Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Coordinating economic and social work

Main organs

ECOSOC coordinates the economic, social, environmental and humanitarian work of the UN and its specialized agencies and commissions.

Functions

Discusses international economic and social issues and makes policy recommendations.
Coordinates the work of the specialized agencies through agreements with them.
Promotes higher standards of living, full employment and economic and social progress.
Promotes respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms.
Follows up the Sustainable Development Goals, including through the High-level Political Forum.
Consults non-governmental organizations: thousands hold consultative status.

Subsidiary bodies

Functional commissions, such as the Commission on the Status of Women, the Statistical Commission and the Commission on Narcotic Drugs.
Five regional commissions, including the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in Bangkok, of which Pakistan is a member.

Pakistan and ECOSOC

Pakistan has been elected to ECOSOC many times, and its Permanent Representative to the UN, Munir Akram, served as President of ECOSOC twice (2005 and 2020–21), focusing on financing for development and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Assessment

Strength: the main UN forum for economic and social cooperation and for following up the SDGs.
Strength: gives NGOs and civil society a voice in UN processes.
Weakness: it can only make recommendations, and lacks the power and funding to direct the large specialized agencies.
Weakness: overlapping mandates with the General Assembly and the Bretton Woods institutions.