Welcome to the United Nations
Informal summaryJanuary 2016 marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC). Since its first meeting in London in 1946, under the inaugural Presidency of Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar of India, ECOSOC has served as the central platform of the UN for addressing global economic, social and related issues. At the centre of the UN development system, ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies conduct cutting-edge analysis, agree on global norms and advocate for progress towards collective solutions to advance sustainable development.
Having achieved key milestones in the areas in sustainable development over the preceding seven decades, ECOSOC will spend 2016 focused on the relations of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which aim to wipe out poverty, fight inequality and tackle climate change over the next 15 years. For its annual theme, ECOSOC will focus in 2016 on "Implementing the post-2015 development agenda: moving from commitments to results"
ECOSOC’s work in support of the implementation and follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda will be broad. It will include advancing a balanced integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development through an annual main theme as well as addressing specific areas and issues, such as financing for development, humanitarian affairs and promoting peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development. This will involve the ECOSOC system as a whole and include a wide range of development stakeholders and actors.
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As part of ECOSOC’s commemorative 70th year, key dates in pursuit of the new SDGs include:
- Special Event commemorating the 70th Anniversary of ECOSOC (22 January 2016)
- Youth Forum (1-2 February 2016)
- Operational Activities for Development Segment (22 February 2016)
- Special Meeting on Inequality (30 March 2016)
- Partnerships Forum (31 March 2016)
- ECOSOC Forum on Financing for Development (18-22 April 2016)
- Special Meeting of the Council on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (27 May 2016, tbc)
- Integration Segment (2-4 May 2016, tbc)
- Multi-stakeholder Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation (6-7 June 2016, tbc)
- Humanitarian Affairs Segment (27-29 June 2016)
- High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (11-20 July 2016)
- High-level Segment (18-22 July 2016)
- High-level Development Cooperation Forum (21-22 July 2016)
- Organizational Session (28-29 July 2016)