Z Skweyiya: Intergovernmental Council of Management of Social
Transformations Programme

16 July 2007

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