Economic issues

Weak institutions in fragile and conflict-affected States constrained efforts to reduce poverty and deliver basic services, and efforts to build peaceful, prosperous nations required aligning priorities — both between domestic and global agendas, and among the world’s influential multilateral bodies, the Economic and Social Council heard today as it concluded its annual high-level meeting with marquee international finance and trade institutions.

In the aftermath of the global economic slump, a new era in development was dawning and a new international development architecture would make the difference in reversing setbacks and injecting needed momentum to the world economy’s fragile and uneven recovery, the Economic and Social Council heard today as it convened its annual special high-level meeting with the international financial institutions.

Scores of business leaders, along with representatives of Government and civil society, today shared their experiences in promoting women’s advancement through the Women’s Empowerment Principles at a United Nations meeting opened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and closed by his Deputy, Asha-Rose Migiro.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations resumed its work this afternoon to adopt the final report on the work of its 2011 regular session, which ran at Headquarters from 31 January to 9 February.

The Economic and Social Council today forwarded to the General Assembly a resolution concerning the structure of the World Food Programme’s Executive Board, essentially maintaining the current distribution of seats and rotation pattern.

As Haiti prepared for its second round of presidential elections on 20 March, United Nations officials told the Economic and Social Council today that political stability in the Caribbean nation could only be achieved by Haitians themselves, urging that utmost care be taken to ensure the appointment of a responsible Government to lead the people through the next stage of recovery and reconstruction.

Acting on a number of organizational issues, the Economic and Social Council today decided that its meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) would be held at Headquarters on 10 and 11 March. Approving the provisional agenda for its 2011 substantive session, as orally corrected, the Council also adopted working arrangements for that four-week session.

Wrapping up its 2011 regular session, the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended special consultative status for 24 entities to the Economic and Social Council, boosting the session to a record 112 organizations that had been recommended for status, said the Committee’s Chairman.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended six entities for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council and postponed consideration of 25 applications in the penultimate day of its 2011 regular session, which heard extensive debate over the appropriate rights and procedures required to pose questions to groups seeking standing in the 19-member body.

The Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations today recommended 13 entities for consultative status with the Economic and Social Council, postponed consideration of six applications and took note of 210 quadrennial reports, or “briefs” submitted by NGOs every four years outlining their activities in support of the Council and, more broadly, the United Nations.