United Nations Economic and Social Council - wikipedia United Nations Economic and Social Council United Nations Economic and Social Council Conseil économique et social des Nations unies The room of the United Nations Economic and Social Council. UN headquarters, New York City, New York, U.S. Abbreviation ECOSOC CESNU Formation 1945 ; 72 years ago ( 1945 ) Type Primary organ Legal status Active Head President of the ECOSOC As of 29 July 2017 : Marie Chatardová Website www.un.org/en/ecosoc The United Nations Economic and Social Council ( ECOSOC ; French : Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, CESNU ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic, social, and related work of 15 UN specialised agencies, their functional commissions and five regional commissions. The ECOSOC has 54 members. It holds one four - week session each year in July, and since 1998, it has also held an annual meeting in April with finance ministers heading key committees of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund ( IMF ). The ECOSOC serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues and formulating policy recommendations addressed to member states and the United Nations system. A number of non-governmental organisations have been granted consultative status to the Council to participate in the work of the United Nations. Contents 1 President 2 Members 2.1 Observer Inter-Governmental Autonomous organisations 3 Functional commissions 4 Regional commissions 5 Specialised agencies 6 Other related entities, mechanisms and processes 7 `` World Economic and Social Survey 2011 : The Great Green Technological Transformation '' 8 Reform of the Economic and Social Council 9 Chamber design 10 See also 11 References 12 External links President The president is elected for a one - year term and chosen from the small or mid-sized powers represented on the ECOSOC. Her Excellency Marie Chatardová was elected seventy - third President of the Economic and Social Council on 27 July 2017. Ambassador Chatardová is currently the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Czech Republic to the United Nations in New York. Presidents Term President From 2017 Mrs. Marie Chatardová Czech Republic 2016 Mr. Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava Zimbabwe 2015 Mr. Oh Joon South Korea 2014 Mr. Martin Sajdik Austria 2013 Mr. Néstor Osorio Londoño Colombia 2012 Mr. Miloš Koterec Slovakia 2011 Mr. Lazarous Kapambwe Zambia Mr. Hamidon Ali Malaysia 2009 Ms. Sylvie Lucas Luxembourg 2008 Mr. Léo Mérorès Haiti 2007 Mr. Dalius Čekuolis Lithuania 2006 Mr. Ali Hachani Tunisia 2005 Mr. Munir Akram Pakistan Members See also : List of members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council The Council has 54 member states out of the 193 UN member states, which are elected by the United Nations General Assembly for overlapping three - year terms. Seats on the Council are based on geographical representation with 18 allocated to African states, 13 to Asian states, 8 to East European states, 13 to Latin American and Caribbean states and 13 to West European and other states. Term African States ( 14 ) Asian States ( 11 ) Eastern European States ( 6 ) Latin American & Caribbean States ( 10 ) Western European & Other States ( 13 ) 2017 - 19 Benin Cameroon Chad Swaziland China South Korea Tajikistan United Arab Emirates Azerbaijan Russia Bosnia and Herzegovina Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Colombia Venezuela Norway Sweden Andorra United Kingdom 2016 - 18 Algeria Somalia South Africa Rwanda Nigeria Afghanistan Lebanon Iraq Vietnam Moldova Czech Republic Chile Guyana Peru Australia Italy Belgium Switzerland United States 2015 - 17 Burkina Faso Ghana Mauritania Uganda Zimbabwe India Japan Pakistan Estonia Argentina Brazil Honduras Trinidad and Tobago France Germany Greece Portugal 2014 - 16 Botswana Congo Congo DR Togo Bangladesh China South Korea Kazakhstan Georgia Russia Serbia Antigua and Barbuda Guatemala Panama Finland Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom 2013 - 15 Tunisia Benin Mauritius South Africa Sudan Kuwait Kyrgyzstan Nepal Turkmenistan Albania Croatia Bolivia Colombia Haiti Australia United States Italy San Marino Before 2013 Botswana ' Bangladesh ' Albania Antigua and Barbuda ' Austria Benin China Belarus Bolivia Canada Burkina Faso India Bulgaria * Brazil Denmark Cameroon * Indonesia Croatia Colombia France Congo ' Japan Georgia ' Cuba Ireland * Congo DR ' Kazakhstan ' Latvia * Dominican Republic Netherlands * Ethiopia Kuwait Russian Federation Ecuador * New Zealand Gabon * Kyrgyzstan Serbia ' El Salvador San Marino Lesotho Nepal Guatemala ' Spain * Libya Pakistan * Haiti Sweden Malawi * Qatar * Mexico * Turkey * Mauritius Republic of Korea Nicaragua * United Kingdom Nigeria Turkmenistan Panama ' United States of America Senegal * South Africa Sudan Togo ' Tunisia ECOSOC Resolution 2007 / 25 : Support to Non-Self - Governing Territories by the specialised agencies and international institutions associated with the United Nations ( 26 July 2007 ) Observer intergovernmental autonomous organisations Participation on a continuing basis : African Regional Centre of Technology Asian and Pacific Development Centre Asian Productivity organisation Council of Arab Economic Unity Global Water Partnership Helsinki Commission Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture Intergovernmental Forum on Mining, Minerals, Metals and Sustainable Development Intergovernmental Institution For the Use of Micro-Algae Spirulina Against Malnutrition International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions International Center for Public Enterprises in Developing Countries International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology Islamic Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation Latin American Energy organisation organisation of Ibero - American States organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries Regional organisation for the Protection of the Marine Environment Union des Conseils Économiques et Sociaux Africains Economic Community Of West African States World Deserts Foundation World Tourism organisation Participation on an ad hoc basis : African Accounting Council African Cultural Institute Arab Security Studies and Training Center Council of Arab Ministers of the Interior International Bauxite Association International Civil Defence Organisation Latin American Social Sciences Institute Functional commissions UN Commission for Social Development UN Commission on Human Rights ( UNCHR ) : disbanded 2006, replaced by the United Nations Human Rights Council ( UNHRC ), a subsidiary organ of the General Assembly Commission on Narcotic Drugs Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice Commission on Science and Technology for Development ( CSTD ) Commission on Sustainable Development ( CSD ) -- Disbanded 2013, replaced with High - level Political Forum on Sustainable Development a joint subsidiary body of the General Assembly and ECOSOC UN Commission on the Status of Women ( UN CSW ) The UN Commission on the Status of Women formally became a functional commission of the Economic and Social Council on the 21st of June 1946. The UN Commission on the status of women is a global intergovernmental body dedicated to promoting gender equality, and empowering women. Originally, the proposal for the council was turned down with the thought that the Commission on Human Rights would be sufficient to deal with women 's issues. Eventually at the urging of the then Danish delegate, Bodil Begtrup, the Commission on the Status of Women was formed as a freestanding functional commission, dedicated specifically to women 's issues, in 1946. Bodil Begtrup went on to become the first chair of the Commission on the Status of Women. The Commission on the Status of Women engages with the Commission on Human Rights and serves as a lobby specifically for women, often working closely with women 's NGOs. The commission was initially focused on women 's rights to equality, gradually shifting to a focus on issues of women 's education, social status, political equality etc. Commission on Population and Development UN Statistical Commission United Nations Forum on Forests Regional commissions United Nations Economic Commission for Europe ( ECE ) United Nations Economic Commission for Africa ( ECA ) United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean ( ECLAC ) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific ( ESCAP ) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia ( ESCWA ) Specialised agencies These specialised agencies are autonomous organisations working with the United Nations and each other inter alia through the coordinating machinery of the Economic and Social Council. International Labour organisation ( ILO ) Food and Agriculture organisation ( FAO ) United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural organisation ( UNESCO ) World Health organisation ( WHO ) World Bank Group International Bank for Reconstruction and Development ( IBRD ) International Development Association ( IDA ) International Finance Corporation ( IFC ) Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency ( MIGA ) International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes ( ICSID ) International Monetary Fund ( IMF ) International Civil Aviation organisation ( ICAO ) International Maritime organisation ( IMO ) International Telecommunication Union ( ITU ) Universal Postal Union ( UPU ) World Meteorological organisation ( WMO ) World Intellectual Property organisation ( WIPO ) International Fund for Agricultural Development ( IFAD ) United Nations Children 's Fund ( UNICEF ) United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees ( UNHCR ) United Nations Human Settlements Programme ( UN Habitat ) United Nations Industrial Development organisation ( UNIDO ) United Nations Development Programme ( UNDP ) United Nations Office of Project Services ( UNOPS ) International Narcotics Control Board ( INCB ) United Nations Environment Programme ( UNEP ) Other related entities, mechanisms and processes Financing for Development, the Monterrey Consensus and Doha Declaration Development Cooperation Forum United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues ( UNPFII ) Sessional and Standing Committees Expert, ad hoc and related bodies United Nations International Children 's Emergency Fund ( UNICEF ) United Nations Interagency Task Force on the Prevention and Control of NCDs ( UNIATF ) International Federation for Family Development, has general consultative status `` World Economic and Social Survey 2011 : the Great green Technological Transformation '' In a report issued in early July 2011, the UN called for spending nearly USD 2 trillion on green technologies to prevent what it termed `` a major planetary catastrophe '', warning that `` It is rapidly expanding energy use, mainly driven by fossil fuels, that explains why humanity is on the verge of breaching planetary sustainability boundaries through global warming, biodiversity loss, and disturbance of the nitrogen - cycle balance and other measures of the sustainability of the earth 's ecosystem ''. UN secretary - general Ban Ki - moon added : `` Rather than viewing growth and sustainability as competing goals on a collision course, we must see them as complementary and mutually supportive imperatives ''. The report concluded that `` Business as usual is not an option ''. Reform of the Economic and Social Council This section does not cite any sources. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( November 2010 ) Governance of the multilateral system has historically been complex and fragmented. This has limited the capacity of the ECOSOC to influence international policies in trade, finance and investment. Reform proposals aim to enhance the relevance and contribution of the council. A major reform was approved by the 2005 World Summit on the basis of proposals submitted by secretary - general Kofi Annan. The Summit aimed to establish the ECOSOC as a quality platform for high - level engagement among member states and with international financial institutions, the private sector and civil society on global trends, policies and action. It was decided to hold biennial high - level Development Cooperation Forums at the national - leadership level by transforming the high - level segment of the Council to review trends in international development cooperation and promote greater coherence in development activities. At the Summit it was also decided to hold annual ministerial - level substantive reviews to assess progress in achieving internationally agreed development goals ( particularly the Millennium Development Goals ). These `` Annual Ministeral Reviews '' will be replaced by the High Level Political Forum from 2016 onwards after the new post-MDG / Post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals are agreed. Subsequent proposals by the High - Level Panel Report on System - Wide Coherence in November 2006 aimed to establish a forum within the ECOSOC as a counter-model to the exclusive clubs of the G8 and G20. The Forum was to comprise 27 heads of state ( L27, corresponding to half of the ECOSOC membership ) to meet annually and provide international leadership in the development area. This proposal, however, was not approved by the General Assembly. Chamber design The Economic and Social Council Chamber in the United Nations Conference Building was a gift from Sweden. It was conceived by Swedish architect Sven Markelius, one of the 11 architects in the international team that designed the UN headquarters. Wood from Swedish pine trees was used in the delegates ' area for the railings and doors. The pipes and ducts in the ceiling above the public gallery were deliberately left exposed ; the architect believed that anything useful could be left uncovered. The `` unfinished '' ceiling is a symbolic reminder that the economic and social work of the United Nations is never finished ; there will always be something more which can be done to improve living conditions for the world 's people. See also Consultative status List of organisations with consultative status to the United Nations Economic and Social Council Copenhagen Consensus French Economic and Social Council European Economic and Social Committee ( EU ) Hard Choices : Moral Dilemmas in Humanitarian Intervention International Court of Justice International Hydrological Programme UN General Assembly UN Secretariat UN Security Council UN Trusteeship Council UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs Union of International Associations Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics References ^ Jump up to : `` ECOSOC : President : Welcome ''. United Nations. Retrieved 2015 - 08 - 18. Jump up ^ `` Background Information ''. UN Economic and Social Council. Jump up ^ `` General Assembly Elects 18 Members of Economic and Social Council, Also Adopts Texts, Including One Designating 29 June International Day of Tropics Meetings Coverage and Press Releases ''. www.un.org. ^ Jump up to : ECOSOC observers, Part V Archived September 22, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw Jump up ^ http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw Jump up ^ http://www.mpil.de/files/pdf3/mpunyb_01_2013.pdf Jump up ^ http://www.mpil.de/files/pdf3/mpunyb_01_2013.pdf Jump up ^ http://www.mpil.de/files/pdf3/mpunyb_01_2013.pdf Jump up ^ http://www.mpil.de/files/pdf3/mpunyb_01_2013.pdf Jump up ^ `` The World Economic and Social Survey 2011 : The Great Green Technological Transformation ' ''. Thaindian News. Retrieved 23 February 2011. Jump up ^ Ian Williams, `` Annan has paid his dues ''. The Guardian, 19 September 2005 Jump up ^ UN website. External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to United Nations Economic and Social Council. 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Question: what is the economic and social council of the un
Answer: one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic, social, and related work of 15 UN specialised agencies, their functional commissions and five regional commissions