STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY MOHAMMED LOULICHKI, AMBASSADOR, DEPUTY PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF THE KINGDOM OF MOROCCO, ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA, AT THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT ON AGENDA ITEM 3 A): NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT (New York, 12 February 2003)

Mr. Chairman,

On behalf of the Group of 77 and China, allow me to extend to you our sincere congratulations on your election to the Presidency of our Commission. Your personal commitment as well as that of your country in favour of social development, your widely recognized qualities as a diplomat and negotiator will undoubtedly ensure the success of our work. I can assure you of our Group’s full support in order to fulfil successfully your mission.

Our congratulations go also to the other members of the Bureau as well.

I would like to thank the Secretariat for its professionalism and the quality of the documents that have been provided.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China attaches particular importance to the priority theme of our session: “National and international cooperation for social development”.

In fact, in a world increasingly influenced by globalization, international cooperation proves to be more necessary than ever to remedy the negative impacts of globalization on developing countries.

In Copenhagen 1995, the international community recognized the necessity to urgently enhance the situation of developing countries in vital areas such as education, literacy and the fight against poverty. Also, in the programme of action adopted by the Summit, the participants underlined the pressing need to reinforce international solidarity with developing countries, particularly African countries and the least developed countries so that they could benefit from globalization.

Mr. Chairman,

We are the first to admit that Governments’ responsibility is essential in implementing social development policies and that any development strategies must be well designed, transparent and realistically implemented so as to be given every chance of success.

At the same time, the Group of 77 and China reiterate the crucial importance of reinforcing cooperation with a view to achieving the goals of social development. This reinforcement necessarily entails an increased, untied and important assistance by the international community in favour of the developing countries in order to achieve social development goals in general and to eliminate poverty in particular.

This reinforcement also calls for enhancing the national capacities of developing countries and the setting up of structures enabling them to participate effectively and equitably in the globalization process. The Millennium Declaration recalled that all States should have sufficient basic capacities in order to achieve social development goals.

Indeed, at the national and international levels, transparency in defining and implementing social development policies, equal access to employment, good governance and respect for human rights constitute important factors in the success of social development policies.

Finally, this cooperation requires more significant financial and technical support in terms of sharing data on experiences and practices in the field of social development.

In this respect, the Group of 77 and China would like to recall that the international institutions can have a relevant contribution in this area. In fact, since its creation, the United Nations has undertaken considerable work in collecting information and data in different areas such as health, demography and education. The United Nations succeeded in compiling reliable data on social indicators at the international level. Collection and analysis of this data should be encouraged and maintained in order to enrich the collective thinking of Governments and different national and international partners by sharing experience and practices in the field of social development.

Mr. Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China recognize the importance of establishing innovative and mutually beneficial partnerships in order to reinforce national and international cooperation for social development.

In this regard, Governments have a fundamental leading role to play as a primary entity responsible for setting up national frameworks in order to promote new ideas and creative partnerships. Civil society and the private sector have, for their part, a specific responsibility to assume with a view to establishing creative partnerships focused on achieving the goals of social development.

Nevertheless, these efforts will remain insufficient if they are not accompanied by substantial financial support allowing the developing countries to achieve the goals of social development. The Group of 77 and China would like to recall that the Heads of State and Government undertook in Copenhagen to “facilitate the flow to developing countries of international finance, technology and human skill in order to realize the objective of providing new additional resources that are both adequate and predictable”.

The Group of 77 and China note with satisfaction that the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is referred to in the Secretary-General’s report as an example of promising partnership. This important achievement conceived by and for Africans, deserves, with other initiatives, to be sustained and encouraged by the international community in order to ensure its success.

Mr. Chairman,

In the pursuit of social development, the private sector, particularly transnational corporations, is called upon to play a more active role in the fields of employment, social protection, training and assistance to the vulnerable. This contribution could be achieved through partnerships between the public and private sectors.

It is true that in order to perceive objectively the social sector responsibility, cultural, political, economic and social specificities of each country must be taken into account. Of course, with regard to the protection of workers, international norms must be observed. In Copenhagen, a commitment was made to ensure quality employment and to defend workers’ rights and interests and, to this effect, promote respect for the relevant United Nations and International Labor Organization Conventions.

Mr. Chairman,

In the Copenhagen Summit, the Heads of State and Government undertook to “put the creation of employment, the reduction of unemployment and the promotion of appropriately and adequate remunerated employment at the center of strategies and policies of Government”. To this end, national employment strategies, the success of which contributes to macro-economic development, should include, inter alia, the following objectives:

- eradicating poverty as a primary objective;
- setting up adapted and efficient educational sectors able to contribute in improving human capital;
- promoting and streamlining the use of new information and communication technologies;
- eliminating all forms of discrimination in the access to employment;
- creating systems of social and welfare protection; and
- establishing fruitful partnerships with civil society and the private sector.

Also, increased and well-coordinated international cooperation should be established so that employment policies that contribute positively to the economic growth of developing countries would be well sustained and would not suffer from the impact of certain migratory international policies that favour the immigration of skilled persons only.

In fact, the human potential in developing countries should be developed through, inter alia, favourable international cooperation, technical assistance, technology transfer, and investment, which would allow these countries to increase their qualified human capabilities.

Mr. Chairman,

The Copenhagen programme of action provides that “The World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the regional and sub-regional development banks and funds, and all other international finance organizations should further integrate social development goals in their policies, programmes and operations”. This commitment is so relevant, that presently the international financial institutions have an increasingly considerable social and economic impact in the countries where they operate.

For this reason, these institutions are called upon to show vigilance with respect to potential financial crises that have negative social impact, especially in the developing countries, and to help these countries to develop their own capacities in order to prevent these crises. Moreover, this assistance should take into consideration the long-term development needs of the affected countries.

Similarly, the international financial institutions should give priority to granting additional official development assistance to developing countries.

Finally, for the sake of transparency, developing countries should be duly involved in the process of decision-making with regard to international economic issues.

Mr. Chairman,

It is true that the harmonization of economic growth and social policy is crucial to successful social outcomes and that the United Nations has an important role in coordinating the efforts in this regard.

The G77 and China, however, believes that the tasks of the Second and Third Committees of the General Assembly in the economic and social fields are well defined and are in accordance with the mandates assigned to each of them.

Mr. Chairman,

The international community has at its disposal a solid and diversified arsenal of undertakings that should enable it to achieve the goals of social development. Through the United Nations we have managed to agree, with difficulty sometimes, upon concrete commitments, particularly with regard to poverty eradication, full employment, humanization of globalization, development of Africa and the least developed countries, among others. We also have managed to determine some means likely to ensure the achievement of these goals.

The Group of 77 and China believe that the international community bears the responsibility to meet its commitments and implement the adopted decisions, in order to achieve the social development goals for the well being of the present and future generations.

Thank you Mr. Chairman.