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       Copyright 2000 InterPress Service, all rights reserved.
          Worldwide distribution via the APC networks.

                      *** 27-Jun-0* ***

Title: /SOCIAL SUMMIT 2000/ DEVELOPMENT: Democracy Begins at Someone
Elses Home

By Gustavo Capdevila

GENEVA, Jun 27 (IPS) - The worlds industrialised countries got
everything they wanted when it came to democratisation policies for
developing countries, but did not give up one iota when the United Nations
(UN) took up the issue of democratising international financial institutions
during the Social Summit underway in this Swiss city.

The European Union (EU) proposed an initiative to ensure
national and local institutions are democratic, effective, transparent and
responsible, targeting the countries of the developing South - often identified
with the stereotype of being difficult to govern.

The Group of 77 (G-77), made up of developing countries and
China, accepted an initiative for implementing commitments to create an
economic, political, social, cultural and legal environment that encourages
social development.

In turn, the G-77 proposed that to reinforce these same objectives,
developing and transitional economies should have full and effective participation in the decision-making processes of the worlds
financial institutions - an idea that was flatly rejected.

The statement drafted by the G-77 maintains that such
participation should be achieved through reforming and democratising these
institutions, thus creating greater transparency and a balance of accounts in
their administration and actions.

The debate for the most part refers to the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank, two institutions that are seen to have an elitist
governance that ensures control by those countries with the greatest assets.

The G-77 initiative was explicitly blocked by the United States, which
announced it would not accept any reference whatsoever about the
democratisation of international financial institutions.

The debate unfolded in the Working Group I of the UN Special
General Assembly underway this week in Geneva to assess the implementation
of commitments made in Copenhagen in 1995 to eradicate poverty, unemployment
and social exclusion around the world.

These political terms reveal the struggle between groups of countries
within the two Working Groups that are negotiating the application of what
are known as the Social Summit commitments, said John Langmore, director of
the Division for Social Policy and Development of the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs, based in New York.

The UN officials said there are powerful differences of positions and interests between the various groups of countries, and he
underscored the role played by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) in this
debate.

In a summary of the contentions, Langmore explained that industrialised countries tend to argue that poverty should be
reduced through good governance and related policies within developing countries.

In contrast, the developing South tends to argue that in poverty reduction, the crucial factor is the international enabling
environment, the extent to which they have market access for their exports, the
scope of debt reduction and increased development assistance, and the internal
structure of the international financial institutions, he said.


The president of Working Group I, Chilean diplomat Cristian Maquieira, said Tuesday that negotiations continue to move slowly, but have
begun to see some progress.

Working Group discussions are to conclude Thursday in order to give the UN General Assembly time to adopt the summits final declaration during the
closing session Friday.
(END/IPS/tra-so/pc/ld/00)


Origin: Rome//SOCIAL SUMMIT 2000/ DEVELOPMENT/
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       [c] 2000, InterPress Third World News Agency (IPS)
                     All rights reserved
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