International Agreements on Resources (Commitment 9)


Contents
Commitment 9 from the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development (Resources) p9
World Summit on Social Development, Copenhagen 1995
Declaration 
B. Principles and Goals p4
C: Commitments p6
(esp 4(n), 7(b))
Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development
Chapter I: Enabling Environment  p8
Actions A: A favourable national and international economic environment
Chapter V: Implementation and Follow-up; especially C: Mobilisation of financial resources  p13
Commission on Social Development (CsocDev) p21
1996
Main Issue: Poverty
Chapter III: Substantive theme. Strategies and action for eradication of poverty
1997: p35
Chapter II
Paragraph 62,63: Resource mobilisation, indicators

Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Earth Summit 1992: p42
Principle 12: Cooperation between states to promote economic growth
Agenda 21: 
Section IV, Ch 33: Financial Resources and Mechanisms  p42
The Forest Principles: p45
Par7(b) Financial Resources
Par 10 Financial Resources to developing countries
Human Rights Review: p46
Chapter IV, Par 29: Right to economic growth and development
International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Cairo 1994:
Chapter 1: Preamble: establishes interrelationship between economic growth, development and poverty
Chapter 3B, 3.22: Financial resources for economic growth
Chapter 13: National Action
    A. National policies and plans of action
    B. Programme management and human resource development
    C. Resource mobilization and allocation
Chapter 14: International Co-operation
    Responsibilities of partners in development
    Towards a new commitment to funding population and development
4th World Conference on Women, Beijing 1995:
Chapter VI: Financial Arrangements
C: International level
Beijing Declaration
Financial resources for economic growth
Paragraph 36,37,38
Habitat II Conference, Istanbul 1996
Habitat Agenda
Istanbul Declaration on Human Settlements
Chapter II: Goals and Principles
Paragraph 35
Chapter III: Commitments
    E: Financing shelter and human settlements
    F: International Cooperation
Chapter IV: Global Plan of Action
    C: Sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world
    9: Improving Urban Economics
    D. Capacity-building and institutional development
    6. Domestic financial resources and economic instruments
    E. International cooperation and coordination
    2. An enabling international context
    3. Financial resources and economic instruments

UN Commissions
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
1993
Chapter I F: Initial financial commitments, financial flows and arrangements to give effect to the decisions of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development from all available funding sources and mechanisms
Chapter VIII: Initial financial commitments
1994
Main Issue: Implementation of Agenda 21
Chapter I B: Financial resources and mechanisms
Chapter I F: Other matters: 217 (a), 219
1995:
Main Issue: Implementation of Agenda 21, focusing on cross-sectoral components
Chapter I B: Financial resources and mechanisms
1996
Main Issue: Global Programme of Action for Protection of Marine Environment from Land based activities
Chapter I 5(a)(b)(c)
Chapter I C, Decision 4/14: Financial resources and mechanisms
1998
Chapter I B, Decision 6/2: Industry and sustainable development
(esp A: Industry and economic development)
Commisssion on the Status of Women (CSW)
1992
Resolution 36/6: Women and the Environment
Paragraph 4 (additional financial resources)
Chapter III
Paragraph 119 (4): Monitoring the Implementation of the Nairobi Forward-Looking Strategies for the Advancement of Women
1997
Agreed conclusion 1997/3 Women and the economy
Paragraph 3: Mainstreaming a gender perspective in policies and programmes
Commission on Population and Development
1994
Chapter IV A: Activities of UN Population Fund
Chapter IV B: Monitoring of multilateral population assistance
1998
Report of Secretary General: Flows of financial resources for population activities (pdf format)
1999
Report of Secretary General: The flow of financial resources for assisting in the implementation of the Programme for Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (pdf format)
Conventions
CEDAW - Convention on the Elimination of all forms of discrimination against women
The Convention Document (Article 11,13,14: Women + economy)


Documents
Commitment 9 from the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development (Resources)
We commit ourselves to increasing significantly and/or utilizing more efficiently the resources allocated to social development in order to achieve the goals of the Summit through national action and regional and international cooperation.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Develop economic policies to promote and mobilize domestic savings and attract external resources for productive investment, and seek innovative sources of funding, both public and private, for social programmes, while ensuring their effective utilization;
(b) Implement macroeconomic and micro-economic policies to ensure sustained economic growth and sustainable development to support social development;
(c) Promote increased access to credit for small and micro-enterprises, including those in the informal sector, with particular emphasis on the disadvantaged sectors of society;
(d) Ensure that reliable statistics and statistical indicators are used to develop and assess social policies and programmes so that economic and social resources are used efficiently and effectively;
(e) Ensure that, in accordance with national priorities and policies, taxation systems are fair, progressive and economically efficient, cognizant of sustainable development concerns, and ensure effective collection of tax liabilities;
(f) In the budgetary process, ensure transparency and accountability in the use of public resources, and give priority to providing and improving basic social services;
(g) Undertake to explore new ways of generating new public and private financial resources, inter alia, through the appropriate reduction of excessive military expenditures, including global military expenditures and the arms trade, and investments for arms production and acquisition, taking into consideration national security requirements, so as to allow possible allocation of additional funds for social and economic development;
(h) Utilize and develop fully the potential and contribution of cooperatives for the attainment of social development goals, in particular the eradication of poverty, the generation of full and productive employment, and the enhancement of social integration.
At the international level, we will:
(i) Seek to mobilize new and additional financial resources that are both adequate and predictable and are mobilized in a way that maximizes the availability of such resources and uses all available funding sources and mechanisms, inter alia, multilateral, bilateral and private sources, including on concessional and grant terms;
(j) Facilitate the flow to developing countries of international finance, technology and human skill in order to realize the objective of providing new and additional resources that are both adequate and predictable;
(k) Facilitate the flow of international finance, technology and human skill towards the countries with economies in transition;
(l) Strive for the fulfillment of the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for overall official development assistance as soon as possible, and increase the share of funding for social development programmes, commensurate with the scope and scale of activities required to achieve the objectives and goals of the present Declaration and the Programme of Action of the Summit;
(m) Increase the flow of international resources to meet the needs of countries facing problems relating to refugees and displaced persons;
(n) Support South-South cooperation, which can take advantage of the experience of developing countries that have overcome similar difficulties;
(o) Ensure the urgent implementation of existing debt-relief agreements and negotiate further initiatives, in addition to existing ones, to alleviate the debts of the poorest and heavily indebted low-income countries at an early date, especially through more favourable terms of debt forgiveness, including application of the terms of debt forgiveness agreed upon in the Paris Club in December 1994, which encompass debt reduction, including cancellation or other debt-relief measures; where appropriate, these countries should be given a reduction of their bilateral official debt sufficient to enable them to exit from the rescheduling process and resume growth and development; invite the international financial institutions to examine innovative approaches to assist low-income countries with a high proportion of multilateral debt, with a view to alleviating their debt burdens; develop techniques of debt conversion applied to social development programmes and projects in conformity with Summit priorities;
(p) Fully implement the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations 20/ as scheduled, including the complementary provisions specified in the Marrakesh Agreement establishing the World Trade Organization, 20/ in recognition of the fact that broadly based growth in incomes, employment and trade are mutually reinforcing, taking into account the need to assist African countries and the least developed countries in evaluating the impact of the implementation of the Final Act so that they can benefit fully;
(q) Monitor the impact of trade liberalization on the progress made in developing countries to meet basic human needs, giving particular attention to new initiatives to expand their access to international markets;
(r) Give attention to the needs of countries with economies in transition with respect to international cooperation and financial and technical assistance, stressing the need for the full integration of economies in transition into the world economy, in particular to improve market access for exports in accordance with multilateral trade rules, taking into account the needs of developing countries;
(s) Support United Nations development efforts by a substantial increase in resources for operational activities on a predictable, continuous and assured basis, commensurate with the increasing needs of developing countries, as stated in General Assembly resolution 47/199, and strengthen the capacity of the United Nations and the specialized agencies to fulfill their responsibilities in the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development.


SOCIAL SUMMIT DECLARATION

The Social Summit

Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development 
Chapeau 
A. Current social situation and reasons for convening the Summit 
B. Principles and goals 
C. Commitments 1 - 10

B.  Principles and goals

25.  We heads of State and Government are committed to a political, economic,
ethical and spiritual vision for social development that is based on human
dignity, human rights, equality, respect, peace, democracy, mutual
responsibility and cooperation, and full respect for the various religious and
ethical values and cultural backgrounds of people.  Accordingly, we will give
the highest priority in national, regional and international policies and
actions to the promotion of social progress, justice and the betterment of the
human condition, based on full participation by all.

26.  To this end, we will create a framework for action to:

     (a) Place people at the centre of development and direct our economies
to meet human needs more effectively;

     (b) Fulfil our responsibility for present and future generations by
ensuring equity among generations and protecting the integrity and sustainable
use of our environment;

     (c) Recognize that, while social development is a national
responsibility, it cannot be successfully achieved without the collective
commitment and efforts of the international community;

     (d) Integrate economic, cultural and social policies so that they become
mutually supportive, and acknowledge the interdependence of public and private
spheres of activity;

     (e) Recognize that the achievement of sustained social development
requires sound, broadly based economic policies;

     (f) Promote democracy, human dignity, social justice and solidarity at
the national, regional and international levels; ensure tolerance,
non-violence, pluralism and non-discrimination, with full respect for
diversity within and among societies;

     (g)  Promote the equitable distribution of income and greater access to
resources through equity and equality of opportunity for all;

     (h)  Recognize the family as the basic unit of society, and acknowledge
that it plays a key role in social development and as such should be
strengthened, with attention to the rights, capabilities and responsibilities
of its members.  In different cultural, political and social systems various
forms of family exist.  It is entitled to receive comprehensive protection and
support;

     (i)  Ensure that disadvantaged and vulnerable persons and groups are
included in social development, and that society acknowledges and responds to
the consequences of disability by securing the legal rights of the individual
and by making the physical and social environment accessible;

     (j) Promote universal respect for, and observance and protection of, all
human rights and fundamental freedoms for all, including the right to
development; promote the effective exercise of rights and the discharge of
responsibilities at all levels of society; promote equality and equity between
women and men; protect the rights of children and youth; and promote the
strengthening of social integration and civil society;

     (k) Reaffirm the right of self-determination of all peoples, in
particular of peoples under colonial or other forms of alien domination or
foreign occupation, and the importance of the effective realization of this
right, as enunciated, inter alia, in the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action 3/ adopted at the World Conference on Human Rights;

     (l) Support progress and security for people and communities whereby
every member of society is enabled to satisfy his or her basic human needs and
to realize his or her personal dignity, safety and creativity;

     (m) Recognize and support indigenous people in their pursuit of economic
and social development, with full respect for their identity, traditions,
forms of social organization and cultural values;

     (n) Underline the importance of transparent and accountable governance
and administration in all public and private national and international
institutions;

     (o) Recognize that empowering people, particularly women, to strengthen
their own capacities is a main objective of development and its principal
resource.  Empowerment requires the full participation of people in the
formulation, implementation and evaluation of decisions determining the
functioning and well-being of our societies;

     (p) Assert the universality of social development and outline a new and
strengthened approach to social development, with a renewed impetus for
international cooperation and partnership;

     (q) Improve the possibility of older persons achieving a better life;

     (r) Recognize that the new information technologies and new approaches
to access to and use of technologies by people living in poverty can help in
fulfilling social development goals; and therefore recognize the need to
facilitate access to such technologies;

     (s) Strengthen policies and programmes that improve, ensure and broaden
the participation of women in all spheres of political, economic, social and
cultural life, as equal partners, and improve their access to all resources
needed for the full exercise of their fundamental rights;

     (t) Create the political, legal, material and social conditions that
allow for the voluntary repatriation of refugees in safety and dignity to
their countries of origin, and the voluntary and safe return of internally
displaced persons to their places of origin and their smooth reintegration
into their societies;

     (u) Emphasize the importance of the return of all prisoners of war,
persons missing in action and hostages to their families, in accordance with
international conventions, in order to reach full social development.

27.  We acknowledge that it is the primary responsibility of States to attain
these goals.  We also acknowledge that these goals cannot be achieved by
States alone.  The international community, the United Nations, the
multilateral financial institutions, all regional organizations and local
authorities, and all actors of civil society need to positively contribute
their own share of efforts and resources in order to reduce inequalities among
people and narrow the gap between developed and developing countries in a
global effort to reduce social tensions, and to create greater social and
economic stability and security.  Radical political, social and economic
changes in the countries with economies in transition have been accompanied by
a deterioration in their economic and social situation.  We invite all people
to express their personal commitment to enhancing the human condition through
concrete actions in their own fields of activities and through assuming
specific civic responsibilities.

C. Commitments
Commitment 4
------------

     We commit ourselves to promoting social integration by fostering
societies that are stable, safe and just and that are based on the promotion
and protection of all human rights, as well as on non-discrimination,
tolerance, respect for diversity, equality of opportunity, solidarity,
security, and participation of all people, including disadvantaged and
vulnerable groups and persons.

     To this end, at the national level, we will:

     (a) Promote respect for democracy, the rule of law, pluralism and
diversity, tolerance and responsibility, non-violence and solidarity by
encouraging educational systems, communication media and local communities and
organizations to raise people's understanding and awareness of all aspects of
social integration;

     (b) Formulate or strengthen policies and strategies geared to the
elimination of discrimination in all its forms and the achievement of social
integration based on equality and respect for human dignity;

     (c) Promote access for all to education, information, technology and
know-how as essential means for enhancing communication and participation in
civil, political, economic, social and cultural life, and ensure respect for
civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights;

     (d) Ensure the protection and full integration into the economy and
society of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons;

     (e) Formulate or strengthen measures to ensure respect for and
protection of the human rights of migrants, migrant workers and their
families, to eliminate the increasing acts of racism and xenophobia in sectors
of many societies, and to promote greater harmony and tolerance in all
societies;

     (f) Recognize and respect the right of indigenous people to maintain and
develop their identity, culture and interests, support their aspirations for
social justice and provide an environment that enables them to participate in
the social, economic and political life of their country;

     (g) Foster the social protection and full integration into the economy
and society of veterans, including veterans and victims of the Second World
War and other wars;

     (h) Acknowledge and encourage the contribution of people of all age
groups as equally and vitally important for the building of a harmonious
society, and foster dialogue between generations in all parts of society;

     (i) Recognize and respect cultural, ethnic and religious diversity,
promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic,
religious or linguistic minorities, and take measures to facilitate their full
participation in all aspects of the political, economic, social, religious and
cultural life of their societies and in the economic progress and social
development of their countries;

     (j) Strengthen the ability of local communities and groups with common
concerns to develop their own organizations and resources and to propose
policies relating to social development, including through the activities of
non-governmental organizations;

     (k) Strengthen institutions that enhance social integration, recognizing
the central role of the family and providing it with an environment that
assures its protection and support.  In different cultural, political and
social systems, various forms of the family exist;

     (l) Address the problems of crime, violence and illicit drugs as factors
of social disintegration.

     At the international level, we will:

     (m) Encourage the ratification of, the avoidance as far as possible of
the resort to reservations to, and the implementation of international
instruments and adherence to internationally recognized declarations relevant
to the elimination of discrimination and the promotion and protection of all
human rights;

     (n) Further enhance international mechanisms for the provision of
humanitarian and financial assistance to refugees and host countries and
promote appropriate shared responsibility;

     (o) Promote international cooperation and partnership on the basis of
equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.

Commitment 7
------------

     We commit ourselves to accelerating the economic, social and human
resource development of Africa and the least developed countries.

     To this end, we will:

     (a) Implement, at the national level, structural adjustment policies,
which should include social development goals, as well as effective
development strategies that establish a more favourable climate for trade and
investment, give priority to human resource development and further promote
the development of democratic institutions;

     (b) Support the domestic efforts of Africa and the least developed
countries to implement economic reforms, programmes to increase food security,
and commodity diversification efforts through international cooperation,
including South-South cooperation and technical and financial assistance, as
well as trade and partnership;

     (c) Find effective, development-oriented and durable solutions to
external debt problems, through the immediate implementation of the terms of
debt forgiveness agreed upon in the Paris Club in December 1994, which
encompass debt reduction, including cancellation or other debt-relief
measures; invite the international financial institutions to examine
innovative approaches to assist low-income countries with a high proportion of
multilateral debt, with a view to alleviating their debt burdens; and develop
techniques of debt conversion applied to social development programmes and
projects in conformity with Summit priorities.  These actions should take into
account the mid-term review of the United Nations New Agenda for the
Development of Africa in the 1990s 17/ and the Programme of Action for the
Least Developed Countries for the 1990s, 18/ and should be implemented as soon
as possible;

     (d) Ensure the implementation of the strategies and measures for the
development of Africa decided by the international community, and support the
reform efforts, development strategies and programmes decided by the African
countries and the least developed countries;

     (e) Increase official development assistance, both overall and for
social programmes, and improve its impact, consistent with countries' economic
circumstances and capacities to assist, and consistent with commitments in
international agreements;

     (f) Consider ratifying the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or
Desertification, Particularly in Africa, 19/ and support African countries in
the implementation of urgent action to combat desertification and mitigate the
effects of drought;

     (g) Take all necessary measures to ensure that communicable diseases,
particularly HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis, do not restrict or reverse
the progress made in economic and social development.





Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development
Chapter I : An Enabling Environment for Social Development 


Basis for action and objectives

 I. An Enabling Environment for Social Development
Basis for action and objectives
4. Social development is inseparable from the cultural, ecological, economic, political and spiritual environment in which it takes place. It cannot be pursued as a sectoral initiative. Social development is also clearly linked to the development of peace, freedom, stability and security, both nationally and internationally. To promote social development requires an orientation of values, objectives and priorities towards the well-being of all and the strengthening and promotion of conducive institutions and policies. Human dignity, all human rights and fundamental freedoms, equality, equity and social justice constitute the fundamental values of all societies. The pursuit, promotion and protection of these values, among others, provides the basic legitimacy of all institutions and all exercise of authority and promotes an environment in which human beings are at the centre of concern for sustainable development. They are entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature.
5. The economies and societies of the world are becoming increasingly interdependent. Trade and capital flows, migrations, scientific and technological innovations, communications and cultural exchanges are shaping the global community. The same global community is threatened by environmental degradation, severe food crises, epidemics, all forms of racial discrimination, xenophobia, various forms of intolerance, violence and criminality and the risk of losing the richness of cultural diversity. Governments increasingly recognize that their responses to changing circumstances and their desires to achieve sustainable development and social progress will require increased solidarity, expressed through appropriate multilateral programmes and strengthened international cooperation. Such cooperation is particularly crucial to ensure that countries in need of assistance, such as those in Africa and the least developed countries, can benefit from the process of globalization.
6. Economic activities, through which individuals express their initiative and creativity and which enhance the wealth of communities, are a fundamental basis for social progress. But social progress will not be realized simply through the free interaction of market forces. Public policies are necessary to correct market failures, to complement market mechanisms, to maintain social stability and to create a national and international economic environment that promotes sustainable growth on a global scale. Such growth should promote equity and social justice, tolerance, responsibility and involvement.
7. The ultimate goal of social development is to improve and enhance the quality of life of all people. It requires democratic institutions, respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, increased and equal economic opportunities, the rule of law, the promotion of respect for cultural diversity and the rights of persons belonging to minorities, and an active involvement of civil society. Empowerment and participation are essential for democracy, harmony and social development. All members of society should have the opportunity and be able to exercise the right and responsibility to take an active part in the affairs of the community in which they live. Gender equality and equity and the full participation of women in all economic, social and political activities are essential. The obstacles that have limited the access of women to decision-making, education, health-care services and productive employment must be eliminated and an equitable partnership between men and women established, involving men's full responsibility in family life. It is necessary to change the prevailing social paradigm of gender to usher in a new generation of women and men working together to create a more humane world order.
8. Against this background, we will promote an enabling environment based on a people-centred approach to sustainable development, with the following features:
~ Broad-based participation and involvement of civil society in the formulation and implementation of decisions determining the functioning and well-being of our societies;
~ Broad-based patterns of sustained economic growth and sustainable development and the integration of population issues into economic and development strategies, which will speed up the pace of sustainable development and poverty eradication and contribute to the achievement of population objectives and an improved quality of life of the population;
~ Equitable and non-discriminatory distribution of the benefits of growth among social groups and countries and expanded access to productive resources for people living in poverty;
~ An interaction of market forces conducive to efficiency and social development;
~ Public policies that seek to overcome socially divisive disparities and that respect pluralism and diversity;
~ A supportive and stable political and legal framework that promotes the mutually reinforcing relationship between democracy, development and all human rights and fundamental freedoms;
~ Political and social processes that avoid exclusion while respecting pluralism and diversity, including religious and cultural diversity;
~ A strengthened role for the family in accordance with the principles, goals and commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and those of the International Conference on Population and Development, as well as for community and civil society;
~ Expanded access to knowledge, technology, education, health-care services and information;
~ Increased solidarity, partnership and cooperation at all levels;
~ Public policies that empower people to enjoy good health and productivity throughout their lives;
~ Protection and conservation of the natural environment in the context of people-centred sustainable development.
Actions
A. A favourable national and international economic environment   
9. The promotion of mutually reinforcing, broad-based, sustained economic growth and sustainable development on a global scale, as well as growth in production, a non-discriminatory and multilateral rule-based international trading system, employment and incomes, as a basis for social development, requires the following actions:
(a) Promoting the establishment of an open, equitable, cooperative and mutually beneficial international economic environment;
(b) Implementing sound and stable macroeconomic and sectoral policies that encourage broad-based, sustained economic growth and development that is sustainable and equitable, that generate jobs, and that are geared towards eradicating poverty and reducing social and economic inequalities and exclusion;
(c) Promoting enterprise, productive investment and expanded access to open and dynamic markets in the context of an open, equitable, secure, non-discriminatory, predictable, transparent and multilateral rule-based international trading system, and to technologies for all people, particularly those living in poverty and the disadvantaged, as well as for the least developed countries;
(d) Implementing fully and as scheduled the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations; 1/
(e) Refraining from any unilateral measure not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations that creates obstacles to trade relations among States, impedes the full realization of social and economic development and hinders the well-being of the population in the affected countries;
(f) Increasing food production, through the sustainable development of the agricultural sector and improvement of market opportunities, and improving access to food by low-income people in developing countries, as a means of alleviating poverty, eliminating malnutrition and raising their standards of living;
(g) Promoting the coordination of macroeconomic policies at the national, subregional, regional and international levels in order to promote an international financial system that is more conducive to stable and sustained economic growth and sustainable development through, inter alia, a higher degree of stability in financial markets, reducing the risk of financial crisis, improving the stability of exchange rates, stabilizing and striving for low real interest rates in the long run and reducing the uncertainties of financial flows;
(h) Establishing, strengthening or rehabilitating, inter alia, through capacity-building where necessary, national and international structures, processes and resources available, to ensure appropriate consideration and coordination of economic policy, with special emphasis on social development;
(i) Promoting or strengthening capacity-building in developing countries, particularly in Africa and the least developed countries, to develop social activities;
(j) Ensuring that, in accordance with Agenda 21 2/ and the various consensus agreements, conventions and programmes of action adopted within the framework of the follow-up to the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, broad-based, sustained economic growth and sustainable development respects the need to protect the environment and the interests of future generations;
(k) Ensuring that the special needs and vulnerabilities of small island developing States are adequately addressed in order to enable them to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development with equity by implementing the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. 3/
10. To ensure that the benefits of global economic growth are equitably distributed among countries, the following actions are essential:
(a) Continuing efforts to alleviate the onerous debt and debt-service burdens connected with the various types of debt of many developing countries, on the basis of an equitable and durable approach and, where appropriate, addressing the full stock of debt of the poorest and most indebted developing countries as a matter of priority, reducing trade barriers and promoting expanded access by all countries to markets, in the context of an open, equitable, secure, non-discriminatory, predictable, transparent and multilateral rule-based international trading system, as well as to productive investment, technologies and know-how;
(b) Strengthening and improving technical and financial assistance to developing countries to promote sustainable development and overcome hindrances to their full and effective participation in the world economy;
(c) Changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns, taking into account that the major cause of the continued deterioration of the global environment is the unsustainable pattern of consumption and production, particularly in industrialized countries, which is a matter of grave concern, aggravating poverty and imbalances;
(d) Elaborating policies to enable developing countries to take advantage of expanded international trading opportunities in the context of the full implementation of the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations; and assisting countries, particularly in Africa, that are not currently in a position to benefit fully from the liberalization of the world economy;
(e) Supporting the efforts of developing countries, particularly those heavily dependent on commodity exports, to diversify their economies.
11. Within the framework of support to developing countries, giving priority to the needs of Africa and the least developed countries, the following actions are necessary at the national and international levels, as appropriate:
(a) Implementing effective policies and development strategies that establish a more favourable climate for social development, trade and investments, giving priority to human resource development and promoting the further development of democratic institutions;
(b) Supporting African countries and least developed countries in their efforts to create an enabling environment that attracts foreign and domestic direct investment, encourages savings, induces the return of flight capital and promotes the full participation of the private sector, including non-governmental organizations, in the growth and development process;
(c) Supporting economic reforms to improve the functioning of commodity markets and commodity diversification efforts through appropriate mechanisms, bilateral and multilateral financing and technical cooperation, including South-South cooperation, as well as through trade and partnership;
(d) Continuing to support the commodity diversification efforts of Africa and the least developed countries, inter alia, by providing technical and financial assistance for the preparatory phase of their commodity diversification projects and programmes;
(e) Finding effective, development-oriented and durable solutions to external debt problems, through the immediate implementation of the terms of debt forgiveness agreed upon in the Paris Club in December 1994, which encompass debt reduction, including cancellation or other debt relief measures; inviting the international financial institutions to examine innovative approaches to assist low-income countries with a high proportion of multilateral debt with a view to alleviating their debt burden; developing techniques of debt conversion applied to social development programmes and projects in conformity with Summit priorities. These actions should take into account the mid-term review of the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s 4/ and the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the 1990s 5/ and should be implemented as soon as possible;
(f) Supporting the development of strategies adopted by these countries and working in partnership to ensure the implementation of measures for their development;
(g) Taking appropriate actions, consistent with the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, 1/ in particular the decision on measures in favour of the least developed countries and the decision on measures concerning the possible negative effects of the reform programme on the least developed countries and the net food importing developing countries, in order to give these countries special attention, with a view to enhancing their participation in the multilateral trading system and to mitigating any adverse effects of the implementation of the Uruguay Round, while stressing the need to support the African countries so that they can benefit fully from the results of the Uruguay Round;
(h) Increasing official development assistance, both in total and for social programmes, and improving its impact, consistent with countries' economic circumstances and capabilities to assist, and consistent with commitments in international agreements, and striving to attain the agreed upon target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for official development assistance and 0.15 per cent to the least developed countries, as soon as possible.
12. Making economic growth and the interaction of market forces more conducive to social development requires the following actions:
(a) Implementing measures to open market opportunities for all, especially people living in poverty and the disadvantaged, and to encourage individuals and communities to take economic initiatives, innovate and invest in activities that contribute to social development while promoting broad-based sustained economic growth and sustainable development;
(b) Improving, broadening and regulating, to the extent necessary, the functioning of markets to promote sustained economic growth and sustainable development, stability and long-term investment, fair competition and ethical conduct; adopting and implementing policies to promote equitable distribution of the benefits of growth and protect crucial social services, inter alia, through complementing market mechanisms and mitigating any negative impacts posed by market forces; and implementing complementary policies to foster social development, while dismantling, consistent with the provisions of the Final Act of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, protectionist measures, and to integrate social and economic development;
(c) Establishing an open market policy that reduces barriers to entry, promotes transparency of markets through, inter alia, better access to information and widens the choices available to consumers;
(d) Promoting greater access to technology and technical assistance, as well as corresponding know-how, especially for micro-enterprises and small and medium-sized enterprises in all countries, particularly in developing countries;
(e) Encouraging transnational and national corporations to operate in a framework of respect for the environment while complying with national laws and legislation, and in accordance with international agreements and conventions, and with proper consideration for the social and cultural impact of their activities;
(f) Adopting and implementing long-term strategies to ensure substantial, well-directed public and private investment in the construction and renewal of basic infrastructure, which will benefit people living in poverty and generate employment;
(g) Ensuring substantial public and private investment in human resource development and in capacity-building in health and education, as well as in empowerment and participation, especially for people living in poverty or suffering from social exclusion;

(h) Supporting and paying special attention to the development of small-scale and micro-enterprises, particularly in rural areas, as well as subsistence economies, to secure their safe interaction with larger economies;
(i) Supporting the economic activities of indigenous people, improving their conditions and development, and securing their safe interaction with larger economies;
(j) Supporting institutions, programmes and systems to disseminate practical information to promote social progress.
13. Ensuring that fiscal systems and other public policies are geared towards poverty eradication and that they do not generate socially divisive disparities calls for:
(a) Enacting rules and regulations and creating a moral and ethical climate that prevents all forms of corruption and exploitation of individuals, families and groups;
(b) Promoting fair competition and ethical responsibility in business activities, and enhancing cooperation and interaction among Governments, the private sector and civil society;
(c) Ensuring that fiscal and monetary policies promote savings and long-term investment in productive activities in accordance with national priorities and policies;
(d) Considering measures to address inequities arising from accumulation of wealth through, inter alia, the use of appropriate taxation at the national level, and to reduce inefficiencies and improve stability in financial markets in accordance with national priorities and policies;
(e) Re-examining the distribution of subsidies, inter alia, between industry and agriculture, urban and rural areas, and private and public consumption, to ensure that subsidy systems benefit people living in poverty, especially the vulnerable, and reduce disparities;
(f) Promoting international agreements that address effectively issues of double taxation, as well as cross-border tax evasion, in accordance with the priorities and policies of the States concerned, while improving the efficiency and fairness of tax collection;
(g) Assisting developing countries, upon their request, to establish efficient and fair tax systems by strengthening the administrative capacity for tax assessment and collection and tax evader prosecution, and to support a more progressive tax system;
(h) Assisting countries with economies in transition to establish fair and effective systems of taxation on a solid legal basis, contributing to the socio-economic reforms under way in those countries.
 


V. Implementation and Follow-Up
82. Nothing short of a renewed and massive political will at the national and international levels to invest in people and their well-being will achieve the objectives of social development. Social development and the implementation of the Programme of Action of the Summit are primarily the responsibility of Governments, although international cooperation and assistance are essential for their full implementation. At all levels of implementation, the crucial and essential requirements are:
þ The promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, the support for democratic institutions and the empowerment of women;
þ The integration of goals, programmes and review mechanisms that have developed separately in response to specific problems;
þ Partnership involving States, local authorities, non-governmental organizations, especially voluntary organizations, other major groups as defined in Agenda 21, the media, families and individuals;
þ The recognition of the diversity in the world and the need to take measures geared to achieve the Summit's goals;
þ The empowerment of people, who are to be assisted so that they fully participate in setting goals, designing programmes, implementing activities and evaluating performance;
þ Efforts to mobilize new and additional financial resources that are both adequate and predictable, and are mobilized in a way that maximizes the availability of such resources, and uses all available funding sources and mechanisms, inter alia, multilateral, bilateral and private sources, including on concessional and grant terms;
þ Solidarity, extending the concept of partnership and a moral imperative of mutual respect and concern among individuals, communities and nations.
Actions
A. National strategies, evaluations and reviews   
83. The promotion of an integrated approach to the implementation of the Programme of Action at the national level, in accordance with national specificities, requires:
(a) Analysing and reviewing macroeconomic, micro-economic and sectoral policies and their impact on poverty, employment, social integration and social development;
(b) Enhancing government policies and programmes to promote social development by strengthening the coordination of all efforts by national and international actors, strengthening the efficiency and operational capacity of public management structures, and facilitating the effective and transparent use of resources, taking due account of the recommendations and follow-up to Agenda 21;
(c) Assessing the extent, distribution and characteristics of poverty, unemployment, social tensions, and social exclusion, taking measures aiming at eradicating poverty, increasing productive employment and enhancing social integration;
(d) Formulating or strengthening, by 1996, comprehensive cross-sectoral strategies for implementing the Summit outcome and national strategies for social development, including government action, actions by States in cooperation with other Governments, international, regional and subregional organizations, and actions taken in partnership and cooperation with actors of civil society, the private sector and cooperatives, with specific responsibilities to be undertaken by each actor and with agreed priorities and time-frames;
(e) Integrating social development goals into national development plans, policies and budgets, cutting across traditional sectoral boundaries, with transparency and accountability, and formulated and implemented with the participation of the groups directly affected;
(f) Defining time-bound goals and targets for reducing overall poverty and eradicating absolute poverty, expanding employment and reducing unemployment, and enhancing social integration, within each national context;
(g) Promoting and strengthening institutional capacity-building for inter-ministerial coordination, intersectoral collaboration, the coordinated allocation of resources and vertical integration from national capitals to local districts;
(h) Developing quantitative and qualitative indicators of social development, including, where possible, disaggregation by gender, to assess poverty, employment, social integration and other social factors, to monitor the impact of social policies and programmes, and to find ways to improve the effectiveness of policies and programmes and introduce new programmes;
(i) Strengthening implementation and monitoring mechanisms, including arrangements for the participation of civil society in policy-making and implementation and collaboration with international organizations;
(j) Regularly assessing national progress towards implementing the outcome of the Summit, possibly in the form of periodic national reports, outlining successes, problems and obstacles. Such reports could be considered within the framework of an appropriate consolidated reporting system, taking into account the different reporting procedures in the economic, social and environmental fields.
84. International support for the formulation of national strategies for social development will require actions by bilateral and multilateral agencies for:
(a) Assisting countries to strengthen or rebuild their capacities for formulating, coordinating, implementing and monitoring integrated strategies for social development;
(b) Coordinating the assistance provided by different agencies for similar planning processes under other international action plans;
(c) Developing improved concepts and programmes for the collection and dissemination of statistics and indicators for social development to facilitate review and policy analysis and provide expertise, advice and support to countries at their request.
B. Involvement of civil society    [ Up ]
85. Effective implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the Summit requires strengthening community organizations and non-profit non-governmental organizations in the spheres of education, health, poverty, social integration, human rights, improvement of the quality of life, and relief and rehabilitation, enabling them to participate constructively in policy-making and implementation. This will require:
(a) Encouraging and supporting the creation and development of such organizations, particularly among the disadvantaged and vulnerable people;
(b) Establishing legislative and regulatory frameworks, institutional arrangements and consultative mechanisms for involving such organizations in the design, implementation and evaluation of social development strategies and programmes;
(c) Supporting capacity-building programmes for such organizations in critical areas, such as participatory planning, programme design, implementation and evaluation, economic and financial analysis, credit management, research, information and advocacy;
(d) Providing resources through such measures as small grant programmes, and technical and other administrative support for initiatives taken and managed at the community level;
(e) Strengthening networking and exchange of expertise and experience among such organizations.
86. The contribution of civil society, including the private sector, to social development can be enhanced by:
(a) Developing planning and policy-making procedures that facilitate partnership and cooperation between Governments and civil society in social development;
(b) Encouraging business enterprises to pursue investment and other policies, including non-commercial activities, that will contribute to social development, especially in relation to the generation of work opportunities, social support services at the workplace, access to productive resources and construction of infrastructure;
(c) Enabling and encouraging trade unions to participate in the planning and implementation of social development programmes, especially in relation to the generation of work opportunities under fair conditions, the provision of training, health care and other basic services, and the development of an economic environment that facilitates sustained economic growth and sustainable development;
(d) Enabling and encouraging farmers' representative organizations and cooperatives to participate in the formulation and implementation of sustainable agricultural and rural development policies and programmes;
(e) Encouraging and facilitating the development of cooperatives, including among people living in poverty or belonging to vulnerable groups;
(f) Supporting academic and research institutions, particularly in the developing countries, in their contribution to social development programmes, and facilitating mechanisms for independent, detached, impartial and objective monitoring of social progress, especially through collecting, analysing and disseminating information and ideas about economic and social development;
(g) Encouraging educational institutions, the media and other sources of public information and opinion to give special prominence to the challenges of social development and to facilitate widespread and well-informed debate about social policies throughout the community.
C. Mobilization of financial resources    
87. The implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action of the Summit at the national level may require substantial new and additional resources, in both the public and the private sectors. Augmenting the availability of public resources for social development requires at the national level:
(a) Implementing macroeconomic and micro-economic policies in accordance with national priorities and policies, aimed at encouraging greater domestic savings and investment required for public spending, through progressive, fair and economically efficient taxes that are cognizant of sustainable development concerns, and through cutting back on subsidies that do not benefit the poor;
(b) Reducing, as appropriate, excessive military expenditures and investments for arms production and acquisition, consistent with national security requirements, in order to increase resources for social and economic development;
(c) Giving high priority to social development in the allocation of public spending and ensuring predictable funding for the relevant programmes;
(d) Ensuring that the resources for social development are available at the level of administration that is responsible for formulating and implementing the relevant programmes;
(e) Increasing the effective and transparent utilization of public resources, reducing waste and combating corruption, and concentrating on the areas of greatest social need;
(f) Developing innovative sources of funding, both public and private, for social programmes, and creating a supportive environment for the mobilization of resources by civil society for social development, including beneficiary contributions and individual voluntary contributions.
88. Implementation of the Declaration and the Programme of Action in developing countries, in particular in Africa and the least developed countries, will need additional financial resources and more effective development cooperation and assistance. This will require:
(a) Translating the commitments of the Summit into financial implications for social development programmes in developing countries, particularly Africa and the least developed countries;
(b) Striving for the fulfilment of the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for overall official development assistance (ODA) as soon as possible, and increasing the share of funding for social development programmes, commensurate with the scope and scale of activities required to achieve the objectives and goals of the Declaration and Programme of Action;
(c) Agreeing on a mutual commitment between interested developed and developing country partners to allocate, on average, 20 per cent of ODA and 20 per cent of the national budget, respectively, to basic social programmes;
(d) Giving high priority in ODA to the eradication of poverty in developing countries, in particular in Africa, low-income countries in Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the least developed countries;
(e) Providing assistance for social-sector activities, such as the rehabilitation and development of social infrastructure, including in the form of grants or soft loans;
(f) Implementing the commitments of the international community to the special needs and vulnerabilities of the small island developing States, in particular by providing effective means, including adequate, predictable, new and additional resources for social development programmes, in accordance with the Declaration of Barbados 3/ and on the basis of the relevant provisions of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States;
(g) Providing international support and assistance to the land-locked developing countries in their efforts to implement the outcome of the Summit, taking into account the challenges and problems characteristic to those countries;
(h) Giving preference, wherever possible, to the utilization of competent national experts or, where necessary, of competent experts from within the subregion or region or from other developing countries, in project and programme design, preparation and implementation, and to the building of local expertise where it does not exist;
(i) Exploring ways and means to strengthen support and expand South-South cooperation based on partnership between developing and developed countries, as well as enhanced cooperation among developing countries;
(j) Maximizing project and programme efficiency by keeping overhead costs to a minimum;
(k) Developing economic policies to promote and mobilize domestic savings and attract external resources for productive investment, and seeking innovative sources of funding, both public and private, for social programmes, while ensuring their effective utilization;
(l) Monitoring the impact of trade liberalization on progress made in developing countries to meet basic human needs, giving particular attention to new initiatives to expand the access of developing countries to international markets;
(m) Encouraging direct cooperation to promote joint ventures, including in the sector of social programmes and infrastructure;
(n) Encouraging recipient Governments to strengthen their national coordination mechanisms for international cooperation in social development and to ensure the effective use of international assistance so as to assist donors to secure commitment to further resources for national action plans;
(o) Inviting multilateral and bilateral donors to consult with a view to coordinating their financing policies and planning procedures in order to improve the impact, complementarity and cost-effectiveness of their contributions to the achievement of the objectives of social development programmes of developing countries.
89. Implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action of the Summit in countries with economies in transition will require continued international cooperation and assistance. To this end, there is a need to:
(a) Assess the financial implications of the commitments of the Summit for social development programmes in countries with economies in transition;
(b) Enhance technical and financial assistance for the implementation of programmes of macroeconomic stabilization in order to ensure sustained economic growth and sustainable development;
(c) Support and encourage transformations in the field of human resources development;
(d) Invite multilateral and bilateral donors to consult with a view to coordinating their financing policies and planning procedures in order to improve the impact of their contribution to the achievement of the objectives of social development programmes of countries with economies in transition.
90. Substantial debt reduction is needed to enable developing countries to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action. Building on, inter alia, the momentum from the July 1994 meeting of the seven major industrialized countries in Naples and the October 1994 meeting of the governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, further progress can be made by:
(a) Inviting the international community, including the international financial institutions, to continue to explore ways of implementing additional and innovative measures to alleviate substantially the debt burdens of developing countries, in particular of the highly indebted low-income countries, in order to help them to achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development without falling into a new debt crisis;
(b) Adopting measures to substantially reduce the bilateral debts of the least developed countries, in particular the countries of Africa, as soon as possible, and exploring other innovative approaches to managing and alleviating the onerous debts and debt service burdens of other developing countries as soon as possible;
(c) Giving special consideration to those developing countries in which multilateral debt constitutes an important part of their total debt in order to seek a durable solution to this increasing problem;
(d) Encouraging the possibilities of debt swaps for social development, with the resources released by debt cancellation or reduction to be invested in social development programmes, without prejudice to more durable solutions, such as debt reduction and/or cancellation;
(e) Mobilizing the resources of the Debt Reduction Facility of the International Development Association in order to help eligible developing countries to reduce their commercial debt; considering alternative mechanisms to complement that Facility;
(f) Inviting creditor countries, private banks and multilateral financial institutions, within their prerogatives, to consider continuing the initiatives and efforts to address the commercial debt problems of the least developed countries and of low and middle-income developing countries; to consider the extension of appropriate new financial support to the low-income countries with substantial debt burdens that continue, at great cost, to service debt and meet their international obligations; to continue to explore ways of implementing additional and innovative measures to substantially alleviate the debt burdens of developing countries, in particular of the highly indebted low-income countries, in order to help them achieve sustained economic growth and sustainable development without falling into a new debt crisis.
91. In order to ensure that structural adjustment programmes include social development goals, in particular the eradication of poverty, the generation of productive employment and the enhancement of social integration, Governments, in cooperation with the international financial institutions and other international organizations, should:
(a) Protect basic social programmes and expenditures, in particular those affecting the poor and vulnerable segments of society, from budget reductions;
(b) Review the impact of structural adjustment programmes on social development by means of gender-sensitive social-impact assessments and other relevant methods, and develop policies to reduce their negative effects and improve their positive impact;
(c) Further promote policies enabling small enterprises, cooperatives and other forms of micro-enterprises to develop their capacities for income generation and employment creation.
92. International financial institutions should contribute to the mobilization of resources for the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action. To this end, the relevant institutions are urged to take the following measures:
(a) The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the regional and subregional development banks and funds, and all other international finance organizations should further integrate social development goals in their policies, programmes and operations, including by giving higher priority to social-sector lending, where applicable, in their lending programmes;
(b) The Bretton Woods institutions and other organizations and bodies of the United Nations system should work together with concerned countries to improve policy dialogues and develop new initiatives to ensure that structural adjustment programmes promote sustained economic and social development, with particular attention to their impact on people living in poverty and vulnerable groups;
(c) The United Nations, in cooperation with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral development institutions, should study the impact of structural adjustment programmes on economic and social development and assist adjusting countries in creating conditions for economic growth, job creation, poverty eradication and social development.
93. In addition to augmenting the flow of resources through established channels, relevant United Nations bodies, in particular the Economic and Social Council, should be requested to consider new and innovative ideas for generating funds and, for this purpose, to offer any useful suggestions.
D. The role of the United Nations system    [ Up ]
94. A framework for international cooperation must be developed in the context of the agenda for development 28/ in order to ensure the integrated and comprehensive implementation, follow-up and assessment of the outcome of the Summit, together with the results of other recent and planned United Nations conferences related to social development, in particular the World Summit for Children, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the World Conference on Human Rights, the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, the International Conference on Population and Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women, and the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II). At the international level, as at the national, the financial and organizational implications of the commitments, goals and targets should be assessed, priorities established, and budgets and work programmes planned.
95. With regard to the consideration of social development at the intergovernmental level, special consideration should be given to the roles of the General Assembly and of the Economic and Social Council. To this end:
(a) The General Assembly, as the highest intergovernmental mechanism, is the principal policy-making and appraisal organ on matters relating to the follow-up to the Summit. The Assembly should include the follow-up to the Summit in its agenda as an item entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development". In 1996, it should review the effectiveness of the steps taken to implement the outcome of the Summit with regard to poverty eradication, as part of the activities relating to the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty;
(b) The General Assembly should hold a special session in the year 2000 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit, and should consider further action and initiatives;
(c) The General Assembly, at its fiftieth session, should declare the first United Nations decade for the eradication of poverty, following the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1996), with a view to its considering further initiatives on the eradication of poverty;
(d) The General Assembly, as well as the Economic and Social Council, could convene meetings of high-level representatives to promote international dialogue on critical social issues and on policies for addressing them through international cooperation;
(e) The General Assembly should draw upon the initial work of the agenda for development working group on a common framework for the implementation of the outcome of conferences;
(f) The Economic and Social Council, in the context of its role under the Charter of the United Nations vis-a`-vis the General Assembly and in accordance with Assembly resolutions 45/264, 46/235 and 48/162, would oversee system-wide coordination in the implementation of the Summit outcome and make recommendations in this regard. It should look at ways to strengthen, consistent with the mandates of the Charter of the United Nations, the role and authority, structures, resources and processes of the Council, bringing specialized agencies into a closer working relationship with the Council so that it can review progress made towards implementing the outcome of the Summit as well as improving the Council's effectiveness. The Council, at its substantive session of 1995, should be invited to review the mandate, agenda and composition of the Commission for Social Development, including considerations of the strengthening of the Commission, taking into account the need for synergy with other related commissions and conference follow-up. The Council should also draw upon any initial work completed by that time on a common framework for the implementation of conference outcomes (see paras. 94 and 95 (e) above). The Council should also be invited to review the reporting system in the area of social development with a view to establishing a coherent system that would result in clear policy recommendations for Governments and international actors;
(g) Within the framework of the discussions on an agenda for development and the discussions of the Economic and Social Council at its coordination segment of 1995 on a common framework for the implementation of the outcome of United Nations conferences in the economic and social fields, consideration should be given to the possibility of holding joint meetings of the Council and the Development Committee of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. The Secretary-General and the heads of IMF, the World Bank, ILO, the United Nations funds and programmes, and other relevant agencies should consider the possibility of holding joint meetings for the purpose of considering the implementation of the Declaration and the Programme of Action prior to the Development Committee sessions;
(h) To promote implementation of the outcomes at the regional and subregional levels, the regional commissions, in cooperation with the regional intergovernmental organizations and banks, could convene, on a biennial basis, a meeting at a high political level to review progress made towards implementing the outcome of the Summit, exchange views on their respective experiences and adopt the appropriate measures. The regional commissions should report to the Council on the outcome of such meetings through the appropriate mechanisms;
(i) The important role of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in monitoring those aspects of the Declaration and Programme of Action that relate to compliance, by States Parties, with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights should be emphasized.
96. The United Nations system should provide technical cooperation and other forms of assistance to the developing countries, in particular in Africa and the least developed countries, in implementing the Declaration and Programme of Action. To this end:
(a) The United Nations system, including the technical and sectoral agencies and the Bretton Woods institutions, should expand and improve their cooperation in the field of social development to ensure that their efforts are complementary and, where possible, should combine resources in joint initiatives for social development built around common objectives of the Summit;
(b) In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of United Nations organizations in providing support for social development efforts at the national level, and to enhance their capacity to serve the objectives of the Summit, there is a need to renew, reform and revitalize the various parts of the United Nations system, in particular its operational activities. All specialized agencies and related organizations of the United Nations system are invited to strengthen and adjust their activities, programmes and medium-term strategies, as appropriate, to take into account the follow-up to the Summit. Relevant governing bodies should review their policies, programmes, budgets and activities in this regard;
(c) The Administrative Committee on Coordination should consider how its participating entities might best coordinate their activities to implement the objectives of the Summit;
(d) Regular reports on their plans and programmes related to implementation should be provided to the appropriate forums by United Nations funds and programmes and the specialized agencies.
97. The United Nations system should consider and provide appropriate technical cooperation and other forms of assistance to the countries with economies in transition. To this end:
(a) The respective United Nations bodies should assist the efforts of those countries in designing and implementing social development programmes;
(b) The United Nations Development Programme should continue to undertake efforts to support the implementation of the social development programmes, taking into account the specific needs of the countries with economies in transition;
(c) The organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, including the technical and sectoral agencies, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, should continue their cooperation in the field of social development of countries with economies in transition.
98. The implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action of the Summit will involve many entities of the United Nations system. In order to ensure coherence in this effort, the General Assembly should give consideration to:
(a) Promoting and strengthening the coordination of United Nations system activities, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization at the global, regional and national levels in the area of economic and social development programmes, including, inter alia, through reports to and meetings in coordination with the Economic and Social Council;
(b) Inviting the World Trade Organization to consider how it might contribute to the implementation of the Programme of Action, including activities in cooperation with the United Nations system;
(c) Requesting the International Labour Organization, which because of its mandate, tripartite structures and expertise has a special role to play in the field of employment and social development, to contribute to the implementation of the Programme of Action;
(d) Requesting the Secretary-General to ensure effective coordination of the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action.
99. United Nations operational activities for development should be strengthened in order to implement the Summit outcome, in accordance with relevant resolutions, particularly General Assembly resolution 47/199, and to this end:
(a) The United Nations Development Programme should organize United Nations system efforts towards capacity-building at the local, national and regional levels, and should support the coordinated implementation of social development programmes through its network of field offices;
(b) Coordination at the country level should be improved through the resident coordinator system to take full account of the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action of the Summit and related international agreements;
(c) The United Nations system should encourage and assist South-South cooperation and technical cooperation among developing countries, at all levels, as an important instrument for social development and the implementation of the Programme of Action;
(d) United Nations development efforts should be supported by a substantial increase in resources for operational activities for development on a predictable, continuous and assured basis, commensurate with the increasing needs of developing countries, as stated in resolution 47/199;
(e) The United Nations system's capacity for gathering and analysing information and developing indicators of social development should be strengthened, taking into account the work carried out by different countries, in particular by developing countries. The capacity of the United Nations system for providing policy and technical support and advice, upon request, to improve national capacities in this regard should also be strengthened.
100. The support and participation of major groups as defined in Agenda 21 are essential to the success of the implementation of the Programme of Action.
To ensure the commitment of these groups, they must be involved in planning, elaboration, implementation and evaluation at both the national and the international levels. To this end, mechanisms are needed to support, promote and allow their effective participation in all relevant United Nations bodies, including the mechanisms responsible for reviewing the implementation of the Programme of Action.
Notes    [ Up ]
1/ See The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade Negotiations: The Legal Texts (Geneva, GATT secretariat, 1994).
2/ Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8), resolution 1, annex II.
3/ Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. 94.I.18), resolution 1, annex II.
4/ General Assembly resolution 46/151, annex, sect. III.
5/ Report of the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, Paris, 3-14 September 1990 (A/CONF.147/18), part one.
6/ General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).
7/ See First Call for Children (New York, United Nations Children's Fund, 1990).
8/ General Assembly resolution 2625 (XXV), annex.
9/ General Assembly resolution 41/128, annex.
10/ Report of the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna, 14-25 June 1993 (A/CONF.157/24 (Part I)), chap. III.
11/ Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994 (A/CONF.171/13 and Add.1), chap. I, resolution 1, annex.
12/ See General Assembly resolution 48/183.
13/ General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
14/ General Assembly resolution 43/181.
15/ General Assembly resolution 45/158, annex.
16/ General Assembly resolution 48/104.
17/ General Assembly resolution 2106 A (XX), annex.
18/ General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex.
19/ Report of the World Conference to Review and Appraise the Achievements of the United Nations Decade for Women: Equality, Development and Peace, Nairobi, 15-26 July 1985 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.85.IV.10), chap. I, sect. A.
20/ General Assembly resolution 48/96, annex.
21/ General Assembly resolution 46/91, annex.
22/ See A/47/339, sect. III.
23/ See Report of the World Assembly on Ageing, Vienna, 26 July- 6 August 1992 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.82.I.16), chap. VI.
24/ See General Assembly resolution 40/14 and A/40/256, annex.
25/ United Nations, Treaty Series, vol. 189 (1954), No. 2545.
26/ Ibid., vol. 606 (1970), No. 8791.
27/ See General Assembly resolution 44/25, annex.
28/ See A/48/935 and An Agenda for Development (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.I.16).


Commission on Social Development (CsocDev)
1996
Chapter III. Substantive theme: Strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty                                                                                            
1. The Commission for Social Development considered item 4 of its agenda at its 3rd to 8th, 10th to 13th and 15th meetings, on 22 to 24, 29 to 31 May 1996.
2. For its consideration of the item, the Commission had before it the following documents:
(a) Report of the Secretary-General on policy and programme considerations in the formulation of integrated strategies for poverty eradication, meeting the basic human needs of all and promotion of self-reliance and community-based initiatives (E/CN.5/1996/3);
(b) Statement by non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council (E/CN.5/1996/NGO/1).
3. At the 3rd meeting, on 22 May, the Officer-in-Charge for the Division for Social Policy and Development of the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development made an introductory statement.
4. At the same meeting, statements were made by the representatives of Egypt, Norway, China, Austria, Peru, the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ukraine, the Republic of Korea, Belarus, the Philippines and the United States of America.
5. At the same meeting, the observers for Italy (on behalf of the States Members of the United Nations that are members of the European Union, as well as the Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Romania and Slovakia), Haiti, Jamaica and Cuba made statements.
6. At the 4th meeting, on 22 May, the Commission began the first of a series of panel discussions. The following experts addressed the Commission: Gerry Rodgers (United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland), Roberto Bissio (Uruguay), Valimohamed Jamal (Kenya), Louis Emmerij (Netherlands) and Pasuk Phongpaichit (Thailand).
7. At the same meeting, the observer for the Organization of the Islamic Conference made a statement.
8. At the 5th meeting, on 23 May, the Commission held its second panel discussion. The following experts addressed the Commission: Jan Vandemoortele (United Nations Children's Fund), Leonor Briones (Philippines), Kerstin Trone (United Nations Population Fund) and Yao Graham (Ghana).
9. At the same meeting, statements were made by the representative of Argentina and the observer for India.
10. At the 6th meeting, on 23 May, the Commission held its third panel discussion. The following experts addressed the Commission: Huguette Redegeld (France), Kasa Pangu (United Nations Children's Fund), Caroline Pezzullo (United States of America), Atila Roque (Brazil) and Else Oyen (Norway).
11. At the same meeting, the representative of the Dominican Republic made a statement.
12. Also at the same meeting, the observers for the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the International Council on Social Welfare, non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, category I, and the International Catholic Child Bureau, category II, made statements.
13. At the 7th meeting, on 24 May, statements were made by the representatives of Chile, the Philippines, Venezuela, the Russian Federation, Ethiopia, Belarus, Gabon, Co^te d'Ivoire, Mongolia and the Sudan and the observers for Kazakstan, Algeria, South Africa, Indonesia and Pakistan.
14. At the same meeting, the representatives of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the United Nations Development Programme made statements.
15. Also at the same meeting, the observers for the American Association of Retired Persons and Franciscans International, non-governmental organizations in consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, category I, and the Ambekdar Centre for Justice and Peace, a non-governmental organization accredited to the World Summit for Social Development, made statements.
16. At the 8th meeting, on 24 May, the representatives of Bolivia and Ukraine made statements.
17. At the same meeting, the representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights made a statement.
18. At the 10th meeting, on 29 May, the Chairperson of the Working Group on Poverty Eradication made a statement.
19. At the 11th meeting, on 29 May, the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development made a statement.
20. At the same meeting, the chairpersons of the inter-agency task forces on follow-up to international conferences addressed the Commission: Katherine Hagen (Chairperson of the Task Force on Employment and Sustainable Livelihoods), Mark Malloch Brown (Chairperson of the Task Force on the Enabling Environment for Social and Economic Development), Colin Power (Chairperson of the Task Force on Basic Social Services for All), and Rosario Green (Chairperson of the Inter-Agency Committee on Women and Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Gender Issues). The Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme acted as Moderator.
21. At the same meeting, statements were made by the representatives of the Sudan, Chile, Argentina, the Netherlands, Ukraine and Benin and the observers for the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Mexico, Jamaica and Canada.
22. At the 12th meeting, on 30 May, the Chairperson of the Working Group on Poverty Eradication made a statement.
Action taken by the Commission
Strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty
23. At the 13th meeting, on 30 May, Mr. Sten Arne Rosnes (Norway), in his capacity as Chairperson of the Working Group on Poverty Eradication introduced a draft resolution (E/CN.5/1996/L.4) entitled "Strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty", which read as follows:
"The Commission for Social Development,                                                  
"Recalling General Assembly resolution 50/161 of 22 December 1995 on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development,
"Recalling also General Assembly resolution 49/110 of 19 December 1994 and other relevant resolutions of the Assembly related to international cooperation for the eradication of poverty in developing countries as well as Assembly resolution 50/107 of 20 December 1995 on the observance of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty and proclamation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty,
"Recalling further Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/60 of 28 July 1995 and Council decision 1995/324 of 12 December 1995, both related to the special session of the Commission for Social Development in 1996,
"Recognizing that broad-based and sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development is necessary to sustain social development and social justice, particularly as regards efforts to eradicate poverty,
"Alt. 1: Recognizing also that poverty is a global problem affecting all countries, in particular developing countries, and that the complexity of poverty requires the implementation and integration of policies and strategies as well as a wide range of measures and actions at the local, national, regional and international levels,
"Alt. 2: Recognizing also that poverty is a global problem affecting all countries and that the multidimensional nature of poverty requires a comprehensive and integrated approach to poverty eradication (in the national and international domains),
"Recalling that (, while) the main responsibility for the formulation and implementation of the strategies, policies, programmes and actions required to (combat/eradicate) poverty rests primarily at the national level (, there is also an urgent need for stronger international cooperation and the support of international institutions to assist countries in their efforts to eradicate poverty and to provide basic social protection and services) (, they cannot be successfully achieved without the collective commitment and efforts of the international community),
"Reaffirming that the role of the State and the commitment of Governments are of fundamental importance in combating poverty and in improving living conditions, and that Governments should focus their efforts and policies on addressing the root causes of poverty and providing for the basic needs of all,
"Recognizing that over one billion people in the world today live under unacceptable conditions of poverty, mostly in developing countries, and particularly in rural areas of low-income Asia and the Pacific, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the least developed countries, (and recognizing also that people living in absolute poverty, particularly women, are on the increase,) resulting in limited access, inter alia, to income, resources, education, health care, nutrition, shelter, sanitation and safe water (, and that in all developing countries, particularly in Africa and in the least developed countries, the same trends are observed in other regions),
"Alt. 1: Recognizing also that mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes aimed at combating poverty and that empowerment of women will be critical factors in the eradication of poverty, since women constitute the majority of people living in poverty,
"Alt. 2: Recognizing also that mainstreaming a gender perspective into all policies and programmes aimed at eradicating poverty and that empowerment of women, who constitute the majority of people living in poverty, is crucial in the eradication of poverty,
"Recognizing further that the eradication of illiteracy, the universalization of basic education and the access to education for all are essential in the eradication of poverty,
"Alt. 1: Reaffirming that the strengthening of the family is essential to the eradication of poverty,
"Alt. 2: Recognizing further that the (economic and political) empowerment of families and their individual members is an indispensable strategy in combating poverty,
"Recognizing further that the media have an important role to play in promoting awareness of the complex issues surrounding poverty,
"Stressing the necessity for promoting and implementing policies and strategies to create a supportive external economic environment, through, inter alia, cooperation in the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policies, trade liberalization, mobilization and/or provision of new and additional financial resources that are both adequate and predictable and mobilized in such a way as to maximize the availability of such resources for sustainable development, using all available funding sources and mechanisms, enhanced financial stability and ensuring of increased access of developing countries to global markets, productive investment and technologies, and appropriate knowledge,
"Considering that the international community at the highest political level has already reached a consensus and committed itself to the eradication of poverty in the major United Nations conferences and summits organized since 1990,
"Having considered the report of the Secretary-General on policy and programme considerations in the formulation of integrated strategies for poverty eradication, meeting the basic human needs of all and promotion of self-reliance and community-based initiatives (E/CN.5/1996/3),
"Noting the discussions that took place on this issue during the panel discussions and the discussion with representatives of inter- agency task forces on the follow-up to international conferences and summits,
"Recalling that the commitment to the goal of eradicating poverty in the world, through decisive national actions and international cooperation, is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind,
"1. Reaffirms that all States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable requirement for sustainable development, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and better meet the needs of the majority of people of the world;
"2. Stresses that stronger political will, at the national and international levels, is a prerequisite of the eradication of poverty;
"3. Recognizes that it is helpful to set achievable output-oriented targets for efforts to eradicate poverty in order to provide a common vision for all countries;
"4. Stresses that (reducing/eradicating) poverty can be achieved (in each country only) on the basis of a (clear and lasting/strong) political will (of the State based on national consensus/at the national and international levels) and directed in particular towards promoting more equitable distribution of the benefits of growth and equal access to productive resources and social services;
"5. Recognizes that the eradication of poverty is both a complex and a multidimensional issue, fundamental to promoting equality between men and women as well as to reinforcing peace and achieving social and economic development;
"6. Alt. 1: Urges Governments to integrate goals and targets for combating poverty into overall economic and social policies and planning at the local, national and, where appropriate, subregional and regional levels;
"6. Alt. 2: Urges Governments to integrate poverty eradication strategies into overall development policies within the context of a people-centred and equitable process in which the ultimate goal of economic and social policies must be to better the human condition, through responding to the needs and maximizing the potential of all members of society;
"7. Reaffirms that democracy, transparent and accountable (Government/governance) and administration (in all sectors of society/at all levels), as well as non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual respect for and valuing of diversity, and (respect for and promotion of/promotion of and respect for) human rights and fundamental freedoms, are also imperative for poverty eradication strategies;
"8. Emphasizes the crucial importance of reinforcing the means and capacities for people to participate in the formulation and implementation of social and economic policies and programmes through decentralization and open management of public institutions;                                                                                            [ Up ]
"9. Recognizes the central role that women play in the eradication of poverty, and stresses the need for their full and equal participation in the formulation and implementation of policies that take fully into account the gender perspective and that empower women to be full partners in development;
"10. Alt. 1: Emphasizes that strategies for poverty eradication shall consist, inter alia, of a combination of efforts to enhance human resources development, with a special focus on girls and women, and to create economic opportunities by appropriate macroeconomic and micro-economic policies, including facilitating of the access of people living in poverty to resources;
"10. Alt. 2: Reaffirms that human resources development is an essential part of poverty reduction strategies, which should also be based on the strengthening of the productive capacities of the poor, inter alia, through the promotion of (demand-driven training for) job-creating activities and wider access to productive resources, as well as through the stimulation of productive employment, labour- intensive (programmes or policies) development and improvements in productivity;
"11. Stresses the need to periodically monitor, assess and share information on the performance of poverty eradication plans, evaluate policies to combat poverty, and promote an understanding and awareness of poverty and its causes and consequences;
"12. Recognizes that the role of the State in poverty eradication strategies is fundamental, in particular through applying active social policies and creating an enabling environment, inter alia, for the development of the private sector, including small and medium-sized enterprises;
"13. Alt. 1: Stresses that Governments, in partnership with all other development actors, including people living in poverty and their organizations, should cooperate to meet the basic human needs of all, comprising, inter alia, income, resources, education, health care, nutrition, shelter, sanitation and safe water, in particular of people living in poverty and vulnerable and disadvantaged groups;
"13. Alt. 2: Stresses that Government, in partnership with civil society, including non-governmental organizations, and with people living in poverty and their organizations, should cooperate to meet the basic needs of all, inter alia, and in particular, people living in poverty and vulnerable and disadvantaged groups;
"14. Also stresses the need for strategies to address not only inadequate income, but also other factors, such as lack of access to resources and basic social services, and social exclusion;
"15. Reaffirms that the satisfaction of basic human needs is an essential element of poverty reduction, these needs being closely interrelated and comprising nutrition, health, water and sanitation, education, employment, housing, and participation in cultural and social life;
"16. Emphasizes that strategies for the eradication of poverty at the national and international levels and the provision of basic human needs should be formulated and implemented with the human being at their core, regardless of any political, economic, social or cultural considerations;
"17. Recommends that the relationship between meeting the basic needs of all and creating a stable legal framework, on the one hand, and that between, inter alia, globalization and trade liberalization, on the other hand, be examined;
"18. Stresses the long-term nature of poverty eradication strategies and the need for their continuous application;
"19. Recommends that States consider more operational ways of integrating a social exclusion concept into the design of global strategies for eradicating poverty, notably through human rights, democracy, good governance and administration, a stable legal framework, participation in decision-making, non-discrimination, tolerance and mutual respect for and valuing of diversity, universal access to basic social services and adequate social protection;
"20. Urges Governments to formulate and strengthen national strategies for the eradication of illiteracy and the universalization of basic education, and encourages international organizations, in particular the international financial institutions, to support these objectives in integrating them into policy programmes and operations as appropriate;
"21. Emphasizes that Governments might consider introducing, within a comprehensive framework geared to national needs and capacities, various ad hoc measures initiated at different times to deal with specific forms of poverty, progressively implemented and aimed at enhancing the capacity of people living in poverty to become economically and socially productive members of society;
"22. Stresses the need for a partnership between donor and recipient countries in which they commit themselves to addressing the issue of poverty eradication in a more cooperative manner;
"23. Emphasizes the fundamental importance of strengthening the abilities and opportunities of civil society and local communities to develop their own organizations, resources and activities, as well as ensuring an open dialogue between Governments and citizens or community groups;
"24. Also emphasizes the importance of (institutional) capacity- building in poverty eradication strategies;
"25. Further emphasizes that the adoption and implementation of measures to substantially alleviate the external debt of developing countries, in particular African countries and the least developed countries, should contribute to the eradication of poverty;
"26. Alt. 1: Calls upon the international community to fulfil the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for overall official development assistance as soon as possible, and increase the share of funding for social development programmes, as commensurate with the scope and scale of activities required to achieve the objectives and goals of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development to eradicate poverty;                                                       
"26. Alt. 2: Calls upon the international community to strive for the fulfilment of the agreed target of 0.7 per cent of gross national product for overall official development assistance as soon as possible, and increase the share of funding for social development programmes, as commensurate with the scope and scale of activities required to achieve the objectives and goals of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development;
"27. Also calls upon the international community to mobilize new and additional financial resources that are both adequate and predictable and mobilized in such a way as to maximize the availability of such resources and use all available funding sources and mechanisms, inter alia, multilateral, bilateral and private sources, including (, as mutually agreed,) on concessional and grant terms;
"28. Reaffirms the agreement on a mutual commitment between interested developed and developing country partners to allocate, on average, 20 per cent of official development assistance and 20 per cent of the national budget, respectively, to basic social programmes;
"29. Calls upon all States and the international community to encourage and support local community development projects that foster the skill, self-reliance and self-confidence of people living in poverty and that facilitate their active participation in efforts to eradicate poverty;
"30. Stresses that international cooperation and assistance are essential for the full implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development;
"31. Also stresses that the reduction of poverty in countries with economies in transition requires the assistance of members of the international community in developing their social protection systems and social policies;
"32. Recalls that the United Nations system shall strengthen existing structures for coordination of actions relating to poverty eradication, including the establishment of a focal point for information exchange and the formulation and implementation of replicable pilot projects to eradicate poverty;
"33. Alt. 1: Invites all relevant specialized agencies, funds, programmes and related organizations of the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, to strengthen and adjust their activities, programmes and strategies, as appropriate, with a view to achieving the overall goal of eradicating poverty, meeting the basic human needs of all and promoting self-reliance and community-based initiatives, through, inter alia, financial and technical support to developing countries in their efforts to translate all measures, recommendations and commitment into operational and concrete programmes, projects and activities;
"33. Alt. 2: Stresses that the international community, and the United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, should fulfil the commitments they have made pursuant to chapter V of the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, in support of national efforts of developing countries towards the eradication of poverty;
"34. Reaffirms that the international financial institutions should contribute to the mobilization of resources for the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development by further integrating social development goals into their policies, programmes and operations (in support of national efforts of developing countries);
"35. Invites the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme to consider so extending the duration of the eradication of poverty fund as to cover the period of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006), in order to help developing countries, in particular African countries and the least developed countries, in the elaboration of national plans or programmes to eradicate poverty as well as in the formulation and implementation of replicable projects to combat poverty;
"36. Calls upon all States (, in particular donor countries,) to contribute substantially to the Trust Fund for the Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development, which includes in its activities those related to the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty;
"37. Requests the Secretary-General, in elaborating the report on action envisaged to be taken by the United Nations system in preparation for the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, to propose specific activities for each year of the Decade in order to facilitate the follow-up to and evaluation of such activities;
"38. Also requests the Secretary-General to report on the implementation of the present resolution within the framework of his report on action envisaged to be taken in preparation for the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, to be submitted to the General Assembly at its fifty-first session, and to report thereon also to the Commission at its next session."
In introducing the draft resolution, the Chairperson of the Working Group orally revised it.
24. At the 15th meeting, on 31 May, the Chairperson of the Working Group further orally revised the draft resolution.
25. The meeting was suspended. When the meeting resumed, the Chairperson of the Working Group informed the Commission of the revisions to the draft resolution agreed upon during informal consultations.
26. The Commission then adopted the draft resolution, as further orally revised (see chap. I, sect. C, Commission resolution S-1996/1).
Chairman's summary of the panel discussions and the dialogue with chairpersons of inter-agency task forces on follow-up to international conferences
27. At the 15th meeting, on 31 May, statements were made by the representatives of the Sudan, Egypt, the Islamic Republic of Iran and China and the observer for Jamaica.
28. At the same meeting, the Commission agreed that the following text would be included in the report of the Commission:
"The Commission held three panel meetings with invited experts (22 and 23 May 1996) and a dialogue with the chairpersons of the ACC inter-agency task forces on follow-up to international conferences (29 May 1996), on issues related to agenda item 4 (Strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty).
"The principal elements emerging from the discussions were summarized by the Chairman of the Commission. This text was presented to the members of the Commission and the Chairman received comments from various delegations that were accommodated in the summary. However, the text was not negotiated nor was it adopted by the Commission."
29. At the same meeting, the Commission decided to include the Chairperson's summary of the panel discussions and the dialogue with the chairpersons of inter-agency task forces in the report of the Commission (see chap. I, sect. C, Commission decision S-1996/102). The summary reads as follows:
"STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS FOR THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY: CHAIRMAN'S SUMMARY OF THE PANEL DISCUSSIONS AND THE DIALOGUE WITH CHAIRPERSONS OF INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCES ON FOLLOW-UP TO INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES            
"A. Summary of the panel discussions
"1. An essential characteristic of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action adopted by the World Summit for Social Development is its recognition of the interrelated nature of three core issues of social development: eradication of poverty, enhancement of productive employment and promotion of social integration. The historic commitment to eradicate poverty represents a moral, political and economic imperative for the international community to act, at all levels, to strengthen policies, programmes and institutions to fight poverty.
"1. The international enabling environment
"(a) Macro strategies
"2. There may be any number of micro-level strategies to fight poverty, but in the absence of effective macroeconomic policies they are unlikely to be effective. Sectoral policies and programmes aiming to eradicate poverty may be offset or undermined by fiscal or monetary policies which can lead to greater poverty. Increasingly, the arena for implementing effective macroeconomic policy is global, requiring attention and action by major global organizations such as the World Bank, the World Trade Organization and multinational corporations.
"(b) Relieving the burden of debt and structural adjustment
"3. These fundamental questions of policy remain to be resolved satisfactorily. Debt-servicing continues to require enormous resources in many developing countries, resources which could be utilized for the implementation and operationalization of social programmes (the choice of directing resources remains a governmental prerogative).
"4. Structural adjustment policies, particularly in Africa, have often been based on false assumptions about the nature of the problems many countries face. The cause of African economic stagnation was thought to be 'urban bias' in the labour market and in the provision of social services, at the expense of farmers and exporters of commodities. Structural adjustment policies aiming at devaluation and promotion of commodity exports was expected to unleash the potential of these countries for economic growth. However, faced with declining commodity prices, as well as increased competition from other countries all following the same export-oriented strategies, many countries have found that liberalized trade regimes have not led to increased growth but to deindustrialization and an impoverished urban working class.
"5. Structural adjustment policies have generally ignored the distinct differences among countries and sought to impose standard solutions to diverse problems. A lack of sensitivity to the particular needs and circumstances of individual countries may threaten their future development potential.
"(c) Provision of resources
"6. Increased resources are essential for the full and effective implementation in many countries of strategies to eradicate poverty. Even with the best intentions, without sufficient resources it is often difficult for many Governments to implement the strategies and proposals which already exist.
"7. Resources are both financial and in-kind. Additional financial resources obtained through established means - including increased and dependable official development assistance (ODA), better mobilization of domestic resources and greater foreign direct investment - are called for. Efforts should be made to reduce or delink conditionalities. Further discussion and consideration should also be given to raising resources from untried means, including international taxation. In-kind resources are the non-financial contributions of communities to their own development. Particularly where financial resources are scarce, they will remain an essential element of poverty eradication strategies.
"(d) Globalization and trade liberalization
"8. Rapid globalization of the world economy and increased liberalization of trade have affected the abilities of many Governments to design and implement effective strategies for national development and poverty eradication. Greater attention should be given in international institutions and intergovernmental forums to the potentially serious consequences of these developments.
"9. To ensure that the wider opening of national economies through globalization does not lead to greater inequality, it is essential that Governments guarantee the rights of all sectors of societies and promote equal access to resources.
"2. The relationship between economic growth and social development
"10. Economic growth is essential for social development, particularly when social development is defined mainly in physical terms - such as provision of basic social services. Yet even when economic growth is strong, social development does not automatically follow. It is also not necessary for Governments to wait for economic growth to improve conditions for people living in poverty. Nevertheless, it is evident that many policies and programmes for social development remain based on the concept that the benefits of growth will 'trickle down' to the poor. More active intervention by a partnership of Government, civil society, multilateral institutions and donors is required.
"11. To ensure that growth is translated into development is not easy; there is no single policy prescription. The complexity and magnitude of the issues involved and the need to shape responses to the needs of individuals and countries rules out the possibility of a standard blueprint. Yet experience from countries which have made advances in reducing poverty indicates that strong and sustained political commitment to policies which promote distribution and investment in human resources through the provision of basic social services, combined with effective service delivery mechanisms and mobilization of all the actors involved are fundamental to eradicating poverty.
"3. The question of growth and distribution
"12. While economic growth is essential to promote employment and eradicate poverty, it is not, in itself, a guarantee of better standards of living. Experience indicates that increased economic growth can lead to greater income inequality, resulting in large numbers of people remaining in poverty even as average per capita GDP figures soar. The persistence of poverty in spite of economic growth raises significant questions as to why particular groups fail to benefit from development.
"13. An increasing income gap also has potentially severe social and political implications. It is essential to ensure that the distribution of the benefits of high economic growth is equitable.
"14. To a certain extent, the fact that much recent economic growth has led to rising inequalities in some countries can be attributed to the speed with which that growth has taken place. Opening economies to globalization may enhance inequality, as many people are incapable of adjusting quickly to new and changing conditions. It is to be hoped that with prolonged economic growth inequalities will diminish, but Governments may also need to intervene to encourage some degree of redistribution.
"4. The creation of productive employment
"(a) Employment-intensive development
"15. Continued and enhanced economic growth remains a priority for all countries, but current patterns of development should be revised to encourage growth which is more labour-intensive and job-creating. Labour markets have changed markedly in many countries. Governments cannot leave the responsibility for job creation to the private sector alone, but have a function to stimulate appropriate labour-intensive growth through effective policies.
"(b) Improving the productivity of labour
"16. There remains a massive problem for workers whose employment is not productive enough to lift them out of poverty: the persistence of the 'working poor', in spite of their best efforts and the long hours they put in, is a major component of poverty in nearly all countries. Policies and programmes should be implemented to enable workers to become more efficient, thus raising their productivity and, eventually, their incomes.
"17. The provision of education and training, designed to impart practical skills and knowledge and revised regularly to take into account changing labour markets and national development needs, is essential and should be a prime concern of Governments.
"18. While employment is considered essential to poverty eradication, recognition also must be given to situations in which people cannot find employment, are physically or emotionally incapable of maintaining employment, or are unable to earn sufficient income to sustain themselves. In such instances it is important for Government to maintain a basic minimum standard of living.
"5. The potential of the informal sector 
"19. The informal sector and small and medium-sized enterprises have the potential to provide jobs and income for people living in poverty; often these jobs, precarious though they may be, are the only means available to the poor to earn some income. Yet because of their low productivity, jobs in the informal sector rarely provide workers with sufficient income or protection to enable them to lift themselves out of poverty. Some people view the informal sector as a trap for poor workers, consigning them to jobs with low productivity, unsafe conditions and little protection.
"20. This raises the question of whether government policy should seek to encourage the informal sector and small and medium-sized enterprises to grow, thus promoting their integration into the formal economy, or whether it should encourage them to remain small and informal. In general, Governments are encouraged to support the further development of the informal sector, through such means as improving access to credit, while also adopting measures designed to raise productivity levels, thus leading to increased incomes and greater stability and protection for workers.
"21. In rural areas emphasis should be given to the non-farm sector as a means to absorb surplus labour.
"6. Who are the poor? The problem of perception and presentation
"22. Policies aiming to eradicate poverty must take into consideration the various aspects of the problem, and must recognize and overcome the stereotypes and prejudices which often accompany public discussion of the issue. They must consider the perception that people living in poverty have of themselves. The media have an important role in creating and maintaining images of the poor and the causes of their condition, and they should be encouraged to provide balanced and thoughtful analyses of the complex issues surrounding poverty. Yet the media often merely reflect the sentiments of society at large, and cannot be expected to take the place of sensible and sensitive policy-making for poverty eradication.
"23. Reference was made to the need for a better understanding of the causes of poverty - political, economic, social and personal. Various explanations currently being advanced were mentioned during the discussion, particularly the following: structural and institutional factors rooted in societies; specific barriers that groups have to confront and overcome, such as lack of access to education or resources; for individuals, lack of community or family support and a host of personal problems that lead to social dependence. None of these were considered as adequate explanations of poverty, taken singly. All of them had to be addressed together with the creation of a national and international enabling environment if strategies to eradicate poverty were to be successful.
"24. Strategies for poverty eradication should recognize the varied experiences of different countries and their identification of the poor. Several aspects can be determined which identify or refer to people living in poverty: although much attention is given to the problems of the urban poor, in many countries the poor most often live in rural or isolated areas; they often have large families and low life expectancy; they survive without benefit of many basic services; they evidence a low level of participation in economic and political life; they often lack the basic means for productive employment; and they generally lack a sense of security in their lives. Policies to eradicate poverty must address these aspects of poverty, must seek to strengthen the determination of people living in poverty to improve their conditions and must assist them with planning and advice.
"7. Basic human needs and basic social services
"25. The Social Summit did not distinguish between the concepts of basic human needs and basic social services. For practical purposes, basic social services are often defined to include basic education, primary health care, nutrition, family planning and low-cost access to clean water and sanitation. The definition of basic human needs is broader in scope and extends to essential aspects of life, including employment, shelter and personal freedom. Discussion focused on the provision of basic social services as an effective and cost-efficient way to reduce poverty and a fundamental contribution to the satisfaction of basic human needs. Quality basic education for all was singled out as being of critical importance to economic and social progress and the eradication of poverty. Experience has shown the vital role of basic education in the transformation of societies and the expansion of opportunities for the disadvantaged and those living in poverty.
"26. The provision of basic social services is a complicated undertaking, particularly across widespread territory and in isolated areas. It requires a dedicated and long-term commitment from Governments to identify and reach the people most in need and to overcome the tendency for programmes to be usurped by those with more power, connections or information. In many places it also requires a sustained commitment from non-governmental organizations, networks, communities and families, all of which are often called upon to provide resources, labour, management skills, time and enthusiasm.
"27. Although the importance of providing basic social services is widely recognized, assurance of their financing has not been achieved. Sources of increased resources include increased government allocations, greater mobilization of community resources, debt relief or debt swaps, additional bilateral and multilateral aid, foreign borrowing, private investment and privatization of services, special taxes and greater use of cost-recovery.
"28. The 'Oslo Consensus on 20/20', developed at a recent meeting in that city, calls on developing countries to initiate dialogues with their development partners aimed at identifying methods to expand and fund access to basic social services. In the future, consultative group and round-table meetings will include a session on the implementation of 20/20 and the financing of basic social services. Recently, at the high-level meeting of the OECD Development Assistance Committee in Paris, a series of time-bound commitments was approved aiming to reduce poverty and meet targets for the provision of basic social services. The report of that meeting, entitled 'Shaping the 21st Century', was made available to the Commission for Social Development.
"29. Each of the sources of resources listed provides opportunities and each has drawbacks, and the provision of basic social services under actual conditions will likely continue to rely on various combinations of all of them. No single option or combination of options can be predetermined. Governments have the responsibility to determine their own particular needs and develop their own solutions in partnership with the organizations of civil society, donors and multilateral institutions.
"8. The role of civil society
"30. As expressed in the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action, Governments have recognized the potential of non-governmental organizations and other actors of civil society to reach people living in poverty, and they are increasingly willing to enter into partnerships to promote policies and programmes for poverty eradication, including employment creation and provision of basic social services. These partnerships should be supported and encouraged.
"31. Organizations of civil society have been praised for being flexible, responsive, representative and open to wide participation; many function at the grass-roots level and provide vital opportunities for two-way communication with local communities. Many also provide the best, if not the only, means for people living in poverty to express their needs and concerns. It is, however, important to avoid making general assumptions about the nature of these organizations. Given the wide array of organizations and the diversity of their goals, operating methods and accomplishments, it would be an oversimplification to make all-inclusive conclusions about the role of the organizations of civil society. Nevertheless, the importance of involving a variety of organizations of civil society in efforts to eradicate poverty and the beneficial results of many of their efforts is frequently demonstrated and has been reflected throughout this summary.
"9. The need for institution-building at all levels
"32. At the international level, the United Nations and particularly the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions, are clearly primary forums for discussion of the issues surrounding poverty and strategies for its eradication. Whether existing institutions can and should be revitalized and reshaped to enable them to promote and support new approaches to economic and social development is an issue which is currently being addressed, both in the Commission for Social Development and throughout the system. The question of whether new institutions should be developed has not been addressed.
"33. Nationally, the design of policies for economic and social inclusion which will promote new approaches to development and to poverty eradication will also require a degree of rethinking about the institutions currently charged with these responsibilities. Questions were raised about the ability of existing ministries and national bureaucracies to implement the emerging international consensus on new approaches to development. New partnerships of Government and civil society will clearly be required, and this should be seen as a positive development. A part of the effort to eradicate poverty must include an analysis of the institutions which will be charged with the implementation of strategies.
"34. Local communities must be able to help themselves; the vulnerable groups need to be defended against the process of exclusion, which may gain strength as economic growth accelerates. Therefore, it is essential that local networks, organizations and community groups be strengthened - with funding, with training and with increased self-confidence - to enable them to defend and support their members.
"10. The need to guarantee rights and protections 
"35. A major factor influencing the ability of individuals and groups to raise themselves from poverty is their enjoyment of rights to resources - land, forests, fisheries - which they can utilize and manage to ensure sufficient incomes. Sometimes, social groups which have contributed significantly to national economic development are not able to enjoy the benefits of that development because they are excluded from ownership of or access to resources.
"11. The need for continuous information and monitoring
"36. Policies to eradicate poverty should strive to be comprehensive but focus on key issues. As economic growth continues social conditions change rapidly. For policies to be effective, it is essential that they be continuously reviewed and revised as necessary to address changing situations and needs. This will require that policy makers have access to continuous and up-to-date information about conditions and about the impact of current policies.
"37. Information gathering and policy monitoring are, however, not ends in themselves: it is necessary that information be properly and sufficiently acted upon so that effective policies remain so and ineffective policies are changed. The organizations of civil society will also be instrumental in providing information and in monitoring policy performance.
"12. The issue of social change and its impact on economic growth
"38. Many societies have witnessed profound social change, most noticeably in terms of gender relations and in family structures, which are both cause and effect of economic growth and developments.
"39. Social change, in particular with regard to women or to vulnerable social groups, actually refers to changes in attitudes about their roles in and their contributions to the societies in which they live. These changes in attitudes should lead to their empowerment and greater participation in economic and social life, which should improve their positions enormously. It can be expected that such change would lead to greater and faster economic growth, by freeing pent-up potential and skills which now go unutilized. It also requires change based on the political will to promote inclusion and the rights of all members of society.
"40. The particular role of the family as a source of support should be recognized and supported by policies and programmes, while taking into account the evolution which traditional notions of the family have undergone in most places.
"13. Obstacles to eradicating poverty
"41. Many of the traditional theories and concepts of development, and the policies they have engendered, have been based on an ethic of materialism, exclusion and domination, rather than a sense of solidarity among all people, and have resulted in situations whereby participation by the poor is not facilitated and their views, experiences and contributions are not valued. It was perceived that, within many societies, a certain level of poverty may be considered desirable, as a source of cheap labour and to maintain a passi