Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council met this afternoon to adopt the procedures for electing members to the Executive Board of the new United Nations gender entity, and to fill vacancies in three of its subsidiary bodies.

The Economic and Social Council this morning decided that the inaugural election of the 41 members of the Executive Board of the new entity for gender equality would be held “as soon as possible and by early November 2010”.

With the adoption of 15 resolutions and three oral decisions spanning questions of international development cooperation, decolonization, human rights and the promotion of decent work, the Economic and Social Council concluded today what its President called a “groundbreaking” 2010 substantive session.

The Economic and Social Council today continued the work of its general segment today, adopting by consensus 10 resolutions and 7 decisions broadly aimed at strengthening crime prevention measures, tackling illegal narcotics trade and extending effective social protections to the world’s most vulnerable populations, especially in the wake of crises.

With dramatic socio-economic and geographic stresses increasing urban poverty and slowing efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, the Economic and Social Council today adopted eight consensus decisions that envisioned a world in which economic progress, social advancement and environmental protection were mutually reinforcing elements of sustainable development.

Expressing deep concern about the grave situation of Palestinian women in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, resulting from Israeli occupation, the Economic and Social Council adopted a text today urging continued international attention to promote and protect their human rights, as well as intensified measures to improve their difficult conditions.

In any country, the devastating legacy of conflict — death, disease, population displacement and capital flight — could erase hard-won development gains and States emerging from such situations must manage myriad and often competing priorities in order to meet all eight of the Millennium Development Goals, high-level United Nations officials stressed today.

In a world virtually ruled by new technologies and with millions of people obsessed with instant access to information through mobile networks and the Internet, cybersecurity must be placed high on the United Nations agenda, warned Economic and Social Council Vice-President Somduth Soborun of Mauritius.

Expressing grave concern at the increasing number of people affected by humanitarian emergencies, including those associated with natural hazards, the Economic and Social Council today pressed the United Nations, on one hand, to strengthen humanitarian capacities by transferring technology and expertise to developing nations, and urged Member States to develop disaster preparedness and risk reduction measures, on the other.

With natural disasters increasing in frequency and complicated, multiparty conflicts hampering the delivery of humanitarian assistance and endangering relief workers, senior United Nations officials joined diplomats today in stressing the urgent need for early preparedness and timely, predictable and coordinated efforts to respond to growing demands for effective humanitarian assistance.