Economic and Social Council
2008 High-Level Segment
New York, June 30 to July 3, 2008
Draft Programme of Work

Overview:

During its four-day High-level Segment, hold at United Nations Headquarters in New York, ECOSOC focused on a range of issues on the UN's development agenda:

• High-level policy dialogue (30 June) - Executive heads of the international financial and trade institutions discussed the state of the world economy and its implications for the achievement of the United Nations development agenda.
• Development Cooperation Forum [DCF] (30 June-1 July) - The DCF discussed “how to make development cooperation more coherent and more effective" in several Q&A sessions and special policy dialogues.
• Annual Ministerial Review [AMR] (2-3 July) - Eight developing and developed countries reported on the progress they have made towards the goals and targets of the United Nations Development Agenda. Ministerial roundtables addressed the question of how to put the world onto a sustainable development path.
• Thematic debate (3 July) – The debate on integrated approach to rural development provided a follow-up to the Ministerial declaration of 2003, taking into account new developments, including the global food crisis and recent discussions on the role of bioenergy. Two roundtable panels discussed bioenergy and long-term solutions to the global food crisis.
• Innovation Fair (30 June-3 July) - Private sector, foundations, other civil society organizations and the UN system shared examples of innovative development projects, approaches or practices.

Amongst others, the High-Level Segment featured the Honourable Al Gore (tbc), Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, and Lord Stern of Brentford, author of the Stern Review.

Member States, United Nations organizations and other stakeholders from civil society, including the private sector, NGOs and academia were represented.

Pictures

Dr. Deisi Kusztra, WFO President, Mr. Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General, UNDESA, Dr. Hanifa Mezoui, Chief, NGO Section, UNDESA and Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination

Awarding Session to Dr. Albano Franco during the Panel WFO/Development Partners/UN-NGO-IRENE. Dr. Deisi Kusztra, WFO President, Dr. Hanifa Mezoui, Chief, NGO Section, UNDESA, Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, H.E. Mr. José Múcio Monteiro, Minister of Institutional Relations, Brazil and H.E. Dr. Albano Franco, Parliamentarian Member, Brazil