As delivered by ASG Navid Hanif
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
I am honoured to address you today as the Economic and Social Council concludes a highly productive session and turns its focus to the critical final years of the 2030 Agenda.
I would like to express my profound appreciation to Ambassador Lok Bahadur Thapa and the outgoing ECOSOC Bureau members from Algeria, Armenia, the Dominican Republic, and Spain.
Ambassador Thapa, throughout your Presidency, you have led the Council with wisdom, dedication, and a steadfast belief in multilateralism. Under your leadership, ECOSOC has successfully navigated interconnected global challenges, prioritized the most vulnerable, and fostered dialogue, partnership and consensus.
Through its various segments, forums and special meetings, the Council has strengthened policy coherence, mobilized partnerships and demonstrated the enduring value of multilateral cooperation.
I also extend my warmest congratulations to Ambassador Amar Bendjama of Algeria and the incoming Bureau members.
Ambassador Bendjama, I eagerly anticipate our work together as you assume the Presidency of ECOSOC. Building on your invaluable experience as Vice-President and your deep commitment to sustainable development, I am confident that the Council will continue to be a central, driving force in advancing the 2030 Agenda and strengthening international cooperation.
Your leadership will be crucial as ECOSOC takes forward its work under the annual theme of ¡°Scaling up just transitions to achieve sustainable development, poverty eradication and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development Goals¡±, including the upcoming reviews of SDGs 4, 10, 12, 15 and 17.
Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
With only four years remaining until 2030, the imperative to accelerate progress has never been clearer. While the High-Level Political Forum highlighted that important strides have been made, we must acknowledge that the international community remains off track to realize the full ambition of the 2030 Agenda.
Against this sobering backdrop, ECOSOC¡¯s mandate to drive policy coherence, integrated solutions and follow-up to major global commitments is more important than ever.
Looking ahead to the 2027 session, ECOSOC has a pivotal role in laying the groundwork for the 2027 SDG Summit. Through its coordination role and the dedicated work of its subsidiary bodies, the Council can distil lessons learned into practical solutions, building the momentum necessary for accelerated action.
Financing for development remains a major hurdle, as severe fiscal pressures continue to constrain progress in many developing countries. The Council¡¯s follow-up to the Sevilla Commitment¡ªparticularly on taxation, debt relief, and development cooperation¡ªwill be critical to identifying solutions that expand fiscal space and unlock investment for sustainable development.
Excellencies,
The agreements reached through the ECOSOC and HLPF review process present a unique opportunity to strengthen the effectiveness and coherence of both bodies and reinforce the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ development architecture at this critical moment.
The upcoming review of the Council¡¯s subsidiary bodies will provide another important opportunity to ensure that the ECOSOC architecture remains agile, responsive to evolving priorities, and fundamentally fit for purpose to support Member States.
I encourage all Member States to remain actively engaged with the Council and its subsidiary bodies. Together, we can ensure that ECOSOC is fully equipped to meet the challenges of our time and accelerate our journey towards the SDGs.
My Department, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ DESA, remains steadfast in its readiness to support the President, the Bureau and all Member States in ensuring a successful and impactful session.
Thank you.