Leaders at UN meet call for renewed commitment to eradicate poverty

Subject: International Relations

Section: International organisation

Context:

World leaders gathered at the High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) on July 18, 2023.

Details:

Suggestions evolved from HLPF will contribute to the 2023 SDG Summit, to be held from September 18-19, 2023, in New York.
Leaders called for a renewed commitment to eradicating poverty — the most fundamental challenge listed in the United Nations-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
As per the latest UN SDG progress report, countries are way off track from achieving poverty eradication goals.
Nearly 1.1 billion of the 6.1 billion people across 110 countries are poor.
At least two regional forums — Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development and the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development — flagged a looming debt crisis affecting, especially, the poor and developing countries.
Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development too called for intensifying actions on the Great Green Wall and the Battery Minerals Value Chain Initiative.
- Launched in 2007 by the African Union, the Great Green Wall initiative aims to restore the continent’s degraded landscapes.

HLPF:

The event was held in New York from July 10-19, 2023 under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council.
HLPF (formed on 9 July 2013) is a subsidiary body of both the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Economic and Social Council responsible for the entire organisation’s policy on sustainable development.
HLPF is the central global platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and SDGs.
Headquarter: New York, USA
The theme of the HLPF meeting is Sustainable and Resilient Recovery from the COVID-19 Pandemic.
This year’s HLPF recognised the unprecedented challenges created by the global health crisis, especially those related to poverty.

Asia-Pacific Forum for Sustainable Development:

The APFSD is an annual, inclusive intergovernmental forum to support follow-up and review of progress on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the regional level, while serving as a regional preparatory meeting to the High-Level Political Forum (HLPF).
The Forum provides a regional perspective on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by identifying regional trends and sharing best practices and lessons learned.
Since its inaugural session in 2014, the APFSD has brought governments, civil society, the private sector, and other stakeholders together to prepare for the HLPF and to support regional efforts to accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

UN Economic and Social Council (UN-ECOSOC):

Established by the UN Charter in 1945, it is the principal body for coordination, policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on economic, social and environmental issues, as well as implementation of internationally agreed development goals.
It has 54 members, elected by the UN General Assembly for overlapping three-year terms.
It is the UN’s central platform for reflection, debate and innovative thinking on sustainable development.
Each year, ECOSOC structures its work around an annual theme of global importance to sustainable development.
It coordinates the work of the 14 UN specialized agencies,ten functional commissions and five regional commissions, receives reports from nine UN funds and programmes and issues policy recommendations to the UN system and to member states.
Few Important Bodies under the Purview of ECOSOC:
- International labour Organization (ILO)
- Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)
- World Health Organization (WHO)
- Bretton Woods Twins (World Bank Group and International Monetary Fund)
- United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF)
- Apart from these there are various Functional and Regional Commissions, Standing Committees, Ad Hoc and Expert Bodies as well.