Welcome to the United Nations
The United Nations is a unique multilateral institution that provides a space for all countries, to cooperate and achieve universally agreed goals, such as the Sustainable Development Goals.
With its oversight role in matters of operational activities for development, development cooperation and humanitarian assistance and its overall coordination of the UN development system, the Economic and Social Council is uniquely placed to provide a unifying platform for multilateral responses and support policy dialogue and guidance for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Its convening power and stakeholder engagement can help forge consensus among increasingly divergent views on solutions to today’s challenges, as well as advance discussions on multilateral arrangements.
As we reach the mid-point of the 2030 Agenda, the consensus around the value of multilateral action needs to be shored up so that the global public can be assured that the United Nations and its organs can tackle current and emerging global challenges. It is important for ECOSOC to regularly reflect on its role in guiding multilateral efforts to promote rules-based policymaking and implementations that adheres to agreed commitments across multiple and interlinked sectors. The UN system has an important role to play in capitalizing on opportunities for transformative policies and actions that are sustainable and resilient and leaves no one behind.
This interactive panel discussion will focus on how to strengthen coordination and build capacity for UN system institutions to become more resilient, foster trust, and prepare for the future. It will also explore how the UN system can help build capacity for more reliable, effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions at the country level that can deliver progress for sustainable development.
The report of the Secretary-General on the 2023 theme Accelerating the recovery from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at all levels (E/2023/78) provides background for this session.
Proposed guiding questions:
- What are the lessons learned from the pandemic related to UN response and recovery efforts? Can these be scaled up and replicated?
- What improvements are needed in international norms-setting and institutional support that would better inform country-level policy and decision-making for sustainable and resilient recovery and foster long-term sustainable development?
- How can international institutions, including UN system entities, better integrate and mainstream the principles of resilience across their policies, programmes and activities?
- How can the UN system support the achievement of national commitments for transformation that the Secretary-General has urged leaders to bring to the SDG Summit in September?
- What role can the Economic and Social Council play in strengthening UN system institutions for resilient sustainable development?
- How can the Economic and Social Council and its system of subsidiary bodies contribute to and help advance ongoing discussions on the multilateral arrangements within the context of the proposals for Our Common Agenda?
- How can ECOSOC contribute to addressing the current challenges of multilateralism, through its agenda setting role?
Chair:
- H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Vice President of ECOSOC (Italy)
Interactive discussion
Moderator:
- Mr. Eddy Maloka, CEO of the African Peer Review Mechanism of the African Union
Panelists:
- Ms. Rebeca Grynspan, Secretary General of UNCTAD
- Ms. Najat Maalla M'jid, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
- Ms. Afshan Khan, UN Coordinator of the Scaling Up Nutrition (SUN) Movement
Lead Discussants:
- Ms. Dorothy Davis, UN Representative, Congressional Black Caucus Political Education and Leadership Institute (CBCI)
Ministerial Respondents:
- H.E. Ms. Siti Nurbaya Bakar, Minister of Environment and Forestry, Indonesia
- H.E. Ms. Sanja Ajanović Hovnik, Minister of Public Administration, Slovenia
- H.E. Ms. Lenora Qereqeretabua, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fiji
Interventions of other participants
