Opening address of the eighth Intergovernmental Council (IGC) of the Management of Social Transformations (MOST) Programme, President of the IGC and Minister of Social Development of South Africa, Dr Zola Skweyiya, Paris

Honourable members of the Intergovernmental Council of MOST
Mr Koïchiro Matsuura, Director-General (DG) of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO)
Mr Gudmund Hernes, President of the International Social Science Council (ISSC)
Mr Johan Scholvinck, Director of United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
Mr Pierre Sanè, Assistant DG of UNESCO
Distinguished guests
Friends

It gives me great pleasure to open this 8th session of the IGC of the Management of Social Transformation Programme. It is indeed an honour and a privilege for me to preside over this gathering in my capacity as the President of this IGC. This privilege was bestowed upon me and the people of South Africa at the end of the seventh session of the IGC in 2005. Consequently, this session offers us an opportunity to evaluate our midterm progress towards the realisation of the overall objective to establish most as an international source of reliable, relevant and user friendly research with evidence based decision making, across regions.

During our last gathering, my predecessor Professor Arie de Ruijter, warned us that: "The new millennium heralded an urgent need for fundamental shifts in our sense of reality resulting from unprecedented social and technological changes."

My learned predecessor proposed that these technological advances were threatening the maintenance of sustainable communities. He concluded that in order to mitigate the causes of this threat, we ought to pay added attention to the restructuring of human relations within and between diverse communities. I would like to propose that we evaluate our progress by utilising this useful benchmark. We ought to ask the question, to what extent have our actions and activities contributed towards improving human relations and the quality life for all especially those that remain impoverished and vulnerable?

Indeed, in our conceptualisation of the second phase of MOST we sought to provide a bridge between research, policy development and practice in order to promote a culture of evidence based policy making and implementation at all levels. In adopting this objective our intended outcome was the realisation of universal values vested in; justice, freedom, human dignity and sustainable development. All of which require concerted actions aimed at moving our societies away from welfare to sustained social development.

Ladies and gentlemen, on the occasion of our adopting the MOST 2 programme, we also recognised the income disparities and mixed fortunes between the developing and developed world. Our observations were given impetus by the 60th Session of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly (2005), which recorded its concern with regards to pace and unevenness in global progress in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At that midway point (between adoption and target date), the Heads of State noted that:
"Sub-Saharan Africa is not on track to achieving any of the goals. Although there have been major gains in several areas and the goals remain achievable in most African nations, even the best governed countries on the continent have not been able to make sufficient progress in reducing extreme poverty in its many forms. For instance, while the proportion of people living on one dollar a day or less has declined from 45,9 percent to 41,1 percent since 1999, reaching the MDG target of halving the extent of extreme poverty by 2015 requires that the current pace be doubled."

It is, therefore, significant that the constituents of this Intergovernmental Council are largely from the developing world, with 10 of them representing Africa. This ideally allows for MOST to align itself with the research and policy development needs of the south. Going forward, this format ought to be maintained so as to secure thorough analysis and well designed responses to developmental challenges of the south.

Central to the deliberations of this session is the provision of necessary substance towards actions directed at doubling our efforts to fight hunger, discrimination, inequality and poverty. The issues rose by the MOST dialogue "From Research to Policy to Action", which was hosted during the World Social Forum in Kenya recently, remain relevant to our redoubling efforts and deliberations here.

Let me also take this opportunity to thank the people and governments of the Republic of Argentina and the Eastern Republic of Uruguay, for hosting the Social Science-Policy Nexus last year. In thanking our gracious hosts, I wish to also renew the call made by our own Buenos Aires Declaration. That declaration notes not only regional disparities, but also most importantly calls on UNESCO to work in close collaboration with the UN system in its entirety. In renewing this call, I also wish to recognise amongst us, representatives from other UN programmes and organisations including the UNDESA. By accepting our invitation to this IGC these partners have effectively begun building the social policy dialogue bridge we have sought to sustain beyond our tenure. The sustaining and strengthening of this bridge requires from us to consider sub regional and regional capacities to follow through on our own decisions especially at the UN and regional levels.

I am, therefore, pleased with the progress made by the MOST programme and UNDESA in supporting the ongoing fora for Social Development Ministers in the various regions. The remaining challenge relates to ensuring that these fora align themselves with other regional action, whilst also sustaining a shared learning and exchange environment across regions. It is our hope that this IGC will establish itself as that safe learning and exchange environment. It is our further hope that the UN system will pay focused attention to strengthening regional coordination capacity and programmes, with a view of sustaining peace, security and prosperity in our respective regions.

Ladies and gentlemen, at the end of our last gathering in 2005 we undertook to develop an information dissemination programme. In exploring the implications of this commitment we also undertook to resuscitate and revitalise the National Liaison Committees, which in our view, were to be complement by the ongoing information and communication technology (ICT) work. I am pleased with the work of establishment of the website and believe that it provides an excellent platform for interaction amongst researchers, academics and high level policy makers. Given that only one out of every 250 Africans is an internet user, compared with one in three in North American, I remain concerned by the utilisation of this platform as our principal interaction point.

I also remain concerned about the penetration levels of existing research at a local level, given that most people interact with local government.

Consequently I believe that if MOST is to make the necessary impact, it ought to pay attention to popular means of information dissemination. This necessarily requires of us to strengthen and integrate our National Liaison Committees with existing coordinating and policy making structures in our respective countries. It will further require that we produce our information in a manner that ordinary citizens can interact with it. In the context of the developing world, it requires of us to not only consider platforms and formats of communication but also our selected language choices.

To accelerate delivery in this area will therefore require that we place added attention to developing and supporting local level social scientists and researchers. In developing this sector we must ensure that the legacy we leave behind is a society which is multilingualism and multiculturalism supports our overall goal of building tolerant and prosperous communities. Such communities would render a global economic, political, social and cultural environment that will enable the people of the world to eradicate poverty and achieve social development. The importance of evidence based policy making in providing responses to the many social ills and challenges we face in many parts of the world cannot be over emphasised. The role of MOST in this area and in these efforts remains crucial and we hope that this IGC will elaborate further on this role.

Ladies and gentlemen, as we deliberate on the management of social transformations we must be conscious of the global context and its challenges. Current 'social transformations' require a thorough analysis and well designed responses. Research plays a critical role and is an indispensable aspect of these well designed responses. These responses ought to also appropriately locate the developmental role of the State, whilst paying careful attention to globally constraining factors in the geopolitical economy.

We must also seek to implement locally tailor made solutions that promote key social objectives whilst addressing needs of our peoples. Quantitative development produces figures, social development produces human welfare. The test of successful social development is a simple one, whether all our people enjoy genuine access to all basic services; from health to education and from housing to water. This is why the concern for social development is common to all socially conscious governments. We must use the IGC of MOST and its many programmes as a vehicle towards this kind of social development.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me conclude by expressing my wish that this meeting and deliberations over the three days provide for us workable solutions and attainable indicators of success. I am sure my predecessor will agree with me when I say much progress has been attained in the area of social transformation, with some challenges with regards to the transformation of human relations.

In order to tackle the human relations aspects we must now pay focussed attention to collaboration amongst all our multilateral institutions so as to accelerate delivery on our agreed international goals of pushing back the frontiers of poverty.

I thank you!

Issued by: Department of Social Development
16 July 2007