10 July 2012: The High-level Segment (HLS) of the 2012 UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) substantive session concluded with the adoption of a ministerial declaration calling for promoting full employment and decent work in order to eradicate poverty and achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The HLS was held from 2-9 July 2012, in New York, US, and included the Annual Ministerial Review (AMR) and the 2012 Development Cooperation Forum (DCF).

The AMR was held on the theme “Promoting productive capacity and decent work to eradicate poverty in the context of inclusive, sustainable and equitable economic growth at all levels for achieving the MDGs.” During the AMR, nine countries, namely Algeria, Brazil, Ecuador, Kenya, Mauritius, Qatar, Russia, Senegal and Ukraine, made National Voluntary Presentations, highlighting their progress in national-level implementation of Internationally Agreed Development Goals (IADGs), including the MDGs. The AMR also featured keynote addresses on employment-related issues by government officials and representatives of civil society, the private sector and academia, as well as ministerial roundtable breakfasts on, inter alia, decent work, women empowerment, youth employment, and skills for “green” societies.

The DCF was held on the theme “Drivers of change: What is the future of development cooperation?” It reviewed development cooperation trends, and focused on ways of improving the quality and effectiveness of development cooperation and increasing its impact on development goals. The Forum considered a series of topics relating to development cooperation, including: the future of development cooperation; its role in unlocking other sources of development financing in developing countries; the importance of mutual accountability and aid transparency in development cooperation; the evolving role of private philanthropic organizations and decentralized cooperation; and gearing global development cooperation towards sustainable development. The session included keynote addresses, policy dialogues and interactive debates on these topics.

Addressing the Forum, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon highlighted the importance of engaging all stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector, in efforts to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development, underlining that “only through collaboration, coherence and partnership will we achieve our development goals.” Summarizing the discussions during the DCF, Miloš Koterec, ECOSOC President, noted the calls for action to deliver on the global partnership for development, including market access, trade facilitation and technology transfer. He further noted that many participants agreed that development cooperation should work towards eliminating long-term aid dependence.

The HLS also included: a high-level policy dialogue with the international financial and trade institutions on current developments in the world economy; a thematic roundtable on “Implementing effective macroeconomic policies for employment creation”; and a high-level panel discussion on transparency and sustainable development.

The ECOSOC substantive session continues until 27 July with the coordination, operational activities, humanitarian affairs, and general segments. [High-level Segment Webpage] [AMR Webpage] [DCF Webpage] [UN Press Release] [Publication: Ministerial Declaration on Promoting Productive Capacity, Employment and Decent Work to Eradicate Poverty in the Context of Inclusive, Sustainable and Equitable Economic Growth at all levels for achieving the MDGs]