Summary: 8 October 2001: Intervention on behalf of the European Union by Mr. Michel Goffin, Counselor at the Permanent Representation of Belgium to the United Nations. Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly. Social development, including questions relating to the world social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family. Follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons: Second World Assembly on Ageing (New York)
Mr. President,
1. It is my honor to speak on behalf of the European Union on items 27, 108 and 109 on the agenda, concerning the follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development and the Special Session of the General Assembly on this matter, on Youth and Older Persons, and the World Assembly on Ageing. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta, Turkey, Iceland and Liechtenstein align themselves with this statement.
Mr. President,
2. Last September, in the very first lines of the Millennium Declaration, the 155 Heads of State and Government reaffirmed their commitment to uphold the values and principles of human dignity, equality and equity and to protect the most vulnerable. The Heads of State and Government expressed their certainty that globalization could be a positive force for all the world's people.
3. Back in March 1995, the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action already constituted a new world social contract. The adoption of those documents was a milestone in the international community's realization of the prime importance of social and human progress. In June 2000, five years after the Summit, and just a few weeks before the Millennium Summit, the Heads of State and Government met once again to reiterate their will to implement the commitments entered into in Copenhagen and to
give globalization, which has given rise to such fierce protests, a more human face.
4. For the European Union there can be no sustainable economic development without social development. This broad understanding of development in its economic, social and environmental dimensions represents the fundamental political "acquis" since Copenhagen, and the other Conferences, Summits and Special Sessions of the General Assembly over the last decade. The EU cannot insist too strongly on the mutually reinforcing link between social development and economic development. Moreover, the EU
considers it vital to include a gender-specific approach in all social policies and believes that a prime objective of any social protection policy should be the strengthening of women's power of action and their full participation in society.
Mr. President,
5. 2001 has been devoted to operational follow-up of the commitments undertaken at the 24th Special Session of the General Assembly. The Member States thus found themselves last February at the 39th session of the Commission for Social Development (13 to 23 February 2000), to examine ways to improve social protection and reduce vulnerability, in the context of globalization. At that session, the European Union defended an "activist" approach to social protection, presented as an integral part
of human rights. It came up with several original ideas on social protection problems, such as, for instance:
6. that, contrary to received ideas about globalization and its harmful effects on poverty, there is no systematic link between being open to globalization and an increase in inequalities and poverty. Many poor people in the world do indeed feel excluded from the fruits of globalization. The real danger for the poor is that they will remain chronically marginalized from the new wealth being created;
7. that the campaign to halve poverty by the year 2015 must also be included in a social protection framework;
8. that social protection must be seen as productive expenditure and as an investment in human capital and social cohesion. Social protection expenditure thus contributes to growth;
9. that social protection is primarily, but not exclusively, the responsibility of governments: civil society as a whole, including the private sector and NGOs, must be included in the task of devising and reforming social protection systems. Extending social mechanisms at the level of local communities can complement the more formal social protection systems;
10. that the victims of the HIV and AIDS pandemic must be able to enjoy adequate social protection. The EU reaffirms in this connection its resolve to implement the commitments entered into at the 24th Special Session of the General Assembly;
11. that there is a growing need to contemplate setting minimum standards of social protection tailored to the specific conditions of individual countries;
12. that the private sector, including transnational companies, have a particular responsibility regarding social development and social protection. In this regard, the EU supports unreservedly the Secretary-General's "Global Compact" initiative as an operational instrument for promoting the assumption of responsibility by undertakings.
Mr. President,
13. The Commission for Social Development has not been able to obtain a consensus among its members and to submit agreed conclusions reflecting the full richness of the debate on social protection. The European Union has chosen not to embark upon a process of negotiation at all costs, at the risk of ending up with "agreed" conclusions, which are too vague and too far-removed from the specific context of social protection and thus lacking in substance.
14. The European Union has studied with great interest the Note from the Secretary-General entitled "Compilation of reports from the United Nations system on the outcome of the Social Summit and the 24th Special Session of the General Assembly". That compilation was drafted in the framework of the work of the 39th Session of the Commission for Social Development (13 to 23 February 2001). It is clear from this inventory that the United Nations system as a whole is now involved in a very concrete
way in implementing the decisions taken in Geneva in June 2000.
15. The European Union reaffirms the importance it attaches to the Commission for Social Development as an instrument of choice for following up undertakings entered into globally. The Commission must be able to take up and deepen the debate begun in Geneva at the 24th Special Session on specific topics and at expert level in the capital cities. It must also provide a forum in which good practice and the lessons learned by those working in the field can be exchanged, in the framework of
implementing the Copenhagen action programme. The European Union does not see the Geneva session as the end of the project conceived in Copenhagen, but as a stage in a long-term process that must be continued. The European Union has set in train an active examination process on the follow-up to the major Conferences. It attaches particular importance to the provisions agreed in Geneva concerning follow-up to this process which deserves to be strengthened, in particular as regards the briefs
entrusted to the Economic and Social Council and to the Commission for Social Development, which have a key role to play in this field and should be enabled to produce operational proposals for such follow-up.
Mr. President,
16. The social dimension has been gathering momentum and gaining an ever-wider consensus at the latest UN Conferences. We were pleased to see very specific commitments entered into in Brussels at the 3rd Conference on the Least Developed Countries in May of this year, as regards, for example, observance of Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, the need to invest in social infrastructure, to reduce excessive military expenditure and the strengthen the health and education sectors.
17. The EU also welcomes the decision taken at the Economic and Social Council this summer to focus the high-level debate on the topic of strengthening human resources, in particular in the fields of health and education.
Mr. President,
18. The European Union would also like to draw attention to matters concerning young people, the elderly, people with disabilities and the family. Desirous to create a society for all, the EU sees the participation of people of all ages, as well as that of people with disabilities, as vital. The situation for persons with disabilities is one of the important agenda items at the upcoming fortieth session of the Commission on Social Development in 2002. The Commission will inter alia have to
consider the urgent matter of future monitoring mechanisms of the Standard Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities. Furthermore, the Special Rapporteur on Disability will present his proposals on how to strengthen the Standard Rules, especially regarding a human right perspective.
19. In preparation for the discussions on young people, which will be on the agenda for the Commission for Social Development in 2003, it is important to reflect on a more integrated and more horizontal policy which would incorporate the interests of young people in all planning, decision-making and implementation processes. The EU, attached as it is to the principles of human dignity, equality and equity, is striving to promote maximum inclusiveness. Each of us has an important role in our
society. Participation and integration of young people in societal projects is fundamental. With a view to the 27th Special Session of the General Assembly on Children, we undertake to include a substantial number of young people in our delegations.
Mr President,
20. As regards follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons, preparations for the Second World Assembly on Ageing, to be held in Madrid in April 2002, are a priority for the EU. The European Union is currently completing its examination of the new draft action programme for the inter-sessional talks to be held from 10 to 14 December 2001.
21. The World Assembly is the perfect occasion for responding to the challenges and opportunities afforded by the subject of ageing. Adoption of the action programme will be just the beginning. Dialogue between the generations will become a key tool in social development. In order to make sure that it is implemented, we are pleased to be able to confirm that a regional conference is to be held in Berlin in September 2002.
22. In accordance with the provisions of the European Medium-Term Social Agenda adopted in Nice last December, the importance which the EU attaches to social cohesion and the integration of all groups in society is reflected in the conclusions of the Stockholm European Council held on 23 and 24 March 2001. The European Union undertook therein to modernize the European social model so as to create a dynamic Union composed of active social States. Well-designed, properly functioning social
systems should be seen as productive factors as they offer security against a background of change. In Stockholm the European Union set itself the objectives of improving the quality of employment, promoting social inclusion, encouraging participation by the social partners in managing change, making undertakings more responsible, and designing social protection systems, including sustainable, safe and reliable retirement systems. The Stockholm European Council is an example of the EU's will to
concretize in a direct way the outcome of Copenhagen and Geneva. The European Union will continue in this direction, with clear-sightedness and determination, in order to promote lasting social development and combat poverty, as a prerequisite for constructing globalization with a human face. The European Union Member States are resolved to improve still further their social protection systems in all these respects. They undertake to continue the discussion on the future of social policies both
within the Union and at the United Nations.
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