7 February 2013: The co-facilitators for the further review of the implementation of UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution 61/16 on the strengthening of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) have initiated a series of informal consultations to reach agreement by member States.

The first meeting, taking place on 8 February, focuses on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) outcome document and the post-2015 development agenda, the co-facilitators announce in a letter to member States. Ahead of this meeting, they have released a “Food for Thought” paper, titled “the ECOSOC We Want.”

As background, the paper reviews the Rio+20 decisions pertaining to ECOSOC, its future role, and the establishment of the High-level Political Forum (HLPF).

The paper also outlines three “possible lines of action:” implementation of paragraphs 82-83 of the Rio+20 outcome document, on achieving a balanced integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development by ECOSOC; implementation of paragraphs 79 and 84, on avoiding duplications and overlaps in a cost-effective manner; and implementation of paragraph 249, on coordination and coherence of the post-2015 development agenda.

UNGA President Vuk Jeremic appointed Jan Grauls, Belgium, and George Wilfred Talbot, Guyana, as co-facilitators in November 2012. [Publication: Food for Thought: The ECOSOC We Want] [IISD RS Story on Appointment of Co-Facilitators]