General Assembly Session 62 meeting 39

The President

The General Assembly will now consider agenda item 43, entitled "Report of the Economic and Social Council".

In connection with this item, I would like to recall to the members of the General Assembly that, pursuant to Assembly resolution 58/316 of 1 July 2004, the Assembly, on the recommendation of the General Committee, decided at its 3rd plenary meeting, on 21 September 2007, to consider agenda item 43 in its entirety in plenary, on the understanding that the administrative, programme and budgetary aspects should be dealt with by the Fifth Committee.

At the same meeting, the Assembly took note of the clarification that, in implementing resolution 58/316 to consider item 43 in its entirety in the plenary, the relevant parts of chapter I of the report that are under agenda items already allocated to the Main Committees will be considered by the Committee concerned for final action by the General Assembly.

I give the floor to the President of the Economic and Social Council, Mr. Dalius Cekuolis, to introduce the report of the Economic and Social Council.

Mr. Cekuolis (Lithuania)

I have the honour to introduce the 2007 report of the Economic and Social Council.

This year's substantive session was an important landmark in the work of the Council. It laid the foundation for a renewed Economic and Social Council. By implementing the vision of the 2005 World Summit, this session opened new avenues for the future of the Council, particularly the annual ministerial review and the launch of the biennial Development Cooperation Forum.

I would like to briefly highlight some of the key outcomes of this session and then focus on some future steps.

This year's special high-level meeting of the Council with the Bretton Woods institutions, World Trade Organization and United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) initiated preparations for the Follow-up of the International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, to be held in Doha, in the second half of 2008. That meeting represents the centrepiece of our dialogue on the global partnership for development.

The first annual ministerial review exceeded all expectations. It provided focus and concrete content to the discussion of policies and means required to improve and accelerate implementation of Millennium Development Goals 1 and 8, the eradication of poverty and hunger through the global partnership for development. I hope the Assembly will draw upon the work of the Council for its specific meeting focused on development, as decided in Assembly resolution 60/265.

The high point of the review was, in my view, the national voluntary presentations by the ministers of six developing countries -- Bangladesh, Barbados, Cambodia, Cape Verde, Ethiopia and Ghana -- which became an occasion for peer review, knowledge sharing and information exchange. From them, five key policy messages emerged. First, national development strategies are working, but not at the pace required. We need to accelerate and scale-up the implementation process. Secondly, the global partnership should be made more effective in all its dimensions. Thirdly, the global economic environment should be made pro-development and pro-poor. Fourthly, monitoring the implementation of commitments and accountability should be strengthened. Finally, emerging threats that hamper efforts to realize these goals, such as climate change and desertification, should be addressed urgently.

The high number of countries that have volunteered to be reviewed by the Council next year, including many developed countries, highlights the Council's role as a convener and the central forum for reviewing global development goals. Next year's presentations should be a further step forward as the Council will be undertaking a review of countries at different stages of development and different perspectives.

We also had a very stimulating dialogue at the launch of the biennial Development Cooperation Forum, a unique global platform in which all actors engaged in a dialogue on key policy issues affecting development cooperation, which included issues such as the quantity, quality and impact of aid and aid coordination. The task of the 2008 Forum will be to offer strong analysis and provide guidance on how development cooperation can best support the internationally agreed development goals.

The ministerial declaration, adopted by consensus, sends an important message that the international community is united in dealing with the obstacles and challenges in the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, particularly Goal 1.

The practical dimension of partnerships was illustrated at the first-ever Innovation Fair, where a dozen United Nations system entities, several non-governmental organizations and private sector entities showcased their products and projects for the reduction of hunger, malnutrition and poverty. Innovation Fairs are expected to serve as the hub for promoting and catalysing tangible, multi-stakeholder partnerships for implementing the United Nations development agenda.

The deliberations on the theme of strengthening efforts at all levels to promote pro-poor sustained economic growth, including through equitable macroeconomic policies, highlighted five key policy messages. First, the link between economic growth and poverty reduction is complex and there is a need for further study, including on their relation to equity. Secondly, there is a need for broad-based macroeconomic policies, which should be formulated in the framework of a national development strategy. Thirdly, some national policies have spill-over effects on other countries, while external conditions affect national economies. Fourthly, there is a need to increase the voice and participation of developing countries in international decision-making. Finally, international regimes that had been developed without much participation by developing countries need to be reviewed and reassessed.

The Council's coordination segment showed that the 2006 ministerial declaration has mobilized the United Nations system and Governments in making employment and decent work a central objective of their policies and activities. That augurs well for strengthening linkages between the high-level and coordination segments of the Council in order to translate its normative work into practical implementation. During the humanitarian affairs segment, the Council gave guidance on how to strengthen the coordination of the humanitarian system of the United Nations. It highlighted the need for the capacity-building of national, local and regional organizations; broader partnerships among humanitarian organizations; and the need to improve humanitarian stand-by capacities, including with the private sector.

Many proposed that the Economic and Social Council should become a more active body by convening ad hoc meetings on humanitarian emergencies. I believe that this collective thinking should be put into action in line with General Assembly resolution 61/16.

The Council's work on the operational activities for development was of special significance. A number of themes emerged in the discussions on the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review, which have informed the Assembly's debates over the past days. These include the importance of national ownership and leadership of United Nations operational activities; the need for increased, more stable and predictable core and non-core resources; the significance of support by the United Nations system in countries in transition from relief to development; and better coordination with peacebuilding efforts. Also, the need for greater coordination and coherence of the United Nations system at the country level was highlighted.

In the general segment, the Council focused on, among other issues, consolidating and coordinating the work of its subsidiary bodies. The Council's role in this area is becoming all the more important as we proceed to implement the United Nations development agenda in a unified and effective way.

Many other outcomes of the Council are of key relevance to the work of the Assembly, such as those on human rights, social development and gender mainstreaming, to mention only a few. They will, I am sure, help the Second and Third Committees in their work.

Allow me to share with you what I see as the next issues for the Council where we need to mobilize our efforts to achieve the goals of the 2005 World Summit Outcome (General Assembly resolution 60/1). The 2005 World Summit rightly highlighted the linkages between peace, development and human rights and the need for multidimensional strategies. Nine out of the ten countries with the lowest human development indicators have experienced conflict at some point since 1990. Those countries are clearly very far from achieving the targets and goals set out in the United Nations development agenda.

The new role assigned to the Economic and Social Council to conduct annual ministerial reviews will, hopefully, strengthen its capacity to contribute to the area of peacebuilding. That will give the Council the opportunity to continually assess how conflict is affecting the implementation of the development agenda and to review and share lessons learned on how development strategies can help forestall violent conflict. The biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum can also provide a unique opportunity for the Council to examine how development cooperation can best support countries seeking to emerge from conflict.

The agreement to extend the Council's Ad Hoc Advisory Groups on Guinea-Bissau and Haiti is a clear recognition of the useful contribution that the Council can make to the long-term development of such countries. The lessons learned from those Groups could contribute to enriching the work of the Peacebuilding Commission. I will work with members of the Council's Bureau in further strengthening the ties between the relevant bodies.

The Council has unique Charter-based tasks aimed at promoting stronger, coordinated responses from the United Nations system and other partners to humanitarian crises. It can also help to ensure equal focus on investing in mitigation and investing in development processes, which reduces the vulnerability of those most at risk. The Council was asked by the 2005 World Summit to play a role in monitoring a coherent international response. In recent years, it has undertaken that role by convening emergency sessions aimed at strengthening the coordination of the emergency humanitarian system of the United Nations. I believe that the time has come to adopt a regular practice for turning to the Council whenever major humanitarian emergencies occur. That would be a step towards the implementation of its mandate to address such situations.

In conclusion, a more substantive and interactive relationship is developing between the Assembly and the Council that should help in providing practical orientation to the international community in the follow-up to the 2005 World Summit Outcome. My experience as President of the Economic and Social Council has shown me the potential of the Council in meeting many of the core concerns of the international community. The convening power and the spirit of engagement that have been the hallmark of United Nations conferences are captured in the Economic and Social Council. That inclusive spirit of United Nations international conferences permeated this year's session of the Council.

It is now a time of great change. New forms of international cooperation are emerging and new institutional arrangements are being put in place as part of the efforts to eradicate poverty, protect people from disasters and protect our environment and especially to address climate change. It is also a time of high expectations: despite important gains in the standard of living, there remain tremendous challenges including poverty and hunger, especially in Africa. We must get development right for the world's peoples.

Mr. Mahmood (Pakistan)

I have the honour to make this statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on the item entitled, "Report of the Economic and Social Council" and the item entitled, "Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields".

The 2007 substantive session of the Economic and Social Council was special and in some ways historic, because we embarked on the operationalization of the new responsibilities assigned to the Council by the leaders at the 2005 World Summit. Those responsibilities were elaborated in General Assembly resolution 61/16.

For the Group of 77 and China this was a welcome and important step towards revitalizing and further strengthening the Economic and Social Council, with a view to allowing it to perform the central role on economic and social issues envisaged for it under the United Nations Charter.

During the substantive session, we were happy to see the thematic discussion of the high-level segment develop complementarity with the newly acquired functions of the Economic and Social Council: the annual ministerial review and the Development Cooperation Forum. We were able to articulate our views and vision on strengthening efforts at all levels to promote pro-poor sustained economic growth, including through equitable macroeconomic policies.

The Group of 77 and China is also reasonably satisfied with the convening of the first annual ministerial review and the successful launch of the Development Cooperation Forum during the 2007 Session. Nonetheless, we believe that the first annual ministerial review was a somewhat one-sided event, with only developing countries making their voluntary national presentations. We would like to take the opportunity to reiterate our call for substantive and equal participation on the part of developed partners in future sessions of the annual ministerial review. It would help to know how far their policies are in conformity with the guidelines for aid effectiveness, as well as how they see the implementation of the commitments undertaken under the internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development Goals.

It is our hope that the annual ministerial review will look honestly at the status of implementation by both developed and the developing countries and will come to conclusions that will invigorate the process of implementation of the commitments undertaken under the Millennium Development Goals and the internationally agreed development goals and that it will advance the development agenda in a comprehensive and universal manner, so that we can eradicate poverty.

We are also glad that, consistent with paragraph 8 of resolution 61/16, we have been able to decide on the annual ministerial review themes for 2007 and 2008, focusing on the implementation of agreed development goals and commitments. The Group of 77 and China is of the firm view that the purpose of the annual ministerial review, in addition to reviewing the status of implementation of various commitments, should be to identify the gaps, shortcomings and successes, both at the national level and at the level of our development partners, and to further develop policy recommendations to advance the implementation process. We hope that future ministerial declarations issued by the Economic and Social Council after annual ministerial reviews will contain both an assessment as well as recommendations for action. In this regard, the adoption of the ministerial declaration by consensus at the first session of the reinvigorated Economic and Social Council was also auspicious and bodes well for our future work.

The Group of 77 and China looks forward to the substantive launch of the Development Cooperation Forum in 2008. We see the Development Cooperation Forum as an outstanding opportunity to enhance global partnership for development as set out in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

In our view, the overall purpose of the Development Cooperation Forum should be to ensure, first, that development cooperation is responsive to the needs of the developing countries, as set out in their national development plans and strategies, and to the internationally agreed development goals and the Millennium Development Goals; secondly, that the quality and quantity of development financing is adequate and appropriate to the needs of the recipient countries; thirdly, that development cooperation achieves the desired objectives and results; and fourthly, that such cooperation is pursued in a coordinated and coherent manner at the national, regional and global levels.

The effectiveness and relevance of the Development Cooperation Forum will depend to a large extent on the ability to monitor implementation. As in the case of the annual ministerial review, we would advocate the development of agreed criteria and benchmarks to measure the implementation, effectiveness and results of development cooperation.

The Group of 77 and China has consistently called for effective monitoring of the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and the internationally agreed development goals. We believe that, while there are some indicators to measure progress achieved with regard to the first seven MDGs, specific benchmarks and targets should be developed to measure the implementation of MDG 8, as well as the internationally agreed development goals. We call on the United Nations -- especially the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the United Nations Development Programme, as well as the International Monetary Fund, World Bank and the World Trade Organization, to contribute to the elaboration of this type of specific benchmarks to facilitate the monitoring of the implementation of MDG 8 and other internationally agreed development goals.

Mr. Mahmood (Pakistan)

The resolution entitled "Follow-up to the development outcome of the 2005 World Summit, including the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals" (resolution 60/265) reaffirmed that the United Nations is the central, fully inclusive, global, multilateral, international and representative organization responsible for development policies, review and progress, and for the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the United Nations major conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields.

The United Nations system must, therefore, in accordance with resolution 60/265, strengthen the existing mechanisms and, where appropriate, establish effective mechanisms to monitor, review and follow-up on the implementation of the outcomes of all the major United Nations conferences and summits in the social, economic and related fields as a matter of priority.

We also look forward during this session to the convening of a specific meeting of the General Assembly, pursuant to resolution 60/265, focused on development, covering, inter alia, an assessment of progress made over the previous year.

In conclusion, let me reiterate the importance of the United Nations playing a central role in the promotion of international cooperation for development. The United Nations should undertake regular periodic review and assessment of international economic and development policies, including those of the Bretton Woods institutions, and their impact on development. In this regard, we request the Secretary-General to undertake an analysis of the resources needed to exercise the mandates, as outlined in decisions taken in General Assembly resolutions 60/265 and 61/16.

Mr. Lobo de Mesquita (Portugal)

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The candidate countries Croatia and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the countries of the Stabilization and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Serbia, as well as Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia align themselves with this statement.

The European Union welcomes this opportunity to discuss the report of the Economic and Social Council and the work of the Council in 2007 (A/62/3). Indeed, this year has been an historic one for the Economic and Social Council, with the holding of the first annual ministerial review and Development Cooperation Forum, giving life to the reforms instituted by our heads of State and Government during the 2005 World Summit.

These new modalities ensure that the Economic and Social Council will remain the central mechanism for the follow-up of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits, including the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed development goals. Indeed, the annual ministerial review and the Development Cooperation Forum will serve as a vehicle to step up efforts to put the international community on track to meeting the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 and to reinforce the Council's coordinating role in the economic, social, environmental and related fields.

The decision by the Council to focus the first annual ministerial review on the theme of "Strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, including through the global partnership for development" was appropriate, channelling thereby the efforts of the high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council around MDG 1.

As the objective of this meeting is to provide a global high-level forum where a systematic review of progress is made in the implementation of the United Nations development agenda, including offering a platform for an exchange of lessons learned and successful practices and approaches, the European Union remains committed to continue focusing these efforts on the MDGs on an individual or clustered basis, so as to keep them under systematic and substantive review, thereby increasing the attention given to these critical development areas.

With its new functional architecture and potential to advance implementation by promoting synergies and linkages, the annual ministerial review started already this year to present itself as a high-level, well-attended forum aimed at looking more deeply at strategic issues of the international development agenda and associated policy responses. In this regard, the organization of the informal high-level roundtables that dealt with climate change and its complex linkages with poverty eradication and sustainable development, desertification and public health, deserve very positive mention.

The European Union strongly believes that the United Nations must be at the centre of global efforts to tackle climate change. It therefore strongly advocates constructive dialogue and encourages consideration of these issues in all appropriate forums, as long as these efforts remain linked to the United Nations process.

The EU is pleased that the Council, during its resumed substantive session, adopted a two-year programme of work for the annual ministerial review, following the recommendation of General Assembly resolution 61/16 on the strengthening of the work of the Economic and Social Council. This programme of work for the high-level segment will provide a solid work plan that will aid in raising the profile of the work of the Council and provide the predictability necessary for the subsidiary bodies of the Council and other relevant actors to best contribute to its deliberations in a timely manner.

The Economic and Social Council should not act alone, but should build on the work done by its subsidiary machinery and benefit from outside contributions, be they from the wider international community or from civil society. The European Union is of the view that, to maintain the predictability required to ensure the best level of preparation for and participation in the annual ministerial review, the Council must ensure that themes for future sessions are adopted, preferably, two years in advance of their organization.

The European Union fully expects that the Development Cooperation Forum will become an important part of the international discussion on the development cooperation agenda and the global partnership for development, as well as a crucial mechanism to emphasize the Council's role as the policy coordination body of the United Nations system for economic, social and environmental matters. The Forum could be an important coordination and cooperation mechanism in the context of the existence of an array of multilateral and bilateral players, a growing number of new donor countries and an increasing number of special-purpose global funds, added to the growing role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the private sector in development cooperation. The very fact that the Forum is open to participation by all stakeholders, including United Nations organizations, international financial and trade institutions, regional organizations, civil society and private sector representatives, strengthens the European Union's conviction about the utility of such a Forum.

Regarding the agenda of the Development Cooperation Forum, the European Union considers it important that the Forum also address issues such as aid architecture, the implementation of the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the role of new and emerging donors. This dialogue should also contribute to ensuring that important principles relevant to development cooperation, such as the principle of national ownership and leadership, are fully taken into account by all stakeholders. The EU looks forward to the shaping of an agenda for next year's Development Cooperation Forum that raises the added value of this new modality and does not duplicate work done by others.

Permit me now to make a few points regarding the other segments of the substantive session of the Council. By focusing its discussions and interaction on the theme of the role of the United Nations system in promoting full employment and decent work, following up on the 2006 ministerial declaration, the coordination segment this year allowed for a thorough assessment of United Nations system-wide endeavours to revive the goals of employment and decent work for all as essential elements for all international and national policies, in the context of the MDGs, poverty reduction strategies and other policy frameworks. Work and employment are really key elements in the context of sustainable development, in all of its three dimensions, connecting the economic dimension of people's lives with the social and the environmental dimensions. In this sense, decent work cannot merely be seen as a source of income, but also perceived as a condition for people to live a self-determined life and to participate fully as citizens in their communities and their entire natural environment.

As regards the humanitarian segment of the substantive session, dedicated to the strengthening of the coordination of United Nations humanitarian assistance through enhancing the effectiveness of needs-based humanitarian assistance, we were very pleased with the discussions surrounding not only aspects of assistance and continued humanitarian reform in the larger sense, but also the debate on important issues such as the use of military assets in natural disaster relief and needs-based humanitarian financing. The EU looks forward, and is committed, to working with others during this General Assembly in order to continue the dialogue and make further contributions in the context of the humanitarian agenda for the benefit of people in need.

The operational activities segment provided a platform for extensive discussions on the upcoming triennial comprehensive policy review of the United Nations system's operational activities for development that will serve as an important basis for General Assembly consideration and orientation of reforms in this critical area of the United Nations. The EU welcomes the 2007 triennial comprehensive policy review as a unique tool to further advance current reforms to improve the effectiveness of United Nations operational activities and their responsiveness to developing countries' needs and national priorities and the achievement of the MDGs and the internationally agreed development goals.

The general segment of the substantive session was rather successful this year, having managed to resolve a majority of the issues before it. Indeed, a majority of the remaining issues were dealt with during the recent resumed substantive session of the Council. Without disregarding other equally important items before the Council in its resumed session, the EU would like to recall the adoption of a non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests and the adoption of a multi-year programme of work for the period of 2007-2015 for the United Nations Forum on Forests, considering their particular importance in the context of international forest policy and cooperation around the shared global objectives on forests. The EU is of the view that the organization of a special public event, coinciding with the adoption of the non-legally binding instrument on all types of forests by the General Assembly, would not only increase public awareness of this landmark instrument, but would also further contribute to strengthening political commitment and action at all levels around the shared global objectives on forests.

The Council, through its annual spring meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, will have an important role in the run-up to the 2008 Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus, to be held in Doha in 2008. It can play that role by selecting carefully and in a timely manner the themes to be considered at the spring meeting, with a view to the Council President's summary providing a substantive and concrete contribution to the deliberations of the Doha Conference later that year.

The European Union is committed to completing the mandate of strengthening the Council, as mandated by paragraphs 155 and 156 of the 2005 World Summit Outcome (resolution 60/1). Indeed, the adoption of resolution 61/16 and the subsequent organization of the annual ministerial review and the launching of the Development Cooperation Forum have been concrete steps towards two of the three aspects of this strengthening. In this context, the European Union is looking forward to the discussions held on the adaptation of work of the Council, including its organization of work, agenda and current methods of work, as the third pillar of this strengthening, as per Council decision 2006-206. One critical issue that will need to be discussed in that exercise will be the structure of the high-level segment and the balance between the sessions to be held in New York and Geneva. We look forward to discussions on these important issues in December.

Before closing, the European Union takes this opportunity to thank the Bureau of the Economic and Social Council for its efforts ensuring the success of its previous and recently resumed substantive sessions. We also extend our congratulations to the Secretariat for all of its hard work, including the new Economic and Social Council website, which has proved to be an extremely useful tool.

Mr. Voto-Bernales (Peru)

My delegation associates itself with what was said by delegation of Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

One year has gone by since the approval of resolution A/61/16 concerning the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council, which establishes, inter alia, two elements that my country considers fundamental to improving the work of the Council -- substantive annual reviews at the ministerial level, and the Development Cooperation Forum.

In this respect, we welcome with great pleasure the first annual ministerial review, which took place in Geneva in July of this year and which focused on the theme of strengthening efforts to eradicate poverty and hunger, including through the global partnership for development.

In this respect, we wish to point out certain concepts that we deem fundamental and which have been defined in the ministerial declaration: first, the determination to strengthen the work to eradicate the scourges of poverty and hunger, and to ensure that the greatest priority be given to this objective in national development strategies and international cooperation for development; secondly, the commitment to promote sustained economic growth in the developing countries and the recognition that the national activities in this area must be supplemented in a conducive international context; and thirdly, the recognition of poverty and inequality constitute a problem for all countries, irrespective of their level of development. Furthermore, poverty continues to be a huge problem in middle-income countries, and it is necessary to support relevant initiatives to alleviate it.

In this regard, the fight against poverty and inequity is currently our most formidable challenge, as well as the driving principle behind the national and foreign policy of Peru. Based on the belief that human dignity and well-being are the focus of its efforts and that economic indicators must be based on the well-being of our population without distinction, the Peruvian Government has refocused its social policy to focus on economic inclusion, access to education and technological innovations, as well as nationwide institutional development and support for the population.

Furthermore, to comply with the Millennium Development Goals, Peru firmly aims to reduce the present level of poverty from 50 per cent to 30 per cent by the year 2011. Chronic malnutrition will be reduced from 25 per cent to 16 per cent, and drinking water services and electricity will be extended to 90 per cent of Peru's citizens. In addition, we have planned to eradicate illiteracy, reduce informal employment from 53 per cent to 35 per cent, create 1.5 million jobs and reduce the external debt from 24 per cent to 13 per cent of the gross domestic product.

My country also welcomes the start-up last July in Geneva of the Development Cooperation Forum. In fact, as the President of the Economic and Social Council said during the launching of the Forum, this constitutes a fundamental stage in the implementation of the global partnership for development. For the first time, questions of international cooperation will be reviewed by the Economic and Social Council in order to strengthen the impact of cooperation for development.

In this respect, we believe that the Forum should be strengthened by the results of meetings like the third High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development, which took place only one week ago in this Assembly. The important concepts and different approaches mentioned here must serve as guidelines for the work of the Forum. In this respect, my country wishes to express its will and commitment to participate actively in Forum discussions.

The other element that we wish to emphasize in the report of the Council (A/62/3) has to do with the report of the United Nations Forum on Forests on its seventh session, which the Forum adopted by consensus, but the decision to adopt the report was deferred by the Council at its Geneva meeting. Peru attaches great importance to the work of this Forum and, therefore, reiterates the urgency of the Council's adopting the report.

To conclude, Peru will continue to promote dialogue and agreement between the peoples of the world as being fundamental values to which they are committed. For that reason and in this belief, Peru has submitted its candidacy to become a member of the Economic and Social Council during the 2009 to 2011 period, for which we request the support of all countries in the elections that will be held in 2008.

Mr. Maksimychev (Russia)

First of all, the Russian delegation would like to thank the President of the Economic and Social Council for the very detailed and informative presentation of the Council's report (A/62/3), and would also like to express some words of thanks to the Secretariat for their selfless work in supporting the Council.

I would like to take this opportunity to reiterate that the Russian Federation has constantly favoured strengthening the role of the Economic and Social Council as the leading coordinating body within the United Nations system working to elaborate effective multilateral approaches to resolving urgent problems of socio-economic development and implementing the decisions of the most important forums of the United Nations on development matters. We highly commend the results of the substantive session of the Economic and Social Council for 2007. For the first time it was held in its renewed and strengthened format, which became a historic event from the point of the view of the Council's mastering the new functions that were given to it by the World Summit in 2005.

We also commend the first annual ministerial review, which we believe became the highlight of the session. We favour the further development of the practice of the holding, as part of the annual ministerial reviews, of voluntary national presentations, which would be devoted to reviewing the progress of countries in achieving international development goals. We consider the annual ministerial review to be an effective mechanism for monitoring the implementation of and follow-up to the major United Nations conferences and summits, as provided by the relevant decisions of the Organization. We believe that on the whole. the annual ministerial review has enabled the Council to more effectively carry out its mandate of coordinating international cooperation within the framework of the global development agenda.

Of equal importance is the launching of the Development Cooperation Forum, which we believe will serve as a key platform for dialogue among various parties interested in considering the effectiveness of promoting development.

As the session demonstrated, its traditional segments -- the coordination, operational activities, humanitarian affairs and general segments -- continue to be relevant. The need to further strengthen the Council as the principal body ensuring coordination in the economic, social, humanitarian and environmental fields within the entire United Nations system has reaffirmed the importance of the session's coordination segment, which provides a forum for a practical, focused consideration of matters related to the work of the Council's auxiliary bodies. We are pleased that the operational activities segment has maintained its lead role in the discussion and formulation of guidelines concerning operational matters. We also welcome the fact that the fundamental principles guiding this area of the work of the Organization were reaffirmed during the segment.

The outcome of the humanitarian segment indicates that the role of the Council in developing the overall discussion within the United Nations on issues related to humanitarian aid has been strengthened. Moreover, the significance of the Council, as the Organization's basic working forum for the consideration of humanitarian issues, has been reaffirmed.

Given the complexity and variety of the items on the Council's agenda, the general segment also continues to be relevant. We believe it to be essential if the Council is to effectively carry out its functions of assigning tasks and monitoring the work of its auxiliary bodies in development-related matters.

We are convinced that the main outcome of the session has been to reaffirm the role of the Economic and Social Council as the principal United Nations organ providing for the implementation of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and as a platform for the formulation of political decisions and concrete practical recommendations on international cooperation in the social, economic, humanitarian and environmental fields.

It is clear that the reform of the Economic and Social Council, which has enhanced the Council's status within the United Nations system, has now been successfully completed. That important body will now be able to focus more effectively on finding agreed solutions to current development-related problems. We also realize that, as the situation evolves in the field of international development, the Council, given its new functions, may occasionally have to revisit the issue of refining its working methods.

For our part, we should like to assure the General Assembly that the Russian Federation intends to continue to play an active role in the work of the Economic and Social Council by promoting optimum decision-making that takes the approaches of all interested parties equally into account.

Mrs. Mills (Jamaica)

Jamaica welcomes the opportunity to speak on agenda item 43, on the report of the Economic and Social Council for 2007 (A/62/3). We are particularly pleased to do so following the successful convening this summer of the annual ministerial review and the launch of the Development Cooperation Forum. We expect that this will signal a new phase in our discussions on issues regarding international cooperation for development and the role of the United Nations in advancing the development agenda. We wish to recognize and commend the efforts of the Permanent Representative of Lithuania, President of the Council for 2007, and the rest of his Bureau in guiding the work of the Council since the start of the year.

In addition to the statement made by the representative of Pakistan on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, with which my delegation wishes to associate itself, I wish to make the following comments on some of the issues that my delegation believes should be borne in mind.

Since the start of the year, the Council has embarked on several key initiatives of particular importance to my delegation. The discussions during the high-level segment of the substantive session, as well as those within the context of the Council's special high-level meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, are especially noteworthy.

We also welcome the focus in the coordination segment on promoting full and productive employment and decent work for all, as well as the discussions in the operational activities segment, which will no doubt be instrumental in the General Assembly's ongoing deliberations on the Triennial Comprehensive Policy Review of operational activities aimed at development of the United Nations system.

In addition, we welcome the deliberations held in the context of the provision of humanitarian assistance to affected countries and the many issues covered as part of the Council's work during the general segment. We think that they add currency and value to the wider debate on the issues on the development agenda and that they are integral to forging consensus on how best to advance the implementation of commitments made to promote social and economic development. That is significant, given that we are at risk of failing to attain many of the internationally agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals, and given the ever-increasing inequality within and among countries.

Against that background, we see merit in enhancing the impact of the Council's deliberations. That is essential for two reasons. The first is in the context of restoring the imbalance that currently persists with respect to the effective participation of developing countries in global economic decision-making. We remain concerned that calls for good governance at the national level are not reinforced when it comes to the requirements of good governance, transparency and accountability at the global level.

The second reason stems from the need to fully implement the development agenda. In that regard, we have very high expectations of the work to be undertaken by the Council, particularly the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF). We believe that the DCF can be a forum for genuine dialogue among Member States -- both developed and developing countries -- to identify concrete proposals that can give much-needed impetus to the advancement of the global partnership for development.

In the same vein, we believe that the annual spring meeting can be strengthened to better enhance the level of cooperation and coordination between the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization, without prejudice to their respective governance structures. It is our hope that we will be able to work together to attain that broader objective. In that regard, the current duration and outcome of the spring meeting -- which is now confined to one-day meetings and presidential summaries -- might have to be re-examined.

The work of the Economic and Social Council in promoting policy dialogue and in coordinating the work of the United Nations in the follow-up and implementation of the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits remains indispensable. It is central to the overall leadership role of the United Nations in promoting the development agenda. For that reason, we attach great importance to ensuring that the Council is adequately equipped and resourced to effectively discharge that responsibility. It is therefore our expectation -- particularly in the light of the new functions that the Council will have to assume pursuant to General Assembly resolution 61/16 -- that this issue will be given special attention by the General Assembly. Consideration should also be given to ensuring that the Council has greater flexibility so that it can take action on development issues as they arise.

My delegation also expects that the Economic and Social Council will continue to expand its collaboration with other organs -- especially the Security Council -- and with bodies such as the Peacebuilding Commission to ensure its participation in the consideration of the economic and social dimensions of conflict situations. That is central to ensuring the rebuilding and strengthening of the economic foundations for stability and overall development.

Mr. Hannesson (Iceland)

I would like to begin by thanking my dear friend and colleague, Ambassador Dalius Cekuolis of Lithuania, the President of the Economic and Social Council, for presenting the 2007 report of the Economic and Social Council, which provides a very good overview of the work of the Council. I would also like to, on a personal note, thank him for our close cooperation in the Bureau of the Economic and Social Council during the past two years.

I would first like to say a few words about this year's substantive session of the Economic and Social Council. The themes for the annual ministerial review and the thematic discussion of the high-level segment this year were well chosen for this first session of the reformed Economic and Social Council. Both themes focused on the eradication of poverty, which is certainly at the heart of the global partnership for development. I am particularly pleased with how successfully the link was made between sustained economic growth and the eradication of poverty in the discussions on both themes.

I would like to draw your special attention to the importance of promoting gender equality in our efforts to eradicate poverty. By empowering women and ensuring equal opportunity, countries can achieve great gains. There is, however, a long way to go. Women are still much more likely than men to be poor, malnourished and illiterate. They usually have less access than men to employment and they are far less likely than men to be politically active. Women's empowerment should be at the centre of any development strategy and ensuring gender equality is vital for pro-poor sustained economic growth and the eradication of poverty.

I will not elaborate on other segments of the Economic and Social Council. I would, however, like to highlight the decisions dealing with the Ad Hoc Advisory Groups on countries emerging from conflict, where we have once again established the primary importance of the Economic and Social Council in the area of long-term sustainable development in post-conflict situations. Further continuation of the Groups on Haiti and Guinea-Bissau is an indication of this importance.

We can be fairly satisfied with the overall outcome of this year's substantive session, which marked a milestone in the life of the Economic and Social Council by making the annual ministerial review a success and by launching the biennial Development Cooperation Forum (DCF). I would now like to turn to the future role of the Economic and Social Council, which is facing new challenges with its new functions.

The Council will hold its first substantive session of the DCF next year. The universal and political legitimacy of the Forum -- involving all Member States of the United Nations and a broad range of stakeholders engaged in development cooperation -- makes it an ideal forum for providing global oversight of aid commitments and aid quality.

The findings and recommendations of the 2008 DCF should also become a reference point for the discussions taking place in next year's Follow-up International Conference on Financing for Development to Review the Implementation of the Monterrey Consensus in Doha, as well as in the Accra High-Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness. For the DCF to add value to these important intergovernmental processes, it is imperative that the analytical preparations and the consultative process be focused. It is now more important than ever that we avoid overlap and duplication of work.

Another challenge for the Economic and Social Council is the outcome of the Secretary-General's High-level Panel on United Nations System-wide Coherence. Coordination remains central to the Economic and Social Council functions, and I am sure that the outcome of the follow-up to the Panel's report will strengthen the work of the Council in that area.

As I have had the honour to serve as a Vice-President of the Council for two years, the Economic and Social Council has become closer to my heart than before. I am, therefore, proud of this year's session of a reformed and stronger Economic and Social Council. We should, however, not become complacent. Reform is not over. It is in our hands to make sure that the DCF will become a real forum for development cooperation. A successful Council meeting here in New York next year will be critical, as well as inspirational, for a stronger Economic and Social Council in the future.

Mr. Dapkiunas (Belarus)

The Belarus delegation is pleased to note the positive changes that are occurring in the work of the Economic and Social Council. The organizational and deliberative innovations of this year cannot fail to promote a more focused and fruitful consideration of the problems on the agenda of the Council. The exchange of views in the high-level segment on key issues of international socio-economic development, the analysis of global trends for sustainable development and efforts to eradicate poverty as well as the process of meeting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have become even more focused and authoritative.

In this connection, we would like to refer to the responsible and purposeful work of the Economic and Social Council carried out by the Bureau of the Council and its President, Mr. Cekuolis. We welcome the approaches agreed to at the ministerial session of the Council, where an integrated mechanism to ensure international assistance to needy countries was elaborated. We sincerely hope that this will serve as a practical guide for Member States regarding, first and foremost, the facilitation of access on the part of developing and transitional economy countries to the markets of developed countries.

Belarus wholeheartedly supports continuing the practice of inviting the leaders of the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization to meetings of the high-level segment of the Council. This approach, we believe, makes it more effectively possible to combine the efforts of the specialized agencies and the operational funds and programmes to elaborate financial mechanisms for averting and overcoming crises in countries with developing markets.

The economic situation of the world is, on the whole, favourable to achieving the MDGs. However, we know many of the targets are far from having been met. In this connection, we believe that the Economic and Social Council needs to make additional efforts to adapt the instruments for achieving these goals to the conditions prevailing in the developing and transitional economy countries. More energetic encouragement should be given to economic growth in these countries and to promoting the adoption and enhancing of the effectiveness of the implementation of national strategies to combat poverty, hunger, sickness and to enhance financial stability.

Belarus is convinced that there is a need to strengthen the work of the Economic and Social Council aimed at providing targeted support to the efforts of countries with transitional economies. We should recall that it is precisely this group of countries that forms an important reserve for expanding the global donor group for development purposes. In particular, it is important to more actively provide technical assistance that will help to expand the economies of countries with transitional economies, so they can elaborate their own economic policies and strategies in the field of development.

Mr. Petranto (Indonesia)

I am speaking on behalf of Ambassador Natalegawa.

Let me first of all thank the Secretary-General for his report on the integrated and coordinated implementation of the outcomes of and follow-up to major United Nations conferences and summits (A/62/89), and the Economic and Social Council for its report for 2007 (A/62/3).

I also wish to align Indonesia's statement with the representative of Pakistan, who spoke on behalf of the Group of 77 and China.

The major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields have been instrumental in shaping a broad development vision and defining commonly agreed objectives. Considering their close association, one sector's outcome will surely have an impact on another. For this reason, it is vital to ensure a synergistic follow-up of the various conferences and summits at the institutional level.

We appreciate the efforts undertaken within the United Nations system to enhance the coherence among the various conference follow-up processes. One of the most important developments in that connection was the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council through resolution 61/16 last year. This year, we welcome its operationalization, including the annual ministerial review during the Council's high-level segment in Geneva, and next year in the Development Cooperation Forum.

From my delegation's perspective, these new mechanisms better equip the Council to perform its core functions envisaged in the Charter, as well as to oversee system-wide coordination. My delegation believes that no effort should be spared in making full use of the annual ministerial review as a powerful new tool to advance implementation of the internationally agreed development goals in the economic and social fields.

Furthermore, much is being anticipated with the launch of the biennial High-level Development Cooperation Forum next year. Many developing countries hope that the Forum will help to accelerate the commitments set out in the Millennium Declaration, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. Additionally, the Economic and Social Council's spring meetings with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, held over the last few years, have set into motion an interactive and constructive multilateral dialogue that has helped to enhance the voice of developing countries within those international financial institutions.

While acknowledging the positive developments at the global level, integrated and coordinated follow-up must be translated into progress at the country level. National development and poverty reduction strategies must be met with the support of the United Nations. Likewise, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization should also work more closely with the United Nations to match regional and country priorities.

Let me conclude by saying how important the next seven years will be. This year, we reached the halfway mark to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 2015 deadline. In view of next year's 2008 Review Conference of the Monterrey Consensus, let us make full use of the current developments in the Economic and Social Council to accelerate progress and ensure that the world is not off track in achieving the MDGs.

The Acting President

We have heard the last speaker in the debate on this item.

The Assembly has thus concluded this stage of its consideration of agenda item 43.