The First Conference of States Parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities concluded its session on 3 November 2008 by electing 12 independent experts to its Committee that will monitor the Convention’s implementation.
our Mission statement
The main objective of the Division for Social Policy and Development is to strengthen international cooperation for social development, in the context of the comprehensive and detailed framework of commitments and policies for action by Governments, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations provided by the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development, with particular attention to the three core issues of poverty eradication, employment generation and social integration, in contributing to the creation of an international community that enables the building of secure, just, free and harmonious societies offering opportunities and higher standards of living for all.
Commission for Social Development
The Commission for Social Development is a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations. It consists of 46 members elected by ECOSOC.
Since the convening of the World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen in 1995, the Commission has been the key UN body in charge of the follow-up and implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action. As a result of the Summit, the mandate of the Commission was reviewed and its membership expanded from 32 to 46 members in 1996. It meets once a year in New York, usually in February.
Each year since 1995, the Commission has taken up key social development themes as part of its follow-up to the outcome of the Copenhagen Summit. These themes are listed below. The pages contain all documentation of the Commission for each of its sessions since the Summit.
New: 47th Session, 4 to 13 February 2009, Social Integration is the priority theme for the 2009-2010 review and policy cycle, taking into account the relationship with poverty eradication and full employment and decent work for all.
Latest NEWs
The first session of the Conference of the States parties to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities took place in New York on 31 October and 3 November 2008. The Conference elected twelve members of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on 3 November 2008.
New Publication: National Development Strategies Policy Notes. The Policy Notes were developed by UNDESA in cooperation with UNDP, offering practical guidance on how to operationalize: (1) employment-generating macroeconomic policies, (2) inclusive finance for development, (3) public enterprise reform (alternatives to privatization), (4) pro-poor trade policies, (5) investment and technology (industrial) policies, and (6) social policies.
The United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued six commemorative stamps and a souvenir card on the theme “We Can End Poverty”. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs invited children from all over the world to participate in an art competition in 2007 on the theme “We Can End Poverty”. Six of the winning entries were selected as stamp designs for the United Nations 2008 “We Can End Poverty” stamp issue.
On 6 June 2008, the United Nations Postal Administration (UNPA) issued six commemorative stamps on the theme “Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”. Click here to download them (PDF).