The World Summit

for Social Development

(1995)
October 29, 2022
Prepared/Reported by: Br. Israel De Ocampo, fic
Professor: Dr. Editha Agbuya
Preliminaries
•Prayer and Singing of the Philippine National Anthem: to
be led by Ms. Juliette Roble
•Attendance Checking with Unfreezing Activity: to be led

by Mr. Ariel Tomo and Ms. Nica Joy Hernandez

•Introduction of the Reporter: by Ms. Nica Joy Hernandez
Quote of the Day and Sharing
“What is the meaning of life? What is
the meaning of living beings together?
You asked: ‘Does it make sense to
pose this question, in the first place?’ I answered:
‘People who find their own lives and the lives of
their fellow humans to be meaningless are not only
unhappy but are also hardly capable of living’.”
– Albert Einstein from the “The World As I see It”, 1933. p.1.
Outline of the Presentation: The World Summit
for Social Development (1995)
• 1. Review of Global Situations in the 1990s
• 2. The Summit in a Nutshell
• 3. Speech of President Ramos at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the
Pacific (ESCAP) Ministerial Conference in preparation for the World Summit for Social
Development, October 18, 1994
• 4. Summit’s Summary of Outcomes
• 5. The Summit’s Programs of Actions
• 6. After the Summit: The Philippine’s Response
• 7. Department of Education, Culture and Sport (DECS) Order No. 3, s. 1995 Establishing
DECS-SRA (Social Reform Agenda) Oversight Committee, Provincial Champions and
DECS-SRA Secretariat at the Central Office Signed by Ricardo T. Gloria
• 8. Takeaway
1. Review of Global Situations in the 1990s
Known as the Post-Cold War Decade, the 90s are often
culturally defined as the period from the Revolutions of 1989 that
marked the end of the Cold War until the Global War on Terrorism
(including the September 11 attacks, the War in Afghanistan, the
Iraq War, and the war on drugs) in the following decade. In the
United States, the decade saw greater attention to multiculturalism
compared to the 1980s as well as the advance of alternative media.
Music movements like grunge, Eurodance, and hip hop became
popular with young adults worldwide, aided by cable television
and the Internet. The 1990s saw advances in technology, with the
World Wide Web, the first gene therapy trial, and cloning all
emerging and being improved upon throughout the decade.
1. Review of Global Situations in the 1990s
International trade increased with the passage of the
North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) in 1994 and
forming of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995. New
ethnic conflicts emerged in Africa (such as the
Rwandan genocide), the Balkans (such as the Bosnian genocide
), and the Caucasus (several wars in the
Chechen–Russian conflict). Signs of any resolution of tensions
between Israel and the Arab world remained elusive, despite
the progress of the Oslo Accords. However, in Northern Ireland
, The Troubles came to a standstill in 1998 with the
Good Friday Agreement, following 30 years of violence.
2. The Summit in a Nutshell
• At the World Summit for Social Development (WSSD),
held in March 1995 in Copenhagen, Governments reached
a new consensus on the need to put people at the center of
development. The Social Summit was the largest gathering
ever of world leaders at that time.

• It pledged to make the conquest of poverty, the goal of

full employment and the fostering of social integration
overriding objectives of development.
2. The Summit in a Nutshell
•At the conclusion of the World Summit for Social Development,
Governments adopted a Declaration and Program of Action which
represents a new consensus on the need to put people at the canter of
development. The largest gathering yet of world leaders ­ 117 heads of
State or Government – pledged to make the conquest of poverty, the
goal of full employment and the fostering of stable, safe and just
societies their overriding objectives.
•Five years on, they reconvened in Geneva in June 2000, to review
what has been achieved, and to commit themselves to new initiatives.
3. Speech of President Ramos at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Ministerial Conference in preparation for the World Summit for Social Development, Oct. 18, 1994
 

Toward a world compact on social development

•With Manila Declaration on the Agenda for Action on Social Development in the
Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) region, we have forged
a common vision for three-fifths of humanity spread across the 54 countries and areas from
where we come.
•We have agreed to build on “a firm foundation for peace and development in the
twenty-first century…rooted in the dynamism of the economies of many countries in the
region.”
•We have identified three important priorities to guide our actions: “poverty alleviation,
which encompasses both the eradication of absolute poverty and the reduction of relative
poverty; employment expansion, which covers the expansion of opportunities for productive
employment leading to the reduction of unemployment and underemployment; and social
integration, which refers to the enabling of all social groups to live together in productive
and cooperative harmony.”
3. Speech of President Ramos at the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP)
Ministerial Conference in preparation for the World Summit for Social Development, Oct. 18, 1994
 

•We have embodied this philosophy in our Medium-term Philippine

Development Plan for 1993-98, which is our road map to our shared vision of
a newly industrializing country by the turn of the century, a vision we have
called “Philippines 2000.”
•The plan stresses a vital consideration: “the goal of all economic
development efforts is the development of the human person and the
improvement of the quality of life.”
 A crusade for children
•We then reaffirmed our commitment to the vigorous pursuit of national action plans for
children, marked by mid-decade goals for our national children. These are the signposts we
will check ourselves against, to ensure that we remain on track toward achieving our goals
for children by the turn of the millennium.
•We achieved a big step forward in the Philippines in pursuing our mid-decade goals
for children when we localized this action plan. The heads of our own leagues of provinces,
municipalities and cities: Governor Pagdanganan and Mayors Devanadera and Osmena—
presented today their reports on how we are progressing in these goals, and are even ahead
of our targets for the immunization of one-year-old children and the reduction of protein
malnutrition.
•Iodine deficiency is a case in point. Studies have shown that children who lack iodine
can have up to 10 intelligence quotient (I.Q.) points less than other children. All other
tilings being equal, children who are deficient in iodine are slower, less vigorous and have a
harder time keeping up with the demands of schoolwork, in the process affecting their
future productivity as adult citizens.
 •About a year ago today, Health Secretary Juan Flavier reported to me that 40 percent
of our population (or 25 million Filipinos) live in iodine-deficient areas, and that 30
percent of all babies living in Metro Manila itself are deficient in iodine.
•Our response to this has been simple but effective—and that is, to take action toward
the universal iodization of salt. As long as we have the technology and the delivery
mechanism, all it takes is the political will to get it done.
•And it must be done. In the compelling words of the United Nations Children’s Fund
(UNICEF): “With each child, the world begins anew. With each child, we have the
opportunity and the reason to remake the world.”
4. Summary of Outcomes The Declaration sets out the general commitment of
governments to people-centered sustainable development, and then itemizes ten specific
commitments. They are:
 to create an economic, political, social, cultural and legal environment, that will enable people to achieve social
development;

 to eradicate poverty in the world;

 to promote the goal of full employment as a basic priority of economic and social policies;

 to promote social integration;

 to promote full respect for human dignity, and to achieving equality and equity between women and men;

 to promote and attain the goals of universal and equitable access to quality education, the highest attainable standard of
health and access of all to primary health care;

 to accelerate the development of Africa and the least developed countries;

 to include social development goals in structural adjustment programs;

 to increase significantly and/or utilize more efficiently the resources allocated to social development;

 to improve international co-operation for social development.

 5. The Programs of Actions
• The Program of Action contains five chapters. The first focuses on an enabling
environment for social development, including:
 sustained economic growth and sustainable development on a global scale, including
growth in production, trade, employment and incomes;

 an equitable distribution of the benefits of global economic growth;

 measures to make economic growth and market forces more conducive to social
development;

 political frameworks which include the rule of law, democracy, and the wide participation
of civil society in policy making;

 promoting and protecting all human rights and fundamental freedoms.

Chapter II deals with one of the fundamental issues addressed by the Summit, poverty.
Overall poverty is defined in relative terms as a lack of income and access to resources, lack
of access to basic social services such as education, and alienation from civil, social and
cultural life. Absolute poverty is defined as severe deprivation of basic human needs such as
food and shelter. Actions include:
 providing sustained economic growth;

 developing poverty eradication plans;

 empowering people living in poverty and their organizations;

 improving access to productive resources;

 meeting the basic human needs of all

 enhancing social protection systems such as social insurance program;

 reducing the vulnerability of particular groups to poverty, including children, women and
older persons.
Chapter III concerns the expansion of productive employment. Actions
include:
 placing the expansion of productive employment at the center of
sustainable development strategies;
 emphasizing education and training;
 emphasizing the quality of work;
 acknowledging groups with specific needs, such as older persons,
single parents, and migrants;
 recognizing the significance of unremunerated work.
Chapter IV concerns social integration, which is defined in terms of
an inclusive society, where diversity is respected and the problems of
divisiveness and disintegration associated with such factors as wide
disparities of wealth, uncontrolled urbanization, violence and crime
are addressed. Actions include:
 promoting a participatory democracy;
 promoting tolerance and respect for diversity, equality and social
justice;
 being responsive to groups at risk of being marginalized including
indigenous people, children, people with disabilities, refugees and
migrants;
 strengthening families.
Chapter IV concerns social integration, which is defined in terms of
an inclusive society, where diversity is respected and the problems
of divisiveness and disintegration associated with such factors as
wide disparities of wealth, uncontrolled urbanization, violence and
crime are addressed. Actions include:
 promoting a participatory democracy;
 promoting tolerance and respect for diversity, equality and social
justice;
 being responsive to groups at risk of being marginalized including
indigenous people, children, people with disabilities, refugees and
migrants;
 strengthening families.
6. After the Summit: The Philippine’s Response
Republic Act No. 8425, December 11, 1997
AN ACT INSTITUTIONALIZING THE SOCIAL REFORM
AND POVERTY ALLEVIATION PROGRAM, CREATING
FOR THE PURPOSE THE NATIONAL ANTI-POVERTY
COMMISSION, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:
• Section 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Social Reform
and Poverty Alleviation Act."
• Section 2. Declaration of policy. – It is the policy of the State to:
• (1) Adopt an area-based, sectoral and focused intervention to poverty
alleviation wherein every poor Filipino family shall be empowered to
meet its minimum basic needs of health, food and nutrition, water and
environmental sanitation, income security, shelter and decent housing,
peace and order, education and functional literacy, participation in
governance, and family care and psycho-social integrity;
• (2) Actively pursue asset reform or redistribution of productive
economic resources to the basic sectors including the adoption of a
system of public spending which is targeted towards the poor;
• (3) Institutionalize and enhance the Social Reform Agenda, hereinafter
known as the SRA, which embodies the results of the series of
consultations and summits on poverty alleviation;
• (4) Adopt and operationalize the following principles and strategies as
constituting the national framework integrating various structural
reforms and anti-poverty initiatives:
• (a) Social reform shall be a continuing process that addresses the basic inequities in Philippine
society through a systematic package of social interventions;
• (b) The SRA shall be enhanced by government in equal partnership with the different basic
sectors through appropriate and meaningful consultations and participation in governance;
• (c) Policy, programs and resource commitments from both government and the basic sectors
shall be clearly defined to ensure accountability and transparency in the implementation of the
Social Reform Agenda;
• (d) A policy environment conducive to sustainable social reform shall be pursued;
• (e) The SRA shall address the fight against poverty through a multi-dimensional and cross-
sectoral approach which recognizes and respects the core values, cultural integrity, and
spiritual diversity of target sectors and communities;
• (f) The SRA shall pursue a gender-responsive approach to fight poverty;
• (g) The SRA shall promote ecological balance in the different ecosystems, in a way that gives
the basic sectors a major stake in the use, management, conservation and protection of
productive resources;
• (h) The SRA shall take into account the principle and interrelationship of population and
development in the planning and implementation of social reform programs thereby promoting
self-help and self-reliance; and
• (i) The SRA implementation shall be focused on specific target areas and basic sectors.
7. Department of Education, Culture and Sport (DECS) Order No. 3, s. 1995 Establishing
DECS-SRA (Social Reform Agenda) Oversight Committee, Provincial Champions and
DECS-SRA Secretariat at the Central Office Signed by Ricardo T. Gloria
Important Points of the Order Related to
Educational Reforms:
• Framework: The Government’s goal of human development has two
dimensions: economic growth and social reform: “Social reform without the
enlargement and more equitable sharing of economic pie will inevitably fail to
uplift the lives of the intended beneficiaries.
• Process: People-Driven, in sectoral (farmers, fisherfolks, indigenous cultural
communities, urban poor, women, person with disabilities, youth and
disadvantaged students, elderly, victims of disasters) and in geographical (19
poorest provinces)
• One of the Key Guiding Principles: The SRA must address the disadvantaged
sectors’ minimum basic needs: health and nutrition, water and sanitation,
income security, shelter, peace and order, basic education and literacy and
participation in governance.
• Vision for Specific Sectors
• Youth: Youth representation in both community and
national development, access to basic education and literacy
program, Day Care, Educational Assistance, Integrated
Human Resource Development Program for the Youth
• Disadvantaged students (basic rights and welfare have
been neglected): Legal protection of women and children
against all forms of violence
• Person with disabilities: Accessibility, mainstreaming and
rehabilitation, livelihood programs
8. Takeaway
9. References/Websites Used:
• https://www.un.org/development/desa/dspd/world-summit-for
-social-development-1995.html
• https://www.msd.govt.nz/about-msd-and-our-work/publicatio
ns-resources/journals-and-magazines/social-policy-journal/sp
j04/04-the-united-nations-world-summit-for-social-develope
mt.html#Summaryofoutcomes1
• https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/1994/10/18/speech-of-pres
ident-ramos-at-the-economic-and-social-commission-for-asia
-and-the-pacific-escap-ministerial-conference-in-preparation-
for-the-world-summit-for-social-development/
• Feedback/Question and Answer and
Conclusion

• Dr. Agbuya’s Input/Intervention/Sharing

Thank you for listening!