UN Human Rights Treaties

United Nations A/C.3/59/SR.3
General Assembly
Fifty-ninth session
Official Records
Distr.: General
7 October 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.
04-53533 (E)
*0453533*
Third Committee
Summary record of the 3rd meeting
Held at Headquarters, New York, on Tuesday, 5 October 2004, at 10 a.m.
Chairman : Mr. Kuchinsky. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Ukraine)
later : Ms. Abdul Aziz (Vice-Chairperson) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (Malaysia)
Contents
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
(continued)
Agenda item 94 : Social development, including questions relating to the world
social situation and to youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family (continued)
(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 (continued[J1])

A/C.3/59/SR.3
The meeting was called to order at 10.10 a.m.
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 (continued) (A/59/120 and A/59/115)
Agenda item 94: Social development, including
questions relating to the world social situation and to
youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family
(continued) (A/59/73)
(a) Social development, including questions
relating to the world social situation and to
youth, ageing, disabled persons and the family
(A/59/176)
(b) United Nations Literacy Decade: education for
all (A/59/267)
Agenda item 95: Follow-up to the International Year
of Older Persons: Second World Assembly on Ageing
(continued) (A/59/164)
1. Mr. Moeini (Islamic Republic of Iran), having
endorsed the statement made by Qatar on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China, said that at the next session of
the Commission for Social Development the
international community should renew its commitment
to the outcomes of the World Summit on Social
Development held in Copenhagen and support the
Commission in enforcing their implementation.
Recognizing the valuable work of the Commission, the
Islamic Republic of Iran encouraged the Commission
to focus more on practical measures that could
facilitate application at all levels by addressing the
constraints that countries faced when it came to
implementation rather than engaging in abstract and
purely theoretical debates on social development
issues. In that context, it was necessary to review the
Commission's method of work with a view to
strengthening the implementation of the outcomes of
the Summit.
2. The Tenth Anniversary of the International Year
of the Family offered the international community an
opportunity to recall that the family, resulting from the
union between man and woman, was the basic unit of
the society. Family policies should enhance the

stability of the family. The Islamic Republic of Iran
concurred with many proposals contained in the
Secretary-General's report and considered them
conducive to strengthening that institution in all
countries. One particular concern that could arise from
the report related to the definition of the family. There
was certainly no consensus among Member States on a
single definition, but the Islamic Republic of Iran did
not consider that to be a global problem requiring a
departure from traditional United Nations practice.
Moreover, the study referred to in the Secretary-
General's report contained terms and statements that
were historically and factually incorrect and, therefore,
it could not be regarded as a reliable source.
3. The Islamic Republic of Iran recognized the
importance of the proposed Supplement to the Standard
Rules on the Equalization of Opportunities for Persons
with Disabilities. However, those proposals should not
pose a further burden, over and above international
agreements and norms, on countries that had been
serving a huge population of refugees over a long
period of time. Furthermore, the Standard Rules should
highlight the situation of disabled persons in
emergency situations, disability resulting from natural
disasters and the role of science and technology in
preventing disability. Last but not least, among the
various groups of disabled persons, attention should be
paid to the persons disabled as a result of
contamination by chemical substances.
4. The Islamic Republic of Iran welcomed the
extensive participation of various actors in the Third
and Fourth Sessions of the Ad Hoc Committee on a
comprehensive and integral international convention to
promote and protect the rights and dignity of persons
with disabilities, but was not entirely comfortable with
the speed of the work and with some controversial
proposals which could delay finalization of the text of
the convention. It was crucial to avoid proposing
controversial ideas that had proved unproductive in
similar negotiations and to ensure that the convention
led to effective international cooperation on ways to
exchange information, scientific findings, technology
and resources in order to take into account the
development perspective of disability.
5. Ms. Nguyen (Australia), speaking under agenda
item 94 and as the Australian youth representative,
pointed out that, in areas of Australia where young

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people were not taken into consideration as social and
cultural contributors to their community, the rates of
juvenile crime and detention were higher. Compared to
earlier generations, young Australians were currently
confronted with an overwhelming level of information
and complexity. They were often under pressure to
make immediate choices, although many had not yet
developed the requisite emotional resources. The issues
that they faced, however, varied among the various
population sections. For many young indigenous
Australians, the rates of retention at school remained
very low, incarceration rates for young males were
much higher than the national average and
unemployment was a significant issue. Most youths in
that group did not own a computer, although some
organizations aimed to reduce the digital divide by
creating online communities throughout Australia and
educating and connecting young indigenous people.
Youths that were marginalized - for whatever reason -
were confronted with issues of identity and perception.
Never before had the need for community engagement
and development been so paramount.
6. Many organizations desired the participation and
contribution of young people. However, the methods
and language of engagement were often
disempowering and resulted in a barrier to effective
participation. Young people possessed a plethora of
valuable qualities but ensuring their participation was
difficult. Investment in infrastructure would make
participation meaningful. One of the best ways for
young people to participate was community cultural
development. Australia was a leader in that practice,
and mention should be made of the Foundation for
Young Australians, which embraced the principle that,
in the new millennium, young people had the capacity
and the intelligence to determine what was best for
them, provided them with study grants and involved
them in decision-making.
7. Although many youth representatives had for
several decades addressed the Third Committee and
urged its members to include youth representatives in
the delegations, the number of total youth
representatives to the General Assembly was still
smaller than ten. It was essential that all Member
States should send a youth delegate to the General
Assembly.
8. The Chairman, responding to the Australian
representative's call, observed that the staff of the
Ukrainian Mission to the United Nations comprised 16

civil servants, including two women, aged 27 on
average. There were therefore delegations that
specifically tried to promote the participation of young
people.
9. Mr. Siv (United States of America), speaking
under agenda item 24, drew special attention to literacy
and education, ageing and the family and stated that
those issues were linked. A strong family supported
both its children and its ageing members to achieve and
maintain their independence. Literate children grew
into capable adults.
10. The United States supported the United Nations
Literacy Decade, and were pleased that First Lady
Laura Bush had been designated Honorary Ambassador
for the Decade. The United States ensured that every
child in America received a solid education. The
majority of its young people continued their education
after high school, and all persons had equal access to
higher education, irrespective of gender, race, religion
or ethnicity. Access to higher education continued to be
promoted as the number and size of community
colleges increased. Various education systems, with
options to suit every child, provided more
opportunities today for the society of tomorrow.
11. At the international level, the United States
worked to create adequate opportunities for children to
grow up and learn in a secure environment. A longstanding
supporter of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Children's
Fund (UNICEF), the United States had, in the previous
year alone, given UNICEF $270 million. The United
States participated in two major initiatives that sought
to eradicate polio and to promote other child-survival
partnerships. Over the past 50 years, United States
children had collected $123 million through their own
fund-raising efforts. That money helped UNICEF to
carry out important work such as HIV/AIDS
prevention, immunizations and girls' education. The
United States' partnership with UNDP was likewise
solid and long-standing, and the United States
contribution of $190 million in 2003 was a sign of firm
support for the programme.
12. The United States continued its efforts to
implement the Madrid International Plan of Action on
Ageing. The goal was to work at both local and federal
levels to provide elderly people with tools and
programmes that would enable them to lead their lives
as they chose. Poverty rates among the elderly had

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declined significantly in the United States, and the
Federal Government had recently created a new
programme to make prescription drugs more
affordable.
13. The United States delegation was pleased to hear
that a new focal point on the family had been
appointed in the Social Policy Division of the
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA),
and was looking forward to the General Assembly
debate and other events planned for December 6 to
discuss that vital issue in greater detail.
14. Mr. Cumberbatch Miguén (Cuba), having
endorsed the statement made by Qatar on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China, observed that, almost ten years
after the World Summit for Social Development, the
world situation was, for most societies, more
precarious and unstable than ever. For a while, it had
seemed that the commitments made in Copenhagen
would be implemented and that an end would be put to
extreme poverty, which currently affected 1.2 billion
people, but, looking at the current conditions, it was
appropriate to thoroughly review the texts adopted in
1995 and five years later, at the twenty-fourth special
session of the General Assembly. The next session of
the Commission for Social Development was an ideal
opportunity to address that issue, proceed with a
serious evaluation and adopt recommendations
concerning the ten commitments made in Copenhagen,
taking into account the new difficulties encountered by
developing countries as a result of inadequate funds
and of the unfair and unsustainable conditions brought
about by the new global economic order. As a result of
the current distribution of wealth, 20 percent of the
population of the developed countries consumed 86
percent of total production, while the remaining 80
percent of the population lived in growing poverty.
About 800 million persons suffered from hunger, more
than 115 million children were not enrolled in school
and 876 million persons were illiterate. Although most
of those problems affected mainly the Third World,
such inequalities also beset the societies of the
wealthiest countries, where pockets of poverty and
equally outrageous situations were not infrequent.
15. Promoting social development at the international
level presupposed full implementation of the
commitments made in Copenhagen and at other major
United Nations conferences. Developing countries
should no longer be asked to spend less on health,
education, culture and social protection. Cuba

considered that international cooperation, essential for
improving the living conditions of the population,
should be based on many criteria, address directly the
social groups that needed it, suit the programmes and
priorities of beneficiary countries and respect local
traditions and cultures, in accordance with the 1995
statements. Cooperation would remain ineffective, if
the developed countries did not fulfil their commitment
to devote 0.7 percent of their gross national revenue
(GNP) to official development assistance (ODA) and if
the developing countries' external debt were not
written off. In 2003, developed countries had paid
more than US$68 billion in ODA but received US$436
billion in the form of debt servicing. The figures spoke
for themselves.
16. Cuba had managed to implement social
development strategies based on the principles of
social equality and justice. A number of initiatives had
succeeded in improving progressively social
development policy, whose main beneficiaries had
been children, young people, the disabled and older
people. Those results had been achieved despite the 40-
year old embargo imposed by the United States and
reinforced through new measures - announced by that
country's Government on 6 May 2004 and put into
effect on 30 June 2004 - against Cuba's health and
education systems, the Cuban people's right to food
and the promotion of cultural development in the
country.
17. Moreover, during preparations to celebrate the
Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the
Family, obscure electoral considerations had prompted
a new attack on the Cuban family. President Bush's
administration, obsessed with setting back the Cuban
revolution, had assumed the right to revise the
definition of a Cuban family, limiting it to
"grandparents, grandchildren, parents, brothers and
sisters, spouses and children". In other words, no
uncle, aunt or other relative would any longer be part
of Cuban families living in the United States. Under
the new restrictions, only the family members
designated by the United States Government could
receive remittances, while Cubans living in the United
States who sent money, medicines or any other articles
to an uncle, an Aunt, a cousin, any other relative or a
friend could be prosecuted.
18. The Programme for Action of the World Summit
for Social development adopted in 1995 affirmed that
the family was "the basic unit of society and as such

A/C.3/59/SR.3
should be strengthened " and that "in different cultural,
political and social systems, various forms of the
family exist[ed]". In the new attack against Cuba, the
representatives of the United States Government had
tried to deprive Cuban families of their identity by
denying that they included relatives who traditionally
were part of that basic unit of the Cuban people.
Despite all that aggression, the results of Cuban social
protection programmes were eloquent. The Cuban
population as a whole had access to the health services,
the rate of infant mortality had been reduced to 6 per
1,000 live births, all children were vaccinated against a
dozen of avoidable illnesses, more than 95 percent of
the territory was serviced by the power network and 80
percent of the rural population had access to drinking
water.
19. It was essential to reaffirm - in connection with
the Tenth Anniversary of the World Summit for Social
Development - that the only way of achieving fair and
equitable development for all consisted in changing an
international order whereby a minority held the largest
share of wealth, while every day the majority of the
planet's population had to fight poverty, hunger,
disease, illiteracy and social exclusion.
20. Mr. Gzllal (Libyan Arab Jamahiriya), after
endorsing the statement made by Qatar on behalf of the
Group of 77 and China, noted that, although the
situation regarding social development was in some
ways very promising, much remained to be done.
Efforts at the international level should be redoubled.
In fact, some of the recommendations made -
particularly in the areas of poverty, disease, foreign
occupation, the negative impact of globalization and
technology transfer - had not been heeded. The
political will and the funds necessary to improve living
conditions were lacking; and it should be borne in
mind that precarious economic conditions could help to
destabilize some countries and marginalize entire
societies.
21. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya welcomed the
special attention paid by the United Nations to Africa,
but the international community should help the
continent by paying fair prices for the commodities and
raw materials that it produced; enabling it to combat
such scourges as tuberculosis and malaria, raise the
population's educational standard and combat external
monopolies; meeting its commitments; and ensuring
that globalization became more equitable and

developing countries were integrated into the world
economy.
22. Dialogue was the right option, ethnic conflicts
should end and full advantage should be taken of
information and communication technologies (ICTs)
because the dissemination of knowledge was an
essential element of sustainable development.
23. The Libyan Arab Jamahiriya gave high priority to
human resources development and was fully attentive
to the disabled, the young and the elderly in total
conformity with Islamic culture.
24. Mr. Osmane (Algeria), speaking under agenda
items 93 and 94, said that his delegation endorsed the
statement made by Qatar on behalf of the Group of 77
and China. He underscored that the principles
established in the Copenhagen Declaration on Social
Development were more pertinent than ever and that it
was necessary - as mentioned in the Secretary-
General's report on the implementation of the outcome
of the World Summit for Social Development and of
the twenty-fourth special session of the General
Assembly - to better understand and manage the social
impact of globalization, gear national and international
macroeconomic policies to achieving social goals and
build the capacities of governments to enable them to
implement their own social policies. In that regard,
Algeria endorsed - and had already partially
implemented - the recommendations of the World
Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalisation.
Algeria had set up an integrated social development
system based on governance and the principles of
social justice and national solidarity and geared to
combating simultaneously unemployment and poverty.
Two elements of that system were an inter-sector unit
for studying national employment strategy options and
a monitoring unit for protecting and promoting
employment. The 2005 budget act provided for the
establishment of a fund to support investment for
employment, and for the extension of microenterprise
creation incentives to unemployed persons aged 35 to
50. Moreover, 25 percent of the operational budget
concerned education and training and more than 20
percent went to national solidarity, retirement and other
pensions, youth and sport. Lastly, the infrastructure
budget had increased by 15 percent and showed the
Government's resolve to ensure that the country closed
gaps in its development and to support economic
growth, as a source of wealth and social well-being.

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25. The New Partnership for Africa's Development
(NEPAD) was an important initiative. Developing
countries often lacked the means to implement their
social policies, and it was therefore essential that the
international community should help them to meet
their commitments. Social development implied
interdependence, an aspect that deserved thorough
study in the framework of the Tenth Anniversary of the
World Summit for Social Development and the review
of progress toward the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs).
26. Ms. Tejima (Japan) said that the Heads of
Government who had gathered in Copenhagen in 1995
had recognized that people should be placed at the
centre of public policies and development strategies,
and Japan fully shared the importance of peoplecentred
approach and believed that it contributed to
international peace and security. However, the
international community was still a long way from
arriving at concrete and efficient means of
implementation of the outcome of the World Summit
for Social Development, and the related ten-year
review scheduled in February 2005 should be
substantive and proactive.
27. Regarding older people, Japan was taking
specific measures consistent with the priorities of the
Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing. The
introduction of a system of continuous employment up
to the age of 65 was promoted, and new grants were
offered to companies that provided exercise courses to
prevent a decline in physical ability with age and to
enable older people to live independently as long as
possible. Grants were also made available to nursing
homes for appropriate staff training, and measures
were taken to ensure the safety of older pedestrians.
Japan's life expectancy was the highest in the world for
both men and women and necessitated reforming the
pension and medical care systems to meet the growing
needs. In that regard, Japan looked forward to the
publication, in 2005, of the study carried out by the
International Longevity Centre.
28. Regarding persons with disabilities, Japan was
actively participating in the negotiations of the Ad Hoc
Committee on a comprehensive and integral
international convention to promote and protect the
rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. At the
national level, the Basic Law for Persons with
Disabilities had been recently revised to include an
article on the prohibition of discrimination against

persons with disabilities and to provide for greater
involvement of people with disabilities in policymaking.
The Japanese Government cooperated with
national non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
which were very active in that area.
29. Concerning literacy, the National Federation of
UNESCO Associations in Japan had initiated a unique
international cooperative programme providing out-ofschool
children and illiterate adults in developing
countries with the opportunity to study. It had served
715,000 learners at a cost of approximately US$12
million. Japan was aware of the many challenges faced
by the United Nations Literacy Decade: education for
all, and would continue to cooperate with the
international community on that fundamental issue.
30. Ms. Kang (Republic of Korea) stressed that, as
the Secretary-General's report on the implementation
of the outcome of the World Summit for Social
Development and of the twenty-fourth special session
of the General Assembly (A/59/120) indicated, many
challenges still remained in relation to all three core
issues identified at the World Summit for Social
Development, namely poverty eradication,
achievement of full and productive employment, and
enhancement of social integration. The Republic of
Korea commended the efforts of the Commission for
Social Development and had high expectations that the
forty-third session of the Commission would be an
occasion for governments to redouble their resolve to
attain the goals that had been set. Although there was
no "one size fits all" when it came to social
development, no single universal path, the Republic of
Korea concurred with the Secretary-General's report
that the promotion of dynamic, open and free markets
must be combined with public intervention to prevent
or counteract market failure, while expenditures on
social programmes could actually be productive for
both the economy and society. In that regard, the
Republic of Korea appreciated the work of the World
Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.
31. The Republic of Korea firmly believed that
literacy and education to promote literacy were among
the most important tools for social development, and
thus had been sponsoring the King Sejong Literacy
Prize of UNESCO since 1989, commended the
initiatives launched by UNESCO, supported the
recommendations presented in the Secretary-General's
note on the implementation of the international plan of
action for the United Nations Literacy Decade

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(A/59/267), and encouraged a more integrated
approach to literacy and education.
32. The Republic of Korea would study carefully the
recommendation, contained in the Secretary-General's
report on the tenth anniversary of the International
Year of the Family (A/59/176), concerning the
establishment of a national coordinating mechanism to
review and propose legislation that affected families.
33. The Republic of Korea supported the Secretary-
General's call, contained in his report on the Follow-up
to the Second World Assembly on Ageing (A/59/164),
for additional capacity-building aimed at promoting
and facilitating the implementation of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing and welcomed
the ongoing efforts of various United Nations funds,
programmes and agencies on that theme. In the
Republic of Korea, the division in charge of the elderly
population at the Ministry of Health and Welfare had
been restructured in order to better implement the
Madrid Plan. A presidential committee on ageing and
future society had been established, and the
Government was drafting a Basic Act on Ageing
Society. Firmly committed to the principles of social
development and the Millennium Development Goals
(MDGs), the Republic of Korea was deploying efforts
to ensure the equality of all citizens and the protection
of the elderly.
34. Ms. Abdul Aziz (Malaysia), Vice-Chairperson,
took the Chair.
35. Mr. Jenie (Indonesia), speaking under agenda
items 93 and 94, endorsed the statement made by Qatar
on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. He said it was
painful that current progress in achieving the main
goals of the Summit continues was characterized by a
gap between proclaimed objectives and the actual
orientation of national and international policies and
believed that - as the Secretary-General's report on the
implementation of the outcome of the World Summit
for Social Development and of the twenty-fourth
special session of the General Assembly (A/59/120)
indicated - the causes of that gap were related to three
factors: the social aspects of globalization;
macroeconomic policies and social development goals;
and the capacity of national Governments to undertake
social policies. The report had further found that so far
the Commission for Social Development had not
contributed sufficiently to better understanding and
management of social development in the context of

globalization. That exacerbated the marginalization of
developing countries in the process. They could reap
the benefits of globalization only if they were able to
participate in globalization effectively. In the current
globalized and interdependent world economy, public
authorities in developing countries were in fact losing
some of their policy-making autonomy and that
undermined their capacity to undertake social policies,
which was one of their primary responsibilities. In that
connection, partnership initiatives such as those
generated for the implementation of Agenda 21 could
provide a model for advancing social development.
36. Indonesia was making progress on social
development efforts at various levels. The Indonesian
Parliament had just adopted the Law on the Social
Security System. The law ensured that all Indonesians
would be protected against social risks and that their
basic needs would be properly met.
37. Indonesia paid particular attention to youth as an
essential element for national development and, in
cooperation with the Department of Economic and
Social Affairs (DESA) of the United Nations, had
recently organized a Regional Workshop on "Youth in
Poverty in Southeast Asia". At the national level, the
Indonesia Youth Employment Network had been
launched on 12 August 2004 as part of the observance
of the International Youth Day.
38. Regarding the issue of ageing, Indonesia was
fully committed to the implementation of the Madrid
International Plan of Action on Ageing and the Macao
Plan of Action on Ageing for Asia and the Pacific.
Government measures that addressed the issue of
elderly persons included Law No. 13/1998 on the
Welfare of Older Persons and the establishment of a
National Commission on Ageing, whose main tasks
were to coordinate the implementation of national
policies and programmes and to make relevant
recommendations to the President.
39. Indonesia attached great importance to the family
as the basic unit of society and, accordingly, promoted
family empowerment programmes emphasizing the
fulfilment of basic needs and access to information and
economic resources.
40. Mr. Nikiforov (Russian Federation) said that the
Forty-third Session of the Commission for Social
Development and the Sixtieth Session of the General
Assembly in 2005 would be opportunities to draw up
an assessment of progress achieved toward the

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attainment of the goals set at the World Summit for
Social Development and of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and to revitalize the
social development programme. Development gaps
between countries favoured armed conflicts and
terrorism. It was therefore essential to prepare for the
new challenges of globalization with a view to
overcoming its negative consequences, particularly by
building on the recommendations of the World
Commission on the Social Dimension of Globalization.
The high-level meeting held on 20 September 2004 had
given new impulse to the fight against hunger and
poverty, even though the various forms that the
contribution of States would take had yet to be
determined.
41. The Russian Federation had achieved significant
progress at the economic and social level: gross
domestic product (GDP) was growing steadily, the
family revenue rate of increase was higher than
inflation, the number of persons living under the
poverty line had decreased by one third in four years
and a federal law profoundly reforming the social
protection system had been enacted in 2004. Moreover,
the Russian Federation planned to introduce market
mechanisms in the areas of education, housing and
health.
42. Regarding the disabled, the Russian Government
supported the Ad Hoc Committee on a comprehensive
and integral international convention to promote and
protect the rights and dignity of persons with
disabilities in its important task and believed that the
committee should not be prompted to speed up its
work, if the quality of the draft convention were to
suffer as a result. At the end of 2004, the Federation of
Russia would establish a national body responsible for
aligning national law with the provisions of the
convention.
43. Referring to the recent tragic events, the
representative of the Russian Federation stressed that
terrorist attacks aimed at slowing down the country's
progress were doomed to failure.
44. Mr. Chowdhury (Bangladesh) said that his
delegation endorsed the statement made by Qatar on
behalf of the Group of 77 and China. He said that
attaining internationally agreed development goals,
particularly those that had been set in the Millennium
Declaration and at the World Summit for Social
Development, demanded a new partnership between

developed and developing countries. Regarding the
objectives of the United Nations Literacy Decade, the
time had come for action, in the form of more focused
attention and increased resources.
45. Bangladesh viewed social development as
critically important, played an active role in the
Commission for Social Development and had
demonstrated its commitment when it had chaired the
forty-first session of that body in 2003. `
46. Although domestic social development was
basically a national responsibility, governments could
not fully achieve that goal without international
cooperation and active involvement of civil society and
all relevant partners.
47. Certain that social development could take place
only against a matrix of pluralism, democracy, good
governance, rule of law, human rights, gender justice
and women's empowerment, Bangladesh was currently
undergoing a societal transformation by adhering to
those values. In 2004, the World Bank had observed
that Bangladesh had "quietly but steadily established a
track record of progress on many important social and
economic indicators" and that Bangladesh had the
highest primary school enrolment rates in the
developing world, including among poor children.
48. The Government of Bangladesh had invested
heavily in education. Primary education had been made
compulsory, education was free for girls through the
twelfth grade and students were awarded stipends and
scholarships. Those measures had contributed
considerably to the eradication of illiteracy. Innovative,
home-grown ideas, such as non-formal education, had
also helped to enhance literacy among people of all
ages.
49. In Bangladesh, the family played a vital social
role. The Tenth Anniversary of the International Year
of the Family, observed in 2004, should further
support, promote and strengthen the family at the
national and international levels.
50. With regard to young people, Bangladesh focused
on education, training, participation, awareness
programme, employment, and development. In 1978, it
had initiated an action plan on youth employment,
which had lead to the creation of a Ministry for youth.
A national youth policy had been adopted in 2003.
Bangladesh supported all United Nations programmes
concerning youth.

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51. Older persons living in developing countries
faced serious challenges. There was an urgent need to
work towards their well-being and full participation in
society in consonance with the promises made in
Madrid. The Government of Bangladesh had
introduced an old-age allowance programme. Other
targeted programmes focused on social security and
welfare measures (for instance, allowances for aged
widows and distressed and deserted old women, and
homes for abandoned, dispossessed and disabled aged
persons). Geriatric and related issues had been given
due importance under the country's fifth five-year plan.
52. Bangladesh was appreciative of the work of the
Ad Hoc Committee on a comprehensive and integral
international convention to promote and protect the
rights and dignity of persons with disabilities and
looked forward to the outcome of that work.
Bangladesh has adopted a national policy for persons
with disabilities and the Government worked closely
with civil society organizations (CSOs) to provide
education, training, economic opportunity and
rehabilitation programmes for that group. A Disability
Welfare Act had been enacted in 2001 and a special
foundation for the welfare of the disabled had been
established.
53. A coordinated and integrated follow-up to all of
the major United Nations conferences was crucial to
the attainment of their aims. All States should work
together at the United Nations to bring development to
the forefront of their goals, place people at the centre
of development and ensure a better coordination of the
efforts of developed and developing countries.
54. Mr. Mahtab (India), after endorsing the
statement made by Qatar, said that, according to the
Secretary-General's report on the implementation of
the outcome of the World Summit for Social
Development and of the twenty-fourth special session
of the General Assembly (A/59/120), the work of the
Commission for Social Development had not been
pursued substantively in the Economic and Social
Council (ECOSOC). That work could be meaningful
only if recognized, and only if its outcomes were
utilized by governments.
55. The report also commented on the uneven
progress towards the achievement of the Summit's
main goals because of the inadequate capacity of the
governments of developing countries. It was therefore
necessary for the international community to

strengthen its cooperation and for the Division for
Social Policy and Development to undertake an
analytical assessment of the issue. It was also
necessary to reform the international financial
institutions (IFIs), some of whose policies had adverse
effects, ensure progress in World Trade Organization
(WTO) negotiations on commodities and strengthen
ECOSOC's oversight role.
56. The report of the Secretary-General alluded to the
social aspects of globalisation. Unfortunately, however,
it did not in that context refer to the recommendations
of the World Commission on the Social Dimension of
Globalization. India urged the General Assembly,
ECOSOC and the Commission for Social Development
to give careful consideration to those
recommendations.
57. The impact of the developmental strategy pursued
by India over the past two decades in the social sector,
as measured through poverty-reduction, populationgrowth,
education and health indicators, had comprised
significant improvements. There was, however, a need
to accelerate efforts to ameliorate the quality of life,
strengthen public-private partnerships and promote the
involvement of local non-governmental organisations
(NGOs) in the implementation of social programmes.
58. While literacy rates in India had increased from
18 percent in 1951 to 65 percent in 2001 and
elementary education had become a fundamental right,
education had been identified as a key area of
vulnerability that needed to be addressed. Towards that
end, the Government planned to raise public spending
on education at the federal and state levels and to set
up a National Commission on Education to allocate
resources and monitor programmes. It also planned to
increase public spending on health in coming years,
with emphasis on primary health care and on a national
health-insurance scheme for poor families.
59. The Secretary-General's note on the
implementation of the international plan of action for
the United Nations Literacy Decade (A/59/267) was
indeed alarming, in view of the fact that close to one
billion people were illiterate. The problem needed to be
acted upon without any further delay.
60. The Second World Assembly on Ageing in 2002
had drawn the international community's attention to
an area that had not until then received adequate
consideration. The Secretary General's report
(A/59/164) provided a thorough overview of action that

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had been and should further be taken in order to
address the needs of an ageing population. United
Nations agencies and civil society, particularly NGOs,
could provide key support and backstopping to
governments in meeting their obligations in that area.
61. The Tenth Anniversary of the World Summit for
Social Development would be observed in 2005. In that
connection, there was an urgent need to assess the
results achieved and to put people at the centre of
development.
62. Ms. Ahmed (Sudan) endorsed the statement
made by Qatar on behalf of the group of 77 and China.
She said that social development was the governments'
responsibility and necessitated greater commitment at
the national and international levels. Referring to the
Secretary-General's report on the implementation of
the outcome of the World Summit for Social
Development and of the twenty-fourth special session
of the General Assembly (A/59/120), she stressed that
official development assistance (ODA) was crucial to
the developing countries and the least developed
countries (LDCs) in eradicating poverty and solving
the problem of external debt. She called attention to the
ten-year review of the follow-up to the World Summit
for Social development and to the twenty-fourth
special session of the General Assembly, which the
Commission for Social Development would conduct at
its next session.
63. Sudan was persuaded that poverty and inequality
between and within States could not be eliminated
without improving the existing infrastructure,
particularly in Africa, and called upon the international
community to redouble its efforts to strengthen
infrastructure facilities and to create an environment
conducive to the development of all economies. Since
development was a human right, economic sanctions
should not be imposed unilaterally. The right to food
and medicines must be guaranteed. Foreign occupation,
still a key obstacle to social and economic
development, should be brought to an end to enable the
countries concerned to exercise sovereignty over their
territory. Efficient international cooperation was
indispensable in the fight against endemic diseases,
particularly malaria, and against HIV/AIDS.
64. The representative of Sudan recalled that the last
round of negotiations aimed at signing a peace
agreement in her country would start on 17 October
2004. Sudan hoped that the agreement would have a

positive effect on its social development and poverty
reduction efforts.
65. Older people received special attention in Sudan.
The delegation of Sudan welcomed the
recommendations for strengthening the implementation
of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing.
Efforts were made to ensure that persons with
disabilities were active members of Sudanese society,
and a national board had been set up to that effect. The
Sudanese Government had also set up a plenary
committee responsible for following up on the work of
the Ad Hoc Committee on a comprehensive and
integral international convention to promote and
protect the rights and dignity of persons with
disabilities.
66. Moreover, a national committee had been set up
to coordinate activities related to the observance of the
Tenth Anniversary of the International Year of the
Family and a national programme of action had been
drawn up in that connection. The Sudanese government
had paid special attention to programmes aimed at
helping families to fulfil their social mission and
strengthening the family's role as a key development
factor and an irreplaceable social institution.
67. Sudan welcomed the recommendations contained
in the Secretary-General's report on the tenth
anniversary of the International Year of the Family
(A/59/176) and called attention to the landmark
International Conference on the Family, to be held in
Doha in November 2004, which should consolidate
United Nations action with a view to carrying out
family-related programmes.
68. Mr. Heikura (Finland), speaking under agenda
item 94 (a) and as a youth representative of Finland,
noted that there were more than a billion children and
adolescents and that within ten years they would join
the planet's working-age population. They were the
best educated generation ever and had a tremendous
potential for economic and social development.
However, to a large extent, especially in developing
countries, only underpaid and insecure jobs with small
possibilities for advancement were available to young
generations. If young people could not move into
productive jobs that enabled them to pay taxes and
support public services, there was a substantial risk
that the economic investment of governments in
education and training would be wasted. Young women
and men who found themselves alienated from society,

A/C.3/59/SR.3
frustrated by lack of opportunity and without means to
take care of themselves were more vulnerable to
recruitment by armed groups.
69. The activities of the Youth Employment Network,
created by the Secretary-General, had been
strengthened by two General Assembly resolutions,
encouraging countries to prepare national action plans
on youth employment and specifically involve young
people in that process. Ten countries, Azerbaijan,
Brazil, Egypt, Indonesia, Iran, Mali, Namibia, Rwanda,
Senegal and Sri Lanka, had stepped forward to be lead
countries in that process and showcase national plans
that others could learn from.
70. The Youth Employment Network tried to ensure
that youth were actively involved in those plans. In
Azerbaijan, a grouping of non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) and other civil society
organizations (CSOs), led by the National Assembly of
Youth Organisations, had formed a National Coalition
on Youth Employment, which would work closely with
the Government and the International Labour
Organization (ILO) to develop the National Action
Plan on Youth Employment. In Namibia, the Minister
of Higher Education had asked the Namibian National
Youth Council to assist the Government in forming a
multi-stakeholder task team that would work on
developing the Action Plan. As a youth representative,
the speaker supported that type of activity and hoped
that all Member States could learn from the results so
far achieved by the Youth Employment Network, and
especially from the example of the ten lead countries.
71. Rather than being seen as a target group for
which employment must be found, young people
should be accepted as partners for development. Just as
they wished to be partners in national employment
issues, they also wanted to participate in the important
work carried out by the United Nations.
72. Although resolution 36/17 adopted by the
General Assembly in 1981 had called upon
"governments to consider the inclusion of youth
representatives in their national delegations to the
General Assembly" and although that call had been
reconfirmed by resolutions in 1996, 2001 and 2003,
almost 180 Member States had still not included Youth
Representatives in their national delegations to the
General Assembly. It was a matter of concern that
currently the Youth Representatives to the General
Assembly were far from reflecting the world's cultural

diversity. The contribution of youth from developing
countries and countries with economies in transition
would be of especially important.
73. Lastly, the speaker emphasized that 2005 would
be particularly interesting in view of youth's
participation in the United Nations system, since the
evaluation of the World Programme of Action for
Youth to the Year 2000 and Beyond would be debated
then by the General Assembly in plenary. Accordingly,
he urged Member States to make all possible efforts to
include Youth Representatives in their national
delegations to the General Assembly.
74. Mr. Alday (Mexico), speaking under agenda
items 94 and 95, said that his delegation endorsed the
statement made a day earlier by the Rio Group. Mexico
supported the reforms undertaken with a view to
reinforcing the United Nations in all areas, particularly
in the economic and social sectors, in order to promote
development and international cooperation and to
reduce poverty.
75. Aware of the importance of the family in social
life, Mexico supported debates aimed at enhancing the
place of the family within the United Nations, which
should encourage and help States to collect information
on the situation of the family at home in order to
identify ways for addressing family-related issues as
part of the formulation and implementation of
international pro-development policies.
76. Mexico welcomed the progress achieved in
negotiations on a comprehensive and integral
international convention to promote and protect the
rights and dignity of persons with disabilities. That
area would henceforth be a priority of international
action for social development and human rights. The
work accomplished had lead to unprecedented
worldwide mobilization for the rights of people with
disabilities and for their entitlement to equal
opportunities. Mexico believed that efforts should be
redoubled to complete that work - demanded for years
by the persons concerned - as soon as possible.
77. The Mexican delegation welcomed the Secretary-
General's report on the Follow-up to the Second World
Assembly on Ageing (A/59/164) and endorsed the idea
that, in formulating national frameworks for
development and poverty-reduction strategies, it was
indispensable to take into account ageing-related
issues. Mexico encouraged the full human development
of aged persons by promoting active ageing, without

A/C.3/59/SR.3
discrimination, through instruments and mechanisms
ensuring their well-being and the recognition of their
capabilities. Accordingly, in line with the principles
governing the regional strategy for the implementation
of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
in Latin America and the Caribbean, Mexico had taken
various measures in favour of persons over 60, with a
view to promoting their health and well-being and a
favourable environment for them. Through a national
foundation for the elderly, the Mexican Government
coordinated the activities of the various bodies active
in that area, encouraging the participation of civil
society and of the elderly themselves.
78. Mr. Gansukh (Mongolia) said that many of the
social development goals defined at the World Summit
for Social Development had not been pursued to the
extent that had been foreseen and that the international
community should intensify its efforts in order to
implement the commitments made in Copenhagen.
79. Mongolia welcomed the recent report of the
World Commission on the Social Dimensions of
Globalization and believed that its recommendations
should be given high priority. As the Secretary-General
had indicated in his report on the implementation of the
outcome of the World Summit for Social Development
and of the twenty-fourth special session of the General
Assembly (A/59/120), "particular attention should be
given to the principle of a people-centred approach and
its realization in public policies and development
strategies."
80. Mongolia stood committed to the implementation
of the social development goals. Considerable progress
had been achieved in that area, but further efforts were
needed to meet the challenges, including poverty,
which was still widespread in the country.
81. Although primarily a responsibility of national
governments, social development could not be fully
achieved without the participation and partnership of
all national stakeholders and the cooperation and
support by the international community. In that regard,
the Mongolian delegation welcomed the New York
Declaration on the Action against Hunger and Poverty
adopted on 20 September 2004.
82. Mongolia was convinced that education, and
literacy in particular, constituted not only a human
right, but also a key prerequisite to social development.
It was crucial that governments should allocate
adequate budgetary resources to education to enable it

to play its role in development and poverty eradication.
Worldwide, over 800 million adults were currently
illiterate and over 104 million school-age children had
no access to schooling. The importance of education
should in no case be underestimated.
83. As the Director-General of UNESCO had
underscored, the international community would not be
able to meet its literacy commitments, if the present
trends continued. Action was therefore required.
Mongolia had not been idle: it had carried out a series
of activities aimed at raising public awareness. It
applauded the efforts made by UNESCO as part of the
United Nations Literacy Decade, urged all Member
States and international organisations to place literacy
questions high in their agendas and planned to
introduce a draft resolution on that issue.
84. Ms. Fleming (World Bank), speaking under
agenda items 93 and 94, said that without empowering
people to be agents of change, without living up to the
commitments made to meet the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) and without addressing
the social dimensions of development, the world would
continue to falter and face imbalance and inequity.
85. The World Bank had come to recognize that
social development was about putting people at the
centre of development. Development that was not
sustainable in social terms would not be sustainable in
economic and environmental terms. The key elements
of social development, as articulated in the
Copenhagen Declaration, formed currently an integral
part of the World Bank's support to countries in their
work to achieve effective development and eradicate
poverty. The Bank had recently launched a programme
for social progress based on three fundamental
principles: inclusion, cohesion and accountability. The
social development strategy expected to be finalized by
the end of 2004 would aim to mainstream social
development tools throughout the Bank's activities and
would be organized around the following four themes:
social analysis, community-driven development and
social capital, civic engagement and participation, and
conflict and development.
86. The Bank had taken careful note of the findings
of the Commission on the Social Dimensions of
Globalization and would continue to work with
partners on their appropriate implementation. The
Bank was taking up the challenge to help close the gap
between commitments and their actual realization,
fully aware that inclusion was a pillar of effective

A/C.3/59/SR.3
development. It focused on the important role of
women and youth in development, and on the special
needs of indigenous communities and people with
disabilities, and developed programmes to meet those
needs.
87. Humanity was in period of critical imbalance and
instability, unprecedented wealth and unprecedented
poverty. In the current globalizing, technologically
sophisticated world, the international community had
the potential to remedy the existing imbalances.
The meeting rose at 12.15 p.m.