GLOBAL COOPERATION NEWSLETTERFebruary 2011
In this edition
UN Commission for Social Development
The right kind of global recovery
Zambian envoy elected to ECOSOC for 2011
Achieving equitable and effective climate finance: civil society perspectives
Rio 2012: Making it Happen
Gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment- And MoreUN Commission for Social Development
ICSW was represented at the 49th Session of the Commission for SocialDevelopment held in New York from 9-18 February under the priority theme―Poverty Eradication‖. UN Member States, civil society and other stakeholders
examined poverty‘s interrelationship with social integration, full employment anddecent work for all.
Social protection was chosen as the emerging issue of the 49th session by theEconomic and Social Council (resolution 2006/18). It affects the capabilities ofindividuals and families to manage and overcome any challenges of their well-being.
It is also essential to reduce vulnerability and prevent the deterioration of livingconditions. ICSW made an extensive statement on the theme and social protection –this can be found at http://www.icsw.org/un/un.htm
In addition to the priority theme, the session reviewed relevant UN plans andprogrammes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups: persons withdisabilities, youth, ageing, and the family.
A high level panel discussion on the theme ―poverty eradication‖ was held on thesecond day of the session. It focused on key factors impeding poverty eradication,
successes in poverty eradication due to specific policies, as well as ways tosuccessfully mobilise public resources for poverty eradication and make the processa priority in national policy and government planning.
As 2011 is a review year, Commission members were not expected to adopt any
policy-shaping resolution on the priority theme of poverty eradication. For thebackgroundnoteontheprioritytheme
Poverty
Eradicationsee
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csocd/2011/prioritytheme-note.pdf
Fortheconcept
paper"EmergingIssues:SocialProtection"see
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csocd/2011/conceptnote.pdf
Forallstatements
includingthosebyNGOsvisit
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csocd/2011/conceptnote.pdf .

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The right kind of global recovery

The following are extracts from a speech made by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, Managing
Director, International Monetary Fund at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, 1 st February
2011. Mr Strauss-Kahn refers to social protection as part of a holistic approach to managing
economies. (Editor). It is worth reading the full text at:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/speeches/2011/020111.htm―The IMF‘s latest forecast, released just last week, is for global growth of 4½ per cent thisyear. This is higher than the average over the last decade, and an upgrade from ourOctober WEO forecast.
―But while the recovery is underway, it is not the recovery we wanted. It is a recovery beset
by tensions and strains—which could even sow the seeds of the next crisis. I see two
dangerous imbalances:
First, the recovery is unbalanced across countries. While growth remains below potential in
the advanced economies, emerging and developing economies are growing much faster—and some may soon be overheating.
Second, the recovery is unbalanced within countries. Global unemployment remains atrecord highs, with widening income inequality adding to social strains.
―In my view, we will only get the recovery right if we take a holistic approach to managing
the economy—one that focuses not only on standard macroeconomic and financial policies,
but also on job creation and social protection. Because without jobs and income security,
there can be no rebound in domestic demand—and ultimately, no sustainable recovery.

The two-speed recovery―Let me begin with how the recovery is proceeding at the global level.
In the advanced economies, we are expecting subdued growth of 2½ per cent in 2011, withhigh unemployment and household debt weighing on demand. In the emerging anddeveloping economies, we are forecasting much faster growth of 6½ per cent—with Asia
(excluding Japan) expected to grow by 8½ per cent.
The ―global growth gap‖ is also straining the recovery in other ways. Energy prices arerising swiftly, reflecting rapid growth in the emerging economies. Food prices are rising
too—though here supply shocks are the main reason—with potentially devastatingconsequences for low-income countries. Together, these prices increase are beginning tofeed into headline inflation. Large and volatile capital flows to emerging economies isanother challenging development. They are complicating macroeconomic management andin some cases raising concerns about financial stability.
How best to re-balance the recovery? The priorities are by now well-known.
In the advanced economies, the key is to promote growth and job creation. While structuralreforms are essential to make these economies more competitive, these reforms are only
likely to pay off over time. So what can be done to improve the short term? The mosturgent task is to repair and reform financial sector, to reduce risk and pave the way for
healthy credit growth.

Unemployment and income inequality―Let me now turn to the second imbalance, which occurs within countries: highunemployment and rising income and wealth inequalities.
The sharp rise in global unemployment is a major social problem. If you lose your job, you
are likely to suffer from poorer health and shorter life expectancy, and your children are

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society as a whole suffers—which in turn can threaten political stability.
Here in Asia, there have been remarkable social advances over the last decades, with overhalf a billion people lifted out of poverty. At the same time, income inequality has been on
the rise. The leaders of China and India have put tackling income and wealth disparities
high on their policy agendas. And even in a wealthy nation like Singapore, Prime Minister
Lee has noted that the widening income gap is an issue of national concern.
There are abundant social and ethical reasons why we should care about income inequality.
But there are also important macroeconomic reasons.
Inequality can dampen economic opportunity, since the poor have less access to credit. It
can divert people toward unproductive activities. It can also make countries more prone toshocks—where fewer people have savings for a rainy day, more will suffer when the storm
hits. Inequality can even make it harder to recover from shocks: more equal societies tend
to grow for longer.
How best to respond to these challenges?
In countries facing high joblessness, well-designed unemployment schemes, social
assistance and public work programs effectively prevent long-term unemployment and help
shorten recovery from recession. Adequate social protection, drawing on a basic social
protection floor as proposed by the ILO, can protect the most vulnerable from the brunt of
the crisis. As fiscal consolidation gets underway in the advanced economies, we must also
ensure that fiscal policy remains as job-friendly as possible.
Over the long haul, the most effective way to promote income growth at the lower end of
the distribution is to invest in education, innovation, and ramping up the skills of workers.
The 21st century economy is ultimately a knowledge economy, where returns to education
are tremendously important. We must give people everywhere the tools they need toprosper in the highly competitive global economy of today.

Zambian envoy elected to ECOSOC for 2011
H.E. Lazarous Kapambwe, Permanent Representative of Zambia
to the UN was elected on 18 January to serve as the next
President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
―I represent the region that is lagging behind the most in termsof development in all socio-economic sectors and I pledge to do
my best to ensure that Africa‘s challenges as well as all otherregions are tackled in the best way possible by the Council,‖ Mr.
Kapambwe told ECOSOC.

Achieving equitable and effective climate finance: civil society perspectives

Achieving Equitable and Effective Climate Finance: Civil Society Perspectives.‖ highlights
civil society perspectives on the outcomes of the UN Climate Change Conference in Cancun,
Mexico (COP16) as well as on issues related to sources and governance for climate finance.
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article3230

Rio 2012: Making it HappenThe UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio 2012) is circulating a biweekly
newsletter called Rio 2012: Making it Happen. It is available online and will also be sent tosubscribers. To obtain the latest copy go to
http://www.uncsd2012.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=173:rio-2012making-it-happen-volume-2-issue-3&catid=76:newsletter&Itemid=128

Impact of remittances on poverty in developing countries.
http://www.unctad.org/en/docs/ditctncd20108_en.pdf

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Gender dimensions of agricultural and rural employment
Gender inequality varies considerably across regions and sectors,depending on social, cultural, religious and economic factors.
Nevertheless, a recently released United Nations interagency reporton the gender dimension of agricultural work finds that there isevidence that, globally, women still benefit less than men from(decent) rural and agricultural employment, whether in self- orwage-employment. Progress to overcome this inequality has stalled
due to the recent economic and food crises.
http://www.un-ngls.org/spip.php?article3231

Child poverty and disparities study
http://www.unicef.org/socialpolicy/index_43137.html
UNICEF is advancing a multidimensional analysis of poverty and disparities. UNICEF has 23
country reports completed and others underway; all developed with Southern research
centres/partners.
Bangladesh, Burundi, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Ghana,Jamaica, Indian Ocean Islands, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Mali, Mexico, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria,Philippines, Republic of Congo, Senegal, Tanzania, Thailand, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan.
For more information, please visit the Global Study on Child Poverty and Disparities blog http://www.unicefglobalstudy.blogspot.com/

Managing rising food prices, again
From CGD Development Update 15th February 2011
Corn and wheat prices are climbing again in response to severe weather events and U.S.
ethanol policies. Kim Elliot and Vijaya Ramachandran suggest ways to avoid another crisis.
Amanda Glassman urges focusing interventions on the poor.
http://blogs.cgdev.org/globaldevelopment/2011/02/another-food-price-spike-weatheragain-to-blame-for-wheat-corn-pushed-by-even-worse-ethanolpolicies.php?utm_source=nl_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl_weekly_0215
2011

Nominate Your 'Agents of Change'
To celebrate the 2011 Commonwealth theme ‗Women as Agents of Change‘ and to highlightthe achievements of inspiring women, the Commonwealth is asking organisations andassociations in the Commonwealth family to nominate a woman who has made a difference
to the lives of others as an ‗Agent of Change‘. The contest is now open and ends on
Commonwealth Day, 14 March 2011. Please nominate your ‗Agent of Change‘ and find moredetails via the online form: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CWagentsofchange If you
have any queries, please contact CPAD via: agentsofchange@commonwealth.int
The content of this Global Newsletter may be freely reproduced or cited provided the sourceis acknowledged. Views do not necessarily represent policies of ICSW.
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