Vertigo at the summit
"ATTACKING Poverty, Building Solidarity, Creating Jobs" --these are the 3 central themes on which the United Nations-sponsored World Summit For Social Development, to be held from March 6-12 in Copenhagen, Denmark, rests. Various international communities are patching together a last-minute-bid to define their stands on these issues. For, despite the glowing tributes paid to it by its organisers -- Ambassador Juan O Somavia of Chile, chairperson of the Preparatory Committee of the Summit claimed, "For the first time in the history of the un or the League of Nations, heads of state and government will meet in order to deal with social development as a priority issue of the international agenda."
The run-up to this significant global event has been remarkably low-key. "The Summit is supposedly of singular importance, but going by what transpired in the 3 Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) meetings, it is doubtful if any action is going to be taken beyond just talk," scoffs S D Kulkarni, of the Council for Social Development, New Delhi.
While the developing countries are gearing up to ask for more aid to promote "social development", the industrialised nations are determined to sit on the till. The result of this recalcitrance has been the formulation of a rather loosely-structured Draft Declaration and a Draft Programme of Action.
"The declaration at present consists of 9 commitments which collectively aim at launching a