4 February 2009: The UN Commission for Social Development is holding its 47th session from 4-13 February 2009, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.

Speaking at the opening of the meeting, Ambassador Kirsti Lintonen of Finland, Chairperson of the Commission for Social Development, warned against the impact of the global financial turmoil on the most vulnerable groups. Noting the rising numbers of working poor and unemployed, as well as growing social unrest, she stressed that the global financial, food and climate crises will “harshly strike the most vulnerable, pushing them to the margins of society.” [UN Press Release]