12 June 2018
Governments to Consider Revised Resolution on ECOSOC Reforms
UN Photo/Manuel Elías
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The co-facilitators of the process to review reforms to the UN Economic and Social Council have circulated a revised draft resolution for consideration on 13 June.

This version of the document includes a section on 'Operational activities for development,' establishing the segment's new role after the adoption of the resolution on the UN Development System.

By the 8 June text, the UNGA review the agreed changes in conjunction with the review of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development during UNGA 74.

8 June 2018: The co-facilitators of the process to review reforms to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) have circulated a revised draft resolution. UN Member States will consider the text in an all-day consultation session on 13 June 2018.

The revised outcome document includes a seven-page Annex titled ‘Review of the implementation of General Assembly resolution 68/1 on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council.’ This version of the document includes a section on ‘Operational activities for development,’ which covers “several existing mandates” of the operational activities segment in order to “establish its new mandated role” after the adoption of the resolution on the UN Development System, the text notes. The document no longer contains a section on ‘Emerging and frontier issues,’ which was included in the zero draft.

The other sections of the annex are:

  • Annual main theme and substantive focus;
  • Structure of the ECOSOC cycle;
  • Integration;
  • ECOSOC High-level Segment and HLPF;
  • Humanitarian affairs segment;
  • Peacebuilding Commission;
  • Stakeholder engagement;
  • Coordination and management; and
  • ECOSOC subsidiary bodies and support.

By the 8 June version of the outcome document, the UN General Assembly (UNGA) would decide that the agreed arrangements would be reviewed at its 74th session (2019-2020), in conjunction with the review of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), and that the implementation of the resolutions on ECOSOC and the HLPF will be merged.

The consultation on 13 June will be the ninth meeting in the informal consultation process, which is led by the permanent representatives of Iceland and Qatar. In their letter to Member States, they reiterate that agreement on the outcome document should be concluded by 15 June. [Co-facilitators’ letter and revised draft resolution] [SDG Knowledge Hub story on zero draft]

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