Opinion on the World Summit for Social Development (Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995)

(95/C 110/12)

On 24 November 1994 the Economic and Social Committee, acting under the third paragraph of Rule 23 of its Rules of Procedure, decided to draw up an Opinion on the World Summit for Social Development.

The Section for External Relations, Trade and Development Policy, which was responsible for preparing the Committee's work on the subject, adopted its Opinion on 9 February 1995. The Rapporteur was Mr Etty.

At its 323rd Plenary Session (meeting of 22 February 1995), the Economic and Social Committee adopted the following Opinion by a majority vote, with twenty votes against and seven abstentions.

GENERAL COMMENTS

1. The Committee welcomes the United Nations' (UN) initiative to organize a World Summit for Social Development, to be held next month in Copenhagen and hopes that it will prove to be an event of historic importance. The Committee considers that the UN should focus attention on social problems at a time when the UN is becoming more and more involved in peace-keeping, thus giving renewed relevance to the idea that there can be no peace in a world where gross social injustice is tolerated, expressed in the Constitution of the International Labour Organization (ILO), 75 years ago, and reaffirmed some 50 years ago in the ILO Declaration of Philadelphia and in the Charter of the UN: that there can be no peace in a world where gross social injustice is tolerated. The Copenhagen Summit must therefore restore to its priority place the principle that 'universal and lasting peace can be established only if it is based on social justice' (Preamble to the ILO Constitution, 1919), a principle which is solemnly reiterated in the United Nations Charter, where the founders, 'the peoples of the United Nations', declared their resolve '... to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom' and '... employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples' (preamble to the UN Charter, 1948).

2. The draft Declaration and the draft Action Programme provide an important and timely agenda for social development in all parts of the world. The Committee appeals not only to the Member States of the EU, but also to all Member States of the UN, to assume full responsibility, to commit themselves to taking concrete and effective action on the basis of this agenda before the year 2000 (when the results of the World Summit for Social Development should be evaluated). The countries in question should make a verifiable effort to accomplish genuine improvements in general living and working conditions in the world.

3. It should be noted, however, that the nine commitments proposed in the draft Declaration appear to be separated from actual trends in social development by a significant gap. What is more: probably, that gap is still widening. Considerable political determination will be required to narrow, let alone to bridge it.

4. The desire of the European Union to make an impact at the Social Summit and to influence its decisions, and the associated Commission Communication to the Council and the European Parliament (COM(94) 669 final), come rather late in the day. In general, the Committee supports the priorities proposed. Some of these points will be addressed in the following specific comments.

5. The ESC in particular welcomes the general thrust of the European Union's approach, which is explained in the introduction to the Commission's communication and reflects the suggestions already put forward by the ESC in its Opinions: world economic and social development presupposes that global economic (including competition) trade and financial flows are successfully steered by gearing them to priority social aims, such as job creation and environment protection.

In the ESC's view, earmarking 0,7% of GDP for development continues to be a valid target, which should be confirmed.

6. The Committee urges the European Union to support the claims of the ILO to have a central role in the follow-up process. Its mandate is much wider than just employment, as the draft Action Programme suggests. In its 75 years of existence, the ILO has built up an impressive record of promotion of social progress, including an effective system for monitoring the application of the main instruments it has developed to accomplish this task, and for assisting Member States to fulfil their obligations.

7. In the course of the preparations for the Summit the UN Member States have made it clear that they wish to reinforce the role of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). This should of course be done in accordance with the spirit and the letter of the UN Charter, in particular Article 62, paragraph 2 (promotion of respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms) and paragraph 3 (cooperation with the specialized agencies of the UN). In this connection, the Committee thinks that another body (for instance, a revitalized and modified Commission for Social Development) could be given specific responsibilities for elements which are clearly not included in the mandate of the ILO. Cooperation between ECOSOC and relevant specialized UN agencies, in particular the ILO, should be strengthened so as to secure satisfactory cooperation in matters such as implementation, monitoring of follow-up actions, and assessment of the outcome of the Summit. ECOSOC should seek close contact with representatives, free and independent socio-economic interest groups and with relevant Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) which can meet the same criteria.

8. The Committee notes with concern and disappointment that the Social Summit attracted little attention in the political debate in the EU Member States or in other parts of the world. Virtually nothing has, for instance, been said about it in the media.

9. The Committee urges the EU member governments and the European Community to participate in the Social Summit at the highest level. It recommends that EU member governments, several of which have involved socio-economic interest groups and other relevant representative organizations in preparatory activities at the national level, include representatives of these organizations in their delegation to the Summit.

Since the European Community as such is represented by a delegation in Copenhagen, the Economic and Social Committee requests this delegation will be composed on similar lines and wishes to be represented on it.

SPECIFIC COMMENTS

10. Principles

10.1. The principles laid down in the Commission's communication, which it wishes to see reflected in the results of the World Summit for Social Development, are endorsed. The Committee is particularly pleased with the first principle: that respect for human rights and democracy - including dialogue between employers and workers and the participation of civil society - cannot be divorced from social development. It is convinced that these are truly universal fundamental human rights. The Committee hopes that the World Summit will adopt this principle in the explicit terms used by the Commission, and invites those Member States which have not yet done so, to include it in their legislation and in their national and international practices in order to promote real, worldwide social development.

10.2. An important practical instrument for stimulating dialogue between employers and workers and promoting participation of civil society in social development throughout the world is Convention No 144 of 1976 of the ILO on Tripartite Consultation to promote the Implementation of International Labour Standards. It is a pity that this instrument is not mentioned by the Commission. Application of Convention No 144 promotes both democracy and social peace. The Committee thinks that the European Union should, on the basis of its own first principle, take the lead in a campaign for wider ratification and full application of this Convention by ILO Member States. That campaign should start with consultations with a view to ratification of this convention by all Member States of the EU.

11. Objectives

11.1. The Committee highlights and supports activities of the European Union aimed at multilateral action which will promote social development through international trade. It agrees that negotiations on this matter must be continued within the World Trade Organization (WTO) and welcomes the EU's general approach in this matter. The EU must make a real effort to make this a priority issue in the WTO. The Committee considers that priority should be given to encouraging countries to ratify the basic ILO human rights Conventions on freedom of association and protection of the right to organize (1948) (for workers and employers), on the right to organize collective bargaining (1949) and on forced labour (1930) and the abolition of forced labour (1957). All EU Member States have ratified the Conventions on freedom of association and collective bargaining, and the other human rights Conventions, which have also been ratified by an overwhelming majority of ILO Member States, including a large number of developing countries.

11.2. The Committee regrets that the ILO Convention against discrimination in employment and occupation (1958), which is of exactly the same nature and fundamental importance as the Conventions mentioned earlier and just as widely ratified, is not mentioned by the Commission in this context. This must be an unintended omission. During the meeting of the Third Preparatory Committee of the Social Summit last month in New York, the EU has shown the importance it gives to the principles enshrined in this Convention. The Committee therefore strongly recommends that the European Union correct this and include this anti-discrimination Convention in the proposed campaign. Logically, this should also be a vehicle for some of the European Union's views and intentions concerning the eradication of poverty and exclusion, laid down for instance in the second Conclusion of the Commission's document (equality between men and women).

11.3. The Committee attaches great importance to raising the status of women through access to income and to education. Education, especially of women and girls, is a key factor in the battle against poverty and overpopulation. Where women are educated, both infant death rates and birth rates fall.

11.4. The substance of the Conventions referred to in points 11.1 and 11.2 underpins the approach to the 'social clause' - already proposed in various ESC Opinions - an approach which obviously has nothing in common with protectionism. On the contrary, widespread application of these principles would boost trade by ensuring that all workers enjoy equal basic rights and consumers have reasonable guarantees that the goods they purchase have not been produced under inhumane working conditions. In this connection, the Committee also draws the attention to the ongoing analytical work of the OECD on this issue, the results of which might provide valuable arguments for further negotiations.

11.5. One effective way to encourage governments to comply and ratify with important ILO Conventions is to give priority when granting aid and trade preferences to countries which implement genuine, effective social development strategies. This could be a worthwhile contribution by the European Union to the increase in the resources assigned to social development which will be necessary, even if the Summit succeeds in using existing resources more efficiently. In this context, the Committee welcomes Council Regulation (EC) No 3281/94 of 19 December last year applying a four year scheme of Generalized Tariff Preferences (1995-1998) in respect of certain industrial products originating in developing countries.

11.6. The Commission's proposals can help to create more humane living and working conditions for child workers. Child labour can gradually be stamped out by the introduction of general measures to improve 'well-being' (working conditions, opportunities for education, etc.).

11.7. Ratification and compliance with ILO Conventions are as much a function of good governance as is the effective development of social policies. The trade and aid policies proposed in the previous paragraph will ensure that existing resources are used more effectively. The developed and developing countries should in parallel introduce measures to reduce corrupt practices in North/South business dealings. These practices are a grave impediment to social and economic progress.

11.8. If the European Union really wishes to include social development in the policies developed by IMF, World Bank and regional development banks, it must actively use its influence in these institutions to convince them that they must cooperate with the ILO much more intensively than in the past, in particular on structural adjustment operations. The EU must take proper account of the impact of structural adjustment programmes on the poor, for example, in health, education and agricultural policy changes.

11.9. The Committee reiterates its view, expressed in earlier Opinions, that it is high time to construct the conditions and the instruments which can stimulate economic growth, trade and distribution of wealth and opportunities at the global level and link this to a process of development which is compatible with social progress and protection of the environment. This requires that the EU commits itself to strengthen coherence between its external, security, trade, agriculture and development polices. The Committee urges the EU to make this commitment at the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen, given the coincidence in time of this Summit meeting and the establishment of the WTO.

12. Means: resources and follow-up

The Committee wishes to stress the importance of the Commission's intention to help developing countries (and in particular the poorest among them) by measures which stimulate gradual integration of the informal sector into the formal economy. In this connection the Committee stresses the important role NGOs, including farmers' organizations, cooperatives and women's organizations can play in addition to employers' and trade union organizations.

13. Conclusions

13.1. The Committee is pleased with the determination of the European Union, expressed in its Conclusions, to step up its contribution to multilateral negotiations on standards and Conventions. This must be done with a clear division of roles and responsibilities. The Committee refers, in this context, to its Own-initiative Opinion on the Relations between the EU and the International Labour Organization (ILO), adopted last month.

13.2. Finally, the Committee strongly recommends that the European Union, involving workers, employers and other relevant socio-economic interest groups, make a clearly focused contribution to the follow-up process of the Social Summit by selecting for coordinated, EU-wide action, a limited number of initiatives in the fields of employment creation, the fight against poverty, and social integration. Implementation of the Summit decisions will be a matter for individual governments. However, the Summit should, and probably will, stress the significance of regional cooperation in the implementation process. It is important for the success of the Social Summit that a major group of countries, such as those united in the European Union, set an example of such cooperation in their own region. The Commission is invited to work out a proposal on the basis of existing European Union policies on employment, poverty, and social exclusion.

Done at Brussels, 22 February 1995.

The President

of the Economic and Social Committee

Carlos FERRER

APPENDIX to the Opinion of the Economic and Social Committee

During the Committee's discussions, the following amendments, which were supported by over a quarter of the votes cast, were defeated:

Point 11.4

Replace the first sentence of point 11.4 by the following:

'The substance of the Conventions referred to in points 11.1 and 11.2 is discussed in relation to the so-called 'social clause', which, however, must not strengthen protectionism. Widespread application ...'.

Result of the vote

For: 26, against 64, abstentions: 8.

Paragraph 5:

Replace the last sentence (after colon) by:

'... world social development presupposes a sustainable economic growth strategy conducive to job creation.'

Result of the vote

For: 38, against: 64, abstentions: 13.