Reports from Workshops


     To conduct a participatory analysis of the main commitments laid out at the Copenhagen Summit, two working groups were formed; one made up of Guatemalan participants and the other of representatives from Central America and Belize.

    The four topics discussed were:

1. Progress, setbacks and monitoring of social development.
2. Progress, setbacks and monitoring of the status of women.
3. Progress, setbacks and monitoring of employment policies.
4. Progress, setbacks and monitoring of steps taken by civil society to implement commitments made at the Social Summit.

    The following table is a synthesis of the results obtained by the working groups.

Group One:
Guatemala

Status of women in light of commitments made at the Social Summit
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
-The Peace Accords and the Beijing Conference took up some of the Summit commitments
-Women’s Fund for education, employment
-Women participate more due to ongoing employment and negotiation training
-International support for women’s programs
-Changes in policies and laws regarding women		 -Failure to follow-up on the implementation of commitments
-Migration of women to the city, increasing number of single-parent
families
-Elimination of reproductive health programs
-Lack of evaluation and objective sectorial indicators 		Monitoring through the Social Initiative, an organised, monitoring system to promote the participation of civil society in social development activities

Social development in countries targeted
by commitments made at the Summit
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
-Economic, political, social, cultural and legal environment becoming more conducive to social development
-Government aims to seek solutions in collaboration with other groups
-Connection between the Peace Accords and
commitments of Social Summit
-Human rights respected to a greater degree and more widespread awareness of women’s participation in social initiatives
-Greater freedom of the media
-Projects to combat drug trafficking and increase revenues through job creation projects
-Social spending has increased
-16 social funds improve access to social services		 -The current social system is too weak to be adequately represented in the political system and included in agreements
-Structural adjustment programs have had a negative impact
-Social participation continues to be limited, and ethnic and gender-based inequality continues to exist
-Crime rates are high and law enforcement is biased. There is very little social participation and women have limited access to education
-Public policy to generate full-time employment, and unemployment and underemployment levels have risen
-Lack of integrated and decentralised planning to combat poverty levels		 Ministries responsible for social spending, education, health care and participation are being monitored through the Social Initiative

Employment policies related to Social Summit commitments
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring

-16 funds created to launch social and job creation programs
-Ministry of Finance formulated a national agenda to support SMEs
-Job creation in assembly plants and construction (buildings and highways)
-Increase in exports of non-traditional products

-Lack of employment policies and programs.
-Intensified unemployment, underemployment, informal employment
-Lack of supervision of labour conditions, minimum social security
-Neoliberal political climate, privatisation and downsizing of the public sector
-Companies forced to close due to lack of competitiveness in the global market
-Little access to training, technical support and credit

 Monitoring carried out by the Social Initiative

The role played by civil society in carrying out Summit commitments
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
-Civil society has become stronger, reaching higher negotiation and consensus levels with the Government
-Founding of FORIN to strengthen civil society
-Increase in number of community organizations
-Social issues have become internalised in the popular conscience		 -Summit commitments have not been adequately institutionalised, no effective monitoring, lack of co-ordination and different agendas
-Government indifference
-Limited financial/technical support of civil society		 Direct monitoring of labour rights carried out by the Social Initiative

Group Two:
Belize, Costa Rica, El Salvador,
Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama

Social development in countries targeted by Summit commitments
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
Honduras:
-Political democratisation.
-Approval of voluntary military service

Costa Rica:
-Progress in legal matters
-Migrants included in social policies
-Increased access to quality education
Social Policies:
-Resources primarily channelled to disadvantaged populations
-End of the war and start of a peace process

Belize:
-Eradication of poverty
-National program of action with monitoring and evaluation
-National police force now under civil control

Nicaragua:
-Local municipal development program
-Increased citizen participation in national initiatives		 -Increase in gap between rich and poor due to privatisation and structural readjustment
-Higher levels of unemployment, employment migration
-Weakening of national industry due to the opening up of markets

Economic:
-Macroeconomics destabilisation
-Fewer resources for social development
-Impact of Hurricane Mitch on the region
-Increased fiscal delinquency
-Increased foreign investment less national investment
-Crisis of leadership in social, political and community movements
-Loss of solidarity and ethical values
-Greater environmental deterioration
-Worsening health conditions, discrediting of local alternatives
-Approval of fiscal policies that increase inequalities
-Psychosocial deterioration among the most vulnerable population groups		 -Citizen participation
-Decentralisation and local development (human rights and economic growth)
-Policy-making and co-operative relationships with international organizations
-Poverty among women, participation of women in local governments and the status of women in the marketplace
-Social policies
-Promotion of micro-enterprises
-The education system
-Social housing policies
-The role played by social movements
-Employment and the informal sector
-Integration of Central America and participation of civil society

Status of women with regard to Social Summit commitments
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
-Women’s contributions to the economy are increasingly viable
-Less indifference to gender issues (international support)
-Programmes designed to provide integrated services to women, children and teenagers		 -Exploitation of women’s issues to gain political power
-Effects of the economic crisis (unemployment)
-Less social spending
-Less political space
-Fundamentalist movements against women
-Economic discrimination
-Lack of political willingness to apply laws favourable to women
-Few common national and regional strategies		 -Monitoring of the situation of adolescent women
-Approval of laws and institutions
-Gender policies of development banks
-United Nations system
-Leadership among women
-Access to productive resources
-Contribution of women to the economy

Employment policies tied to Social Summit commitments
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
-Support to the informal sector
-Microcredit
-Creation of temporary jobs in poor sectors
-New union initiatives
-Legal and political changes regarding employment (reform of the labour code)		 -Lack of laws and policies
-Laws allowing labour markets to become more flexible
-ILO conventions not respected
-Lack of effective regional development strategies
-Technical training programs do not meet market demand
-Microcredit at high interest
-Movement of workers from the formal to the informal sector
-Privatisation of public companies		 -Credit to the informal sector
-Behaviour of the labour market
-Status of poverty

Civil society and the implementation of Summit commitments
Progress
Setbacks
Monitoring
-Creation of family councils
-Creation of commissioner’s offices for women
-Presence on the national security council
-Opening of spaces for political and social participation
-Efforts to consolidate the peace movement
-Improved access to information.
-Birth of new women’s movements
-Forums to discuss and analyse State reforms and public policies		 -Authoritarian attitudes
-Lack of a tradition and culture of participation
-Lack of cohesiveness within civil society
-Inability to create a unified social movement to effectively negotiate all the demands of civil society
-Sectoral agreements
-Gender inequality in all areas		 -Implementation of anti-violence laws
-Proposals and approval of laws
-Respect for the economic and social rights of women
-Creation of women’s groups and organizations


    According to the working groups’ analysis, NGOs need to co-ordinate to propose and carry out national development programs, and make Government departments aware of Summit issues. International support and pressure to ensure that these commitments are carried out.