REMARKS BY

DONNA E. SHALALA

U.S. SECRETARY OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

AT

WORLD SUMMIT FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
GENEVA, SWITZERLAND

June 26, 2000

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If Shakespeare had joined us five years ago in Copenhagen, he might have said this about Hamlet's homeland: . . .

. . . "Something is extraordinary in the state of Denmark."

What was extraordinary? The World Summit for Social Development and the Declaration and Program of Action that were adopted at the summit's conclusion.

At Copenhagen we again opened our eyes to a world struggling and poor. Both the developed and developing world saw poverty in the midst of plenty, joblessness in the midst of an economic boom, discrimination and gender inequality in the midst of new found freedom.

Vice President Gore summed up this challenge when he noted five years ago in Copenhagen: 'Economic growth cannot be sustained unless its fruits are continually invested in nourishing human potential.' That is exactly why we are here - to see how far we've come in nourishing human potential around the world - and how far we still must go.

Five years after Copenhagen, poverty, lack of education, infectious diseases, violence against women, unemployment and debt still grip much of the world. But in the United States - like others here -we are committed to eradicating poverty, to promoting full employment and building a society where every voice is welcome - and every opportunity is shared.

We are committed to working with all of our international partners to foster economic growth, social integration and public health around the globe.

We are committed to a philosophy of social and economic development that views the poor not as passive recipients of aid - but as decision-makers in control of their own future.

This month at the Beijing Plus 5 Conference we said in the face of the very real challenges and opportunities of globalization, we are committed to helping women live lives of equality, dignity and prosperity.

Women are half of humanity - but we will not settle for half of our rights!

In the United States we are working hard to put our own house in order. For the first time in over two decades our budget is balanced. We are in the midst of a long economic expansion in our nation's history - which has helped reduce unemployment to a level not seen in 30 years. At the same time our poverty rates are the lowest they've been in two decades.

Still, we have much work to do.

The United States must enforce laws against race and sexual discrimination, we must expand our own health care system, support worker training, invest in our most impoverished regions and improve education.

As for social integration: Our Declaration of Independence espouses one simple belief: that all men and women are created equal. Yet for years my country denied fundamental rights to women - and passed laws discriminating against African Americans. We no longer live with these terrible laws. But we do live with their consequences.

I'm talking about poverty and unequal education and employment discrimination and gaps in health outcomes. African Americans, Hispanics and American Indians generally suffer disproportionately high rates of cancer, of diabetes, of HIV/AIDS and other diseases. That is why in 1998, our President set a goal of eliminating major racial and ethnic health disparities.

From micro loans in Bangladesh, to AIDS prevention in Uganda, to emerging democracy and economic stability in Eastern Europe - together we have made great progress toward human rights and social development. Nevertheless, we believe that we have five challenges to meet in order to reach the goals that we set five years ago in Copenhagen. These challenges are critical steps that will help to end poverty and promote full employment and social integration.

First. Liberty is the soil of sustainable development. There can be no end to poverty without political rights, without free expression, and a civil society.

Second. Women must be given full equality - at home, in education, and in the workplace - so that their talents, energy and passion can be an engine for social development. Or as President Clinton said recently in India, "When women have access to knowledge, health, economic opportunity and civil rights - children thrive, families succeed and countries prosper."

Third. We must expand access to health care for everyone, we must teach prevention and stop the worldwide pandemic of infectious diseases - especially HIV/AIDS, and TB and malaria. We must finish our worldwide effort to eliminate polio. And we must stop the marketing of tobacco to children.

Fourth. The time has come to ensure that the benefits of development and globalization are broadly shared around the globe. That means advocating for full employment, higher living standards, for equal treatment of women in the workplace, and for the end of abusive child labor. This requires that we do all we can to respect, promote and realize fundamental worker rights, that we protect the environment, and that we build a social safety net that protects our most vulnerable citizens - the young, the old and the disabled - as well as workers who have lost their jobs.

Fifth. In order to achieve positive change, we must continue to work together. the days of government dictating solutions are over. Today we know that the best answers come through partnerships among NGOs, the private sector, government and local communities. We must also listen directly to our people - particularly the poorest among us - for their ideas and their solutions.

Hamlet said, "The readiness is all."

We too must be ready to roll up our sleeves, link arms, and finish the great task we began five short years ago in Copenhagen.

Thank you.

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