7 United Nations Commission for Social Development

S G Sreejith

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Introduction

The United Nations Commission for Social Development (hereinafter the “CSD”/”Commission”) came to the fore following the World Summit for Social Development held at Copenhagen in 1995 with the objective of follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. Originally, the CSD was established in 1946 by ECOSOC (hereinafter the “Council”) as the Social Commission. As the United Nations membership expanded in the 1960s, leading to greater focus on issues relating to social development, the Social Commission was renamed as CSD with an expanded membership.

Originally composed of 18 members, the membership has been increased several times and now stands at 46. ECOSOC elects members based on equitable geographical distribution for four-year terms.

The CSD has a Bureau comprising of a chair and four vice-chairs. Keeping in mind the enhanced efficiency of the offices of CSD, the chairs and vice-chairs are elected for a term of office of two years. The CSD usually meets every February in New York.

In exercise of its mandate of follow-up to and implementation of the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit, the CSD every year takes up key social development themes.

Learning Outcomes

  • To understand the work of the Committee on Social Development.
  • To assess the relevant MDG’s.

Early Work

The CSD started functioning under its restructured mandate in 1996. At its special session in 1996, the Commission decided that its primary focus will be on the review of the functioning of the Commission and strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty. Under the item on strategies and actions for the eradication of poverty, the Commission gave special emphasis on three sub-themes: 1) formulation of integrated strategies; 2) meeting the basic human needs of all; and 3) promotion of self-reliance and community-based initiatives.

At its 35th Session, the Commission considered two items: “Productive Employment and Sustainable Livelihood” and “Review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups”. The Commission passed a resolution on productive employment and sustainable livelihood which highlighted inter alia the importance of a changed outlook and drastic structural reforms. The resolution also “took note of the report of the Secretary-General prepared in cooperation with the International Labour Organization and decided to adopt agreed conclusions and transmit them to the Economic and Social Council as a contribution to the high-level segment of its substantive session of 1997 (resolution 35/2)”. The Commission also reviewed relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups. It also reviewed the International Plan of Action on Ageing and invited the UN Secretary-General to make recommendation on different options for the future review of the Action Plan and recommended follow-up action on the report of Special Rapporteur on Disability and on the World Programme of Action for Youth to the Year 2000.

Some of the early work of the CSD, apart from the routine work of review on relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, were on:

  1. Promoting social integration and participation of all people, including disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons (36th Session)
  2. Social services for all, and initiation of the overall review of the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development (37th Session)
  3. Enhancing social protection and reducing vulnerability in a globalizing world (39th Session)
  4. Integration of social and economic policy (40th Session)
  5. National and International Cooperation for Social Development (41st Session)

Year 2000: Follow Up to the World Summit for Social Development

In 2000, the Commission adopted a set of agreements on the progress achieved over the previous six years and the obstacles faced by the Commission in implementing the commitments made at the Social Summit of 1995. These agreements were the contributions of the Commission to the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) review of the Social Summit. The agreements related to areas such as poverty eradication, full employment, social integration, mobilization of resources of social development, and capacity building to implement social policies and programmes. All these areas were extensively discussed for possible reform-measures and follow-up action at the 24th Session of the UNGA. At the Session, the General Assembly adopted an outcome document entitled ‘Further initiatives for social development’ which consists of a political declaration reaffirming the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development; a review and assessment of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit; and proposals for further initiatives for social development. In concluding the Session, the UNGA called for greater international cooperation and further urged the CSD to regularly assess the implementation of the outcome of the Summit and the special session.

Millennium Developments

In pursuance of the 24th Session of the UNGA and the recommendations thereof, the Commission at its 39th Session recommended to the ECOSOC the adoption of a resolution on the multiyear programme of work of the Commission for the period 2002-2006. The draft resolution adopted at the session focused on themes such as larger integration of social and economic policy, social aspects of macroeconomic policies, foreign partnerships for social development, eradication of poverty, social responsibility of the private sector, and improving public sector effectiveness, which is part of the review of relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to social groups.

At its 43rd Session, the Commission conducted a 10-year review of the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and the outcome of the 24th special session of the General Assembly. The review centered on three themes: 1) eradication of poverty, 2) promoting full employment, and 3) fostering social integration. Regarding the eradication of poverty, the Commission observed that “consensus emerged that coordinated global and national action is needed in the fight against poverty and that to formulate effective poverty eradication strategies, the root causes of poverty had to be recognized and understood.” It was further proposed that the Commission must

[C]reate collective responsibility for poverty eradication at both the national and global levels; ensure that the comprehensive approach to poverty eradication as agreed to in Copenhagen forms the basis of the approach to address the Millennium Development Goal to halve poverty by 2015; integrate social and macroeconomic policies,

….

[I]ntensify efforts to address the debilitating debt burden, particularly through debt cancellation, in order to allow countries to redirect their scarce resources to social expenditures; expand international and bilateral cooperation, including the transfer of technology and the sharing of experiences and good practices for poverty eradication; promote good governance and the rule of law in order to combat poverty successfully.

On promoting full employment, the Commission addressed three areas of concern: “the economic potential of the world’s growing labour force and how it can be viewed as a positive force; employment as the key to development and poverty reduction; and initiatives at the global and national levels that can make a difference in promoting full employment”. Some of the participants emphasized on the need make employment the cornerstone of social development. They also observed that the centrality of employment to the reduction of poverty has been absent from international policy forums. Hence they called for the more effective application of macroeconomic policies in creating employment. The Report on the Session also drew attention to “developing national employment plans that support the promotion of full and productive employment, with special attention given to the informal economy, as it comprises the majority share of the labour force in many developing countries. The important role of the State, in both creating and expanding employment opportunities, was also highlighted.”

However, reviewing the work done by the Commission on fostering social integration, there was general dissatisfaction that no progress has been achieved in implementing its commitments under the said area. As the Report observes:

The social integration component of social development appears to have lost ground and has not been fully integrated into the general discourse outside social development circles. The principle of solidarity among peoples, societies, and nations has eroded.

It was hence suggested that the Commission should adopt a people-centric approach by which socio-economic conditions of all people, particularly those in developing countries will be given deserving consideration. Participants agreed that “the concept of social integration developed at Copenhagen should be mainstreamed into efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.”

Social integration and its relationship with poverty further became the priority theme of the work of the Commission in 2009-2010. At its 47th Session, the Commission called for a comprehensive approach to social integration: “Poverty eradication, full employment and decent work and social integration are interrelated and mutually reinforcing, and therefore an enabling environment needs to be created so that all three objectives can be pursued simultaneously.” The Commission also addressed the issue of implementing its commitments regarding social integration—a concern that was raised at its 43rd Session. While recognizing that realizing its objectives requires commitments and social solidarity on the part of all members and sectors of society, the Commission emphasized the need for “strong political leadership, transparent decision-making, social innovation and timely action”. To this end the Chairperson of the Session Ms. Kirsti Lintonen in her Summary on the Priority Theme and Emerging Issues affirmed that “political commitment must be translated into concrete actions in order to operationalize social integration, and to keep it high on the list of priorities.”

Each country has primary responsibility for its own economic and social development. National policies and development strategies should include the promotion of social integration and cohesion. The dialogue on the feasibility of “a global social floor” should be continued and options should be further elaborated and assessed.

One of the major challenges faced by the Commission during its millennial phase is the global financial crisis and the difficulties it posed for the realization of social integration and related objectives. As Ms. Lintonen observed during the 47th Session:

The current crises will not only pose challenges for our societies but also provide an opportunity to underscore the importance of social integration and to focus further on advancing equal and all-inclusive social development.

Hence the Commission called for “action-oriented policies and programmes that produce concrete outcomes. These policies and programmes should be evidence based, supported by policy-relevant research, and followed up with systematic evaluation of results.”

Contemporary and Ongoing Work of the Commission

The interlinkage between full employment, poverty eradication and social integration identified during its millennial work continues to influence the Commission’s contemporary and ongoing work. As part of its poverty eradication programme, the Commission in its Forty-Ninth Session inter alia focused on poverty eradication in Africa through the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) scheme. In a resolution entitled “Social Dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development,” the Commission observed that it is concerned as to how “the recent economic, food and energy crises and climate change may hinder Africa’s social development objectives.” It urged “continued support of measures such as debt relief, improved market access, official development assistance (ODA) and technology transfer to address poverty eradication and sustainable development.” NEPAD continues to occupy a major position the Commission’s agenda. At its Fifty-Third Session, the Commission emphasized that [P]rogress in the implementation of the New Partnership depends […] on a favourable national and international environment for Africa’s growth and development, including measures to promote a policy environment conducive to private sector development and entrepreneurship and to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

Continuing Relevance of the Social Summit

At its 53rd Session held in February 2015, the Commission observed that the Copenhagen Summit on Social Development continues to remain relevant, for many of its aspirations remain unfulfilled even today. The Commission observed that

Rethinking and strengthening social development requires a transformative people-centered approach to sustainable development. Since the 1995 World Summit for Social Development, enormous progress has been made in improving the human condition. However, many challenges remain. While the world has reduced the proportion of people living in extreme poverty by half, the progress has been uneven and more than one billion people remain poor. Rates of unemployment, particularly among youth and other disadvantaged and vulnerable social groups also remain unacceptably high. Many countries also continue to grapple with the challenge of fostering social inclusion. Vulnerabilities are also becoming more acute, with people living in poverty and other disadvantaged social groups bearing the brunt.

Bearing in mind this state of affairs the Commission decided to integrate its work with the post-2015 development agenda “with a particular emphasis on integrating the social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development.” The delegates to the Session urged the Commission to play a larger role in the monitoring and implementation of post-2015 development agenda. In adopting a unified post-2015 agenda, the Commission was optimistic that “by adopting a unified post-2015 vision that places people at the center of development, the international community would give renewed significance to the World Summit for Social Development”.

In pursuance to the post-2015 agenda and as recommended by a few delegates the Commission brought its priority themes under the scope of the agenda. Some of the delegates urged the Commission to make this thematic cross-cutting based on social protection “with targets for poverty eradication, inequality, decent work, education, food security, and nutrition.” The Commission also discussed the possibility of cooperation and coordination between the Commission and the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs for the effective implementation of the post-2015 agenda.

Conclusion

The UN Secretary-General’s report Rethinking and Strengthening Social Development in the Contemporary World states that “The Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development constitute, to date, the broadest set of norms and explicit commitments to guide action on social development at the national, regional and international levels, building on earlier agreements.” With the mandate to realize the aspirations of the Copenhagen Declaration by effectively following-up and implementing schemes, the Commission has been incrementally working towards the realization of the various social development goals. The Commission, in fact, helped to bring many social issues, spread across human social relations, to a comprehensive policy framework to receive a focused and specialized treatment. Claudia Martin, Diego Rodriguez-Pinzon, and Bethany Brown opine that the Commission best illustrates how bodies not belonging to the central UN System can become effective forums to overcome stagnant processes. However, one major challenge the Commission faced, and to a certain extent it continues to face, is in the implementation and enforcement of its commitments. This is partly because there has been, as the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) observes, “no real initiative to bring together … all parties involved.” In the report “Social Justice in an Open World,” DESA observed that “if in the ten years since Copenhagen, an ‘appropriate time’ for action has not yet presented itself … The commitments made at the World Summit for Social Development [would] no longer constitute a source of inspiration and decision”. The Commission’s current work, especially through the post-2015 agenda, however, evinces a progressive effort on its part to overcome the implementation problem and to realize the goals and aspirations of the World Social Summit.

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Reference

  • United Nations, The Social Summit Ten Years Later (New York: United Nations, 2005).
  • Commission for Social Development, Report on the Special Session, 21-31 May 1996.
  • “Report of the Secretary-General: 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’”, 1 September 2000, A/55/344.
  • Commission for Social Development, Report on the Thirty-Ninth Session, 9-18 February 2004, E/CN.5/2005/7.
  • http://undesadspd.org/CommissionforSocialDevelopment/Sessions/2005.aspx
  • Commission for Social Development, Report on the Forty-Third Session, 13-23 February 2001. “Chairperson’s Summary of the discussion on the Priority Theme and on the Emerging Issues: The Current Global Crisis and their Impact of Social Development and Social Integration”, Report on the Forty-Seventh Session, 22 February 2008 to 24 February 2009, E/CN.5/2009/9.
  • Resolution 26/11, Social Dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, available at http://www.un.org/en/ecosoc/docs/2011/res%202011.26.pdf
  • Rethinking and Strengthening Social Development in the Contemporary World, Report of the Secretary-General, E/CN.5/2015/3, available at http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csocd/2016/sgreport-rethinkingsd.pdf.
  • Claudia Martin, Diego Rodriguez-Pinzon and Bethany Brown, Human Rights of Older People: Universal and Regional Legal Perspectives (Dordrecht: Springer, 2015).
  • United Nations, Social Justice in an Open World: The Role of the United Nations (New York: United Nations Publications, 2006).