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
Overall review
and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of
the World
Summit for Social Development
1. One
of the most important developments since the World Summit for Social
Development in March 1995 is the increased priority which social development
has been given in national and international policy objectives. The Summit also
signified a recognition by States of the importance of making social improvement
an integral part of development strategy at the national and international
levels, as well as placing people at the centre of development efforts. The
review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit shows
that many new national policies and programmes have been initiated. The Summit
has clearly also had an impact on the United Nations system, leading to a
refocusing of its activities and galvanizing action. However, it is equally
clear that the national and international policy responses have been uneven.
Despite some advances, there has been little progress in some key areas, and
regress is evident in others. As noted in one of the key issues of the
analytical report of the Secretary-General, one major development since the
Summit is that inequality within and among States continues to grow. Achieving
the goals agreed at the Summit will require much stronger and more
comprehensive action and new, innovative approaches (to be contained in part
III) by all actors, national and international, governmental and
non-governmental, taking into account the outcomes of the relevant United
Nations conferences and summits.
2. Since
the Summit, globalization has presented new challenges for the fulfilment of
the commitments made and the realization of the goals of the Summit.
Globalization and interdependence have provided many beneficial opportunities
but have also involved potential damage and costs. If anything, these forces
have accelerated and often strained the capacity of Governments and the
international community to manage them for the benefit of all. Economic growth
has been impressive in some places and disappointing in others. Current
patterns of globalization have contributed to a sense of insecurity as some
countries, particularly developing countries, have been marginalized from the
global economy. The growing interdependence of nations, which has caused
economic shocks to be transmitted across national borders, as well as increased
inequality, highlights weaknesses in current international and national
institutional arrangements and economic and social policies and reinforces the
importance of strengthening them through appropriate reforms. There is wide
recognition of the need for collective action to anticipate and offset the
negative social and economic consequences of globalization and to maximize its
benefits for all members of society, including those with special needs. For
most developing countries, the terms of international trade have worsened and
inflows of concessional financial resources have declined. The high debt burden
has weakened many Governments’ capacity to service their increasing external
debt and eroded resources available for social development. Inappropriate
design of structural adjustment programmes has weakened the management capacity
of public institutions as well as the ability of Governments to respond to the
social development needs of the weak and vulnerable in society and to provide
adequate social services.
3. Since
the Summit, policies and programmes to achieve social development have been
implemented within the context of national economic, political, social, legal,
cultural and historical environments. There has been an increasing interest in
strengthening an enabling environment for sustainable development through the
interaction of economic and social development and environmental protection.
However, these national environments have been increasingly affected by global
influences and forces beyond the control of individual Governments. Serious impediments
to social development, many of which were identified by the Summit, still
persist. These include: chronic hunger; malnutrition; illicit drug problems;
organized crime; corruption; foreign occupation; armed conflicts; illicit arms
trafficking; terrorism; intolerance and incitement to racial, ethnic, religious
and other hatreds; xenophobia; endemic, communicable and chronic diseases, in
particular HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis; and economic sanctions and
unilateral measures not in accordance with international law and the Charter of
the United Nations.
4. The
ultimate goals of development are to improve living conditions for people and
to empower them to participate fully in the economic, political and social
arenas. Some Governments, in partnership with other actors, have contributed to
an enabling environment for social development through efforts to ensure
democracy and transparency in decision-making; the rule of law; accountability
of government institutions; empowerment of women; and gender equality. Efforts
have also been made to promote peace and security; respect for all human rights
and fundamental freedoms, including the right to development; and tolerance and
respect for cultural and ethnic diversity. However, progress in all these areas
has been uneven and requires further effort.
5. At
the Summit, quantitative targets were adopted and reaffirmed in the area of
basic social services and official development assistance. Out of 13 targets,
for 9 the target date set was the year 2000. These target areas are: education;
adult illiteracy rate; improved access to safe water supply and sanitation;
malnutrition among children under 5 years of age; maternal mortality, infant
mortality and the under-five mortality rate; life expectancy; malaria mortality
and morbidity; and affordable and adequate shelter for all. Available data
indicate that progress in these areas remains unsatisfactory. In the field of
education, for example, there are still 29 countries which have enrolment
ratios of less than 50 per cent, instead of the target of 80 per cent of
children attending primary school.
6. Gender
mainstreaming is widely accepted but in some parts of the world the
implementation of this concept has often not started. In many countries, women
continue to suffer from discrimination with regard to the full enjoyment of all
human rights.
7. The
compilation of broad-based and disaggregated data by national Governments, both
qualitative and quantitative indicators, to evaluate progress in the areas
covered by the targets, has presented an important challenge. In this regard,
Governments may, as appropriate, seek assistance from international
organizations. Since the Summit, efforts have been made to improve the quality,
timeliness and country coverage of data.
8. Given
the nature and the broad scope of many of the goals and targets set in
Copenhagen and the inevitable lag between the initiation of policies and
measurable results, a comprehensive evaluation of the impact of new policies
and programmes will take time. However, it is possible to make the following
early assessments.
9. One
of the most significant outcomes of the Summit has been placing the goal of
eradicating poverty at the centre of national and international policy agendas.
At the international level, development targets adopted at Copenhagen have
increasingly influenced the policies and planning of bilateral and multilateral
development partners. Many Governments have set national poverty reduction
targets and formulated poverty eradication plans and strategies, including by
promoting employment and developing or reinforcing tools to evaluate progress.
Some have further developed existing poverty eradication plans, programmes and
measures. Microcredit and other financial instruments have received increasing
attention as effective means of empowering the poor and many countries have
expanded access to such programmes. Many countries have achieved improvements
in literacy, life expectancy, school enrolment and the availability of basic
social services, and have enhanced social protection systems and reduced infant
mortality. However, progress has been uneven, revealing continuing disparities
in access to basic social services, including a lack of access to quality
education. Of particular concern in this regard is the increasing feminization
of poverty and the uneven access to education for girls. For example, while
countries in East Asia and the Pacific have achieved enrolment rates similar to
those in developed countries, almost one third of school-age children in Africa
are still without access to any form of education. In South Asia, it is
estimated that 50 million children are out of primary school. Also, enrolment
rates in some economies in transition have been declining. Groups with special
needs are also affected by social exclusion and by poverty in different
manners. In many countries, there are insufficient measures for improving their
situation.
10. Progress
in eradicating poverty has been mixed. In many countries, the number of people
living in poverty has increased since 1995. In many developing countries,
social service provision has deteriorated, leaving many without access to basic
social services. Lack of resources, inadequate levels of economic development
and, in most cases, the worsening terms of international trade, as well as weak
infrastructures and inefficient administrative systems have all undermined
measures to eradicate poverty. Demographic changes in many parts of the world
have led to new challenges and caused new obstacles in eradicating poverty. In
Africa and the least developed countries, economic growth has barely resumed.
Also, in some countries with economies in transition, economic reform has been
slow and social security arrangements have weakened. In several developed
countries, economic growth and rising incomes have improved the living
conditions of many people. In some developed countries, however, unemployment
has contributed to situations of inequality, poverty and social exclusion. Countries
affected by the recent international crises have experienced a sharp increase
in poverty, especially among women and groups with special needs, and
unemployment. Although there are now some signs that growth is resuming, the
sharp reverse in this area has pushed back their progress in poverty reduction
and employment by several years.
11. At
the Social Summit and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing, the
international community recognized expressly that women and men experience
poverty differently, unequally, and become impoverished through different
processes and that if those differences are not taken into account, the causes
of poverty cannot be understood or dealt with by public actions. Persistent
discrimination against women in the labour market, the existing gap in their
wages, and unequal access to productive resources and capital as well as
education and training and the sociocultural factors that continue to influence
gender relations and preserve the existing discrimination against women
continue to hinder women’s economic empowerment and exacerbate the feminization
of poverty. Equality between women and men is widely accepted as essential for
social development, but its implementation, including by mainstreaming a gender
perspective into all policies and programmes aimed at eradicating poverty and
the empowerment of women, has lagged behind.
12. While
the overall progress since the Summit in reducing unemployment has been slow
and uneven, there has been increased attention by Governments as well as civil
society, including the private sector, to the goal of full employment and to
policies aimed at employment growth, as well as a renewed perception that full
employment is a feasible goal. Employment promotion has increasingly been put
at the centre of socio-economic development, in recognition of the central
importance of employment to poverty eradication and social integration.
13. The
international community has also recognized the need to promote employment that
meets labour standards as defined by relevant International Labour Organization
(ILO) and other international instruments, including prohibitions on forced and
child labour, guarantees of the rights of freedom of association and bargaining
collectively, equal remuneration for men and women for work of equal value and
non-discrimination in employment. This is reflected in the ILO’s adoption of
the Declaration on Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and Its Follow-up,
and in the unanimous adoption of the ILO Convention on the Elimination of the
Worst Forms of Child Labour. While some progress has been made in this respect,
universal ratification of the relevant ILO conventions has not yet been
achieved.
14. Many
developed countries have strengthened their active employment promotion
measures, including the introduction of programmes to create jobs in social
services and in the provision of other public goods. These activities are
sometimes relatively labour-intensive and also meet a growing demand for personal
services, particularly for the elderly. In developing countries and those with
economies in transition, labour-intensive public works programmes, in
particular infrastructure investments in rural access roads, including
farm-to-market roads, environmental rehabilitation, irrigation and urban
regeneration schemes, have proven to be effective means of promoting employment
and stimulating people-centred sustainable development. The important role of
education and of, vocational and skills development training at all levels in
promoting employment, particularly in the long term, is increasingly
recognized.
15. While
in most countries the employment of women has increased steadily, gender
inequalities, reflected for instance in the wage gap, and a disproportionate
share of family responsibilities, in particular, have remained obstacles to
women’s equal access to and participation in the labour market. Furthermore, in
countries experiencing a lack of adequate employment and/or declining
employment rates, women are often disproportionately affected and forced into
the low-paid informal sector and out of social safety nets. In many parts of
the world, this situation has also led to poverty and social exclusion, with
inhuman consequences such as forced prostitution, trafficking in women and
children for purposes of prostitution and for sexual and other forms of
exploitation, as well as the worst forms of child labour. At the same time,
women’s unpaid work remains unrecognized and unaccounted for in the national accounts.
To date, no universal measurement tools have been developed to evaluate women’s
unpaid work.
16. There
has been an increase in casual and informal employment since the Summit. Casual
employment arrangements have tended to spread in industrialized economies, with
increasingly flexible labour markets and new mechanisms for subcontracting. In
developing countries, the lack of growth of employment in the formal sector,
among other factors, has led many people, especially women, into informal
sector work and has increased migration to more attractive labour markets in
other countries. While employment growth still remains the most effective means
of reducing poverty, there appears to be a growing number of employed and
underemployed persons, particularly women, with little employment security, low
wages and low levels of social protection. In a number of countries,
considerable attention has been focused on this issue in recent years,
including the development of new initiatives. In some countries with economies
in transition, there has been extensive growth of the shadow economy.
17. As a
means of combating social exclusion, there have been efforts to integrate
income support policies with active labour market policies for those
marginalized from the labour market. It is increasingly being recognized that
these policies are an important tool to reduce the dependency of individuals on
social assistance and to reintegrate them into the world of work and into
society.
18. In a
number of countries, social dialogue among employers, employees and Governments
has contributed to social and economic development.
19. Social
integration is a prerequisite for creating harmonious, peaceful and inclusive
societies. Promotion and protection of all human rights and fundamental
freedoms, promotion of a culture of peace, tolerance and non-violence, respect
for cultural and religious diversity, elimination of all forms of
discrimination, equal opportunities for access to productive resources and
participatory governance are important for social integration. Governments have
developed new policy instruments, set up institutional arrangements,
strengthened participation and dialogue with all social actors and launched
programmes to foster social cohesion and solidarity. However, lack of access to
education, the persistence of poverty and unemployment, and inequitable access
to opportunities and resources have caused social exclusion and
marginalization. A growing number of people are afflicted by poverty because of
the inequitable distribution of opportunities, resources, incomes and access to
employment and to social services. In many countries, there is a growing schism
between those in high-quality, well-paid employment and those in poorly
remunerated, insecure jobs with low levels of social protection. Owing to
continued discrimination and exclusion, women and girls face particular
disadvantages in this regard.
20. Governments
have made progress in promoting more inclusive societies. The adoption of democratic
forms of government by an increasing number of countries offers opportunities
for all to participate in all spheres of public life. The devolution of
political power, the decentralization of administration and the development of
local and municipal authorities have sometimes contributed to the creation of
inclusive and participatory societies. In some countries, there are also
consultative arrangements that enable wider involvement in the planning and
evaluation of policies. In those countries, Governments as well as civil
society, including the private sector, are involved in these processes. An
encouraging development has been the strengthening of civil society, including
non-governmental organizations and volunteers. In many countries, this provides
the means for people to work together through partnerships with Governments,
thereby promoting and protecting common interests and complementing the action
of the public sector. The promotion and protection of all human rights,
including the right to development, is an important element in the promotion of
social integration. In this context, it is noted that the overall level of
ratification of international human rights instruments has increased
considerably since the Summit; however, universal ratification has not yet been
achieved.
21. Governments
have implemented a wide range of policies and programmes to respond to the
special needs of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups and to strengthen their
participation in development processes through the provision of, inter alia, social services, employment
opportunities, credit, skill development and training. However, further efforts
in this area are required.
22. The
protection of immigrants and migrant workers required the adoption of a broad
range of targeted policies. Governments were urged to ensure protection of the
human rights and dignity of migrants irrespective of their legal status.
Governments were also urged to intensify efforts to provide basic social
services, facilitate family reunification of documented migrants, promote
social and economic integration of documented migrants, and ensure their equal
treatment before the law. There has not been enough accession and ratification
of the International Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant
Workers and Members of their Families for it to come into force. Since the
Summit, progress in implementing international instruments on the protection of
migrants has been limited and problems concerning the violation of the human
rights of migrants have persisted. In many parts of the world, migrants have
been subjected to discrimination and documented migrants have not received
adequate social protection.
23. Despite
attempts to address the causes leading to and the pressures resulting from the
movement of refugees and displaced persons, many countries, especially those
hosting large refugee populations, have required international support to
provide basic social services.
24. While
there has been incremental but uneven movement towards equality and equity
between women and men in all regions of the world, the fact remains that women
are the most affected in times of crisis and economic restructuring. Whereas
many countries have adopted national strategies on the implementation of the
Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, including general policy
recommendations and specific plans of action, concrete progress in improving
the status of women and promoting gender equality has been slow and uneven. All
forms of violence against women and girls remain a persistent problem for all
countries and create obstacles to social integration, hindering the advancement
of gender equality and the full enjoyment of human rights by women.
25. There
has been continued recognition that the family is the basic unit of society and
that it plays a key role in social development and is a strong force of social
cohesion and integration. In different cultural, political and social systems,
various forms of the family exist.
26. The
increase in violent conflicts, including those around issues of local autonomy
and ethnic identity, as well as conflicts over the distribution of resources,
have hampered social integration and diverted attention and resources from
social and economic development to conflict management. This development has
underlined the importance of social integration and access to basic social
services as preventive measures against crises. Access to basic social services
in conflict situations and social integration in post-conflict situations have
also been underlined as important preventive tools.
27. The
obstacles to the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination, in
particular of peoples living under colonial or other forms of alien domination
or foreign occupation, have continued to adversely affect the achievement of
their social and economic development.
28. In
some countries, social development is adversely affected by unilateral measures
not in accordance with international law and the Charter of the United Nations
that create obstacles to trade relations among States, impede the full
realization of social and economic development and hinder the well-being of the
population in the affected countries.
29. At
the World Summit for Social Development, Governments committed themselves to
accelerating the economic, social and human resources development of Africa and
the least developed countries. Many of the objectives undertaken at the Summit
are yet to be fulfilled by the countries concerned and their international
partners, although, in this regard, donors continue to support the efforts by
Africa and the least developed countries.
30. The
deteriorating social and economic condition of the least developed countries
requires priority attention to the many international development commitments
towards those countries which were not met. Many least developed countries have
seen their share of official development assistance (ODA) decrease, and
progress was not achieved in fulfilling the agreed target of earmarking 0.15 to
0.2 per cent of GNP as ODA for the least developed countries. Technical
cooperation provided by the United Nations and its affiliated agencies has been
cut back since the Summit.
31. African
countries have made real efforts to implement the commitments made at
Copenhagen, but internal and external constraints continue to make progress
extremely difficult. The mobilization of resources at the national and
international levels to accelerate the economic and social development of
Africa and the least developed countries through a holistic approach is needed
for the full implementation of the commitments. Equitable access to education
and health services, income earning opportunities, land, credit, infrastructure
and technology, as well as official development assistance and debt reduction
are vital to social development in Africa and the least developed countries.
32. Social
indicators in Africa show that the continent falls dramatically short of the
targets set at the Summit five years ago. About 90 per cent of countries in
sub-Saharan Africa will not meet the year 2000 goals on child mortality. Life
expectancy remained lower than 60 years in 41 of the 53 countries during the
period 1995-2000. The HIV/AIDS pandemic is having severe social, economic,
political and security impacts in some of the hardest hit countries.
33. Progress
has been achieved in the development of democratic institutions in a number of
countries. Further progress needs to be made in Africa and the least developed
countries in strengthening institutions which are transparent and accountable
in order to achieve faster economic and social development.
34. In a
rapidly globalizing economic world, Africa continues to be marginalized. A
persistent decline in the international terms of trade for commodities exported
from African countries has reduced real national income and savings to finance
investment. The external debt burden has drastically reduced resources
available for social development. Furthermore, promises made to provide
official development assistance to developing countries in general and the
least developed countries in particular have not been fulfilled. More concerted
efforts and an internationally enabling environment are necessary to integrate
Africa as well as the least developed countries into the world economy.
35. The
mobilization of domestic and international resources for social development is
an essential component for the implementation of the Copenhagen commitments.
Since the Summit, reforms to promote the effective and efficient utilization of
existing resources have received increasing attention. However, inadequate
national revenue generation and collection, combined with new challenges
regarding social services and social protection systems due, for instance, to
demographic changes and other factors, jeopardize the financing of social
services and social protection systems in many countries. New budgeting and
accounting techniques have been adopted in several countries. The involvement
and cooperation of local authorities, civil society and beneficiary communities
have been found to be valuable in raising efficiency in the delivery of
services.
36. In
several countries, and for various reasons, a shift has been occurring in the
modalities for financing social protection away from universal, publicly
provided coverage to income-based, targeted assistance. Among these reasons are
stagnant or declining public revenues or the need to reduce fiscal deficits as
well as changing priorities for public expenditures. Also, the need to create
new employment opportunities and to provide incentives for the unemployed or
underemployed and coverage for new social problems as well as to address the specific
needs of disadvantaged and marginalized populations has motivated changes in
social protection systems. In some countries, the principle of universal free
provision of services such as health care, education and water supply has been
replaced by user fees and privatization and by more targeted social service
provision. However, in many countries, the impact of such measures, especially
on the poor and vulnerable, remains to be seen.
37. Despite
the renewed commitment at the Summit by donor countries to meet the agreed
target of 0.7 per cent of their GNP for official development assistance, the
overall ODA has continued to decline. Only four countries now meet the agreed
target with one more country about to reach it. In the meantime, the relative role
of ODA within various forms of financing for development has also been
declining. As a result of the Summit, however, earmarking of funds for social
development has been formulated more explicitly in ODA policy. ODA has been
found to be more effective when countries are committed to growth-oriented
strategies combined with poverty eradication goals and strategies. Poverty
eradication through sustainable development is seen by most donor countries as
the main objective of development cooperation. The Bretton Woods institutions
have also begun to pay more focused attention to the social development
dimension in their structural adjustment programmes and lending policies. This
process is currently being further strengthened.
38. The
20/20 initiative has encouraged interested Governments and donors to increase
the amount of resources earmarked for basic social services and to enhance
equity and efficiency in their use. It has also emphasized the need for
additional resources in order to pursue effectively the social development
agenda, while highlighting the difficulties and limitations of many countries,
in particular developing countries, in raising or reallocating domestic
resources.
39. There
is greater acceptance that the increasing debt burden faced by the most
indebted developing countries is unsustainable and constitutes one of the
principal obstacles to achieving progress in people-centred sustainable
development and poverty eradication. For many developing countries, as well as
countries with economies in transition, excessive debt servicing has severely
constrained their capacity to promote social development and provide basic
services. Although the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Debt Initiative
has the potential to reduce debt-servicing costs significantly for the
countries it covers, the fact remains that it has so far benefited only a few
of them. This initiative has recently been strengthened to provide faster,
deeper and broader debt relief. This debt relief is provided in the context of
poverty reduction strategies where Governments and civil society cooperate to
make commitments to utilize the financial benefits to alleviate poverty. A few
lender countries have adopted bilateral debt cancellation initiatives which go
beyond the HIPC Initiative.
40. Microcredit
and other financial instruments provide financial and other services to people
who are often overlooked by the traditional banking sector, thus trying to
reach the poorest families. Women play a very important role in such initiatives.
Experience shows that women are creditworthy, and when they earn an income they
are able to contribute more directly to the economy.
41. Since
the Summit, the external debt problems of the middle-income developing
countries have crippled their social development efforts. A need has arisen for
concerted national and international action to address effectively the debt
problems of middle-income developing countries with a view to resolving their
potential long-term debt-sustainability problems.
42. Capacity-building
is an important means of creating a national political, socio-economic and
legal environment conducive to development and social progress. Member States
have taken a number of actions to enhance their capacities to achieve the goals
of the World Summit for Social Development, including adopting long-term
strategies for social development; conducting national assessments of their
institutional capacities; taking legislative action to create an enabling
environment; establishing partnerships with civil society; involving people in
the management of their local affairs; mainstreaming a gender perspective into
policies and programmes; improving transparent and accountable governance; strengthening
the implementation, monitoring and evaluation of social policies, programmes
and projects; and providing technical cooperation. However, the years since the
Summit have also been marked by growing constraints on the capacity for public
action. In some countries, increased constraints, including fiscal and
political ones on Governments, have resulted in a reduction of the programmes
and activities of the State.
43. The
State has an important role in the provision of basic social services. However,
in several countries, the
State is no longer the sole provider of social
services but rather the enabler of an overall favourable environment for social
development, with increased responsibility for ensuring equitable delivery of
and access to quality social services. This development has increased the need
for stronger public institutions to provide an effective framework to ensure an
equitable provision of basic social services for all. It is also recognized
that an effective and accountable public sector is vital to ensuring the
provision of social services.
44. International cooperation has been a critical element in the efforts of Governments towards capacity-building for social development. Technical cooperation, including that of the United Nations, has been supportive of such efforts by Governments, although in many areas such cooperation should be strengthened and broadened.