Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development

A/RES/50/161No PDF available

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the General Assembly, under agenda item 161Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development, published in 1996.

What other versions does this mandate have?

5 versions · 1996–1999

Newer documents in this group exist (latest: 1999).

1999A/RES/54/23Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social DevelopmentLatestCompare with previous version
1999A/RES/53/28Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social DevelopmentLatestCompare with previous version
1998A/RES/52/25Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social DevelopmentCompare with previous version
1997A/RES/51/202Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social DevelopmentCompare with previous version
1996A/RES/50/161Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development

Versions are identified automatically by matching titles within the same organ (~97% accuracy on a manual audit).

What does this mandate say?

52 operative paragraphs

Takes note with appreciation of the report of the World Summit for Social Development;

Takes note also of the report of the Secretary-General of 26 October 1995 on implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development;

Endorses the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, adopted on 12 March 1995;

Reaffirms the pledge by the heads of State and Government at the Summit to give highest priority to national, regional and international policies and actions for the promotion of social progress, justice and the betterment of the human condition, based on full participation by all;

Recognizes the necessity to create a framework for action to place people at the centre of development and direct economies to meet human needs more effectively;

Stresses the need for a renewed and massive political will at the national and international levels to invest in people and their well-being to achieve the objectives of social development;

Emphasizes that economic development, social development and environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing components of sustainable development;

Recognizes that social development and the implementation of the Programme of Action are primarily the responsibility of Governments, although international cooperation and assistance are essential for their full implementation;

Reiterates the call to Governments to define time-bound goals and targets for reducing overall poverty and eradicating absolute poverty, expanding employment and reducing unemployment, and enhancing social integration, within each national context;

Emphasizes that there is a need for promotion of an integrated and multidimensional approach for the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action at all levels;

Also reiterates the call for formulating or strengthening by 1996 comprehensive cross-sectoral strategies for implementing the outcome of the Summit and national strategies for social development, including government action, actions by States in cooperation with other Governments and international, regional and subregional organizations, and actions taken in partnership and cooperation with actors of civil society, the private sector and cooperatives, with specific responsibilities to be undertaken by each actor and with agreed priorities and time-frames;

Further reiterates the call for regularly assessing national progress towards implementing the outcome of the Summit, possibly in the form of periodic national reports, outlining successes, problems and obstacles; such reports could be considered within the framework of an appropriate consolidated reporting system, taking into account the different reporting procedures in the economic, social and environmental fields;

Reaffirms the need for effective partnership and cooperation between Governments and the relevant actors of civil society, the social partners, the major groups as defined in Agenda 21, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, in the implementation of and follow-up to the Declaration and Programme of Action, and for ensuring their involvement in the planning, elaboration, implementation and evaluation of social policies at the national level;

Recognizes that the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action will require the mobilization of financial resources at the national and international levels, as set out in commitments 8 and 9 of the Declaration and paragraphs 87 to 93 of the Programme of Action;

Also recognizes that the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action in developing countries, in particular in Africa and the least developed countries, will need additional financial resources and more effective development cooperation and assistance;

Concurs that substantial debt reduction is needed to enable developing countries to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action, as set out in commitment 9 (o) of the Declaration and paragraph 90 of the Programme of Action;

Reaffirms the importance of agreeing on a mutual commitment between interested developed and developing country partners to allocate, on average, 20 per cent of official development assistance and 20 per cent of the national budget, respectively, to basic social programmes;

Recognizes the necessity of providing appropriate technical cooperation and other forms of assistance to the countries with economies in transition, as set out in the provisions of the Declaration and Programme of Action;

Urges the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral development institutions, to study the impact of structural adjustment programmes on economic and social development and to assist adjusting countries in creating conditions for economic growth, job creation, poverty eradication and social development;

Encourages Governments as well as public and private institutions and organizations to take initiatives relevant to the high priority attached by the Summit to social development and to the implementation of the objectives and commitments adopted at the Summit;

The role of the United Nations system

Calls upon all relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system to be involved in the follow-up to the Summit, and invites specialized agencies and related organizations of the United Nations system to strengthen and adjust their activities, programmes and medium-term strategies, as appropriate, to take into account the follow-up to the Summit;

Reaffirms that the follow-up to the Summit will be undertaken on the basis of an integrated approach to social development and within the framework of a coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the results of the major international conferences in the economic, social and related fields;

Decides that the General Assembly, through its role in policy formulation, the Economic and Social Council, through its role in overall guidance and coordination, in accordance with their respective roles under the Charter of the United Nations and with Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20 December 1993, and a revitalized Commission for Social Development shall constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental process in the follow-up to the implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action;

Also decides to hold a special session of the General Assembly in the year 2000 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the outcome of the Summit and to consider further actions and initiatives;

Also reaffirms that the Economic and Social Council will provide overall guidance and oversee system-wide coordination in the implementation of the outcome of the Summit and make recommendations in this regard;

Requests the Economic and Social Council, so that it can review progress made towards implementing the outcome of the Summit as well as improving its own effectiveness, to continue examining ways, consistent with the mandates of the Charter and in accordance with General Assembly resolutions 45/264 of 13 May 1991, 46/235 of 13 April 1992 and 48/162, to strengthen its role, authority, structures, resources and processes, bringing specialized agencies into a closer working relationship with it;

Invites the Economic and Social Council to review the reporting system in the area of social development with a view to establishing a coherent system that could result in clear policy recommendations for Governments and international actors;

Calls upon the Commission for Social Development, as a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council with the primary responsibility for the follow-up to and review of the implementation of the Summit, to develop a multi-year programme of work to the year 2000, selecting specific themes and addressing them from an interrelated and integrated perspective, in a manner consistent with the functions and contributions of other relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, and to present its recommendations to the Council, which should ensure harmonization between such a multi-year programme of work and those of other relevant functional commissions of the Council;

Endorses Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/60, and calls upon the Commission for Social Development, when developing at its next session its multi-year programme of work for the follow-up to the Summit:

To adapt its mandate in order to ensure an integrated approach to social development;

To integrate the current sectoral issues on its agenda in the multi-year programme;

To review and update its methods of work and to make recommendations to ensure an effective follow-up to the Summit;

To establish the practice of inviting experts to contribute to its work;

To consider integrating into its work high-level representatives on social development issues and policies;

Requests the Commission for Social Development, in view of the scope of its work, to consider at its next session the composition of the membership of the Commission and the frequency of its sessions and to make recommendations thereon to the Economic and Social Council;

Also requests the Commission for Social Development to establish the practice of involving the relevant actors of civil society in the field of social development to contribute to its work, and requests the Secretary-General to present proposals to the Commission for Social Development and the Economic and Social Council for consideration at their next sessions, taking into account the experience gained in other functional commissions, the Council and the International Labour Organization and at the Summit;

Requests the Economic and Social Council, without prejudice to the outcome of the review of consultative arrangements by the Open-ended Working Group on the Review of Arrangements for Consultations with Non-Governmental Organizations, to consider authorizing the participation at the next session of the Commission for Social Development of interested civil society organizations that participated, by accreditation, in the Summit;

Invites, within their mandates, the regional commissions, in cooperation with the regional intergovernmental organizations and banks, to consider convening, on a biennial basis, a meeting at a high political level to review progress made towards implementing the outcome of the Summit, to exchange views on their respective experiences and to adopt the appropriate measures;

Emphasizes the important role of the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in monitoring those aspects of the Declaration and Programme of Action that relate to compliance by States parties with the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;

Notes the establishment of task forces for the follow-up to the Summit and other related United Nations conferences, and invites the Administrative Committee on Coordination to bring system-wide coordination issues to the attention of the Economic and Social Council, in particular its coordination segment, and to make recommendations thereon;

Reiterates that United Nations operational activities should be strengthened in order to contribute to the implementation of the outcome of the Summit in accordance with relevant resolutions;

Requests the United Nations Development Programme to facilitate the efforts of the United Nations system towards capacity-building at the local, national and regional levels and to support the coordinated implementation of social development programmes through the resident coordinator system;

Invites the International Labour Organization, which, because of its mandate, tripartite structure and expertise, has a special role to play in social development in the field of employment, to continue to contribute to the implementation of the Programme of Action;

Invites the Bretton Woods institutions to be actively involved in the implementation of and follow-up to the Summit and to enhance their cooperation with other parts of the United Nations system for this purpose;

Invites the World Trade Organization to consider how it might contribute to the implementation of the Programme of Action, including activities in cooperation with the United Nations system;

Invites the Secretary-General, including within the framework of the Administrative Committee on Coordination, to make appropriate arrangements, which may include joint meetings, for consultations with the heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, the United Nations funds and programmes, and other relevant agencies, for the purpose of cooperating in the implementation of the Declaration and the Programme of Action in their respective organizations;

Requests the Secretary-General to ensure an effectively functioning secretariat, within which clear responsibility is assigned to assist with the implementation of and follow-up to the Summit and the servicing of the intergovernmental bodies involved;

Also requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations bodies to take appropriate measures, in a coordinated manner, to strengthen the United Nations capacity for gathering and analysing information and developing indicators of social development, taking into account the work carried out by different countries, in particular by developing countries, as well as for providing policy and technical support and advice, upon request, to improve national capacities in this regard;

Decides that the trust fund of the World Summit for Social Development, established in accordance with General Assembly resolution 47/92 of 16 December 1992 to finance preparatory activities, be continued and renamed the Trust Fund for the Follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development, under the authority of the Secretary-General, with the aim of supporting programmes, seminars and activities for the promotion of social development in implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action, including activities of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty, and invites all States to contribute to the Fund;

Requests the Economic and Social Council to consider new and innovative ideas for generating funds and to offer for this purpose any useful suggestions;

Calls upon the Secretary-General to disseminate as widely as possible the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, including to all competent organs of the United Nations and the specialized agencies;

Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first session the item entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social Development", and to consider the implications for a more coherent treatment of related items on its agenda in the appropriate forums.

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Implementation of the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development

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