Economic and Social Council

A prosperous future for the world’s 48 poorest nations hinged on continued support for building their productive capacities, improving their access to technology and integrating into their national development plans the Istanbul Programme of Action, which aimed to see at least half of those countries graduate from their “least developed” status by 2030, the Economic and Social Council heard today, as it examined those challenges with a focus on Haiti and South Sudan.

Launching the General Segment and final week of its 2012 session, the Economic and Social Council today addressed a variety of topics, including issues related to development and programme coordination — ranging from principles to guide a post-2015 development strategy to the work of United Nations-accredited non-governmental organizations.

Expressing grave concern at the increasing number of people affected by humanitarian emergencies, the Economic and Social Council today pressed the United Nations and Member States — by a consensus resolution — to bolster partnerships and further develop common mechanisms to assess the needs of the affected communities in order to ensure the effective use of resources, as it concluded its three-day humanitarian affairs segment.

Reaching people most in need during complex crises — sparked by conflict, extreme weather or natural disaster — required humanitarian actors to better use, validate and share information from a range of sources throughout the programming cycle, the Economic and Social Council heard today during a dynamic panel discussion on improving the capacities of evidence-based humanitarian decision-making.

Basing humanitarian responses on reliable data and tapping the expertise of local partners were vital to bringing relief aid to areas and communities in need, top United Nations officials said this afternoon, as the Economic and Social Council began its humanitarian affairs segment. “To make the best use of resources for humanitarian response, decision-making must be based on evidence from reliable data,” said Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs.

The United Nations must define a results-oriented “One UN” strategy — one aimed at harmonizing the Organization’s development activities while still allowing individual funds and programmes to retain their autonomy — as its main approach at the country level, said top officials and Executive Board members of several entities today as they addressed the Economic and Social Council.

While “significant” gains had been made in enhancing the coordination of the United Nations development system, the Organization’s ability to swiftly respond to Government requests for assistance must be improved by simplifying programming, decentralizing decision-making and achieving efficiency by providing predictable resources, the Economic and Social Council heard today, as it launched its operational activities segment.

Recognizing the growing issue of youth unemployment and the importance of education to enhance their employability, the Economic and Social Council pressed the United Nations and the relevant international financial institutions today — by a consensus resolution — to strengthen collaboration to advance technical and vocational training, as well as other international education targets.

While today’s youth were the most educated generation in history, they comprised nearly half of the world’s current jobless population, due in part to a mismatch between their skills and labour market conditions that demanded problem solving, decision making and teamwork, the Economic and Social Council heard today during a panel discussion devoted to remedying that situation.