integration and challenges
3.1 Global policy commitments that promote social integration
The last twenty years have witnessed important progress in the development of interna
tional, regional and subregional policy instruments, which guide and support national policies and programmes to promote social integration and achieve positive social out
comes. While the last chapter focused on the relevance of social integration in Africa, this chapter reviews the main international and regional policy commitments to promote social integration that African countries ascribed to and the actions that they have under
taken to implement these instruments to promote social integration such as the policies, institutions and legislative measures. The chapter highlights the major challenges that African countries experience in translating these commitments into reality.
3.1 Global policy commitments that promote social integration
As discussed in the previous chapter, social integration fosters development that promotes and protects human rights and fundamental freedoms resulting in social and economic development that is sustainable. Selected key global commitments and instruments that promote social integration are listed in box 3.1. Although the phrase social integration was not being used as an instrument towards inclusive development, development com
mitments as early as in the United Nations Charter (1945) were advancing notions that advance social development that respects the human rights of everyone which is an im
portant aspect of social integration. The preamble of the United Nations Charter (1945) noted it sought to 'promote and protect the fundamental human rights in the dignity and worth of the human person — and to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom'. This indicates that the Charter was promoting social development that recognizes the human rights of everyone.
Consistent with the Charter, the Universal Declaration on Human Rights (1948) en
dorses the goal of an integrated and inclusive society being inextricably linked to the at
tainment of fundamental human rights. Hence under Article 2, it notes that: "Everyone is entitled to ail the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status." The instrument also refers specifically to the right to social security (Article 22), employment (Article 23), access to social services (Article 25), education (Article 26), among other important social, cultural and political rights. These are important strategies for promoting social integration.
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The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Covenant on Civil and Political Rights both adopted in 1966, enshrine the economic, social and cultural rights and the civil and political rights contained in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights(UDHR) in more developed and legally binding form. Since 1966 the international community has developed standards on rights relating to specific groups within society, for example, women (in the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979)), indigenous peoples (UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007)), persons with disabilities (Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2007)), older persons (Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging (2002)) and children (in the Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)).
These instruments and standards set relevant provisions to promote rights of these groups in development a central tenet of social integration.
Box 3.1
Selected Global Commitments on Social Development
1. United Nations Charter (1945)
2. Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948)
3. Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (1966) 4. Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966)
5. Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (1979) 6. Declaration on the Right to Development (1986)
7. Convention on the Rights of the Child (1989)
8. International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Plan of Action (1994)
9. World Summit for Social Development Copenhagen Declaration and Programme of Action (1.995) 10.World Programme of Action for Youth (1995)
11 .Beijing Platform of Action (1995)
12.Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals (2000) 13.Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging (2002)
M.Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2007) 15. UN Declaration on the rights of indigenous peoples (2007)
The United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development, adopted in 1986, repre
sented another step forward in the recognition of development as a comprehensive eco
nomic, social, political and cultural process, which aims to promote people's well-being on the basis of their active role and free participation in decision-making processes. It recognized the fact that some groups in society have been locked out from participating in decision making and in development efforts that affect them. The Declaration on the Right to Development (1986) proclaims that "the right to development is an inalienable human right by virtue of which every human person and all peoples are entitled to partici
pate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized." The declaration firmly establishes the right to development as a universal and inalienable human right.
In 1994, the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo represented a turning point within the international debate on population and
Placing Social Integration at the Centre of Africa's Development Agenda
gender. Previous world conferences on the theme had focused on policies to control popu
lation growth in development contexts, using family planning as a tool targeting women and girls only. Most women still do not have the right to decide on reproductive matters because of the power relations in societies in which they live. For the first time, the Cairo conference expanded the scope of the policy debate to include the wider issue of human rights. Eleven thousand representatives of civil society organizations, international agen
cies, and 179 countries arrived at a consensus that population policies should be encom
passed by social development. The conference also took a step beyond family planning by committing to promoting a twenty-year Programme of Action with emphasis on holistic linkages between population and development.
The Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and CEDAW both aim at promoting social is
sues affecting women, such as violence against women, access to basic social services and ending all forms of discrimination against women. This was reiterated at the Sixth African Development Forum (ADF VI) held in Addis Ababa in 2008 on the theme ''Action on Gender equality, women's empowerment and ending violence against women in Africa. "There was recognition by participants that a powerful movement for the creation of a new social order was unfolding and part of this new social order is to address fundamental social ills including violence against women, marginalization and poverty, and trafficking in wom
en, girls and boys. Similarly, the African Youth Charter 2006 set a comprehensive framework for all countries to develop national youth policies and interventions to tackle specific areas affecting young people.
The most significant milestone in putting social issues on the development agenda was achieved at the WSSD, held in 1995 in Copenhagen. The outcome was the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and the Programme of Action, which both stressed the need for a people-centered and inclusive development agenda. The Declaration and Programme of Action focused on three core areas of commitments and actions: social integration, employment and poverty. In terms of social integration, the Programme of Action states that;
"The aim of social integration is to create "a society for all", in which every individual, each with rights and responsibilities, has an active role to play. Such an inclusive soci
ety must be based on respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms, cultural and religious diversity, social justice and the special needs of vulnerable and disadvan
taged groups, democratic participation and the rule of law." (Paragraph 66, Chapter IV, Programme of Action).
The notion of deprivation once synonymous of the inability to meet basic material and biological needs, broadened to include factors such as dignity, vulnerability, human rights and participation as detailed in Commitment 4 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the WSSD. The Declaration detailed actions that governments and international development partners need to undertake to foster so
cial integration (as detailed in box 3.2). In sum, the Copenhagen Declaration consecrates a paradigm shift from a physiological model of deprivation to a holistic model, which lays the ground for human poverty, social exclusion and participatory approaches, issues central to social integration. Social policy is no longer concerned with the delivery of basic
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services only but also with the provision of social protection and the promotion of inter
twined tangible and intangible elements such as human rights, dignity and participation.
In other terms, along with improving the quality and productivity of the labour force and economically transforming countries, the newly recognized role of social policy is to improve and sustain the social contract that binds citizens to governments and which rests on mutually agreed rights and obligation that advances common interests.
Since 2000, the Social Summit outcomes and commitments, including the targets set out in the Programme of Action, have been overtaken by the international consensus garnered by the MDGs. In reflecting the overall purpose of the MDGs, the Millennium Declara
tion refers to the objective of "full protection and promotion in all our countries of civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights for all" (chapter V). In terms of protecting the vulnerable (chapter VI), the document mentions children and populations in crisis and refers to social integration and inclusion concerns, such as poverty, education, health, gender equality and HIV/AIDS, they have been criticized for the level of aggregation of targets and indicators denoting some form of distribution neutral characteristic of the goals, targets and indicators set. However, their general acceptance globally as policy goals and their implicit direction towards a socially integrated society renders the MDGs par
ticularly pertinent.
Placing Social Integration at the Centre of Africa's Development Agenda
Box 3.2
Summary of actions to promote social integration detailed in Commitment 4 of the Copenhagen Declaration on Social Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development
National Level actions
1. Promote respect for democracy;
2. Eliminate discrimination in ail its forms;
3. Promote access for all to education, information, technology as essential means for enhancing communication and participation in civil, political, economic, social and cultural life, and ensure respect for civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights;
4. Ensure the protection and full integration into the economy and society of disadvantaged and vulnerable groups and persons;
5. Ensure respect for and protection of the human rights of migrants, migrant workers and their families;
6. Eliminate the acts of racism and xenophobia, and promote greater harmony and tolerance in all societies;
7. Recognize and respect the right of indigenous people to maintain and develop their identity, culture and interests;
8. Recognize and respect cultural, ethnic and religious diversity, promote and protect the rights of persons belonging to national, ethnic, religious or linguistic minorities, and take measures to facilitate their full participation in all aspects of the political, economic, social, religious and cultural life of their societies and in the economic progress and social development of their countries;
9. Strengthen the ability of local communities and groups with common concerns to develop their own organizations and resources and to propose policies relating to social development;
10.Strengthen institutions that enhance social integration, recognizing the central role of the family and providing it with an environment that assures its protection and support;
11 .Address the problems of crime, violence and illicit drugs as factors of social disintegration.
International level actions
1. Encourage the ratification of, and the implementation of international instruments and adherence to internationally-recognized declarations relevant to the elimination of discrimination and the promotion and protection of all human rights;
2. Further enhance international mechanisms for the provision of humanitarian and financial assistance to refugees and host countries and promote appropriate shared responsibility;
3. Promote international cooperation and partnership on the basis of equality, mutual respect and mutual benefit.
Source; UN 1995
In fact, in the World Outcome Document of the Mid-term Regional Review in 2005 countries were urged to adopt MDG consistent poverty reduction strategies.
Particularly, the first generation of PRSs aimed at promoting social investments, ensure macro-stability, and place poverty at the centre of the development agenda.
The second generation of PRSs is MDG-based and underscores the need for targeted policy interventions critical to address inequality and minimize the possible negative distributional consequences of economic growth. Further, in stark contrast with the first generation of PRSs, the second generation provides a platform for the empowerment of excluded groups through their participation in the design,
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formulation and implementation of the PRSs. Despite the growing consensus over the critical place of social integration in the development process, attempts to fully embed social integration into the development agenda have not been systematic, and many groups/communities are still outside the fold of mainstream policy concerns.