SI Committee on the Economy, Social Cohesion and the Environment meets in Geneva

The reform of the United Nations, global financial institutions and trade and social rights were at the centre of the discussions of the recent meeting of the Socialist International Committee on the Economy, Social Cohesion and the Environment, which was held in Geneva on 14 January 2005, chaired by Christoph Zöpel, (SPD, Germany) Chair of the Committee.

Those issues, which are part of the Socialist International’s longstanding agenda for a better and fairer global governance, were discussed by the members of the Committee, highlighting one of the main objectives of the International: building global institutions and a world economy, which work towards promoting greater stability, fairness and inclusion for all.

In the first meeting of the Committee since the SI Council in Johannesburg, the delegates focused their discussions on: The reform and the strengthening of the United Nations - an area on which a paper is being prepared by a special Working Group on this theme, and whose preliminary report was presented to the meeting by Maria Joao Rodrigues; The reform of global financial institutions to ensure a more legitimate and more democratic system of global governance, with a paper from Kemal Dervis including the proposal of the creation of a new United Nations Economic, Social and Environmental Security Council, and resource mobilisation to finance development, global public goods and fight poverty; And linking globalisation, development, trade and core labour standards, with a paper from Anna Diamantopulou on trade and social rights, a subject which will be further developed in a position paper to be prepared under her responsibility.

Following the agreement at its meeting to convene next in Africa in order to bring a more regionally focused approach to the work of the Committee, the SI Secretary General, Luis Ayala, proposed to meet at the United Nations Office in Nairobi on 8 and 9 April, where the Committee will focus its discussions on that continent and will present the Second Semi-annual Review on Democratic Governance for Sustainable development in a Global Society as well as a position paper on the Millennium Development Goals.