During the early years of the UN, development emerged through provision of technical assistance and the work of the Specialized Agencies. As more member states joined the UN from around the globe, they brought new perspectives about development to discussions at the UN.
In 1958, the General Assembly established the Special Fund, a predecessor of the UN Development Fund (A/RES/1219 (XII)). The resolution says, in part:
"The General Assembly, In conformity with the determination of the United Nations, as expressed in its Charter, to promote social progress and better standards of life in larger freedom, and for these ends, to employ international machinery for the promotion of the economic and social advancement of all peoples... [decides to establish a] Special Fund which would provide systematic and sustained assistance in fields essential to the integrated technical, economic and social development of the less developed countries".
In the 1960s, membership in the UN continued to expand and issues of development came to the attention of the international community through actions both within and outside of the UN. Some of the key UN resolutions, reports and events are highlighted.
As the introduction to the Secretary-General's report on Proposals for Action (E/3613 + Corr.2) states,
"At the opening of the United Nations development decade, we are beginning to understand the real aims of development and the nature of the development process. We are learning that development concerns not only man's material needs, but also the improvement of the social conditions of his life and his broad human aspirations. Development is not just economic growth, it is growth plus change."
During this time, the practice of calling for international observances, such as international days, years and decades, grew as a practice to highlight development issues and concerns.
According to the Declaration of Mexico on the Equality of Women and their Contribution to Development and Peace, 1975 (E/CONF.66/34, para.16):
"The ultimate end of development is to achieve a better quality of life for all, which means not only the development of economic and other material resources but also the physical, moral, intellectual and cultural growth of the human person."
During this period, major conferences on racism, women, law of the sea, water and the environment, among others, expanded the conversation within the UN on development.
The Third Development Decade saw slower growth in the UN membership and a re-examination of themes that emerged from earlier conferences. The Declaration on the Right to Development positioned the concept of development within the human rights framework.
The Conference on the Relationship between Disarmament and Development explored some issues arising out of the arms race (A/CONF.130/39, para. 14):
"Security is an overriding priority for all nations. It is also fundamental for both disarmament and development. Security consists of not only military, but also political, economic , social, humanitarian and human rights and ecological aspects. Enhanced security can, on the one hand, create conditions conducive to disarmament and, on the other, provide the environment and confidence for the successful pursuit of development. The development process, by overcoming non-military threats to security and contributing to a more stable and sustainable international system, can enhance security and thereby promote arms reduction and disarmament. Disarmament would enhance security both directly and indirectly. A process of disarmament that provides for undiminished security at progressively lower levels of armaments could allow additional resources to be devoted to addressing non-military challenges to security, and thus result in enhanced overall security."
In 1990, the UN Development Programme launched the first Human Development Report.
"This Report is about people - and about how development enlarges their choices. It is about more than GNP growth, more than income and wealth and more than producing commodities and accumulating capital. A person's access to income may be one of the choices, but it is not the sum total of human endeavour."
In 2000, the Millennium Declaration identified fundamental values essential to international relations (A/RES/55/2). The Millennium Development Goals set targets for realizing these values around the world by 2015 and served as the focus for UN work throughout the period:
- Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
- Achieve universal primary education
- Promote gender equality and empower women
- Reduce child mortality
- Improve maternal health
- Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
- Ensure environmental sustainability
- Global partnership for development
2004
The concept of development continues to evolve, as expressed in the declaration Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (A/RES/70/1, para. 13):
"Sustainable development recognizes that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, combatting inequality within and among countries, preserving the planet, creating sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth and fostering social inclusion are linked to each other and are interdependent."
This guide will be updated as new events occur.
The outcome document of the 2010 High-level Plenary Meeting of the General Assembly on the MDGs requested the Secretary-General to initiate thinking on a post-2015 development agenda and include recommendations in his annual report on efforts to accelerate MDG progress.
Countries agreed in 2012 at Rio+20, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, to establish an open working group to develop a set of sustainable development goals.
The Open Working Group was established on 22nd of January 2013 by decision 67/555 (see A/67/L.48/rev.1) of the General Assembly.
The United Nations summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda was held from 25 to 27 September 2015, in New York and convened as a high-level plenary meeting of the General Assembly.
2024