Economic and Social Council Elects Vice-President, Adopts Agenda for 2022 Session
Members Also Adopt Report of Expert Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management, Decisions Regarding Non-Governmental Organizations’ Consultative Status
The Economic and Social Council today elected a Vice-President, adopted the agenda and assigned responsibilities for its 2022 session, while also taking action on decisions related to non-governmental organizations and geospatial information.
The Council elected Lachezara Stoeva (Bulgaria) from the Group of Eastern European States as Vice-President for the 2022 session.
Coming under the responsibility of the Council President, Collen Vixen Kelapile (Botswana), are the high-level segment of the Council, high-level political forum on sustainable development, forum on financing for development follow-up, special meeting on international cooperation in tax matters and any joint or other special meetings.
The coordination segment will be under the responsibility of the Vice-President to be elected from the Asia-Pacific group; operational activities for development segment under the Vice-President Jukka Salovaara (Finland); humanitarian affairs segment under the Vice-President Diego Pary Rodríguez (Bolivia); and management meetings under Vice-President Stoeva.
The Council President noted that, due to the United Nations observance of the Eid al-Adha holiday on Friday, 8 July, the dates of the high-level political forum on sustainable development must be changed from 5-8 and 12-15 July to 5-7 and 11-15 July 2022.
Turning then to the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations’ report for the 2021 resumed session (document E/2022/32, Part I), the Council adopted seven decisions recommended by the Committee.
By decision I, the Council requested reclassification, a change of name and quadrennial reports received from non-governmental organizations. By decision II, the Council withdrew the consultative status of nine non-governmental organizations; by decision III, it suspended the consultative status of non-governmental organizations with outstanding quadrennial reports; and by decision IV, it reinstated the consultative status of non-governmental organizations that submitted outstanding quadrennial reports.
According to decision V, the Council withdrew the consultative status of non-governmental organizations, pursuant to Council resolution 2008/4; by decision VI, it approved the dates and provisional agenda of the 2022 session of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations; and by decision VII, it took note of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations report.
The United States’ representative expressed regret over the Committee’s decision to revoke the accreditation of nine non-governmental organizations. Adding that COVID-19 is already presenting challenges for civil society to attend meetings, he called on Member States to ensure that the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations and United Nations are more accessible to these groups.
Next, the Council adopted a decision recommended by the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management titled “Report of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management on its eleventh session and provisional agenda and dates of the twelfth session of the Committee”, contained in document E/2022/46.
The Economic and Social Council is expected to hold its annual joint meeting with the Peacebuilding Commission on 8 December. A plenary meeting will also be held in December to conduct elections for outstanding vacancies.