A Three-Point Plan for Geneva 2000
A Proposal for Adoption by the United Nations General
Assembly at its Special Session in Geneva in June 2000


Introduction

     The International Council on Social Welfare (ICSW) is a global non-governmental organisation which works to promote social welfare, social development and social justice throughout the world. It was founded in Paris in 1928 and now represents members in more than 80 countries.

     During the last two years, ICSW has consulted its members and many other civil society organisations about progress with implementation of the commitments made at the World Summit for Social Development and about their priorities for further action. In particular, we have conducted more than twenty regional and global civil society forums and the reports of many of them have been published in our series of Copenhagen Papers.

     Many of the priorities identified at these forums relate especially to action at the national and local levels. In this statement, however, we focus on priorities relating to the global and regional levels, especially those which would promote enabling environments for social development.

     Amongst the wide range of measures which need to be pursued, we have identified three over-arching priorities upon which we believe the Special Session in Geneva should concentrate. Each of them seeks to catalyse long-term substantial improvements, especially of a preventive nature, rather than focusing on narrower, short-term responses.

The Three-Point Plan

The key elements of ICSW’s Three Point Plan for Geneva 2000 are:

• Governance
  Strengthening the ECOSOC System
  
  
• Standards
  Establishing International Standards for Social Development
  
  
• Targets and Resources
  Adopting an International Anti-Poverty Pact

Further details about each of these proposals are provided on the following pages.