The co-facilitators for the consultations to review arrangements for the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) have published a zero draft of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolutions. The co-facilitators will introduce the zero draft during informal consultations on 28 March 2024.

In its 2021 resolutions 75/290 A and 75/290 B, the Assembly decided to conduct the reviews of the ECOSOC and the HLPF in conjunction with each other at its 78th session.

In a letter dated 10 October 2023, UNGA President Dennis Francis appointed Permanent Representative of Guinea Paul Goa Zoumanigui and Permanent Representative of Latvia Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes co-facilitators for the consultations on the review, to benefit from lessons learned from relevant UNGA and ECOSOC processes related to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and from previous cycles of the HLPF.

In their letter dated 11 January 2024, the co-facilitators informed Member States of their intention to commence informal consultations at the beginning of February, with a view to finalizing the negotiation by the end of April or early May 2024. On 30 January, they circulated a letter with guiding questions for the first informal consultation.

The first informal consultation was held on 15 February 2024. Addressing Member States, ECOSOC President Paula Narváez underscored the need for peace and security for sustainable development and for strong and effective international institutions, forums, and mechanisms to address global challenges. She called on Member States to “build on what we have learned from the previous two four-year cycles of HLPF and their SDG Summits.”

Following the consultation, on 28 February 2024, the co-facilitators issued a draft elements paper to inform further discussions.

The second informal consultation convened on 7 March 2024. Based on Member States’ oral responses to the elements paper and additional written comments, the co-facilitators prepared a zero draft of the UNGA resolutions. They circulated the draft in a letter dated 18 March 2014. The eight-page document contains resolutions on the reviews of the ECOSOC and of the HLPF and annexes on the review of the implementation of UNGA resolutions 75/290 A and 75/290 B.

The first reading of the zero draft is scheduled to take place during the third informal consultation on 28 March 2024. Member States can submit written comments by 1 April 2024. [UNGA President’s Letter Dated 20 March 2024] [UNGA Reviews of ECOSOC and HLPF]