The Economic and Social Council this morning took action on texts concerning support for South Sudan, the special consultative status of the non-governmental organization Movement against Atrocities and Repression, the dates for the nineteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference, the report of the Permanent Forum for Indigenous Issues and organizational matters.

On support to the Republic of South Sudan, the Council adopted a resolution in which it encouraged all Member States to contribute to the socio-economic development of South Sudan and requested the Secretary-General to report to the Economic and Social Council, at its substantive session of 2012, on how the United Nations development system was implementing integrated, coherent and coordinated support to South Sudan.

The Council took action on the special consultative status of the non-governmental organization Movement against Atrocities and Repression and requested the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations to resume its consideration of the application of the non-governmental organization at its 2012 regular session. Speaking on this issue were India, Senegal, the United States, Poland on behalf of the European Union, and Senegal.

The Council decided to postpone consideration of a draft resolution on the review of United Nations support for small island developing States to a later session of the Council after concerns were voiced about the programme budget implications. Speaking on this issue were the Maldives, Poland on behalf of the European Union, New Zealand, the United States, Belgium and France.

The Council adopted a resolution in which it decided to hold the nineteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok from 29 October to 2 November 2012.

The Council took note of the report of the Secretary-General on international cooperation in the field of informatics, the report of the Secretary-General on the integrated analysis of United Nations support to small island developing States, the report of the Secretary-General on enhanced cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the Internet, and the report of the Secretary-General on enhanced cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the Internet.

Under its item on the adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters, the Council decided to grant observer status to the International Anti-Corruption Academy. It also recommended to the General Assembly the adoption of a proposed amendment to the General Regulations of the World Food Programme.

The Council adopted a decision on the Report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on its tenth session and provisional agenda for its eleventh session, in which the Council took note of the report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on its tenth session and took note of the importance for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to always continue to adhere to its mandate and take into account the concerns of United Nations Member States, indigenous peoples and all other stakeholders while dealing with particularly situations. The Council also noted that the Permanent Forum should continue to ensure that its studies were conducted in a fully independent transparent, impartial and objective manner and approved the provisional agenda for the eleventh session of the Permanent Forum.

Speaking on this issue were Mexico, Bangladesh, India, Bolivia, the United States, China, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, France, Australia and Morocco.

In closing remarks Nikhil Seth, Director, ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the activities, spirit of engagement and the legislative outcomes were evidence of a successful session. The Council had evolved to be a forum that addressed critical issues of global importance. The engagement of Member States together with civil society partners and the inputs of academia and the private sector made it a truly multi-stakeholder forum. Much had been accomplished, but more remained to be done in an increasingly complex arena.
It was time to boost the Council’s effectiveness and influence using all the tools at its disposal. The Council should carry the momentum of Geneva on to the June 2012 Rio+20 summit.

Lazarous Kapambwe, President of the Economic and Social Council, in closing remarks, said the theme of this substantive session aimed to underscore the importance of education to the attainment of all Millennium Development Goals, and to the sustainable existence of humanity and the environment. The Coordination Segment addressed the follow-up to last year’s Ministerial Declaration and was clear that the United Nations system had rallied behind United Nations Woman’s leadership in this area. At the Operational Segment, Member States gave clear directions on what they would like the General Assembly to focus on during the conduction of its quadrennial comprehensive policy review in 2012. At the Humanitarian Affairs and General Segments, the Council was reminded that crises demanded not only strong financial partnerships to keep resources flowing, but also fast and nimble response capabilities. The Council discussed the drought in the Horn of Africa and the conflict in Somalia, as well as how it could assist in promoting dialogue and nation building in South Sudan. On Haiti, the Council reviewed the report of its Ad Hoc Advisory Group, which included a series of recommendations on aid effectiveness for reconstruction and long term development. The Council also established a new United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. The real success of the session would be determined by the extent of the implementation of these decisions.

At the beginning of the four-week session, the Council held a week-long High-Level Segment, which focused on advancing the Education for All agenda. In a keynote address to ECOSOC, Secretary-General Ban discussed the 2011 Millennium Development Goals, stating that achieving all the Millennium Development Goals would require extra effort. Keynote addresses were also delivered by Gordon Brown, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of the Swiss Federation. At the conclusion of the High-Level Segment, the Council adopted a Ministerial Declaration on in which it reaffirmed the need for Governments to take the lead in education and called on the international community to strengthen the coordination and implementation of existing policies, programmes and follow-up mechanisms for Education for All.

Over the course of the four week session, the Economic and Social Council was addressed by a number of representatives of United Nations entities. The Council also held a number of debates, discussions and dialogues. It held a dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the Regional Commissions on the theme of regional cooperation as a catalyst for development and convened a debate on implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to education. A special panel discussion and interactive dialogue on promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable growth for accelerating poverty eradication and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, was convened. A special panel discussion on promoting sustained, inclusive and equitable growth for accelerating poverty eradication and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals was held. The Council also discussed the Global Jobs Pact, global economic governance, the Istanbul Programme of Action, the delivering-as-one programme and resident coordinator system, gender mainstreaming, gender discrimination, south-south cooperation for development, HIV/AIDS, support for the Government of South Sudan, the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, the United Nations System Staff College, science and technology for development and informatics. The Council commemorated the twenty-fifth anniversary of the United Nations Declaration on the Right to Development and held a special event on the humanitarian situation in the Horn of Africa. The Council also adopted a range of resolutions and decisions during the 2011 session.


Action on resolution under coordination, programme and other questions: African countries emerging from conflict

MICHAL TONHAUSER (Slovakia), introducing the draft resolution, thanked delegations for their support. The draft resolution built on the informal joint event of the Council and the Peacebuilding Commission in June on promoting durable peace and sustainable development in Sudan and South Sudan. The draft resolution strove to strengthen assistance to South Sudan, among others by requesting the Secretary-General to report to the Council, at its substantive session in 2012, on how the United Nations development system was implementing integrated, coherent and coordinated support to the country. South Sudan was on the path of enormous development and peace building challenges. The international community needed to be aware of the fragile situation and continue mobilizing its resources. It was imperative to restore the rule of law, improve government capacity to ensure civilian security and access to justice, and let the staff of humanitarian and non governmental organizations work. Slovakia had been present in South Sudan for over 10 years and provided development assistance focused on healthcare and social services, education, agriculture and rural development. Slovakia was building on its already acquired experience and positively contributing to the efforts of the European Union for the benefit of the Sudanese people.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.51) on Support to the Republic of South Sudan, in which the Council encourages all Member States to contribute to the socio-economic development of South Sudan; requests the Secretary-General and all relevant organs and bodies of the United Nations system, as well as the international financial institutions and development agencies, to assist South Sudan, whenever possible, through continued effective humanitarian, peace building and predictable development assistance, in conformity with national priorities, including the promotion of capacity-building in order to lay a solid foundation for long-term development; requests the Secretary-General to report to the Economic and Social Council, at its substantive session of 2012, on how the United Nations development system is implementing integrated, coherent and coordinated support to South Sudan, consistent with national priorities, while ensuring clarity of roles and responsibilities in the implementation of United Nations operational activities; and decides to consider this matter at its substantive session of 2012 under the agenda sub-item entitled “African countries emerging from conflict”.

The Council took note of (E/2011/11) Report of the Secretary General on international cooperation in the field of informatics.

Action on resolution under non-governmental organizations: action on the special consultative status of the NGO Movement against Atrocities and Repression

The Council, in an oral decision, requested the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations to resume its consideration of the application of the non-governmental organization Movement against Atrocities and Repression at its 2012 regular session.

GOPINATHAN ACHAMKULANGARE (India) expressed its appreciation to the members of the Council for their flexibility in agreeing to the draft decision.

PAPA DIOP (Senegal) said that on the basis of its responsibility for the Non-Governmental Organizations Committee, Senegal was disturbed about the decision taking place. If a subsidiary body was established its decisions should be respected. The Council was challenging the authority of its own Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations. If the Committee was not fulfilling its mandate, the simplest approach would be to clarify and rectify the situation. Bodies should not be established to then be overrun by the Council. This practice by the Council was against the streamlining of the United Nations and Senegal hoped that in the future these trends could be avoided.

JOHN SAMMIS (United States) said it was the position of the United States that the Council had authority to oversee the work of the Non-Governmental Organization Committee. In recent years there had been strong concerns about the work of the Committee, concerning the application of a number of non-governmental organizations for consultative status. This was not an analogous situation. It was legitimate for India to bring the situation to the Council and rather than approving a non-governmental organization on the basis of new information, its consideration was being sent back to the Non-Governmental Organization Committee for due process and thorough consideration.

ANDRZEJ SADOS (Poland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the European Union joined consensus on the oral decision. However, the European Union underlined that this way of proceeding was not ideal and that there was room for improvement in the work of the Non-Governmental Organization Committee. High standards of work should be promoted in the Council and particularly the Non-Governmental Organization Committee should ensure that all relevant issues could be thoroughly discussed in its context.

PAPA DIOP (Senegal) said Senegal in fact supported what had just been said by the European Union. While Senegal agreed with India’s proposal, in general terms, during this session the Council had substituted the mandate of its subsidiary body.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in the report (E/2011/32 Part 1) on the Applications for consultative status, requests for reclassification and change of name, quadrennial reports received from non-governmental organizations and applications closed without prejudice, in which the Economic and Social Council takes action on the special consultative status of the non-governmental organization Movement against Atrocities and Repression.

Action on texts of economic and environmental questions: sustainable development and cartography

IRUTHISHAM ADAM (Maldives) said that while the resolution L.52 was a consensus text, programme budget implications presented to Member States were delaying a decision. This was based on a misreading of L.52 and indicated that issues of concern for Member States did not warrant equal attention in the decisions of United Nations bodies. The programme budget implications were based not on an objective assessment but on a partial view. While the Committee for Development Policy had not decided its programme of work, the Committee’s secretariat had decided that the report requested was extra budgetary. The Maldives expressed surprise and disappointment at the programme budget implications. Since it took longer than the 72 hours to be presented, there was no time for discussion before taking action on the resolution. Given the need for further consultations and discussions with the other delegations, donors and the secretariat, the Maldives requested that action on this resolution would be postponed until the resumed session.

ANDRZEJ SADOS (Poland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, reiterated the commitment of the European Union to the outcome of the informal consultations and thanked delegations for their flexibility and compromise. The European Union expressed surprise at the content of the programme budget implications. It was their understanding during the negotiations that the cost of preparing the requested report would be absorbed in the proposed budget for 2012-2012, as it would build on existing reports already completed or budgeted for. The European Union and its Members States felt that the interpretation of the mandate contained in the draft resolution was exaggerated and led to an unexpected and unnecessarily high programme budget implications estimate. The European Union supported the postponement of action on this resolution to a resumed session of the Council, remained deeply committed to the consensual text, and hoped that it would be adopted at the resumed session.

WENDY HINTON (New Zealand) said the programme budget implications did not appear to be balanced and looked forward to the adoption of resolution L.52 at the resumed session.

JOHN SAMMIS (United States) underscored that the United States welcomed resolution L.52 and supported it, however the programme budget implications resolution was deeply disturbing. The United States was of the view that the Council should take action on the resolution and extend the adoption of the programme budget implications proposal to a later date. The United States did not see any reason why the Committee for Development Policy experts could not prepare the report, and did not see any reason to depend on outside consultants. The sponsors of the resolution had made a valid point in considering postponing the report to 2013 so it would fit in the work plan of the Committee for Development Policy. The Council needed to take a closer look at the stewardship of funds, much of which was attributed to travel expenses. In the modern time of phones and email, the costs for travel were beyond need, as were the costs for outside consultants. The $ 80,000 indicated in programme budget implications could be cut back to nothing.

CHRISTOPHE DE BASSOMPIERRE (Belgium) said as a member of the Economic and Social Council it aligned itself with the statement made by Poland on behalf of the European Union.

CHARLOTTE MONTEL (France) said it had the same position as Belgium and Poland and requested the postponement of consideration of the resolution.

The Council decided to postpone consideration of resolution (E/2011/L.52) on the Review of United Nations support for small island developing States to a later session of the Council.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.55) on the Dates and venue for the nineteenth session of the United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific, in which the Council recalling its decision 2010/241 of 21 July 2010, in which it took note of, inter alia, the report of the Eighteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific, decides to hold the Nineteenth United Nations Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific in Bangkok from 29 October to 2 November 2012.

The Council took note of document (E/2011/110) report of the Secretary General on the integrated analysis of United Nations support to small island developing States; document (A/66/77 – E/2011/103) report of the Secretary-General on enhanced cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the Internet and document (A/66/67 – E/2011/79) report of the Secretary-General on enhanced cooperation on public policy issues pertaining to the Internet.

Action on texts under adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters

The Council, in an oral decision, decided to grant observer status to the International Anti-Corruption Academy, on a continuing basis to participate without the right to vote, in the deliberations of the Council on questions within the scope of the activities of the International Anti-Corruption Academy.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a resolution contained in report (E/2011/132) on the Proposed amendment to the General Regulations of the World Food Programme, in which the Economic and Social Council decides to recommend to the General Assembly that, consistent with article XV of the General Regulations of the World Food Programme, article XIV.6 of the General Regulations be amended by replacing the word “biennial” in article XIV.6 (a) with the word “annual” in order for article XIV.6 to read as follows: The Executive Director will submit the following to the Executive Board for approval: (a) the annual World Food Programme budget, and supplementary World Food Programme budgets whenever appropriate prepared in exceptional circumstances; (b) Annual financial statements of the World Food Programme, together with the report of the External Auditor; (c) Other financial reports. These will also be submitted to the FAO Finance Committee and the ACABQ for their review and comments. The reports of these bodies will be submitted to the Board.

Action on resolution under social and human rights questions: Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

SALVADOR TINAJERO (Mexico) said that a compromise package had been reached in negotiations to orally amend E/2011/54. This was the result of broad consultations and complex negotiations where all States had shown a large degree of flexibility. Mexico asked the Council to adopt the proposal.

SALVADOR TINAJERO (Mexico) orally amended the draft resolution.

The Council adopted, without a vote, as orally amended, a decision contained in report (E/2011/54) on the Report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on its tenth session and provisional agenda for its eleventh session, in which the Council takes note of the report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues on its tenth session; takes notes of the importance for the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues to always continue to adhere to its mandate and takes into account the concerns of United Nations Member States, indigenous peoples and all other stakeholders while dealing with particularly situation and also notes that the Permanent Forum should continue to ensure that its studies are conducted in a fully independent, transparent, impartial and objective manner; and approves the provisional agenda for the eleventh session of the Permanent Forum.

ABULKALAM ABDUL MOMEN (Bangladesh) said that for the sake of consensus Bangladesh had accepted Mexico’s proposal. However, the delegation reiterated its reservations and serious concerns about the report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. The Forum had acted outside its mandate in commissioning a study on the implementation status of the Chittagong Hill Tracks peace accord of 1997 in Bangladesh. It had been brought to the attention of the Forum that the Government of Bangladesh had contrary views on this issue in line with its national views and policies. The Forum had shown total disregard to this principled position of a Member State. The study was conducted in a manner that raised questions of transparency, ethics, impartiality and objectivity relating to its conduct and contents. The Permanent Forum did not adequately respond to the concerns raised and considered the study to make its own recommendations. The Special Rapporteur did not disclose its identity, mandate and objective while interacting with the authorities in a violation of established norms and practices. It was the prerogative of the Council to send a strong and clear message against such a breach of conduct by Forum members.

In making its recommendations, the Forum went beyond its mandate to suggest actions of measures by entities which was not admissible under the parameters of its terms of reference. The recommendations addressed to the Government were detrimental to the efforts to implement the peace accords and strengthen development efforts in the region. Bangladesh had agreed to the compromise text in order to avoid divisiveness within the Council and thanked delegations for their flexibility. Bangladesh requested that this statement was made part of the official records and informed that its Foreign Minister would subsequently submit a letter to the Council to further elaborate on the position of Bangladesh. Bangladesh respected the rights of indigenous peoples around the world. The work of the Forum had helped bring to the fore many shared concerns and challenges facing the indigenous peoples. Bangladesh had and would continue to follow its work with interest and engage in their deliberations a constructive manner.

GOPINATHAN ACHAMKULANGARE (India) said the Government of India was a strong supporter of the protection and promotion of the rights of indigenous peoples and had supported the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in 2007. India had expressed its support for people in independent countries who were regarded as indigenous on account of their descent from the populations which inhabited the country, or a geographical region to which the country belonged, at the time of conquest or colonisation or the establishment of present State boundaries and who, irrespective of their legal status, retained some or all of their own social, economic, cultural and political institutions. This was the exact definition used in the International Labour Organization’s Convention concerning Indigenous and Tribal Peoples. India considered the entire population of the India at its independence and their successors as indigenous. India was disappointed that many reports submitted to the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues by various United Nations agencies, funds and programmes had been using the term tribal interchangeably with indigenous in the Indian context. India reiterated that India had a clear understanding on the distinction of the two terminologies and had stated the same in various international forums, including at the United Nations General Assembly. The United Nations system should ensure that it used correct terminology in all public documents and reports. Increasingly, it had been observed in recent Forum meetings that various so-called indigenous gropus were using the platform to make statements and raise issues related to various other minority groups. This resulted in diverting the attention of the Forum from its core concerns of indigenous issues. India thanked all delegations for their consultative and cooperative engagement.

MAYSA URENA MENACHO. (Plurinational State of Bolivia) said that the Plurinational State of Bolivia had acceded to the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as well as the International Labour Organization convention on this issue. The Plurinational State of Bolivia would like to reserve it position with respect to E/C.19/2011/5 with regard to the mention of REDD+ and REDD++, given that it did not consider that the economic valuation of the forests was a solution for indigenous peoples. The marketing of carbon certificates for forests would bring to noncompliance of reducing emissions by developed countries and most resources would be appropriated by intermediaries and financial institutions, while only few resources would reach the indigenous populations and forests. This would generate speculation concerning the trading of such certificates and establishing new forms of neocolonialism. The Plurinational State of Bolivia supported the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues since it was the only place in the United Nations where indigenous groups could participate in debates along with Member States, experts and other entities of the United Nations system and supported the recommendations made in relation to the rights of indigenous peoples, in particular those related to the international year of quinoa, the ancient practice of chewing coca leaf, a fund of voluntary contributions, the right to water, among others. The Plurinational State of Bolivia noted that for the first time in the history of the United Nations an international conference on indigenous peoples would be held. The modalities resolution of the high level plenary of the General Assembly denominated “World Conference on Indigenous Peoples” was a priority and the Plurinational State of Bolivia remained committed to bringing the voice and proposals of indigenous peoples to the preparatory events and to the conference in 2014.

JOHN SAMMIS (United States) expressed appreciation to all delegations for coming up with a consensus agreement. By taking note of the report, the United States underlined that it was not expressing support for the substance of the report and specific recommendations contained therein. The United States believed the resolution was consistent with the mandate of the Permanent Forum but did not set a precedent for future reports.

JIANG YINGFENG (China) welcomed the adoption by consensus of the resolution. China understood and supported the concerns expressed by Bangladesh. China hoped that the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues could work in accordance with its mandate in a practical and objective manner. It should not expand at will the concept of indigenous people and put ethnic minorities into the same category as indigenous people. The facts cited in the report should be substantiated. The report should carefully take into consideration the views of countries concerned. Only in this way could the rights of indigenous people be assured.

VLADIMIR YU ZHEGLOV. (Russian Federation) said the issue of indigenous people was an important part of the international human rights agenda. The Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was a key body in this area. The regional ethnic structures of the world differed and thus it was not possible to employ a one-size-fits-all approach. Generalizations might lead to mischaracterizations and conflicts. The Russian Federation shared the concerns of the delegation of Bangladesh and supported the proposed draft amendment to the resolution taking note of the report. Finally, the Russian Federation stressed the importance of careful consideration of the definition of indigenous peoples and careful interpretation of the Forum’s mandate.

AHMED SULEIMAN IBRAHIM ALAQUIL (Saudi Arabia) expressed support for the statement made by Bangladesh concerning the report of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and said that Saudi Arabia shared their concern. Saudi Arabia would like to thank delegations for their flexibility leading to the adoption of a decision on this topic.

AHMAD WARRAICH (Pakistan) welcomed the adoption by consensus of the proposal. The work of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues was important. Its main objective was to discuss indigenous issues. The report referred to non-indigenous issues and made political recommendations; this was unfortunate and went beyond the mandate of the Forum. Finally, Pakistan emphasized the importance of responsibility and impartiality in the work of the forum.

JACQUES PELLET (France) said France was satisfied that no vote was required. France thanked all delegations, particularly Bangladesh, for reaching a compromise. France reaffirmed the independence of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues and the language forged corresponded to a specific situation and did not set a precedent.

RUTH STONE (Australia) said Australia was pleased to reach a consensus on the text and avoid a vote. Australia encouraged a peaceful dialogue between Bangladesh and the Chittagong Hill Tracks. This was a complex and sensitive issue and Australia remained ready to assist. Australia appreciated that the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues remained independent.

ANAS ALAMI-HAMEDANE (Morocco) said Morocco shared the concerns expressed by Bangladesh and welcomed the adoption by consensus of the text presented.

Closing Statements

NIKHIL SETH, Director, ECOSOC Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, speaking on behalf of Under-Secretary-General Sha Zukang, congratulated the Council’s President and the Bureau for their stewardship. The activities, spirit of engagement and the legislative outcomes were evidence of a successful session. The Council had evolved to be a forum that addressed critical issues of global importance. The engagement of Member States together with civil society partners and the inputs of academia and the private sector made it a truly multi-stakeholder forum. Much had been accomplished, but more remained to be done in an increasingly complex arena. Was the answer the transformation of the Council into a sustainable development council, as suggested by President Calmy-Rey, or the creation of a sustainable development council modeled on the Human Rights Council. There remained gaps on how the inter-linked global sustainability challenges were managed. The establishment of a sustainable development council could be accomplished to work side-by-side with the Council to strengthen its mandates and integrate economic, social and environmental issues to encourage sensible policy actions based on the principles of integrated decision making. The panel on inclusive, equitable and sustainable economic growth this year had competently set the stage for discourse for future years. Smart policies, as noted by one panellist, would require building human resource capacity through education, health and job training, while promoting economic growth. It was time to boost the Council’s effectiveness and influence using all the tools at its disposal. The Council should carry the momentum of Geneva on to the June 2012 Rio+20 summit; it should extend this month’s strong collaboration with partners like the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, the United Nations Children's Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the World Bank and the United Nations regional commissions, making it the standard for the United Nations delivering as one; thus moving closer to the better future spoken of, a safer, healthier and happier world.

Mr. Seth said that the present session would be his last as Director of the ECOSOC Support and Coordination Division. He had joined soon after the World Summit and was leaving after one full cycle of all the Millennium Development Goals had done. It had been a great and rewarding experience. He hoped that whatever they set up after Rio+20 would be modeled on the new ECOSOC and would help in changing the lives of those that they professed to work for.

LAZAROUS KAPAMBWE, President of the Economic and Social Council, in closing remarks, thanked participants to the meetings of the Council, the members of the Council’s bureau, the Secretariat’s staff and translators, and the Council’s office for support and coordination for their support. Concerning the numerous tragedies which occurred during the session he had conveyed sympathies and condolences to the families and governments; and had congratulated Italy on its 150th anniversary of unity and South Sudan on its independence and admission to the United Nations. The theme of this substantive session aimed to underscore the importance of education to the attainment of all Millennium Development Goals, and to the sustainable existence of humanity and the environment. The Council addressed issues of access to education, particularly of the girl child, the partnerships and financing needed, the need to ensure the quality and relevance of education, and shared best practices and experiences through the national voluntary presentations. The Coordination Segment addressed the follow-up to last year’s Ministerial Declaration and was clear that the United Nations system had rallied behind UN Woman’s leadership in this area. At the Operational Segment, Member States gave clear directions on what they would like the General Assembly to focus on during the conduct of its quadrennial comprehensive policy review in 2012. This would be an opportunity to reflect on how the United Nations system should respond to the changes in the development cooperation landscape. The Council also underscored that the United Nations system needed to respond fast and flexibly to the needs of least developed countries and countries recovering from or in conflict as well as middle income counties. The Council agreed on the follow up to the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries and adopted a resolution including the review of the implementation of the Istanbul programme of action in the 2015 ministerial review.

At the Humanitarian Affairs and General Segments, the Council was reminded that crises demanded not only strong financial partnerships to keep resources flowing, but also fast and nimble response capabilities. The Council discussed the drought in the Horn of Africa and the conflict in Somalia, as well as how it could assist in promoting dialogue and nation building in South Sudan. On Haiti, the Council reviewed the report of its Ad Hoc Advisory Group, which included a series of recommendations on aid effectiveness for reconstruction and long term development. The work of the Haiti group was timely given the need to maintain a high level of international support to Haiti. The Council also established a new United Nations Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. Technical professionals were no doubt excited about the fact that they would now meet under the umbrella of the United Nations. The group would bring together for the first time at the global level experts from all Member States to compile and disseminate best practices and experiences on geospatial information, relevant in the context of sustainable development and humanitarian assistance. The real success of the session would be determined by the extent of the implementation of these decisions.


For use of the information media; not an official record

ECOSOC11/028E