RI contributes to world summit fund

RI contributes to world summit fund

JAKARTA (JP): Indonesia is contributing US$50,000 to a special fund set up by the organizers of the upcoming World Summit for Social Development which will take place in Copenhagen in March.

Indonesia's contribution was announced by its representative at the just concluded third and final preparatory committee meeting for the summit in the Danish capital last month, the United Nations Information Center said in a statement.

The fund is intended to support the participation of developing countries in the Summit, it said.

Indonesian President Soeharto, who currently chairs the Non- Aligned Movement of 111 developing countries, is widely expected to take part in the summit, scheduled for March 6-12.

Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Poul Nielson, addressing the preparatory meeting, said the success of the summit would be secured in terms of attendance at the highest political level.

An Indonesian representative was elected as one of the nine vice chairmen of the preparatory committee, the statement said without giving his or her name. The committee is chaired by Juan O. Somavia of Chile and the other eight vice chairmen came from Australia, Cameroon, India, Latvia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Poland and Zimbabwe. Denmark, as the host country for the summit, is an ex-officio vice chairman.

The preparatory committee meeting which wound up on Jan. 28 approved the draft declaration and the draft program of action which will be submitted to the summit.

It will be the first ever meeting at the level of heads of state and government with the expressed objective of confronting the issues of poverty, unemployment and social exclusion -- for a better life for all peoples of the world.

Contentious issues include references to problems of the countries in transition to a market economy; the foreign debt problem of developing countries; financial resources for social development; the right of development; the family; and the implementation and follow up of the summit's outcome by the United Nations system.

The draft declaration and draft program of action stress the urgent need to address in all countries the structural causes and distressing consequences of "profound social problems", particularly poverty, unemployment and social exclusion.

Recommended to be taken at the national, international and United Nations level are actions aimed at eliminating inequalities within and among countries as they breed resentment and unrest among people leading to threats to the security of nations, hampering economic development and impeding a lasting peace.

The four-part draft declaration contains a set of commitments which would be the basis for the international community's drive for social progress and development. They address the core issues of the summit -- poverty, unemployment and social integration -- and matters directly related to them, including the impact of structural adjustment programs on social development.