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Mr. President,
I have the honour and privilege of submitting for the consideration of the
General Assembly the “Report of the Economic and Social Council for 2005”
contained in document A/60/3.
2. Let me avail of this opportunity to present to the Assembly a brief overview
of the Council’s activities during this momentous year.
3. The ECOSOC Substantive Session for 2005 was deliberately conceptualized as a
part of the preparations for the 2005 World Summit. All segments of the Session
focused primarily on the theme of achieving the internationally agreed
development goals, including the MDGs.
4. Both at the Spring Meeting and during the Substantive Session there was an
encouragingly high level of participation and involvement from governments,
other international institutions as well as civil society.
5. A key innovation introduced at this year’s Session was a segment on Voices
against Poverty. It provided a refreshing perspective on development by sending
out following four powerful messages:
the systemic basis for widespread poverty, symbolized by the unfair system of
global trade and finance, remains intact;
Economic growth and poverty eradication requires deliberate policies inter alia
to redress the phenomena of jobless growth;
proliferation of conflicts has generated millions of refugees and internally
displaced persons for whom achieving the Millennium Development Goals was
remote; and
the ECOSOC has a unique role in providing system-wide policy coherence and
coordination.
6. Several other important messages were conveyed during the Substantive Session
of ECOSOC:
First, we are off track on achievement of most of the Millennium Development
Goals, in many countries. An accelerated and concerted effort is required to
achieve the MDGs.
Second, the UN system has come together behind the MDGs. There is now a UN
development agenda. But a fully integrated follow-up to realize the development
goals adopted at the several UN conferences is yet to emerge.
Third, international development cooperation remains critical in enabling most
developing countries to implement the UN development agenda.
Fourth, security and development are inextricably linked. Without peace and
stability, countries are not likely to achieve the development goals.
Fifth, humanitarian emergencies are increasing and need to be addressed through
a comprehensive and coordinated response.
Six, there was a wide recognition of the central role that ECOSOC can play in
promoting the international development agenda. The ECOSOC should be
strengthened to effectively fulfill its Charter mandate.
7. The ECOSOC had a rich discussion on how this could be achieved. Following
this, specific proposals were developed, which I had the privilege of submitting
to the preparatory process at the 2005 Summit. The Summit recognized the need
for a more effective Economic and Social Council and took several decisions to
enhance its role in five specific areas:
First, Policy dialogue and implementation: The Summit has called upon ECOSOC to
promote global dialogue and partnership on global policies and trends and assess
progress on the follow-up of the outcomes of the major United Nations
conferences and summits. To this end, the Council should hold annual
ministerial-level substantive reviews to assess progress, drawing on its
functional and regional commissions and other international institutions, in
accordance with their respective mandates.
Second, ECOSOC as a Development cooperation forum: ECOSOC should convene a
biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum to review trends in
international development cooperation, to promote greater coherence among the
development activities of different development entities.
Third, Coherence and Coordination role: The Council should play a major role in
the overall coordination of funds, programmes and agencies, ensuring coherence
among them and avoiding duplication of mandates and activities.
Fourth, Response to emergencies: The Council should also support and complement
international efforts aimed at addressing humanitarian emergencies including
natural disasters, in order to promote an improved, coordinated response from
the United Nations. In this context, the Council will shortly convene two
special events, on the food crisis in Africa and the threat of the Avian Flu to
activate the important role the Council can play in sensitizing the
international community to existing or potential humanitarian emergencies.
Fifth, Peace-building: Based on the experience gained within ECOSOC in the area
of post-conflict reconstruction and development, the Council is expected to
further promote a coordinated, coherent and integrated approach to post-conflict
peace-building and reconstruction by inter-acting effectively with the
Peace-building Commission.
8. A discussion on ECOSOC’s role in the follow-up to the decisions adopted at
the 2005 Summit was initiated at an informal Summit meeting convened by the
ECOSOC Bureau on 15 September 2005. The meeting, chaired by the President of
Pakistan, included the participation of several heads of State and Government,
the heads of the IMF, IBRD, UNDP, UNCTAD and UNESCAP, as well as senior
ministerial representatives. A summary of the high-level discussion was
circulated to all Member States.
9. We will need further consideration of ways and means to ensure the
implementation of the decisions of the 2005 Summit to strengthen ECOSOC. For
this purpose, in my capacity as the President of the Council, I have circulated
a working paper, prepared after consultations with key delegations, country
groupings and the Secretariat. The working paper offers a set of ideas and
suggestions which, I hope, will provide a good basis for discussions in the
General Assembly and lead to a consensus on ways and means to implement the 2005
Summit decisions on ECOSOC. I look to your leadership, Mr. President, in this
endeavour.
10. In closing, I would like to stress that the Council’s achievements this year
could not have been possible without the excellent work of the Council’s four
Vice-Presidents, Ambassador Ali Hachani of Tunisia, Ambassador Agim Nesho of
Albania, Ambassador Diego Cardovez of Ecuador, and Ambassador Johan C. Verbeke
of Belgium. They carried a major part of the burden of work. I will be remiss
also if I do not recall the able and professional support of the Secretariat to
the work of the Council I express my sincere gratitude to all of them.
I thank you, Mr. President.