91. Equitable social development is a necessary foundation for development and an important factor for the eradication of poverty. The commitments agreed at the World Summit for Social Development should be fully implemented.
92. The ultimate goal of development is to improve and enhance human well-being and the quality of life of all people. Social development is best pursued if Governments actively promote empowerment and participation in a democratic and pluralistic system respectful of all human rights and fundamental freedoms. Efforts to sustain broad-based economic growth reinforce the promotion of social development. Processes to promote increased and equal economic opportunities, to avoid exclusion and overcome socially divisive disparities while respecting diversity are also part of an enabling environment for social development.
93. It is the primary responsibility of States to attain social development. But the international community, the United Nations system, the multilateral financial institutions, all regional organizations and local authorities, and all actors of civil society also need to contribute their own share of efforts and resources to promote social development and to reduce inequalities among people and narrow the gap between developed and developing countries. As part of these shared responsibilities, interested developed and developing country partners could agree on mutual commitments to allocate, on average, 20 per cent of ODA and 20 per cent of their national budget, respectively, to basic social programmes.
94. Poverty continues to affect far too many people in the world. Hunger and malnutrition, ill-health, lack of access to safe drinking water, low access to education and other public services and resources, exclusion, lack of participation and violence are some of the many aspects that characterize poverty. Widespread poverty affects the future of societies, as children growing up in poverty are often permanently disadvantaged. The burden of poverty is disproportionately borne by women. Though poverty occurs in all countries, its extent and manifestation are particularly severe in developing countries.
95. The goal of eradicating poverty in the world is an ethical, social, political and economic imperative. It can only be achieved through a multidimensional and integrated approach, that combines programmes targeted at people living in poverty with policies and strategies that meet the basic needs of all, strengthen their productive capacities, empower them to participate in decision-making on policies that affect them, ensure access of all to productive resources, opportunities, public services, and enhance social protection and reduce vulnerability. Sustained and broad-based economic growth, social development and environmental protection are crucial for raising living standards and for eliminating poverty in a sustained manner.
96. At international conferences organized by the United Nations in the recent years, Governments committed themselves to meet the basic needs of all. High priority should be placed on achieving and monitoring the goals and targets set in the areas of education, health, food security, shelter and access to safe drinking water and sanitation, in partnership with major development actors.
97. At the Social Summit, it was decided to formulate or strengthen, preferably by 1996, national policies and strategies geared to substantially reducing overall poverty in the shortest possible time, to reducing inequalities, and eradicating absolute poverty by a target date to be specified by each country. National budgets and policies should be designed with the strategic objective of meeting basic needs, eradicating poverty and reducing inequalities.
98. The eradication of poverty requires determined national actions. At the same time, the international community, bilaterally and through the multilateral financial institutions and other international organizations, should support the efforts of developing countries in the eradication of poverty and in ensuring basic social protection.
99. Commitments and targets agreed upon since 1990 to achieve the overall goal of poverty eradication should be fully implemented by Governments, in partnership with all development actors, the United Nations system, including financial institutions, NGOs and the international community as a whole. The United Nations system should make every effort to enhance the coordination of actions relative to poverty eradication, and to support developing countries and other countries in that endeavour.
100. Hunger and malnutrition continue to be the fate of hundreds of millions of people, most of whom live in Africa and the least developed countries. Eliminating hunger and malnutrition and achieving food security are major objectives of this agenda. Therefore, the institutional structures of the United Nations system must be made more effective in this respect.
101. The key to increasing food production lies in sustainable development of the agricultural sector and in improving market opportunities. Solving the problems in developing countries calls for improving agricultural productivity, but also for financial incentives to encourage investment in agriculture. It is also important to promote secure land tenure and access to resources and technology for farmers, in particular women, whose role is crucial in food supply and food security. The macroeconomic and trade policy issues and the social factors that constrain and limit the achievement of food security in least developed countries should also be addressed.
102. The international community should support the efforts of Africa and the least developed countries to increase food security. It should strive to ensure coordinated and rapid delivery of food assistance in situations of transitory food insecurity, in full awareness of longer term national and local development objectives and of the need to improve access to food of the most vulnerable groups of the population.
103. Creating adequately and appropriately remunerated employment for all and reducing unemployment and underemployment are essential for combating poverty and for promoting social integration.
104. Pursuing the goal of full employment should be a basic priority of economic and social policies, so as to enable all men and women to attain secure and sustainable livelihoods through freely chosen productive employment and work. At the WSSD, Governments agreed on those common goals, and on a set of objectives, policies and strategies to achieve them.
105. Economic growth as well as the expansion of productive employment should go hand in hand. The expansion of adequately and appropriately remunerated employment and the reduction of unemployment should be placed at the centre of economic and social policies with the participation of employers, workers and their respective organizations. The basic rights and interests of workers and the quality of jobs should be ensured and the relevant conventions of the International Labour Organization (ILO) should be fully respected. Also essential is to ensure equal employment opportunities for women and men. Special efforts should be made against long-term and structural unemployment and underemployment, particularly among youth and women. In employment creation, employment development strategies should take into account the role of self-employment, entrepreneurship, small and medium size enterprises, and of the informal sector.
106. The United Nations should elaborate ways and means to implement, follow up and assess the outcome of the Social Summit in relation to the goal of full employment through expansion of productive employment and the reduction of unemployment. The General Assembly, through the Economic and Social Council with the support of the Commission for Social Development and other relevant bodies as well as the World Bank and the IMF, should be involved in the implementation, follow-up, and assessment of international commitments on employment. The ILO, because of its mandate, has a special role to play in this regard.
107. The aim of social integration is to create "a society for all", where every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play. Since the founding of the United Nations, the quest for humane, stable, safe, tolerant and just societies has shown a mixed record. While progress has been achieved in many areas, there have also been negative developments, such as social polarization and fragmentation, widening disparities and inequalities of income and wealth within and among nations, and marginalization of people, families and social groups. Even entire countries have been negatively affected due to rapid social change, economic transformation, migration and major dislocations, particularly in areas of armed conflicts and violence in its various manifestations.
108. These are compelling reasons for actions by Governments, individually and, as appropriate, jointly, to foster social cohesion, while recognizing and protecting diversity. An inclusive society must be based on respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, on non-discrimination, tolerance, equality of opportunity, solidarity, security, respect for diversity, and on participation of all people, including the vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and persons. The problems of crime, violence and abuse of and trafficking in drugs should also be addressed. International cooperation in the area of drugs should be reinforced in accordance with the Global Programme of Action adopted in the context of the international decade to fight drug abuse. In this context, the convening of a special session of the General Assembly in order to consider the fight against the illicit production, sale, demand, traffic and distribution of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and related activities, and to propose new strategies, methods, practical activities and specific measures to strengthen international cooperation in addressing the problem of illicit drugs is of the highest importance.
109. At the World Conference on Education for All and the World Summit for Social Development, Governments committed themselves to ensuring universal access to quality education, to attaining the highest attainable standards of physical and mental health, and to ensuring access of all to primary health care. This should include efforts to rectify inequalities relating to social conditions, race, national origin, age, disability, and between urban and rural areas. Appropriate steps should be taken to close the gender gap at all levels of education and to ensure the full access of women to health care throughout the life cycle.
110. Quality education is critical for enabling people to develop their full capacities in health and dignity, and to participate actively in the social, economic and political process of development. It is also crucial for achieving the objectives of economic development. Education and vocational training are the key to higher productivity, and allow faster and easier adaptation to technological and economic change. They are vital for job creation and combating unemployment, and for sustained growth.
111. Resolute and vigorous national actions are crucial for developing human resources. Governments have committed themselves to formulating or strengthening strategies for the eradication of illiteracy and universalization of basic education. The link between education and training and labour market policies should be strengthened, so as to facilitate the adaptation of workers and employers to changing economic conditions, technologies and labour markets. Not only should the importance of higher education and scientific research be emphasized, but also of broadening the means and scope of basic education, of enhancing the learning environment and of promoting life-long learning.
112. From the perspective of the economy at large, it is of great importance that the requisite policies be applied to ensure human resources development, including a satisfactory level of education and training of the workforce and increasing their receptivity to technological innovations, in particular in the field of information technology.
113. Efforts to achieve the goals of national "Health-for-All" strategies, in line with the Alma Ata Conference Declaration on Primary Health Care, should be expedited. The need for an integrated and intersectoral approach to health strategies has been recognized, as well as the importance of strengthening national and international efforts to prevent and combat epidemics and other diseases that are endemic in many developing countries, and in particular to address malaria and the spread of HIV/AIDS more effectively.
114. At previous international conferences, Governments agreed upon a set of goals and objectives for national and international efforts in the area of education and literacy, and health, in particular for maternal and child health and the control of major communicable diseases. We are committed to achieving those goals within the time-frame we agreed to.
115. Enhanced international cooperation is also called for to advance human resource development. Concerted efforts should be made to support the efforts of developing countries, especially the least developed countries, and other countries in need, to develop their human resources. Developed countries have an important role to play. Human resources development and institution-building can also be promoted through cooperation among developing countries. International organizations, including the international financial institutions, must give high priority to supporting the objectives of human resources development and to integrating them into their policies, programmes and operations. Support might include, inter alia, exchange of information, training and skill development programmes, as well as the provision of other forms of assistance.
116. More people than ever are living in absolute poverty and without adequate shelter. Inadequate shelter and homelessness are growing plights in many countries, threatening standards of health, security and even life itself. Urban settlements have the ability to support large numbers of people while limiting their impact on the natural environment. Yet many cities are witnessing harmful patterns of growth, of production and consumption, of land use, of mobility and of degradation of their physical infrastructure.
117. At the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II), the international community adopted the goals and principles of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world. It reaffirmed its commitment to the full and progressive realization of the right to adequate housing, as provided for in international instruments. The international community also subscribed to the principles and goals of equitable human settlements, in which all people have equal access to housing, infrastructure, health services, adequate food and water, education and open spaces. It affirmed that eradication of poverty is essential for sustainable human settlements.
118. Sustainable development is essential to human settlements development and gives full consideration to the needs and necessities of achieving economic growth, social development and environmental protection. Special consideration should be given to the specific situation and needs of developing countries, and, as appropriate, of countries with economies in transition. Human settlements shall be planned, developed and improved in a manner that takes full account of sustainable development principles and all their components, as set out in Agenda 21 and related outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development.
119. Formulation and implementation of strategies for human settlements development are primarily the responsibility of each country at national and local levels within the legal framework of each country. National plans of action and/or other relevant national programmes and actions to achieve the goals of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development will need to be developed or strengthened, where appropriate, and their implementation will need to be monitored and evaluated by governments in close cooperation with their partners in development at the national level. There is also a need for an enabling international environment and for integrated approaches at the national and international levels to support these efforts.
120. New and additional financial resources from various sources are necessary to achieve the goals of adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world. The existing resources available to developing countries _ public, private, multilateral, bilateral, domestic, and external _ need to be enhanced through appropriate and flexible mechanisms and economic instruments to support adequate shelter for all and sustainable human settlements development. These should be accompanied by concrete measures for international technical cooperation and information exchange.
121. The United Nations system, in cooperation with all States and with relevant international and non-governmental organizations also has a key role to play in promoting international cooperation on the provision of adequate shelter and sustainable human settlements development in an urbanizing world as well as in rural areas.