UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/C.3/59/SR.1
General Assembly
Fifty-ninth session
Official Records
Distr.: General
4 November 2004
English
Original: French
This record is subject to correction. Corrections should be sent under the signature of a member
of the delegation concerned within one week of the date of publication to the Chief of the
Official Records Editing Section, room DC2-750, 2 United Nations Plaza, and incorporated in a
copy of the record.
Corrections will be issued after the end of the session, in a separate corrigendum for each
Committee.
04-53269 (E)
*0453269*
Third Committee
Summary record of the 1st meeting
Held at Headquarters, New York, on Monday, 4 October 2004, at 10 a.m.
Chairman: Mr. Kuchinsky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Ukraine)
later: Ms. Groux (Vice-Chairperson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Switzerland)
Contents
Statement by the Chairman
Organization of work
Agenda item 93: Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social
Development and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly
Agenda item 94: Social development, including questions relating to the world
social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family
(a) Social development, including questions relating to the world social situation
and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family
(b) United Nations Literacy Decade: education for all
Agenda item 95: Follow-up to the International Year of Older Persons: Second
World Assembly on Ageing

A/C.3/59/SR.1
The meeting was called to order at 10.25 a.m.
Statement by the Chairman
1. The Chairman, noting the importance of the
work of the Committee, said that he looked forward to
the “question time” and dialogues with representatives
of the Secretary-General, special rapporteurs and
independent experts, which would promote a better
understanding of the issues being examined and raise
the level of the deliberations. He was convinced that he
could count on the representatives of the Member
States and the members of the Bureau, who had already
had discussions during both official and informal
meetings, to cooperate in order to ensure the success of
the Committee’s work.
Organization of work (A/59/250, A/C.3/59/1,
A/C.3/59/L.1/Rev.1 and A/C.3/59/L.1/Add.1)
2. The Chairman drew the attention of the
members of the Committee to chapter II of the report
of the General Committee (A/59/250), which
established guidelines regarding the conduct of work,
relating, among other things, to punctuality, length of
statements and rights of reply, and adherence to
deadlines imposed for the submission of draft
resolutions and inclusion in the list of speakers. He
emphasized three guidelines, relating to: (a) the
number of resolutions and reports requested of the
Secretary-General; (b) the length of resolutions; (c) the
need for delegations to allow sufficient time for
estimates of expenditures to be prepared by the
Secretariat and considered by the Advisory Committee
on Administrative and Budgetary Questions and the
Fifth Committee. In view of the volume of the
Committee’s work, he requested the delegations to
maintain discipline and pointed out that, in accordance
with the decision of the General Assembly, during the
final two weeks of Ramadan, from 1 to 11 November
2004, the schedule of sessions would be adjusted.
3. He recommended that, barring unforeseen events,
the timetable adopted by the Committee should be
respected. It was particularly important for draft
resolutions, which generally required lengthy
negotiations, to be prepared by the principal sponsors
as early as possible. Delegations initiating proposals
were further requested to advise the Chairman
accordingly in order for him to establish a list of those
initiatives in due time.

4. Mr. Khane (Secretary of the Committee), before
introducing documents A/C.3/59/L.1/Rev.1 and
A/C.3/59/L.1/Add.1, drew attention to two
developments in connection with the agenda items
allocated to the Committee. First of all, the Committee
for Programme and Coordination had recommended at
its forty-eighth session that programme 19, Human
rights, of the proposed strategic framework for the
period 2006-2007, should be referred to the Third
Committee for consideration and appropriate action
and that the matter should be submitted subsequently
to the Fifth Committee for consideration, within the
context of the proposed strategic framework for the
period 2006-2007, under item 109 (Programme
planning). In a letter addressed to the Chairman of the
Third Committee, the President of the General
Assembly formally stated that the Assembly, at its 18th
plenary meeting, had decided, in accordance with
section III, paragraph 4, of its resolution 57/282, to
refer that item to the Third Committee for
consideration and appropriate action. Second, in
accordance with section D, paragraph (c), of General
Assembly resolution 58/316, the President of the
Assembly concluded that the fact that the item entitled
“Report of the Economic and Social Council” was
being considered in plenary meeting should not prevent
the Third Committee from considering and taking
action on the draft resolutions contained in chapter I of
the report of the Economic and Social Council.
Consequently, the 13 drafts that the Council had
adopted by consensus would be referred to the Third
Committee, which would consider them under agenda
items 94 (two drafts), 96 (seven drafts), 97 (three
drafts) and 102 (one draft).
5. Regarding the guidelines established for the
conduct of the work of the Committee, he said that
according to document A/C.3/59/L.1/Rev.1, statements
on the various items during a general discussion were
limited to 7 minutes for delegations and 15 minutes for
groups of delegations. Delegations wishing to have the
text of their statement distributed must provide 350
copies to the conference officers before the meeting.
When item 105 (Human rights questions) was taken up,
delegations could make one statement under each of
sub-items (a) and (d), which were to be discussed
sequentially. They could make up to two statements
under sub-items (b), (c) and (e), which were to be
considered together, but could not make two statements
under the same sub-item. Under agenda items 103
(Elimination of racism and racial discrimination) and

A/C.3/59/SR.1
104 (Right of peoples to self-determination), which
were to be discussed jointly, in accordance with
General Assembly resolution 58/542 delegations could
make two separate statements, i.e., one on each item, if
they so wished.
6. As numerous draft resolutions were presented at
each meeting, thus overburdening the Secretariat’s
documentation services, delegations submitting a draft
containing text taken from an earlier resolution were
requested to download the earlier official document
from the United Nations Official Document System
(ODS) and to indicate clearly, preferably in boldface
characters, either in the electronic version or on the
hard copy, any changes or new text. Similarly, in the
case of revised draft resolutions, the drafts should be
sent to the Secretariat by e-mail or in hard copy,
accompanied by the signed list of sponsors and cosponsors.
Sponsors desirous of presenting drafts should
inform the Secretary of the Committee as soon as
possible in order to enable him to make the appropriate
arrangements. Delegations should abide strictly by the
deadlines set for the submission of draft resolutions.
7. Noting that, in accordance with General
Assembly resolution 58/316, the Committee’s web site
had been enhanced, he said that a limited-access site
had been created which delegations could access by
means of a password and on which they could post
unofficial documents. Representatives wishing to
obtain a password should fill in the appropriate form
and provide an e-mail address at which the password
would be sent to them.
8. The Chairman said it was his understanding that
the Committee wished to adopt the programme of work
contained in document A/C.3/59/L.1/Rev.1 and the
arrangements indicated orally by the Secretary.
9. It was so decided.
10. Mr. Khane (Secretary of the Committee), after
reading out the list of special rapporteurs and
independent experts, said that he had just received a
request to invite two additional special rapporteurs and
an additional independent expert.
11. The Chairman recommended postponing the
consideration of the request to a later date. It was his
understanding that the Committee wished to approve
the list of special rapporteurs and independent experts
read out by the Secretary.
12. It was so decided.

13. Mr. Hof (European Union), mentioning several
resolutions that the Committee was to consider during
the current session, reaffirmed the European Union’s
interest in the role played by special rapporteurs and
independent experts and noted that the Union had been
in favour of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of
human rights in the Palestinian territories occupied
since 1967 presenting his report at the previous
session. He expressed the wish that, as quickly as
possible, the Committee should consider inviting, in
addition to the persons included in the list it had just
approved, the Special Rapporteur on violence against
women, its causes and consequences; the independent
expert to assist the United Nations High Commissioner
for Human Rights in examining the question of the
protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms
while countering terrorism, in accordance with
Commission on Human Rights resolution 2004/87; and
the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons,
especially in women and children.
14. Mr. Khane (Secretary of the Committee),
drawing the attention of the members to chapter II of
the report of the General Committee of the General
Assembly (A/59/250), which contained rules pertaining
to the financing of work, remarked that inviting two
additional special rapporteurs and an additional
independent expert would have financial implications
and stated that the Programme Planning and Budget
Division should be able to present an estimate of
expenditures within 48 hours of the Committee’s
decision.
15. Mr. Reyes (Cuba) expressed surprise at the
European Union’s request, which it was basing on the
decision adopted the previous year, when the situation
had been different. The request went against the
rationalization of the working methods of the United
Nations system. If the Committee decided to invite the
three persons proposed by the European Union, it
should also agree to invite the independent expert on
the effects of structural adjustment policies and foreign
debt, because the debt problem represented a major
obstacle to development in third-world countries. In
the specific case of the independent expert to assist the
United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
in examining the question of the protection of human
rights and fundamental freedoms while countering
terrorism, which fell within the purview of the Office
of the High Commissioner, not the Third Committee,
inviting that expert to present his report to the

A/C.3/59/SR.1
Committee would amount to violating his mandate. His
delegation was against the idea of financing the
invitation of special rapporteurs and independent
experts through voluntary contributions, as that would
favour the rich countries, which would then be able to
impose their views on the Committee. In the final
analysis, it would be preferable to abide by the existing
list so as to avoid any overlapping of activities and
respect the decisions taken by the intergovernmental
bodies.
16. Ms. Khalil (Egypt) said that, while her
delegation was favourable to the idea of inviting
special rapporteurs and independent experts owing to
their significant contributions to the work of the
Committee, she would appreciate further details,
especially regarding the criteria for choosing the
persons proposed by the European Union, the financial
implications and the speaking time that would be
allotted to such rapporteurs and experts, to enable the
members of the Committee to make an informed
decision.
17. The Chairman called upon the members of the
Committee to hold discussions with a view to arriving
at a decision on the question, if possible by the end of
the week.
18. It was so decided.
19. The Chairman suggested appointing as
Facilitator, pursuant to section C, paragraph (a), of the
annex to General Assembly resolution 58/316,
Ms. Astanah Banu Shri Abdul Aziz of Malaysia (Vice-
Chairperson), who would be charged with holding
informal consultations on the further rationalization of
the Third Committee’s programme and methods of
work.
20. It was so decided.
Agenda item 93: Implementation of the outcome of
the World Summit for Social Development and of the
twenty-fourth special session of the General
Assembly
Agenda item 94: Social development, including
questions relating to the world social situation and to
youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family

(a) Social development, including questions
relating to the world social situation and to
youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family
(b) United Nations Literacy Decade: education for
all
Agenda item 95: Follow-up to the International Year
of Older Persons: Second World Assembly on Ageing
21. Mr. Schölvinck (Director, Division for Social
Policy and Development), referring to the report of the
Secretary-General on social development (A/59/120),
pointed out that more focus should be placed on the
principle of a people-centred approach to development,
which remained too abstract a concept. The path
towards social development was fraught with gaps
between theory and practice which stemmed from three
causes. The first was the social impact of globalization.
The understanding and management of social
development within the framework of globalization
were inadequate and the issues raised in the
Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development had
not been pursued to the extent anticipated. The report
to be drafted by the World Commission on the Social
Dimension of Globalization should help to correct that
situation. National and international macroeconomic
policies and social goals were the second cause. As had
been emphasized at the World Summit for Social
Development, it was necessary to create an enabling
economic environment, which could be achieved only
through the adoption of appropriate economic policies.
Considerable substantive and political difficulties had
yet to be surmounted in order for national and
international economic policies to be effective and
coherent. It was essential, moreover, to bridge the
artificial divide between social questions and economic
issues. The third cause related to the capacity of
national Governments to undertake social policies, for
although social development was a national
responsibility, it could not be achieved without the
collective commitment and efforts of the international
community. Yet the actual exercise of such
responsibility was increasingly difficult and countries
seemed to be losing their autonomy as they became
part of the world economy. The report was of particular
significance because it was closely related to the fiveyear
review of the Millennium Declaration and the year
2005 would mark the tenth anniversary of the World
Summit for Social Development.

A/C.3/59/SR.1
22. It was clear from the report of the Secretary-
General entitled “Preparations for and observance of
the tenth anniversary of the International Year of the
Family in 2004” (A/59/176) that the family continued
to play a crucial role in social and human development
and the protection of individuals, but that its
contribution to the achievement of the objectives of
eradication of poverty and the creation of a just, stable
and secure society had generally been overlooked.
Certain economic and social factors, such as the
HIV/AIDS pandemic or demographic ageing and
retirement, continued to have a significant impact on
societies and families. Activities had been undertaken
within the framework of the United Nations
Programme on the Family. In addition, on 1 September
2004 a new focal point on the family had been
appointed within the Division for Social Policy and
Development, and on 6 December 2004 a plenary
meeting of the General Assembly would be devoted to
the celebration of the tenth anniversary of the
International Year of the Family.
23. With regard to disabled persons, the Commission
for Social Development had recommended to the
General Assembly that it consider the suggested
supplement to the Standard Rules on the Equalization
of Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities
(E/CN.5/2004/4). Although there was no report on
persons with disabilities before the Third Committee,
the report of the Ad Hoc Committee on a
Comprehensive and Integral International Convention
on Protection and Promotion of the Rights and Dignity
of Persons with Disabilities was on its agenda under
item 105, “Human rights questions”. As that issue went
well beyond human rights questions, it should be dealt
with under the item relating specifically to persons
with disabilities. Such an approach would not only
increase the visibility of the Convention, but would
also demonstrate the importance of mainstreaming
disability within overall development issues.
24. In terms of the report of the Secretary-General on
ageing (A/59/164), the implementation of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing was marked
both by progress and by obstacles. While major strides
had been made, and the “ageing dimension” of
development had moved forward considerably, much
remained to be done to integrate older persons into
national and international development frameworks.
United Nations system organizations had undertaken to
implement the decisions adopted at the Second World

Assembly on Ageing, particularly the World Health
Organization and the United Nations Development
Programme, which were working to mainstream ageing
into all their activities, policies and programmes.
Nevertheless, the human and financial resources
devoted to promotion of the social inclusion of ageing
were extremely limited, and that constituted a major
constraint on the implementation of the Madrid Plan.
25. The Committee played an important role in the
search for common solutions to common problems; it
was essential not to separate economic issues from
social issues, for the two were closely intertwined in
the development sphere. It was therefore necessary to
overcome compartmentalization; the Third Committee
should emphasize collaboration, particularly with the
Second Committee.
26. Ms. Launay (Director, UNESCO Office at the
United Nations), speaking under agenda item 94 (b),
referred to the report on the implementation of the
International Plan of Action for the United Nations
Literacy Decade (A/59/267). The Decade had been
launched in 2003 in various regions of the world, with
the participation of non-governmental organizations,
civil society organizations, development agencies and
United Nations agencies, programmes and funds.
Having chosen as its rallying cry “Literacy as
freedom”, the Decade played a fundamental role, for
literacy was a means of creating a society committed to
peace, democracy, social justice and general wellbeing.
27. Currently, more than 100 million children were
out of school and some 800 million adults, mostly girls
and women, were illiterate. It was essential to be able
to read, write and do arithmetic in order to have access
to information regarding health, the environment,
education and the world of work. Literacy was
therefore vital to improving the lives of all and
promoting development in all its dimensions.
28. Unfortunately, the importance of literacy was not
adequately recognized, and literacy was a low priority
on the education agenda in many countries. Unless
effective actions were taken, almost 80 countries in the
world would not be able to achieve the Education for
All (EFA) literacy goal set at the World Education
Forum (Dakar, April 2000), namely, a 50 per cent
improvement in adult literacy levels by 2015. The
international community, Governments, nongovernmental
organizations, civil society and the

A/C.3/59/SR.1
private sector must therefore act in concert and adopt
serious and sustained measures.
29. In 2005 the United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) would
launch a new adult literacy initiative, focused on
countries with an illiteracy rate of over 50 per cent
and/or an illiterate population larger than 10 million, or
33 countries in all. The initiative, focused on literacy
for the excluded, would have a particular emphasis on
women, and should be supported by all development
partners.
30. Synergy must be ensured between the Literacy
Decade and EFA initiatives, such as the Fast Track
Initiative (FTI) and the United Nations Girls’
Education Initiative, the Millennium Development
Goals agenda and the United Nations Decade of
Education for Sustainable Development, to be launched
in 2005. While action was needed at all levels, national
Governments were the most crucial actors; they needed
the greatest possible support from the United Nations
system and development agencies. Meanwhile, nongovernmental
organizations, civil society and the
private sector should be more closely involved in
national literacy efforts.
31. Mr. Cumberbach Miguén (Cuba) asked the
Director of the Division for Social Policy and
Development to indicate what changes in national and
international macroeconomic policy he felt were
necessary to achieve social goals, inasmuch as most
third-world countries remained saddled with a huge
burden of external debt and had for many years been
required to make structural adjustments that had
genuinely hampered government agencies in their
efforts to provide social protection.
32. Ms. Al Haj Ali (Syrian Arab Republic) said that,
in order to follow up the recommendations and
suggestions made by the Secretary-General in his
report on preparations for and observance of the tenth
anniversary of the International Year of the Family in
2004 (A/59/176), her Government had established a
National Family Agency to protect the family and
promote all issues relating thereto. The agency was
contributing to the preparations for and observance of
the tenth anniversary of the Year by highlighting the
problems facing Syrian families. Her delegation
requested the Director of the Division for Social Policy
and Development to give delegations a general idea of

what they could expect from the United Nations as far
as the observance on 6 December was concerned.
33. Ms. Ahmed (Sudan), after taking note with
satisfaction of the report of the Secretary-General on
preparations for and observance of the tenth
anniversary of the International Year of the Family in
2004 (A/59/176), welcomed the announcement by the
Director of the Division for Social Policy and
Development of the appointment of a new focal point
on the family to monitor progress made by the United
Nations in that area; she wished to know what practical
steps had been taken by the Department of Economic
and Social Affairs to mark the observance on
6 December. She asked the Director of the Liaison
Office of UNESCO to the United Nations whether
there were any specific youth literacy projects focused
on developing countries, particularly in Africa. Her
delegation, which relied on UNESCO to play a
pioneering role in that area, wholeheartedly supported
the initiatives taken in developing countries. She also
wished to know what innovative approaches had been
adopted to combat illiteracy.
34. Mr. Schölvinck (Director of the Division for
Social Policy and Development), replying to the Cuban
delegation, said that social policies must be more
integrated with economic policies; to that end, it was
necessary to move away from a scale of priorities
which tended to place economic issues ahead of social
issues. There was also a need for better cooperation
between finance ministers and ministers for social
affairs so that, before policies were adopted, their
consequences were established in a clear and
transparent way. The same precautions were needed at
the international level. Before a genuinely peoplecentred
approach could be adopted, social policies
must be taken fully into account in integrated policymaking.
35. Replying to the Syrian and Sudanese delegations,
he said that specific steps had been taken by the
Department of Economic and Social Affairs to mark
the 6 December observance. Specifically, in the
morning, a plenary meeting of the Assembly would
offer Member States an opportunity to report on the
measures they had adopted to achieve the objectives of
the International Year of the Family. In the afternoon,
the Department of Economic and Social Affairs
planned to organize, through its focal point on the
family, a parallel event which would probably take the
form of a round table.

A/C.3/59/SR.1
36. Ms. Launay (Director, UNESCO Office at the
United Nations), replying to the questions put to her,
said that there was a need to connect all the dots
between the “six Dakar goals” of Education for All and
its 12 strategies and the two Millennium Development
Goals which supported the overall goal of education
for all. The difficulty of compiling statistics arose at
each stage. In that connection, she welcomed the
efforts undertaken by the UNESCO Institute for
Statistics in Montreal to establish models in
cooperation with Member States. While the statistics
contained in the EFA Global Monitoring Report 2003/4
(A/59/267) were of high quality, they were definitely
incomplete, because they did not take into account
crucial factors, such as the fact that in some countries
extracurricular education was as important as
traditional education. Lastly, while Member States
generally did not lack a will, some lacked a way.
Generally speaking, it was expected that by 2012 there
would be a very sharp increase in the number of
literate people around the world, political
consciousness would develop, girls would have access
to education on an equal basis with boys, and adult
literacy would be as prevalent as child literacy.
37. UNESCO had a number of external offices,
including several in Africa, as well as several institutes
devoted solely to education; she drew attention, in
particular, to the one in Addis Ababa, which was
specifically concerned with capacity-building in
Africa. She also noted one of the most recent adult
literacy initiatives launched by UNESCO, which was
focused on the 33 countries having an illiteracy rate of
over 50 per cent or an illiterate population larger than
10 million.
38. Ms. Abeysekera (Sri Lanka) raised the question
of the definition of the family, which varied
considerably from one country to the next. While her
delegation was of the view that the family was the
nucleus of society, it believed that any social
development strategy must be multifaceted and should
be elaborated with all necessary precautions. With
regard to literacy, she would like to see a clear
definition of literacy and the criteria on which it was
based.
39. Mr. Hof (Netherlands), referring to the impact of
globalization on the implementation of the Plan of
Action adopted at the Copenhagen World Summit for
Social Development, asked the Director of the Division
for Social Policy and Development whether the best

practices adopted by Governments to achieve the
Copenhagen goals had already been identified. With
reference to the criticisms addressed to the
Commission for Social Development, which had been
accused of neglecting the social dimension of
globalization, he asked how the Commission could
better incorporate globalization into its deliberations.
He also wished to know how the follow-up of the
implementation of the Copenhagen Plan of Action
could be better integrated into the Organization’s work
on the Millennium Development Goals. Lastly, he said
that there was a need to avoid compartmentalization of
social and economic issues between the Second and
Third Committees and asked how the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing, the World
Programme of Action for Youth and the World
Programme of Action concerning Disabled Persons
could be better integrated into development policies
and measures, which should make it possible to
achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
40. Mr. Schölvinck (Director of the Division for
Social Policy and Development), replying to the
delegation of the Netherlands, said that it was
incumbent upon Member States to follow up the
implementation of the Copenhagen Plan of Action.
Referring to two goals set out in that plan —
employment and social integration — he said that they
should be linked to the Millennium Development
Goals, and that poverty data should be broken down
into different population categories (youth, elderly
persons, persons with disabilities). Lastly, he hoped
that the Commission’s report would contribute to a
better integration of economic and social policies,
which would lead to better management of
globalization and its impact. As to best practices, he
was waiting to hear from Member States.
41. Ms. Launay (Director, UNESCO Office at the
United Nations), replying to the Sri Lankan delegation,
said there was no definition of literacy that was
accepted by everyone. Overall, she believed that
literacy consisted of receiving a basic education that
would enable a person to read and do arithmetic,
regardless of whether that person was a girl or a boy.
Specifically, it meant having the ability to cope with
daily life, whether one was an adult or a child.
42. Mr. Al-Sulaiti (Qatar), speaking on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China, said that the commitments
made by heads of State and Government at the
Copenhagen Summit and the twenty-fourth special

A/C.3/59/SR.1
session of the General Assembly had been the
cornerstone of a new consensus to place people at the
centre of development policies. Nevertheless, the
efforts made to date did not fulfil the spirit of the texts
adopted on those occasions; vast sectors of society,
particularly in the developing and least developed
countries, were still in a dire situation.
43. Noting that there was still a gap between
intentions and actions at the level of national and
international policies, he called for a new partnership
between developed and developing countries, and
urged the former to make concrete efforts to achieve
the target of providing 0.7 per cent of their gross
national product as official development assistance to
developing countries and from 0.15 to 0.20 per cent to
least developed countries.
44. Pointing to the support which the Group of 77
and China provided to the New Partnership for Africa’s
Development (NEPAD), he called on the developed
countries and all Member States to emulate them. The
countries he represented were completely convinced
that while social development was above all a national
responsibility, it could not be achieved without the
collective commitment of the international community,
within the framework of full respect for national
sovereignty and cultural and religious diversity.
45. In looking forward to the 10-year review in 2005
of the outcome of the World Summit for Social
Development, he stressed the need to: assess fully the
implementation of the 10 commitments adopted in
1995 and confirmed on several occasions thereafter,
establish a genuine North-South dialogue, assess
comprehensively the obstacles to development, and
address the negative impact of globalization on
economic and social development, particularly in
developing countries and least developed countries.
46. Lastly, in view of the critical situation in which
many older persons lived throughout the developing
world, there was an urgent need to adopt a realistic
approach in order to promote and protect their civil,
political, economic, social and cultural rights; the
Group of 77 and China were fully prepared to assume
their share of responsibility for the implementation of
the Madrid Plan of Action on Ageing with intensified
cooperation from their development partners.
47. Ms. Groux (Switzerland), Vice-Chairperson, took
the Chair.

48. Mr. Hof (Netherlands), speaking on behalf of the
European Union, the candidate countries (Croatia,
Romania and Turkey), the stabilization and association
process countries (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina,
Serbia and Montenegro and the former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia), and the European Free Trade
Association country Iceland, member of the European
Economic Area, said that the European Union strongly
supported the implementation of the commitments
made at the Copenhagen Summit and the twenty-fourth
special session of the General Assembly; it was
committed to the comprehensive implementation of the
Millennium Declaration, including the development
goals contained therein, and to the commitments
agreed on in other United Nations conferences and
summits. For that reason, the European Union
welcomed the report entitled “A fair globalization —
creating opportunities for all” by the World
Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization,
established by the International Labour Organization;
the emphasis in that report was on people-centred
globalization, and particular attention was paid to
poverty reduction, gender equality, employment,
health, education, social security and social services, as
well as people’s aspiration for democratic participation
and material prosperity.
49. Eradicating extreme poverty remained the major
social challenge. National policies were the primary
responsibility of Governments, but to be effectively
implemented, national poverty-reduction strategies
needed the active involvement of civil society and the
private sector, and considerable support from the
international community. That meant national and
international resource mobilization combined with
increased effectiveness and harmonization of
development efforts, more coherence in national,
external and development policies as well as the
implementation of the Doha Development Agenda.
50. Conscious of the fact that higher employment
rates were critical to achieving economic growth and
furthering social inclusion and development, the
European Union had set itself ambitious goals for the
year 2010. The European Council had agreed to
promote competitiveness, employment and social
cohesion as mutually reinforcing objectives and
policies. The European employment strategy and the
European cooperation policy on social protection and
social inclusion were aimed at promoting full
employment, quality and productivity at work,

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increased gender equality, social cohesion and an
inclusive society. However, further efforts would be
necessary because the economic outlook had become
less favourable. The European employment strategy
had been adapted to take into account the
recommendations from the Employment Task Force,
which had highlighted the importance of employability,
adaptability, balance between flexibility and security,
investment in human capital and better governance.
Decent work and improved employment opportunities
were needed to bring forth stability and a stronger
global social cohesion. Given the degree of importance
that all Member States attached to those issues, it
would be helpful for them to share information on their
experiences and those policies and programmes that
had yielded positive results.
51. Having singled out migration as one of its policy
priorities, the European Union welcomed the lead
taken by the Secretary-General in fostering the debate
within the Organization. It was firmly committed to
securing a balance between the reception and
integration of legal immigrants, on the one hand, and
the urgent need to stop illegal migration and human
trafficking, on the other. In order to foster a better
migration policy, the European Union had initiated a
new policy towards such neighbours as Armenia,
Azerbaijan, Belarus, Croatia, Georgia, Republic of
Moldova and Ukraine, as well as countries on Europe’s
southern Mediterranean periphery. It was awaiting with
interest, the final report of the Global Commission on
International Migration, which would, hopefully,
enrich the substance of international debate on the
issue of migration.
52. With regard to youth, five issues had emerged to
join the 10 priorities defined in the World Programme
of Action for Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond: the
impact of globalization on young women and men; the
use of and access to information and communications
technologies; the dramatic increase in HIV among
young people and the impact of the epidemic on their
lives; the active involvement of young people in armed
conflict both as victims and as perpetrators; and the
increased importance of addressing intergenerational
issues in an ageing society. At its sixtieth session, the
General Assembly would have to review, with the full
and effective participation of the youth, the results
achieved and the challenges remaining with regard to
the World Programme of Action. The European Union
welcomed the joint establishment by the International

Labour Organization (ILO), the World Bank and the
United Nations Secretariat, of the Youth Employment
Network, which the Union was fully supporting.
53. It hoped that the negotiating process for an
international inclusive convention on the full and equal
enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental
freedoms by persons with disabilities would continue
with the participation of non-governmental
organizations. The need to supplement the United
Nations Standard Rules on the Equalization of
Opportunities for Persons with Disabilities had been
clear for several years, and the European Union hoped
that, at the next session of the Commission for Social
Development, agreement could be reached on the
proposed supplement.
54. The European Union attached great importance to
the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of
Action on Ageing 2002 at the national, regional and
local levels, and welcomed the road map for
implementation presented in 2003 by the Secretariat.
55. The 2005 session of the Commission for Social
Development would be particularly important, and
every effort needed to be made to reach the agreed
goals. The Commission should become a more
action-oriented forum for sharing experiences and best
practices. It should foster greater cooperation with the
specialized agencies, including ILO, or with initiatives
with particular relevance to social development such as
the Global Compact. Rather than negotiating agreed
conclusions, it should contribute to improving the
world social situation and promoting social
development. In short, it should be revitalized.
56. Mr. Zhang Yishan (China) said that in spite of
the efforts that Member States and the Organization
had made over the past 10 years to implement the
Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action and
in spite of the many successes scored, much more
remained to be done to achieve the goals set by the
World Summit for Social Development and the
Millennium Summit, since disease, poverty and
unemployment still plagued many developing
countries. China, therefore, welcomed the reports
submitted by the Secretary-General (A/59/120) and the
World Commission on the Social Dimension of
Globalization.
57. China, indeed, believed that beyond its positive
impact on national well-being, coordinated and
balanced social development also contributed to the

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maintenance of peace and security. First, it was
important for the international community, assisted by
all countries, to redouble its efforts to build at the
national and international levels, the peace and
stability which alone could promote development and
eradicate poverty. Second, a world economic order
must be established which made for balanced global
development and removed the adverse consequences of
globalization. Third, developed countries needed to
give developing countries a helping hand by honouring
their commitments, cancelling debt, speeding up
technology transfer and eschewing protectionist trade
practices. Fourth, developed and developing countries
should seek ways of addressing the contradiction
between productivity gains and job creation, and
should institute effective social security systems to
help vulnerable groups. Fifth, United Nations agencies
must assume increased responsibilities for social
development, particularly by seeking out best country
practices, promoting joint North-South activities and
fighting poverty, unemployment and disease.
58. For its part, China was working to eradicate
poverty and to create a system of full employment and
social security that met national needs. As a matter of
fact, the number of rural Chinese living in abject
poverty had declined from 80 million in 1993 to 29
million in 2003. By late 2003, more than 256 million
Chinese had become urban workers and the
unemployment rate had fallen to 4.3 per cent. China
was determined to set the interests of its people as a
top priority and to spare no effort to reduce poverty
and to pursue national development in peace.
59. Mr. Meyer (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the
Rio Group, said that the main advantage of the World
Summit for Social Development was the attention it
had drawn to the human factor. It had been widely
acknowledged that while globalization held great
prospects for development, it often deepened poverty
and inequality. To address those problems,
multilateralism must be strengthened, coherent and
inclusive strategies formulated and more efficient,
transparent and democratic multilateral regimes
instituted, with the highest degree of urgency, to
counter the injustices imposed by globalization.
60. In the final declaration of their meeting held in
New York on 20 September 2004, political leaders the
world over had affirmed that persistent hunger and
extreme poverty were economically irrational,
politically unacceptable and morally shameful, and had

tried to muster the political clout to combat those evils.
To address the problem as it impinged on the
individual, the activities conducted at the international
and country levels must be complementary. A free and
equitable multilateral trading system must be instituted
to create the jobs and wealth that would enable
developing countries to progress. Stable and secure
inflows of economic, financial and official
development assistance resources would also be
indispensable. At the country level, it was increasingly
being acknowledged that the social impact of
macroeconomic policies should be evaluated and that
investment in social programmes increased economic
productivity. The Rio Group was also of the opinion
that democracy and administrative transparency were
essential for achieving sustainable development.
61. It noted with concern, however, that certain
restrictions prevented Governments from instituting
social policies. The international financing system
should be reformed because it lacked adequate
machinery for preventing and managing international
financial crises. The limitations imposed by measures
to improve the state of public finances did not allow
for infrastructural investments, which happened to be
of crucial importance to national economic dynamism.
For that reason, the funding agencies could not
disburse needed financial resources and the Inter-
American Development Bank, for example, had
utilized only 30 per cent of its budget in 2003. The Rio
Group felt, therefore, that innovative financing
mechanisms should be created to cater for public
investment without compromising the viability of
national public finances.
62. It was convinced that, in spite of all the
difficulties, progress in social development could be
made by unleashing the required energy and creativity
without ever allowing development strategies and
policies to lose their human focus.
63. Ms. Joseph (Saint Lucia), speaking on behalf of
the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and having
thanked the representative of Qatar for the statement he
had made on behalf of the Group of 77 and China,
recalled that, as stated in the Report on the World
Social Situation (A/58/153/Rev.1-ST/ESA/284),
1.3 billion people lived in absolute poverty. In his
report on the implementation of the Millennium
Declaration (A/59/282), the Secretary-General had
made it clear that developing and developed countries
alike must honour their commitments under the

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Declaration. Developed countries should increase their
development assistance, grant debt relief and transfer
technology, while developing countries mobilized
counterpart resources and reformed their institutions.
In paragraph 80, the Secretary-General had also
mentioned the terrible consequences of disasters which
continued to fall disproportionately on the shoulders of
the world’s poor, and the spate of hurricanes which had
battered the Caribbean recently had been illustrative. In
that regard, CARICOM underscored the importance of
the work of two conferences planned for January 2005:
the International Meeting to Review the
Implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action
for the Sustainable Development of Small Island
Developing States in Mauritius and the World
Conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan. Both
would be highlighting the increasing vulnerability of
small island developing States to external shocks and
the devastating effect of natural disasters on their
socio-economic development.
64. With regard to agenda item 93, CARICOM
commended the work done by the Commission for
Social Development in conducting a comprehensive
review of the three issues of eradicating poverty,
providing full productive employment and enhancing
social inclusion, and welcomed the idea of intensifying
the interaction between the Commission and the
Economic and Social Council.
65. What was more, the mandates contained in the
Millennium Declaration, the Durban Declaration, the
Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg
Declaration, together with their accompanying
programmes of action, should serve as essential road
maps for the implementation of the Copenhagen
Consensus.
66. At the regional level, the CARICOM Council for
Human and Social Development was redoubling its
advocacy to impress upon all partners the
complementarity of the economic and social
dimensions of development. At the Council’s latest
meeting, held in October 2003, member Governments
had focused on the importance of human resource
retraining and reorganization.
67. With help from the Government of the
Netherlands, the Caribbean regional head office of the
Economic Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC) had set up a social statistics
database which could help Caribbean Governments in

social policy formulation. Using the data, analytical
tools and training provided, they would be able to
establish a social vulnerability index.
68. With regard to the youth, 5 new areas of concern
had emerged to join the 10 highlighted by the
Secretary-General in his 2003 World Youth Report
(A/58/79): the impact of globalization, the impact of
information and communications technologies,
HIV/AIDS, youth and conflict prevention and
intergenerational relationships. A multisectoral
approach would be required to achieve the set
objectives. CARICOM welcomed the creation of the
Youth Employment Network with assistance from the
United Nations, the World Bank and ILO, and endorsed
the recommendations of the high-level Network Group,
which laid special emphasis on employability through
investment in education, and on gender equity.
69. Since two thirds of people in the region were less
than 30 years old, the Caribbean countries had taken a
number of measures within the context of youth
development and promotion, more specifically by
creating an inter-agency coordinating mechanism
which, through the pooling of various resources, was
aimed at reducing the HIV/AIDS rate among young
people. CARICOM had also launched a Caribbean
youth ambassadors programme to elicit youth
participation, to develop their leadership capabilities,
to enable young people to communicate their views to
policy makers and to encourage them to interact with
other young people in the region.
70. CARICOM welcomed the report which the
Caribbean regional head office of ECLAC had
prepared in 2004 on youth and unemployment,
analysing the nature and impact of youth
unemployment, and proposing solutions that used
information technologies to address the problem.
71. On the issue of ageing, she referred to the 2003
Report on the World Social Situation, which
highlighted several areas of particular interest to the
elderly, and specifically commended for their work
within the context of the Second World Assembly on
Ageing, the Committee on the Elimination of
Discrimination against Women (which had addressed
the issue of elderly women) and the Commission on the
Status of Women. The Division for Social Policy and
Development of the Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (DESA) deserved particular
commendation for drafting a technical assistance

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programme for the country execution of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing. ECLAC was
providing technical assistance to countries in the
formulation of national policy for the elderly, and the
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) was to be
congratulated on the constant attention it focused on
the plight of elderly persons living in poverty.
72. At the regional level, statistics showed an
increase in the population over the age of 65. In 1998,
CARICOM had accordingly adopted the Caribbean
Charter on Health and Ageing. In December 2003, the
Caribbean regional head office of ECLAC had
published a report giving a demographic analysis of the
ageing process in the Caribbean. In addition, a seminar
on ageing was planned for November 2004.
73. Regarding the disabled, the Special Rapporteur of
the Commission for Social Development studying the
situation of the disabled had indicated that, over the
past 10 years, human rights advocacy had focused on
disability. It was encouraging to note that the Rules on
the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons with
Disabilities were becoming the point of reference for
inclusive national policy formulation and for the
implementation of programmes benefiting the disabled.
CARICOM supported the proposed supplement, which
would cover training, violence and ill-treatment as well
as health and medical care. She commended the efforts
made by the Working Group drafting an international
convention on the rights of the disabled, and welcomed
the work being done by the Ad Hoc Committee on a
Comprehensive and Integral International Convention
on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights and
Dignity of Persons with Disabilities. CARICOM would
continue to insist on measures to address the excessive
degree of joblessness among the disabled, to eliminate
discrimination and to promote equal opportunities for
them.
74. With regard to the family, CARICOM reaffirmed
the importance of the many initiatives that the
international community had taken to strengthen the
family, welcomed the publication by DESA of the
study entitled “Major Trends Affecting Families” and
took note, in that respect, of the Secretary-General’s
report on preparations for and observance of the tenth
anniversary of the International Year of the Family in
2004 (A/59/176).
The meeting rose at 1.10 p.m.