Chair:
Adoption of the Ministerial Declaration
Closing remarks:
Conclusion of the High-level Segment of ECOSOC
His Excellency Bob Rae was elected the President of the 2025 session (July 2024 to July 2025) of the Economic and Social Council on 25 July 2024.
He is currently the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations. Before his appointment by the Government of Canada, Mr. Rae served as Canada’s special envoy on humanitarian and refugee issues, continuing the important work that he began in 2017 as Canada’s special envoy to Myanmar while also addressing other pressing humanitarian and refugee issues around the world.
The former premier of Ontario and former interim leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, Mr. Rae was elected 11 times to federal and provincial parliaments between 1978 and 2013. He stepped down as a member of Parliament in 2013 to return to legal practice and, in particular, to work with Indigenous communities and continue his work in education, governance and human rights. His passion for social justice dates back to his early days in student politics and community service.
Before his appointment as Permanent Representative, Mr. Rae was senior counsel at Olthuis Kleer Townshend LLP. In addition to his legal practice, he taught at the University of Toronto in the School of Public Policy and Governance, in the Faculty of Law and at Massey College and Victoria University, and he was a fellow of the Forum of Federations, Massey College and the Raoul Wallenberg Centre for Human Rights. He has also worked as a mediator and arbitrator with ADR Chambers. A former partner at Goodmans LLP, Mr. Rae led the restructuring of the Canadian Red Cross and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra and chaired the board of the Royal Conservatory of Music. He is the author of 5 books and a number of government reports.
Mr. Rae is a privy councillor, a companion of the Order of Canada and a member of the Order of Ontario and has numerous awards and honorary degrees from institutions in Canada and around the world. He received his Honours Bachelor of Arts degree in Modern History from the University of Toronto and a Master of Philosophy degree as a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University and graduated from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.
Mr. Li Junhua of China was appointed Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs by UN Secretary-General António Guterres, effective 25 July 2022. Prior to this, he served as China’s Ambassador to Italy and San Marino, and previously as Ambassador to Myanmar.
Mr. Li brings over three decades of diplomatic experience, including extensive engagement in multilateral forums such as the UN General Assembly, ESCAP, G20, APEC, ASEM, and BRICS. He has held key roles in China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, including Director General of the Department of International Organizations and Conferences, and Minister Counselor at China’s Permanent Mission to the UN.
In his current role, Mr. Li leads UN DESA’s support for the implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including the High-level Political Forum. He oversees services to the General Assembly’s Second and Third Committees, ECOSOC meetings, and various intergovernmental processes. He also directs DESA’s policy analysis and capacity development work, serves as Convenor of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, and advises the Secretary-General on development issues such as climate change and financing.
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