The 2025 Coordination Segment of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) met to provide forward-looking policy guidance and direction to the work of its subsidiary bodies and the UN system entities in the economic, social, health, and environmental areas. The Segment also promoted the integrated implementation and follow-up of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and other major UN conferences and summits.
The Coordination Segment addressed mandates from the 2024 Ministerial Declaration adopted by ECOSOC and the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), promoting the implementation of the Pact for the Future and forging linkages with key upcoming events of 2025, including the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development (FfD4), the Second World Summit for Social Development, the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action 1995 (Beijing+30), and the review of implementation of the outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS+20).
In his opening remarks, ECOSOC President Bob Rae highlighted the SDGs as “the common sense of humanity” and called for “a culture of collaboration.” Underscoring that “[w]e motivate people by telling people how we can do better together,” he offered successful examples of partnerships, including: the Spotlight Initiative, which has protected more than 21 million girls and women from gender-based violence; the Global Ghost Gear Initiative, which engages over 130 stakeholders to tackle abandoned fishing gear to reduce marine pollution; and the Infrastructure for Resilient Island States (IRIS) initiative, which aims to strengthen resilience against climate and disaster risks.
Guy Ryder, UN Under-Secretary-General for Policy, stressed the need to: unlock the scale and quality of financing needed to drive investments; alleviate the debt burden; protect economies from external shocks; and reform the international financial architecture, with the Pact for the Future serving as the blueprint.
A conversation with the Executive Secretaries of the UN regional commissions and Chairs of ECOSOC functional commissions and expert bodies focused on accelerating the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, including by leveraging the outcomes of the Summit of the Future (SoF).
The topics addressed in subsequent panel discussions included:
- Exploring transformative solutions to foster sustainability and build an inclusive and prosperous future for all;
- Investing in healthy, inclusive, and resilient societies to leave no one behind;
- Creating employment and decent work opportunities for all;
- Harnessing data, science, technology, and innovation to advance digital progress; and
- Financing and investment solutions for sustainable development in countries in special situations.
The ECOSOC President, in consultation with the ECOSOC Bureau, will prepare an analytical joint summary to capture the key policy messages of the Coordination Segment and the Partnership Forum that preceded it. The summary will serve as an input to HLPF 2025, the Second World Summit for Social Development, the 2025 UN Ocean Conference, and the overall work of the ECOSOC and other intergovernmental processes throughout 2025.
The 2025 Coordination Segment convened from 6-7 February, brining together Member States, ECOSOC functional commissions and expert bodies, UN regional commissions, and UN system entities, to meet the urgency of expediting the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Focusing on the theme of the 2025 session of ECOSOC and the HLPF, ‘Advancing sustainable, inclusive, science- and evidence-based solutions for the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs for leaving no one behind,’ the meeting also contributed to the in-depth reviews of SDG 3 (good health and well-being), SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth), SDG 14 (life below water), and SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals).