Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council met today to fill regular and outstanding vacancies in 11 of its subsidiary bodies, and to delay action on a draft decision that would change the theme of its 2019 session.

One of the world’s most environmentally degraded areas, the Sahel is suffering from a rise in intercommunal conflict over resources depleted by desertification, drought and other climatic extremes, speakers told a joint meeting of the Economic and Social Council and the Peacebuilding Commission today.

Speakers explored on the multidimensional nature of resilience and proposed forward‑looking solutions that could help vulnerable small island developing States to confront hurricanes, typhoons, drought and other impacts of climate change, during a special meeting of the Economic and Social Council today.

The Economic and Social Council today elected, by acclamation, Valentin Rybakov (Belarus) from the Eastern European States as Vice‑President for the 2019 session, completing its Bureau.

Opening the first meeting of its 2019 session today, the Economic and Social Council elected, by acclamation, Inga Rhonda King (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) as its new President and adopted its provisional agenda and other organizational matters for its upcoming session.

The Economic and Social Council adopted 13 resolutions and 12 decisions on issues ranging from Haiti’s long-term development, to the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation, to non-governmental organizations and regional cooperation, as it concluded its 2018 Coordination and Management meetings today.

The Economic and Social Council concluded its high-level segment today, adopting a sweeping Ministerial Declaration approved a day earlier by the High‑Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

Adopting its Ministerial Declaration by a vote of 164 in favour to 2 against (Israel, United States), with no abstentions, the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development reaffirmed today its commitment to effectively implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for all people, everywhere.

Senior Government officials described national efforts to ensure access to drinking water, provide modern energy services and make cities safe for all, as the general debate of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development moved into its second day.

The ambitious 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development will have no real impact unless each and every global citizen make a conscious decision to change their daily habits, from the clothes they wear to the food they eat, Michelle Yeoh, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Goodwill Ambassador, said today, setting the tone for the opening day of the ministerial segment of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.