Economic and Social Council

Following are UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ remarks at the opening ceremony of the twenty-second session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, in New York today:

The Commission on Population and Development ended its fifty-sixth session today, unable to adopt by consensus a draft resolution concerning the agenda item on population, education and sustainable development.

Against the backdrop of the major demographic issues facing the world today, the United Nations Population Division’s data has been essential as it serves as a reference for domestic population projections, experts underscored today, as the Commission on Population and Development continued its fifty-sixth session with a general debate as well as a panel discussion on “Programme implementation and future programme of work of the Secretariat in the field of population”.

Investing in lifelong education, including for women, young people and migrants, leads to healthier, more prosperous societies, experts underscored today, as the Commission on Population and Development continued its fifty-sixth session with a general debate as well as a panel discussion on “Population, education and sustainable development.”

Deprivation of access to education on sexual and reproductive health and rights results in a range of harmful practices — such as early and child marriages, unwanted pregnancies and high levels of gender-based violence — which have an enormous adverse effect on sustainable development, speakers stressed today, as the Commission on Population and Development continued its fifty-sixth session.

Education is a door-opener and a life-changer, especially for girls and women, senior United Nations officials stressed, as the Commission on Population and Development opened its fifty-sixth session, against the backdrop of a global learning crisis.

The Economic and Social Council filled vacancies in 14 subsidiary bodies today through election by both acclamation and secret ballot, also adopting four decisions pertaining to organizational matters.

​​​​​​​Fair and inclusive tax systems are essential in enhancing developing countries’ efforts to strengthen their financial and fiscal policies and accelerating the green transition, the Economic and Social Council heard today, as members held the 2023 Special Meeting on International Cooperation in Tax Matters.

Following lengthy negotiations that continued late into the night, the Commission on the Status of Women concluded its sixty-seventh session, approving a set of agreed conclusions focused on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the context of innovation, technological change, and education in the digital age.

Speakers underscored the importance of citizen-generated and gender-disaggregated data to tackle inequality, while others offered suggestions on closing gender gaps in care work, technology and geospatial services and nutrition, as the Commission on the Status of Women today held an interactive dialogue, “Getting back on track: Achieving gender equality in a context of overlapping emergencies”.