Commission Chair Miculescu Concludes the 53rd Session of the Commission for Social Development Following Successful Adoption of Four Draft Resolutions

GFDD was present for the fifty third session of the Commission for Social Development, which took place from February 4 to 13, under the Priority Theme “Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world”. The conference was open for contributions on the Priority Theme by ECOSOC accredited civil society organizations such as GFDD as well as UN Member States. It also served as the setting for 3 panel discussions on the priority theme and the post-2015 development agenda, as well as 24 side events by civil society and UN member states on related
themes.

During the opening session on February 4, led by the Commission Chair Simona Mirela Miculescu (Permanent Representative of the Permanent Mission of Romania to the UN), Daniela Bas, Director of the Division for Social Policy and Development (DSPD) at United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, presented the Report of the Secretary General on the Priority
Theme stressing that it assesses the progress made since the World Summit for Social Development in 1995 (the Summit). Ms. Bas explained that the report reveals that 20 years after the Summit, the commitments are still unfulfilled (poverty eradication in particular). Highlighting positive results, she noted that the extreme poverty rate has decreased and the number of people living in poverty
has decreased from 1995 until now.  Ms. Bas stated that nearly half of the developing world’s population lived in extreme poverty in 1990, a proportion that declined to 17% by 2011 —from 1.9 billion in 1990 to just above 1billion in 2011. Turning to less good news, she stressed that the amount of social inequality in the world had actually increased, before concluding that “social and economic policies need to work in tandem if we are to achieve socially,
environmentally and economically Sustainable Development Goals.”

The following day, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon was present at the second panel discussion to share his views as part of the commemoration event for the twentieth anniversary of the World Summit for Social Development on the topic “Social development: from Copenhagen to the post-2015 development agenda”. He explained that the
Summit’s placement of people at the heart of development had helped to reorient thinking by recognizing that growth alone was not enough to improve human well-being.  Growth must be judged not simply in terms of quantity, but of quality.  “The year 2015 must be a year of global action,” he said.  “We are the first generation that can wipe out extreme poverty.  We are the last generation that can address
the worst impact of climate change.  Let us reaffirm our commitment to promoting social development and social justice and building a better, more sustainable world for all,” he asserted.

Following 10 days of active debate, speaker interventions and negotiations, GFDD was present at UN Headquarters on Friday February 20, for the closing ceremony of the fifty-third session of the Commission for Social Development. During the session, the commission
approved by consensus four draft resolutions negotiated over the course of the event for adoption by the Economic and Social Council that addressed issues of African development, ageing, youth and the rights of persons with disabilities.

In closing remarks, Commission Chair Miculescu emphasized that progress towards sustainable development could not be achieved under the prevailing growth model, which was not employment friendly.  She recapped the session’s
highlights, including a commemorative event celebrating the 20 years since the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, in which speakers presented their positions under the theme of “Social Development:  From Copenhagen to the Post-2015 Agenda”. She pointed to other highlights which included a high-level panel on the priority theme, “Rethinking and strengthening social development in the contemporary world”; a panel on emerging issues;
a civil society forum; and general discussions on issues related to social groups:  youth, older persons, family and persons with disabilities among them.  Thanking delegates for their active participation, she said “as a team, we will move the social development agenda forward”.

Four texts were approved at the closing session, namely:

• One resolution on the social dimensions of the New Partnership for
  Africa’s Development (document E/CN.5/2015/L.6), which would have the Council urge African Governments to intensify attention on inclusive, equitable and sustainable growth that met the needs of young people. 
• The Commission then approved a draft on the modalities for the third review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing (document E/CN.5/2015/L.3). The text would have the Council invite States
  and the United Nations to take concrete measures to mainstream ageing issues into their programming and existing United Nations mandates.
• A draft resolution on policies and programmes involving youth (document E/CN.5/2015/L.4), was introduced by the representative of Senegal, who would have the Council encourage States to develop comprehensive policies and action plans focused on the best interests of youth, as well as promote gender equality and the
  empowerment of young women and girls.
• The Commission next approved, as orally revised, a draft resolution on promoting the rights of persons with disabilities (document E/CN.5/2015/L.5), which was introduced by the representative of Romania. The text would have the Council decide to hold, at the Commission’s fifty-fourth session, a multi-stakeholder panel on “Implementation of the post-2015 development agenda in light of the
  Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”.

The Commission then took note of several documents including the Secretary-General’s report.

Immediately following the conclusion of the fifty-third session, Ms. Miculescu declared open the fifty-fourth session, following which Luz Andujar (Counsellor for the Permanent Mission of the Dominican Republic to the UN) was elected as Vice-Chair for that session.  It
postponed the election of the remaining Vice-Chair to a later date.

Related links:
http://www.globalfoundationdd.org/fulltext.asp?t=a&id=8983
https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/
http://undesadspd.org/commissionforsocialdevelopment.aspx
http://daccess-dds-ny.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N14/651/46/PDF/N1465146.pdf?OpenElement