11 October 2019: New Zealand’s ambassador to the UN will lead consultations among UN Member States to identify a theme for the 2020 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) and the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).

UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande announced the appointment of Craig John Hawke, Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the UN, on 11 October 2019.

In the letter to Member States, Muhammad-Bande writes that identifying the theme for the 2020 session of the HLPF and ECOSOC must not “prejudge in any manner” the upcoming intergovernmental review of ECOSOC and the HLPF. The process for that review is expected to begin shortly.

By UNGA resolution 72/305 agreed in 2018, the UNGA adopts only one theme for the HLPF and the year-long cycle of ECOSOC overall. [UNGA President’s Letter]