The Commission for Social Development is a more than half way through. I just wanted to provide a summary of what has been happening through out the week. Let me try to set the scene for you...
Location: UN conference room
I am not sure how many people have seen movies such as "The Interpreter", but they give a fairly accurate depiction of what the inside of a UN conference room looks like. Although, I think what happens inside is a little less exciting than the movie.
Mood: Bureaucratically stifled
Some delegates look bored. Others appear to be making plans for the weekend. Either way, delegates are saying what has been pre-approved by their governments with no diversion.
Time: Somewhere between 10AM and 12:30PM
I have been sitting and listening to delegate after delegate (country after country) present their statements. Generally, they all begin with “Congratulations Madam Chairperson and the honorable Bureau for your election into the position…” and to summarize the rest would basically sound something like “we fully support social inclusion and are doing are promoting it in all our practices”. I know, it is a glib observation and not fully accurate. There are different issues that some countries focus on more, and countries are saying important things. Take a look at the statements submitted on the
CSocD website to check them all out.
But all this congratulating and speaking about how much countries are already promoting inclusion gets a little old, and frankly, more than a little untruthful. That is why it was so refreshing to hear Cuba give her stance and liven up the conference a little. Cuba asked:
How can we build more just societies where all persons have equal opportunities, including economic opportunities, and where inequality and exclusion are eradicated, while selfishness, injustice, hegemonic pretensions, inequity, wastefulness, and excessive consumerism of a few, that is, those who have more, continue to prevail and grow stronger at the international level?
“Right on Cuba!” was what I was thinking…until at the end they added in that “Cuba is proud to have a profoundly popular and participatory democracy, where the people has the power and all human rights, not a few, are promoted and protected”. Ehn, nice try…
The United States was no better, though. They basically dropped names like “Obama”, “Hillary”, and “Gore”. Did we forget about the last eight years’ administration? I feel it is so important for these talks to be honest. Why can’t countries talk and say, “Hey, I know we haven’t always been perfect in this area but what can we do to change that?” Not, “Listen to all the great things we have done”. That, in itself, is exclusionary. You are excluding and ignoring groups of people who have not felt the benefits of your programs and policies. Having these conversations are important, and countries have to be responsible to the statements they make. How and when can we young people hold those accountable and no longer let them get away with their sweeping statements?
