The Economic and Social Council today adopted without a vote a resolution concerning the Commission on the Status of Women, even as many delegates regretted that the text missed opportunities for a genuine revitalization of that body.
The Economic and Social Council commenced its 2026 session today, and as Canada handed its presidency to Nepal, speakers pointed to the important role that the organ must play in responding to the myriad challenges of the moment.
Following panel discussions on how the United Nations and its Member States can advance multilateral cooperation in a changing world, the Economic and Social Council today concluded its high-level segment with the adoption of a ministerial declaration in which world leaders pledged to “reach the furthest behind first”.
Amid growing inequality, escalating climate threats, persistent poverty, and widening digital divides, world leaders today warned that sustainable development remains critically off track — underscored by a staggering $4 trillion annual financing gap. At the conclusion of the High-level Political Forum held under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council, Member States adopted a ministerial declaration reaffirming the international community’s unwavering commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
While trumpeting the virtues of multilateralism, speakers in the Economic and Social Council’s high-level segment today warned that the principle is under attack as conflict and one-sided economic policies threaten to obstruct — or, in some cases, reverse — development gains as 2030 draws near.
The following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks to the ministerial segment of the high-level political forum on sustainable development, in New York today:
With just five years remaining to meet the goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, progress is uneven — and in many areas, dangerously off track — amid shrinking national budgets, rising nationalism, and trade-disrupting tariffs, speakers warned today at the opening of the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council.
The Economic and Social Council concluded its two-day management segment today with a round-table discussion under the theme “Unity in Action: Accelerating Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) Implementation and Building a Better Future for All”.
Focusing on a wide range of global issues from gender equality to transnational crime, the Economic and Social Council adopted about two dozen texts that reflected decisions already approved and then submitted by its subsidiary bodies, as it opened its 2025 Management Segment today.
From internally displaced people to victims of sexual exploitation and abuse, the United Nations development system and Member States must work together to support those who fall between the cracks, the Economic and Social Council heard today.
