The co-facilitators of the intergovernmental negotiations on the UN General Assembly’s (UNGA) review of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) held the second round of informal consultations, during which Member States shared their reflections on a draft elements paper.
On 7 June 2024, the UNGA decided to fully review, during its 80th session, the arrangements for ECOSOC and the HLPF contained in resolutions 75/290 A and 75/290 B and their annexes. The review aims to benefit from lessons learned from the previous cycles of the HLPF and from processes under the UNGA and ECOSOC related to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
In a letter dated 2 March 2026, Permanent Representative of Barbados François Jackman and Permanent Representative of Malta Natasha Meli circulated the draft elements paper for Member States’ consideration. Developed based on the interventions made during the first informal consultation and other inputs, the two-page draft outlines “possible priorities and areas of focus without prejudging forthcoming negotiations,” the co-facilitators explain. It identifies “key headings and general topics that could serve as starting points for further deliberations.”
During the consultation on 6 March, groups, Member States, and stakeholders exchanged views on the draft elements paper. While some, including the EU, emphasized the need for stronger coherence across UN bodies, others, such as the Group of 77 and China (G-77/China), emphasized the importance of respecting UN bodies’ distinct mandates, cautioning against merging or blurring their functions. Japan called for better capturing the ECOSOC functional commissions’ inputs in the Council’s resolutions and follow-up actions.
To support the negotiations on the UNGA’s review of ECOSOC and the HLPF, the Secretariat prepared eight issue briefs on the following themes:
- ECOSOC at a glance;
- HLPF at a glance;
- ECOSOC mandates and evolution of functions;
- ECOSOC guiding and promoting a coherent and coordinated UN system;
- Subsidiary bodies;
- ECOSOC’s relationship with the General Assembly, Security Council, the Peacebuilding Commission and the Human Rights Council;
- Countries in special situations; and
- Addressing emergency issues.