The Road to the Conference

Social Policy Section
Social Development Division, United Nations ESCAP

BACKGROUNDER 1 - THE CONFERENCE

1991 The United Nations General Assembly adopts the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade (1991-2000), which targets the need to deal directly with social issues largely neglected due to the emphasis on growth.

1992 ESCAP convenes the Fourth Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Social Welfare and Social Development in October. The meeting, held in Manila, adopted the Social Development Strategy for the ESCAP Region Towards the Year 2000 and Beyond.

1993 The United Nations General Assembly decides to convene a World Summit on social development issues in 1995 to encourage action to promote social development through the alleviation of poverty, the expansion of productive employment and the enhancement of social integration.

1994 In October, ESCAP convenes the Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference in Preparation for the World Summit for Social Development in Manila. The Conference adopts the Manila Declaration on the Agenda for Action on Social Development in the ESCAP Region, thereby taking the lead in global efforts to enhance social progress. The participating governments expressed their firm commitment to prioritize social development through the enactment and provision of effective policies, sound measures, appropriate pro-grammes and adequate resources.

1995 The World Summit on Social Development meets in March in Copenhagen, Denmark. The Copen-hagen Declaration and Programme of Action that was subsequently adopted called on regional commissions to convene a meeting at a high political level, each once every two years to chart the progress of social development in their regions.

1997 The Fifth Asian and Pacific Ministerial Conference on Social Development assembles in Manila as the first of ESCAP’s biennial conferences to assess the progress achieved towards attaining the goals and targets of the Regional Social Development Agenda and to consider how to enhance regional cooperation in support of the agenda.

Next: The poverty dilemma

Back to the overview page of the Ministerial Conference