International News
Note: Owing to the liquidity crisis and the current COVID-19 pandemic impacting our Organization, only a partial summary of statements made in today’s meetings of the Economic and Social Council is available at this time. The complete summary will be issued later as Press Release ECOSOC/7035.
The Economic and Social Council, holding its first in-person meeting in 2021, adopted a range of decisions today, extending COVID-19-related procedures, rescheduling delayed meetings and filling several vacancies, including on the Executive Board of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women).
The Economic and Social Council adopted three decisions related to the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations and postponed a decision today, stemming from COVID-19 pandemic-related changes to its working methods, on whether to reopen its 2020 session to reconsider the draft ministerial declaration of its high-level political forum on sustainable development, held in July.
The Economic and Social Council’s mandate remains as relevant as ever, encompassing the three simultaneous global challenges Member States are facing — the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, the realization of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the existential threat of the climate catastrophe — its newly elected President said today at the first meeting of its 2021 organizational session, held via videoconference due to COVID-19 pandemic-related restrictions at United Nations Headquarters.
The Economic and Social Council’s high-level segment concluded on 17 July with calls to strengthen multilateralism and forge an inclusive path to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic, yet failed to adopt a Ministerial Declaration approved at the closing of its 2020 high-level political forum session, held from 7 to 17 July via videoconference due to coronavirus-related restrictions at United Nations Headquarters.
Continuing its 2020 Management Segment in a virtual format today, the Economic and Social Council heard updates from across the spectrum of its subsidiary bodies, each of which have grappled with the pervasive impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, as it considered reports on the recent work of committees ranging from the Commission on the Status of Women to the United Nations Forum on Forests.
Addressing what has become the worst human crisis in decades requires a new dynamic to overcome the widespread negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Economic and Social Council’s President said at its 2020 high-level political forum on sustainable development, held from 7 to 17 July via videoconference due to coronavirus-related restrictions at United Nations Headquarters.
All stakeholders must work together to prevent a reversal of decades of progress on development goals during these unprecedented times that require deep reflection and strong action, the Secretary-General said at the Economic and Social Council’s integration segment, held on 7 July via videoconference due to restrictions at United Nations Headquarters related to the COVID-19 pandemic.