Report of the Economic and Social Council

 
Your Excellency Bob Rae, Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations and former President of ECOSOC,

Thank you for joining this morning’s briefing on the report of the Economic and Social Council.

Let me begin by commending Ambassador Rae and his team for their highly effective stewardship of ECOSOC throughout the Presidency.

Their leadership has helped strengthen the Council’s vital role as a bridge between global vision and local results.

Last week, at the Second World Social Summit in Doha, we underlined the reality that social development and equality are not a bonus – not charity – they are essential prerequisites to stability and prosperity.

They are also very much in each of our own self-interest, as peace and security, and social development go hand-in-hand.

Time and again, we see the same chain reaction: 
-    War and crisis deepen hunger and poverty.
-    Hunger and poverty drive displacement, putting pressure on neighboring regions and fueling tensions and conflicts.
-    And conflicts in turn destroy livelihoods and the environment, feeding the cycle anew.

All of this is only further exacerbated by the climate crisis – the biggest threat to security and sustainable development of our time.

We saw this again recently when Hurricane Melissa barreled through the Caribbean, wiping out hard-won progress on the SDGs, destroying schools, hospitals and whole infrastructure within hours.

But whether the challenge is climate change or conflict, the lesson is the same: we cannot solve one problem in isolation from the others. 
We cannot address hunger without tackling health. 
We cannot end poverty without closing the education gap.
We cannot advance climate action without ensuring decent work.

This is why we need holistic strategies — like the SDGs, and like the outcomes of Doha, as well as the upcoming outcomes of COP30 in Belem — that recognize the interdependence of our challenges and responses.

And that is why we need ECOSOC, the work of which reflects both the breadth and depth of the UN’s social and economic mission.

Just last year, 
-    ECOSOC addressed the plight of children in Haiti, highlighting how hunger and poverty fuel gang violence. 
-    It examined forced displacement and refugee protection, underscoring the need for sustainable approaches that safeguard both refugees and host communities. 
-    It adopted a resolution on the illicit trafficking of wild fauna and flora, as part of a broader response to environmental crime. 
-    It advanced discussions on a common global tax regime.
-    And, together with the General Assembly, it considered the devastating impact of small arms and light weapons on sustainable development, including their role in perpetuating gender-based violence.

Beyond its high-level deliberations, ECOSOC serves as a platform for accountability and oversight across the UN development system.

The Voluntary National Reviews, presented each year at the High-Level Political Forum, demonstrate how global commitments are being translated into local action serving the people.

Meanwhile, the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review provides a system-wide stocktake — helping to steer reform across the UN development architecture and the Resident Coordinator network.

These functions have never been more important. As we navigate the transition ushered in by the UN80 Initiative — including the rationalization and consolidation of agencies — ECOSOC’s role in ensuring coherence, efficiency, and impact is indispensable.

Before handing over to Ambassador Rae, allow me to emphasize this point on reform.

The UN80 Initiative, while led by the Secretary-General, belongs to all of us. It is not confined to the Secretariat but extends to every organ of this house; we must all evolve and adapt with the times — not only to reduce costs, but to strengthen our collective effectiveness.

I therefore urge Member States to reflect on ECOSOC’s unique contribution to this renewal: ensuring that economic and social development remain at the centre of a reformed and re-energized multilateral system, and re-energized United Nations.

Thank you.

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