16/05/2018 This content is not up to date

ECOSOC Preparatory Meeting March 26 - 27, Prague

The Institute of International Relations is outstandingly pleased to have co-hosted the ECOSOC Preparatory Meeting which took place in Prague on 26th March 2018. It forms part of the special initiative of the Czech ECOSOC presidency on sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through participation of all, an initiative which will contributes to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This meeting provided the participants with a platform to share best practices on participation and concrete examples of policy action, as well as to discuss the impact of the involvement of civil society and other non-state actors in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“Towards sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through participation of all” was the topic of the ECOSOC Preparatory Meeting which took place on 26th March in Prague and 27th March in Kolín and the Institute of International Relations was pleased to co-host it with the Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs. ECOSOC The Preparatory Meeting was a part of a special initiative of the Czech ECOSOC presidency promoting sustainable, resilient and inclusive societies through participation of all, an initiative which contributes to achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. ECOSOC meetings belong amongst the most widely recognized platforms for sharing best practices in participation, specific examples of policy action and constructive ideas. One of the key topics discussed in the meeting was the impact of the involvement of civil society and other non-state actors in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The ceremony was opened with an inspiring speech by Ms. Marie Chatardová, President of the ECOSOC and Czech ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations, and followed by a speech of Andrej Babiš, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, who stressed democratic principles as the main point. We were also glad to welcome Mr. Martin Stropnický, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic. As the meeting was co-hosted by the government of Colombia, the list of speakers at the Opening Ceremony also featured Mr. Luis Fernando Mejía, Minister of Planning of Colombia, amongst others.

The first panel focused on Achieving the 2030 Agenda through Participation of All and we were pleased to hear speeches of Mr. Miroslav Lajčák, President of the UN General Assembly, Ms. Amina Mohammed, Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Martin Stropnický, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic, and Amb. Marie Chatardová, ECOSOC President.

The theme of two following panels was Best Practices Showcase within we could hear the presentations of Mr. Mitchell Kosny, Ms. Hedia Belhadj, Ms. Kai Klandorf, Ms. Amelia Loye, Mr. Moses Mwans, Ms. Ankitha Cheerakathil and Mr.Martin Tlapa. The participatory projects and specific examples of policy action were presented during Open Presentation of Participatory Projects and Discussion, presented by Ms. Catherine Pollard, UN Under-Secretary-General for General Assembly and Conference Management.

The key principles and points of the first day have been summed up during the last part of the programme, the Summary and Final Statement given by Mr. Neil Pierre, Chief Policy Coordination Branch, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UN DESA. The field trip to Kolín which was planned on the second day was an amazing example of best practice and also the perfect ending to this meeting.

More details of the programme of this meeting can be accessed here:

https://www.un.org/ecosoc/sites/www.un.org.ecosoc/files/files/en/2018doc/prague-ecosoc-meeting-brochure.pdf

Interviews with the participants