NO 96 FEBRUARY — MARCH 2003
| FOCUS | NGO AND OTHER NEWS | UN UPDATE |
| PrepCom
II of the World Summit on the Information Society Further Progress Needed in Afghan Peace Process UNEP 22nd Session of Governing Council IFAD Holds 25th Anniversary Session Conference Follow-Up Working Group Meets Commission for Social Development Holds 41st Session Investment in Women Stressed on International Women’s Day Publications Online |
UN/NGO
News First Global Accountability Report Launched World Vision/WFP School Feeding Programme Popular Coalition Becomes International Land Coalition
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Panel to
Assess UN-Civil Society Relations UN Estabishes Secretariat of Permanent Forum ICC Elects Judges Migrant Workers Convention Enters into Force |
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The second Preparatory Committee meeting (PrepCom II) of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) met in Geneva from 17-28 February 2003 to begin elaborating a declaration of principles and programme of action to be adopted at the Summit’s first phase, to be held in Geneva from 5-12 December 2003 and hosted by the Swiss Government. The second phase is scheduled to take place in Tunis from 16-18 November 2005, hosted by the Government of Tunisia. The WSIS process is held against the backdrop of the profound societal
changes brought about by the rapid spread of the new information
and communication technologies (ICTs). It began as an initiative
by the 1998 Plenipotentiary Conference of the International Telecommunications
Union (ITU) and was subsequently
endorsed in 2001 by UN General Assembly resolution 56/183. In the
resolution, the summit process is meant to address “the whole
range of relevant issues related to the information society.”
ITU was identified to assume the leading managerial role for the
WSIS Executive Secretariat. Intergovernmental negotiations at PrepCom I, which was held in Geneva from 1-5 July 2002, mainly focused on procedural issues, notably accreditation and participation rules for “observers” —NGOs and other civil organizations, business entities, and international organizations (see NGLS Roundup 95). PrepCom II began the process of collating possible elements for the declaration of principles and programme of action into two working documents, mainly drawing on inputs from the series of regional meetings that took place in the interim period. Some elements were also drawn from other sources, notably an unofficial paper produced by the Chair of the PrepCom, Adama Samassékou (Mali), on the basis of an expert meeting he convened in late 2002. The PrepCom agreed to entrust the Chair of the intergovernmental drafting group, Lyndall Shope-Mafole (South Africa), with the responsibility of revising the working documents with additional inputs from governments. In an innovative move, the PrepCom also decided that inputs from observers should be incorporated into a separate section of the revised documents, which were made available on the WSIS website (www.itu.int/wsis) on 21 March. These two documents (open for additional comments until 31 May) will serve as a basis for substantive negotiations that will begin at an intersessional meeting to take place in Paris (France) in July 2003, and carried forward at PrepCom III in Geneva from 15-26 September 2003. A Broad Agenda? It should be noted, however, that these working documents are at this stage only the basis for negotiations, commencing proper at the July intersessional session, with the understanding that the whole content of both texts are in brackets—meaning none of their elements can be assumed to be subject to intergovernmental consensus. NGOs and Civil Society Get Organized In the revised terms of reference of the Civil Society Bureau, it is recognized that the daily Civil Society Plenary is “the highest decision and policy-making body of Civil Society in WSIS” and to which the Civil Society Bureau reports regularly. The Plenary agreed to set up an electronic Civil Society Plenary list for consultations online if and when needed between the PrepComs. Thus far, the Civil Society Bureau is composed of elected focal points from different civil society constituencies, grouped into 22 “families,” ranging from academia and education to media. The full list of families and terms of reference of the Bureau can be found on the WSIS Executive Secretariat Civil Society Division website. Contact: Louise Lassonde, Civil Society Division, WSIS Executive Secretariat, Place des Nations, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/730 6365, fax +41-22/730 6393, e-mail <info@geneva2003.org>, website (www.geneva2003.org) |
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The Special Representative for Afghanistan, Lakhdar Brahimi, told the Security Council on 31 January that the peace process in Afghanistan needed to progress “much further” before it could be safely said that it was irreversible. To achieve that, Afghanistan would need to count on the continuing financial and political commitment of the international community. With the challenges in Afghanistan not yet overcome, Afghans were watching developments elsewhere with some sense of fear that they would be forgotten again, Mr. Brahimi said. Saying that the challenge in 2002 was to consolidate the fragile foundations of peace, the Special Representative highlighted three main areas on which to focus: solidifying the key institutions of the State; pursuing national reconciliation; and showing tangible results on reconstruction projects throughout the country. With respect to reconstruction, Afghans must be presented with clearly identified projects to build the economy and increase confidence in the government. Progress must also be made on building the army. Mr. Brahimi warned that too many Afghans felt excluded from the government and the political transformation now taking place, and suggested the door should be open to those who wished to participate. He stressed that leaving them out could undermine the peace process. In spite of the relatively calm security situation, incidents continued to occur across the country as a result of inter-factional tension and sporadic terrorist activity, the Special Representative said. Drug production and trafficking in Afghanistan remained a critical concern, he stressed. Turning to the judicial sector, he said that reforming it was one
of the greatest challenges facing the Transitional Administration
in the coming year. For some time to come, progress in establishing
the rule of law would continue to be significantly constrained by
the depleted pool of experienced lawyers and the limited capacity
of the penal system, Mr. Brahimi pointed out. From April through early June 2003, the Constitutional Drafting Commission would conduct country-wide public consultations to discern the public’s views on key constitutional issues, he explained. Taking into account the results of the public consultations, the Commission would finalize a draft by late August. The final step would be the convening of a Constitutional Loya Jirga in October 2003 to review and adopt the Constitution. The June 2004 elections called for by the Bonn Agreement would be an important step towards restoring accountable and legitimate government in Afghanistan, he said. On human rights, Mr. Brahimi said the Afghan Independent Human Rights Commission had steadily been implementing its work programme with the support of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP). The programme covered capacity building in the fields of investigations and monitoring, human rights education, promotion of the rights of women and transitional justice. The Commission had so far received more than 600 complaints and petitions from individuals and groups. Priority areas continued to be cases of intimidation and violence against political party and civil society activists by regional local commanders. Mr. Brahimi said that ongoing investigations by UNAMA’s human rights office have confirmed an increase in the incidence of ethnic conflicts related to land disputes, and added that human rights officers have sought to engage with provincial authorities in mediating land disputes between Uzbek and Turkmen communities in the Kunduz area and helping to establish land dispute settlement mechanisms. Speaking of the poor human rights situation in Herat, Mr. Brahimi cautioned, “It is important to note that the human rights problems occurring in Herat are happening elsewhere in Afghanistan. Human rights abuses are so endemic, after the decades of war and State collapse, that real change in the human rights situation will require systemic reform.” Addressing relief, recovery and reconstruction, he called attention to the UN Transitional Assistance Programme for Afghanistan (TAPA), which was launched in Oslo in December 2002, including the Mine Action Programme’s new target to clear high impact areas contaminated with mines and unexploded ordnance within five years, as well as preparations for the National Census. He also said one of the highest assistance priorities this year would be to support the communities likely to bear the impact of the 1.2 million refugees that were expected to return in 2003. Encouraging progress had been made this year in creating labour-intensive programmes and developing the National Emergency Employment Programme. The latter was anticipated to generate millions of workdays and assist in reviving local economies. The progress made in implementing the peace process over the past year had been remarkable, but now was not the time for complacency, he stressed, stating that this year’s agenda was just as challenging as the 2002 agenda, if not more so. In order to capitalize on the progress that had been made and to meet the challenges ahead, the Special Representative said it would require the continued commitment of the Afghan people to the process and the sustained engagement of the international community. |
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A worldwide crackdown on mercury pollution,
an agreement to help the environment of the Occupied Palestinian Territories
and assistance for small island developing States (SIDS) to reduce
their vulnerability to climate change were among the key agreements
made at an international environment ministers meeting held in Nairobi
from 3-7 February 2003. Some 1,000 delegates, including nearly 100
ministers from 148 countries, UN agencies, international organizations,
academia, NGOs, business and industry, and youth organizations attended
the 22nd Governing Council of the United
Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the fourth Global Ministerial
Environment Forum (GMEF) held at UNEP’s headquarters in Nairobi.
During the week-long session, the Governing Council agreed a number
of decisions on a wide range of topics, including international
environmental governance, post-conflict environmental assessment,
water policy and strategy, chemicals management, sustainable production
and consumption patterns, the role of civil society, and the links
among environment-related conventions and between the environment
and cultural diversity.
Other decisions concerned the follow-up to the World Summit on
Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg (South Africa)
in September 2002 and support to Africa as nations re-emphasized
their commitment to Africa and the environmental part of the New
Partnership for African Development (NEPAD). They also urged UNEP
to work closely with governments on the continent as well as the
specialized committees of the African Union, the African Development
Bank and other UN organizations.
According to some observers, the European Union, with its stringent
environmental standards, made attempts in the negotiations on chemicals
and sustainable consumption and production to move beyond WSSD commitments.
Other developed countries, such as the United States, and developing
countries, including South Africa, resisted this effort.
The mercury decision (UNEP/GC.22/L.7) followed discussions on a
global assessment report (see box) compiled by UNEP and experts,
and which was presented to delegates. Countries agreed that “there
is sufficient evidence of significant global adverse impacts from
mercury and its compounds to warrant further international action
to reduce the risks to human health and the environment.”
Under the action plan, UNEP has been asked to assist all countries
in a wide ranging initiative to cut emissions of mercury from sources
such as coal-fired power stations and incinerators. Measures may
include advising countries on cleaner-coal methods, improving the
efficiency of power stations and help on switching to other forms
of electricity generation, including renewables such as wind and
solar power. Assisting countries on reducing other sources and causes
of mercury pollution, including contaminated waste sites, dental
amalgams and equipment, will also be part of the plan.
Countries also backed a new effort to strengthen environment laws
and their use, especially in developing countries and countries
with economies in transition. The initiative, which has grown out
of the Global Judges Symposium held at WSSD, aims to boost knowledge
of environment laws among judges, prosecutors and other relevant
individuals and groups.
An Intergovernmental Panel on Global Environmental Change (IPEC)
was also set up (UNEP/GC.22/CW/L.3), inviting governments, intergovernmental
organizations, scientific bodies and NGOs to submit their views
to the Executive Director on issues such as gaps in knowledge in
global environmental change, scientific credibility, the interaction
between science and policy development, and the role of existing
institutions. A report on these submissions will be prepared and
submitted to the Global Ministerial Environment Forum in 2004.
Under decision UNEP/GC.22/CW/L.1, UNEP will provide SIDS with technical
and financial support to strengthen their capacity to help them
to achieve their sustainable development goals. UNEP will also increase
funding to SIDS during the 2004-2005 biennium to prepare for next
year’s summit of small island developing States in Mauritius
and to implement the outcomes of that conference (see Go Between
95). The conference also urged UNEP to strengthen its role and advance
its activities to reduce the vulnerability of least developed countries,
small island developing States and developing countries most vulnerable
to the adverse effects of climate change.
Environment ministers unanimously endorsed UNEP’s report on
the environmental situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
(see Go Between 95), and called for action to improve the environment
in a decision that seeks to benefit the people on both sides of
the conflict. The decision also backed a package of over 130 recommendations
aimed at improving a wide range of environmental issues in the territories,
including water supplies, the disposal of wastes, land degradation
and the threats to wildlife and habitats.
“Our main hope for the region is that the conflict can be
resolved and the suffering brought to an end. Environmental cooperation
can be a tool in the peace process. Governments have asked us to
act as an impartial moderator, when requested by both parties, to
assist in solving urgent environmental problems with a view to achieving
common goals. We are ready to do this,” said UNEP Executive
Director Klaus Töpfer.
The fourth Global Civil Society Forum took place from 1-2 February
in Nairobi. The meeting consisted of a regional segment focusing
on the Environment Initiative of NEPAD, and a global segment on
the role of civil society in implementing the outcomes of the WSSD.
Their recommendations were presented to the Governing Council.
Victor Hugo, from the Center for Human Rights and Environment (Argentina),
speaking on behalf of the Global Civil Society Forum, expressed
concern that UNEP is “lagging behind” in its relationships
with civil society. He welcomed UNEP’s strategic paper on civil
society involvement, endorsed the prompt creation of a civil society
advisory panel to UNEP’s Executive Director, and proposed a
UNEP initiative on cultural and biological diversity in partnership
with other institutions.
The eighth special session of the Governing Council/fifth Global
Ministerial Environment Forum will be held in March 2004 in the
Republic of Korea. The Governing Council’s 23rd regular session/sixth
Global Ministerial Environment Forum will take place from 21-25
February 2005 in Nairobi.
Contact: Eric Falt, Director of UNEP’s Division of Communications
and Public Information, PO Box 30552, Nairobi, Kenya, telephone
+254-2/623292, fax +254-2/624489, e-mail <eric.falt@unep.org>,
website (www.unep.org/GoverningBodies/GC22/).
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| IFAD Holds 25th Anniversary Session | ||
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International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) held the 25th
anniversary session of its Governing Council from 19-20 February in
Rome under the theme of Achieving the Millennium Development Goals,
with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan urging increased global partnership
across geographic and ideological borders to fight hunger. Mr. Annan
called for a “green revolution” in Africa to enable the
continent to move towards self-sufficiency in food.
Addressing the delegates from 162 Member
States, including 28 government ministers, the Secretary-General noted
that IFAD’s creation was a new type of partnership—between
the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and industrialized
countries, between developing and developed countries—for the
shared goal of eradicating poverty and hunger. “Partnership continues
to be the key for IFAD’s success,” Mr. Annan said, adding
that its mission went beyond alleviating short-term food crises. “That
means pursuing structural changes in rural areas to empower the rural
poor and increase their resilience.”
The Secretary-General stressed that in times of famine, AIDS is
depriving countries of their capacity to resist by weakening those
mechanisms that enable populations to fight back—in particular
the coping mechanisms provided by women. “That means we must
combine food assistance and new approaches to farming with treatment
and prevention of HIV/AIDS,” he stressed. “It means developing
new agricultural techniques appropriate to a depleted workforce.”
Pointing out that three-quarters of the world’s poor still
live in rural areas, the Secretary-General said, “We must address
the fact that for them, the rapid march of globalization internationally,
and liberalization domestically, currently creates more risks than
opportunities.” He urged working together to help them reach
the quality and standards required, and to ensure that trade policies
and intellectual property rights allow poor producers a sustainable
position in the new system.
Conflict and poverty reinforce each other, IFAD President Lennart
Bĺge said on the opening day of the conference. “Poverty is
the source of hopelessness and despair, which feed tensions that
can lead to conflict,” he warned. “Conflict, on the other
hand, is devastating for poor communities. In conditions of conflict,
you cannot grow food, build businesses or otherwise take steps to
improve your life.”
Former President of Mali Alpha Oumar Konaré cautioned that ignoring
the plight of the world’s extreme poor would result in greater
tension and conflict around the globe. “If the international
community is not prepared to devote substantial amounts to helping
organizations like IFAD, WFP [World Food Programme], FAO [Food and
Agriculture Organization] and our countries, we will never find
a way out of this predicament…and insecurity will increase
for everyone in the world,” he warned.
Eveline Herfkens, the UN Secretary-General’s Executive Director
for the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) Campaign, said that
farm subsidies of the industrialized countries were seriously hampering
prospects of eradicating poverty and hunger. The MDGs were agreed
upon by 189 signatories at the Millennium Summit in 2000; topping
the list was a commitment to reduce by half the number of poor and
hungry in the world by the year 2015 (see NGLS Roundup 98).
“These Millennium Development Goals are doable,” said
Ms. Herfkens, speaking on the first day of the Governing Council.
“It is a question of the right priorities.” According
to her, Western country farm subsidies are leading to over production,
driving down world prices and undermining people’s livelihoods
in developing countries. “It is intolerable that every cow
in Europe is subsidized to the value of US$2,” she said. “The
world’s 1.2 billion poor, 75% of whom live in rural areas,
eke out an existence on just US$1 a day.”
Ms. Herfkens pointed out that subsidies to cotton farmers in the
United States had caused the collapse of cotton prices and especially
hit African producers. West African countries have lost US$200 million
in foreign exchange earnings and the region’s 11 million cotton-producing
households have suffered increased poverty as a result of the subsidies.
She also pointed out that European Union subsidies of milk powder
had destroyed the livelihoods of farmers in countries such as Tanzania.
An interactive panel discussion on Achieving the MDGs by Enabling
the Rural Poor to Overcome their Poverty was held. It looked at
how IFAD can more effectively enable the rural poor to overcome
their poverty and how it can contribute in coming years to the achievement
of the MDGs.
A series of roundtable discussions were also held, including: Indigenous
Peoples and Sustainable Development; Promoting Market Access for
the Rural Poor in Order to Achieve the MDGs; Transforming Rural
Institutions in Order to Reach the MDGs; and Women as Agents of
Change.
The roundtable discussion on indigenous people heard there are
some 300 million indigenous peoples living in 70 countries throughout
the world with most of them living in conditions of extreme poverty.
Participants stressed the fact that indigenous peoples have considerable
potential in overcoming their own poverty. Their role as guardians
of the environment and as repositories of traditional knowledge
and management systems was acknowledged, and speakers called for
more efforts to ensure that indigenous peoples benefit from the
patrimony and reap some of the rewards.
As well as more resources, indigenous peoples also need help in
preserving their cultures, languages and identities, participants
said, also noting that a greater say in decisions which affect their
lives is crucial, if their voice is to be heard in the national
and international arena.
The roundtable focusing on women found that there can be little
prospect of eradicating poverty and hunger until the status of women
is improved in the developing world, noting also that the advancement
of women is also critical to the achievement of many of the other
MDGs, including those on reducing infant and maternal mortality,
achieving universal primary education and stepping up the fight
against HIV/AIDS.
A fairer deal for women is crucial to the success of the first
and perhaps most challenging target, that of halving the number
of extremely poor people by the year 2015, the session heard. Gender
inequality is a root cause of poverty, especially in the case of
rural women who are among the most vulnerable and impoverished members
of society. Women account for about 70% of the world’s poor.
The shift towards privatization taking place in many developing
countries means new constraints for women, because the private sector
is dominated by men, said Jocelyn Dow, President of the Women’s
Environment and Development Organization in Guyana. So too does
the growing trend for migration, as poor rural women seek jobs away
from home. The result, in many cases, is the breakdown of the family,
she said.
On 20 February, IFAD’s 162 member countries agreed on a replenishment
of US$560 million to be invested over three years in fighting rural
poverty. According to IFAD, funding for agriculture and rural development
has dropped by 50% over the past 15 years—even though agriculture
is the main income-earner, main employer and main engine of economic
growth in most developing countries. Mr. Bĺge said the replenishment
will enable IFAD to do more to help people overcome poverty and
that this, in turn, will help poor communities become more resilient.
“The consequences of poverty—epidemic disease, migration,
environmental devastation and armed conflict—do not respect
national borders,” said Mr. Bĺge. “They affect us all—no
matter where we live. Only when we have eliminated the gross violation
of human dignity and human dreams that is the result of persistent
poverty will we have the foundations for long-term peace, stability
and sustainable development.”
Contact: Sappho Haralambous, IFAD, 107 via del Serafico, 00142
Rome, Italy, telephone +39-06/5459 2238 fax +39-06/5459 2034, e-mail
<ifad@ifad.org>, website (www.ifad.org).
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| Conference Follow-Up Working Group Meets | ||
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The General Assembly Ad Hoc Working Group on the Integrated and Coordinated Implementation of and Follow-up to the Outcomes of the Major UN Conferences and Summits in the Economic and Social Fields is taking up the complicated question of how to orient the activities of the UN system, Member States, and all relevant stakeholders so that they work most effectively toward the implementation of the decisions and commitments made at these meetings throughout the last decade. Holding its initial meetings over the past three months, the GA Ad Hoc Working Group, which was established by the General Assembly in December 2002 (see NGLS Roundup100), has been examining the role of Member States, the role of the UN system including the Bretton Woods institutions (BWIs), the role of civil society and the private sector, and the role of holding conferences in the future. The initial discussions reveal the difficulties in understanding what is involved in shifting the intergovernmental focus away from policy making to implementation. For some delegations the most critical aspects of this centre on coordination amongst all stakeholders and defining what their respective roles should be. Suggested actions in this area include: — improving coordination amongst the UN System, BWIs, and
other institutions; Other delegations have focused more on how to ensure that governments are actually living up to agreed commitments and obligations of conference outcomes. While acknowledging that greater coordination is necessary for effective conference follow-up, some delegations have pointed to a General Assembly resolution from 1996 (A/RES/50/227) entitled, Further measures for the restructuring and revitalization of the United Nations in the economic, social and related fields, which includes a comprehensive list of recommendations on coordination and many of the same issues that the Working Group is discussing now. They suggest that the current exercise should therefore not focus its energy on renegotiating but rather constructing a new framework on accountability, particularly in the areas of financial resources, technology transfer and capacity building. Discussions, which have largely been of an informal nature, have not yet resulted in any conclusions but have suggested agreement in some areas and the need for further consideration in others. For example, many Member States have articulated that governments have the primary responsibility for the implementation of the outcomes of the conferences and that this principle should be based on both national ownership and international partnership. The question of the relationship of conference follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) has been raised, with delegations agreeing generally that policies of all countries should be consistent with efforts to achieve the internationally agreed development goals including the MDGs. However, delegations do not all agree to what extent the MDGs should play a prominent role in conference follow-up. Some believe that the MDGs provide a clear framework through which disparate follow-up activities could be pulled together. Others, however, are concerned that the conferences over the past decade included commitments and agreements that went beyond the scope of the MDGs and they are worried about losing the significance of these other areas. Concern has also been expressed over using each of the eight goals in a balanced fashion and ensuring that Goal 8—on developing a global partnership for development—features as prominently as the other seven, which are more domestic in orientation. The Working Group is expected to make recommendations on the holding of future UN conferences and summits. Some delegations have argued that because governments, the UN system and other stakeholders are finding it difficult to cope with the already existing body of intergovernmental commitments and obligations, holding more conferences in the near future would only add to that burden. Others have pointed out that conferences and their review processes have been crucial in building political support and public awareness around issues and that they should continue to play a role even as the UN system moves into “implementation mode.” Some delegations have proposed that each issue could be assessed on a case-by-case basis and thereby not rule out the possibility of a large-scale event, but at the same time not automatically assume that a conference is the best way of making progress on an issue. The Working Group is expected to conclude its work by June 2003, when it will issue a report of its recommendations. Contact: Marion Barthelemy, Officer-in-Charge, Policy Coordination Section, Division for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, Room DC1-1416, New York NY 10017, USA, telephone +1-212/963 4005, fax +1-212/963 3351, email <barthelemy1@un.org>, website (www.un.org/esa/coordination/ecosoc/wgga/wgga.htm). |
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| Commission for Social Development Holds 41st Session | ||
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National and international cooperation for social development was the theme of the 41st session of the Commission for Social Development, meeting at UN headquarters in New York from 10-21 February 2003, as governments considered five sub-themes, including: sharing of experiences and practices in social development; forging partnerships for social development; social responsibility of the private sector; impact of employment strategies on social development; and the policies and role of international financial institutions and their effect on national social development strategies.
Secretary-General’s Report Among the recommendations is the need to enhance
national ownership of and responsibility for development policies
and programmes. “Governments should avoid adopting approaches
to development that reduce national autonomy in setting priorities
for social development. South-South cooperation should play an important
role in that regard, by promoting mutual learning among developing
countries.” According to the report, “building the capacity
of developing countries to create effective structures and formulate
policies for development is a primary objective of international
cooperation.”
In this context, the reports says that donors need
to provide cooperation in ways that interfere less with government
functions by using sector-wide approaches and by reducing aid-conditionality.
Multilateral organizations should develop focused strategies and
financial packages to assist countries facing catastrophic events
such as war, financial crisis and natural disaster. International
financial institutions should strengthen efforts to ensure that
concern for improved social outcomes is incorporated into their
policies and into the national policies they support. The private
sector, the report emphasizes, should contribute to social development
through constructive engagement, seeking business opportunities
that increase participation and improve wellbeing.
“The integration of economic and social policies
is a prerequisite for society’s wellbeing as a whole,”
the report concludes. As the harmonization of economic growth and
social policies is crucial to successful social outcomes, the report
recommends considering the transfer of the social agenda items of
the General Assembly’s Third Committee to the agenda of the
Second Committee.
In this respect the work of the Commission was also
scrutinized. Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs
Nitin Desai said that given the growing role of social development
in the mandates emerging in other areas—such as the World Trade
Organization’s Doha (Qatar) round of trade negotiations and
the Monterrey International Conference on Financing for Development
(Mexico)—he felt that the Commission’s added value was
mainly as a forum for national exchange and focus on specific groups
like youth and family.
Debate During the general discussion of the priority theme,
speakers stressed the importance of international partnerships for
social development. Many delegations agreed that while governments
had the primary responsibility for social development, the private
sector also had an important role. The need for capacity building
with regard to international development and assistance was also
emphasized, as was the link between social development and economic
growth, with many speakers stressing the need to simultaneously
address both issues.
Speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU) and
associated States, Greece said that in building partnerships for
social development, the focus should be on building “vertical”
links between global and national action, and “horizontal”
links between governments, civil society and the private sector.
Partnerships should be built around the axis of the 1995 World Summit
for Social Development and the Millennium Declaration, with the
2002 Monterrey Consensus of the International Conference on Financing
for Development delivering the means to achieve their goals.
While governments had the primary responsibility
for social development, the EU said, the private sector also had
an important role. In that regard, the EU said it promoted the concept
of “corporate social responsibility,” including fair practices,
decent working conditions and equal opportunities. The UN, the EU
said, should continue to play an important role in encouraging corporate
social responsibility at a global level. The EU also emphasized
the importance of corporate transparency and accountability to all
stakeholders, including employees, consumers, suppliers and community
members. Accountability should focus on the “triple bottom
line,” the EU said, comprised of not only economic but also
social, environmental and performance indicators.
Morocco on behalf of the Group of 77 developing
countries and China (G-77/China), stressed the importance of establishing
innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships to reinforce national
and international cooperation for social development. Governments
had a fundamental leading role to play in setting up national frameworks
to promote new ideas and creative partnerships, the G-77/China said,
while civil society and the private sector should establish creative
partnerships focused on achieving the goals of social development.
Those efforts would remain insufficient, however, the G-77/China
stressed, if they were not accompanied by substantial financial
support allowing developing countries to achieve social development
goals.
The G-77/China called on the international financial
institutions to show vigilance with respect to potential financial
crises that had negative social impact, especially in the developing
countries, and to help those countries to develop their own capacities
to prevent such crises. Assistance, the G-77/China said, should
take into account the long-term development needs of the affected
countries. Similarly, those institutions should give priority to
granting additional official development assistance (ODA) to developing
countries. For the sake of transparency, the G-77/China said, developing
countries should be duly involved in the process of decision making
regarding international economic issues.
In response to government concerns expressed relating
to employment, International Labour Organization (ILO) representative
John Langmore said that the rate of economic growth per capita that
would be necessary to halve both unemployment and the number of
working poor by 2010 globally would be over 2% per annum, compared
with the average of 1% during the 1990s, suggesting that a major
change of strategy was required. A more sophisticated balance between
economic goals, he said, allowing for simultaneous reduction of
unemployment and low inflation, would be an essential component
for such change.
Mr. Langmore also noted that some countries were
still being required to reduce expenditures during depressions in
order to qualify for loans. More pragmatic fiscal policies would
be appropriate in both developed and developing countries, he said.
Underscoring the need for social dialogue, which he termed an “arm
of macro-economic policy that was commonly neglected,” Mr.
Langmore noted that education, health services, child care and care
for the aged were themselves important sources of employment. The
best hope for increasing income-generating work everywhere, he said,
was to move towards meeting that demand.
Action Taken A draft resolution (E/CN.5/2003/L.5/Rev.1) by which
ECOSOC would request the Commission to continue to contribute to
the process established by the GA on a comprehensive and integral
international convention to promote and protect the rights and dignity
of persons with disabilities was also adopted. The resolution invites
relevant organizations and experts to make suggestions and possible
elements to be considered in proposals for a convention available
to the Ad Hoc Committee.
Portugal sponsored a draft resolution on policies
and programmes involving youth (E/CN.5/2003/L.4), which would have
ECOSOC call on all States, UN bodies, intergovernmental organizations
and NGOs concerned to make every possible effort towards the implementation
of the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and
Beyond—aiming at cross-sectoral youth policies by integrating
a youth perspective into all planning and decision-making processes
relevant to youth.
A draft resolution (E/CN.5/2003/L.7) on the modalities
for review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action
on Ageing 2002 would invite all actors at all levels to participate
in the implementation of and follow-up to the Madrid Plan of Action,
and to participate in a “bottom-up” approach to its review
and appraisal through the sharing of ideas, data collection and
best practices. The text also invites the UN system to consider
mainstreaming ageing issues into the design and implementation of
its work plans.
A draft resolution on preparations for the observance
of the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the Family
in 2004 (E/CN.5/2003/L.8) would encourage governments to make every
effort possible to realize the objectives of the 10th anniversary,
and to integrate a “family perspective” into the planning
process.
Side Events Contact: Division for Social Policy and Development,
Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, DC2-1370,
New York NY 10017, USA, fax +1-212/963 3062, e-mail <social@un.org>,
website (www.un.org/esa/socdev).
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| Investment in Women Stressed on International Women's Day | ||
| International
Women’s Day was observed on 7 March 2003, with a wide range of
activities taking place across the world. UN Deputy Secretary-General
Louise Fréchette and high-level officials from different UN agencies
linked gender equality to meeting the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), as they emphasized that social gains for women translated
into improved societies.
“Study after study has shown
that there is no effective development strategy in which women do
not play a central role,” Ms. Fréchette said from the webcast
forum held at UN headquarters in New York. “When women thrive,
all of society benefits, and succeeding generations are given a
better start in life.” |
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CSO Newsletter Online Edition The first edition includes articles on: diversification of exports,
trade in services and environment; policies and measures to attract
and increase benefits from FDI; and the inauguration of World Trade
Point Federation portal, among others.
Contact: Civil Society Outreach, UNCTAD, Palais des Nations,
8-14 avenue de la Paix, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland, telephone +41-22/917
5048, fax +41-22/917 0122, e-mail <civil.society@unctad.org>,
website (www.unctad.org). ILO Gender Equality Tool Website The Bureau for Gender Equality also produces three times yearly
an electronic newsletter entitled Gender Equality in the World of
Work that provides information on gender mainstreaming and gender
equality issues. Back copies and printable versions are available
online (www.ilo.org/gender). E-mail subscription requests for the
newsletter can be sent to <gender@ilo.org>.
Contact: Information and Communication Specialist, Bureau for
Gender Equality, ILO, 4 route des Morillons, 1211 Geneva 22, Switzerland,
fax +41-22/799 6388, e-mail <gender@ilo.org>, website (www.ilo.org/gender). Swiss Coalition of Development Organizations Contact: Monbijoustrasse 31, CH-3001 Bern, Switzerland, telephone
+41-31/3909330, fax +41-31/3909331, e-mail <mail@swisscoalition.ch>. Citizens as Partners: Information, Consultation and Public Participation
in Policy Making The book provides comparative information on the subject and examines
a wide range of country experiences, offers examples of good practice,
highlights different approaches and identifies promising tools (including
new information technologies). A set of ten guiding principles for
engaging citizens in policy making is proposed.
Further reading: Citizens as Partners: OECD Handbook on Information,
Consultation and Public Participation in Policy Making. Information
on both publications is available on the OECD website (www.sourceoecd.org).
UNCTAD Dispute Settlement Course The course focuses on the basic rules and jurisprudence of dispute
settlement at the World Trade Organization (WTO), the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO), the International Centre for Settlement
of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and the arbitration rules of the
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL).
It also looks at three regional approaches—those of the North
American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Southern Common Market
(MERCOSUR) and the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN). Contact: Erik Chrispeels, Project Manager, Project on Dispute
Settlement in International Trade, Investment and Intellectual Property,
telephone +41-22/907 5829, e-mail <erik.chrispeels@unctad.org>,
or the UNCTAD Press Office, telephone +41-22/907 5828, e-mail <press@unctad.org>,
website (www.unctad.org/dispsett).
The Demographic Dividend: A New Perspective on the Economic
Consequences of Population Change Nations that slow population growth create a window of economic
opportunity afforded by reducing the proportion of dependent youths
and increasing the share of productive, working-age adults. Nations
that capitalize on this population change can reap a “demographic
dividend” to improve their standard of living, while those
that don’t may see social and economic conditions worsen. The
report concludes that much of the debate has overlooked a key point:
the way a nation’s population is structured across age groups
is extremely important to its economic wellbeing.
More information is available online (www.rand.org/publications/
MR/MR1274/).
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