Statement by Her Excellency Mrs. Tessa Jowell, Minister for Employment
1.
Before the Copenhagen Summit five years ago the role of social policy tended
to be seen in isolation from economic policy. Its potential contribution to
economic growth was often underestimated. At Copenhagen the international
community agreed for the first time that economic and social policies must
be mutually reinforcing. Sustainable long term growth needs to be underpinned
by effective social policies. Investment in effective social policies is economically
productive.
2.
We are here today to build on the achievements of that first World Social
Summit. Our purpose is to assess the progress which we have made in meeting
the Ten Commitments agreed at Copenhagen. But we must also consider whether
we need to set ourselves new objectives to meet the Commitments in the light
of the
changes which have taken place in the world over the last five
years.
3.
The Ten Commitments provided a clear framework for countries to develop policies
to promote social justice and to combat poverty. Earlier this year we gave
account to the UN of what we have achieved in our respective countries over
the last five years. An analysis of our reports has shown that there is much
still to be done. There are still 1.2 billion people in the world with a life
expectancy of
less
than 50 years, as well as high levels of child and maternal mortality, child
labour, illiteracy, ill health, suffering and squalor.
4.
A lot has changed since 1995. Since Copenhagen the process of globalization
has gathered pace. It has been driven by the new information technologies
and the rapid movement of capital around the world. It is difficult to overestimate
the consequences of this for all our societies.
5.
The financial crisis of 1997 and its aftermath demonstrated the vulnerability
of developing economies to sudden flights of capital. Financial volatility
has clearly increased as a result of globalisation and the rapid advances
in technology. These developments have highlighted the important role of social
policy in ensuring stability through times of crisis.
6. There is now both a need and an opportunity for the international community
to define the principles which should underpin social policy
in
all our countries. One of the most useful things this Summit can do to build
on the Copenhagen Commitments is to agree on the need for an operational framework
within which individual countries can build effective social policies.
7. National ownership
is
crucial for the development of any effective social policy. It is essential
to take full account of regional and national differences. For that reason
the United Nations is uniquely well placed to lead an exploration of the key
aspects of social policy which underpin economic development.
8. There is no question of trying to impose a blueprint on all countries.
The aim must be to enable individual countries to set standards for themselves
which are achievable and to develop the policies which will result in balanced
and sustainable development.
9. The challenge for our generation is to ensure that the new wealth and opportunities
created by g]obalisation are used to reduce global inequality. We must ensure
that the one in five who still live on less than a dollar a day have the chance
to lift themselves out of poverty.
10.
This is the challenge both at national and international level. In the United
Kingdom child poverty increased threefold over the last twenty years.
We are now committed to eradicating child poverty within the next 20 years
and halving it within the next 10 years.
11.
Thousands of children in the UK have been leaving school without even basic
skills. 17% of 16 to 25 year-olds with difficulty in reading and writing;
22 % with numeracy. Tackling these problems is at the heart of our policies
to raise standards in our schools, to equip all our young people for work.
12. The recent UNICEF report on child poverty said "Children are kept
in poverty not by a padlock to which there is a single key but by a combination
lock that requires an alignment of factors if it is to be released."
13. That is a very important message. There is no single cause and there is
no single answer to the problems of poverty and social exclusion. The solution
can only be found through a combination of policies designed to tackle all
the causes through integrated thinking and action both at the national level
and at the international level.
14. That is the message of the Copenhagen Commitments. They underline the
need for social policy to be comprehensive and coherent if it is to be effective.
The Ten Copenhagen Commitments are the levers in UNICEF's combination lock.
We must unlock the potential for growth and greater social justice in all
our societies.
15. In the UK we are trying to tackle the problems of poverty and social exclusion
through co-ordinated Government approaches which will deliver better education,
improved public health, better housing and most of all young people who have
the skills and qualifications to get and to keep jobs in the new knowledgebased
economy.
16.
Two weeks ago, when I addressed the ILO Conference here, I said that in a
modern economy the key goal is to get as many people as possible into active
employment, to increase the size of the labour force. That means removing
obstacles to the employment
of women, people from minority ethnic groups, young people, older workers
and people with a disability.
17. That is what we need to do at national level and that is what we need
at an international level. The aim should be to secure a worldwide increase
in the number of people in work. That is why I warmly welcome this Summit's
recognition of the need for a coherent and coordinated international strategy
on employment and support for the convening of a World Employment Forum by
the ILO in 2001.
18. Ladies and gentlemen, what the world expects from this Summit is not just
a collection of proposals but a programme of reform for the new century -
underpinned by principles of economic and social justice, which reflect our
best values and which
will
deliver stability and growth for all our societies. Let us all work together
to meet that challenge.
