The General Assembly,
 
      Recalling its resolutions 46/139 of 17 December 1991, 47/92 of 16
December 1992 and 48/100 of 20 December 1993,
 
      Recalling also Economic and Social Council decision 1991/230 of 30 May
1991, resolutions 1992/27 of 30 July 1992 and 1995/60 of 28 July 1995, and
agreed conclusions 1995/1 of 28 July 1995,
 
      Having considered the report of the World Summit for Social Development,
held at Copenhagen from 6 to 12 March 1995,
 
      Expressing its profound gratitude to the Government and people of
Denmark for the hospitality extended to all participants at the Summit and for
the facilities, staff and services placed at their disposal,
 
      Expressing its satisfaction that for the first time in history, at the
invitation of the United Nations, heads of State and Government gathered at
Copenhagen to recognize the significance of social development and human well-
being for all and to give to those goals the highest priority both now and
into the twenty-first century by reaching a successful conclusion and adopting
the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of
the World Summit for Social Development,
 
 
             Critical importance of national action and international
                        cooperation for social development
 
      1.    Takes note with appreciation of the report of the World Summit for
Social Development;
 
      2.    Takes note also of the report of the Secretary-General of 26
October 1995 on implementation of the outcome of the World Summit for Social
Development;
 
      3.    Endorses the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the
Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, adopted on 12
March 1995;
 
      4.    Reaffirms the pledge by the heads of State and Government at the
Summit to give highest priority to national, regional and international
policies and actions for the promotion of social progress, justice and the
betterment of the human condition, based on full participation by all;
 
      5.    Recognizes the necessity to create a framework for action to place
people at the centre of development and direct economies to meet human needs
more effectively;
 
      6.    Stresses the need for a renewed and massive political will at the
national and international levels to invest in people and their well-being to
achieve the objectives of social development;
 
      7.    Emphasizes that economic development, social development and
environmental protection are interdependent and mutually reinforcing
components of sustainable development;
 
      8.    Recognizes that social development and the implementation of the
Programme of Action are primarily the responsibility of Governments, although
international cooperation and assistance are essential for their full
implementation;
 
      9.    Reiterates the call to Governments to define time-bound goals and
targets for reducing overall poverty and eradicating absolute poverty,
expanding employment and reducing unemployment, and enhancing social
integration, within each national context;
 
      10.   Emphasizes that there is a need for promotion of an integrated and
multidimensional approach for the implementation of the Declaration and
Programme of Action at all levels;
 
      11.   Also reiterates the call for formulating or strengthening by 1996
comprehensive cross-sectoral strategies for implementing the outcome of the
Summit and national strategies for social development, including government
action, actions by States in cooperation with other Governments and
international, regional and subregional organizations, and actions taken in
partnership and cooperation with actors of civil society, the private sector
and cooperatives, with specific responsibilities to be undertaken by each
actor and with agreed priorities and time-frames;
 
      12.   Further reiterates the call for regularly assessing national
progress towards implementing the outcome of the Summit, possibly in the form
of periodic national reports, outlining successes, problems and obstacles;
such reports could be considered within the framework of an appropriate
consolidated reporting system, taking into account the different reporting
procedures in the economic, social and environmental fields;
 
      13.   Reaffirms the need for effective partnership and cooperation
between Governments and the relevant actors of civil society, the social
partners, the major groups as defined in Agenda 21, including non-governmental
organizations and the private sector, in the implementation of and follow-up
to the Declaration and Programme of Action, and for ensuring their involvement
in the planning, elaboration, implementation and evaluation of social policies
at the national level;
 
      14.   Recognizes that the implementation of the Declaration and
Programme of Action will require the mobilization of financial resources at
the national and international levels, as set out in commitments 8 and 9 of
the Declaration and paragraphs 87 to 93 of the Programme of Action;
 
      15.   Also recognizes that the implementation of the Declaration and
Programme of Action in developing countries, in particular in Africa and the
least developed countries, will need additional financial resources and more
effective development cooperation and assistance;
 
      16.   Concurs that substantial debt reduction is needed to enable
developing countries to implement the Declaration and Programme of Action, as
set out in commitment 9 (o) of the Declaration and paragraph 90 of the
Programme of Action;
 
      17.   Reaffirms the importance of agreeing on a mutual commitment
between interested developed and developing country partners to allocate, on
average, 20 per cent of official development assistance and 20 per cent of the
national budget, respectively, to basic social programmes;
 
      18.   Recognizes the necessity of providing appropriate technical
cooperation and other forms of assistance to the countries with economies in
transition, as set out in the provisions of the Declaration and Programme of
Action;
 
      19.   Urges the Secretary-General, in cooperation with the World Bank,
the International Monetary Fund and other multilateral development
institutions, to study the impact of structural adjustment programmes on
economic and social development and to assist adjusting countries in creating
conditions for economic growth, job creation, poverty eradication and social
development;
 
      20.   Encourages Governments as well as public and private institutions
and organizations to take initiatives relevant to the high priority attached
by the Summit to social development and to the implementation of the
objectives and commitments adopted at the Summit;
 
 
                       The role of the United Nations system
 
      21.   Calls upon all relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the
United Nations system to be involved in the follow-up to the Summit, and
invites specialized agencies and related organizations of the United Nations
system to strengthen and adjust their activities, programmes and medium-term
strategies, as appropriate, to take into account the follow-up to the Summit;
 
      22.   Reaffirms that the follow-up to the Summit will be undertaken on
the basis of an integrated approach to social development and within the
framework of a coordinated follow-up to and implementation of the results of
the major international conferences in the economic, social and related
fields;
 
      23.   Decides that the General Assembly, through its role in policy
formulation, the Economic and Social Council, through its role in overall
guidance and coordination, in accordance with their respective roles under the
Charter of the United Nations and with Assembly resolution 48/162 of 20
December 1993, and a revitalized Commission for Social Development shall
constitute a three-tiered intergovernmental process in the follow-up to the
implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action;
 
      24.   Also decides to hold a special session of the General Assembly in
the year 2000 for an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of the
outcome of the Summit and to consider further actions and initiatives;
 
      25.   Also reaffirms that the Economic and Social Council will provide
overall guidance and oversee system-wide coordination in the implementation of
the outcome of the Summit and make recommendations in this regard;
 
      26.   Requests the Economic and Social Council, so that it can review
progress made towards implementing the outcome of the Summit as well as
improving its own effectiveness, to continue examining ways, consistent with
the mandates of the Charter and in accordance with General Assembly
resolutions 45/264 of 13 May 1991, 46/235 of 13 April 1992 and 48/162, to
strengthen its role, authority, structures, resources and processes, bringing
specialized agencies into a closer working relationship with it;
 
      27.   Invites the Economic and Social Council to review the reporting
system in the area of social development with a view to establishing a
coherent system that could result in clear policy recommendations for
Governments and international actors;
 
      28.   Calls upon the Commission for Social Development, as a functional
commission of the Economic and Social Council with the primary responsibility
for the follow-up to and review of the implementation of the Summit, to
develop a multi-year programme of work to the year 2000, selecting specific
themes and addressing them from an interrelated and integrated perspective, in
a manner consistent with the functions and contributions of other relevant
organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, and to present
its recommendations to the Council, which should ensure harmonization between
such a multi-year programme of work and those of other relevant functional
commissions of the Council;
 
      29.   Endorses Economic and Social Council resolution 1995/60, and calls
upon the Commission for Social Development, when developing at its next
session its multi-year programme of work for the follow-up to the Summit:
 
      (a)   To adapt its mandate in order to ensure an integrated approach to
social development;
 
      (b)   To integrate the current sectoral issues on its agenda in the
multi-year programme;
 
      (c)   To review and update its methods of work and to make
recommendations to ensure an effective follow-up to the Summit;
 
      (d)   To establish the practice of inviting experts to contribute to its
work;
 
      (e)   To consider integrating into its work high-level representatives
on social development issues and policies;
 
      30.   Requests the Commission for Social Development, in view of the
scope of its work, to consider at its next session the composition of the
membership of the Commission and the frequency of its sessions and to make
recommendations thereon to the Economic and Social Council;
 
      31.   Also requests the Commission for Social Development to establish
the practice of involving the relevant actors of civil society in the field of
social development to contribute to its work, and requests the
Secretary-General to present proposals to the Commission for Social
Development and the Economic and Social Council for consideration at their
next sessions, taking into account the experience gained in other functional
commissions, the Council and the International Labour Organization and at the
Summit;
 
      32.   Requests the Economic and Social Council, without prejudice to the
outcome of the review of consultative arrangements by the Open-ended Working
Group on the Review of Arrangements for Consultations with Non-Governmental
Organizations, to consider authorizing the participation at the next session
of the Commission for Social Development of interested civil society
organizations that participated, by accreditation, in the Summit;
 
      33.   Invites, within their mandates, the regional commissions, in
cooperation with the regional intergovernmental organizations and banks, to
consider convening, on a biennial basis, a meeting at a high political level
to review progress made towards implementing the outcome of the Summit, to
exchange views on their respective experiences and to adopt the appropriate
measures;
 
      34.   Emphasizes the important role of the Committee on Economic, Social
and Cultural Rights in monitoring those aspects of the Declaration and
Programme of Action that relate to compliance by States parties with the
International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights;
 
      35.   Notes the establishment of task forces for the follow-up to the
Summit and other related United Nations conferences, and invites the
Administrative Committee on Coordination to bring system-wide coordination
issues to the attention of the Economic and Social Council, in particular its
coordination segment, and to make recommendations thereon;
 
      36.   Reiterates that United Nations operational activities should be
strengthened in order to contribute to the implementation of the outcome of
the Summit in accordance with relevant resolutions;
 
      37.   Requests the United Nations Development Programme to facilitate
the efforts of the United Nations system towards capacity-building at the
local, national and regional levels and to support the coordinated
implementation of social development programmes through the resident
coordinator system;
 
      38.   Invites the International Labour Organization, which, because of
its mandate, tripartite structure and expertise, has a special role to play in
social development in the field of employment, to continue to contribute to
the implementation of the Programme of Action;
 
      39.   Invites the Bretton Woods institutions to be actively involved in
the implementation of and follow-up to the Summit and to enhance their
cooperation with other parts of the United Nations system for this purpose;
 
      40.   Invites the World Trade Organization to consider how it might
contribute to the implementation of the Programme of Action, including
activities in cooperation with the United Nations system;
 
      41.   Invites the Secretary-General, including within the framework of
the Administrative Committee on Coordination, to make appropriate
arrangements, which may include joint meetings, for consultations with the
heads of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the International
Labour Organization, the United Nations funds and programmes, and other
relevant agencies, for the purpose of cooperating in the implementation of the
Declaration and the Programme of Action in their respective organizations;
 
      42.   Requests the Secretary-General to ensure an effectively
functioning secretariat, within which clear responsibility is assigned to
assist with the implementation of and follow-up to the Summit and the
servicing of the intergovernmental bodies involved;
 
      43.   Also requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations bodies
to take appropriate measures, in a coordinated manner, to strengthen the
United Nations capacity for gathering and analysing information and developing
indicators of social development, taking into account the work carried out by
different countries, in particular by developing countries, as well as for
providing policy and technical support and advice, upon request, to improve
national capacities in this regard;
 
      44.   Decides that the trust fund of the World Summit for Social
Development, established in accordance with General Assembly resolution 47/92
of 16 December 1992 to finance preparatory activities, be continued and
renamed the Trust Fund for the Follow-up to the World Summit for Social
Development, under the authority of the Secretary-General, with the aim of
supporting programmes, seminars and activities for the promotion of social
development in implementation of the Declaration and Programme of Action,
including activities of the United Nations Decade for the Eradication of
Poverty, and invites all States to contribute to the Fund;
 
      45.   Requests the Economic and Social Council to consider new and
innovative ideas for generating funds and to offer for this purpose any useful
suggestions;
 
      46.   Calls upon the Secretary-General to disseminate as widely as
possible the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of
Action of the World Summit for Social Development, including to all competent
organs of the United Nations and the specialized agencies;
 
      47.   Decides to include in the provisional agenda of its fifty-first
session the item entitled "Implementation of the outcome of the World Summit
for Social Development", and to consider the implications for a more coherent
treatment of related items on its agenda in the appropriate forums.