26 July 1991

32nd plenary meeting

Patterns of consumption and qualitative indicators of development

The Economic and Social Council,

Recalling General Assembly resolutions 40/179 of 17 December 1985 and 44/234 of 22 December 1989,

Recalling also its resolutions 1987/6 of 26 May 1987 and 1989/4 of 22 May 1989,

Recalling further the reports of the Statistical Commission on its twenty-fourth, twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth sessions, in particular the sections on development indicators,

Recalling the work of the relevant United Nations organizations, in particular the Statistical Office of the Secretariat and the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, on qualitative indicators of development,

Reiterating that the subject of patterns of consumption and related socio-economic indicators is of considerable importance and high priority for developing countries,

Encouraging countries, in this regard, to improve their basic statistical programmes and capabilities and to make efforts to develop the collection, processing, analysis and dissemination of data relating to patterns of consumption, and inviting the international community to strengthen the national capabilities of the developing countries with respect to the collection of integrated socio-economic data and their processing, in particular by microcomputer, with a view to having better and more up-to-date data,

Convinced of the need to preserve, in the long term, balance between resources, population, environment and development, taking into account the advances made in science and technology and the need to make progress in the transfer of technological innovations to developing countries,

Stressing that the development of indicators tailored to the fundamental economic and socio-cultural needs of a population in the fields of food, clothing, housing, education, health care and necessary social services would help to orient national development and support international cooperation by helping Governments to formulate and follow policies better geared to human development,

Stressing also that the identification of indicative patterns of consumption and the development of qualitative indicators of development would be extremely useful in the evaluation of the progress achieved in the implementation of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade and would make a substantial contribution to the work of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, to be held in 1992,

Stressing further the need for harmonization of the work of the United Nations system on qualitative indicators of development,

1. Notes that the High-level Meeting of Experts on Social Development Indicators, envisaged by the General Assembly in its resolution 44/234, was held at Rabat from 8 to 11 April 1991 under the auspices of the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development;

2. Requests the Secretary-General to organize, in close consultation with the relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, the Statistical Office of the Secretariat, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organization, in New York or Geneva, another high-level meeting of experts with a view to further advancing the work on qualitative indicators of development on the basis of the outcome of the first high-level meeting and the necessary further research, bearing in mind the need to ensure wider participation and collaboration of different scientific and technical disciplines;

3. Invites interested donor countries and relevant multilateral agencies to make voluntary contributions to the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development for the purpose of holding in good time the meeting referred to in paragraph 2 above, and invites the relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in particular the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the International Labour Organisation and the World Health Organization, to support such a meeting;

4. Requests the regional commissions to organize workshops aimed at disseminating the concept of qualitative indicators of development on the basis of extrabudgetary support;

5. Requests the Statistical Commission to keep the issue of patterns of consumption and qualitative indicators of development under consideration, with a view to assisting the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council in their appraisal of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade and, in particular, the mid-term review;

6. Invites, in the interest of harmonization, the relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, in particular the Department of International Economic and Social Affairs of the Secretariat, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Programme and the United Nations Population Fund, as well as the international financial and development institutions, to use, in their annual reports, as appropriate, qualitative indicators of development that are based on the areas identified in General Assembly resolution 40/179;

7. Requests the Secretary-General, in consultation with the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development and other relevant organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations system, to report orally to the Economic and Social Council at its regular session of 1992 on the progress achieved in the implementation of the present resolution.