53rd Session of the Commission for Social Development

In connection with its review of the relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, the Special Rapporteur of the Human Rights Council on the rights of persons with disabilities, at the invitation of the Commission, briefed the Commission on her vision and work plan under the purview of the newly established mandates of the Human Rights Council and had a follow-up interaction with participants.

The Chair of the NGO Committee for Social Development reported to the Commission on the outcome of the Civil Society Forum. For the first time in the history of the Commission, a youth representative, who had participated in the Economic and Social Council Youth Forum, intervened by bringing to the attention of the Commission issues discussed during the Forum that were relevant to the work of the Commission.

The Commission emphasized that sustainable development must be people-centred and inclusive, and must integrate the social, economic and environmental aspects of development — the vision and principles of the World Summit for Social Development that are gaining renewed recognition today. Building on the lessons learned in implementing the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, Member States shared good policies and practices, and effective strategies for advancing social development beyond 2015.

The Commission highlighted the need to adopt a life-course approach to the post-2015 development agenda and to pay closer attention to the challenges posed by a lack of data on older persons. Some Member States called for protecting the rights of older persons by complementing existing national and regional frameworks with multilateral initiatives, including the elaboration of an international legal instrument on older persons. The upcoming start of the third review and appraisal of the implementation of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002, was welcomed.

Following the twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family in 2014, efforts should continue to be made to promote family-oriented policies and programmes, especially in the areas of housing, education and care arrangements having an intergenerational focus.

The Commission indicated that a growing commitment to strengthening youth participation had been made at the national and international levels. A youth representative from the Youth Forum stressed the importance of including youth and youth indicators in the post-2015 development processes. Discussions also touched upon various policy initiatives to address youth unemployment and the need to offer quality education and training for a successful transition into the labour market. Several Member States shared good practices in mainstreaming youth in national strategies and sectorial policies.

The Commission adopted three draft resolutions that were recommended for adoption by the Economic and Social Council on:

(a) Social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development
(b) Modalities for the third review and appraisal of the Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing, 2002
(c) Promoting the rights of persons with disabilities and strengthening the mainstreaming of disability in the post-2015 development agenda

The Commission also adopted a resolution on policies and programmes involving youth, which is brought to the attention of the Council.