| United Nations | A/CONF.166/9 |
World Summit for Social Development
Distr. GENERAL
19 April 1995
ORIGINAL:
ENGLISH/FRENCH/SPANISH
Copenhagen, Denmark
6-12 March 1995
REPORT OF THE WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT*
(Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995)
* The present document is a preliminary version of the report of the
World Summit for Social Development.
CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I. RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE SUMMIT ............................... 4
1. Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme
of Action of the World Summit for Social Development ........ 4
2. Expression of thanks to the people and Government of Denmark 92
3. Credentials of representatives to the World Summit for
Social Development ..........................................92
II. ATTENDANCE AND ORGANIZATION OF WORK .............................93
A. Date and place of the Summit ................................93
B. Attendance ..................................................93
C. Opening of the Summit and election of the President .........96
D. Messages from heads of State ................................96
E. Adoption of the rules of procedure ..........................96
F. Adoption of the agenda ......................................97
G. Election of officers other than the President ...............97
H. Organization of work, including establishment of the Main
Committee ...................................................98
I. Accreditation of intergovernmental organizations ............98
J. Accreditation of non-governmental organizations .............98
K. Appointment of the members of the Credentials Committee .....98
III. GENERAL EXCHANGE OF VIEWS .......................................99
IV. REPORT OF THE MAIN COMMITTEE ....................................102
V. ADOPTION OF THE COPENHAGEN DECLARATION ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
AND THE PROGRAMME OF ACTION OF THE WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL
DEVELOPMENT .....................................................105
VI. REPORT OF THE CREDENTIALS COMMITTEE .............................112
VII. MEETING OF HEADS OF STATE OR GOVERNMENT .........................113
VIII. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE SUMMIT ............................121
IX. CLOSURE OF THE SUMMIT ...........................................122
Annexes
I. LIST OF DOCUMENTS .. .............................................123
II. OPENING STATEMENTS ...............................................125
III. CLOSING STATEMENT ................................................132
Chapter I
RESOLUTIONS ADOPTED BY THE SUMMIT
Resolution 1
Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and
Programme of Action of the World Summit for
Social Development*
* Adopted at the 14th plenary meeting on 12 March 1995; for the
discussion, see chap. V.
The World Summit for Social Development,
Having met in Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995,
1. Adopts the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the
Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, which are
annexed to the present resolution;
2. Recommends to the General Assembly of the United Nations at its
fiftieth session that it endorses the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme
of Action, as adopted by the Summit.
Annex I
COPENHAGEN DECLARATION ON SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
1. For the first time in history, at the invitation of the United Nations,
we gather as heads of State and Government to recognize the significance of
social development and human well-being for all and to give to these goals the
highest priority both now and into the twenty-first century.
2. We acknowledge that the people of the world have shown in different ways
an urgent need to address profound social problems, especially poverty,
unemployment and social exclusion, that affect every country. It is our task
to address both their underlying and structural causes and their distressing
consequences in order to reduce uncertainty and insecurity in the life of
people.
3. We acknowledge that our societies must respond more effectively to the
material and spiritual needs of individuals, their families and the
communities in which they live throughout our diverse countries and regions.
We must do so not only as a matter of urgency but also as a matter of
sustained and unshakeable commitment through the years ahead.
4. We are convinced that democracy and transparent and accountable
governance and administration in all sectors of society are indispensable
foundations for the realization of social and people-centred sustainable
development.
5. We share the conviction that social development and social justice are
indispensable for the achievement and maintenance of peace and security within
and among our nations. In turn, social development and social justice cannot
be attained in the absence of peace and security or in the absence of respect
for all human rights and fundamental freedoms. This essential interdependence
was recognized 50 years ago in the Charter of the United Nations and has since
grown ever stronger.
6. We are deeply convinced that economic development, social development
and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing
components of sustainable development, which is the framework for our efforts
to achieve a higher quality of life for all people. Equitable social
development that recognizes empowering the poor to utilize environmental
resources sustainably is a necessary foundation for sustainable development.
We also recognize that broad-based and sustained economic growth in the
context of sustainable development is necessary to sustain social development
and social justice.
7. We recognize, therefore, that social development is central to the needs
and aspirations of people throughout the world and to the responsibilities of
Governments and all sectors of civil society. We affirm that, in both
economic and social terms, the most productive policies and investments are
those that empower people to maximize their capacities, resources and
opportunities. We acknowledge that social and economic development cannot be
secured in a sustainable way without the full participation of women and that
equality and equity between women and men is a priority for the international
community and as such must be at the centre of economic and social
development.
8. We acknowledge that people are at the centre of our concerns for
sustainable development and that they are entitled to a healthy and productive
life in harmony with the environment.
9. We gather here to commit ourselves, our Governments and our nations to
enhancing social development throughout the world so that all men and women,
especially those living in poverty, may exercise the rights, utilize the
resources and share the responsibilities that enable them to lead satisfying
lives and to contribute to the well-being of their families, their communities
and humankind. To support and promote these efforts must be the overriding
goals of the international community, especially with respect to people
suffering from poverty, unemployment and social exclusion.
10. We make this solemn commitment on the eve of the fiftieth anniversary of
the United Nations, with a determination to capture the unique possibilities
offered by the end of the cold war to promote social development and social
justice. We reaffirm and are guided by the principles of the Charter of the
United Nations and by agreements reached at relevant international
conferences, including the World Summit for Children, held at New York in
1990; 1/ the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, held at
Rio de Janeiro in 1992; 2/ the World Conference on Human Rights, held at
Vienna in 1993; 3/ the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States, held at Bridgetown, Barbados in 1994; 4/ and
the International Conference on Population and Development, held at Cairo in
1994. 5/ By this Summit we launch a new commitment to social development in
each of our countries and a new era of international cooperation between
Governments and peoples based on a spirit of partnership that puts the needs,
rights and aspirations of people at the centre of our decisions and joint
actions.
11. We gather here in Copenhagen in a Summit of hope, commitment and action.
We gather with full awareness of the difficulty of the tasks that lie ahead
but with a conviction that major progress can be achieved, must be achieved
and will be achieved.
12. We commit ourselves to this Declaration and Programme of Action for
enhancing social development and ensuring human well-being for all throughout
the world now and into the twenty-first century. We invite all people in all
countries and in all walks of life, as well as the international community, to
join us in our common cause.
A. Current social situation and reasons for convening
the Summit
13. We are witnessing in countries throughout the world the expansion of
prosperity for some, unfortunately accompanied by an expansion of unspeakable
poverty for others. This glaring contradiction is unacceptable and needs to
be corrected through urgent actions.
14. Globalization, which is a consequence of increased human mobility,
enhanced communications, greatly increased trade and capital flows, and
technological developments, opens new opportunities for sustained economic
growth and development of the world economy, particularly in developing
countries. Globalization also permits countries to share experiences and to
learn from one another's achievements and difficulties, and promotes a
cross-fertilization of ideals, cultural values and aspirations. At the same
time, the rapid processes of change and adjustment have been accompanied by
intensified poverty, unemployment and social disintegration. Threats to human
well-being, such as environmental risks, have also been globalized.
Furthermore, the global transformations of the world economy are profoundly
changing the parameters of social development in all countries. The challenge
is how to manage these processes and threats so as to enhance their benefits
and mitigate their negative effects upon people.
15. There has been progress in some areas of social and economic
development:
(a) The global wealth of nations has multiplied sevenfold in the past
50 years and international trade has grown even more dramatically;
(b) Life expectancy, literacy and primary education, and access to basic
health care, including family planning, have increased in the majority of
countries and average infant mortality has been reduced, including in
developing countries;
(c) Democratic pluralism, democratic institutions and fundamental civil
liberties have expanded. Decolonization efforts have achieved much progress,
while the elimination of apartheid is a historic achievement.
16. Yet we recognize that far too many people, particularly women and
children, are vulnerable to stress and deprivation. Poverty, unemployment and
social disintegration too often result in isolation, marginalization and
violence. The insecurity that many people, in particular vulnerable people,
face about the future - their own and their children's - is intensifying:
(a) Within many societies, both in developed and developing countries,
the gap between rich and poor has increased. Furthermore, despite the fact
that some developing countries are growing rapidly the gap between developed
and many developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, has
widened;
(b) More than one billion people in the world live in abject poverty,
most of whom go hungry every day. A large proportion, the majority of whom
are women, have very limited access to income, resources, education, health
care or nutrition, particularly in Africa and the least developed countries;
(c) There are also serious social problems of a different nature and
magnitude in countries with economies in transition and countries experiencing
fundamental political, economic and social transformations;
(d) 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;
(e) Continued growth in the world's population, its structure and
distribution, and its relationship with poverty and social and gender
inequality challenge the adaptive capacities of Governments, individuals,
social institutions and the natural environment;
(f) Over 120 million people world wide are officially unemployed and
many more are underemployed. Too many young people, including those with
formal education, have little hope of finding productive work;
(g) More women than men live in absolute poverty and the imbalance
continues to grow, with serious consequences for women and their children.
Women carry a disproportionate share of the problems of coping with poverty,
social disintegration, unemployment, environmental degradation and the effects
of war;
(h) One of the world's largest minorities, more than 1 in 10, are people
with disabilities, who are too often forced into poverty, unemployment and
social isolation. In addition, in all countries older persons may be
particularly vulnerable to social exclusion, poverty and marginalization;
(i) Millions of people world wide are refugees or internally displaced
persons. The tragic social consequences have a critical effect on the social
stability and development of their home countries, their host countries and
their respective regions.
17. While these problems are global in character and affect all countries,
we clearly acknowledge that the situation of most developing countries, and
particularly of Africa and the least developed countries, is critical and
requires special attention and action. We also acknowledge that these
countries, which are undergoing fundamental political, economic and social
transformation, including countries in the process of consolidating peace and
democracy, require the support of the international community.
18. Countries with economies in transition, which are also undergoing
fundamental political, economic and social transformation, require the support
of the international community as well.
19. Other countries that are undergoing fundamental political, economic and
social transformation require the support of the international community as
well.
20. The goals and objectives of social development require continuous
efforts to reduce and eliminate major sources of social distress and
instability for the family and for society. We pledge to place particular
focus on and give priority attention to the fight against the world-wide
conditions that pose severe threats to the health, safety, peace, security and
well-being of our people. Among these conditions are chronic hunger;
malnutrition; illicit drug problems; organized crime; corruption; foreign
occupation; armed conflicts; illicit arms trafficking, terrorism, intolerance
and incitement to racial, ethnic, religious and other hatreds; xenophobia; and
endemic, communicable and chronic diseases. To this end, coordination and
cooperation at the national level and especially at the regional and
international levels should be further strengthened.
21. In this context, the negative impact on development of excessive
military expenditures, the arms trade, and investment for arms production and
acquisition must be addressed.
22. Communicable diseases constitute a serious health problem in all
countries and are a major cause of death globally; in many cases, their
incidence is increasing. These diseases are a hindrance to social development
and are often the cause of poverty and social exclusion. The prevention,
treatment and control of these diseases, covering a spectrum from tuberculosis
and malaria to the human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency
syndrome (HIV/AIDS), must be given the highest priority.
23. We can continue to hold the trust of the people of the world only if we
make their needs our priority. We know that poverty, lack of productive
employment and social disintegration are an offence to human dignity. We also
know that they are negatively reinforcing and represent a waste of human
resources and a manifestation of ineffectiveness in the functioning of markets
and economic and social institutions and processes.
24. Our challenge is to establish a people-centred framework for social
development to guide us now and in the future, to build a culture of
cooperation and partnership, and to respond to the immediate needs of those
who are most affected by human distress. We are determined to meet this
challenge and promote social development throughout the world.
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
28. Our global drive for social development and the recommendations for
action contained in the Programme of Action are made in a spirit of consensus
and international cooperation, in full conformity with the purposes and
principles of the Charter of the United Nations, recognizing that the
formulation and implementation of strategies, policies, programmes and actions
for social development are the responsibility of each country and should take
into account the economic, social and environmental diversity of conditions in
each country, with full respect for the various religious and ethical values,
cultural backgrounds and philosophical convictions of its people, and in
conformity with all human rights and fundamental freedoms. In this context,
international cooperation is essential for the full implementation of social
development programmes and actions.
29. On the basis of our common pursuit of social development, which aims at
social justice, solidarity, harmony and equality within and among countries,
with full respect for national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well
as policy objectives, development priorities and religious and cultural
diversity, and full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, we
launch a global drive for social progress and development embodied in the
following commitments.
Commitment 1
------------
We commit ourselves to creating an economic, political, social, cultural
and legal environment that will enable people to achieve social development.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Provide a stable legal framework, in accordance with our
constitutions, laws and procedures, and consistent with international law and
obligations, which includes and promotes equality and equity between women and
men, full respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the rule
of law, access to justice, the elimination of all forms of discrimination,
transparent and accountable governance and administration and the
encouragement of partnership with free and representative organizations of
civil society;
(b) Create an enabling economic environment aimed at promoting more
equitable access for all to income, resources and social services;
(c) Reinforce, as appropriate, the means and capacities for people to
participate in the formulation and implementation of social and economic
policies and programmes through decentralization, open management of public
institutions and strengthening the abilities and opportunities of civil
society and local communities to develop their own organizations, resources
and activities;
(d) Reinforce peace by promoting tolerance, non-violence and respect for
diversity, and by settling disputes by peaceful means;
(e) Promote dynamic, open, free markets, while recognizing the need to
intervene in markets, to the extent necessary, to prevent or counteract market
failure, promote stability and long-term investment, ensure fair competition
and ethical conduct, and harmonize economic and social development, including
the development and implementation of appropriate programmes that would
entitle and enable people living in poverty and the disadvantaged, especially
women, to participate fully and productively in the economy and society;
(f) Reaffirm, promote and strive to ensure the realization of the rights
set out in relevant international instruments and declarations, such as the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 6/ the Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights 7/ and the Declaration on the Right to Development, 8/
including those relating to education, food, shelter, employment, health and
information, particularly in order to assist people living in poverty;
(g) Create the comprehensive conditions to 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.
At the international level, we will:
(h) Promote international peace and security and make and support all
efforts to settle international disputes by peaceful means in accordance with
the Charter of the United Nations;
(i) Strengthen international cooperation for achieving social
development;
(j) Promote and implement policies 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 a way that maximizes the
availability of such resources for sustainable development, using all
available funding sources and mechanisms, enhanced financial stability, and
more equitable access of developing countries to global markets, productive
investments and technologies and appropriate knowledge, with due consideration
to the needs of countries with economies in transition;
(k) Strive to ensure that international agreements relating to trade,
investment, technology, debt and official development assistance are
implemented in a manner that promotes social development;
(l) Support, particularly through technical and financial cooperation,
the efforts of developing countries to achieve rapid, broadly based
sustainable development. Particular consideration should be given to the
special needs of small island and land-locked developing countries and the
least developed countries;
(m) Support, through appropriate international cooperation, the efforts
of countries with economies in transition to achieve rapid broadly based
sustainable development;
(n) Reaffirm and promote all human rights, which are universal,
indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, including the right to
development as a universal and inalienable right and an integral part of
fundamental human rights, and strive to ensure that they are respected,
protected and observed.
Commitment 2
------------
We commit ourselves to the goal of eradicating poverty in the world,
through decisive national actions and international cooperation, as an
ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind.
To this end, at the national level, in partnership with all actors of
civil society and in the context of a multidimensional and integrated
approach, we will:
(a) Formulate or strengthen, as a matter of urgency, and preferably by
the year 1996, the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty, 9/
national policies and strategies geared to substantially reducing overall
poverty in the shortest possible time, reducing inequalities and eradicating
absolute poverty by a target date to be specified by each country in its
national context;
(b) Focus our efforts and policies to address the root causes of poverty
and to provide for the basic needs of all. These efforts should include the
elimination of hunger and malnutrition; the provision of food security,
education, employment and livelihood, primary health-care services including
reproductive health care, safe drinking water and sanitation, and adequate
shelter; and participation in social and cultural life. Special priority will
be given to the needs and rights of women and children, who often bear the
greatest burden of poverty, and to the needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged
groups and persons;
(c) Ensure that people living in poverty have access to productive
resources, including credit, land, education and training, technology,
knowledge and information, as well as to public services, and participate in
decision-making on a policy and regulatory environment that would enable them
to benefit from expanding employment and economic opportunities;
(d) Develop and implement policies to ensure that all people have
adequate economic and social protection during unemployment, ill health,
maternity, child-rearing, widowhood, disability and old age;
(e) Ensure that national budgets and policies are oriented, as
necessary, to meeting basic needs, reducing inequalities and targeting
poverty, as a strategic objective;
(f) Seek to reduce inequalities, increase opportunities and access to
resources and income, and remove any political, legal, economic and social
factors and constraints that foster and sustain inequality.
At the international level, we will:
(g) Strive to ensure that the international community and international
organizations, particularly the multilateral financial institutions, assist
developing countries and all countries in need in their efforts to achieve our
overall goal of eradicating poverty and ensuring basic social protection;
(h) Encourage all international donors and multilateral development
banks to support policies and programmes for the attainment, in a sustained
manner, of the specific efforts of the developing countries and all countries
in need relating to people-centred sustainable development and to meeting
basic needs for all; to assess their existing programmes in consultation with
the concerned developing countries to ensure the achievement of the agreed
programme objectives; and to seek to ensure that their own policies and
programmes will advance the attainment of agreed development goals that focus
on meeting basic needs for all and eradicating absolute poverty. Efforts
should be made to ensure that participation by the people concerned is an
integral part of such programmes;
(i) Focus attention on and support the special needs of countries and
regions in which there are substantial concentrations of people living in
poverty, in particular in South Asia, and which therefore face serious
difficulties in achieving social and economic development.
Commitment 3
------------
We commit ourselves to promoting the goal of full employment as a basic
priority of our economic and social policies, and to enabling all men and
women to attain secure and sustainable livelihoods through freely chosen
productive employment and work.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Put the creation of employment, the reduction of unemployment and
the promotion of appropriately and adequately remunerated employment at the
centre of strategies and policies of Governments, with full respect for
workers' rights and with the participation of employers, workers and their
respective organizations, giving special attention to the problems of
structural, long-term unemployment and underemployment of youth, women, people
with disabilities, and all other disadvantaged groups and individuals;
(b) Develop policies to expand work opportunities and productivity in
both rural and urban sectors by achieving economic growth, investing in human
resource development, promoting technologies that generate productive
employment, and encouraging self-employment, entrepreneurship, and small and
medium-sized enterprises;
(c) Improve access to land, credit, information, infrastructure and
other productive resources for small and micro-enterprises, including those in
the informal sector, with particular emphasis on the disadvantaged sectors of
society;
(d) Develop policies to ensure that workers and employers have the
education, information and training needed to adapt to changing economic
conditions, technologies and labour markets;
(e) Explore innovative options for employment creation and seek new
approaches to generating income and purchasing power;
(f) Foster policies that enable people to combine their paid work with
their family responsibilities;
(g) Pay particular attention to women's access to employment, the
protection of their position in the labour market and the promotion of equal
treatment of women and men, in particular with respect to pay;
(h) Take due account of the importance of the informal sector in our
employment development strategies with a view to increasing its contribution
to the eradication of poverty and to social integration in developing
countries, and to strengthening its linkages with the formal economy;
(i) Pursue the goal of ensuring quality jobs, and safeguard the basic
rights and interests of workers and to this end, freely promote respect for
relevant International Labour Organization conventions, including those on the
prohibition of forced and child labour, the freedom of association, the right
to organize and bargain collectively, and the principle of non-discrimination.
At the international level, we will:
(j) Ensure that migrant workers benefit from the protections provided by
relevant national and international instruments, take concrete and effective
measures against the exploitation of migrant workers, and encourage all
countries to consider the ratification and full implementation of the relevant
international instruments on migrant workers;
(k) Foster international cooperation in macroeconomic policies,
liberalization of trade and investment so as to promote sustained economic
growth and the creation of employment, and exchange experiences on successful
policies and programmes aimed at increasing employment and reducing
unemployment.
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 5
------------
We commit ourselves to promoting full respect for human dignity and to
achieving equality and equity between women and men, and to recognizing and
enhancing the participation and leadership roles of women in political, civil,
economic, social and cultural life and in development.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Promote changes in attitudes, structures, policies, laws and
practices in order to eliminate all obstacles to human dignity, equality and
equity in the family and in society, and promote full and equal participation
of urban and rural women and women with disabilities in social, economic and
political life, including in the formulation, implementation and follow-up of
public policies and programmes;
(b) Establish structures, policies, objectives and measurable goals to
ensure gender balance and equity in decision-making processes at all levels,
broaden women's political, economic, social and cultural opportunities and
independence, and support the empowerment of women, including through their
various organizations, especially those of indigenous women, those at the
grass-roots level, and those of poverty-stricken communities, including
through affirmative action, where necessary, and also through measures to
integrate a gender perspective in the design and implementation of economic
and social policies;
(c) Promote full and equal access of women to literacy, education and
training, and remove all obstacles to their access to credit and other
productive resources and to their ability to buy, hold and sell property and
land equally with men;
(d) Take appropriate measures to ensure, on the basis of equality of men
and women, universal access to the widest range of health-care services,
including those relating to reproductive health care, consistent with the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development; 5/
(e) Remove the remaining restrictions on women's rights to own land,
inherit property or borrow money, and ensure women's equal right to work;
(f) Establish policies, objectives and goals that enhance the equality
of status, welfare and opportunity of the girl child, especially in regard to
health, nutrition, literacy and education, recognizing that gender
discrimination starts at the earliest stages of life;
(g) Promote equal partnership between women and men in family and
community life and society, emphasize the shared responsibility of men and
women in the care of children and support for older family members, and
emphasize men's shared responsibility and promote their active involvement in
responsible parenthood and responsible sexual and reproductive behaviour;
(h) Take effective measures, including through the enactment and
enforcement of laws, and implement policies to combat and eliminate all forms
of discrimination, exploitation, abuse and violence against women and girl
children, in accordance with relevant international instruments and
declarations;
(i) Promote and protect the full and equal enjoyment by women of all
human rights and fundamental freedoms;
(j) Formulate or strengthen policies and practices to ensure that women
are enabled to participate fully in paid work and in employment through such
measures as positive action, education, training, appropriate protection under
labour legislation, and facilitating the provision of quality child care and
other support services.
At the international level, we will:
(k) Promote and protect women's human rights and encourage the
ratification of, if possible by the year 2000, the avoidance, as far as
possible, of the resort to reservations to, and the implementation of the
provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination
against Women 10/ and other relevant instruments, as well as the
implementation of the Nairobi Forward-looking Strategies for the Advancement
of Women, 11/ the Geneva Declaration for Rural Women, 12/ and the Programme of
Action of the International Conference on Population and Development;
(l) Give specific attention to the preparations for the Fourth World
Conference on Women, to be held at Beijing in September 1995, and to the
implementation and follow-up of the conclusions of that Conference;
(m) Promote international cooperation to assist developing countries, at
their request, in their efforts to achieve equality and equity and the
empowerment of women;
(n) Devise suitable means to recognize and make visible the full extent
of the work of women and all their contributions to the national economy,
including contributions in the unremunerated and domestic sectors.
Commitment 6
------------
We commit ourselves to promoting and attaining the goals of universal
and equitable access to quality education, the highest attainable standard of
physical and mental health, and the access of all to primary health care,
making particular efforts to rectify inequalities relating to social
conditions and without distinction as to race, national origin, gender, age or
disability; respecting and promoting our common and particular cultures;
striving to strengthen the role of culture in development; preserving the
essential bases of people-centred sustainable development; and contributing to
the full development of human resources and to social development. The
purpose of these activities is to eradicate poverty, promote full and
productive employment and foster social integration.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Formulate and strengthen time-bound national strategies for the
eradication of illiteracy and universalization of basic education, which
includes early childhood education, primary education and education for the
illiterate, in all communities, in particular for the introduction, if
possible, of national languages in the educational system and by support of
the various means of non-formal education, striving to attain the highest
possible standard of learning;
(b) Emphasize lifelong learning by seeking to improve the quality of
education to ensure that people of all ages are provided with useful
knowledge, reasoning ability, skills, and the ethical and social values
required to develop their full capacities in health and dignity and to
participate fully in the social, economic and political process of
development. In this regard, women and girls should be considered a priority
group;
(c) Ensure that children, particularly girls, enjoy their rights and
promote the exercise of those rights by making education, adequate nutrition
and health care accessible to them, consistent with the Convention on the
Rights of the Child, 13/ and recognizing the rights, duties and
responsibilities of parents and other persons legally responsible for
children;
(d) Take appropriate and affirmative steps to enable all children and
adolescents to attend and complete school and to close the gender gap in
primary, secondary, vocational and higher education;
(e) Ensure full and equal access to education for girls and women,
recognizing that investing in women's education is the key element in
achieving social equality, higher productivity and social returns in terms of
health, lower infant mortality and the reduced need for high fertility;
(f) Ensure equal educational opportunities at all levels for children,
youth and adults with disabilities, in integrated settings, taking full
account of individual differences and situations;
(g) Recognize and support the right of indigenous people to education in
a manner that is responsive to their specific needs, aspirations and cultures,
and ensure their full access to health care;
(h) Develop specific educational policies, with gender perspective, and
design appropriate mechanisms at all levels of society in order to accelerate
the conversion of general and specific information available world wide into
knowledge, and the conversion of that knowledge into creativity, increased
productive capacity and active participation in society;
(i) Strengthen the links between labour market and education policies,
realizing that education and vocational training are vital elements in job
creation and in combating unemployment and social exclusion in our societies,
and emphasize the role of higher education and scientific research in all
plans of social development;
(j) Develop broad-based education programmes that promote and strengthen
respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the right to
development, promote the values of tolerance, responsibility and respect for
the diversity and rights of others, and provide training in peaceful conflict
resolution, in recognition of the United Nations Decade for Human Rights
Education (1995-2005); 14/
(k) Focus on learning acquisition and outcome, broaden the means and
scope of basic education, enhance the environment for learning and strengthen
partnerships among Governments, non-governmental organizations, the private
sector, local communities, religious groups and families to achieve the goal
of education for all;
(l) Establish or strengthen both school-based and community-based health
education programmes for children, adolescents and adults, with special
attention to girls and women, on a whole range of health issues, as one of the
prerequisites for social development, recognizing the rights, duties and
responsibilities of parents and other persons legally responsible for children
consistent with the Convention on the Rights of the Child;
(m) Expedite efforts to achieve the goals of national Health-for-All
strategies, based on equality and social justice in line with the Alma-Ata
Declaration on Primary Health Care, 15/ by developing or updating country
action plans or programmes to ensure universal, non-discriminatory access to
basic health services, including sanitation and drinking water, to protect
health, and to promote nutrition education and preventive health programmes;
(n) Strive to ensure that persons with disabilities have access to
rehabilitation and other independent living services and assistive technology
to enable them to maximize their well-being, independence and full
participation in society;
(o) Ensure an integrated and intersectoral approach so as to provide for
the protection and promotion of health for all in economic and social
development, taking cognizance of the health dimensions of policies in all
sectors;
(p) Seek to attain the maternal and child health objectives, especially
the objectives of reducing child and maternal mortality, of the World Summit
for Children, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development and
the International Conference on Population and Development;
(q) Strengthen national efforts to address more effectively the growing
HIV/AIDS pandemic by providing necessary education and prevention services,
working to ensure that appropriate care and support services are available and
accessible to those affected by HIV/AIDS, and taking all necessary steps to
eliminate every form of discrimination against and isolation of those living
with HIV/AIDS;
(r) Promote, in all educational and health policies and programmes,
environmental awareness, including awareness of unsustainable patterns of
consumption and production.
At the international level, we will:
(s) Strive to ensure that international organizations, in particular the
international financial institutions, support these objectives, integrating
them into their policy programmes and operations as appropriate. This should
be complemented by renewed bilateral and regional cooperation;
(t) Recognize the importance of the cultural dimension of development to
ensure respect for cultural diversity and that of our common human cultural
heritage. Creativity should be recognized and promoted;
(u) Request the specialized agencies, notably the United Nations
Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Health
Organization, as well as other international organizations dedicated to the
promotion of education, culture and health, to give greater emphasis to the
overriding goals of eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive
employment and fostering social integration;
(v) Strengthen intergovernmental organizations that utilize various
forms of education to promote culture; disseminate information through
education and communication media; help spread the use of technologies; and
promote technical and professional training and scientific research;
(w) Provide support for stronger, better coordinated global actions
against major diseases that take a heavy toll of human lives, such as malaria,
tuberculosis, cholera, typhoid fever and HIV/AIDS; in this context, continue
to support the joint and co-sponsored United Nations programme on
HIV/AIDS; 16/
(x) Share knowledge, experience and expertise and enhance creativity,
for example by promoting the transfer of technology, in the design and
delivery of effective education, training and health programmes and policies,
including substance-abuse awareness, prevention and rehabilitation programmes,
which will result, inter alia, in endogenous capacity-building;
(y) Intensify and coordinate international support for education and
health programmes based on respect for human dignity and focused on the
protection of all women and children, especially against exploitation,
trafficking and harmful practices, such as child prostitution, female genital
mutilation and child marriages.
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.
Commitment 8
------------
We commit ourselves to ensuring that when structural adjustment
programmes are agreed to they include social development goals, in particular
eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive employment, and enhancing
social integration.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Promote basic social programmes and expenditures, in particular
those affecting the poor and the vulnerable segments of society, and protect
them from budget reductions, while increasing the quality and effectiveness of
social expenditures;
(b) Review the impact of structural adjustment programmes on social
development, including, where appropriate, by means of gender-sensitive social
impact assessments and other relevant methods, in order to develop policies to
reduce their negative effects and improve their positive impact; the
cooperation of international financial institutions in the review could be
requested by interested countries;
(c) Promote, in the countries with economies in transition, an
integrated approach to the transformation process, addressing the social
consequences of reforms and human resource development needs;
(d) Reinforce the social development components of all adjustment
policies and programmes, including those resulting from the globalization of
markets and rapid technological change, by designing policies to promote more
equitable and enhanced access to income and resources;
(e) Ensure that women do not bear a disproportionate burden of the
transitional costs of such processes.
At the international level, we will:
(f) Work to ensure that multilateral development banks and other donors
complement adjustment lending with enhanced targeted social development
investment lending;
(g) Strive to ensure that structural adjustment programmes respond to
the economic and social conditions, concerns and needs of each country;
(h) Enlist the support and cooperation of regional and international
organizations and the United Nations system, in particular the Bretton Woods
institutions, in the design, social management and assessment of structural
adjustment policies, and in implementing social development goals and
integrating them into their policies, programmes and operations.
Commitment 9
------------
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 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,
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 fulfil their
responsibilities in the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for
Social Development.
Commitment 10
-------------
We commit ourselves to an improved and strengthened framework for
international, regional and subregional cooperation for social development, in
a spirit of partnership, through the United Nations and other multilateral
institutions.
To this end, at the national level, we will:
(a) Adopt the appropriate measures and mechanisms for implementing and
monitoring the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development, with the
assistance, upon request, of the specialized agencies, programmes and regional
commissions of the United Nations system, with broad participation of all
sectors of civil society.
At the regional level, we will:
(b) Pursue such mechanisms and measures as are necessary and appropriate
in particular regions or subregions. The regional commissions, in cooperation
with regional intergovernmental organizations and banks, could convene, on a
biennial basis, a meeting at a high political level to evaluate progress made
towards fulfilling the outcome of the Summit, exchange views on their
respective experiences and adopt appropriate measures. The regional
commissions should report, through the appropriate mechanisms, to the Economic
and Social Council on the outcome of such meetings.
At the international level, we will:
(c) Instruct our representatives to the organizations and bodies of the
United Nations system, international development agencies and multilateral
development banks to enlist the support and cooperation of these organizations
and bodies to take appropriate and coordinated measures for continuous and
sustained progress in attaining the goals and commitments agreed to by the
Summit. The United Nations and the Bretton Woods institutions should
establish regular and substantive dialogue, including at the field level, for
more effective and efficient coordination of assistance for social
development;
(d) Refrain 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;
(e) Strengthen the structure, resources and processes of the Economic
and Social Council and its subsidiary bodies, and other organizations within
the United Nations system that are concerned with economic and social
development;
(f) Request the Economic and Social Council to review and assess, on the
basis of reports of national Governments, the regional commissions, relevant
functional commissions and specialized agencies, progress made by the
international community towards implementing the outcome of the World Summit
for Social Development, and to report to the General Assembly, accordingly,
for its appropriate consideration and action;
(g) Request the General Assembly to hold a special session in the
year 2000 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the
outcome of the Summit and to consider further actions and initiatives.
Notes
1/ See First Call for Children (New York, United Nations Children's
Fund, 1990).
2/ See 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 and
corrigenda).
3/ See Report of the World Conference on Human Rights, Vienna,
14-25 June 1993 (A/CONF.157/24 (Part I)).
4/ See 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. E.94.I.18 and corrigenda).
5/ See Report of the International Conference on Population and
Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994 (A/CONF.171/13 and Add.1).
6/ General Assembly resolution 217 A (III).
7/ General Assembly resolution 2200 A (XXI), annex.
8/ General Assembly resolution 41/128, annex.
9/ See General Assembly resolution 48/183.
10/ General Assembly resolution 34/180, annex.
11/ 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.
12/ A/47/308, annex.
13/ General Assembly resolution 44/25, annex.
14/ See General Assembly resolution 49/184.
15/ See Report of the International Conference on Primary Health Care,
Alma-Ata, Kazakhstan, 6-12 September 1978 (Geneva, World Health Organization,
1978).
16/ See Economic and Social Council resolution 1994/24.
17/ General Assembly resolution 46/151, annex, sect. II.
18/ Report of the Second United Nations Conference on the Least
Developed Countries, Paris, 3-14 September 1990 (A/CONF.147/18), part one.
19/ A/49/84/Add.2, annex, appendix II.
20/ See The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade
Negotiations: The Legal Texts (Geneva, GATT secretariat, 1994).
Annex II
PROGRAMME OF ACTION OF THE WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
CONTENTS
Chapter Paragraphs Page
INTRODUCTION ...............................................1 - 3 29
I. AN ENABLING ENVIRONMENT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ....... 4 - 17 30
II. ERADICATION OF POVERTY ...............................18 - 41 41
III. EXPANSION OF PRODUCTIVE EMPLOYMENT AND REDUCTION OF
UNEMPLOYMENT .........................................42 - 65 57
IV. SOCIAL INTEGRATION ...................................66 - 81 68
V. IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP .........................82 - 100 79
INTRODUCTION
1. The present Programme of Action outlines policies, actions and measures
to implement the principles and fulfil the commitments enunciated in the
Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development adopted by the World Summit for
Social Development. Our success will be based on the results that we achieve.
2. Actions are recommended to create, in a framework of sustained economic
growth and sustainable development, a national and international environment
favourable to social development, to eradicate poverty, to enhance productive
employment and reduce unemployment, and to foster social integration. All the
recommended actions are linked, either in the requirements for their design,
including the participation of all concerned, or in their consequences for the
various facets of the human condition. Policies to eradicate poverty, reduce
disparities and combat social exclusion require the creation of employment
opportunities, and would be incomplete and ineffective without measures to
eliminate discrimination and promote participation and harmonious social
relationships among groups and nations. Enhancing positive interaction
between environmental, economic and social policies is also essential for
success in the longer term. The well-being of people also requires the
exercise of all human rights and fundamental freedoms, access to the provision
of good education, health care and other basic public services, and the
development of harmonious relations within communities. Social integration,
or the capacity of people to live together with full respect for the dignity
of each individual, the common good, pluralism and diversity, non-violence and
solidarity, as well as their ability to participate in social, cultural,
economic and political life, encompasses all aspects of social development and
all policies. It requires the protection of the weak, as well as the right to
differ, to create and to innovate. It calls for a sound economic environment,
as well as for cultures based on freedom and responsibility. It also calls
for the full involvement of both the State and civil society.
3. Many of the issues mentioned in the present Programme of Action have
been addressed in greater detail by previous world conferences concerned with
questions closely related to the different aspects of social development. The
Programme of Action was elaborated against the background of, and taking into
account the commitments, principles and recommendations of, these other
conferences, and is also based on the experience of many countries in
promoting social objectives in the context of their particular conditions.
The special importance of the Programme of Action lies in its integrated
approach and its attempt to combine many different actions for poverty
eradication, employment creation and social integration in coherent national
and international strategies for social development. The implementation of
the recommendations contained in the Programme of Action is the sovereign
right of each country, consistent with national laws and development
priorities, with full respect for the various religious and ethical values and
cultural backgrounds of its people, and in conformity with all human rights
and fundamental freedoms. Each country will also take action in accordance
with its evolving capacities. The outcomes of relevant international
conferences should also be duly taken into account in the implementation of
the present Programme of Action.
Chapter 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.
B. A favourable national and international
political and legal environment
14. To ensure that the political framework supports the objectives of social
development, the following actions are essential:
(a) Ensuring that governmental institutions and agencies responsible for
the planning and implementation of social policies have the status, resources
and information necessary to give high priority to social development in
policy-making;
(b) Ensuring the rule of law and democracy and the existence of rules
and processes to create transparency and accountability for all public and
private institutions and to prevent and combat all forms of corruption,
sustained through education and the development of attitudes and values
promoting responsibility, solidarity and a strengthened civil society;
(c) Eliminating all forms of discrimination, while developing and
encouraging educational programmes and media campaigns to that end;
(d) Encouraging decentralization of public institutions and services to
a level that, compatible with the overall responsibilities, priorities and
objectives of Governments, responds properly to local needs and facilitates
local participation;
(e) Establishing conditions for the social partners to organize and
function with guaranteed freedom of expression and association and the right
to engage in collective bargaining and to promote mutual interests, taking due
account of national laws and regulations;
(f) Establishing similar conditions for professional organizations and
organizations of independent workers;
(g) Promoting political and social processes inclusive of all members of
society and respectful of political pluralism and cultural diversity;
(h) Strengthening the capacities and opportunities of all people,
especially those who are disadvantaged or vulnerable, to enhance their own
economic and social development, to establish and maintain organizations
representing their interests and to be involved in the planning and
implementation of government policies and programmes by which they will be
directly affected;
(i) Ensuring full involvement and participation of women at all levels
in the decision-making and implementation process and in the economic and
political mechanisms through which policies are formulated and implemented;
(j) Removing all legal impediments to the ownership of all means of
production and property by men and women;
(k) Taking measures, in cooperation with the international community, as
appropriate, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 6/ other international instruments and
relevant United Nations resolutions, to create the appropriate political and
legal environment to address the root cause of movements of refugees, to allow
their voluntary return in safety and dignity. Measures should also be taken
at the national level, with international cooperation, as appropriate, in
accordance with the Charter of the United Nations, to create conditions for
internally displaced persons to voluntarily return to their places of origin.
15. It is essential for social development that all human rights and
fundamental freedoms, including the right to development as an integral part
of fundamental human rights, be promoted and protected through the following
actions:
(a) Encouraging ratification of existing international human rights
conventions that have not been ratified; and implementing the provisions of
conventions and covenants that have been ratified;
(b) Reaffirming and promoting all human rights and fundamental freedoms,
which are universal, indivisible, interdependent and interrelated, including
the right to development, and striving to ensure that they are respected,
protected and observed through appropriate legislation, dissemination of
information, education and training and the provision of effective mechanisms
and remedies for enforcement, inter alia, through the establishment or
strengthening of national institutions responsible for monitoring and
enforcement;
(c) Taking measures to ensure that every human person and all peoples
are entitled to participate, to contribute to and to enjoy economic, social,
cultural and political development; encouraging all human persons to take
responsibility for development, individually and collectively; and recognizing
that States have the primary responsibility for the creation of national and
international conditions favourable for the realization of the right to
development, taking into account the relevant provisions of the Vienna
Declaration and Programme of Action;
(d) Promoting the realization of the right to development through
strengthening democracy, development and respect for human rights and
fundamental freedoms and through effective development policies at the
national level, as well as equitable economic relations and a favourable
economic environment at the international level, since sustained action is
indispensable for fostering a more rapid development of developing countries;
(e) Removing obstacles to the realization of the right of peoples to
self-determination, in particular of peoples living under colonial or other
forms of alien domination or foreign occupation, which adversely affect their
social and economic development;
(f) Promoting and protecting the human rights of women and removing all
obstacles to full equality and equity between women and men in political,
civil, economic, social and cultural life;
(g) Giving special attention to promoting and protecting the rights of
the child, with particular attention to the rights of the girl child, by,
inter alia, encouraging the ratification and implementation of the Convention
on the Rights of the Child and the Plan of Action for Implementing the World
Declaration on the Survival, Protection and Development of Children in the
1990s adopted at the World Summit for Children; 7/
(h) Providing all people, in particular the vulnerable and disadvantaged
in society, with the benefit of an independent, fair and effective system of
justice, and ensuring access by all to competent sources of advice about legal
rights and obligations;
(i) Taking effective measures to bring to an end all de jure and de
facto discrimination against persons with disabilities;
(j) Strengthening the ability of civil society and the community to
participate actively in the planning, decision-making and implementation of
social development programmes, by education and access to resources;
(k) Promoting and protecting the rights of individuals in order to
prevent and eliminate situations of domestic discrimination and violence.
16. An open political and economic system requires access by all to
knowledge, education and information by:
(a) Strengthening the educational system at all levels, as well as other
means of acquiring skills and knowledge, and ensuring universal access to
basic education and lifelong educational opportunities, while removing
economic and socio-cultural barriers to the exercise of the right to
education;
(b) Raising public awareness and promoting gender-sensitivity education
to eliminate all obstacles to full gender equality and equity;
(c) Enabling and encouraging access by all to a wide range of
information and opinion on matters of general interest through the mass media
and other means;
(d) Encouraging education systems and, to the extent consistent with
freedom of expression, communication media to raise people's understanding and
awareness of all aspects of social integration, including gender sensitivity,
non-violence, tolerance and solidarity and respect for the diversity of
cultures and interests, and to discourage the exhibition of pornography and
the gratuitous depiction of explicit violence and cruelty in the media;
(e) Improving the reliability, validity, utility and public availability
of statistical and other information on social development and gender issues,
including the effective use of gender-disaggregated statistics collected at
the national, regional and international levels, including through support to
academic and research institutions.
17. International support for national efforts to promote a favourable
political and legal environment must be in conformity with the Charter of the
United Nations and principles of international law and consistent with the
Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations
and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the United
Nations. 8/ Support calls for the following actions:
(a) Making use, as appropriate, of the capacity of the United Nations
and other relevant international, regional and subregional organizations to
prevent and resolve armed conflicts and promote social progress and better
standards of life in larger freedom;
(b) Coordinating policies, actions and legal instruments and/or measures
to combat terrorism, all forms of extremist violence, illicit arms
trafficking, organized crime and illicit drug problems, money laundering and
related crimes, trafficking in women, adolescents, children, migrants, and
human organs, and other activities contrary to human rights and human dignity;
(c) States cooperating with one another in ensuring development and
eliminating obstacles to development. The international community should
promote effective international cooperation, supporting the efforts of
developing countries, for the full realization of the right to development and
the elimination of obstacles to development, through, inter alia, the
implementation of the provisions of the Declaration on the Right to
Development 9/ as reaffirmed by the Vienna Declaration and Programme of
Action. 10/ Lasting progress towards the implementation of the right to
development requires effective development policies at the national level, as
well as equitable economic relations and a favourable economic environment at
the international level. The right to development should be fulfilled so as
to equitably meet the social development and environmental needs of present
and future generations;
(d) Ensuring that human persons are at the centre of social development
and that this is fully reflected in the programmes and activities of
subregional, regional and international organizations;
(e) Reinforcing the capacity of relevant national, regional and
international organizations, within their mandates, to promote the
implementation of all human rights and fundamental freedoms and the
elimination of all forms of discrimination;
(f) Elaborating policies, within the mandates and functions of the
various international institutions, that will support the objectives of social
development and contribute to institutional development through
capacity-building and other forms of cooperation;
(g) Strengthening the capacities of Governments, the private sector and
civil society, especially in Africa and the least developed countries, to
enable them to meet their specific and global responsibilities;
(h) Reinforcing the capacities of Governments, the private sector and
civil society in the countries with economies in transition, with a view to
helping them in the process of transforming their economies from centrally
planned to market-oriented ones.
Chapter II
ERADICATION OF POVERTY
Basis for action and objectives
18. Over 1 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.
19. Poverty has various manifestations, including lack of income and
productive resources sufficient to ensure sustainable livelihoods; hunger and
malnutrition; ill health; limited or lack of access to education and other
basic services; increased morbidity and mortality from illness; homelessness
and inadequate housing; unsafe environments; and social discrimination and
exclusion. It is also characterized by a lack of participation in
decision-making and in civil, social and cultural life. It occurs in all
countries: as mass poverty in many developing countries, pockets of poverty
amid wealth in developed countries, loss of livelihoods as a result of
economic recession, sudden poverty as a result of disaster or conflict, the
poverty of low-wage workers, and the utter destitution of people who fall
outside family support systems, social institutions and safety nets. Women
bear a disproportionate burden of poverty, and children growing up in poverty
are often permanently disadvantaged. Older people, people with disabilities,
indigenous people, refugees and internally displaced persons are also
particularly vulnerable to poverty. Furthermore, poverty in its various forms
represents a barrier to communication and access to services, as well as a
major health risk, and people living in poverty are particularly vulnerable to
the consequences of disasters and conflicts. Absolute poverty is a condition
characterized by severe deprivation of basic human needs, including food, safe
drinking water, sanitation facilities, health, shelter, education and
information. It depends not only on income but also on access to social
services.
20. There is general agreement that persistent widespread poverty, as well
as serious social and gender inequities, have significant influences on and
are in turn influenced by demographic parameters, such as population growth,
structure and distribution. There is also general agreement that
unsustainable consumption and production patterns are contributing to the
unsustainable use of natural resources and environmental degradation, as well
as to the reinforcement of social inequities and poverty, with the
above-mentioned consequences for demographic parameters.
21. Urban poverty is rapidly increasing in pace with overall urbanization.
It is a growing phenomenon in all countries and regions, and often poses
special problems, such as overcrowding, contaminated water and bad sanitation,
unsafe shelter, crime and additional social problems. An increasing number of
low-income urban households are female-maintained.
22. Among people living in poverty, gender disparities are marked, especially
in the increase in female-maintained households. With increasing population,
the numbers of youth living in poverty will increase significantly.
Therefore, specific measures are needed to address the juvenilization and
feminization of poverty.
23. Poverty has various causes, including structural ones. Poverty is a
complex multidimensional problem with origins in both the national and
international domains. No uniform solution can be found for global
application. Rather, country-specific programmes to tackle poverty and
international efforts supporting national efforts, as well as the parallel
process of creating a supportive international environment, are crucial for a
solution to this problem. Poverty is inseparably linked to lack of control
over resources, including land, skills, knowledge, capital and social
connections. Without those resources, people are easily neglected by policy
makers and have limited access to institutions, markets, employment and public
services. The eradication of poverty cannot be accomplished through
anti-poverty programmes alone but will require democratic participation and
changes in economic structures in order to ensure access for all to resources,
opportunities and public services, to undertake policies geared to more
equitable distribution of wealth and income, to provide social protection for
those who cannot support themselves, and to assist people confronted by
unforeseen catastrophe, whether individual or collective, natural, social or
technological.
24. The eradication of poverty requires universal access to economic
opportunities that will promote sustainable livelihood and basic social
services, as well as special efforts to facilitate access to opportunities and
services for the disadvantaged. People living in poverty and vulnerable
groups must be empowered through organization and participation in all aspects
of political, economic and social life, in particular in the planning and
implementation of policies that affect them, thus enabling them to become
genuine partners in development.
25. There is therefore an urgent need for:
~ National strategies to reduce overall poverty substantially,
including measures to remove the structural barriers that prevent
people from escaping poverty, with specific time-bound commitments
to eradicate absolute poverty by a target date to be specified by
each country in its national context;
~ 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;
~ Development of methods to measure all forms of poverty, especially
absolute poverty, and to assess and monitor the circumstances of
those at risk, within the national context;
~ Regular national reviews of economic policies and national budgets
to orient them towards eradicating poverty and reducing
inequalities;
~ Expanded opportunities to enable people living in poverty to enhance
their overall capacities and improve their economic and social
conditions, while managing resources sustainably;
~ Human resource development and improved infrastructural facilities;
~ Comprehensive provision for the basic needs of all;
~ Policies ensuring that all people have adequate economic and social
protection during unemployment, ill health, maternity, disability
and old age;
~ Policies that strengthen the family and contribute to its stability
in accordance with the principles, goals and commitments contained
in the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and in the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population
and Development; 11/
~ Mobilization of both the public and the private sectors, more
developed areas, educational and academic institutions and
non-governmental organizations to assist poverty-stricken areas.
Actions
A. Formulation of integrated strategies
26. Governments should give greater focus to public efforts to eradicate
absolute poverty and to reduce overall poverty substantially by:
(a) Promoting sustained economic growth, in the context of sustainable
development, and social progress, requiring that growth be broadly based,
offering equal opportunities to all people. All countries should recognize
their common but differentiated responsibilities. The developed countries
acknowledge the responsibility they bear in the international pursuit of
sustainable development, and should continue to improve their efforts to
promote sustained economic growth and to narrow imbalances in a manner that
can benefit all countries, particularly the developing countries;
(b) Formulating or strengthening, preferably by 1996, and implementing
national poverty eradication plans to address the structural causes of
poverty, encompassing action on the local, national, subregional, regional and
international levels. These plans should establish, within each national
context, strategies and affordable time-bound goals and targets for the
substantial reduction of overall poverty and the eradication of absolute
poverty. In the context of national plans, particular attention should be
given to employment creation as a means of eradicating poverty, giving
appropriate consideration to health and education, assigning a higher priority
to basic social services, generating household income, and promoting access to
productive assets and economic opportunities;
(c) Identifying the livelihood systems, survival strategies and
self-help organizations of people living in poverty and working with such
organizations to develop programmes for combating poverty that build on their
efforts, ensuring the full participation of the people concerned and
responding to their actual needs;
(d) Elaborating, at the national level, the measurements, criteria and
indicators for determining the extent and distribution of absolute poverty.
Each country should develop a precise definition and assessment of absolute
poverty, preferably by 1996, the International Year for the Eradication of
Poverty; 12/
(e) Establishing policies, objectives and measurable targets to enhance
and broaden women's economic opportunities and their access to productive
resources, particularly women who have no source of income;
(f) Promoting effective enjoyment by all people of civil, cultural,
economic, political and social rights, and access to existing social
protection and public services, in particular through encouraging the
ratification and ensuring the full implementation of relevant human rights
instruments, such as the International Covenant on Economic, Social and
Cultural Rights 13/ and the International Covenant on Civil and Political
Rights; 13/
(g) Eliminating the injustice and obstacles that women are faced with,
and encouraging and strengthening the participation of women in taking
decisions and in implementing them, as well as their access to productive
resources and land ownership and their right to inherit goods;
(h) Encouraging and supporting 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.
27. Governments are urged to integrate goals and targets for combating
poverty into overall economic and social policies and planning at the local,
national and, where appropriate, regional levels by:
(a) Analysing policies and programmes, including those relating to
macroeconomic stability, structural adjustment programmes, taxation,
investments, employment, markets and all relevant sectors of the economy, with
respect to their impact on poverty and inequality, assessing their impact on
family well-being and conditions, as well as their gender implications, and
adjusting them, as appropriate, to promote a more equitable distribution of
productive assets, wealth, opportunities, income and services;
(b) Redesigning public investment policies that relate to infrastructure
development, the management of natural resources and human resource
development to benefit people living in poverty and to promote their
compatibility with the long-term improvement of livelihoods;
(c) Ensuring that development policies benefit low-income communities
and rural and agricultural development;
(d) Selecting, wherever possible, development schemes that do not
displace local populations, and designing an appropriate policy and legal
framework to compensate the displaced for their losses, to help them to
re-establish their livelihoods and to promote their recovery from social and
cultural disruption;
(e) Designing and implementing environmental protection and resource
management measures that take into account the needs of people living in
poverty and vulnerable groups in accordance with Agenda 21 and the various
consensus agreements, conventions and programmes of action adopted in the
framework of the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development;
(f) Establishing and strengthening, as appropriate, mechanisms for the
coordination of efforts to combat poverty, in collaboration with civil
society, including the private sector, and developing integrated intersectoral
and intra-governmental responses for such purposes.
28. People living in poverty and their organizations should be empowered by:
(a) Involving them fully in the setting of targets and in the design,
implementation, monitoring and assessment of national strategies and
programmes for poverty eradication and community-based development, and
ensuring that such programmes reflect their priorities;
(b) Integrating gender concerns in the planning and implementation of
policies and programmes for the empowerment of women;
(c) Ensuring that policies and programmes affecting people living in
poverty respect their dignity and culture and make full use of their
knowledge, skills and resourcefulness;
(d) Strengthening education at all levels and ensuring the access to
education of people living in poverty, in particular their access to primary
education and other basic education opportunities;
(e) Encouraging and assisting people living in poverty to organize so
that their representatives can participate in economic and social
policy-making and work more effectively with governmental, non-governmental
and other relevant institutions to obtain the services and opportunities they
need;
(f) Placing special emphasis on capacity-building and community-based
management;
(g) Educating people about their rights, the political system and the
availability of programmes.
29. There is a 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. This could be done, by Governments, inter alia, through:
(a) Developing, updating and disseminating specific and agreed gender-
disaggregated indicators of poverty and vulnerability, including income,
wealth, nutrition, physical and mental health, education, literacy, family
conditions, unemployment, social exclusion and isolation, homelessness,
landlessness and other factors, as well as indicators of the national and
international causes underlying poverty; for this purpose, gathering
comprehensive and comparable data, disaggregated by ethnicity, gender,
disability, family status, language groupings, regions and economic and social
sectors;
(b) Monitoring and assessing the achievement of goals and targets agreed
to in international forums in the area of social development; evaluating,
quantitatively and qualitatively, changes in poverty levels, the persistence
of poverty, and vulnerability to poverty, particularly concerning household
income levels and access to resources and services; and assessing the
effectiveness of poverty eradication strategies, based on the priorities and
perceptions of households living in poverty and low-income communities;
(c) Strengthening international data collection and statistical systems
to support countries in monitoring social development goals, and encouraging
the expansion of international databases to incorporate socially beneficial
activities that are not included in available data, such as women's
unremunerated work and contributions to society, the informal economy and
sustainable livelihoods;
(d) Mobilizing public awareness, in particular through educational
institutions, non-governmental organizations and the media, to enable society
to prioritize the struggle against poverty, while focusing attention on
progress or failure in the pursuit of defined goals and targets;
(e) Mobilizing the resources of universities and research institutions
to improve the understanding of the causes of poverty and their solutions, as
well as the impact of structural adjustment measures on people living in
poverty and the effectiveness of anti-poverty strategies and programmes,
strengthening the capacity for social science research in developing countries
and integrating, as appropriate, the results of research into decision-making
processes;
(f) Facilitating and promoting the exchange of knowledge and experience,
especially among developing countries, through, inter alia, subregional and
regional organizations.
30. Members of the international community should, bilaterally or through
multilateral organizations, foster an enabling environment for poverty
eradication by:
(a) Coordinating policies and programmes to support the measures being
taken in the developing countries, particularly in Africa and the least
developed countries, to eradicate poverty, provide remunerative work and
strengthen social integration in order to meet basic social development goals
and targets;
(b) Promoting international cooperation to assist developing countries,
at their request, in their efforts, in particular at the community level,
towards achieving gender equality and the empowerment of women;
(c) Strengthening the capacities of developing countries to monitor the
progress of national poverty eradication plans and to assess the impact of
national and international policies and programmes on people living in poverty
and address their negative impacts;
(d) Strengthening the capacity of countries with economies in transition
to develop their social protection systems and social policies for, inter
alia, the reduction of poverty;
(e) Addressing the special needs of small island developing States with
respect to eradicating poverty and meeting poverty eradication goals and
targets, within the context of social development programmes that reflect
their national priorities;
(f) Addressing the problems faced by the land-locked developing
countries in eradicating poverty and supporting their efforts aimed at social
development;
(g) Supporting societies disrupted by conflict in their efforts to
rebuild their social protection systems and eradicate poverty.
B. Improved access to productive resources and infrastructure
31. The opportunities for income generation, diversification of activities
and increase of productivity in low-income and poor communities should be
enhanced by:
(a) Improving the availability and accessibility of transportation,
communication, power and energy services at the local or community level, in
particular for isolated, remote and marginalized communities;
(b) Ensuring that investments in infrastructure support sustainable
development at the local or community levels;
(c) Emphasizing the need for developing countries that are heavily
dependent on primary commodities to continue to promote a domestic policy and
an institutional environment that encourage diversification and enhance
competitiveness;
(d) Supporting the importance of commodity diversification as a means to
increase the export revenues of developing countries and to improve their
competitiveness in the face of the persistent instability in the price of some
primary commodities and the general deterioration in the terms of trade;
(e) Promoting, including by micro-enterprises, rural non-farm production
and service activities, such as agro-processing, sales and services of
agricultural equipment and inputs, irrigation, credit services and other
income-generating activities through, inter alia, supportive laws and
administrative measures, credit policies, and technical and administrative
training;
(f) Strengthening and improving financial and technical assistance for
community-based development and self-help programmes, and strengthening
cooperation among Governments, community organizations, cooperatives, formal
and informal banking institutions, private enterprises and international
agencies, with the aim of mobilizing local savings, promoting the creation of
local financial networks, and increasing the availability of credit and market
information to small entrepreneurs, small farmers and other low-income
self-employed workers, with particular efforts to ensure the availability of
such services to women;
(g) Strengthening organizations of small farmers, landless tenants and
labourers, other small producers, fisherfolk, community-based and workers'
cooperatives, especially those run by women, in order to, inter alia, improve
market access and increase productivity, provide inputs and technical advice,
promote cooperation in production and marketing operations, and strengthen
participation in the planning and implementation of rural development;
(h) Promoting national and international assistance in providing
economically viable alternatives for social groups, especially farmers
involved in the cultivation and processing of crops used for the illegal drug
trade;
(i) Improving the competitiveness of natural products with environmental
advantages and strengthening the impact that this could have on promoting
sustainable consumption and production patterns, and strengthening and
improving financial and technical assistance to the developing countries for
research and development of such products;
(j) Promoting comprehensive rural development, including by land reform,
land improvement and economic diversification;
(k) Impr