1 July 2000
English only
Twenty-fourth
special session
of
the General Assembly entitled
“World
Summit for Social Development
and
beyond: achieving social development
for
all in a globalizing world”
Unedited final outcome
document as adopted by the Plenary of the special session
Political
Declaration
1. Five
years have passed since the United Nations World Summit for Social Development,
which marked the first time in history that Heads of State and Government had
gathered to recognize the significance of social development and human
well-being for all and to give these goals the highest priority into the
twenty-first century. The Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and
Programme of Action established a new consensus to place people at the centre
of our concerns for sustainable development and pledged to eradicate poverty,
promote full and productive employment, and foster social integration to
achieve stable, safe and just societies for all.
2. We,
the representatives of Governments, meeting at this special session of the
General Assembly in Geneva to assess achievements and obstacles and to decide
on further initiatives to accelerate social development for all, reaffirm our
will and commitment to implement the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of
Action, including the strategies and agreed targets contained therein. The Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of
Action will remain the basic framework for social development in the years to
come.
3. Since
the Social Summit, recognition of the imperative of social development
requiring an enabling environment has spread and strengthened. Furthermore,
there is a growing awareness of the positive impact of effective social
policies on economic and social development. Our review and appraisal has shown that Governments, relevant
international organizations as well as actors of civil society have made
continued efforts to improve human well-being and to eradicate poverty. However, further actions are needed for the
full implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. It has also become clear that there is no
single universal path to achieving social development and that all have
experiences, knowledge and information worth sharing.
4. Globalization
and continuing rapid technological advances offer unprecedented opportunities
for social and economic development. At the same time, they continue to present serious challenges, including widespread financial crises, insecurity, poverty, exclusion and inequality within and
among societies. Considerable obstacles
to further integration and full participation in the global economy remain for
developing countries, in particular the least developed countries, as well as
for some countries with economies in transition. Unless the benefits of social and economic development are
extended to all countries, a growing number of people in all countries and even
entire regions will remain marginalized from the global economy. We must act now in order to overcome those
obstacles affecting peoples and countries and to realize the full potentials of
opportunities presented for the benefit of all.
5. We therefore reiterate our
determination and duty to eradicate poverty, promote full and productive
employment, foster social integration and create an enabling environment for
social development. The maintenance of peace
and security within and among nations, democracy, the rule of law, the
promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental freedoms,
including the right to development, effective, transparent and accountable
governance, gender equality, full respect for fundamental principles and rights
at work and the rights of migrant workers are some of the essential elements for
the realization of social and people-centered sustainable development. Social
development requires not only economic activity, but also reduction in the
inequality in the distribution of wealth and more equitable distribution of the
benefits of economic growth within and among nations, including, inter alia,
realization of an open, equitable, secure, non-discriminatory, predictable,
transparent and multilateral rule-based international trading system,
maximizing opportunities and guaranteeing social justice, recognizing the
inter-relationship between social development and economic growth.
6. Full
and effective implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of
Action is necessary at all levels. We reaffirm that while social
development is a national responsibility, it cannot be successfully achieved
without the collective commitment and efforts of the international
community. We invite Governments, the
United Nations and other relevant international organizations within their
respective mandates to strengthen the quality and consistency of their support
for sustainable development, in particular in Africa and the least developed
countries, as well as in some countries with economies in transition, and to
continue coordinating their efforts in this regard. We also invite them to
develop coordinated and gender sensitive social, economic and environmental
approaches in order to close the gap between goals and achievements. This in turn requires not only renewed
political will but also the mobilization and allocation of additional resources
at both national and international levels. In this connection, we will strive
to fulfill the yet to be attained internationally agreed target of 0.7% of GNP
of developed countries for overall ODA as soon as possible.
6bis. We
recognize that excessive debt-servicing has severely constrained the capacity
of many developing countries, as well as countries with economies in
transition, to promote social development. We also recognize the efforts being
made by indebted developing countries to fulfill their debt-servicing
commitment despite the high social cost incurred. We reaffirm our pledge to
find effective, equitable, development-oriented and durable solutions to the
external debt and debt-servicing burdens of developing countries.
7. The
fight against poverty requires the
active participation of civil society and people living in poverty. We
are convinced that universal access to high quality education, including opportunities for the
acquisition of skills required in the knowledge-based economy, health and other basic social services
and equal opportunities for active participation and sharing the benefits of the development process are essential for the achievement of the
objectives of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. Recognizing
Governments’ primary responsibility in this regard, we acknowledge the
importance of strengthening partnerships, as appropriate, among the public sector, the private sector and other relevant actors of civil society.
7bis. We reaffirm our pledge to place particular focus on and give
priority attention to the fight against the worldwide conditions that pose
severe threats to the health, safety, peace, security and the well-being of our
people. Among these conditions are: chronic hunger; malnutrition; illicit drug
problems; organized crime; corruption; natural disasters; foreign occupation;
armed conflicts; illicit arms trafficking; trafficking in persons; terrorism;
intolerance and incitement to racial, ethnic, religious and other hatreds;
xenophobia; and endemic, communicable and chronic diseases, in particular
HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis.
8. We
reiterate our resolve to reinforce solidarity with people living in poverty and
dedicate ourselves to strengthen policies and programmes to create inclusive,
cohesive societies for all - women and men, children, young and older persons -
particularly those who are vulnerable, disadvantaged and marginalized. We
recognize that their special needs will require specific targeted measures to
empower them to live more productive and fulfilling lives.
8bis. Although
Africa and the Least Developed Countries have made continued efforts to
implement the commitments of Copenhagen, widespread poverty remains.
Recognizing the internal and external constraints facing these countries, we
reiterate our will to continue to support their efforts by allocating
resources, including by fulfilling internationally agreed commitments, as well
as by strengthening initiatives, in particular in the area of social
development.
9. Enhanced
international cooperation is essential to implement the Copenhagen Declaration
and Programme of Action as well as the further actions and initiatives adopted
by the special session, and to address the challenges of globalization. We recognize the need to continue to
work on a wide range of reforms for a strengthened
and more stable international financial system enabling it to deal more
effectively and in a timely manner with new challenges of development. We
acknowledge the need for a coordinated follow-up to all major conferences and
summits by Governments, regional organizations and all of the bodies and
organizations of the United Nations system, within their respective mandates.
10. Determined
to give new momentum to our collective efforts to improve the human condition,
we here set out further initiatives for the full implementation of the
Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. At the dawn of the new
millenium, aware of our responsibilities towards future generations, we are
strongly committed to social development,
including social justice, for all in a globalizing world. We invite all people in all countries and in
all walks of life, as well as the international community, to join in renewed
dedication to our shared vision for a more just and equitable world.