Foreign Desk Report
NEW YORK: The President of United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), Pakistani Ambassador Munir Akram, has urged States to boost development cooperation, which is vital to tackle the dual challenge of recovering from the coronavirus pandemic and fighting climate change, as the 54-member body concluded a two-day forum on the subject.
Connecting participants virtually, the Development Cooperation Forum held two sessions, one addressing competing priorities of pandemic recovery and climate action, and the other focusing on regional cooperation on science, technology and innovation in the COVID-19 era.
In his closing remarks, the ECOSOC chief expressed hope that the Forum will mark the start of new collective action to build back better through systemic change.
“The ideas and solutions identified will, I hope, lead to a new paradigm of international development cooperation, stronger and more effective collaboration in the decade of action for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs),” Ambassador Akram said.
Summarizing some highlights, he said that strengthening development cooperation in the context of COVID-19 means helping developing countries to overcome the pandemic, reduce risk and build resilience.
Every region, State and community has experiences and knowledge to share with others for mutual benefit, the ECOSOC chief said. The pandemic is an opportunity to scale up efforts to reduce the risk of future shocks, he said.
Financial support for developing countries during and after the pandemic is critical. Levels of ODA (Official Development Assistance), he said, should be revived.
