ECOSOC High-level Segment

"Achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the Millennium Declaration, as well as implementing the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits: progress made, challenges and opportunities"

29 June - 01 July 2005
New York

The 2005 High-level Segment included high-level roundtable discussions and breakfast meetings, which were organized from the 29 June to 1 July 2005. The objective of these high-level roundtables and breakfast discussions was to deepen the dialogue on critical issues. The High-level roundtables in the afternoon of 29 June was chaired by Member States at the highest level and Executive Heads of agencies, funds and programmes, civil society representatives and Heads of Delegations participated in the deliberations. The High-level Segment also featured keynote addresses by heads of States and Governments on the MDGs and follow-up to Conferences and Summits. This years' session also featured a new element of "voices against poverty" during which non-UN actors gave their views on MDGs.

The high-level segment, together with the coordination segment, constituted a major input to the 2005 high-level review by the General Assembly of the progress made in the implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration, including the internationally agreed development goals and the global partnership required for their achievement.

A report of the Secretary-General on the themes of the high-level and coordination segments was prepared. 1 The report incorporated inputs from a number of relevant United Nations organizations and draws upon the outcomes of the special preparatory event of the Council as well as the ECOSOC NGO/Civil Society Forum.

As part of its High-level Segment the Council held a high-level policy dialogue with the executive heads of international trade and finance institutions on current issues in the world economy. The policy dialogue provided an opportunity to address the theme of this year's high-level segment. Background documentation for this part of the High-level Segment included the World Economic and Social Survey 2005 and the relevant part of the report of the Committee for Development Policy on its seventeenth session.

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1In view of the close link between the themes for the high-level and the coordination segments of the Council, and in order to rationalize the documentation in preparation for the substantive session, it has been decided that the reporting and recommendations of the Secretary-General for both segments be consolidated in a single comprehensive document.