The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) convened, on 31 March 2009, a global preparatory meeting for its Annual Ministerial Review (AMR), to be held during its July 2009 substantive session.

The 2009 AMR will focus on “Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to global public health.” ECOSOC President Sylvie Lucas (Luxembourg) opened the one-day March event at UN Headquarters in New York, US, and highlighted that “one of the key messages of the preparatory process so far is that the health community alone will not be able to solve key challenges on the global public health agenda…Multisectoral approaches developed across ministries are needed. The key contribution which ECOSOC can make in July is to bring the different communities together.” She also highlighted additional preparatory events that have taken place, including an e-discussion and national and regional meetings. These deliberations also will serve as an input to the Report of the Secretary-General on the achievements in the area of health, as well as the Ministerial Declaration.
In other ECOSOC news, the Council selected the theme for the humanitarian affairs segment of its 2009 substantive session on 26 March 2009. This segment will consider “Strengthening of the coordination of humanitarian assistance: present challenges and their impact on the future,” and will convene two panels on “Respecting and implementing guiding principles of humanitarian assistance at the operational level – assisting the affected populations” and “Addressing the impact of current global challenges and trends on the effective delivery of humanitarian assistance.” The Council also decided that the regional segment will consider “Regional perspectives on the global economic and financial crisis, including the impact on global public health,” and an informal event will be organized on 17 July to discuss the transition from relief to development.
Links to further information
AMR Global Preparatory Meeting website
ECOSOC press release, 26 March 2006