GA Reviews of ECOSOC & HLPF

Reviews of ECOSOC & HLPF at GA78

Background

The General Assembly decided in its resolutions 75/290 A and resolution 75/290 B to conduct the reviews of the Economic and Social Council and the High-level Political Forum in conjunction with each other at the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly.

In line with the above mandate, H.E. Mr. Dennis Francis, President of the General Assembly, in his letter dated 10 October 2023 appointed H.E. Mr. Paul Goa Zoumanigui, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Guinea, and H.E. Ms. Sanita Pavļuta-Deslandes, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Latvia to be the co-facilitators for the consultations to review arrangements contained in General Assembly resolutions 75/290 A and 75/290 B and their annexes on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council and the review of the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in order to benefit from lessons learned from relevant processes under the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council related to the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda, as well as from previous cycles of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development.

The co-facilitators, in their letter dated 11 January 2024, informed Member States that their intention is to start the process of informal consultations at the beginning of February and finalize the negotiation by the end of April or early May 2024. The first informal consultation will be convened on 15 February 2024, and the second informal consultation will be on 7 March 2024.

Resolution - Adopted resolution, drafts and draft elements

Letters

Informal Consultations 

Secretariat’s Issue Briefs on ECOSOC’s work and roles for the consultations at GA78

Other relevant background documents for the consultations at GA78

Major Documents Related to ECOSOC and HLPF Mandates

Additional Background Documents for previous GA reviews of ECOSOC & HLPF

Background

The General Assembly has reviewed the functions of the Economic and Social Council periodically since its creation. The Council has adapted its functions over time to correspond to the dynamic international development landscape. In 2018, General Assembly resolution 72/305 on the implementation of the GA resolution 68/1 on ECOSOC strengthening addressed a wide range of issues, including revisiting the ECOSOC cycle, and the Council’s oversight and coordination of its subsidiary bodies. The General Assembly also decided that the arrangements contained in that resolution and its annex would be reviewed at the 74th session of the GA and at subsequent review cycles in conjunction with the review process of the HLPF.

On the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the General Assembly decided in 2016 in its resolution 70/299 to review progress in implementing resolution 70/299 and resolution 67/290 on the format and organizational aspects of the HLPF at its 74th session. The review was to benefit from lessons learned in the first four-year cycle of the forum, including the SDG Summit in September 2019, as well as from other processes under the GA and ECOSOC related to the follow-up and review of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

During the 74th session of the General Assembly, on 13 January 2020 the President of the GA appointed the Permanent Representative of Benin and the Permanent Representative of Georgia to facilitate the intergovernmental negotiations related to the implementation of resolution 72/305 on ECOSOC strengthening and the HLPF resolutions 67/290 and 70/299. The General Assembly then adopted, in August 2020, resolution 74/298 on the review of the implementation of General Assembly resolution 67/290 on the high-level political forum on sustainable development, resolution 70/299 on the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level and resolution 72/305 on the strengthening of the Economic and Social Council. Due to the limits to the negotiation process resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution deferred much of the review of ECOSOC and HLPF to the following session of the General Assembly.

During the 75th session of the General Assembly, on 5 November 2020, the President of the GA appointed the Permanent Representative of Austria and the Permanent Representative of Senegal to facilitate the intergovernmental negotiations related to the ECOSOC and HLPF review process.

The General Assembly further adopted, on 25 June 2021, resolution 75/290 A on the Review of the implementation of GA resolution 72/305 on the strengthening of ECOSOC and resolution 75/290 B on the Review of the implementation of GA resolutions 67/290 on the format and organizational aspects of the HLPF and 70/299 on the follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development at the global level.

Non-papers for the Consultations at GA74 and GA75:

Secretariat’s Issue Briefs on ECOSOC’s work and roles for the Consultations at GA74 and GA75:

Other Relevant Background Documents for the Consultations at GA74 and GA75:

Letters from Nnegotiation of previous GA reviews of ECOSOC & HLPF at GA74 and GA75