24 May 2016: The President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Oh Joon, announced the appointment of Gillian Bird, Permanent Representative of Australia, and Gustavo Meza-Cuadra, Permanent Representative of Peru, to facilitate informal consultations on the outcome of the 2016 sessions of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC and Ministerial Segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).

ECOSOC’s High-level Segment of ECOSOC represents the culmination of the Council’s 2016 cycle, and will address ECOSOC’s overall annual theme of ‘Implementing the post-2015 development agenda: moving from commitments to results.’ It will convene from 18-22 July 2016. The outcome of the High-level Segment is a ministerial declaration, as specified in UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution A/RES/68/1 on the review of the implementation of UNGA resolution A/RES/61/16 on the strengthening of ECOSOC.

The HLPF’s Ministerial Segment will take place from 18-20 July 2016, during the ECOSOC High-level Segment. The outcome of the Ministerial Segment is a negotiated ministerial declaration for inclusion in ECOSOC’s report to the UNGA, as specified in UNGA resolution 67/290 on the format and organizational aspects of the HLPF.

This year’s HLPF will take place from 11-20 July, and consider the theme ‘Ensuring that no one is left behind.’

Oh announced the appointments in a letter to UN Member States on 24 May 2016. [HLPF 2016 Website] [ECOSOC High-Level Segment Webpage] [IISD RS Sources]