The U.N. secretary-general opened a summit on poverty Friday by urging a "new social contract" for the world's im-pov-er-ish-ed, even as battle lines were drawn over debt relief and welfare.
Boutros Boutros-Ghali welcomed about 13,000 delegates attending this week's U.N. World Summit for Social Development, a conference to advance the fight against poverty and unemploy-ment."A new social contract, at the global level, is required to bring hope to states and to nations, and to men and women around the world. That should be the focus of this world summit," Boutros-Ghali said.
Three years in the planning, the summit has already encountered withering criticism even before its opening for mustering only vague, watered-down plans for tackling problems of epic proportions.
The United Nations hopes delegates will compare social programs, learn from one anothers' experiences and sign documents that groups can use to pressure their national leaders.
Boutros-Ghali said 1.3 billion people - more than one in four worldwide - live in poverty and 1.5 billion do not have access to basic health care. The gap between rich and poor has doubled since 1960.
An influential caucus of more than 130 developing countries complained that the International Monetary Fund and other organizations have imposed policies "at the (cost) of greater misery, inequality and environmental degradation."
"We enjoin creditor nations and multinational financial institutions to take more meaningful steps toward debt reduction . . . where the debt burden impinges on the state's capability to provide adequate social services," the caucus leader, Cielito F. Habito of the Philippines, said in a speech.
But the message from the United Nations and wealthy countries was that poor nations must take care of themselves.
Although calling on the support of private organizations and private enterprise, Boutros-Ghali emphasized that the ultimate responsibility for fighting poverty lies with government.
On the eve of the summit, delegates from more than 130 developing nations met behind closed doors to discuss the most contentious proposals, including a U.S.-backed call for each to commit 20 percent of domestic spending to social welfare.
The proposals will be included in a final declaration to be signed Sunday by nearly 120 national leaders, including Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany.
Vice President Al Gore will head the U.S. delegation.