoring of progress in implementing the Madrid Plan of Action, and invite academia and civil society organizations to conduct studies, share their findings during the review and appraisal and formulate proposals for policy action.

The first cycle of the review and appraisal of the Plan of Action will be concluded at the Commission’s next session in 2008.

Disability

A note of the Secretary-General on Monitoring the Implementation of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities (document E/CN.5/2007/4) includes the annual report of the Special Rapporteur on Disabilities on that subject.

A global survey on implementation of the 1993 Standard Rules, carried out in 1995-1996 by the office of the Special Rapporteur and the South-North Centre for Dialogue and Development, yielded the most comprehensive data yet on the actions taken (or not taken) by Member States.  On the basis of the information provided by 114 Member States, the Special Rapporteur submits a number of recommendations to Governments.

These include adopting policies and passing legislation to implement the measures identified by the Standard Rules; allocating financial resources to such programmes; intensifying awareness-raising efforts; enrolling the media in a campaign to change attitudes and behaviours; and ensuring that medical care, rehabilitation and assistive services are available in a way that enables full participation and equality to live independent lives.

The Rapporteur also recommends treating all forms of accessibility -- whether the built environment, transportation, information or communication -- with the same importance; ensuring integrated education and employment; supporting organizations of persons with disabilities financially and technically; increasing regional and international cooperation, sharing of information and expertise, technical and technological assistance and collaborative efforts; and signing and ratifying the 2006 Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Other Issues

A note of the Secretary-General, Report of the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (UNRISD) during 2005-2006 (document E/CN.5/2007/6), covers the activities of the Institute during that period.  Several projects were concluded, including two major initiatives:  social policy in a development context and the report Gender Equality:  Striving for Justice in an Unequal World.  A new phase of the research programme was initiated for 2005-2009, which focuses on social policy, poverty reduction and equity.  Research is organized in six programme areas:  social policy and development; democracy, governance and well-being; markets, business and regulation; civil society and social movements; identities, conflict and cohesion; and gender and development.  UNRISD issued 99 publications in 2005-2006.

Core funding came from the voluntary contributions of six Governments in 2005 and 2006.  The Institute also received project-specific contributions from the European Community, Governments, international agencies and foundations.  An in-depth evaluation of the relevance, quality, impact and cost-effectiveness of UNRISD’s work between 1996 and 2005 was carried out at the request of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency.

A note of the Secretary-General on Nominations to the Board of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development (document E/CN.5/2007/5) presents biographical information of the five new Board candidates that the Commission is called upon to nominate for a four-year term expiring in 2011.  The Commission will also be called upon to extend the term of office of three nominated members for an additional two-year term expiring in 2009.

Overview of Commission

Established in 1946, the Commission is a functional body of the Economic and Social Council.  Its 46 members are elected for terms of office of four years on the following basis:  12 from African States; 10 from Asian States; five from Eastern European States; nine from Latin American and Caribbean States; and ten from Western European and Other States.  As a result of the World Summit for Social Development ( Copenhagen, 1995), the mandate of the Commission was reviewed and its membership expanded from 31 to 46 members in 1996.

The Commission has been the key United Nations body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action.  Each year since 1995, the Commission has taken up key social development themes as part of its follow-up.  Past themes have included social services for all; social integration and participation of all; productive employment and sustainable livelihoods; reducing vulnerability in a globalizing world; integrating social and economic policy; national and international cooperation for social development; improving public sector effectiveness; and eradicating poverty and enhancing social protection.

Commission Membership

The current members of the Commission with their terms of expiry are:  Angola (2009), Argentina (2007), Bangladesh (2009), Bolivia (2009), Central African Republic (2007), Chile (2008), China (2009), Côte d’Ivoire (2008), Czech Republic (2009), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (2009), Dominican Republic (2007), Democratic Republic of the Congo (2009), Ethiopia (2008), Finland (2009), France (2008), Germany (2008), Haiti (2008), India (2007), Indonesia (2008), Iran (2007), Italy (2009), Japan (2008), Libya (2007), Mali (2008), Malta (2007), Moldova (2008), Monaco (2009), Myanmar (2009), Netherlands (2009), Pakistan (2007), Paraguay (2009), Peru (2008), Republic of Korea (2008), Romania (2007), Russian Federation (2008), Spain (2007), Senegal (2007), South Africa (2009), Suriname (2007), Tunisia (2008), Turkey (2007), Ukraine (2009), United Republic of Tanzania (2009), United States (2008), Venezuela (2009) and Zambia (2007).

Additional information on the session is available at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/csocd2007.htm.

* *** *

For information media • not an official record