1. Strengthening international cooperation for development
33. The new opportunities, challenges and risks opened by the globalization and growing interdependence in the world economy, the critical situation and special problems in many developing countries and the special problems of economies in transition heighten the need for strengthened international cooperation. A strong political will is essential to sustain such cooperation. Through this Agenda, we renew our commitment and seek to impart new vigour to a global partnership for development.
34. The international community has convened over the past five years or so a number of major conferences and meetings which have adopted decisions and made commitments on key development issues aimed at reinvigorating the development process and international cooperation for development. These include the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation, in particular the Revitalization of Economic Growth and Development of the Developing Countries, the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade, the World Conference on Education for All held in Jomtien, Thailand, the Second United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries, the World Summit for Children, the United Nations New Agenda for the Development of Africa in the 1990s, the Cartagena Commitment, Agenda 21 and the various consensus agreements and conventions adopted before, at, or after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, the World Conference on Human Rights, the Global Conference on Small Island Developing States, the International Conference on Population and Development, the World Summit for Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women, the ninth session of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and the World Food Summit.
35. These conferences bear witness that the United Nations system is and should continue to be more actively involved in the full spectrum of development issues. The accords, commitments and internationally agreed targets reached at these conferences should be fully implemented by all States and international organizations. Only through full implementation can we give credence to the notion that these development initiatives are truly a priority issue for the international community.
36. Such implementation requires foremost political will by all actors at all levels. Too often the gap between what has been agreed and what has been implemented leaves much to be desired both at the national and international levels. The commitments we have made individually and collectively need to be fulfilled if the development needs of all countries, particularly of the developing countries, are to be addressed effectively.
37. To this end we reaffirm, through this Agenda for Development, the continued relevance of the agreements reached at these international conferences and other meetings of the United Nations and stress the need for an integrated, interrelated and coherent implementation and coordinated follow-up to these conferences.
38. As we approach the twenty-first century, it is the collective responsibility of the international community to ensure that within the multidimensional and integrated character of its mandate the United Nations system is equipped to show leadership in the fulfilment of the commitments made on international cooperation for development, and to serve as a forum for the expression of global goals and as an advocate for the promotion and protection of all human rights, including the right to development and the protection of the environment, as well as to respond to humanitarian assistance requirements and to maintain peace and international security.
39. The United Nations system, by virtue of its global reach, its universal membership, its impartiality and the unique and comprehensive mandate reflected in its Charter has a vital role to play in the development process. Enhancing this role, capacity, effectiveness and efficiency require a continuous focus on development issues and ensuring its sound financial basis.
40. The wide array of issues which the United Nations system addresses is reflected in its various functions, such as those of the specialized agencies, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and the regional commissions. Each part of the system has a specific role to play in addressing these issues. Relative strengths and weaknesses among the various parts of the system cannot be ignored. Enhancing the role, capacity, effectiveness and efficiency of the United Nations system has to take these basic facts into account and programmes should be concentrated on areas where particular needs and the special capacity of the Organization converge.
41. However, overarching these considerations of efficiency and effectiveness of delivery is the political dimension of the development agenda. The United Nations is unique because it conducts international political debates on all issues in the economic, social and related fields. These debates should provide political impetus to other fora to undertake the necessary policies and measures. Hence, the United Nations political interaction not only with Member States, the specialized agencies, including the Bretton Woods institutions, and the regional commissions, as well as with organizations such as the World Trade Organization, but also with non-state actors should be intensified with a view to enhancing effective action and coordination among them in the economic, social and related fields.
42. This Agenda for Development sets out a new framework for international cooperation, defines the role of the United Nations, and how both can make a particular contribution, and sets out the development priorities as well as time-frames for implementation and keeps the implementation of the development agenda under political review.
2. Promoting development based on an integrated approach
43. Sustained economic growth is essential for expanding the resource base for development and, hence, for economic, technical and social transformation. It generates the required financial, physical, human and technological resources. It is also essential to the eradication of poverty. An open and equitable framework for trade, investment and technology transfer, as well as enhanced cooperation in the management of a globalized world economy and in the formulation and implementation of macroeconomic policies, are critical for the promotion of growth and development. While the private sector is a motor for economic growth, the government has an active and essential role in the formulation of economic, social and environmental policies.
44. In order to ensure an integrated approach to development centred on human beings and to achieve sustainable development, economic growth on its own is not sufficient and environmental protection cannot be considered in isolation from the development process. The goal of development is the improvement of human well-being and the quality of life. This involves the eradication of poverty, the fulfilment of the basic needs of all people and the protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development. It requires that Governments apply active social and environmental policies, and the promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms on the basis of democratic and widely participatory institutions.
45. Investments in health, education and training are particularly critical in the development of human resources and should be pursued in such a way that everyone, both women and men, are given an equal opportunity to participate actively and productively in the development process. The improvement of the role and status of women, including their empowerment, is central to all efforts to achieve sustainable development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions. Diversion of resources away from social priorities and needs should be avoided and, where it has occurred, be corrected. Basic social programmes and expenditures, in particular those affecting people living in poverty and the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups of society, should be protected from budget reductions. When formulating and implementing structural adjustment policies and programmes such considerations should be taken into account.
46. Development is and should be centred on human beings. Economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development, which is the framework of efforts to achieve a higher quality of life for all people. As the well-being of human beings depends on all facets of development, a multidimensional approach to development is essential. Therefore, any formulation of strategies, policies, and national, subregional, regional and international actions has to be based on an integrated and comprehensive approach. It is in this spirit that we frame this Agenda for Development. All of the areas identified for action are closely interrelated for implementation of this Agenda.