| The International Council on Social
Welfare (ICSW) believes that useful
progress has been made during the last year in strengthening the
structures and processes of the Commission. But much greater progress
must be achieved, especially if the Commission is to play the
leading role in follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development
(WSSD) which it has sought and the General Assembly has confirmed.
It is now almost five years since
the WSSD in Copenhagen. Further substantial improvement in the
focus and effectiveness of the Commission's work on WSSD implementation
will encourage governments, intergovernmental bodies and non-governmental
organizations to develop and maintain interest in the work of
the Commission, and to commit scarce resources to supporting
its work. For that purpose, ICS'W urges the Commission to consider
the following ten proposals for strengthening its structures
and processes.
These proposals reflect the strong belief
of ICSW that, especially for its work on WSSD
follow-up, the Commission should concentrate on
-
developing vigorous intersessional activities;
-
selecting, and seeking sponsorship for, a
few priority WSSD projects;
- initiating concrete action
rather than negotiating lengthy statements;
-
stimulating regional and sub-regional activities;
-
closely involving non-governmental experts
in its work.
Proposals for
Action at 1998 Meeting
(1) The Commission should identify
three or four priority projects relating to WSSD follow-up which
it wishes to be pursued during the following 12 months under the
general oversight of the Bureau.
(2) The Commission should invite governments,
intergovernmental organizations and non-governmental organizations to indicate
promptly to the Bureau whether they are interested in sponsoring, or in
some other way substantially assisting, the conduct of one or more of these
priority WSSD projects.
(3) The Commission should instruct the
Bureau to meet on a quarterly basis (perhaps sponsored on occasion by an
individual host government) and to invite up to five non-governmental experts
(not necessarily representatives of organizations) to attend Bureau meetings
on an advisory basis.
(4) The Commission should explicitly state
that it will act in accordance with the WSSD Declaration and Programme
of Action, rather than devoting time to rearguing the wording adopted in
them.
(5) In accordance with its request in 1996
to other UN organs, the Commission’s final report of its meeting should
be brief and should concentrate on specific action, especially in relation
to the priority projects.
(6) The Commission should instruct its
secretariat to produce a quarterly newsletter about its activities and
to distribute it widely, including through NGO networks.
(7) The Commission should seek to promote
activities at the regional and sub-regional levels, especially through
cooperation with the regional UN commissions and NGOs.
(8) The Commission should instruct the Bureau
to make vigorous efforts to achieve representation of governments
at Commission meetings by senior experts in social development,
including through scheduling a high-level Ministerial session
at each meeting.
(9) In order to encourage representation
of governments by experts in social development, and substantial involvement
of NGOs (especially from the South), the Commission and the Bureau should
not restrict their meetings to New York.
Conclusion
The practical benefits which can
be obtained from implementing these proposals obviously depend
heavily on careful selection and implementation of the priority
WSSD projects. ICSW's proposals for priority projects are included
in our submission, Priorties
for the Future Work Programme of the Commission.
5 February 1998
|
