High Level Segment of “ECOSOC” on 17 July

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a keynote address virtually in this year

• Prime Minister Narendra Modi will deliver a keynote address virtually at this
  year’s High-Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council
  session on 17th July 2020
• Prime Minister will be speaking at the valedictory session along with the Prime
  Minister of Norway and UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres
• The annual High-level Segment convenes a diverse group of high-level
  representatives from the Government, the private sector, civil society and
  academia

Salient Highlights of ECOSOC – 2020

•  The theme of this year’s High-level Segment is “Multilateralism after COVID19:
  What kind of UN do we need at the 75th anniversary”
• Set against the changing international environment and the COVID-19
  pandemic, this session will focus on critical forces shaping the course of
  multilateralism
• It will explore ways to bolster the global agenda through strong leadership,
  effective international institutions, a broadening of participation and enhanced
  significance of global public goods.
• This will be first opportunity for PM to address the broader UN membership
  since India’s overwhelming election as a non-permanent member of the Security
  Council on 17th June, for the term 2021-22
• The theme of the High-Level Segment of the ECOSOC, on the 75th Anniversary
  of the founding of the UN
• It also resonates with India’s Security Council priority, wherein we have called
  for ‘reformed multilateralism’ in a post-COVID-19 world
• It also recalls India’s role, as the holder of the inaugural Presidency of ECOSOC
  (Sir Ramaswami Mudaliar, in 1946)
• PM had earlier delivered the keynote address virtually at the 70th anniversary
  of ECOSOC in January 2016
• The ECOSOC was established as one of the six principal organs of the United
  Nations and is mandated to offer direction to undertake the coordination of, the
  economic, social, and cultural activities of the United Nations
• It executes with responsibility for advancing international economic and social
  cooperation and development

What is ECOSOC (United Nations Economic and Social Council)

• It is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for
  coordinating the economic and social fields of the organization, specifically in
  regards to the 15 specialized agencies, the eight functional commissions and
  the five regional commissions under its jurisdiction
• The Council serves as the central forum for discussing international economic
  and social issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to
  member states and the United Nations system
• A number of non-governmental organizations have been granted consultative
  status to the Council to participate in the work of the United Nations
• Over 1600 non-governmental organizations have consultative status with the
  council
• It holds one four-week session each year in July, and since 1998, it has also
  held an annual meeting in April with finance ministers heading key committees
  of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
  India and World
• High-level political forum (HLPF) is meeting under the auspices of ECOSOC
  every year in July
• The national reviews of progress in implementation of the 2030 Agenda for
  Sustainable Development (Voluntary national reviews) are presented and serve
  as a basis for the reviews by HLPF

Pic courtesy : ddnews.gov.in