People-Centred Social Development Crucial for Sustainable Peace, Security, Secretary-General Says, Marking Twentieth Anniversary of World Summit

Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks on the commemoration of the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development, in New York today:

I am pleased to join all of you as we mark the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development.  In this consequential year for global development this event could not be more timely.

Two decades ago in Copenhagen, the international community came together to affirm that social development and social justice are fundamental for sustainable peace and security.  The World Summit for Social Development stressed the integrated nature of social, economic and environmental pursuits and emphasized the need to “place people at the centre of development”.

The outcome of the World Summit for Social Development — the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action — underscored the multidimensionality of social development.  Many subsequent conferences and intergovernmental commitments have been inspired by all that was agreed in Copenhagen.  The Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals stand out as prime examples.

Today, we have reached a pivotal moment for people and our planet.  The year 2015 must be a year of global action.  By the end of this year, we will reach the target date of the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] — and we are working hard to adopt a new development agenda and agree on a universal, meaningful climate change agreement in Paris this December.

We are the first generation that can wipe out extreme poverty.  We are the last generation that can address the worst impacts of climate change.  There is one word above all that must guide us on this road map to ending poverty, transforming lives and protecting the planet.  That word is: dignity.

Too often in the past, policymakers have focused on economic growth without taking into account social concerns or environmental factors.  But we have much evidence to prove beyond all doubt that growth itself is not enough.  The World Summit on Social Development helped reorient thinking.  It emphasized that economic growth must be judged in terms of its impact on human well-being rather than an end in itself.  It stressed not just the quantity, but the quality of growth. 

Today, at the United Nations, we continue to underscore that social development is essential to making the planet a just, safe and healthy place for all.  This year also marks the twentieth anniversary of the World Programme of Action for Youth and the Beijing Platform Action.  All of these milestones remind us that development must be built on a strong and inclusive policy foundation centred on peoples’ needs and aspirations. 

As the key United Nations body charged with the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, the work of the Commission for Social Development is essential to our work in this most important year for global action.  On this twentieth anniversary of the World Social Summit, let us reaffirm our commitment to promoting social development and social justice, and building a better — more sustainable — world for all.  Thank you.