Brazil was elected on Thursday, October 28, to the United Nations Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc) for a three-year term (2005-2007). The Council, which is composed of 54 members, is one of the principal organs of the UN.
Elections to the Ecosoc are held each year in the UN General Assembly, with the participation of all member states. Brazil is one of the countries that has been a member of the Ecosoc most times since the creation of the UN.
According to the UN Charter, the Ecosoc is responsible for economic, social, cultural, educational, and health affairs, and other related matters, as well as to foster respect for and the observance of human rights and basic freedoms.
Among its most important tasks are to accompany the implementation of the determinations of UN conferences on economic and social issues and, in conjunction with the Security Council, to provide assistance to countries in post-conflict situations.
Among Ecosoc’s subsidiary bodies in which Brazil is currently a participant are the Commissions on Human Rights, Sustainable Development, the Condition of Women, Crime Prevention and Penal Justice, Drugs, and Science and Technology for Development, as well as the support group for Guinea-Bissau.
In its note on Brazil’s election to the Council, the press office of the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Relations recalls that the Brazilian government assigns great importance to strengthening the Ecosoc in the context of an ample reform of the United Nations.
Such a reform should enable the organization to meet the challenges of the fight against hunger and poverty, the promotion of development, and the maintenance of international peace and security.
Agência Brasil