Meeting of the SI Committee on the Economy, Social Cohesion and the Environment, New York, United Nations

15-16 February 2002

New York was the venue for the most recent meeting of the SI Committee on the Economy. Social Cohesion and the Environment on 15-16 February, when its members gathered at the headquarters of the United Nations.

The Committee, chaired by Christoph Zöpel of the Social Democratic Party, SPD, of Germany and Chair of the Committee, addressed the International's position on the forthcoming International Conference on Financing for Development to take place in March in Monterrey, Mexico, and on the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August-September in Johannesburg. A Statement was issued on the first item on the agenda, and points for discussion in relation to the Johannesburg Summit were agreed.

Committee members also continued the discussion of main themes set out in its agreed programme of work, on this occasion 'Governance in a Global Society: The Reform of the International Institutions and the Participation of Citizens, Democratic Parties and Parliaments' and 'The Quest for Identity in a World without Borders'.

Special contributions on the main items of the agenda were made by Mats Karlsson, World Bank Vice-President for External Affairs and United Nations Affairs, and Oscar de Rojas, Executive Coordinator of the Financing for Development Secretariat, on the Monterrey Conference; by Jeanette Ndhlovu, Deputy Permanent Representative of South Africa to the UN, on sustainable development and the Johannesburg Summit; and, by Ambassador Cristián Maquieira of the Mission of Chile at the UN, and by Marta Maurás, Director of the Office of UN Deputy Secretary-General, Louise Fréchette, on the reform of the United Nations.

Participants