At the World Summit for Social Development, Governments reached a new consensus on the need to put people at the centre of development. The Social Summit was the largest gathering ever of world leaders at that time. It pledged to eradicate
poverty, create
full employment and foster
social integration. At the end of the Summit, Governments adopted the Copenhagen Declaration, the Ten Commitments (listed below) and the Programme of Action of the World Social Summit . • Create an economic, political, social, cultural and legal environment that will enable people to achieve social development; • Eradicate absolute poverty by a target date to be set by each country; • Support full employment as a basic policy goal; • Promote social integration based on the enhancement and protection of all
human rights; • Achieve
equality and equity between women and men; • Attain universal and equitable access to education and primary
health care; • Accelerate the development of Africa and the least developed countries; • Ensure that structural adjustment programmes include social development goals; • Increase resources allocated to social development; • Strengthen cooperation for social development through the UN. Five years later, Governments reconvened in Geneva in June 2000 for the 24th special session of the
United Nations General Assembly, to review what has been achieved, and to commit themselves to new initiatives. ==See also==