General Assembly (GA)

The General Assembly, Recalling the World Summit for Social Development, held in Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995, and the twenty-fourth special session of the General Assembly, entitled “World Summit for Social Development and beyond: achieving social development for all in a globalizing world”, held in Geneva from 26 June to 1 July 2000,

Reaffirming that the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development 1 and the further initiatives for social development adopted by the General Assembly at its twentyfourth special session,2 as well as a continued global dialogue on social development issues, constitute the basic framework for the promotion of social development for all at the national and international…

As part of the preparations for the thirtieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family, the report focuses on analysis of demographic trends and their impact on families and family-oriented policies. With regard to fertility decisions and maternal mortality reduction, the Secretary-General recommends provision of quality education, ensuring access to reproductive health services and family planning and investment in health-care facilities in remote areas. In terms of work-family balance, the Secretary-General suggests investing in flexible working arrangements, parental leave and high quality and affordable childcare.

With regard to ageing, recommendations are offered on social security and pensions, family-based care systems for older persons and institutional…

The report provides: (a) an update on the status of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and the Optional Protocol thereto, and (b) an overview of the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies, as outlined in article 11 of the Convention.

The report also contains a section on the development, use and implementation of easyto-understand communication as an accessibility resource and tool for persons with disabilities. The report presents initiatives and progress made in these areas by Governments, entities of the United Nations system, other intergovernmental organizations and civil society organizations. It concludes with recommendations for action to implement article 11 of the Convention and to…