At UN ECOSOC - how the power of ideas is turned into action

The UN Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) is gearing up for a very busy 2023, culminating in the SDG Summit in September. Marion Barthélemy, Director of the Office for Intergovernmental Support and Coordination for Sustainable Development in UN DESA, talks about  ECOSOC’s role in bringing sustainable development directly into people’s lives.

1. The UN Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC) plays a crucial role in bringing countries together to advance economic, social and sustainable development. Can you tell us more about this intergovernmental work and its impact for people on the ground?

“ECOSOC examines key issues related to sustainable development and international solidarity ̶ from the COVID-19 recovery to social protection and the impacts of the financial crisis. It addresses policy recommendations to governments and the international community. Those are not ‘mandatory commitments’ similar to conventions or treaties, but rather actionable obligations because they are based on countries’ experiences, analysis and contributions from NGOs and major groups, which have strong rights in ECOSOC.

187 countries have now conducted voluntary national reviews (VNRs) at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development. Through the VNRs, Governments explain how they are implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The VNRs push them to do more and better to improve people’s lives.

ECOSOC’s recommendations to the UN development system are implemented by UN country teams. They improve UN support to countries’ efforts to reach the Sustainable Development Goals for each individual. ECOSOC’s coordination of humanitarian assistance helps to better respond to the crying needs of the 339 million people who require such assistance today.

I could give many other examples of ECOSOC’s impact on people. ECOSOC created UNAIDS when the pandemic was raging. In 2018, it adopted principles of effective governance. Those are now being implemented through the African Peer Review Mechanism. ECOSOC oversees the work of the Statistical Commission and the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. Those provide indispensable information for improving governments’ policies to transform into a better world.”

2. ECOSOC will be a major player for some of the key UN moments in 2023. What are some of the main events to look out for?

“In 2023, the UN will be convening a number of major meetings, at a time when the world is facing a historical convergence of crises. Countries and communities are at a loss about how to respond to these combined emergencies and the backsliding on the SDGs. UN meetings are a moment for governments and others to take a step back, rise above the emergency mode and reconnect with our long-term goals. They will help countries to ramp up actions for people and planet, as an integral part of their crisis response.

The culminating event will be the SDG Summit in September. It will take stock of where we stand on the SDGs. But it must be, above all, a Summit of action, implementation and recommitment. It will revamp the energy and ideals of the SDGs. It should adopt transformative recommendations and launch new high-impact commitments and initiatives.

The High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development in July 2023 will serve as an informal ‘pre-summit’ event. It should mobilize the largest possible number of ministers from all SDG sectors to commit to an unprecedented unified effort to reach the SDGs. It will give space for the governments, the private sector, civil society organizations and others to announce bold initiatives.

In preparation for the SDG Summit, the ECOSOC President will lead the ECOSOC’s Forums on Youth; Partnership; Financing for Sustainable Development; Development Cooperation; Science, Technology and Innovation to identify solutions to the crises. ECOSOC has also contributed to the LDC5 Conference to be held in March and to the preparations for the Sendai Framework review in May. The HLPF review of SDG 6 in July will follow-up on the March UN Water Conference. ECOSOC’s contributions are important. ECOSOC has the power to rally a breath of actors, mobilize actions, and improve policies. It has the ‘power of ideas’.”

3. In a world facing multiple crises, we have the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), our blueprint towards a better world. What inspires you most about these goals and what brings you hope that we can turn things around for the benefit of people and planet?

“The 2030 Agenda and its SDGs are the plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. I still marvel that all Member States of the United Nations, with their deep diversity, could agree on such a detailed vision of what a happy, healthy, and sustainable world would look like. Of course, today, the picture is very grim. Years, even decades, of progress on the SDGs, have been wiped out by COVID-19 and now a myriad of crises.

Still, I am hopeful because there is a clear shared sense of urgency in most countries. The July 2022 High-Level Political Forum showed that many countries are trying to gear their crisis response and recovery efforts towards achieving the transformations we need to achieve the SDGs. I also expect an ambitious Political Declaration and game-changing actions and initiatives by world leaders at the SDG Summit.

I am also hopeful because of the continuing huge buy-in into the SDGs by the private sector, civil society and governments in many countries. The SDG “rainbow” is everywhere - even on the jacket of YoYo Ma in a movie like “Glass Onions” with Daniel Craig! YoYo Ma, speaking of a fugue, says: ’It starts to change and turns into a beautiful new structure’.  I think the same will happen to the world. The values of the UN Charter and the 2030 Agenda will ultimately prevail. They are powerful because they reflect the aspirations of all people. But for this, we need to work very hard – we need political will, an unprecedented mobilization across countries, innovation, technologies, financing, science- and evidence-based policies and a deep sense of international solidarity.  In all this, we must make the best use of ECOSOC and the HLPF.”

Follow the work of UN ECOSOC here.