EU Statement – UN ECOSOC: 2026 ECOSOC Coordination Segment

EU Statement - UN ECOSOC: 2026 ECOSOC Coordination Segment

28 January 2026, New York - Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States by Renaud Savignat, EU Ambassador to ECOSOC and Head of the Section for Sustainable Development and International Partnership, Delegation of the European Union to the United Nations, at the 2026 ECOSOC Coordination

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President, Distinguished Panellists, Colleagues,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

It is a privilege to join you today at the ECOSOC Coordination Segment.

Over eight decades, ECOSOC has shown its unique value in bridging the global and the local, the normative and the operational, the political and the technical. Its achievements remind us why it remains essential to the UN system.

Among its greatest successes is coordinating international development efforts - from post-war reconstruction to the Millennium Development Goals, and now the Sustainable Development Goals.

ECOSOC has also enhanced system-wide coordination across the UN. Its forums, commissions, and partnerships enable specialized agencies, funds, and programmes to work together on complex, cross-cutting challenges.

Inclusivity has been another hallmark. By creating space for civil society, the private sector, and youth, ECOSOC has enriched decision-making and strengthened legitimacy.

However, if we learned something over the last 80 years is that new challenges ask for renewed perspectives and reinforced capacities.

As we approach the intergovernmental review, and seizing the opportunity of UN80 efforts for a more impactful and efficient UN, we must strengthen ECOSOC's capacity to address complex, interconnected challenges in uncertain times. Stronger coherence between humanitarian, sustainable development, human rights, and peace efforts - and a sharper focus on implementation, impact and evaluation - will be essential. It will also be strategic to deepen synergies across thematic agendas, ensuring a more effective and impact driven collective action in addressing today's multidimensional challenges.

And we do not need to wait, some of it we can already do now!

The 2018 UNDS reform reinforced ECOSOC's role in coordinating the UN system, but its oversight functions remain underused and often overlap with those of the General Assembly. To improve accountability, the UN development system as well as specialized agencies should implement the reform by increasing reporting on results to ECOSOC and strengthening the connection between operational and normative work. For example, the Operational Activities for Development segment could focus more on outcomes and include deeper assessments of the impact on the ground. Stronger ties with the Peacebuilding Commission would strengthen the peace and security and development nexus and address root causes of conflict which are often socio-economic and environmental.

Colleagues,

The EU remains committed to supporting ECOSOC in building on its achievements, enhancing its role as the UN's central platform for promoting sustainable development, fostering partnerships, and providing guidance for a more equitable, inclusive, and resilient world.

Thank you.