Preamble
At the UN World Summit for Social Development in Copenhagen held from 6-12 March 1995, the foundation for a Social World Constitution was created. It consists of the World Community's 10 commandments for social developments, i.e. 10 commandments for the creation of a better world.
The keywords of the final declaration were:• The welfare of children, men and women has first priority • Intensification of democratisation processes • Fight against poverty • Social integration • Equal rights for the sexes • Fight against unemployment including a ban on child labour • Compulsory and qualified free education for all • Increased economic and social assistance to developing countries.
Furthermore, it was decided that the structural adjustment programmes of the World Bank and IMF must incorporate social development targets.
However, these fine declarations are only declarations of intent, and consequently everything possible must now be done to make the heads of state stand by them.
Now and in years to come, EI and its affiliates have a strong obligation of solidarity to show the way and act as the driving force and as a watchdog exerting pressure to put action behind the words adopted by the Summit, both nationally and internationally. The issue of follow-up activities was the tenth, but nonetheless the most important commandment of the Summit.
The Education International First World Congress meeting in Harare (Zimbabwe) from 19 to 23 July 1995:
1. Welcomes the fact that the world community has put global social problems on the agenda;
2. Welcomes the fact that the World Bank and the IMF will incorporate social considerations into their future lending policies;
3. Welcomes the fact that teaching and education were included, after pressure, in the Summit agenda;
4. Recommends that as one contribution to the fight against unemployment, appropriate systems of vocational education and training for all young people after their initial schooling and for all adults should be developed;
5. Welcomes the fact that the final document of the Summit emphasises that free market forces alone cannot solve the global problem of poverty;
6. Welcomes the fact that the final document of the Summit urges receiving as well as donor countries to conclude agreements according to the 20/20 principle which implies that 20% of development assistance and 20% of government budgets in developing countries must be set aside for social purposes;
7. Regrets that the Summit could only agree on declarations of intent and not on binding resolutions;
8. Regrets that heavily indebted countries were only given limited promises of debt release/debt rescheduling at the Summit;
9. Resolves that EI will forward an annotated special issue of the Monthly Monitor to its affiliates containing the declarations of intent from the UN World Summit for Social Development, with proposals for a specific and coordinated strategy concerning steps that can and should be taken by EI and its affiliates. The aim is to exert pressure on the UN, the IMF, the World Bank and other multilateral organisations, as well as on the UN member states, with the purpose of making them live up to the declarations of intent made at the Summit;
10. Resolves that EI affiliates must undertake to follow up on EI's proposals for action in relation to the national governments;
11. Resolves that during the upcoming Congressional period, EI must keep its affiliates regularly informed of the development with a specific view to the implementation of the declarations of intent which concern teaching and education and other matters pertaining to teachers as salary earners.