International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Thursday, 3 December 2009. The theme this year is “Making the MDGs Inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world”.
our Mission statement
The main objective of the Division for Social Policy and Development is to strengthen international cooperation for social development, in the context of the comprehensive and detailed framework of commitments and policies for action by Governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations provided by the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, with particular attention to the three core issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration, in contributing to the creation of an international community that enables the building of secure, just, free and harmonious societies offering opportunities and higher standards of living for all.
Commission for Social Development
The Commission for Social Development is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It consists of 46 members elected by ECOSOC.
Since the convening of the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, the Commission has been the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. As a result of the Summit, the mandate of the Commission was reviewed and its membership expanded from 32 to 46 members in 1996. It meets once a year in New York, usually in February.
Each year since 1995, the Commission has taken up key social development themes as part of its follow-up to the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. These themes are listed below. The pages contain all documentation of the Commission for each of its sessions since the Summit.
NEW: 48th Session, 3 to 12 February 2010, Social Integration will be the priority theme for the year 2010.
Latest NEWs
International Day of Persons with Disabilities, Thursday, 3 December 2009. The theme this year is “Making the MDGs Inclusive: Empowerment of persons with disabilities and their communities around the world”.
Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Practical Strategies to Promote Social Integration: Lessons learned from existing policies and practices, 17 – 19 November 2009, in Accra, Ghana, as part of the preparations for the 48th session of the Commission for Social Development (CSocD), which is scheduled to take place in New York from 3 to 12 February 2010.
Expert Group Meeting (EGM) on Policies to Advance Social Integration, convened in preparation for the 48th session of the Commission for Social Development, 2-4 November 2009, United Nations Headquarters, New York.
UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 19 October 2009. The International Day focused on the plight of children living in poverty and the need to fulfill their rights in partnership with them and in keeping with the Convention.
The Civil Society and Outreach Unit of the United Nations Secretariat's Division for Social Policy and Development invites your organization to take part in a Survey on the Impact of the Global Crises on Civil Society Organizations and their Constituencies. The results of the study will be published for advocacy use of CSOs and also made available at the Forty-Eighth Session of the Commission for Social Development.
Meet the Youth Delegates to the 64th Session of the General Assembly 2009. Forty Two Youth delegates from 24 countries will be addressing the General Assembly between 5 and 7 October when the Third Committee considers youth issues among other social development priorities. Photo of the Youth Delegates with Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations.
The Second Committee (organization of work A/C.2/64/L.1) and Third Committee (organization of work A/C.3/64/L.1) began their general debates on Monday, 5 October 2009. The Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, Mr. Sha Zukang, will address the Second Committee.
The Second Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities took place in New York from 2 to 4 September 2009. The Conference of States Parties is serviced by DESA, while the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is serviced by OHCHR.
Overview of the 2009 issue of the Report on the World Social Situation is now available online | English | French | Spanish | Chinese | Arabic | Russian | Full Report is forthcoming.
Sixty-fourth session of the General Assembly: Reports of the Secretary-General prepared by the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD).
UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty, 19 October 2009. In recognition of the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the International Day will focus on the plight of children living in poverty and the need to fulfill their rights in partnership with them and in keeping with the Convention.
UN International Day of Older Persons, 1 October 2009. The theme for this year is "Celebrating the 10th Anniversary of the International Year of Older Persons: Towards a Society for All Ages".
Shuaib Chalklen of South Africa has been appointed the Special Rapporteur on Disability of the Commission for Social Development for the period 2009-2011.
The Millennium Development Goals Report 2009 was launched in Geneva by the Secretary-General on 6 July. The report, which presents the yearly assessment of global progress towards the MDGs, is prepared by the Statistics Division of DESA on the basis of inputs provided by the members of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on MDG Indicators. MDG Progress Chart 2009.