Statement to the Special Session of the UN General Assembly
by Qazi Faruque Ahmed
on behalf of the International Council on Social Welfare

I am privileged to be speaking on behalf of the International Council on Social Welfare, ICSW, in the plenary of the Special Session of the General Assembly on the implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development and Further Initiatives.

ICSW is a global NGO which works to promote social welfare, social development and social justice throughout the world. Founded in 1928, ICSW now has member organisations from more than 80 countries. Through its outreach in major regions of the world, it has consulted its members and other CSOs about progress of the implementation of the Copenhagen Commitments and about their priorities for further action. This extensive participatory process was undertaken through more than thirty regional seminars involving over one thousand participants.

Although there has been some progress over the last five years, it is slow and inadequate. On the other hand, more has happened for disabling the environment rather than enabling the environment for social development. ODA from northern countries has declined and is nowhere near reaching 0.7% GNP as committed five years ago. Volatility in international financial markets, particularly in currency transactions due to abominable speculations, has ruined the economies of many developing countries, throwing more people into poverty. At the national level, there is hardly any progress in land reform and access to adequate microfinance services is still inadequate. Resources for primary and secondary education are still well below what is required. Military expenditure is more for grandiose and national ego and takes away precious resources from social development.

The under-achievements are not only due to inadequacies of resources but also due to the inadequate co-ordination, supervision, monitoring and technical capacity of the governments at the national level and the UN system at the global level. Furthermore, it is necessary to strengthen the system of international standards that affect social development and develop new standards where appropriate. The standards developed by the UN and other international organisations need to be put together in a holistic frame in consonance of the Copenhagen Consensus. Although synergy of actions of all the actors is important, the pre-eminence of the UN, particularly ECOSOC, is required to maintain adherence to the world view and development view of the Copenhagen Consensus. Contrary and/or inconsistent development views and strategies of international financial institutions should not be allowed to subsume the consensus of the world.

In view of all this, we from ICSW propose the Three Point Plan. It calls for strengthening the ECOSOC system; implementing standards already agreed upon and establishing some new standards, particularly economic, governance and business standards which have social development consequences; and adopting an Anti-Poverty Pact. This concept of reciprocal commitments could be implemented by establishing an international Anti-Poverty Pact involving both developed and developing countries, as well as international financial institutions. The Pact would involve commitment to mobilisation of resources, as well as to anti-poverty outcomes. The Pact would involve seven key actions:

• Increase the provision and strengthen the application of official development assistance (ODA).
  
  
• Improve and accelerate debt cancellation arrangements and establish debt standstill processes.
  
  
• Reduce excessive volatility in international financial markets, through an internationally co-ordinated system of national taxation on currency transactions.
  
  
• Reduce unfairness for developing countries in international trade arrangements, especially concerning agriculture and intellectual property.
  
  
• Discontinue excessive military expenditure and exports.
  
  
• Take a vigorous initiative by strengthening anti-corruption systems at national and international level.
  
  
• Enhance equity and sustainable productivity in the ownership and usage of land and other natural resources.
  
  The Anti-Poverty Pact has the potential to move us beyond pious wishes into a set of concrete, time-bound measurable actions which can remove poverty within the first two decades of the 21st century.

30 June 2000