"An Agenda for Development"
The concept of development, and decades of effort to reduce poverty, illiteracy, disease and mortality rates, are great achievements of this century. But development as a common cause is in danger of fading from the forefront of our agenda. The competition for influence during the cold war stimulated interest in development. The motives were not always altruistic, but countries seeking to develop could benefit from that interest. Today, the competition to bring development to the poorest countries has ended. Many donors have grown weary of the task. Many of the poor dispirited. Development is in crisis.
The poorest nations fall farther behind. Nations in transition from command to open economies face immense hardships. Nations that have achieved prosperity see their success accompanied by a new array of problems, social, environmental, cultural and economic, and many are consequently reluctant even to pursue their assistance policies at former levels.
The current situation calls for wider intellectual understanding, deeper moral commitment and more effective policy measures. Without them, a half century of considerable progress could be undermined. Worse, all peoples of the world will live on a deteriorating planet, and will increasingly lose the ability to shape their destiny in a coherent way.
... While there is war, no State is securely at peace. While there is want, no people can achieve lasting development.
... Development cannot proceed easily in societies where military concerns are at or near the centre of life. Societies whose economic effort is given in substantial part to military production inevitably diminish the prospects of their people for development. The absence of peace often leads societies to devote a higher percentage of their budget to the military than to development needs in health, education and housing. Preparation for war absorbs inordinate resources and impedes the development of social institutions.
50th anniversary S-G address
In November 1994, in a report to the General Assembly (A/49/665), I presented four principle recommendations on "An Agenda for Development" for the consideration of Member States at the forty-ninth session of the General Assembly.
These were:
a. that development should be recognized as the foremost and most
far-reaching task of our time;
b. that while it must be seen in its many dimensions -- in the
contexts of peace, the economy, environmental protection, social
justice and democracy -- development at its core must be about
improvement of human well-being, the removal of poverty, hunger,
disease and ignorance, ensuring productive employment and the
satisfaction of priority needs of all people in a way that can be
sustained over future generations;
c. that the emerging consensus on the priority and dimensions of
development should find expression in a new framework for
international cooperation; and
d. that within this new framework for development cooperation, the
United Nations must play a major role in both policy leadership and
operations.
