VZCZCXYZ0000
PP RUEHWEB

DE RUCNDT #0069/01 0291713
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 291713Z JAN 07
FM USMISSION USUN NEW YORK
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 1218
INFO RUEHAS/AMEMBASSY ALGIERS 1097
RUEHLM/AMEMBASSY COLOMBO 0190
RUEHML/AMEMBASSY MANILA 0221
RUEHPU/AMEMBASSY PORT AU PRINCE 0801
RUEHRK/AMEMBASSY REYKJAVIK 0121
RUEHTU/AMEMBASSY TUNIS 0089
RUEHVL/AMEMBASSY VILNIUS 0673
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 2486

UNCLAS USUN NEW YORK 000069 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: EAID EFIN KUNR ECOSOC
SUBJECT: ECOSOC 2007 ORGANIZATIONAL SESSION:  AGENDA 
ADOPTED AND NEW LEADERSHIP TAKES THE REINS 
 
REF: 06 USUN 2288 (NOTAL) 
 
¶1. Summary: See Action request para 6. The Economic and 
Social Council (ECOSOC) met January 17 and 22 for the first 
segment of its 2007 Organizational Session.  After prolonged 
discussion in the second (exceptional) meeting of the 
session, the agenda we sought was adopted.  Work on the core 
elements of the 2007 Organizational Session - many deferred 
2006 items - will get underway on February 6. End summary. 
 
¶2.  Agenda: The agenda for the ECOSOC Organizational Session 
was adopted by consensus January 22, after several hours of 
informal meetings. The Secretariat has reissued a corrected 
version (E/2007/2/Rev.1) that satisfies U.S. and others' 
concerns that the initial Secretariat document had 
incorrectly portrayed the plans for the 2007 ECOSOC High 
level Segment (HLS) in section 2.  A more contentious debate 
was initiated by the Pakistani-led G77, which challenged the 
Secretariat's initial description of plans to move ahead with 
 
SIPDIS 
adaptation of the ECOSOC program of work, as agreed last year 
in Decision 2006/206. (FYI: the G77 fought energetically to 
remove references to anything but the last resolution on 
strengthening ECOSOC, but found no allies. End FYI). The 
carefully structured paragraph on this subject in Section 3 
of the agenda now reads: 
 
"The Council's attention is drawn to General Assembly 
resolution 61/16 on strengthening of the ECOSOC, adopted 
pursuant to paragraphs 155 and 156 of the World Summit 
Outcome (GA resolution 60/1), and Council decision 2006/206. 
The President of the Council shall convene consultations on 
the organization of work, agenda, and current methods of work 
of the Council with a view to their implementation beginning 
in 2007. " 
 
¶3. Other agenda changes:  An agenda item on rural development 
that was inadvertently omitted from the first Provisional 
agenda provided by the Secretariat was submitted for approval 
in section 2 and adopted: 
 
"In its decision 2006/212, the Council decided to consider, 
at is regular organizational session in February 2007, the 
proposal to hold a discussion on promoting an integrated 
approach to rural development in developing countries for 
poverty eradication and sustainable development at a future 
substantive session of the Council." 
 
¶4. ECOSOC leadership structure changes: In accordance with 
standard procedure, the new ECOSOC Bureau assumed power 
January 17 by acclamation, with outgoing President Hachani of 
Tunisia declaring 2006 a year of significant accomplishments. 
 Incoming SYG Ban Ki-Moon was present and delivered brief 
remarks. The new ECOSOC structure follows: 
 
Amb Dalious Cekoulis-Lithuania President/East European Group 
Amb Lauro Baja-Philippines VP/Asian Group 
Amb Youcef Yousfi-Algeria  VP/African Group 
Amb Leo Merores-Haiti VP/GRULAC (Second year) 
Amb Hjalmar Hannesson-Iceland VP/WEOG (Second year) 
 
¶5. Next Steps: The major unresolved issues for 2007 relate to 
the new ECOSOC system architecture and in particular how to 
implement it for 2007.  Informal "informal" discussions on 
the themes for the 2007 HLS were convened January 24 to move 
the Council towards resolution of the open issue. The initial 
meeting provided no solutions, and the next round of informal 
negotiations is set for January 26.  The current objective is 
to have the themes for the Summer 2007 Substantive Session 
agreed by the end of the February 6-9 Organizational 
Session. 
 
¶6.  Action request: Department should note the list of 
deferred 2006 items (reftel para 4) coming up for action in 
the February 6-9 Organizational Session and provide guidance 
as appropriate (We will alert Dept to additional action items 
as announced): 
 
--Request for additional deferral of the Graduation of Samoa 
from the list of Least Developed Countries. 
 
--World Tourism Organization: Annex on privileges and 
immunities. 
 
--Application of the International Emergency Management 
 
 
Organization for observer status. 
 
--CSTD (a) Elections (new slots)  Note: US is running for a 
CSTD slot opening in the regular ECOSOC election session in 
April. (b) Tough negotiations will be required to reach 
consensus on the CSTD report and imbedded resolution, which 
was deferred in the 2006 Summer Session and deferred again in 
the December Resumed Session. 
WOLFF