About Us
Division for Social Policy and Development
The Division for Social Policy and Development monitors national and global socio-economic trends, helps identify emerging issues, and assesses their implications for social policy at the national and international levels. To this end it promotes common norms and develops policies, programmes and cooperative actions aimed at facilitating the implementation in a holistic manner of the goals of the World Summit for Social Development (e.g. eradicating poverty, achieving full employment and strengthening social integration).
It provides substantive support to the annual sessions of the Commission for Social Development, and facilitates the negotiation of agreed strategies, resolutions, international standards and norms through the Commission, the Economic and Social Council, the General Assembly or other intergovernmental forums.
It supports decision-making and dialogue on goals, strategies, policies and programmes, in particular through strengthening cooperation among all actors concerned with social development, including non-governmental organizations, business groups, unions, academics and civil society. supports the elaboration of a perspective strategy on ageing in the twenty-first century as a follow-up to the 1999 observance of the International Year of Older Persons and for monitoring the implementation of the United Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities.
It undertakes global comparative studies on cooperatives, on selected issues in family-sensitive policy design and in innovations in design, implementation and evaluation of disability-sensitive policies and programmes, within a broad human rights framework.
It provides assistance to the follow-up to the Lisbon Declaration on Youth Policies and Programmes, adopted at the World Conference of Ministers Responsible for Youth in August 1998.
It stresses the promotion of full, productive, appropriately and adequately remunerated and freely chosen employment as a central objective of economic and social policies.
It assists developing countries and countries with economies in transition, at their request, to strengthen their capacity for planning and managing their socio-economic development through technical advisory services, training activities (including international workshops and seminars) and field projects. .