Commission for Social Development

Forty-sixth Session

12^th Meeting (AM)

SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION TAKES UP TEXTS ON SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF AFRICA’S

DEVELOPMENT PARTNERSHIP, MAINSTREAMING DISABILITY IN DEVELOPMENT AGENDA

Ahead of the Commission for Social Development’s informal consultations to consider the outcome of its forty-sixth session, the “Group of 77” developing countries and China this morning introduced two draft resolutions, the first to encourage social development in Africa and another to integrate disability issues into global development efforts.

Aqueelah Akbar (Antigua and Barbuda), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, said that her delegation had annually introduced the draft resolution on the “Social Dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) (document E/CN.5/2008/L.3) to highlight the plight of the African continent, especially concerning social and economic development.

She said that political leaders at the United Nations 2005 World Summit had noted with concern that Africa was currently not on track to meet the targets contained in the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.  Those leaders had emphasized that further concerted efforts and continued support were required to fulfil those commitments and to address Africa’s special needs.

The text before the Commission welcomes the progress made by African countries in fulfilling their NEPAD commitments, but also stresses that further steps forward “require a favourable national and international environment for Africa’s growth”.  It recognizes the need for Governments and the international community to continue efforts to increase the flow of new and additional resources for development financing, and invites the regional and international financial institutions “to continue their support for implementation of the priorities and objectives of the New Partnership”.

Ms. Akbar said that the Group of 77 had noticed that the Commission had lately been dealing with an increasing number of draft resolutions, which required more and more time for negotiations and consultations.  With that in mind, the current text was “largely procedural” and contained only two new paragraphs; one, in the preambular section, recognizing that promoting capacity-building was a major constraint on NEPAD’s implementation; and the other in its operative section, requesting United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to submit to the Commission’s forty-seventh session a report on the social dimensions of the New Partnership.

Ms. Akbar then went on to introduce the second draft entitled “Mainstreaming disability in the development agenda” (document E/CN.5/2008/L.4), saying that 10 per cent of the global population -- 650 million people -- lived with a disability.  While the United Nations strived to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, her delegation was concerned that efforts to that end might not reach the most isolated individuals, namely “the poorest of the poor”.  The resolution sought to ensure that the poor were part of all efforts to achieve the Goals.

Highlighting the World Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons, the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, she said the resolution called for the mainstreaming of disability in the development agenda.  She hoped that both texts, following their approval by the Commission, would be forwarded to the Economic and Social Council and be adopted by consensus.

Chairman Alexei Tulbure (Moldova) brought the Commission’s attention to four remaining draft resolutions that had been widely circulated:  “Future organization and method of work of the Commission”; “Modalities for the first review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing”; “Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission”; and “Priority theme:  full employment and decent work for all”.  He strongly encouraged delegations to make extra efforts in their final negotiations so that the Commission could take action on them tomorrow.

The Commission will reconvene at 12 p.m. Friday, 15 February, to take actions on outstanding resolutions.

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For information media • not an official record