SG/SM/18414-ECOSOC/6803

Partners Respond to Crises More Effectively When They Join Forces, Secretary-General Says in Message for ECOSOC President’s Retreat

Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ message, delivered by Wu Hongbo, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, to the retreat of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) President, at Glen Cove, New York, today:

I welcome the initiative of the President of the Economic and Social Council to organize this retreat.  My message to you echoes what I recently told the Security Council, namely that we must link United Nations approaches to peace and security, sustainable development and human rights to achieve the overarching priority of preventing conflicts.

A comprehensive approach demands attention to megatrends.  Globalization helped to reduce extreme poverty and improve living standards, but it also exacerbated inequality.  Terrorism, organized crime and trafficking fester where institutions are weak, people are marginalized and governance is poor.  Climate change, epidemics and other transnational threats also demand a coordinated international response.  Gender equality is essential to progress.  When women are empowered through development activities and human rights protection, they can better contribute to peace.

We have strategies in place:  the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda on financing for development, and the General Assembly and Security Council resolutions on sustaining peace.  My priority is to strengthen United Nations support to Member States to realize their aims.

To lead a comprehensive reform of the United Nations development system, I intend to pursue mandates assigned to me by the General Assembly in its resolution on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review.  We all have an interest in optimizing our development system and the resources entrusted to us by Member States.

We must also bring the humanitarian and development spheres closer together.  This will help advance the crucially important imperative of prevention.  When humanitarian and development partners join forces more effectively, they can better respond to crises and, more importantly, avert them.

I am committed to progress across these fronts, and have appointed a Senior Adviser on Policy who will help bring together United Nations capacities so that we can detect crises earlier, respond more quickly and link the reform of our peace and security architecture with the reform of the United Nations development system.

The leadership, coordination and guidance of ECOSOC are crucial to these efforts.  In this spirit, I wish you productive discussions and look forward to the outcome of your retreat.

For information media. Not an official record.