Concrete commitments on povertyeradication made in Geneva

Poverty reduction was a central theme of the specialsession, which proposed three major initiatives onpoverty eradication:

First, it agreed to build consensus with all relevantactors at all levels on policies and strategies to reduce thep ro p o rtion of people living in extreme poverty by onehalf by the year 2015. It invited the Economic and SocialCouncil to consolidate existing initiatives and actions,including those contained in the outcome document, witha view to launching a global campaign to eradicatepoverty. Discussions are under way between the UnitedNations Secretariat, UNDP and other entities in theUnited Nations system in this regard;

Secondly, it called for the development and imple-mentation of sustainable pro-poor economic growthstrategies that help the poor to improve their lives.Some strategies are improving access to productiveresources and micro-finance, establishing programmes toraise productivity and raising knowledge, skills and capa-bilities;

Th i rd ly, it called for c o m p rehensive national strate-gies of poverty eradication. This would mean integr a t-ing policies at all levels, including economic and fi s c a lpolicies, fostering capacity-building and institution-building, and giving priority to investments in educationand health, social protection and basic social services.

asdf

Onward from Copenhagen

Aspecial session of the General Assembly was held in Geneva from 26 to 30 June 2000 to review the Copenhagen Commitments made at the 1995 Wo r l dSummit for Social Development. The Assembly produced a short political dec-

laration, a review of progress so far, and further initiatives for social development.

February 2001No. 7

C O N T E N T SCommitments in Geneva . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 01

I n i t i a t i v e s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 02

Pro-poor growth strategies . . . . . . . . . .0 02

Review of progress . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 03

Some indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 03

New resources . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 03

E m p l o y m e n t . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 04

H e a l t h . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 05

Wo m e n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 07

Debates in

Millennium Summit . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 08

General Assembly . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 08

Administrative Committee on Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 08

Publications on poverty . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 08

Vo i c e s

Plenary debate . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .0 09

C h a i r m a n ’s panels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01 0

Media clips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01 1

NGO commentary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01 2

Calendar of events 2001-2003 . . . . . . . . . .01 3

Internet links . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .01 6

BULLETINON THEe r a dication of povertySocial Summit Plus Five Special Edition

See “Report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the Twe n t y - f o u rth Spe-cial Session of the General Assembly” (Official Records of the GeneralA s s e m bly, Twe n t y - f o u rth Special Session, Supplement No. 3 (A/S-24/8/Rev.1), Commitment 2 of Part III).http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/geneva2000/agreements/index.html

The Geneva special session produced a number of new initiatives. Some of those specific topoverty eradication in the final outcome document are listed below.• Develop national and regional guidelines for

assessing the social and economic cost ofunemployment and poverty, based on broad def-initions of efficiency and productivity— (para 9)

• Endorse the speedy implementation of theCologne debt-relief initiative and the enhancedHIPC initiative and the principle that funds savedshould be allocated to social development—(p a r a1 6 )

• Reduce the proportion of people living in extremepoverty by one half by the year 2015—(para 25)

• Develop and implement pro-poor growthstrategies—(para 28)

• Share best practices on social protection sys-tems, including exploring means of protecting vul-nerable, unprotected and uninsured gro u p s( t h rough technical assistance from ILO) andmechanisms to ensure the sustainability of thesesystems in light of ageing populations and unem-ployment—(para 29)

• Reassess macroeconomic policies to balancegoals of employment generation and povertyreduction with low inflation rates—(para 32)

• Ensure that adjustment programmes to addresseconomic crises do not lead to decreasing economic activity or sharp cuts in socialspending—(para 129)

• Establish guidelines for policies aimed at gener-ating domestic revenue for social policies and pro-grammes, including in areas such as the broad-ening of the tax base, the efficiency of taxadministration, new sources of revenue, publicborrowing—(para 140)

• Mobilize new and additional resources for socialdevelopment at the national level by extendingaccess to microcredit, supporting mechanismsfor community contracting of labour- b a s e dworks, improving national tax regimes and

reduce tax evasion, and preventing corruption,bribery, money laundering and illegal transfer offunds—(para 141)

• Mobilize new and additional resources for socialdevelopment at the international level throughinternational cooperation in tax matters, explo-ration of methods for taxation of multinational cor-porations, combat the use of tax shelters and taxhavens, mechanisms for stabilizing commodityprice earnings, prevention of tax avoidance,increase in public and private flows to developingcountries, rigorous analysis of new and innovativesources of funding for social development andpromotion of micro- and small enterprise sectors—(para 142)

• Invite the Economic and Social Council to launcha global campaign to eradicate poverty—(p a r a 1 5 5 )

Note: The paragraph numbers refer to Part III of the outcome document, Further Initiatives for Social Development, as contained in A/S-24/8/Rev.1(http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/geneva2000/agreements/new.htm)

Support for pro-poor growth strategies

The special session in Geneva affirmed support fora pro-poor growth strategy that combines the dynamicfeatures of the market with the ability of poor people to

asdfBULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

2

exploit it through empowerment. Some elements of sucha pro-poor growth strategy are:

•—Access to productive resources, active employ-ment, including self-employment policies,encouragement of small- and medium-sizedenterprises and cooperatives;

•—Access to microcredit, stimulating agriculture and rural development;

•—Developing pro-poor health systems;•—Strengthening food security.

Review of progressThe special session in its overall rev i ew and

appraisal of the Copenhagen commitments showed that,in the five years since the Social Summit, many Gov-ernments have set national poverty reduction targets andformulated poverty eradication plans and strategies.Microcredit and other financial instruments haver e c e ived increasing attention. Many countries haveachieved improvements in life expectancy, reduction ininfant mortality, social protection systems and access tobasic social services. But progress is mixed. Dem-ographic changes impede the eradication of poverty. Per-sistent disparities in access to basic social services, espe-cially health and education are both a cause and conse-quence of pove rt y. Girls still have less access toeducation than do boys. The feminization of poverty ison the rise.

Some poverty and inequality indicators•—A fifth of the world’s population—1.2 billion

people—lives on less than a dollar a day.•—Nearly half the world’s population makes do with

less than two dollars a day.•—The top twenty per cent of the wo r l d ’s people, liv-

ing in the richest countries, account for 86 percent of the world’s GDP, 82 per cent of its exportmarkets, 68 per cent of all foreign direct invest-ment, and 74 per cent of all telephone lines. Thebottom 20 per cent claim no more than 1.5 percent.

•—The average income in the richest 20 countries is 37 times the average in the poorest 20—a gapthat has doubled in the past 40 years.

•—Eighty-eight per cent of the wo r l d ’s Internet userslive in industrial countries, 0.3 per cent in thepoorest countries.

In many countries, the number of poor has risen since1995. The rev i ew found that lack of resources, inadequateeconomic development, weak infrastructure, inefficientadministrative systems and, in many instances, worsen-ing terms of trade, have undermined measures to eradi-cate poverty. In Africa and the least developed countries,economic growth has barely resumed. Slow economicreform and weakened social security arrangements haveworsened the situation in some countries with economiesin transition. Alongside economic growth and risingincomes in some developed countries there has beenu n e m p l oyment, which has exacerbated inequality,p ove rty and social exclusion. Recent financial crises haveled to sharp increases in unemployment and poverty inaffected countries, especially among women and groupswith special needs. The reverses have set back by severalyears the progress achieved by these countries in povertyreduction.

New resources for poverty eradication

Mobilizing resources for pove rty alleviation remainsa difficult task. The donor community made no concretecommitments in Geneva to reach the target of officialdevelopment assistance of 0.7 per cent of GDP. 3

John Langmore, Director of the Division of Social Policy and Development(centre), with Nitin Desai, Under Secretary General for Economic and SocialAffairs, Gloria Kan, Chief of the Division’s Intergovernmental Policy Branch,and Nikhil Seth, Special Assistant to Mr. Desai.Photo courtesy: International Institute of Sustainable Development(IISD)/Leila Mead

“No rich country can be indifferent to the social con-ditions in which so many people in poor countries live.Such extreme squalor is an affront to our commonhumanity. We are all impoverished if the poor aredenied opportunities to make a living. And it is withinour power to extend these opportunities to all.”

—Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

The Geneva special session produced a number of new initiatives. Some of those specific topoverty eradication in the final outcome document are listed below.• Develop national and regional guidelines for

assessing the social and economic cost ofunemployment and poverty, based on broad def-initions of efficiency and productivity— (para 9)

• Endorse the speedy implementation of theCologne debt-relief initiative and the enhancedHIPC initiative and the principle that funds savedshould be allocated to social development—(p a r a1 6 )

• Reduce the proportion of people living in extremepoverty by one half by the year 2015—(para 25)

• Develop and implement pro-poor growthstrategies—(para 28)

• Share best practices on social protection sys-tems, including exploring means of protecting vul-nerable, unprotected and uninsured gro u p s( t h rough technical assistance from ILO) andmechanisms to ensure the sustainability of thesesystems in light of ageing populations and unem-ployment—(para 29)

• Reassess macroeconomic policies to balancegoals of employment generation and povertyreduction with low inflation rates—(para 32)

• Ensure that adjustment programmes to addresseconomic crises do not lead to decreasing economic activity or sharp cuts in socialspending—(para 129)

• Establish guidelines for policies aimed at gener-ating domestic revenue for social policies and pro-grammes, including in areas such as the broad-ening of the tax base, the efficiency of taxadministration, new sources of revenue, publicborrowing—(para 140)

• Mobilize new and additional resources for socialdevelopment at the national level by extendingaccess to microcredit, supporting mechanismsfor community contracting of labour- b a s e dworks, improving national tax regimes and

reduce tax evasion, and preventing corruption,bribery, money laundering and illegal transfer offunds—(para 141)

• Mobilize new and additional resources for socialdevelopment at the international level throughinternational cooperation in tax matters, explo-ration of methods for taxation of multinational cor-porations, combat the use of tax shelters and taxhavens, mechanisms for stabilizing commodityprice earnings, prevention of tax avoidance,increase in public and private flows to developingcountries, rigorous analysis of new and innovativesources of funding for social development andpromotion of micro- and small enterprise sectors—(para 142)

• Invite the Economic and Social Council to launcha global campaign to eradicate poverty—(p a r a 1 5 5 )

Note: The paragraph numbers refer to Part III of the outcome document, Further Initiatives for Social Development, as contained in A/S-24/8/Rev.1(http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/geneva2000/agreements/new.htm)

Support for pro-poor growth strategies

The special session in Geneva affirmed support fora pro-poor growth strategy that combines the dynamicfeatures of the market with the ability of poor people to

asdfBULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

2

exploit it through empowerment. Some elements of sucha pro-poor growth strategy are:

•—Access to productive resources, active employ-ment, including self-employment policies,encouragement of small- and medium-sizedenterprises and cooperatives;

•—Access to microcredit, stimulating agriculture and rural development;

•—Developing pro-poor health systems;•—Strengthening food security.

Review of progressThe special session in its overall rev i ew and

appraisal of the Copenhagen commitments showed that,in the five years since the Social Summit, many Gov-ernments have set national poverty reduction targets andformulated poverty eradication plans and strategies.Microcredit and other financial instruments haver e c e ived increasing attention. Many countries haveachieved improvements in life expectancy, reduction ininfant mortality, social protection systems and access tobasic social services. But progress is mixed. Dem-ographic changes impede the eradication of poverty. Per-sistent disparities in access to basic social services, espe-cially health and education are both a cause and conse-quence of pove rt y. Girls still have less access toeducation than do boys. The feminization of poverty ison the rise.

Some poverty and inequality indicators•—A fifth of the world’s population—1.2 billion

people—lives on less than a dollar a day.•—Nearly half the world’s population makes do with

less than two dollars a day.•—The top twenty per cent of the wo r l d ’s people, liv-

ing in the richest countries, account for 86 percent of the world’s GDP, 82 per cent of its exportmarkets, 68 per cent of all foreign direct invest-ment, and 74 per cent of all telephone lines. Thebottom 20 per cent claim no more than 1.5 percent.

•—The average income in the richest 20 countries is 37 times the average in the poorest 20—a gapthat has doubled in the past 40 years.

•—Eighty-eight per cent of the wo r l d ’s Internet userslive in industrial countries, 0.3 per cent in thepoorest countries.

In many countries, the number of poor has risen since1995. The rev i ew found that lack of resources, inadequateeconomic development, weak infrastructure, inefficientadministrative systems and, in many instances, worsen-ing terms of trade, have undermined measures to eradi-cate poverty. In Africa and the least developed countries,economic growth has barely resumed. Slow economicreform and weakened social security arrangements haveworsened the situation in some countries with economiesin transition. Alongside economic growth and risingincomes in some developed countries there has beenu n e m p l oyment, which has exacerbated inequality,p ove rty and social exclusion. Recent financial crises haveled to sharp increases in unemployment and poverty inaffected countries, especially among women and groupswith special needs. The reverses have set back by severalyears the progress achieved by these countries in povertyreduction.

New resources for poverty eradication

Mobilizing resources for pove rty alleviation remainsa difficult task. The donor community made no concretecommitments in Geneva to reach the target of officialdevelopment assistance of 0.7 per cent of GDP. 3

John Langmore, Director of the Division of Social Policy and Development(centre), with Nitin Desai, Under Secretary General for Economic and SocialAffairs, Gloria Kan, Chief of the Division’s Intergovernmental Policy Branch,and Nikhil Seth, Special Assistant to Mr. Desai.Photo courtesy: International Institute of Sustainable Development(IISD)/Leila Mead

“No rich country can be indifferent to the social con-ditions in which so many people in poor countries live.Such extreme squalor is an affront to our commonhumanity. We are all impoverished if the poor aredenied opportunities to make a living. And it is withinour power to extend these opportunities to all.”

—Kofi Annan, Secretary-General of the United Nations

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

costs of these labour market changes. Employment hasworsened in most countries since the Social Summit.

Two core proposals made by the ILO to the specialsession call for an integrated approach to policymaking,recognizing the interdependence of economic and socialpolicies, and promoting decent work in a global economy.The objective should be to make globalization work foreve ryone and judge it by its results in terms of net job cre-ation, poverty reduction and reducing inequalities in theshort term.

The Geneva special session reflected several of theseconcerns. Specifically, the session:•—C a l l s for a re-assessment of macroeconomic poli-

cies to generate more jobs and reduce povertywhile striving for and maintaining low inflationrates. It recognized the need to elaborate a coher-ent and coordinated international strategy onemployment and supported the convening of aworld employment forum by the ILO in 2001. Itinvited the ILO to facilitate an exchange of bestpractices in employment policies;

•—Addresses the need to expand opportunities forproductive employment, including self-employ-ment, by developing human resources, entrepre-neurship and employability, especially througheducation, vocational and management training;

•—Notes the specific employment issues of youth,ageing workers, persons with disabilities, singleparents, and long-term unemployed, with partic-ular regard to women. It emphasizes training andemployment opportunities in small- and medium-scale enterprises as well as the acquisition of skillsin the new technologies;

•—I n v i t e s the ILO to support Governments inextending legal rights, social protection and

access to credit to informal sector workers andimprove coverage of people engaged in flexibleforms of work;

•—C a l l s for improved collection and analysis of basicemployment data and the exploration of mecha-nisms for measuring unremunerated work;

•—Suggests exploring means of protecting vulnera-ble, unprotected and uninsured groups with tech-nical assistance from the ILO and other interna-tional organizations. These systems must bemade sustainable in light of ageing populationsand unemployment;

•—Underlines the responsibility of the private sectorin promoting social development goals through“corporate social responsibility” and urges the pri-vate sector to respect basic workers’ rights;

•—Reaffirms support for existing instruments andprogrammes on basic workers’ rights and qual-ity of work issues. These include ratification andimplementation of:•—ILO Conventions concerning basic workers’

rights and the rights of minors, women, youth,persons with disabilities, migrants and indige-nous people;

•—The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Princi-ples and Rights at Work and its Follow-up;

•—The ILO Convention on the Worst Forms ofChild Labour and the global campaign for theimmediate elimination of the worst forms ofchild labour;

•—The ILO Programme on Decent Work.(http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/docs/ilo.pdf)

Poverty and healthMore than a billion people have entered the twenty-

first century with their lives scarred by a ruthless disease—extreme poverty. Many dimensions of povertypose a threat to health and life expectancy, the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) noted in its contribution(A/AC.253/16/Add.5). They include lack of basic edu-cation and employment, inadequate housing, socialexclusion, environmental degradation and low income.The extremely poor are five times more likely to die 5

asdf

4

Some commitments to fight poverty announcedby Governments in Geneva

•—Australia and Norway announced 100 per centforgiveness of bilateral debt under the enhancedheavily indebted poor country (HIPC) initiative.

•—Norway announced a further contribution of $37million to the HIPC Trust Fund, bringing its totalcontribution to $79 million.

•—K u w a i t said it had enacted a law to write off loansto certain developing countries and cancel inter-est on others.

•—Japan announced debt cancellation of up to 100per cent owed by highly indebted poor countriesand a contribution of $200 million to the HIPCTrust Fund.

•—Norway and Sweden announced goals of raisingtheir ODA from 0.9 to 1 per cent of GDP.

•—Germany announced a contribution of close to$175 million to developing country projects ineducation and combating HIV/AIDS.

•—Australia pledged $245 million in assistance ove r2000-2001 to help improve institutional and reg-ulatory systems in developing countries.

•—Italy allocated $150 million to UNDP, ILO andother international organizations for frameworkp r ogrammes aimed at pove rty reduction and otherCopenhagen objectives.

Several United Nations agencies provided assess-ments to the special session of progress and challengesin various areas since the Copenhagen Summit( h t t p : / / w w w. u n . o rg / e s a / s o c d ev/docs/comp.pdf). Belowis a look at three core areas of concern—employment,health, and the feminization of poverty.

Poverty and employmentPoverty and social exclusion are closely linked in

many countries. In its proposals for further action to thep r e p a r a t o ry committee for the special session(A/AC.253/16/Add.10), the International Labour Office(ILO) pointed out that some form of income-generatingactivity often represents an important first step towardsimproving the lives of the poor and socially excluded.

Since the Social Summit, the trauma of the globalfinancial crisis has severely affected employment andpoverty in many developing countries. Unemploymentpeaked during the worst of the crisis in 1998 and still hasn’t fallen to pre-crisis levels in countries that weremost badly hit. In six out of 15 countries of the EuropeanUnion, unemployment remains in double-digit figures.

The global unemployment profile is one of many fa c-tors that have heightened anxieties about current pattern sof globalization. Extraordinary inequality has accompa-nied new opportunities for business and consumers, notesthe ILO. Vulnerable groups within the workforce andwomen in particular have typically borne the acute social

A child in the village of Coata, near Puno in Peru, playing in the backyard ofa house. Nearly half the world’s population lives on less than two dollars a dayPhoto credit: United Nations/D. Mangurian

A market near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Poor countries need to find markets notjust for their raw materials but for their manufactured goods. Photo credit: United Nations/B. Legelle

“The failure of globalization to deliver a steadily risingnumber of productive and paying jobs has to be oneof the priority issues addressed in the follow-up.” —ILO

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

costs of these labour market changes. Employment hasworsened in most countries since the Social Summit.

Two core proposals made by the ILO to the specialsession call for an integrated approach to policymaking,recognizing the interdependence of economic and socialpolicies, and promoting decent work in a global economy.The objective should be to make globalization work foreve ryone and judge it by its results in terms of net job cre-ation, poverty reduction and reducing inequalities in theshort term.

The Geneva special session reflected several of theseconcerns. Specifically, the session:•—C a l l s for a re-assessment of macroeconomic poli-

cies to generate more jobs and reduce povertywhile striving for and maintaining low inflationrates. It recognized the need to elaborate a coher-ent and coordinated international strategy onemployment and supported the convening of aworld employment forum by the ILO in 2001. Itinvited the ILO to facilitate an exchange of bestpractices in employment policies;

•—Addresses the need to expand opportunities forproductive employment, including self-employ-ment, by developing human resources, entrepre-neurship and employability, especially througheducation, vocational and management training;

•—Notes the specific employment issues of youth,ageing workers, persons with disabilities, singleparents, and long-term unemployed, with partic-ular regard to women. It emphasizes training andemployment opportunities in small- and medium-scale enterprises as well as the acquisition of skillsin the new technologies;

•—I n v i t e s the ILO to support Governments inextending legal rights, social protection and

access to credit to informal sector workers andimprove coverage of people engaged in flexibleforms of work;

•—C a l l s for improved collection and analysis of basicemployment data and the exploration of mecha-nisms for measuring unremunerated work;

•—Suggests exploring means of protecting vulnera-ble, unprotected and uninsured groups with tech-nical assistance from the ILO and other interna-tional organizations. These systems must bemade sustainable in light of ageing populationsand unemployment;

•—Underlines the responsibility of the private sectorin promoting social development goals through“corporate social responsibility” and urges the pri-vate sector to respect basic workers’ rights;

•—Reaffirms support for existing instruments andprogrammes on basic workers’ rights and qual-ity of work issues. These include ratification andimplementation of:•—ILO Conventions concerning basic workers’

rights and the rights of minors, women, youth,persons with disabilities, migrants and indige-nous people;

•—The ILO Declaration on Fundamental Princi-ples and Rights at Work and its Follow-up;

•—The ILO Convention on the Worst Forms ofChild Labour and the global campaign for theimmediate elimination of the worst forms ofchild labour;

•—The ILO Programme on Decent Work.(http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/docs/ilo.pdf)

Poverty and healthMore than a billion people have entered the twenty-

first century with their lives scarred by a ruthless disease—extreme poverty. Many dimensions of povertypose a threat to health and life expectancy, the WorldHealth Organization (WHO) noted in its contribution(A/AC.253/16/Add.5). They include lack of basic edu-cation and employment, inadequate housing, socialexclusion, environmental degradation and low income.The extremely poor are five times more likely to die 5

asdf

4

Some commitments to fight poverty announcedby Governments in Geneva

•—Australia and Norway announced 100 per centforgiveness of bilateral debt under the enhancedheavily indebted poor country (HIPC) initiative.

•—Norway announced a further contribution of $37million to the HIPC Trust Fund, bringing its totalcontribution to $79 million.

•—K u w a i t said it had enacted a law to write off loansto certain developing countries and cancel inter-est on others.

•—Japan announced debt cancellation of up to 100per cent owed by highly indebted poor countriesand a contribution of $200 million to the HIPCTrust Fund.

•—Norway and Sweden announced goals of raisingtheir ODA from 0.9 to 1 per cent of GDP.

•—Germany announced a contribution of close to$175 million to developing country projects ineducation and combating HIV/AIDS.

•—Australia pledged $245 million in assistance ove r2000-2001 to help improve institutional and reg-ulatory systems in developing countries.

•—Italy allocated $150 million to UNDP, ILO andother international organizations for frameworkp r ogrammes aimed at pove rty reduction and otherCopenhagen objectives.

Several United Nations agencies provided assess-ments to the special session of progress and challengesin various areas since the Copenhagen Summit( h t t p : / / w w w. u n . o rg / e s a / s o c d ev/docs/comp.pdf). Belowis a look at three core areas of concern—employment,health, and the feminization of poverty.

Poverty and employmentPoverty and social exclusion are closely linked in

many countries. In its proposals for further action to thep r e p a r a t o ry committee for the special session(A/AC.253/16/Add.10), the International Labour Office(ILO) pointed out that some form of income-generatingactivity often represents an important first step towardsimproving the lives of the poor and socially excluded.

Since the Social Summit, the trauma of the globalfinancial crisis has severely affected employment andpoverty in many developing countries. Unemploymentpeaked during the worst of the crisis in 1998 and still hasn’t fallen to pre-crisis levels in countries that weremost badly hit. In six out of 15 countries of the EuropeanUnion, unemployment remains in double-digit figures.

The global unemployment profile is one of many fa c-tors that have heightened anxieties about current pattern sof globalization. Extraordinary inequality has accompa-nied new opportunities for business and consumers, notesthe ILO. Vulnerable groups within the workforce andwomen in particular have typically borne the acute social

A child in the village of Coata, near Puno in Peru, playing in the backyard ofa house. Nearly half the world’s population lives on less than two dollars a dayPhoto credit: United Nations/D. Mangurian

A market near Rawalpindi, Pakistan. Poor countries need to find markets notjust for their raw materials but for their manufactured goods. Photo credit: United Nations/B. Legelle

“The failure of globalization to deliver a steadily risingnumber of productive and paying jobs has to be oneof the priority issues addressed in the follow-up.” —ILO

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

Poverty and womenBeijing+5 review

Worsening poverty among women was an overridingconcern when the General Assembly met (New York, 5-9 June 2000) to examine progress made in implement-ing the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 FourthWorld Conference on Women in Beijing.

The feminization of poverty is a persistent andintractable problem in many regions, compounded byforces of globalization which marginalize vulnerablemembers of society. Gender inequalities and disparitiesin economic powe r-sharing, unequal distribution ofunremunerated work between women and men, lack oftechnological and financial support for women’s entre-preneurship, unequal access to capital and resources, par-t i c u l a r ly land and credit, as well as harmful traditional andcustomary practices, have exacerbated the feminizationof poverty.

U n e m p l oyment and underemployment amongwomen appear to be growing. The vulnerability of ruralwomen, unequal access to capital, resources and labourmarkets, and the lack of data disaggregated by sex andage that would enable an accurate assessment of wo m e n ’sunpaid work are continuing challenges.

On the positive side, there is greater recognitionamong Gove rnments of the gender dimensions ofpoverty. A broader definition of poverty is starting to beput into place. This approach goes beyond the traditionaldefinition of poverty as a lack of access to resources,employment and income. It takes into account more thanminimum basic needs and focuses the policy discussionon gender differences in basic education, health servicesand life expectancy and the socially constructed choicesof various groups of women and men.

See “Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform forAction” (E/CN.6/2000/PC/2).http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/ecn6-2000-pc2.pdf

The review and appraisal of the implementation ofthe Beijing Platform for Action showed that Gove rn m e n t sare more aware of disparities resulting from gender- b a s e dinequalities within households. They are trying to changevarious social norms that lead to women’s social exclu-sion or economic subordination. Alongside, there aree ff o rts at promoting employment and income-generatingactivities for women, providing basic social services,including education and health care, and extendinggreater policy support to women-headed households.Policies and programmes to reduce poverty amongwomen are now part of the national action plans to imple-ment the Beijing Platform of Action of more than 58member States. Strategies include creation of employ-ment and income-generating activities, providing basicsocial services and improving social security systems.

The Geneva special session calls upon the interna-tional community to take fully into account and imple-ment the outcome of the Beijing conference review, car-ried out during the twenty-third special session of theGeneral Assembly. Specifically, it calls for: 7

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

before the age of five and two-and-a-half times morel i ke ly to die between the ages of 15 and 59. Deadly infec-tious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosisand diarrhoeal diseases, disproportionately affect thepoor.

HIV/AIDS illustrates the effect of multidimensionalpoverty on health. Socio-economic factors contributingto the spread of the pandemic include income poverty,illiteracy and gender inequality. It also illustrates theequity gap. Developing countries, which have 95 per centof all HIV/AIDS cases and many of which are expe-riencing exponential growth rates, receive only about 12 per cent of global spending on care, research and prevention.

In the two decades since the Alma Ata Declaration,health inequities are striking, between and withinnations, states WHO. In developed nations, one year oftreatment for HIV infection costs 4-6 months’ salary; inmany developing countries, it can consume 30 years’income. Total Gove rnment expenditure on health serv i c e sis too low, distribution of services in most countriesremains highly skewed in favour of the better off, and thedelivery of services itself is profoundly anti-poor.

Integrating health dimensions into social and eco-nomic policy and developing health systems to meet theneeds of poor and vulnerable populations are critical tofollow-up of the Copenhagen commitments, said WHO.It has established an international commission on macro-economics and health to provide health and analyses onhow health relates to macroeconomic and developmentissues. It proposes to work more closely with the WorldTrade Organization and other agencies to help the leastdeveloped countries analyse the consequences of agree-ments on trade in health services for health equity. Thenew openness to trade in health goods and services can

run counter to agreed principles of universal access togood quality services. WHO will also work with ILO topromote health protection measures in national and inter-national policies for full employment.

The Geneva special session reflected several of theseconcerns. Specifically, it:•—Recognizes that exclusively market-driven health

services run the risk of excluding the poor fromquality health services. It proposed non-profitcommunity-based health insurance programmesas ways to support Governments in providingaccessible primary health care to all;

•—Encourages all actors to provide incentives forpharmaceuticals to invest in research aimed atproviding affordable remedies for diseases thatparticularly afflict people in developing countries;

•—Invites WHO to strengthen public/private partner-ships in health research;

•—States that member States may freely exercise,consistent with national laws and internationala g reements, options available under intern a t i o n a lagreements to protect and advance access tolife-saving medicines;

•—Calls on WHO to collaborate with Governmentsand relevant international organizations in moni-toring and analysing pharmaceutical and publichealth implications of international trade agree-ments. It also calls on WHO to assist Govern-ments, with help from UNCTAD, WTO and otherorganizations, in improving capacities to analysethe consequences of agreements on trade inhealth services on health equity and other socialobjectives;

•—Urges the 25 African countries most affected byHIV/AIDS to adopt time-bound targets to reduceinfection levels, such as a 25 per cent reductionamong young people by the year 2005. It calls fors t rengthening health-care services, impro v i n ginformation and education, training health-careproviders, addressing mother-to-child transmis-sion, analysing the political, social and economicaspects of HIV/AIDS, and providing social andeducational support to affected groups.6

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

“Spontaneous, unmanaged growth in health systemscannot be relied upon to meet the greatest healthneeds: unfettered market intervention in health carehas been proven to be anti-poor.” —WHO

A young mother weaves palm-leaf mats while comforting her crying babyin Dhaka, Bangladesh. Women have benefited from community develop-ment projects instituted by the Government and from microcredit initiatives.Photo credit: United Nations

“From a gender perspective, broader definitions ofpoverty allow for better understanding of the relativepoverty or well-being of individual members of thehousehold.”—Commission on the Status of Women

See the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the twenty-thirdsession of the General Assembly (A/S-23/10/Rev.1). http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/as2310rev1.pdf

Poverty and womenBeijing+5 review

Worsening poverty among women was an overridingconcern when the General Assembly met (New York, 5-9 June 2000) to examine progress made in implement-ing the Platform for Action adopted at the 1995 FourthWorld Conference on Women in Beijing.

The feminization of poverty is a persistent andintractable problem in many regions, compounded byforces of globalization which marginalize vulnerablemembers of society. Gender inequalities and disparitiesin economic powe r-sharing, unequal distribution ofunremunerated work between women and men, lack oftechnological and financial support for women’s entre-preneurship, unequal access to capital and resources, par-t i c u l a r ly land and credit, as well as harmful traditional andcustomary practices, have exacerbated the feminizationof poverty.

U n e m p l oyment and underemployment amongwomen appear to be growing. The vulnerability of ruralwomen, unequal access to capital, resources and labourmarkets, and the lack of data disaggregated by sex andage that would enable an accurate assessment of wo m e n ’sunpaid work are continuing challenges.

On the positive side, there is greater recognitionamong Gove rnments of the gender dimensions ofpoverty. A broader definition of poverty is starting to beput into place. This approach goes beyond the traditionaldefinition of poverty as a lack of access to resources,employment and income. It takes into account more thanminimum basic needs and focuses the policy discussionon gender differences in basic education, health servicesand life expectancy and the socially constructed choicesof various groups of women and men.

See “Review and Appraisal of the Implementation of the Beijing Platform forAction” (E/CN.6/2000/PC/2).http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/ecn6-2000-pc2.pdf

The review and appraisal of the implementation ofthe Beijing Platform for Action showed that Gove rn m e n t sare more aware of disparities resulting from gender- b a s e dinequalities within households. They are trying to changevarious social norms that lead to women’s social exclu-sion or economic subordination. Alongside, there aree ff o rts at promoting employment and income-generatingactivities for women, providing basic social services,including education and health care, and extendinggreater policy support to women-headed households.Policies and programmes to reduce poverty amongwomen are now part of the national action plans to imple-ment the Beijing Platform of Action of more than 58member States. Strategies include creation of employ-ment and income-generating activities, providing basicsocial services and improving social security systems.

The Geneva special session calls upon the interna-tional community to take fully into account and imple-ment the outcome of the Beijing conference review, car-ried out during the twenty-third special session of theGeneral Assembly. Specifically, it calls for: 7

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

before the age of five and two-and-a-half times morel i ke ly to die between the ages of 15 and 59. Deadly infec-tious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosisand diarrhoeal diseases, disproportionately affect thepoor.

HIV/AIDS illustrates the effect of multidimensionalpoverty on health. Socio-economic factors contributingto the spread of the pandemic include income poverty,illiteracy and gender inequality. It also illustrates theequity gap. Developing countries, which have 95 per centof all HIV/AIDS cases and many of which are expe-riencing exponential growth rates, receive only about 12 per cent of global spending on care, research and prevention.

In the two decades since the Alma Ata Declaration,health inequities are striking, between and withinnations, states WHO. In developed nations, one year oftreatment for HIV infection costs 4-6 months’ salary; inmany developing countries, it can consume 30 years’income. Total Gove rnment expenditure on health serv i c e sis too low, distribution of services in most countriesremains highly skewed in favour of the better off, and thedelivery of services itself is profoundly anti-poor.

Integrating health dimensions into social and eco-nomic policy and developing health systems to meet theneeds of poor and vulnerable populations are critical tofollow-up of the Copenhagen commitments, said WHO.It has established an international commission on macro-economics and health to provide health and analyses onhow health relates to macroeconomic and developmentissues. It proposes to work more closely with the WorldTrade Organization and other agencies to help the leastdeveloped countries analyse the consequences of agree-ments on trade in health services for health equity. Thenew openness to trade in health goods and services can

run counter to agreed principles of universal access togood quality services. WHO will also work with ILO topromote health protection measures in national and inter-national policies for full employment.

The Geneva special session reflected several of theseconcerns. Specifically, it:•—Recognizes that exclusively market-driven health

services run the risk of excluding the poor fromquality health services. It proposed non-profitcommunity-based health insurance programmesas ways to support Governments in providingaccessible primary health care to all;

•—Encourages all actors to provide incentives forpharmaceuticals to invest in research aimed atproviding affordable remedies for diseases thatparticularly afflict people in developing countries;

•—Invites WHO to strengthen public/private partner-ships in health research;

•—States that member States may freely exercise,consistent with national laws and internationala g reements, options available under intern a t i o n a lagreements to protect and advance access tolife-saving medicines;

•—Calls on WHO to collaborate with Governmentsand relevant international organizations in moni-toring and analysing pharmaceutical and publichealth implications of international trade agree-ments. It also calls on WHO to assist Govern-ments, with help from UNCTAD, WTO and otherorganizations, in improving capacities to analysethe consequences of agreements on trade inhealth services on health equity and other socialobjectives;

•—Urges the 25 African countries most affected byHIV/AIDS to adopt time-bound targets to reduceinfection levels, such as a 25 per cent reductionamong young people by the year 2005. It calls fors t rengthening health-care services, impro v i n ginformation and education, training health-careproviders, addressing mother-to-child transmis-sion, analysing the political, social and economicaspects of HIV/AIDS, and providing social andeducational support to affected groups.6

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

“Spontaneous, unmanaged growth in health systemscannot be relied upon to meet the greatest healthneeds: unfettered market intervention in health carehas been proven to be anti-poor.” —WHO

A young mother weaves palm-leaf mats while comforting her crying babyin Dhaka, Bangladesh. Women have benefited from community develop-ment projects instituted by the Government and from microcredit initiatives.Photo credit: United Nations

“From a gender perspective, broader definitions ofpoverty allow for better understanding of the relativepoverty or well-being of individual members of thehousehold.”—Commission on the Status of Women

See the report of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole of the twenty-thirdsession of the General Assembly (A/S-23/10/Rev.1). http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/followup/as2310rev1.pdf

The UNDP Human Development Report 2000 p l a c e spoverty eradication in a human rights framework: free-dom from want and freedom for decent work withoutexploitation.

The World Bank’s Wo rld Development Rep o rt2000/2001 is subtitled Attacking Poverty. It seeks toexpand the understanding of poverty and its causes. Itargues that major reductions in human deprivation areindeed possible and that the forces of global integrationand technological advice can and must be harnessed toserve the poor. It concurs that poverty encompasses notonly low income and consumption but also low levels ofeducation, health, nutrition and other aspects of humandevelopment. (This concept of the multidimensionalnature of pove rty was introduced by the UNDP in H u m a nDevelopment Report 1997.) The report recommendsactions in three areas: promoting opport u n i t y, fa c i l i t a t i n gempowerment and enhancing security.

The 2001 Report on the World Social Situation willbe out soon. The Division for Social Policy and Devel-opment in the United Nations Secretariat, Department ofEconomic and Social Affairs, has submitted an overviewof the report (E/2000/9) to the Economic and SocialCouncil. Chapter III of the report, “Trends in living con-ditions: a mixed record of achievement,” notes the linksbetween poverty, hunger and unemployment.

The P re l i m i n a ry Ove rv i ew of the Economies of Lat i nAmerica and the Caribbean, published by the EconomicCommission for Latin America and the Caribbean, hasappeared in December. Also in December, the Economicand Social Commission of Western Asia will publishFemale-Headed Households in Selected Confl i c t -Stricken ESCWA Countries: An Exploratory Survey forFormulating Poverty Alleviation Policies.

VoicesHeard in the plenary (of the Geneva specialsession)

Theo Ben-Gurirab, President of the GeneralA s s e m bly: To uphold the social commitment ex p r e s s e din Copenhagen five years ago, we must marshal resourcesfor social commitment commensurate with the needs ofpeople. By this, I mean not only development grants bu talso other critical areas of policy initiative: debt cancel-lation, productive investment, measures to discouragefinancial speculation, and fi rm action to end the tariff andn o n - t a r i ff barriers that are still imposed lopsidedly aga i n s td eveloping countries that can least afford them.

Canada: We need a common framework for inter-national action based on shared goals and values. Ourexperience in the past f ive years has shown that we willachieve neither economic nor sustainable social devel-opment without integrating the two. A multilateral sys-tem in which economic, social and financial institutionswork independently is no longer viable.

Russian Fe d e ration: Countries with economies intransition are determined to overcome the social costsof transition, eradicate pove rt y, achieve full employ m e n tand strengthen social integration. But their eff o rts stilldo not get an adequate response from the intern a t i o n a lc o m m u n i t y. The Russian Federation is of the opinionthat it is high time to hold a large-scale high-leve lr egional conference under United Nations auspices todiscuss the problems of social development of countrieswith economies in transition and focus on fi n d i n gr e s o u r c e s .

G e r m a ny: Industrialized countries must active lyc o n t r i bute to all parts of the world being able to drawb e n e fits from world trade . . . An important step in thisdirection is to overcome blatant and latent protectionism.C u rr e n t ly, the poorest developing countries have a shareof only 0.5 per cent in world trade. Industrialized coun-tries are spending some $350 billion to seal off their agr i-cultural sector. This is about seven times the amount wespend on official development cooperation . . . In thefield of health to combat HIV/AIDS and basic education,we are part i c u l a r ly interested in supporting girls andwomen. Giving women access to education is not only 9

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

•—Targets to close the gender gap in primary andsecondary education by 2005;

•—Free compulsory and universal primary edu-cation for both girls and boys by 2015;

•—A 50 per cent improvement in levels of adultliteracy by 2015, especially for women;

•—An increase in women’s participation in thelabour market on an equal and non-discrimi-natory basis;

•—A reduction in maternal morbidity and mortal-ity as a health priority;

•—Elimination of violence against women;•—I n c reased access of women and girls to all lev-

els and forms of education;•—Gender-related analysis, data disaggregated

by sex, and gender impact assessments.

Poverty debates in other forumsMillennium Summit

The widening chasm between rich and poor, peopleand nations alike, and the challenges of governing glob-alization were at the heart of discussions among 150Heads of States and Governments at the MillenniumSummit in New York in September 2000. In the Millen-nium Declaration they committed themselves to halve theproportion of the world’s poor by 2015 and to ensure thatthe benefits of globalization are accessible to all on anequitable footing.

General AssemblyThe uneven effects of globalization, the widening ga p

b e t ween rich and poor countries, and deepeninginequities dominated the plenary debate in the fifty-fifthsession of the General Assembly. The least developedcountries (LDCs) and small island developing states(SIDS) were especially concerned about their marginal-ization in the global economic, financial and trading sys-tem and about new exclusions from the emerging globalknowledge economy. They felt that developing countriesshould be able to pursue globalization at their own pace,where the opening of their markets would depend on theirstage of development. The particular challenges of inte-grating LDCs, SIDS and landlocked countries into the

global economy were brought up, with the hope that solu-tions would be sought at the Third United Nations Con-ference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-III) in2001.

First United Nations Decade for the Eradication ofPoverty

Discussions on implementation of activities of theDecade (1997-2006) took place on 25 October in the Sec-ond Committee, which examines economic issues. Del-egates had before them the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the First UnitedNations Decade for the Eradication of Pove rt y(A/55/407). They noted that extreme poverty, glaringinequality of income and opport u n i t y, severe malnutritionand the lack of basic social services were critical chal-lenges faced by the international community. Delegatesemphasized that the Decade must mark a call to actionon several fronts: a demonstration of political will at thenational and international levels, stopping the decline inODA, speedy debt relief, greater foreign direct invest-ment, technology transfer, and reform of the intern a t i o n a lf inancial system.

Administrative Committee on CoordinationThe Administrative Committee on Coordination, at

its first regular session of 2000 (Rome, 6-7 April), under-scored that pove rty eradication was the greatest challengeof globalization (ACC/2000/4). They agreed to acceler-ate implementation of the Integrated Framework for theLeast Developed Countries and to request the WorldTrade Organization, as the lead agency, to report back toACC at its next session.

Current and forthcoming publications on poverty

O ve rcoming Human Pove rt y, UNDP’s pove rty reportfor 2000 and a contribution to the Copenhagen+5 specialsession, focuses on how to make anti-pove rty plans moree ff e c t ive. It calls for a new global strategy to bemounted—with more resources, a sharper focus andstronger commitment. http://www/undp.org/povertyreport8

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

The UNDP Human Development Report 2000 p l a c e spoverty eradication in a human rights framework: free-dom from want and freedom for decent work withoutexploitation.

The World Bank’s Wo rld Development Rep o rt2000/2001 is subtitled Attacking Poverty. It seeks toexpand the understanding of poverty and its causes. Itargues that major reductions in human deprivation areindeed possible and that the forces of global integrationand technological advice can and must be harnessed toserve the poor. It concurs that poverty encompasses notonly low income and consumption but also low levels ofeducation, health, nutrition and other aspects of humandevelopment. (This concept of the multidimensionalnature of pove rty was introduced by the UNDP in H u m a nDevelopment Report 1997.) The report recommendsactions in three areas: promoting opport u n i t y, fa c i l i t a t i n gempowerment and enhancing security.

The 2001 Report on the World Social Situation willbe out soon. The Division for Social Policy and Devel-opment in the United Nations Secretariat, Department ofEconomic and Social Affairs, has submitted an overviewof the report (E/2000/9) to the Economic and SocialCouncil. Chapter III of the report, “Trends in living con-ditions: a mixed record of achievement,” notes the linksbetween poverty, hunger and unemployment.

The P re l i m i n a ry Ove rv i ew of the Economies of Lat i nAmerica and the Caribbean, published by the EconomicCommission for Latin America and the Caribbean, hasappeared in December. Also in December, the Economicand Social Commission of Western Asia will publishFemale-Headed Households in Selected Confl i c t -Stricken ESCWA Countries: An Exploratory Survey forFormulating Poverty Alleviation Policies.

VoicesHeard in the plenary (of the Geneva specialsession)

Theo Ben-Gurirab, President of the GeneralA s s e m bly: To uphold the social commitment ex p r e s s e din Copenhagen five years ago, we must marshal resourcesfor social commitment commensurate with the needs ofpeople. By this, I mean not only development grants bu talso other critical areas of policy initiative: debt cancel-lation, productive investment, measures to discouragefinancial speculation, and fi rm action to end the tariff andn o n - t a r i ff barriers that are still imposed lopsidedly aga i n s td eveloping countries that can least afford them.

Canada: We need a common framework for inter-national action based on shared goals and values. Ourexperience in the past f ive years has shown that we willachieve neither economic nor sustainable social devel-opment without integrating the two. A multilateral sys-tem in which economic, social and financial institutionswork independently is no longer viable.

Russian Fe d e ration: Countries with economies intransition are determined to overcome the social costsof transition, eradicate pove rt y, achieve full employ m e n tand strengthen social integration. But their eff o rts stilldo not get an adequate response from the intern a t i o n a lc o m m u n i t y. The Russian Federation is of the opinionthat it is high time to hold a large-scale high-leve lr egional conference under United Nations auspices todiscuss the problems of social development of countrieswith economies in transition and focus on fi n d i n gr e s o u r c e s .

G e r m a ny: Industrialized countries must active lyc o n t r i bute to all parts of the world being able to drawb e n e fits from world trade . . . An important step in thisdirection is to overcome blatant and latent protectionism.C u rr e n t ly, the poorest developing countries have a shareof only 0.5 per cent in world trade. Industrialized coun-tries are spending some $350 billion to seal off their agr i-cultural sector. This is about seven times the amount wespend on official development cooperation . . . In thefield of health to combat HIV/AIDS and basic education,we are part i c u l a r ly interested in supporting girls andwomen. Giving women access to education is not only 9

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

•—Targets to close the gender gap in primary andsecondary education by 2005;

•—Free compulsory and universal primary edu-cation for both girls and boys by 2015;

•—A 50 per cent improvement in levels of adultliteracy by 2015, especially for women;

•—An increase in women’s participation in thelabour market on an equal and non-discrimi-natory basis;

•—A reduction in maternal morbidity and mortal-ity as a health priority;

•—Elimination of violence against women;•—I n c reased access of women and girls to all lev-

els and forms of education;•—Gender-related analysis, data disaggregated

by sex, and gender impact assessments.

Poverty debates in other forumsMillennium Summit

The widening chasm between rich and poor, peopleand nations alike, and the challenges of governing glob-alization were at the heart of discussions among 150Heads of States and Governments at the MillenniumSummit in New York in September 2000. In the Millen-nium Declaration they committed themselves to halve theproportion of the world’s poor by 2015 and to ensure thatthe benefits of globalization are accessible to all on anequitable footing.

General AssemblyThe uneven effects of globalization, the widening ga p

b e t ween rich and poor countries, and deepeninginequities dominated the plenary debate in the fifty-fifthsession of the General Assembly. The least developedcountries (LDCs) and small island developing states(SIDS) were especially concerned about their marginal-ization in the global economic, financial and trading sys-tem and about new exclusions from the emerging globalknowledge economy. They felt that developing countriesshould be able to pursue globalization at their own pace,where the opening of their markets would depend on theirstage of development. The particular challenges of inte-grating LDCs, SIDS and landlocked countries into the

global economy were brought up, with the hope that solu-tions would be sought at the Third United Nations Con-ference on the Least Developed Countries (LDC-III) in2001.

First United Nations Decade for the Eradication ofPoverty

Discussions on implementation of activities of theDecade (1997-2006) took place on 25 October in the Sec-ond Committee, which examines economic issues. Del-egates had before them the report of the Secretary-General on the implementation of the First UnitedNations Decade for the Eradication of Pove rt y(A/55/407). They noted that extreme poverty, glaringinequality of income and opport u n i t y, severe malnutritionand the lack of basic social services were critical chal-lenges faced by the international community. Delegatesemphasized that the Decade must mark a call to actionon several fronts: a demonstration of political will at thenational and international levels, stopping the decline inODA, speedy debt relief, greater foreign direct invest-ment, technology transfer, and reform of the intern a t i o n a lf inancial system.

Administrative Committee on CoordinationThe Administrative Committee on Coordination, at

its first regular session of 2000 (Rome, 6-7 April), under-scored that pove rty eradication was the greatest challengeof globalization (ACC/2000/4). They agreed to acceler-ate implementation of the Integrated Framework for theLeast Developed Countries and to request the WorldTrade Organization, as the lead agency, to report back toACC at its next session.

Current and forthcoming publications on poverty

O ve rcoming Human Pove rt y, UNDP’s pove rty reportfor 2000 and a contribution to the Copenhagen+5 specialsession, focuses on how to make anti-pove rty plans moree ff e c t ive. It calls for a new global strategy to bemounted—with more resources, a sharper focus andstronger commitment. http://www/undp.org/povertyreport8

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

lic trust, a gap that is felt by the Bretton Woods insti-tutions, the United Nations as well as non-govern-mental organizations. (Mamphela Ramphele, Wo r l dBank Managing Director for Human Development)Donor countries must harmonize procedures, resistmicromanaging aid projects, untie aid from condi-tionalities, and put money on the table to match com-mitments for debt relief. Developing countries, fortheir part, must (be able to) assume responsibility formanaging their development through inclusion, par-ticipation, transparency and accountability.(Eveline Herfkens, Minister for Development Coop-eration, Netherlands)In India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association(SEWA) strategy in organizing women workers at thehousehold level has five components: strengtheninge m p l oyment opportunities through regular and labour-intensive work; enabling the poor access to financialservices to build assets of their own; capacity-build-ing to stand fi rm in the competitive market, gain accessto information and technology and skills training; pro-viding social security, mainly health care, child care,insurance and housing; and collective, orga n i z e dstrength through people’s organizations to enablewomen to be active participants in decision-making.(Mirai Chatterjee (SEWA))Under current conditions, the 2005 target for primaryeducation is arithmetically impossible to achieve. In2015, at least 75 million children will still be out ofschool, two thirds of whom will be girls and three-fourths will be Africans. Low levels of spending oneducation by developing countries are ethically inde-f e n s i ble and economically suicidal. To obtain concreteresults in education, it is essential to increase aid foreducation and ensure that debt burdens and IMF-initiated programmes don’t squeeze out educationspending. (Kevin Watkins, Senior Policy Analyst atOxfam, United Kingdom)Africa has borne enormous social, political and cul-tural costs of globalization and neo-liberal policies thathave taken it nowhere. The rest of the world tends tocriticize African Gove rnments for their failure to enacts t ructural adjustment programmes, ignoring the role of

debt servicing and the fall in ODA. Conflict, corrup-tion and charades of elections have played their partin keeping Africa down, but the criminal economicmodel of a predatory market must bear most of theblame. (Aminata Traore, Mali’s former Minister ofCulture and Tourism)

Media clipsInter-Press Service: The fight against povertyhas yet to be clearly defined despite a 2015 dead-line to cut the number of the world’s poor in half.Nitin Desai, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, praisedthe resolutions focusing on specific targetsagainst poverty. He said the 2015 target was oneof the main achievements chalked up by the gath-ering. . . . The Copenhagen+5 meeting, whichassessed compliance with the commitments toeradicate poverty assumed five years ago, repro-duced the traditional standoff between rich andpoor countries that crops up whenever develop-ment-related questions are debated at interna-tional forums.Earth Times: Most developing countries andNGOs say the Geneva document lacks teeth.They say its biggest shortcoming is that it doesnot set targets for the attainment of social goals.Nor does it commit developed countries to pro-vide new and additional funding for anti-povertyp rogrammes by a specific date. . . . Optimists saidthe session made several policy gains and sig-nalled that poverty alleviation remains a top pri-ority for Governments. . . . Delegates agreed forthe first time on a proposal asking private busi-nesses to promote social goals. However, busi-ness groups were noticeably absent from thereview meetings. Some observers said theirbeing in Geneva would have helped to generatemore support for the concept of corporate socialresponsibility.

1 1

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

a necessity for reasons of gender equality and democ-r a cy; such action is the most important investment for allcountries.

Sweden: Poverty and exclusion are not just a lack ofmaterial resources. They are also a lack of rights, know-ledge, influence . . . and of power. Poverty reduction re-quires investments that can empower people. Four cru c i a lelements in setting a framework for social developmentare: countries with more advanced economies must takethe target of 0.7 per cent of GDP for ODA seriously. Wemust alleviate the heavy burden of debt facing develop-ing countries. We must improve the working conditionsfor workers all over the world. We must recognize themutually reinforcing links between gender equality andpoverty eradication.

China: We have to be soberly aware that global socialdevelopment still falls short of expectations . . . The gapin wealth between the North and the South continues towiden. The size of the world’s population living inpoverty has become bigger instead of smaller, leavingmany people with no basic means for survival and devel-opment. These cold facts tell us that global social devel-opment is a long and uphill battle and calls for protractedand unremitting efforts from all Governments, peoplesand the international community.

Norway: The social needs of people cannot be leftto the markets. Access to health and education and equi-table distribution of welfare are not tradeable commodi-ties. No stock market can determine their value. They rep-resent the crucial web that holds our societies together . . .Reaching the goal of halving world poverty by 2015 is atall order. But it is possible. The many United Nationsconferences have told us how. We now need a strongerwill to translate all that knowledge into action. Poverty isa direct abuse of human rights and human dignity. Com-bating pove rty is the most crucial task for securing humanrights of all.

United Republic of Tanzania: On average, since1995, the Government has been spending about 40 percent of domestic revenue in servicing debt each ye a r. . . . T h edebt problems facing the least developed countriesrequire urgent solutions. Measures taken so far taken havenot proven adequate. Coupled with the problem of inade-

quate domestic resources is the decline in resource flowsfrom our collaborating and development partners.

C u b a : Neoliberalism, a fa s h i o n a ble doctrineimposed on today’s world, forces ruthless budget cuts onunderdeveloped nations’ programmes for health, educa-tion, culture, sports, social security, low-cost housing anddrinking water, making social development impossible.

Chairman’s panelsThree Chairman’s panels were held concurrent with

the meetings of the plenary and the ad hoc Committee ofthe Whole, on the following themes: Enabling environ-ment and resources for social development; Promotion offull employment; and Social integration (basic social services for all).

They featured a range of speakers from Govern-ments, international institutions, the private sector andnon-governmental organizations. Some excerpts:

Governments should learn to play a new role withoutevading responsibility in economic and social devel-opment. Marke t - d r iven economic gr owth policieshave to take into account the weakness of the privatesector. (Pascoal M. Mucumbi, Prime Minister ofMozambique) An enabling environment is not only an economic butalso a political and social culture. The prevailing idol-atry of the market, symbolized by the shopping mall,has fostered a culture of consumerism instead of a cul-ture of citizenship and public welfare, as evident froma declining participation in elections and falling lev-els of national savings. The market cannot promote thegrowth of civil society, which is vital to the realizationof the Social Summit goals. (Patricio Ay lwin Azocar,former President of Chile) The creation of an enabling environment calls foraction on four fronts: a further shift in empowermentto the grassroots level; commitment of resources froma variety of sources, bearing in mind that officialdevelopment funds ($100 billion) are dwarfed by pri-vate flows ($700 billion), which reinforces the need forgreater private-sector involvement in development;ensuring that communities are represented in voicesheard in decision-making; and filling the gap in pub-1 0

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

lic trust, a gap that is felt by the Bretton Woods insti-tutions, the United Nations as well as non-govern-mental organizations. (Mamphela Ramphele, Wo r l dBank Managing Director for Human Development)Donor countries must harmonize procedures, resistmicromanaging aid projects, untie aid from condi-tionalities, and put money on the table to match com-mitments for debt relief. Developing countries, fortheir part, must (be able to) assume responsibility formanaging their development through inclusion, par-ticipation, transparency and accountability.(Eveline Herfkens, Minister for Development Coop-eration, Netherlands)In India, the Self-Employed Women’s Association(SEWA) strategy in organizing women workers at thehousehold level has five components: strengtheninge m p l oyment opportunities through regular and labour-intensive work; enabling the poor access to financialservices to build assets of their own; capacity-build-ing to stand fi rm in the competitive market, gain accessto information and technology and skills training; pro-viding social security, mainly health care, child care,insurance and housing; and collective, orga n i z e dstrength through people’s organizations to enablewomen to be active participants in decision-making.(Mirai Chatterjee (SEWA))Under current conditions, the 2005 target for primaryeducation is arithmetically impossible to achieve. In2015, at least 75 million children will still be out ofschool, two thirds of whom will be girls and three-fourths will be Africans. Low levels of spending oneducation by developing countries are ethically inde-f e n s i ble and economically suicidal. To obtain concreteresults in education, it is essential to increase aid foreducation and ensure that debt burdens and IMF-initiated programmes don’t squeeze out educationspending. (Kevin Watkins, Senior Policy Analyst atOxfam, United Kingdom)Africa has borne enormous social, political and cul-tural costs of globalization and neo-liberal policies thathave taken it nowhere. The rest of the world tends tocriticize African Gove rnments for their failure to enacts t ructural adjustment programmes, ignoring the role of

debt servicing and the fall in ODA. Conflict, corrup-tion and charades of elections have played their partin keeping Africa down, but the criminal economicmodel of a predatory market must bear most of theblame. (Aminata Traore, Mali’s former Minister ofCulture and Tourism)

Media clipsInter-Press Service: The fight against povertyhas yet to be clearly defined despite a 2015 dead-line to cut the number of the world’s poor in half.Nitin Desai, United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, praisedthe resolutions focusing on specific targetsagainst poverty. He said the 2015 target was oneof the main achievements chalked up by the gath-ering. . . . The Copenhagen+5 meeting, whichassessed compliance with the commitments toeradicate poverty assumed five years ago, repro-duced the traditional standoff between rich andpoor countries that crops up whenever develop-ment-related questions are debated at interna-tional forums.Earth Times: Most developing countries andNGOs say the Geneva document lacks teeth.They say its biggest shortcoming is that it doesnot set targets for the attainment of social goals.Nor does it commit developed countries to pro-vide new and additional funding for anti-povertyp rogrammes by a specific date. . . . Optimists saidthe session made several policy gains and sig-nalled that poverty alleviation remains a top pri-ority for Governments. . . . Delegates agreed forthe first time on a proposal asking private busi-nesses to promote social goals. However, busi-ness groups were noticeably absent from thereview meetings. Some observers said theirbeing in Geneva would have helped to generatemore support for the concept of corporate socialresponsibility.

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a necessity for reasons of gender equality and democ-r a cy; such action is the most important investment for allcountries.

Sweden: Poverty and exclusion are not just a lack ofmaterial resources. They are also a lack of rights, know-ledge, influence . . . and of power. Poverty reduction re-quires investments that can empower people. Four cru c i a lelements in setting a framework for social developmentare: countries with more advanced economies must takethe target of 0.7 per cent of GDP for ODA seriously. Wemust alleviate the heavy burden of debt facing develop-ing countries. We must improve the working conditionsfor workers all over the world. We must recognize themutually reinforcing links between gender equality andpoverty eradication.

China: We have to be soberly aware that global socialdevelopment still falls short of expectations . . . The gapin wealth between the North and the South continues towiden. The size of the world’s population living inpoverty has become bigger instead of smaller, leavingmany people with no basic means for survival and devel-opment. These cold facts tell us that global social devel-opment is a long and uphill battle and calls for protractedand unremitting efforts from all Governments, peoplesand the international community.

Norway: The social needs of people cannot be leftto the markets. Access to health and education and equi-table distribution of welfare are not tradeable commodi-ties. No stock market can determine their value. They rep-resent the crucial web that holds our societies together . . .Reaching the goal of halving world poverty by 2015 is atall order. But it is possible. The many United Nationsconferences have told us how. We now need a strongerwill to translate all that knowledge into action. Poverty isa direct abuse of human rights and human dignity. Com-bating pove rty is the most crucial task for securing humanrights of all.

United Republic of Tanzania: On average, since1995, the Government has been spending about 40 percent of domestic revenue in servicing debt each ye a r. . . . T h edebt problems facing the least developed countriesrequire urgent solutions. Measures taken so far taken havenot proven adequate. Coupled with the problem of inade-

quate domestic resources is the decline in resource flowsfrom our collaborating and development partners.

C u b a : Neoliberalism, a fa s h i o n a ble doctrineimposed on today’s world, forces ruthless budget cuts onunderdeveloped nations’ programmes for health, educa-tion, culture, sports, social security, low-cost housing anddrinking water, making social development impossible.

Chairman’s panelsThree Chairman’s panels were held concurrent with

the meetings of the plenary and the ad hoc Committee ofthe Whole, on the following themes: Enabling environ-ment and resources for social development; Promotion offull employment; and Social integration (basic social services for all).

They featured a range of speakers from Govern-ments, international institutions, the private sector andnon-governmental organizations. Some excerpts:

Governments should learn to play a new role withoutevading responsibility in economic and social devel-opment. Marke t - d r iven economic gr owth policieshave to take into account the weakness of the privatesector. (Pascoal M. Mucumbi, Prime Minister ofMozambique) An enabling environment is not only an economic butalso a political and social culture. The prevailing idol-atry of the market, symbolized by the shopping mall,has fostered a culture of consumerism instead of a cul-ture of citizenship and public welfare, as evident froma declining participation in elections and falling lev-els of national savings. The market cannot promote thegrowth of civil society, which is vital to the realizationof the Social Summit goals. (Patricio Ay lwin Azocar,former President of Chile) The creation of an enabling environment calls foraction on four fronts: a further shift in empowermentto the grassroots level; commitment of resources froma variety of sources, bearing in mind that officialdevelopment funds ($100 billion) are dwarfed by pri-vate flows ($700 billion), which reinforces the need forgreater private-sector involvement in development;ensuring that communities are represented in voicesheard in decision-making; and filling the gap in pub-1 0

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

of the lack of education, hard labour, sexual exploitationand trafficking and much of the violence and abuse towhich women and children are exposed worldwide. . . .Social development is about people’s basic human dig-nity and human rights. It is not about charity.

Third World Network: Poverty has increased inmany countries, unemployment remains an entrenchedp r o blem and there is an increase in conflicts around issuesof local autonomy and ethnic identity . . . United Nationsofficials said the decision to conduct a rigorous analysis

of implications of proposals for new and innovativesources of funding for social development and povertyeradication was good enough to enable them to start wo r kon studies relating to a currency tax. The agreement toconsider a temporary debt standstill was an advance, asit was probably the first time that an international con-ference had endorsed such a measure (an initiative byan indebted country to temporarily stop payment on itsforeign debt).

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Earth Negotiations Bulletin: Despite deeppolitical divisions over issues such as humanrights, governance, debt and the nature andscope of globalization, the climate of the negoti-ations remained mostly positive. Many delegates,even those with differing viewpoints on the out-come, noted their appreciation of the humour andconstructive guidance of the Chairs of the specialsession’s three working groups. While delegatesexpressed some frustration over different inter-pretations of the benefits and drawbacks of pre-vailing economic structures, by many accountsthe final document makes progress. It puts forthnew references to a World Solidarity Fund, thet r a n s p a rency of international financial institutions,new and innovative sources of funding, and therecognition of the critical importance of access tomedicines at affordable prices.South-North Development Monitor: Perhapsthe real benefit of the Copenhagen+5 outcome,several NGO representatives said on Saturday,was a political platform that would enable theb road coalition of non-governmental developmentgroups of the South and the North to keep uppublic pre s s u res and run campaigns against Bre t-ton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organi-zation and their policies, as well as several partsof the United Nations system itself that promotetransnational corporate interests. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: It will be areal novelty if the delegates at the conferencecommit themselves to the goal of halving globalpoverty by 2015. However, the Secre t a r y - G e n e r a lmade clear to delegates from industrialized coun-tries that this goal would not be achieved unlessthey opened their markets, agreed on further debtrelief and granted more development aid.Le Temps (Geneva): A rare point of consensus:it was accepted that a moratorium on debt wouldbe declared when a country is in a financial cri-sis. Governments can no longer cut back costson health, education and social programmes

under structural adjustment policies. It was alsoaccepted that developing countries would have astronger voice in the IMF, the World Bank and theWTO. The Financial Express (Dhaka): The secondsocial development summit [in Geneva] shouldconcentrate on convincing the rich nations to helpthe poor to ensure global peace and stability. Ifhalf the world’s population lives in poverty, the fre etrade regime will collapse and the Seattle andWashington dramas will be repeated.

NGO commentarySocial Watch: The special session agreed on a less

precise formulation of the 2015 goals [the Social WatchBenchmark document said each country should be askedto define specific goals of reducing poverty to half the1993 levels by 2015, and no less than one third by 2010].It recognizes the feminization of poverty. It falls short ofstarting a process towards a convention to eradicatep ove rt y, but such a result might be part of the global cam-paign against poverty that it recommends.

I n t e rnational Council on Social We l f a re: A t t e m p t sto achieve specific commitments that would mobilizeadditional resources for social development, especiallyanti-poverty initiatives, were successfully resisted [inG e n eva] by the wealthier countries. The OECD countrieshave agreed on seven specific, measurable, anti-povertytargets for achievement around the world by 2015. Tomobilize the resources needed to achieve these targets, abalanced package of action needs to be agreed upon,preferably in the form of an anti-poverty pact, involvingboth developed and developing countries and mobiliza-tion of both public and private sector resources.

Statement of NGOs present at Copenhagen+5:We wish to challenge the prevailing view that glob-

alization is the only way to organize the world economyand that more globalization will reduce poverty. The cur-rent trend of globalization, structural adjustment pro-grammes, WTO agreements and the activities of transna-tional corporations are the underlying causes of thisdeterioration . . . Pove rty and inequality are the root cause1 2

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

Calendar of events 2001-2003For acronyms, see below.

Title of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Commission for Social Development 12-23 February 2001 DESAThirty-ninth session (Priority theme: New YorkSocial Protection)

Preparatory Committee for the 13-23 February 2001 DESAHigh-level International Intergovernmental New YorkEvent on Financing for DevelopmentSecond Substantive Session

Commission on Sustainable Development 26 February–9 March DESAAd Hoc Intersessional Working Group 2001 New York

Round Table Discussion on Good Governance September 2001 ESCWAas a Tool for Poverty Alleviation Beirut/Marrakesh

Third United Nations Conference on the 14-21 May 2001 UNCTADLeast Developed Countries (LDC-III) Brussels

World Employment Forum 1-3 November 2001 ILOGeneva

of the lack of education, hard labour, sexual exploitationand trafficking and much of the violence and abuse towhich women and children are exposed worldwide. . . .Social development is about people’s basic human dig-nity and human rights. It is not about charity.

Third World Network: Poverty has increased inmany countries, unemployment remains an entrenchedp r o blem and there is an increase in conflicts around issuesof local autonomy and ethnic identity . . . United Nationsofficials said the decision to conduct a rigorous analysis

of implications of proposals for new and innovativesources of funding for social development and povertyeradication was good enough to enable them to start wo r kon studies relating to a currency tax. The agreement toconsider a temporary debt standstill was an advance, asit was probably the first time that an international con-ference had endorsed such a measure (an initiative byan indebted country to temporarily stop payment on itsforeign debt).

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BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

Earth Negotiations Bulletin: Despite deeppolitical divisions over issues such as humanrights, governance, debt and the nature andscope of globalization, the climate of the negoti-ations remained mostly positive. Many delegates,even those with differing viewpoints on the out-come, noted their appreciation of the humour andconstructive guidance of the Chairs of the specialsession’s three working groups. While delegatesexpressed some frustration over different inter-pretations of the benefits and drawbacks of pre-vailing economic structures, by many accountsthe final document makes progress. It puts forthnew references to a World Solidarity Fund, thet r a n s p a rency of international financial institutions,new and innovative sources of funding, and therecognition of the critical importance of access tomedicines at affordable prices.South-North Development Monitor: Perhapsthe real benefit of the Copenhagen+5 outcome,several NGO representatives said on Saturday,was a political platform that would enable theb road coalition of non-governmental developmentgroups of the South and the North to keep uppublic pre s s u res and run campaigns against Bre t-ton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organi-zation and their policies, as well as several partsof the United Nations system itself that promotetransnational corporate interests. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung: It will be areal novelty if the delegates at the conferencecommit themselves to the goal of halving globalpoverty by 2015. However, the Secre t a r y - G e n e r a lmade clear to delegates from industrialized coun-tries that this goal would not be achieved unlessthey opened their markets, agreed on further debtrelief and granted more development aid.Le Temps (Geneva): A rare point of consensus:it was accepted that a moratorium on debt wouldbe declared when a country is in a financial cri-sis. Governments can no longer cut back costson health, education and social programmes

under structural adjustment policies. It was alsoaccepted that developing countries would have astronger voice in the IMF, the World Bank and theWTO. The Financial Express (Dhaka): The secondsocial development summit [in Geneva] shouldconcentrate on convincing the rich nations to helpthe poor to ensure global peace and stability. Ifhalf the world’s population lives in poverty, the fre etrade regime will collapse and the Seattle andWashington dramas will be repeated.

NGO commentarySocial Watch: The special session agreed on a less

precise formulation of the 2015 goals [the Social WatchBenchmark document said each country should be askedto define specific goals of reducing poverty to half the1993 levels by 2015, and no less than one third by 2010].It recognizes the feminization of poverty. It falls short ofstarting a process towards a convention to eradicatep ove rt y, but such a result might be part of the global cam-paign against poverty that it recommends.

I n t e rnational Council on Social We l f a re: A t t e m p t sto achieve specific commitments that would mobilizeadditional resources for social development, especiallyanti-poverty initiatives, were successfully resisted [inG e n eva] by the wealthier countries. The OECD countrieshave agreed on seven specific, measurable, anti-povertytargets for achievement around the world by 2015. Tomobilize the resources needed to achieve these targets, abalanced package of action needs to be agreed upon,preferably in the form of an anti-poverty pact, involvingboth developed and developing countries and mobiliza-tion of both public and private sector resources.

Statement of NGOs present at Copenhagen+5:We wish to challenge the prevailing view that glob-

alization is the only way to organize the world economyand that more globalization will reduce poverty. The cur-rent trend of globalization, structural adjustment pro-grammes, WTO agreements and the activities of transna-tional corporations are the underlying causes of thisdeterioration . . . Pove rty and inequality are the root cause1 2

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdf

Calendar of events 2001-2003For acronyms, see below.

Title of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Commission for Social Development 12-23 February 2001 DESAThirty-ninth session (Priority theme: New YorkSocial Protection)

Preparatory Committee for the 13-23 February 2001 DESAHigh-level International Intergovernmental New YorkEvent on Financing for DevelopmentSecond Substantive Session

Commission on Sustainable Development 26 February–9 March DESAAd Hoc Intersessional Working Group 2001 New York

Round Table Discussion on Good Governance September 2001 ESCWAas a Tool for Poverty Alleviation Beirut/Marrakesh

Third United Nations Conference on the 14-21 May 2001 UNCTADLeast Developed Countries (LDC-III) Brussels

World Employment Forum 1-3 November 2001 ILOGeneva

1 51 4

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdfTitle of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Regional Seminar on Evaluation of March 2001 ESCAPIncome/Employment Generating Programmes Bangkok, Thailandto Alleviate Socio-economic Impacts of Economic Crisis

Committee on Socio-economic Measures to October 2001 ESCAPAlleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas Bangkok, ThailandFourth session

High-level Meeting on Progress in the November/December ESCAPImplementation of the Copenhagen Declaration 2001and the Agenda for Action on Bangkok, ThailandSocial Development in the ESCAP region

Committee on Socio-economic Measures to October 2002 ESCAPAlleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas Bangkok, ThailandFifth session

Committee on Socio-economic Measures to October 2003 ESCAPAlleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas Bangkok, ThailandSixth session

Expert Group Meeting on Gender January 2001 ESCAPDimensions in Evaluating Social Safety Bangkok, ThailandNet Programmes

Regional seminar on improving February 2001 ESCAPaccess to social services by poor Bangkok, Thailandand disadvantaged groups

National human resource development February-September 2001 ESCAP

(HRD) courses for youth development (Venue to be determined)

HRD course on poverty alleviation May 2001 ESCAPShanghai, China

Third Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental 4-8 June 2001 ESCAPMeeting on Human Resources for Youth Bangkok, Thailand

Title of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Regional Seminar on Strengthening August 2001 ESCAPCommunity-based Cooperatives and (Exact date and venue Marketing Mechanisms to Alleviate to be determined)Poverty of Rural Women

Sub-regional HRD course on poverty October 2001 ESCAPalleviation Philippines

Training seminar on poverty alleviation October/November 2001 ESCAPamong rural persons with disabilities China

Sixth Asian and Pacific Ministerial October 2003 ESCAPConference on Social Development (Exact date and venue

to be determined)

Seminar on Local Economic Development March 2001 ECLACand Decentralization Cartagena de Indias,

Colombia

Launch of Social Panorama of Latin America March 2001 ECLACSantiago, Chile

Seventh Regional Workshop on Household Second quarter 2001 ECLACSurveys to Assess Living Conditions, Poverty Aguascalientes, MexicoLevels and Income Distribution (with INEGI of Mexico)

Regional course on methodology for planning March-April 2001 ECLACand conduct of household surveys to assess Aguascalientes, Mexicoliving conditions, poverty levels and income distribution (with IADB and in coordination with INEGI)

Eighth Regional Workshop on Household Fourth quarter 2001 ECLACSurveys to Assess Living Conditions, Poverty Buenos Aires, ArgentinaLevels and Income Distribution (with INDEC of Argentina)

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

1 51 4

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdfTitle of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Regional Seminar on Evaluation of March 2001 ESCAPIncome/Employment Generating Programmes Bangkok, Thailandto Alleviate Socio-economic Impacts of Economic Crisis

Committee on Socio-economic Measures to October 2001 ESCAPAlleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas Bangkok, ThailandFourth session

High-level Meeting on Progress in the November/December ESCAPImplementation of the Copenhagen Declaration 2001and the Agenda for Action on Bangkok, ThailandSocial Development in the ESCAP region

Committee on Socio-economic Measures to October 2002 ESCAPAlleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas Bangkok, ThailandFifth session

Committee on Socio-economic Measures to October 2003 ESCAPAlleviate Poverty in Rural and Urban Areas Bangkok, ThailandSixth session

Expert Group Meeting on Gender January 2001 ESCAPDimensions in Evaluating Social Safety Bangkok, ThailandNet Programmes

Regional seminar on improving February 2001 ESCAPaccess to social services by poor Bangkok, Thailandand disadvantaged groups

National human resource development February-September 2001 ESCAP

(HRD) courses for youth development (Venue to be determined)

HRD course on poverty alleviation May 2001 ESCAPShanghai, China

Third Asia-Pacific Intergovernmental 4-8 June 2001 ESCAPMeeting on Human Resources for Youth Bangkok, Thailand

Title of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Regional Seminar on Strengthening August 2001 ESCAPCommunity-based Cooperatives and (Exact date and venue Marketing Mechanisms to Alleviate to be determined)Poverty of Rural Women

Sub-regional HRD course on poverty October 2001 ESCAPalleviation Philippines

Training seminar on poverty alleviation October/November 2001 ESCAPamong rural persons with disabilities China

Sixth Asian and Pacific Ministerial October 2003 ESCAPConference on Social Development (Exact date and venue

to be determined)

Seminar on Local Economic Development March 2001 ECLACand Decentralization Cartagena de Indias,

Colombia

Launch of Social Panorama of Latin America March 2001 ECLACSantiago, Chile

Seventh Regional Workshop on Household Second quarter 2001 ECLACSurveys to Assess Living Conditions, Poverty Aguascalientes, MexicoLevels and Income Distribution (with INEGI of Mexico)

Regional course on methodology for planning March-April 2001 ECLACand conduct of household surveys to assess Aguascalientes, Mexicoliving conditions, poverty levels and income distribution (with IADB and in coordination with INEGI)

Eighth Regional Workshop on Household Fourth quarter 2001 ECLACSurveys to Assess Living Conditions, Poverty Buenos Aires, ArgentinaLevels and Income Distribution (with INDEC of Argentina)

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty

1 6

BULLETIN ON THE eradication of poverty asdfTitle of meeting Date and venue Organized by

Eleventh regional workshop on poverty July 2001 ECLACmeasurement (with INEGI) Aguascalientes, Mexico

Regional course on methodology for planning August-September 2001 ECLACand conduct of household surveys to assess Buenos Aires, Argentinaliving conditions, poverty levels and income distribution (with IADB and in coordination with INDEC)

Launch of Social Panorama of Latin America March 2002 ECLACSantiago, Chile

Twelfth regional workshop on poverty July 2002 Aguascalientes, Mex i c omeasurement (with INEGI) Aguascalientes, Mexico

DESADepartment of Economic and Social Affairs

ECLACEconomic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

ESCWAEconomic and Social Commission for Western Asia

IADB Inter-American Development Bank

ILO International Labour Office

INDEC National Institute of Statistics and Censuses

INEGI National Institute of Statistics, Geography and Information

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Information on United Nationspoverty eradication activities on

the Internet

For information on the activities of the Division forSocial Policy and Development in the United NationsSecretariat, Department of Economic and Social Affairs,visit http://www.un.org/esa/socdev

For information on follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development, visit http://un.org/socialsummit For documents of the special session, visithttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/docs/english.pdfFor information on the International Year for the Eradi-cation of Poverty, visithttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/poverty.htmlFor information on the activities of the Commission forSocial Development, visithttp://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd

EDITOR’S NOTE

The Bulletin on the Eradication of Poverty is a peri-odical publication of the Division for Social Policy andDevelopment. It provides information on poverty eradi-cation initiatives, including those related to the Interna-tional Decade for the Eradication of Pove rty (1997-2006).Address correspondence to:

Editor, Bulletin on the Eradication of PovertyUnited Nations SecretariatRoom DC2-1320New York, NY 10017United States of America

00-79555—February 2001—2,000 Litho in United Nations, New York, USA