Secretary-General's blueprint for action provokes widespread debate.

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali's highly anticipated "Agenda for Development" was released on 2 5 May, immediately precipitating widespread debate in UN quarters and beyond. His blueprint for action on a whole array of economic and social issues was the focus of intense review at expert hearings at UN Headquarters (6-10 June, New York), organized by the General Assembly President.

It was also the subject of intergovernmental debate in the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council's 1994 session, as well as a Ministerial Statement issued on 24 June by the "Group of 77" developing countries.

"Development is still the major activity of the United Nations", the Secretary-General told the press at Headquarters the day his report was issued. He hoped the new "Agenda" would serve "to correct a distorted perception" that the UN was dealing only with peace-keeping operations, and to underscore the integral linkage between development and peace.

A coordinated, comprehensive approach to development was, in his view, the only way to effectively mobilize public opinion, address the problem of donor fatigue and attract development assistance in a world overburdened with competing priorities. The Secretary-General characterized his report as a "document of reflection", a first step to stimulate further discussion and recommendations by Member States. His final conclusions and recommendations on the "Agenda" are to be presented to the Assembly later in 1994.

Conceived as a counterpart to his 1992 report "An Agenda for Peace", which addresses the Organization's peace-keeping and peacemaking activities, "An Agenda for Development" was prepared in response to Assembly resolution 47/181 of 22 December 1992. The Assembly had asked for an analysis and recommendations on ways to enhance the UN role in promoting international cooperation for development.

The Secretary-General's 50-page Agenda for Development" (A/48/935) draws upon contributions from Member States and UN agencies and programmes, as well as from public and private sources worldwide.

In an introduction, Mr. Boutros-Ghali maintains: "The concept of development, and decades of effort to reduce poverty, illiteracy, disease and mortality rates, are great achievements of this century." He warns, however, that "development as a common cause is in danger of fading from the forefront of our agenda" in the post-cold war era.

Today, he continues, the competition to bring development to the poorest countries has ended; therefore, development "is in crisis". Responding to concerns that the UN was putting a greater emphasis on peace-keeping than on development, the Secretary-General states: "These fears are not borne out by the regular budgets or the numbers of staff members engaged in peace and in development."

In section II, entitled "Dimensions of development", the "Agenda" sets out five major and interlinked dimensions of development: peace, economic growth, environmental protection, social justice and democracy

As the report states eloquently in a later section: "Without peace, human energies cannot be productively employed over time. Without economic growth, there will be a lack of resources to apply to any problem. Without a healthy environment, productivity will devour the basis of human progress. Without societal justice, inequalities will consume the best efforts at positive change. Without political participation in freedom, people will have no voice in shaping their individual and common destiny."

On the subject of "peace as the foundation" of development, the Secretary-General states that reduction of military expenditures is vital. Worldwide, between 1987 and 1992, a cumulative peace dividend of $500 billion was realized--$425 billion in industrial and transitional countries and $75 billion in developing countries. However, little of that dividend appears to have been channelled into development, and progress has been difficult to achieve in an atmosphere increasingly marked by ethnic strife and economic insecurity, according to the report.

Therefore, a world of lower military expenditures, reduced military establishments, smaller stocks of weapons and less environmental destruction by military-related activities is not only desirable in itself, but necessary for development.

In an analysis of the "economy as the engine of progress", the Secretary-General states that sustained growth requires both a supportive national environment and a favourable international climate. Finding the right blend of government direction of the economy and encouragement of private initiative is perhaps the most pressing challenge of economic development.

Effective international cooperation for development cannot succeed unless the major economies make it their own objective, according to the report. There is a pressing need for adequate measures to reduce the crippling burden of international debt, discourage tendencies towards protectionism, and ensure the developing world's share in the benefits of the New World Trade Organization regime.

Growth requires political commitment and vision, and "the State must have the political will to act". The UN can act as "facilitator and communicator", but not as a substitute for the commitment of individual States and their partners, the Secretary-General suggests.

On "the environment as a basis for sustainability", the report states that in the developing world, ecological pressure threatens to undermine long-term development. Similarly, among the wealthiest nations, consumption patterns are depleting world resources in ways that jeopardized the future of world development.

Targeted policies are needed to ensure that environmental values are properly reflected in economic activity. Public as well as private enterprises must be held accountable for the environmental impact of their activities, and Governments must take the lead in formulating policies and pursuing strategies that encourage environmentally-sound development. Also, policies effective in reducing poverty will help reduce population growth and decrease pressure on the environment.

"Sustainability must be strengthened as a guiding principle of development", according to the report. Partnership is required at all levels of the development effort, including a partnership between humanity and nature.

In addressing the theme of "justice as a pillar of society", the report states that one fifth of the world's population lives in a state of absolute poverty, hunger, disease and illiteracy, and that attacking both the causes and symptoms of these ills is the most urgent task for development.

The challenge of social integration is increasingly becoming internationalized, as large masses of people move across international borders in search of better lives, critically affecting national and international agendas. Until development on a global scale improves, such population movements will persist.

Governments must lead and facilitate social development, the report continues. However, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community groups, private enterprises, workers' organizations and others must also be actively involved.

Stating that economic laws cannot be changed, but their social consequences can be eased, the report stresses that the significance of the social dimension to development must not only be recognized, but must be acted upon.

In discussing "democracy as good governance"--the fifth dimension of development--the Secretary-General states that improving and enhancing governance is an essential condition for the success of any development strategy. While democracy is not the only means to this end, it is "the only reliable" one. improved governance means the design and pursuit of a comprehensive national strategy for development, as well as an accountability for actions and transparency in decision-making.

In section III, entitled "The UN in Development", the Secretary-General states that whether expressed as a responsibility of States or as a right of peoples, development requires competent governmental leadership, coherent national policies and strong popular commitment. But few societies, if any, can pursue all aspects of development unaided, and other "actors" were required to assist States in their efforts.

These actors in development-public and private, national and international--are growing in number and diversity, a situation resulting in a need for greater coherence. The allocation of resources among various dimensions of development remains unbalanced and many activities remain underfinanced.

There is a need, the report states, to put in place a system of international cooperation that facilitates the mobilization of domestic resources and external assistance, which would include new levels of coordination among UN organs, as well as greater interaction between the policy advice and country operations of the Bretton Woods institutions, and the approaches and practices of other actors in development.

Raising levels of awareness of development issues and creating a global consensus would help create a "culture of development", the report states. The UN had been indispensable in drawing attention to the need for environmental action, in addressing the impact of demographic change, in the cause of human rights and in bringing an international focus on development in all its aspects. In this connection, a number of global conferences had already been held or were being planned under UN auspice&

As the leading proponent of international law and as the most important forum of international cooperation, the UN has a central role to play in enhancing the scope and effectiveness of multilateral cooperation, particularly with regard to international norms, standards and precepts.

In addition, while the Organization provides a forum for political consensus-building, a vehicle for international cooperation, and a source of policy analysis for millions of people throughout the world, it is also an important operational organization that works to achieve practical results. The report maintains that by establishing an environment, a framework and often an umbrella for development activities, the UN not only contributes directly to development, but also facilitates the activities of many other actors.

The report says that the setting of development priorities and the coordination of activities and assistance are essential to achieve the maximum impact from development resources. it is here that the UN, and particularly the Economic and Social Council, has an important role to play. The revitalized Council could make a significant contribution to establishing greater policy coherence and coordination within the UN system as a whole. But the Organization cannot make decisions for its Members. "The present Agenda's purpose is to offer guidelines for thought and action by each Member State", according to the report.

In section IV--"Conclusion: The Promise of Development"--the Secretary-General states that the UN, as a "key mechanism" for international cooperation, possesses flexibility, legitimacy and a universal range of action. However, that mechanism is caught in a confining cycle, caused by a resistance to multilateralism, a reluctance to provide financial means to achieve agreed ends, and an unwillingness to engage in difficult operations. The only way to progress is with a "new and compelling collective vision", he says.

The UN could bring to bear the unparalleled broadness of its scope and the unique potential to integrate the many actors and dimensions of development, according to the Secretary-General. In his view, if employed prudently, efficiently and confidently, the UN is the best available instrument for managing the world situation with a reasonable expectation of success.

RELATED ARTICLE:High-Level segment discusses `Agenda'

The 54-member Economic and Social Council discussed "An Agenda for Development" at a high-level segment held from 27 to 29 June, including a policy dialogue on important developments in the world economy between Council members and the heads of the International Monetary Fund, the UN Conference on Trade and Development, the International Labour Organisation and the World Bank. Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali on 28 June said development was "a global phenomenon that cannot be reduced to its economic dimension alone".

RELATED ARTICLE:Group of 77' wants new definition

The Group of 77 developing countries, at a special ministerial meeting at Headquarters on 24 June to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of its formation, adopted a Ministerial Statement on "An Agenda for Development".

Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali told the Group that the gap between rich and poor countries was ever widening. "We must, therefore, reinvent development, reinvent a new North-South social contract, reinvent a new development ethic."

Algerian Foreign Minister Mohamed-Salah Dembri, the 1994 Chairman of the Group of 77, said members should redefine the foundation of international cooperation for development The Ministerial Statement called for the "Agenda" to reverse the prevailing fragmented approach to development.