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UNRISD News Number 20

Spring/Summer 1999

GLOBAL RESOURCES

UNRISD ON-LINE

In a section of its Web site entitled Copenhagen Plus Five, UNRISD hosts a Virtual Forum on Initiatives. The forum invites participation of those carrying out work in follow-up to the Summit and/or in preparation for Copenhagen Plus Five. A database facilitates searching and locating initiatives by theme, organization and geographical area. The section also includes UNRISD Work for Copenhagen Plus Five, UNRISD Work in Follow-Up to the Social Summit, UNRISD Work for the Social Summit and Related Links.
Information contact: UNRISD, Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland. Tel: (41 22) 9173020; Fax: (41 22) 9170650; E-mail: cop5@unrisd.org; Web site: http://www.unrisd.org
 

UNRISD and IPU

UNRISD was recently asked by the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) to collate and analyse results of a questionnaire sent to its 136 member parliaments in September 1998. Parliaments provided information on their implementation of Summit commitments, as well as prospects for further action. Although the rate of response was low (39 questionnaires were returned), all regions were fairly well represented as were different political systems and levels of economic development. It was found that some national parliaments have enacted laws, helped to elaborate development plans, pledged to increase social spending, and created committees to oversee the social sector. In other cases countries have failed to develop detailed, comprehensive and time-bound national strategies for addressing poverty, unemployment and social exclusion. In most cases, governments have sought to elaborate short-term programmes instead.
Information contact: IPU, C.P. 438, 1211 Geneva 19, Switzerland. Tel: (41 22) 9194150; Fax: (41 22) 7333141 or 9194160; E-mail: postbox@mail.ipu.org; Web site: http://www.ipu.org
 

UN Secretariat

At its special session in 1996, the Commission for Social Development was given primary responsibility for follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD). The Thirty-Seventh Session (New York, 9–19 February 1999) produced three valuable documents: Follow-Up to the World Summit for Social Development, E/CN.5/1999/2; Further Initiatives for the Implementation of the Outcome of the WSSD, E/CN.5/1999/3; and Report of the Secretary-General on the Outcome of the WSSD, E/CN.5/1999/4. All are available on the Internet.
Information contact: Secretariat of the United Nations Commission for Social Development, 2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-1370, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: (1 212) 9636763; Fax: (1 212) 9633062; E-mail: esa@un.org; Web site: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/social.htm

The Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) also focuses on implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. DSPD supports the Commission for Social Development in work on priority themes for 1999, which are the Review of Implementation of the Copenhagen Programme of Action, and Social Services for All. The DSPD Web site, The Gateway to Social Policy and Development, includes information on Summit follow-up, focusing on country-level actions.
Information contact: DSPD, 2 UN Plaza, Room DC2-1370, New York, NY, 10017, USA. Tel: (1 212) 9635855; Fax: (1 212) 9633062; E-mail: esa@un.org; Web site: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/
 

ESCAP

The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) has a mandate from the UN General Assembly to follow up on commitments made at Copenhagen. ESCAP's Web site includes complete documentation of ministerial conferences, recent ESCAP resolutions and publications relevant to Summit follow-up. Relevant information can be found in the Activities section under Implementation of the Agenda for Action on Social Development in the ESCAP Region.
Information contact: Social Policy Section, Social Development Division, United Nations ESCAP, UN Building, Rajadamnern Avenue, Bangkok, 10200, Thailand. Tel: (66 2) 2881234; Fax: (66 2) 2881030; E-mail: sps.unescap@un.org; Web site: http://www.unescap.org/sps/index.htm
 

ECA

The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) has held a series of sub-regional follow-up conferences to the Social Summit. These collaborative efforts between various UN agencies have taken up the following themes: Progress in Poverty Reduction; Progress in Employment Creation; Progress in Achieving the Objectives of the Social Sectors; and Progress in Governance.

Background, objectives, indicators and other information on the conferences are featured on the ECA's Web site in a section entitled The Sub-regional Follow-up Conferences to the World Summit for Social Development. Full text of the following background papers is also available: Poverty Reduction in Southern Africa: A Sub-regional Brief; Sub-regional Outlook: Eastern Africa; Progress in Good Governance since the Social Summit; Progress in Social Sectors in Eastern and Southern Africa in the 1990s; Progress Against Poverty: Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods in East and Southern Africa; and Employment Creation in Eastern and Southern African Sub-regions. Many of the papers are available in French.

Information contact: Peter K.A. da Costa, Senior Communication Adviser, Office of the Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, P.O. Box 3001, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Tel: (251 1) 515826 or 517200; Fax: (251 1) 512233 or (1 212) 9634957 (New York); E-mail: ecainfo@un.org or dacosta@igc.org; Web site: http://www.un.org/Depts/eca/
 

UNDP

Following the Social Summit, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) launched a programme to assist countries in their efforts to comply with the Copenhagen commitments by supporting the formulation of national strategies and action plans to fight poverty. The Bureau for Development Policy of the UNDP supports these country-level efforts, specifically with regard to policy analysis and advice, advocacy, development of new tools and methodologies, and support for experimentation and demonstration of new concepts. In the policy bureau, the Social Development and Poverty Elimination Division (SEPED) is responsible for providing policy guidance and support for poverty eradication.
Information contact: SEPED/UNDP, 1 UN Plaza, DC-1, 20th Floor, New York, NY 10017, USA. Tel: (1 212) 9065046; Fax: (1 212) 9065313; E-mail: vzhou@undp.org, Web site: http://www.undp.org:80/seped/
Other UNDP poverty links: http://www.undp.org/poverty/psi/psi.html
 

ILO

The International Labour Organization (ILO) is carrying out Country Employment Policy Reviews (CEPRs) in selected countries. Through this initiative, the ILO supports member states in formulating policies and programmes leading toward full employment, with respect for basic workers' rights, in fulfilment of Commitment 3 of the Copenhagen Declaration.
Information contact: ILO Employment and Labour Market Policies Branch, 4 route des Morillons, Geneva, Switzerland. Tel: (41 22) 7996538; Fax: (41 22) 7997678; E-mail: polemp@ilo.org; Web site: http://www.ilo.org/public/english/60empfor/polemp/prog4.htm
 

DANIDA

The Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA) sponsors the Copenhagen Seminars for Social Progress. Taking as a political basis the agreements reached at the Summit, the Seminars promote reflection on the concepts and values that might help nations and the international community address the societal problems of our time. The following seminars have been held thus far: A World Economy for the Benefit of All (October 1996); Humane Markets for Humane Societies (October 1997); and Political Culture and Institutions for a Global Community (October 1998).
Information contact: Jacques Baudot, Copenhagen Seminars for Social Progress, Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 2 Asiatisk Plads, 1448 Copenhagen K, Denmark, Tel: (45 33) 920233; Fax: (45 33) 920812; E-mail: dorvil@um.dk; Web site: http://www.um.dk/english/udenrigspolitik/socsummit/
 

German NGO Forum

The German NGO Forum, founded in 1994, works at national and international levels on issues of social development. In follow-up to the Social Summit, the NGO Forum has published Human Priorities for Development: Basic Social Services as a New Focal Point in Development Cooperation. This document is available on-line.
Information contact: Dr. Carola Donner-Reichle, Coordinator, Working Group 20/20 Initiative, German NGO Forum for the UN Summit for Social Development; E-mail: eze@eze.org; Web site: http://www.epo.de/2020/index.html
 

ICSW

The International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) is an NGO promoting social welfare, social development and social justice through training, research and advocacy. ICSW maintains a Web site, which contains information on follow-up activities to the Social Summit. Under a section entitled Social Summit the site lists regional, national and international meetings that have taken place since Copenhagen, as well as other intergovernmental, governmental and NGO follow-up activities.
Information contact: ICSW, 380 Saint-Antoine St. W., Suite 3200, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 3X7. Tel: (1 514) 2873280; Fax: (1 514) 2879702; Web site: http://www.icsw.org/
 

ITeM

Instituto del Tercer Mundo (ITeM) is a citizens' organization concerned with building democracy by strengthening citizens' organizations; promoting respect for human rights, especially encouraging free expression and access to information; and contributing to research, diagnosis and resolution of problems that affect the Third World. Its Web site includes two features relevant to Summit follow-up: Social Development Indicators and links to Social Watch.

Social Development Indicators is a database of indicators on social development in UN member states. Web site: http://www.socwatch.org.uy/indicators/index.html

Social Watch is an NGO watchdog system that monitors the performance of governments in meeting the targets of social progress to which they subscribed at United Nations summits. The Web site includes information found in the four Social Watch Reports that have been published to date. Web site: http://www.socwatch.org.uy/

Information contact: Instituto del Tercer Mundo, P.O. Box 1539, Montevideo 11200, Uruguay. Tel: (598 2) 4096192; Fax: (598 2) 4019222; E-mail: item@chasque.apc.org; Web site: http://www.item.org.uy/

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