Statement by

Vice-Minister Lee Jong-yoon

Ministry of Health and Welfare, The Republic of Korea

Geneva, 28 June 2000

Mr. President, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

The historic commitments made by heads of state and government in 1995 were solemn pledges. The principles and promises contained in the commitments have provided guidance and constitute strong ethical and moral imperatives for all of us who are endeavoring to realize a 'society for all'.

However, an assessment of the world situation indicates that while progress has been made in some areas, not all countries have been successful in this task. Significant gaps remain within and among countries. Divergent economic growth is evident and inequalities still persist in various forms.

No doubt, globalization has generated benefits on a wide scale. However, it has also been disruptive for a large category of people in poorer countries with weak and underdeveloped economies, unskilled labour and vulnerable groups who lack the capacity and resources to exploit new opportunities.

To ensure that globalization also stimulates socioeconomic development, I believe that the benefits of globalization should be better distributed among groups that have been excluded, so that we can be justified in our hope that 21st century globalization will be beneficial for people from all walks of life and for countries of all levels of development.

It is with this in mind that I hope this Special Session to tailor appropriate strategies and define ends and means to tackle the challenges we confront.

Mr. President,

I take this opportunity to share with you distinguished delegates the experience of the Korean people, an experience that reflects both the pitfalls and the promises of the new global environment.

The 1997 financial crisis stormed Korea and left many Koreans jobless. But the crisis was also an opportunity to review certain structural flaws in our economic and social systems. More importantly it has reminded us of the importance of the policies for the vulnerable groups in our society, which we have not paid full attention to in the development process.

As measures to overcome these difficulties, the Korean government has introduced and applied the concept of "Productive Welfare". For poverty eradication, the government has enacted the National Basic Livelihood Security Act in 1999 and expanded the coverage of the National Pension scheme nationwide. The government has actively implemented policies to create jobs and to provide assistance for small businesses. For social integration, policy measures have been taken to eliminate regional differences and to strengthen social welfare for the underprivileged such as the aged, the disabled, women, children and the homeless.

In order to enhance efficiency and to establish a collaborative relationship between the public and private sectors for social development, bold structural adjustments and regulatory reforms have been implemented. Furthermore, the proportion of the national budget for national health and welfare has also been continuously increased even with limited resources.

Thanks to the government's efforts and collaboration with the private sector, the Korean economy was able to recover rapidly from the recession. We are now more able to build a stronger legal and structural foundation for social safety nets than ever before.

Mr. President,

Let me turn to obstacles that are still impeding our efforts to continue social development around the world.

An increasing number of armed conflicts and humanitarian crises are disrupting even the basic capability of many countries to engage in social development. Diseases such as HIV/AIDS, organized crime, drug abuse, chronic famine should be addressed by implementing more active and coordinated measures. Technical assistance programs should be enhanced and ODA for developing countries need to be maintained.

It is of the utmost importance that we confront these challenges collectively in a more coordinated manner. The whole UN system should be involved. Developed countries and developing countries should do their part at the national, regional and international levels. The world trade system and monetary system also have to take this noble endeavor for social development into consideration in establishing and implementing their policies.

As stipulated in the 1995 Declaration, the responsibility of social development falls on individual states. Therefore, it should also be pointed out that it is of great importance for individual states to make their social and economic systems stable, efficient and fair. In this sense, protection and promotion of human rights, good governance, fundamental freedoms are prerequisites in each country's efforts for social development.

I hope this session will remind all parties here of the importance of their respective role in social development, as well as renew and strengthen the cooperative relationship among them.

Mr. President,

Social development is a multifaceted concept. It calls for a comprehensive and integrated approach to address the full range of overlapping challenges that confront us at this critical juncture. To achieve our goals in the context of globalization and in the midst of many obstacles, all countries and groups must find the courage to reach beyond their own interests and join in an integrated partnership for social development.

Korea,- for its part, is resolved to elaborating its social development policy and expanding cooperative relationships with international partners for the continued implementation of the commitments made at the World Summit on Social Development.

Thank you.