외교부

<발언문 요약>

o 개발과정에 장애인의 시각이 지속적으로 반영될 수 있도록 모든 당사자가 구체적인 조치를 취해야 함. post-2015는 장애인 이슈를 개발 의제에 주류화할 수 있는 좋은 기회인바, 사무총장 보고서가 post-2015에 포함될 핵심 의제를 명시한 것을 환영함.
- 또한, 내년 개최되는 장애와 개발 고위급회의에서 행동지향적 결과 문서가 도출되기를 기대

o 글로벌 금융위기와 함께 청소년 빈곤문제가 심화되고 있는바, 경제·사회 정책을 포괄하는 종합적 대책이 마련되어야 함. 노인의 빈곤 및 사회적 소외 문제에 대응하기 위한 전략 마련도 필요함.

o 한국은 지역적, 국제적 차원의 사회개발을 위한 노력의 일환으로, 10.24-11.2간 UN ESCAP 정부간 고위급회의를 비롯한 인천세계장애대회를 개최할 예정인바, 동 회의 결과가 장애와 개발 이슈를 포함한 사회개발 논의에 기여하기를 기대함.

<발언문 전문>

Statement by H.E. Ambassador SHIN Dong-ik
Deputy Permanent Representative of the Republic of Korea
Agenda item 27 (Social Development)
The 67th Session of the General Assembly
8 October 2012
New York

Mr. Chairman,

At the outset, my delegation would like to congratulate you on the assumption of the chairmanship of the Third Committee of the 67th session of the General Assembly. I assure you of my delegation’s full support and cooperation during this session.

Mr. Chairman,

Seventeen years have now passed since the international community gave a renewed priority to the social aspects of development at the 1995 World Summit for Social Development. While there have been remarkable achievements in addressing such issues as eradication of poverty, progress has been uneven. In many parts of the world, challenges still remain and the weak recovery of the global economy is making social development even harder.

Against this backdrop, my delegation would like to underline the following three points to overcome the obstacles in our path and move forward in achieving the goals of the World Summit for Social Development.

First, disability-inclusive development needs to be pursued consistently and more targeted measures should be taken by all stakeholders, including Member States, the UN system, and civil society. Although there was noticeable normative progress in recent years at the national level through specific laws or policies on disability, there remains a persistent gap between policy and practice. To address this, we need to redouble our efforts to implement our commitments at the international level. Such commitments include the MDGs and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

Our discussions on Post-2015 development framework provide us with a valuable opportunity to mainstream disability in the development agenda towards 2015 and beyond. In this context, I welcome the Report of the Secretary-General A/67/211, which identifies priority issues to be included in the post-2015 development framework, including accessibility, participation in the decision-making processes, as well as early and inclusive education. I also look forward to the high-level meeting on disability and development to be held next year. I hope we will be able to carve out an action-oriented outcome document in the lead-up to the meeting.

Second, with regard to the issue of poverty, the international community needs to pay particular attention to youth poverty and unemployment. While youth unemployment has been a persistent global challenge over the last decade, it has been further aggravated by the global financial and economic crisis as young people were disproportionately affected. It is further worrying that there is an increase, in many countries, in the number of discouraged young workers, who are not counted among the unemployed.

I share the view in the Secretary-General’s Report A/67/179 that there is an urgent need for more effective policies and programs to improve the quality, as well as the quantity, of youth employment. Young people are overrepresented in the informal sector, and addressing youth poverty entails dealing with the challenges facing the informal sector. I believe a comprehensive strategy to deal with youth poverty, cutting across economic and social policies, such as an expansion of social protection coverage and decent work opportunities, needs to be explored and implemented.

Third, we need to strengthen our efforts to enhance older people’s economic and social integration through a holistic approach to the issue of ageing. My delegation notes with concern that, according to the Secretary-General’s Report A/67/188, poverty tends to be higher among older people than in the population as a whole. Additionally, in most countries, the risk of poverty continues to increase even more with age. The Republic of Korea is also experiencing a rapid increase of older people and we take this issue seriously. My Government will continue to explore various ways to address this issue.

Other major challenges to social integration faced by older people include social isolation and ageism. My delegation is concerned that, ten years after the adoption of the 2002 Madrid International Plan of Action Ageing, prejudice and discrimination towards older persons continues to undermine their participation in societies. Without addressing these social and cultural obstacles, it will not be possible to embrace and integrate older people in society.

Mr. Chairman,

The Republic of Korea has been making sustained efforts to implement its international commitments for social development, not only at the national level but also at regional and international levels. As part of these efforts, the Korean Government will host the Incheon International Conferences on Disability, including the UN ESCAP High-level Intergovernmental Meeting, from 24 October to 2 November this year in Incheon, Republic of Korea. I hope the outcome of these Conferences will contribute to our future discussions on social development, including disability and development.

Mr. Chairman,

Today, my delegation is joined by our youth representative to share the valuable thoughts of the young people. Let me now introduce Yoo, Ji-yoon, the youth representative of the Republic of Korea.

/End/