Roundtable on Special Summit Theme: Social Development

Sackville, New Brunswick, November 26, 2003

Renata E. Wielgosz, Director for Inter-American Affairs, led an informal roundtable with representatives from civil-society. This meeting was co–organized with the International Relations Programme of Mount Allison University.

Wayne Mackay, President of Mount Allison University, offered opening remarks that helped focus the discussion on the issue of social development in the Americas. He underlined the need to define democracy in the context of human rights, particularly in regard to the 1948 United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Mr. Mackay pointed out how the issue of human rights was also front and centre in the Summit of the Americas process, notably in regard to the Inter-American Democratic Charter. In reference to the upcoming Special Summit of the Americas to be held in Monterrey, Mexico, on January 12-13th 2004, Mr. Mackay emphasized the need to ensure that the social and economic covenants of the Summit process are closely connected.

Ms. Wielgosz then gave a brief overview of the results of previous roundtables on growth with equity, democratic governance and indigenous issues. She also put into context the overall objectives of these consultations and underlined the continuity of the Summit process as the three broad areas that will be discussed in Monterrey are similar to those of the Quebec City Summit and reflect the overall balanced agenda of the Summit process. Sectoral issues continue to be advanced in the Summit process through a series of ministerial meetings, in areas such as health and environment, labour or trade or regional initiatives (for example with the work of the Institute for Connectivity in the Americas).

Ms. Wielgosz pointed out that there is an increasing focus on the need for ‘second generation' reforms and at finding ways to implement new commitments, notably in regard to the Monterrey Consensus. Hemispheric Leaders at the Special Summit will also address a range of issues such as: modernizing the regulatory framework for small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs); facilitating the transfer of remittances and looking at ways to pool these resource to further development at the local level; providing low cost drugs to treat HIV/AIDS; improving access to information and e-government through connectivity; striving to improve access to education; exploring the possibility of a new hemispheric mechanism that could be used in the fight against corruption and discussing ways to reduce the high levels of inequality present in the hemisphere. Leaders will also renew and re-enforce their commitment to the Democratic Charter as a key instrument in keeping democracy on track in the region. Ms. Wielgosz underlined that the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA) negotiations are not on the agenda of this Special Summit and that the overall goal is not to announce a new plan of action but to recommit Leaders to the Quebec City Summit Plan of Action.

In regard to the social agenda, Ms Wielgosz emphasized the need to have a better picture of how and where funds are currently being spent on social issues throughout the region as results do not always match the funds expended. She pointed out that expecting large amounts of new resources is not realistic so we need to find ways to better use the funds already available. She expanded on the mention of a covenant by Mr. Mackay and suggested that what the region may need above all is such a covenant between governments across the region and their people. Such a covenant could take the form of a social contract of good governance, through the transparent and efficient functioning of government institutions, in exchange for responsible citizenship, where citizen would agree to provide governments the necessary resources, mainly through taxation reform, to deal with pressing social issues.

During the ensuing discussion, the following points were made:

• The difficult economic and social conditions confronting the hemisphere over the past few years could bring a growing disconnect between goals of the Quebec City Summit and the current outcomes. We need to be more precise and less abstract about the problems facing the region. The collapse of WTO talks at Cancun and the limited outcome of the FTAA Ministerial in Miami over the past few months mean that the old framework is collapsing and becoming less relevant.
• The growing role of social movements and of groups that were formally outside the agenda-setting process has become more important in taking ownership of the agenda from elites. Some participants believe that the extent of poverty is much larger in an era of free trade and globalization. Event if recent studies show that inequality declines during periods of growth, in the past decade inequality has soared.
• Some believe that foreign aid is key to addressing the poverty agenda. What we need is: looking at the kinds of measures needed to removed obstacles to exclusion, diminish inequality, facilitate access to property rights and make sure trade benefits those with most needs. Without addressing inequality, access and inclusion issues, efforts to address poverty will remain unsuccessful.
• For Canada, this means developing a relationship with countries such as Brazil and the G-X (group of developing countries formed at the WTO Cancun Ministerial). We should also try to develop index of social inclusion. Without such an index it is difficult to know how governments are doing a good job.
• Other more specific initiatives that Canada could put forward include looking at ways to bring hundreds and thousands of Canadian graduate students to do their higher studies in developing countries. Since we cannot build a new understanding from a distance, we need to build closer people-to-people links.
• Access to education is often the single most important factor in reducing inequality. In Latin America and the Caribbean, primary enrollment has increased but not translated into higher attendance at secondary and tertiary programs. Studies have shown that twelve years of education is necessary to lift people out of poverty. Canada should explore more actively the possibilities offered by distance education.
• In regard to international trade negotiations, some participants made the points that all concerned groups need to be included in those talks and we need to pay close attention to those that could be most negatively affected by trade liberalization, particularly small farmers.
• Working at the grassroots, local level could yield better results than going through national governments. Decision-making should be decentralized. This focus on decentralization should be built into the goals set forth at Summits of the Americas.
• Special attention should be given to the needs of people with disabilities, from the point of view of their marginalization, when addressing social development issues. When looking at the United Nations Millennium development goals, it is clear that those goals cannot be achieved unless people with disabilities are involved and included. We need to develop the capacity for understanding those linkages through closer relations between government and civil society. However, we must be careful not to take actions that are too narrowly targeted toward specific groups as this would work at cross-purposes with the broader principle of inclusion.
• Some participants pointed out the dangers of the proliferation of charters and conventions, all competing for attention. This is why the Millennium development goals are so important because they provide a global framework for addressing poverty. We have to make sure that we do not overtalk issues and underact. The next steps should not be more Charters or strategies but more effective links with people on the ground.
• We need to explore the linkages between trade agreements and their social impact on indigenous people. Indigenous people are one of the most marginalised groups in societies across the hemisphere.
• Some participants believed that we need to promote freer, fairer trade that opens up opportunities for SMEs that are the bedrock of economic growth. We need to improve coordination among government departments, including between the different levels of governments.
• We cannot wait for high rates of economic growth to take steps to reduce poverty. We need to address the issue of redistribution now. Tax collection is crucial. Without adequate resources, governments across the region will be unable to address pressing social needs.
• We need to explore the idea of a ‘Democracy Report'. However, participants recognized that there would likely be problems of practicality in implementing such an initiative, notably because of national sensitivities.
• Some participants pointed to the lack of resources dedicated for Summit implementation, particularly from Canada's partners in the region.
• Some participants pointed to the crushing weight of public debts on regional economies and suggested that we look at ways to increase the number of countries that could qualify for debt forgiveness.
• We should develop mechanisms to provide greater financing for small businesses, including micro-financing.
• Length of time it takes to get business permits for SMEs needs to be addressed. It can also be a problem within Canada (up to seventy days in some regions).

Finally participants agreed that there is a real questioning on the part of hemispheric governments regarding how to deliver on this wide range of social development needs when resources are scarce and pressure from the street is mounting. Leaders at the Special Summit of the Americas in Monterrey will need to address these fundamental challenges.