MALTA

Speech by the Hon Dr Lawrence Gonzi

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Social Policy

Malta welcomes the convening of this special session of the General Assembly especially because it provides us with the opportunity to review the process initiated in Copenhagen and to focus on those significant areas of economic and social policy that can make a difference for us all but especially for those who still live in poverty. In this respect my delegation commends the work done during the preparatory process by the Commission for Social Development, on which Malta is honoured to serve, as well as by the Preparatory Committee both of which are mandated by General Assembly resolutions.

Mr President,

The Copenhagen commitments are now five years old. In such a brief span of time, we have witnessed changes which are or can have dramatic effect on the social development of our individual societies. We are today conscious of a globalisation process that has made frontiers a concept of the past. The world has moved forward in its endeavour to chart new ground in technology and as a result we have made giant strides forward in improving the quality of life of our citizens. But each innovation brings new challenges. Today we talk of a knowledge based society, life wide and life long learning, flexi-time and flexible working conditions. In so doing we recognise the need to have an educational system that must be able to respond to the needs of a modern economy. Today we talk of the incredible progress made in medicine but we recognise the challenge placed on our welfare and social security systems as a result of an ageing population. In a sense, therefore, five years for the Copenhagen commitments is truly a long time. It is precisely for this reason that the Government of Malta is asking itself a number of questions:

· Have we achieved what we hoped for during the last decades of social welfare policies?
· To what extent are the current systems addressing the real needs of our people?
· How sensitive are these systems to new and emerging needs?
· How are we to have a sustainable social welfare system?
· How will the economic development of our country continue to translate itself into real social development for all our citizens?

I am sure that many other societies are facing the same dilemmas. In our case, the re-structuring of this area has to be framed within the restructuring efforts being undertaken in view of both my country's bid for accession to the European Union as well as the challenges being put forward by globalisation. bur efforts are based on the Capacity Building Model that addresses in an
integrated manner the development of legislation and policies, institutional development, human resources and community development. Our targets are effective and sustainable services that meet the real needs of the client and that ensure efficient use of resources. In brief, we are striving to make a paradigm shift, namely from one focused on technical output based on assumed needs to one that develops the capacity to meet the real demand. In this context, I consider it pertinent to point out that my Government's programme of action to follow up the World Summit for Social Development is based on a vision that places the human person and the family at the very centre of social development and is guided by the following principles:

1. Particular attention is being given to the more vulnerable members of society;
2. Both social security and social welfare are being enhanced and developed while necessary steps are being taken so as to ensure their sustainability;
3. Social services are being restructured to make them more person- and family-focussed;
4. Individuals are being encouraged to actively participate in helping themselves and eventually others in enhancing their social well-being;
5. Civil society is to be actively promoted through active support of the voluntary sector.

In translating these principles into concrete measures that promote the real social development of all citizens, the Maltese Government has over past years enacted legislative measures to strengthen social security, employment without discrimination, the equal status of women, and the provision of equal and universal opportunity and access to free education at all levels and the whole range of health services. More recently, we have enacted equal opportunities legislation to promote full citizenship for all disabled persons, while important legislative framework on occupational health and safety, on children's rights, for the promotion of the voluntary sector, to combat violence against women, and to ensure equal opportunities for women and men are in advanced stages of development. Drugs, social exclusion, new medical and psychological problems, materialism and extreme individualism are some of the other central problems facing our societies. Societies must also cater for the well being of our youth, disabled persons, one-parent families and an everincreasing percentage of elderly persons. These are issues, which involve the whole of society and not just the State. They pose a real challenge precisely because they are rooted in our lifestyle and social structures. The engagement of political forces should be intensified. The services given by the State ought to be constantly updated, professionalised, and rendered more effective. Solidarity and co-operation must remain the two main elements in translating words into deeds. We must build social safety nets to ensure that citizens are not denied of their basic needs. Though the main responsibility for the implementation rests with national governments, the contribution of all other social partners within the State cannot be minimised. No society can ever rid itself of all social problems once and for all. Thinking otherwise is the easiest and most irresponsible way of ignoring them. Solutions are found only by looking at the individual problems in the light of an objective analysis of existing realities. Every form of social exclusion ought to be actively combated, both by improving economic opportunities on a general scale, as well as by means of direct interventions.

The recent Lisbon conference highlighted what perhaps was obvious to most of us, that Europe's Economic Success is dependent on and is intertwined with its unique social model. It is hard to say which is the cause and which is the effect, but we can safely say that Europe would not have reached its present state of security, peace and prosperity without balancing well these two facades of modern society. The welfare system is one of the most distinctive features of European Society, and we must preserve its noble objectives of equity and equality of opportunities. However, we have to admit that even this well developed system is no guarantee against poverty, and millions in Europe still live below the poverty line. If eradicating poverty in Europe and elsewhere are to continue to be our main targets, we have to take a close look at the systems that are designed to provide a safety net for those who need one. Therefore, reforming the Welfare System should rank high on the agenda of any nation that hopes to secure a basic quality of life to all its citizens. Yet, such an approach cannot and should not be divorced from economic policy. In an era of globalization of our economies Governments cannot fulfil their role by making their respective societies safe for capitalism without frontiers. Rather, all Governments, individually and collectively, and through international organisations such as this special assembly, are responsible to ensure that capitalism is made safe for our societies, our communities, our families, and our children. Corporate responsibility and corporate citizenship remain the responsibility of Government when the private sector alone fails to regulate itself.

To my Government, the way forward is one based on social justice, where the human person in most need is placed at the centre of our national policies. Yet, no Government alone can achieve such objectives k national level, let alone at international level. All societies represented in this conference shared the vision of the Copenhagen Declaration. We are here to recommit ourselves to this shared vision, and renew our determination to translate such vision into the social fabric of our communities. It is a vision that has as its ultimate aim the social development of our countries, the social well being of our citizens, and the making of societies where everyone belongs.