...THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE 2002 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL

A three day high-level segment of the 2002 substantive session of the 54 member United Nations Economic and Social Council, which took place from 1 - 3 July, 2002, has ended at the United Nations Headquarters in New York. The high-level segment was held under the theme ?the contribution of human resources development, including in the areas of health and education, to the process of development?.

The high-level segment brought together government ministers, heads of international agencies and representatives of non-governmental organizations to discuss human resources development, with particular focus on health and education, as an essential factor in the overall development process. Over the course of the three days, participants engaged in a policy dialogue attended by, among others, top officials from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

Ghana?s delegation to the meeting was led by Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom, Minister of Economic Planning and Regional Cooperation, and included H.E. Nana Effah-Apenteng, Permanent Representative of Ghana to the United Nations as well as Mr. Harold Agyeman and Ms. Mavis Kusorgbor of the Mission of Ghana to the United Nations.

H.E. Mr. Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary-General, opened the discussion on Monday, 1 July, by saying that although the world economic outlook was plagued by an unusual degree of uncertainty, globalization offered unparalleled opportunities to achieve greater equity through more sustained and balanced growth. He noted that it was vital to seize those opportunities, and in doing so, maintain particular focus on the needs of Africa.

Emphasis was placed by many other speakers during the segment on the particular development needs of Africa. Paul O?Neill, Treasury Secretary of the United States, speaking during the policy dialogue, said investing in clean water, primary education, and fighting HIV/AIDS was vital to realizing human potential in Africa. Many speakers during the segment stressed the need for urgent and effective action to meet the Millennium Development

In Ghana?s statement to the Council on Tuesday 2 July, Dr. Nduom affirmed Ghana?s commitment to the development of her human resources and indicated that significant portions of the national budget was being allocated to the key social sectors of health and education. He also indicated the international community?s responsibility in providing massive and quick influx of financial assistance to developing countries, which should be done simultaneously as concerns of market access and unsustainable external debts were addressed. In this regard, he noted with distress the rising levels of farm subsidies, particularly in the United States, at a time when developing countries were being encouraged to liberalise.

The Economic and Social Council, during the segment also held several round tables and panel discussions which examined various aspects of the broad consensus that has emerged from recent United Nations conferences and the Millennium Declaration. Dr. Nduom chaired two such high-level roundtables on ?Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals for human resource development in Africa? and ?ICT?s and human resources development?, respectively.

At the conclusion of the three-day segment, Government ministers participating in the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council?s 2002 substantive session adopted a Ministerial Declaration that reaffirmed that poverty eradication and sustainable development were the "great ethical and human imperatives of our time", and recognized human resources development as fundamental to poverty eradication and vital to the process of sustainable development. Health and education, the Declaration affirmed, were in turn essential to human resources development and should be fully integrated into macroeconomic policies, including poverty-reduction initiatives, and accordingly prioritized in national budgetary allocations to health and education. The Ministers also reaffirmed commitment to the full and timely implementation of the goals, targets and commitments of the major United Nations conferences and summits, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration.