Economic and Social Council

Introduction to Economic and Social Council

Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, composed of representatives of 54 countries. Each year 18 members are elected by the UN General Assembly for 3-year terms. ECOSOC’s early activities were directed toward providing aid to war-ravaged countries of Europe and Asia. Today, the problems of developing nations are its major concern. The council carries out studies on international economic, social, humanitarian, cultural, educational, and related matters and coordinates the activities of the UN’s specialized agencies in these areas. ECOSOC operates mainly through its various standing committees, functional commissions, and regional commissions. The decisions reached at council meetings, where each member has one vote and a simple majority rules, are sent as recommendations to the General Assembly.

The six functional commissions deal with problems relating to social development, human rights, the status of women, narcotic drugs, population, and national and international statistics. There are also five standing committees and assorted expert bodies that deal with such matters as natural resources, development of science and technology, and crime prevention.

Five regional commissions are currently in operation within the council. They are modeled after the parent body and reflect the geographic diversity of resources and needs. Each one is headed by an executive secretary. The Economic Commission for Europe, headquartered in Geneva, has 42 members; and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, headquartered in Bangkok, has 45 full members and 8 associate members; both were established in 1947. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, with 41 full members and 6 associate members, was set up in 1948 in Santiago, Chile. In 1958 the Economic Commission for Africa was established at Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; it has 52 participating member nations and 2 associate members. The Economic Commission for Western Asia, with 13 members, was organized in 1973 in Beirut, Lebanon; its headquarters was subsequently moved to Baghd_d, Iraq, because of the war in Lebanon.

A regional commission may make recommendations to any member government but can act only with the consent of that government. Regional cooperation has stimulated progress in agriculture, industry, education, housing, electric power, trade, transportation, and environmental protection issues.

ECOSOC is also involved with other UN organs, participating in their work or electing board members for numerous specialized agencies such as the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Children’s Fund.” (1)

Definition of Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)

Within the context of international human rights, the following is a brief meaning of economic and social council (ecosoc): A UN council of 54 members primarily concerned with population, economic development, human rights, and criminal justice. This high-ranking body receives and issues human rights reports in a variety of circumstances.

Economic and Social Council

Embracing mainstream international law, this section on economic and social council explores the context, history and effect of the area of the law covered here.

Resources

Further Reading

• The entry “economic and social council” in the Parry and Grant Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law (currently, the Encyclopaedic Dictionary of International Law, 2009), Oxford University Press

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See Also

• Human Rights

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Economic and Social Council in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Economic and Social Council

Structure of the United Nations: Economic and Social Council

Introduction to Economic and Social Council

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) works under the authority of the General Assembly to coordinate the economic and social work of the UN. ECOSOC has 54 member countries elected by the General Assembly for three-year terms. ECOSOC coordinates studies and recommends actions on international topics such as medicine, education, economics, and social needs. It promotes higher living standards, full employment, respect for human rights, and economic and social progress. It oversees the work of a large number of UN programs and agencies.

ECOSOC operates mainly through various standing committees, functional commissions, and regional commissions. There are five regional commissions that look at how the UN’s programs in a particular region are working together. There are ten functional commissions that deal with topics such as population growth, narcotics trafficking, human rights, and the status of women. Other committees work on topics relevant to several UN programs, such as crime prevention, public finance, natural resources, science and technology, and geographical names.

ECOSOC coordinates the work of many specialized agencies that provide a variety of social, economic, and related services. The agencies operate independently but work with other programs in the UN. Those agencies include the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund; the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the International Labor Organization (ILO), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). ECOSOC also works closely with the private sector and with more than 2,000 nongovernmental organizations.” (1)

Resources

Notes and References

• Information about Economic and Social Council in the Encarta Online Encyclopedia

Guide to Economic and Social Council

ECOSOC – Economic and Social Council

Further Reading

• A concise encyclopedia of the United Nations (including Economic and Social Council , H Volger, KA Annan -2010)
• The Oxford Handbook on the United Nations (TG Weiss – 2007)
• International Law: A Dictionary (including Economic and Social Council , Boczek, Boleslaw Adam -2005)