August 2016: The UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) has issued a series of resolutions that seek to contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The resolutions were adopted by ECOSOC following recommendations and proposals from its Commissions and expert bodies, and from meetings that took place in 2016.
The ECOSOC resolution on the ‘Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration (CEPA) on its Fifteenth Session’ (E/RES/2016/26) invites the Committee to place the 2030 Agenda at the center of its work, and to continue to advise ECOSOC on how public administrations can support SDG implementation and progress reviews. It addresses: the role of public institutions for the successful implementation and achievement of the SDGs and targets; integrated policies; participatory decision making and inclusive service delivery; diversity and non-discrimination; oversight and accountability in the implementation of the SDGs; and follow-up.
The resolution: notes the importance of a clear framework for allocating responsibilities related to the SDGs and for establishing the working relationships between the national and subnational levels of government; notes the value of the UN e-Government Survey as a tool to support the SDGs; and invites governments to consider measures to understand and address the factors driving discrimination and exclusion in public institutions. On follow-up, it requests the CEPA, at its 16th session, to examine and make recommendations on the theme of the ECOSOC’s 2017 session and to contribute to the thematic review of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), “giving particular attention to the cross-cutting nature of all the SDGs.”
It also requests the UN Secretary-General to continue to promote and support innovation and excellence in public services for sustainable development through the UN Public Service Awards. The CEPA is an expert body of ECOSOC, and its 15th session took place from 18-22 April 2016. Its 16th session will take place from 24-28 April 2017.
The resolution on ‘Science, Technology and Innovation for Development’ (E/RES/2016/23) calls on national governments to: undertake systemic research, including foresight exercises, on new trends in science, technology and innovation (STI) and information and communications technologies (ICTs) and their impact on development, particularly in the context of the 2030 Agenda. It also encourages governments to: review progress on integrating STI in the achievement of the SDGs; promote the application of ICTs in all sectors; and create suitable facilities to recycle and dispose of e-waste.
The resolution encourages the UN Commission on Science and Technology for Development (CSTD) to act as a forum for strategic planning, to provide foresight about critical trends in STI in key sectors of the economy, and to draw attention to emerging and disruptive technologies so as to help articulate the “important role” of ICTs and of STI as enablers in the 2030 Agenda. Finally, the resolution encourages the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) to: seek funding proactively for the expansion of STI policy reviews; and look into the feasibility of including elements of strategic foresight and digital ecosystem assessment in policy reviews of STI and ICTs, possibly by including a chapter dedicated to these themes.
The resolution on ‘Assessment of the Progress made in the Implementation of and Follow-up to the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society’ (E/RES/2016/22), includes sections on: reviewing the implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS); Internet governance and Forum; enhanced cooperation; and the road ahead. The resolution notes “with concern” that there are still significant digital divides, such as between and within countries and between women and men. It further encourages close alignment between the WSIS process and the 2030 Agenda, as called for in UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 70/125.
The text highlights the urgent need to incorporate recommendations from WSIS outcome documents in the revised guidelines of the UN Country Teams (UNCTs) on preparing the common country assessments and the UN Development Assistance Frameworks (UNDAFs). It also invites the international community to make voluntary contributions to the special trust fund established by UNCTAD to support the review and assessment work of the CSTD regarding WSIS follow-up. In addition, the resolution welcomes the 11th meeting of the Internet Governance Forum, scheduled to take place from 6-9 December 2016, in Guadalajara, Mexico, under the theme ‘Enabling inclusive and sustainable growth,’ and recalls the UNGA proposal to hold a high-level meeting on the overall review of the implementation of the WSIS outcomes in 2025.
The resolution on ‘Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the UN’ (E/RES/2016/9) expresses “grave concern” at the unprecedented number of people affected and displaced by humanitarian emergencies, and calls on UN Member States, the UN and relevant stakeholders to work together to reduce the specific needs of the most vulnerable, thereby contributing to achieving the SDGs.
The resolution emphasizes that humanitarian response, particularly in protracted crises, needs to be planned over a multi-year framework, as appropriate, and linked with development planning processes. It encourages UN Member States and relevant regional and international organizations to continue to support climate change adaptation and mitigation, and to strengthen disaster risk reduction (DRR) and early warning systems in order to minimize the humanitarian consequences of natural disasters. It also requests the UN Secretary-General to reflect the progress made in the implementation of and follow-up to the resolution in his next report to ECOSOC and the UNGA on the strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the UN.
The 2017 session of ECOSOC opened on 28 July 2016, and elected by acclamation Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava (Zimbabwe) as President from July 2016 to July 2017. [ECOSOC Website] [Compilation of ECOSOC Resolutions] [ECOSOC Resolution on CEPA 15th Session Report] [ECOSOC Resolution on STI for Development] [ECOSOC Resolution on the Assessment of the Progress made in the Implementation of and Follow-up to the Outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society] [ECOSOC Resolution on Strengthening of the Coordination of Emergency Humanitarian Assistance of the UN]