Commission on Population and Development

Forty-first Session

7^th Meeting (AM)

PRESIDENT OF ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL HAILS ‘MORE NUMEROUS’ OPPORTUNITIES

FOR INTERACTION WITH COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT

The Economic and Social Council, now dynamized and reformed, had become the guardian of the Millennium Development Goals, and opportunities for interaction between that organ and the Commission on Population and Development had never been more numerous than they were today, its Council President Leo Merores (Haiti) said today.

Addressing the Commission ahead of the closing of its annual session tomorrow, he said the Commission could count on him to translate those convergences into common action during its substantive meeting in July and beyond.  Problems of population and economics, the subject of the Commission’s work this week, were intrinsically linked.  “It is up to us to draw conclusions concerning the functioning of intergovernmental bodies and their decisions.”

Commending the Commission’s contribution to institutional coherence, which had increased attention to the United Nations development agenda, he noted that the Economic and Social Council’s ministerial examination in July would be devoted to sustainable development goals and that the Commission’s debates would contribute to that meeting.  Population distribution and urbanization were at the centre of lasting development and a patent example of its social, economic and environmental dimensions.  The growth of cities was a major phenomenon that was inevitable in the evolution of humanity, and thus, the Commission’s discussions would provide a long-term perspective for development planning.

He said that, in 2009, the Commission’s work on the Action Programme of the Cairo Conference would directly influence the Council’s ministerial examination of international public health issues.  The Commission could take into consideration the themes of the Council’s high-level debate during its consideration of the agenda for its forty-second session.

The Economic and Social Council now had a ministerial meeting, an annual review on a major development theme and a statement to see what major actions were needed to accelerate national and international development plans, he said.  It was the body where Member States could, together, decide to accelerate their action to maintain the orientation of global development goals.

Noting that the Economic and Social Council’s yearly examination integrated national, regional and world dimensions, he said that, nationally, it was an opportunity for countries to provide national explanations on their development strategies.  The ministerial examination bridged the operational and legislative aspects of development, and Commission members were invited to consider hosting consultations next year for the inclusion of the regional dimension, which, by nature, was also global.

A major new component of the Council’s high-level debate was the Forum for Cooperation for Development, he noted.  Created by the 2005 World Summit in the context of reinforcing the role of the United Nations, it contributed to realizing the world’s development aims.  The Forum was also proof of Governments’ commitment to reinforce the coherence and efficiency of international aid, and the fruit of participatory debates that would define the major orientation.  The Forum had a mandate to examine development trends, promote coordination among the major stakeholders, and reinforce linkages in the United Nations system.

Noting that the Commission’s report would again be presented to the Economic and Social Council this year, in the framework of the general segment during the last two weeks in July, he said the Council aimed fully to engage the Commission in that debate to ensure that its work received the attention it deserved.  The modalities for that engagement were being studied and would soon be defined.

Regarding humanitarian emergencies, he said the Economic and Social Council intended to use the technical expertise of its subsidiary bodies, and asked each Commission to provide, by 9 June, a list of competencies that might be useful in that regard.

The representative of the United States said he shared the President’s interest in addressing two key questions facing both the Economic and Social Council and the Commission:  how the latter could keep the Council better informed about its work, findings and determinations, and how it could best contribute to the Council’s work in a meaningful way.  From today’s address, it was gratifying to know that efforts to address those questions were ongoing.

Spain’s representative thanked the President for his interest in intensifying the Council’s relationships with different commissions, stressing that the theme of population was fundamental to any social agenda, be it health or any other matter involving society.

Responding to comments, the President reiterated the Council’s intention to develop its interaction with various technical commissions.  It had met with them at the beginning of the year, but it would not be satisfied with only one meeting.  Both the Council and the Commission intended to increase their interaction during the Council’s general segment in July.

Turning to organizational matters, the Commission deferred consideration of the provisional agenda for its forty-second session (document E/CN.9/2008/L.2) until tomorrow, as the working group was still meeting on the text.

Hania Zlotnik, Director of the Population Division, responded to Jamaica’s request for clarification regarding the upcoming session by explaining that its special theme was “The contribution of the Programme of Action of ICPD to the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals”.

The Commission will meet again at 3 p.m. tomorrow, 11 April, to conclude its work and open its forty-second session.

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For information media • not an official record