A Special Session of the General Assembly will take place in Geneva from June 26-30. The GA Special Session is a five year follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development held in Copenhagen in 1995.
Analysis: The Special Session of the GA will review progress, and suggest further initiatives on the key issues raised at the 1995 World Summit: poverty eradication, promotion of full employment, and social integration.
Ambitious UN world conferences such as the World Summit reunite representatives of governments, the UN and civil society, and seek to set an agenda for action on issues of global concern, such as the environment, children, and social development.
Are these UN world conferences worthwhile? Detractors would probably claim the following:
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They are expensive, costing an average of $2 million each.
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Compared to the amount of discussion that takes place, too little action follows.
But, even if progress is slower than we’d like, the 1995 World Summit, and other UN world conferences, are worthwhile. They serve to:
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Raise international awareness on global issues.
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Foster dialogue among states and among different interest groups.
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Identify and articulate shifting currents on an issue.
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Contribute to international consensus-building on issues.
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Set attainable, progressive goals representing the interests of many parties.
The World Summit in Copenhagen brought together 117 governments for discussions on Social Development. Subsequently, states have conducted national poverty assessment studies, have set target dates for poverty reduction, and have reported their progress to the Secretary-General.
Still, there is room for improvement. When the GA arrives in Geneva in June, and for future world conferences, the following measures should be considered:
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The agenda must be results-oriented.
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The focus of debate must be steered toward solutions, not recriminations.
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Concrete plans of action with rigorous but attainable target dates for accomplishment must be set.
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Benchmarks must be established to measure action in the years following a world conference.
The UN is the most inclusive multilateral forum available to us. Issues of global concern are rightly debated under its auspices. But let us try to ensure that worthwhile debate translates into viable action and solutions.
