Since the Copenhagen Social Development Summit in 1995, the International Council on Social Welfare has organised more than 20 global and regional forums to assess and promote implementation of the Summit commitments. These forums have been attended by thousands of participants from civil society in more than 60 countries from every region of the world.

     Eight priority areas for action have emerged from this extensive world-wide series of forums and from other consultations within civil society. They are described below, together with a summary of some of the specific initiatives which have been proposed.

1. The ECOSOC system

Despite some improvements since the Copenhagen Summit, much greater progress needs to be made in strengthening the structures and processes of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

Specific initiatives

• ®COSOC should establish an Executive Committee of 15-20 members, of which half should be elected from the ranks of the most populous or economically strong countries and the remainder should be elected on a regionally-balanced basis.The Executive Committee should be given extensive power to act on behalf of the full ECOSOC between its meetings, and should focus especially on developing closer and more frequent interaction with the World Bank, IMF, WTO and UNCTAD.
• ECOSOC should develop close interaction with regional groupings such as the European Union, South African Development Community and Association of South East Asian Nations. In particular, it should initiate a regular annual consultation with them and its own regional commissions. It also should direct the Commission for Social Development to make greater use of intersessional rapporteurs and working groups.

2. International financial systems

Action should be taken by the review process to reduce the excessive volume and volatility of speculative activity in international financial markets which has had devastating consequences on economic and social development.

Specific initiatives

• ECOSOC should appoint an expert advisory panel to propose within 6-12 months detailed measures to strengthen the framework for monitoring and operation of international financial markets, including measures for improving regulation of hedge funds, moderating currency fluctuations, and introducing constraints, where appropriate, on short-term speculative capital flows. This should include consideration of taxation of international financial transactions and short-term capital flows, especially during periods of high volatility.

3. Global anti-poverty project

The review process should agree on giving priority to a few specific and achievable anti-poverty targets and should secure specific commitments by developed countries and international financial institutions about ways in which they will help developing countries to achieve these targets.

Specific initiatives

• The General Assembly should agree upon a comprehensive Anti-Poverty Pact to achieve five anti-poverty targets by the year 2015. The targets should include halving absolute poverty, achieving universal primary education, and providing access for all to basic health care services. Other targets could relate to nutrition, water and sanitation.
• The Anti-Poverty Pact should include specific funding commitments which are sufficiently substantial to achieve these targets, including expansion and social targeting of official development assistance, greater financial support from international financial institutions, and contributions to the project from the proceeds of coordinated national taxes on certain types of international transactions (see below).

4. Official Development Assistance

The review process should agree on specific action to improve the quantity and use of development assistance in directions agreed at the Summit.

Specific initiatives

• As part of the Anti-Poverty Pact, all donor countries should agree to a timetable for achieving the 0.7% ODA target by 2010, with at least half of the necessary increases being achieved by 2005.
• Donors should also agree that by 2005 at least half of their ODA will be directed to countries with which they have entered into a 20/20 agreement relating to the proportions of ODA and recipient country budgets which are to be devoted to social expenditure.
• In addition to a major new debt relief initiative, a “limited liability code” should be developed in order to establish specific limits on the maximum extent to which governments will be liable for debts incurred after introduction of the code.

5. Basic income support

The review process should adopt specific initiatives for strengthening income support systems around the world, including microcredit and subsidised savings as well as to social security and other conventional income support systems.

Specific initiatives

• ECOSOC should appoint an expert advisory panel to propose within 12 months a set of detailed guidelines for basic income support systems. The guidelines should distinguish between countries with different levels of economic development and should focus especially on people who are unable to achieve a sufficient and sustainable livelihood.
• ECOSOC should seek private sector support to establish a Microcredit Task Force for achieving specified expansion of the availability of affordable microcredit in developing countries in accordance with an agreed timetable.

6. Taxation

The review process should identify and promote reforms to implement the Summit agreement on the need for progressive, fair and economically-efficient taxation systems which raise sufficient revenue for national and international purposes.

Specific initiatives

• ECOSOC should establish an expert advisory panel to prepare within 12 months a set of guidelines in relation to national taxation systems. The guidelines should aim to enhance social development and equity, avoid destructive tax competition, and generate sufficient revenue on a sustainable basis for the social policies of government.
• ECOSOC should also convene within 12 months a special conference to consider specific proposals for strengthening international cooperation in order to improve equity and efficiency in taxation design and administration, and for introducing coordinated national taxation of appropriate categories of international transactions.

7. Fair trade and investment

Specific action should be taken to implement the Summit agreement on the need for regulation to ensure fair competition and ethical responsibilities in international business activities, and for enhancing the impact of free trade negotiations on developing countries.

Specific initiatives

• The General Assembly should ensure that an appropriate organisation provides the report on the social impacts of the Uruguay Round which the World Trade Organization (WTO) was asked by the Summit to provide but has refused to produce. It also should request the WTO to give top priority in its negotiations to areas where removal of trade barriers is especially likely to benefit developing countries, including through implementation of its agreed plan of action for the least developed countries.
• ECOSOC should establish an expert advisory panel to prepare within 12 months a proposed code of rights and responsibilities in the conduct of international trade and investment. The code should incorporate appropriate core standards of the International Labour Organisation and should be regarded as a necessary precondition for reopening consideration of a possible multilateral investment agreement

8. Economic, social and cultural rights

The review process should identify and endorse specific initiatives for achieving the Summit commitment to improve the effectiveness of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

Specific initiatives

• The General Assembly should adopt a target date for achieving universal ratification of the Covenant and should request a substantial increase in resources for the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights which is responsible for enforcing the Covenant.
• The UN Committee should be requested to identify specific internationally-agreed targets and standards with which governments will be expected to comply in order to be regarded as meeting their obligations under the Covenant unless they can provide compelling justifications for failing to do so.