EU Statement – UN ECOSOC: First informal consultation on ECOSOC – HLPF review

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Excellency, Thank you Chair, Distinguished Delegates, 

I deliver this statement on behalf of the EU and its Member States.

The Candidate Countries Montenegro*, Serbia*, Albania*, Ukraine, the Republic of Moldova, Bosnia and Herzegovina* and Georgia, as well as Armenia, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and the United Kingdom align themselves with this statement.

I would like to start by congratulating the Permanent Representatives of Barbados and Malta for assuming the role of co-facilitators of the review. You can count on the EU’s full and constructive engagement in this important process, and would like to thank you for the questions shared in preparation of this first consultation.

When the 2030 Agenda was adopted, it carried a simple but powerful promise: that global cooperation could translate into real change in people’s daily lives. That promise is now being tested — not by lack of ambition, but by the gap between our commitments and their implementation.

ECOSOC and the High-Level Political Forum were designed to help close that gap. They were meant to be spaces where political will meets practical action, where experiences from the ground inform global decisions, and where progress — and setbacks — are examined honestly. As we review their arrangements today, the question before us is not whether these bodies matter, but whether they are fully equipped for the moment we are in.

The world confronting the 2030 Agenda today is more complex than the one we envisioned a decade ago. In this context, effectiveness can no longer be measured by the number of meetings held or statements delivered, but by whether our collective work helps countries accelerate progress where it matters most in ways that are inclusive, resilient and environmentally sustainable for present and future generations.

As we embrace the ambitions of the UN80 reform initiative, this is where ECOSOC and the HLPF must evolve decisively.

They must become more action-oriented platforms, capable of identifying emerging challenges early, spotlighting solutions that work, and connecting countries with the partnerships and resources they need to implement them. Sharing good practices should not be an end in itself; it should lead to replication, adaptation, and scale-up — particularly for countries facing structural vulnerabilities. They are ideally placed to strengthen the nexus between peace and security, development, human rights and humanitarian action.

Allow me to emphasise 3 EU priorities in this process: 

First, as mandated, we ask for the full review of ECOSOC and HLPF. While past reviews have delivered some meaningful achievements, we should spare no effort to further strengthen ECOSOC so that it can better fulfil its role under the UN Charter and deliver with more impact leaving no one behind. This means essentially two things: i) refocusing on ECOSOC’s core functions – enabling partnerships, driving coherence and supervising the UN’s operational system; ii) identifying more clearly the outcomes we expect from the ECOSOC and the HLPF. The organization of the ECOSOC cycle should derive from this.

Second, coherence is critical. The work of ECOSOC, the HLPF, and the General Assembly must reinforce one another, not compete for attention or duplicate efforts. Better alignment with subsidiary bodies and related review processes can help ensure that political guidance is consistent, focused, and responsive to country realities. This is particularly important in the light of the fact that the review process needs to complement the UN80 initiative, Second Committee Revitalisation as well as broader efforts to strengthen the UN development system.

As we understood from the summary of the monthly meeting of the President of the General Assembly and ECOSOC, addressing duplication and overlap, including through a review of resolutions negotiated in both bodies has been discussed and we are welcoming the idea of presenting the results of this analysis to Member States. We believe that this mapping exercise would provide a good basis for the start of negotiations.

Third, the EU is ready to engage with concrete proposals and in this sense finds the Non paper cosigned by a cross regional group of countries, containing a non-exhaustive set of ideas to strengthen ECOSOC, a solid foundation for further deliberations. And we are ready to submit concrete ideas for consideration and discussion in our written contribution. 

Colleagues,

We have 4 years left before 2030. And a lot can be done in four years. We should preserve the progress so far but also understand why we are not on track. For this, we need to have the right tools and platforms.

By focusing less on procedural coordination and more on strategic oversight, ECOSOC can help ensure coherence across the UN development system. This includes strengthening links between global policy discussions and country-level realities, streamlining mandates, and emphasizing results-based accountability. A more focused ECOSOC can provide direction, convene diverse partners, and make a difference on the ground – because that is the ECOSOC we need and want.

Thank you.