General Assembly
Official Records
Fifty-fourth Session
Supplement No. 1 (A/54/1)
Chapter II
Social development
152. One of the most significant achievements of the international conferences on social development issues convened by the United Nations during the 1990s has been the consensus on the need for people-centred approaches to both social and economic problems. In 1999, the five-year review of the International Conference on Population and Development, held at Cairo in 1994, was conducted in New York. Preparatory work also began for the five-year reviews, to be held in 2000, of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the World Summit for Social Development, and of Habitat II, which will occur in 2001.
153. The review process of the Cairo Conference culminated in a special session of the General Assembly, held from 30 June to 2 July 1999, at which the Assembly adopted key actions for the further implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. This drew on reports prepared by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on the basis of several technical workshops and symposia, and an on-the-ground assessment of progress made in 114 developing countries and 18 developed countries since the Cairo Conference. The document adopted by the General Assembly focused on population and development concerns; gender equity and the empowerment of women; reproductive health and rights; partnerships and collaborations. It also called for a greater effort by all countries to address the shortfall in resources needed to implement the commitments made at Cairo.
154. At the country level, inter-agency working groups have been established to assist with the integrated follow-up to the conferences. The 1998 annual reports of resident coordinators indicated that 573 thematic groups were functioning around the world. Many of these groups deal with social development concerns, such as basic social services (16 groups), health and nutrition (29), education (24), population and development (7), reproductive health (5), drugs (6) and human rights (15).
155. The use of new information technologies has assisted public information outreach on social development issues. For example, in March 1999 the UNIFEM inter-agency global videoconference, A World Free of Violence against Women, linked Member States, United Nations bodies and activists around the world.
156. In addition, ESCWA is implementing a project to provide an integrated regional follow-up by the Arab States to the United Nations conferences, which was launched in October 1998. The project addresses issues related to the themes of the major conferences, including women, population, human settlements and social development. The project also builds on the experiences of UNICEF, UNFPA and UNIFEM.
157. Four particular areas of activity are highlighted below.
A new initiative for girls' education
158. Led by UNICEF, the United Nations Development Group is planning to launch a new 10-year initiative for girls' education. The initiative will bring together a broad coalition of actors, including those outside the United Nations system, to support enhanced provision of girls' education at country level. The Conferences on Population and Development and on Women, and the Social Summit, have demonstrated widespread recognition of the benefits that enhancing the education of girls confers, including increased family incomes, later marriages and reduced fertility rates, reduced infant and maternal mortality rates, better nourished and healthier children, greater opportunities and choices for more women, and greater participation of women in development and in political and economic decision-making.
Focus on youth
159. Contributing to young people's development has important implications for human development and human rights, including strengthening democratic processes and decreasing gender and ethnic discrimination and disparities. The United Nations has continued to build partnerships and strengthen its commitment to supporting young people around the world. In 10 United Nations country teams, inter-agency working groups have been established on children, youth and adolescents.
160. The United Nations International Drug Control Programme sponsored a Youth Vision Drug Abuse Forum bringing together young people from around the world to exchange ideas on tackling drug-related problems. The General Assembly at its special session on the world drug problem agreed on the importance of reducing the demand for drugs as well as cutting off the supply. The World AIDS Campaign focused on young people in both 1998 and 1999.
161. UNIFEM, UNFPA, UNDP and UNESCO, in partnership with civil society organizations, sponsored the Global Meeting of Generations initiative that fosters dialogue between generations to further human development in the twenty-first century. UNICEF, with the support of the Rockefeller Foundation and the United Nations Foundation, collaborated with a number of United Nations and non-governmental organization partners to develop and support interregional dialogues aimed at formulating policies and programmes which take account of the needs of young people. UNFPA continued to foster regional and national cooperation in adolescent reproductive health by sponsoring a number of events in the Caribbean, sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and the Arab States.
Advocating higher and more focused social spending
162. The 20/20 initiative, by which recipient countries agree to dedicate 20 per cent of their national budgets -- and donors give 20 per cent of their development assistance -- to social development spending, has drawn attention to the need to increase spending on social development priorities and has stimulated debate on donor and in-country policies. UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA and the World Bank collaborated both at the international level and in specific countries on this issue over the past year, building on work begun after the Social Summit.
163. Thirty-five social sector expenditure reviews have been completed to date. In October 1998, at the second international meeting on the 20/20 initiative, representatives from 48 countries adopted the Hanoi consensus, which emphasizes the need for increased investment in social services.
United Nations collaboration in the fight against HIV/AIDS
164. The challenge posed by the global AIDS epidemic is growing increasingly serious. By the end of 1998, over 30 million people were infected by HIV/AIDS and almost 14 million had succumbed to the disease. Half of the 6 million new cases of HIV infection in 1998 were young people aged 15 to 24. According to the World Health Report 1999, AIDS is now the most deadly infectious disease in the world, killing even more people than tuberculosis.
165. In a number of poor countries, HIV/AIDS is having a major negative impact on progress towards achieving social development goals. For example, according to a report produced by the Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 1998, the nine countries most affected by AIDS will have experienced a 10-year reduction in life expectancy by the year 2000, and a 16-year reduction by 2010-2015. By 2005-2010, infant mortality in the most affected countries could be 28 per cent higher than it would have been in the absence of AIDS, and mortality under age 5 could be 51 per cent higher. Social and economic losses create a downward spiral, reversing hard-won development gains and depriving those infected of any chance of a decent livelihood.
166. In 1998, the United Nations International Drug Control Programme became the seventh sponsor of the Joint and Co-sponsored United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), joining UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Bank. UNAIDS achievements include the production of a series of guides to the strategic planning process for national responses to HIV/AIDS (with UNAIDS support, 13 countries in Asia and Africa have now completed their strategic plans); the publication of over 100 guides to best practices, which include advocacy material, technical updates and case studies; preparations for a new International Partnership against HIV/AIDS in Africa; the establishment of an inter-agency working group on HIV/AIDS with the participation of 115 United Nations country teams; and the launch of a joint initiative by UNAIDS, UNIFEM and UNFPA to build the capacity of women's organizations and Governments to address the challenges of HIV/AIDS.