UN Economic and Social Council The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ECOSOC has 54 members, 18 of whom are elected each year by the General Assembly for a three-year term. Even though all UN members can be elected, members representing "First World" countries have been consistently favored over the years. The president is elected for a one-year term and chosen amongst the small or middle powers represented on ECOSOC. Each member of ECOSOC has one vote, and decisions are made by a majority of the members present and voting. ECOSOC meets once a year in July for a four-week session. Since 1998, it hold another meeting each April with finance ministers heading key committees of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund. Reform Through much of its history, ECOSOC has served primarily as a discussion vehicle for economic and social issues. ECOSOC had little authority to force action and a number of member states were concerned that its utility was only marginal. However, beginning in 1992, the US and other nations began an effort to make ECOSOC more relevant by strengthening its policy responsibilities in economic, social, and related fields, particularly in furthering development objectives. The resulting reform made ECOSOC the oversight and policy-setting body for UN operational development activities and established smaller executive boards for the UN Development Program (UNDP), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) which would provide those agencies with operating guidance and promote more effective management. The reform also gave ECOSOC a strong hand in ensuring that UN agencies coordinated their work on issues of common interest, such as narcotics control, human rights, the alleviation of poverty, and the prevention of HIV/AIDS. One positive impact of this reform was the manner in which the UN development system began to respond more coherently and efficiently to humanitarian crises around the world. Secretary General Annan's recent reform initiatives have attached considerable importance to further strengthening coordination among relief agencies. Another example was the ECOSOC decision in 1994 to authorize the creation of a new joint and cosponsored UN program on HIV/AIDS. This program will bring together the existing AIDS-related resources and expertise of the World Health Organization, UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UNESCO, and the World Bank into one consolidated global program, eliminating duplication of effort and enhancing the ability of member states to cope with the AIDS pandemic. It began operating in January 1996. Functional Commissions Commission for Social Development http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd Commission on Human Rights http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu2/2/chr.htm Commission on Narcotic Drugs http://www.unodc.org/unodc/cnd.html Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice http://www.unodc.org/unodc/crime_cicp_commission.html Commission on Science and Technology for Development http://stdev.unctad.org/un/uncstd.html Commission on Sustainable Development http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd.htm Commission on the Status of Women http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/ Commission on Population and Development http://www.un.org/esa/population/cpd/cpd.htm Statistical Commission http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/commission.htm Regional Commissions United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) Specialized Agencies The Specialized Agencies are autonomous organizations working with the United Nations and each other through the coordinating machinery of the Economic and Social Council. ILO - International Labour Organization FAO - Food and Agriculture Organization UNESCO - United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization WHO - World Health Organization World Bank Group IBRD - International Bank for Reconstruction and Development IDA - International Development Association IFC - International Finance Corporation MIGA - Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency ICSID - International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes IMF - International Monetary Fund ICAO - International Civil Aviation Organization IMO - International Maritime Organization ITU - International Telecommunication Union UPU - Universal Postal Union WMO - World Meteorological Organization WIPO - World Intellectual Property Organization IFAD - International Fund for Agricultural Development UNIDO - United Nations Industrial Development Organization IRO - International Refugee Organization(ceased to exist in 1952) Other Entities United Nations Forum on Forests Sessional and Standing Committees Expert, ad hoc and related bodies Consultative status See Consultative Status. See also Union of International Associations See also United Nations System UN General Assembly UN Security Council UN Trusteeship Council UN Secretariat International Court of Justice Copenhagen Consensus French Economic and Social Council FAVORITE ARTICLES: History of the World    History of the United States    History of Europe    Ancient History    History    Military History    World War I    Bombing of Dresden    California    US Constitution    Frank Sinatra    Boston    Marbury v. Madison This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/UN_Economic_and_Social_Council