Donor States Should Support Efforts by Developing Countries to Eradicate Poverty, Delegates Say as Second Committee Discusses Secretary-General’s Report
As the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met to consider poverty eradication today, the representative of Benin, on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries, told delegates that the United Nations should make it its “utmost priority” to help such countries to “bridge the capacity gap” in the face of the extreme challenges they faced.
Calling for enhanced international support for poverty eradication in the form of official development assistance (ODA), greater investment, technology transfer and cancellation of debt, he said he felt that the Secretary-General’s report on Implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) needed a more ambitious approach “to foster the necessary drive” to achieve the objectives of the second decade.
Several speakers who were representing groups underlined how hard it would be to achieve the goals of the second decade, with Malawi’s representative, who spoke for the African Group, noting that efforts to confront poverty and unemployment had not yielded optimal results due to a lack of progress in reaching millions of impoverished people in most developing countries.
The United Nations development agenda should accord priority to poverty eradication, he said, calling on donor countries to support developing countries’ national efforts and the United Nations Social Protection Floor Initiative. At the same time, they should scale-up financial and technical assistance so that developing countries could establish their own social security mechanisms.
The representative of Singapore, speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), said her region’s framework for poverty eradication dealt heavily with rural poverty because it was often the root of urban poverty. The framework stressed community empowerment to bring sustainable development to rural areas, with an approach that involved Government agencies, the private sector and others to ensure programmes were relevant and holistic.
It was widely noted that women’s advancement was impeded by widening inequalities, unemployment, violence and exploitation, with Bolivia’s representative, who spoke on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, saying investment in the education of women and girls would have “multiplier effects in society”.
That sentiment was echoed by Norway’s delegate, who said poverty had many faces but a “majority of them belonged to women”. He added that important aspects of gender equality were left out of the Millennium Development Goals, and must be brought onto the new development agenda. Women’s access to decent jobs, equal pay and equal sharing of domestic chores, equal rights to property, land and inheritance, and to participate fully in politics and the economy, were other important elements that should figure prominently.
Inclusion of women was one element of the case Peru’s delegate made on the issue of financial inclusion, which contributed to the achievement of numerous development outcomes. He welcomed the concept’s inclusion in the proposal made by the Open Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals. By 2030, all men and women, particularly the poor and vulnerable, should have an equal right to economic resources and access to financial services, including microfinance.
Argentina’s representative also stressed the importance of social equity, stating that it was only possible through balanced and just economic development. To eliminate global poverty, wealth should be shared between regions and populations most in need, while a new global financial framework should be established that represented developing countries more justly.
Echoing a statement made by the representative of Suriname, who spoke on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the representative of Maldives said it was impossible to talk of poverty alleviation without emphasizing climate resilience measures. Poverty eradication efforts had to be “climate proof”.
Presenting reports for the Committee’s consideration were the Chief of the Research and Data Section, UN-Women; the Chief of the Social Perspective on Development Branch, Department of Economic and Social Affairs; the Coordinator for Strategic Planning in the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); and the Deputy Special Representative of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Also taking part in today’s debate were representatives of South Africa, Brazil, Israel, Malaysia, Nigeria, United States, and Algeria.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on 21 October, to take up the International financial system and development, and Financing for development.
Background
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to consider eradication of poverty and other development issues. The Committee had before it several reports related to its agenda (documents A/69/223, A/69/204, A/69/331, and A/69/156).
Introduction of Reports
SHAHRA RAZAVI, Chief of the Research and Data Section, UN-Women, said the World Survey on the Role of Women in Development examined topics fundamental to women’s lives and achieving equality. Those items included economic growth; food production, distribution and consumption; population and women’s bodily integrity; and the need for investment in sanitation, energy and other areas. It showed the impact of poor policies on gender inequality and stressed the need for investment in knowledge and decision-making power of women. It dealt with the role of States and partnerships and stressed also that green economy debates had to pay attention to the care economy, giving support to unpaid care work through better infrastructure. An enabling environment was needed to support the financing of pro-poor, gender responsive sustainable investments. She stressed the need to build on the work of the Open Working Group, which had called for a standalone goal on gender.
WENYAN YANG, Chief of the Social Perspective on Development Branch, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the report discussed progress and challenges to poverty eradication and presented policy considerations. It also highlighted the activities of the United Nations system in the area and proposed a number of recommendations for consideration by the Assembly. It found uneven progress in efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, with high unemployment a major impediment, especially for disadvantaged social groups. It noted the threat to poverty posed by climate change and described recent progress made under the system-wide plan of action for the system-wide plan of action for the implementation of the second decade. Adequate resources were needed to tackle the many dimensions of poverty. Employment was a driver of inclusion and poverty eradication, while building resilience and tackling rising inequality was needed.
KAZUKI KITAOKA, Coordinator for Strategic Planning in UNIDO, introduced the report of the UNIDO Director General on Industrial development cooperation, transmitted in a Note by the Secretary-General (document A/69/331). The report analysed trends in industrial development, including manufacturing value added and growth in countries, policy issues related to industrial development, and the role of UNIDO in that area. Industrialization had been seen as a major way forward towards eradicating poverty and advancing sustainable development. Industry in developing countries remained a driver of growth and prosperity, and the link between inclusive and stable industrial development and long-term socioeconomic goals remained undeniable. However, efforts must be made to ensure the inclusiveness of the benefits of industrial development and its environmental sustainability. He also stressed that education policies must be revisited, as “we still see a mismatch between the skills offered and the needs of industry in many countries”.
KAZI AFZALUR RAHMAN, Deputy Special Representative of UNWTO, introduced the report of the UNWTO Secretary-General on the Promotion of ecotourism for poverty eradication and environment protection (document A/69/223). The report was cast in the broader frame of promotion of sustainable tourism for poverty eradication and environment protection. That approach was consistent with the Rio+20 outcome document, in which sustainable tourism development was recognized as one of the sectors to drive change towards a green economy. The report also included many good practices and positive experiences of practitioners, which showed that sustainable tourism was a significant driver of employment creation and environment protection. The report should be considered in the backdrop of the growing importance of tourism in economies of countries, large and small, developed and developing, he said, with tourism representing 45 per cent of total service export in developing countries.
Statements
JULIO LÁZARO MOLLINEDO CLAROS (Bolivia), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, expressed concern over the constraints on the fight against poverty posed by the global financial crisis, market volatility and food insecurity. Developing countries needed national ownership of development agendas that focused on generating growth and employment, providing better access to basic services and social protection measures, and the empowerment of individuals to seize economic opportunities. He pointed to slow growth in international trade and restrictions on access to development financing, noting that recent improvements in the global market were not enough to overcome imbalances built up in recent years. ODA was vital but few developed countries fulfilled their commitments. Industrialization was essential to generating productivity and jobs and he urged developed countries to assist developing countries, calling for technology transfer, technical assistance and financial resources.
Women were an increasing proportion of the working poor and gender equality was of fundamental importance for achieving growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development, he said. Investment in education of women and girls would have “multiplier effects in society” but women’s advancement, especially in developing countries, was impeded by widening inequalities, unemployment, violence and exploitation. There was a need to promote gender in the post-2015 development agenda. Stressing his commitment to equality rights and opportunities for women in political and economic decision-making and resource allocation, he added that women should have equal access to education, finance, information and communications technology and other essential opportunities.
HENRY L. MAC DONALD (Suriname), speaking on behalf of CARICOM and aligning himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), outlined baseline issues regarding poverty eradication in CARCIOM that the international community faced as it developed the post-2015 development agenda. Those issues included relatively high poverty levels throughout the region; high income inequality; the emergence of new health threats; and inadequate housing solutions for low-income earners. Progress in education had been achieved and most CARICOM countries, except for Haiti, had achieved high primary level enrolment rates. Yet there were still low participation rates for males in secondary and tertiary education. There were employment challenges as the region’s key export sectors, such as bananas, sugar, rice and manufacturing, became less competitive. Therefore, an indispensable part of any regional strategy for development had to develop a more highly skilled workforce that was competitive internationally.
CARICOM countries were particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate change and the degradation of their ecosystems and adaptation measures had already placed an extra burden on the countries’ limited budgets, he said. CARICOM looked forward to the speedy use of the Green Climate Fund and the agreement of a comprehensive climate agreement in Paris in 2015. The United Nations needed to act as an advocate for CARICOM countries with international financing institutions to be sure they did not classify all CARICOM countries, expect for Haiti, as middle-income countries. Policies should be implemented that advanced the creation of micro-, small- and medium-size enterprises. Efficiently managed social protection schemes were compliments to other poverty-reduction efforts. The implementation of the post-2015 development agenda, including the sustainable development goals, provided the opportunity to help the hundreds of millions of people who would still be living in extreme poverty in 2015.
KAREN TAN (Singapore), speaking on behalf of ASEAN and associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, said more must be done to eradicate poverty, noting that, as of 2011, an estimated 18 per cent of the region’s population lived in extreme poverty, while an estimated 70 per cent of its poor lived in rural areas. As urban poverty often had its roots in rural poverty, ASEAN’s framework action plan on rural development and poverty eradication prioritized six areas, including sustainable rural development and economic growth, food security and food sovereignty amid climate change, and social protection.
She said community empowerment was essential for bringing development to rural areas. A participatory approach involving communities, Government agencies, the private sector and others would ensure that programmes were relevant and holistic. While underlining the contribution of non-governmental organizations to rural development, she said more could be achieved through partnerships. Developed countries should fulfil their pledges to allocate 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) to ODA, and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent to least developed countries. Cooperation through regional institutions, in areas such as technology transfer, could also accelerate progress.
CHARLES P. MSOSA (Malawi), speaking on behalf of the African Group, noted that the end of the seventh year in the second United Nations Decade for Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017) was approaching and there were less than 500 days remaining before the target date of the Millennium Development Goals. Yet, efforts to confront poverty and unemployment had not yielded optimal results due to a lack of progress in reaching millions of impoverished people in most developing countries, particularly in the least developed States and Africa.
He urged the international community to accord priority to poverty eradication within the United Nations development agenda and donor countries to support developing countries’ national efforts. Developed partners should also support the United Nations Social Protection Floor Initiative and scale up financial and technical assistance so that developing countries could set up social security mechanisms. With women constituting a proportion of the working poor, gender equality was of fundamental importance for achieving sustained economic growth, poverty eradication and sustainable development.
MATEO ESTREME (Argentina), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that Latin America was committed to ensure inclusive development of its populations, leading to, among others, better employment, food security and access, respect for cultural diversity, and social protection. Social equity was only possible through a balanced and just economic development. To eliminate poverty in the world, he called for a shared wealth between regions and populations who needed it most, and for a new global financial framework with a just representation of developing countries. Work was the most efficient strategy for combatting poverty. Speaking on women in development, he mentioned several measures taken by his country, including the introduction of a pregnancy allowance, and broadening of the rights of domestic workers.
LAWRENCE XOLANI MALAWANE (South Africa), associating himself with the African Group, and the Group of 77 and China, said poverty eradication was the greatest challenge facing the world. “Both gender equality and sustainable development are crucial components for the fight to eradicate poverty”, he said, and neither could be attained without the other. Any plans or actions aimed at eradicating poverty could not be successful if women did not have access to financial services, technology, quality health care, and land. For inclusive and sustainable development to benefit all, several elements must be taken into account. Firstly, industrial development was a national prerogative and countries should be given policy space. Secondly, the adequate means for achieving sustainable industrial development were necessary. Thirdly, the development of small and medium-sized enterprises was important to ensure inclusive industrial development. Finally, industrialization must focus on the agricultural sector to prevent rural brain-drain.
GUILHERME DE AGUIAR PATRIOTA (Brazil), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, said that halfway through the second decade for the eradication of poverty, the decrease in poverty rates had not been enough to reduce the number of individuals living in extreme poverty in developing countries. Middle income countries should not be “graduated” against their will out of the United Nations system of funds, programmes and specialized agencies. In his country, conditional cash transfers had provided macroeconomic policies with efficient and innovative tools to leverage employment and decent work as drivers of inclusive and sustained economic growth.
RONIT BEN-DOR (Israel) called for a holistic response to the many dimensions of poverty. Young people continued to be especially affected by unemployment and to remedy that, Israel invested in work opportunities by promoting entrepreneurship because it boosted confidence, skills and desire among people to solve problems around them “for themselves, by themselves”. She described her country’s involvement in providing microloans to Arab-Israeli and Bedouin women in Israel to fuel their development. Poverty was not just about low incomes but about a lack of opportunity. The lack of access to food, education, sanitation and health care were also elements of poverty and Israel had social protection policies that added to poverty eradication, enhancing society’s resilience in the face of disasters and shocks. Social safety nets were essential, particularly for women, who were less likely to have access to health, to own property or to have access to credit. Pointing out that empowered women invested 90 per cent of their earnings back into their families, she said they must have “tools to be able to prosper”.
GEIR O. PEDERSEN (Norway) said poverty had many faces and a majority of them belonged to women. The exclusion that women and girls experienced from living in poverty was multiplied by the gender inequality they faced in their communities. Important aspects of gender equality were left out of the Millennium Development Goals, and must be brought onto the new agenda for sustainable development through poverty eradication. Women’s access to decent jobs, equal pay and equal sharing of domestic chores, equal rights to property, land and inheritance, and to participate fully in politics and the economy, were other important elements of that agenda that should figure prominently.
GUSTAVO MEZA CUADRA (Peru), speaking on behalf of the Group of Friends of Financial Inclusion, said financial inclusion was very important to end poverty and for other issues, such as industrial development cooperation and women in development. Financial inclusion contributed to the achievement of numerous development outcomes and the Group welcomed the concept’s inclusion in the proposal made by the Open Working Group. A target was included under the first sustainable development goal of the Working Group’s proposal, intended to eradicate poverty everywhere. By 2030, all men and women, particularly the poor and vulnerable, should have an equal right to economic resources and access to financial services, including microfinance. Without formal and inclusive financial services, families and individuals had to depend on incomplete, inadequate and inferior informal mechanisms to deal with economic disruptions and to build assets. When people had access to a wide range of financial series, they were better able to make solid choices.
JEAN-FRANCIS ZINSOU (Benin), speaking on behalf of the Group of Least Developed Countries and associating with the Group of 77 and China, said the report was silent on an increase in those living in extreme poverty from 19 per cent between 1990 and 1995 to 30 per cent between 2005 and 2010. The percentage of people living in poverty was a more significant figure than the actual number and 47 per cent lived below the poverty line in least developed countries, compared to 20 per cent in other developing countries. Income levels, savings, investments and tax bases were comparatively small, making it hard for least developed countries to mobilize resources, while trends in poverty showed that problems were systemic in nature and needed addressing as such. Least developed countries dealt with more challenges but had the smallest capacities and the United Nations should make it its “utmost priority to help them bridge the capacity gap”.
The report “ignored the importance of the means of implementation for the eradication of poverty”, he said, calling for more systematic involvement of agencies, funds and programmes in support of national Governments. The report did not call for enhanced international support for poverty eradication but more ODA was needed, as were greater investment, technology transfer and cancellation of debt. The report lacked “the ambitious approach needed to foster the necessary drive” to achieve the objectives of the second decade for poverty eradication. He noted that the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council were to include “issues of concern to the least developed countries” in their reports on social, economic and environmental issues. Despite that provision, the current report did not. It focused instead on other regions and categories of country, some which were not recognized by the United Nations, but part of the World Bank’s classification of countries based only on revenue. The report should be a “tool of accountability” on mandates prescribed by the relevant resolution, not just a mirror to the overall situation in poverty.
HUSSEIN HANIFF (Malaysia), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, ASEAN and the Group of Friends on Financial Inclusion, said his country had achieved sustained economic growth and substantial poverty reduction. Poverty eradication programmes included the establishment of health clinics, affordable housing and welfare programmes. Further, the eKasih system, a centralized national poverty data bank, could be accessed by all Government agencies for planning and monitoring programmes, while the rural development scheme was carrying out 20,000 “new generation” housing projects. The 1AZAM programme focused on job placement, and the creation of small businesses, small services providers and agriculture opportunities. Finally, skill training centres had been set up around the country to help thousands of young people.
HUSSEIN ABDULLAHI (Nigeria), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, and the African Group, called for the reassessment and prioritization of financing for development, and greater efforts by donor countries to support effective national and regional poverty eradication and employment generation strategies. Social protection as a right was a powerful instrument for poverty reduction and social cohesion. It promoted sustainable economic and social development, and countries with social protection systems had been better able to cope with the global economic crisis. The empowerment of women was also “another powerful mechanism to ensure poverty eradication as they constitute a large proportion of the working poor”, he said. In recognition of their significant contributions to the economy and to combating poverty, his country had developed women-centred programmes to promote financial empowerment through skills acquisition, and a micro-credit programme focused on promoting skills in women and youth.
JILL DERDERIAN (United States) said 90 per cent of extreme poverty reduction in the past decade was attributed to inclusive and sustained economic growth. Yet every day, poor families made the most difficult choices between food, medicine housing or education, trade-offs with potentially catastrophic consequences. Targeted policies, including social safety nets and social protection floors, as well as access to property and productive assess for men and women alike, were interventions that had succeeded everywhere. A way forward for realizing what was once inconceivable was being charted amid rapid economic growth in many developing countries and new pathways being forged for information, expression and financial inclusion through mobile technology. She advocated for new partnerships that promoted common interests, saying the United States was committed to working with all partners to leverage expertise and deliver results.
AHMED SAREER (Maldives), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China, and with the Alliance of Small Island States, said that the post-2015 development agenda must flow from the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals. In his country, several legal Acts aimed to ensure that vulnerable groups were not left behind when it came to poverty eradication. Those Acts included a Pension Act and a Disabilities Act that secured an allowance for persons with disabilities, as well as social housing and other measures. One could not talk of poverty alleviation without emphasizing the need to integrate climate resilience measures. Any framework aiming to achieve the eradication of poverty needed to ensure that its measures, targets and goals were “climate proof”.
NASREDDINE RIMOUCHE (Algeria), associating himself with the Group of 77 and China and with the African Group, said that it was well established that poverty and social exclusion were a global phenomenon. In many countries in Africa, poverty had reached alarming levels. Countries did not have the means to combat hunger and malnutrition, and according to World Bank statistics, the number of people living in extreme poverty was greater than 1 billion. Prospects for regrowth of employment seemed more sombre as more Governments were opting for budgetary austerity. The burden of foreign debt, illnesses, and difficulties accessing markets in developed countries hindered national strategies for development. The challenge demanded greater efforts from the international community. The elimination of poverty had to be a priority in the post-2015 development agenda.