The Economic and Social Council opened its eighth annual Youth Forum today under the theme “Empowered, Included and Equal”, with youth delegates and Governments alike sharing ideas for ensuring that the benefits of a globalized world — from technological advancement and better connectivity to increased flows of people, finance and goods — unleash the potential of its 1.2 billion young people.
In efforts to address the aftermath of Cyclone Idai, which hit Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe in March, the Economic and Social Council held a special meeting today on the international response, with the Deputy-Secretary General underscoring that additional emergency funding is desperately needed to contain the ongoing crisis and help mitigate similar events in the future.
The Economic and Social Council decided to change the theme of its 2019 session to “Empowering people and ensuring inclusivity and equality”, bringing it into line with that of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development — one of three decisions taken in a day that also featured elections to various subsidiary bodies.
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.
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.
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.
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.
