United Nations Commission on Social Development (CSD)

HISTORY AND PRESENT STATUS

The CSD is a subsidiary body of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and was established by ECOSOC resolution 10(11) (1946) to advise ECOSOC on social policies of a general character and, in particular, on all matters in the social field not covered by the specialised intergovernmental agencies.

ECOSOC resolution 1139(XLI)(1996/7) states that the CSD, as a functional commission of ECOSOC, shall have primary responsibility for follow-up to the 1995 Copenhagen World Summit for Social Development.

South Africa was elected as member of the Commission and will serve a term of four years, which began in January 1997 and will end in 2000.

OTHER DEPARTMENTS AND COOPERATING ORGANISATIONS

Department of Welfare
National Welfare Social Service & Development Forum

RELEVANT TREATIES AND PROTOCOLS

The World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen 1995) and Programme of Action

GENERAL COMMENTS

The World Summit on Social Development (1995) took place at an opportune time for South Africa since the new government was involved in developing policies for the implementation of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). "A society for all" as stated by the Heads of State and Government at the World Summit for Social Development is the main focus for social integration, where every citizen has full rights and responsibilities to participate.

Five essential "pillars" constitute the framework of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) introduced by the new Government. In South Africa many departments have as their goal the eradication of poverty and inequality which is in essence, the central thrust of the RDP. These policies are developed within the framework comprising the five pillars, which constitute the foundation of the Government's anti-poverty and inequality programme. These are:

macroeconomic stability
meeting basic needs
providing social safety nets
human resource development and
job creation
The universal challenges for social development are encapsulated in the ten commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration for Social Development 1995. The South African challenge is to think about these commitments in terms of local needs and possibilities, to prioritise these and to then formulate reasoned plans and tactics to implement them.

South Africa's immediate goal is to reduce poverty and we are targeting the very poor, specifically women, children, the aged, the disabled, and rural people - all amongst whom poverty is most extreme.

The overall strategies that are required to structure and guide poverty eradication and social development constitute a complex challenge. Nonetheless, the legislative framework is already in place, inter alia in the South African Constitution and the Bill of Rights. A number of enabling policies and targeted programmes are also in place. The principles of the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) accord fully with the international principles of social development as formulated at Copenhagen.

The methodologies used in South Africa include the necessary structures, and also strive to create a development-friendly environment through legislation and policy. South Africa is aware that social development cannot take place without the full partnership of civil society. These aspects of our commitment will accelerate change and growth on the ground.

The Ten Principal Commitments of the Copenhagen Declaration:

create an enabling economic, political, social, cultural and legal environment that will enable people to achieve social development;
eradicate poverty in the world through decisive national actions and international cooperation, as an ethical, social, political and economic imperative of humankind;
promote the goal of full employment as a basic priority of our economic and social policies;
promote social integration by fostering societies that are stable, safe and just, and are based on the promotion and protection of all human rights, and on non-discrimination, tolerance, respect for diversity, equality of opportunity, solidarity, security, and participation of all people including the disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons;
promote full respect for human dignity and to achieve equality and equity between women and men;
achieving universal and equitable access to quality education, the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health and universal access to primary health care; to respecting and promoting our common and particular cultures; and to striving to strengthen the role of culture in development;
accelerate the economic, social and human resource development of Africa and the least developed countries;
ensuring that when structural adjustment programmes are agreed to they should include social development goals, in particular eradicating poverty, promoting full and productive employment and enhancing social integration;
increase significantly and/or utilise more efficiently the resources allocated to social development to achieve goals of the Summit; and
an improved and strengthened framework for international cooperation for social development, in a spirit of partnership, through the UN and other international institutions.