# President of the United Nations Economic and Social Council

The president of the United Nations Economic and Social Council is the presiding officer of that body.
The position voted for by members of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on a yearly basis.

## Election

The Economic and Social Council elects a new bureau, a president and four vice-presidents, at the first meeting of the new session of the council, typically in July. These officials are chosen at large from among the representatives of the council's members for one-year terms. Members of bureau hold office until their successors are elected by the council at the next session.
According to the rules of procedure of the council, the election of members to the bureau includes special regard for equitable geographic rotation among the United Nations regional groups. For instance, the presidency of the council rotates between the five regions, and along with it the vice-presidencies.

## Role

The role of president of the council involves opening and closing meetings of the body, presiding over the proceedings of the council, steering the work of the body, maintaining order and ensuring observance of the rules of procedure at all times, and, if need be, calling emergency sessions of the body. The president also usually speaks to the press on behalf of the council.

## List of presidents

The following is a list of all presidents of the Economic and Social Council since its inception:
| Year elected | Name of President | UN member state | Session(s) |
| 1946 | Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar | British India | First and Second |
| 1946 | Andrija Stampar | Yugoslavia | Third |
| 1947 | Arcot Ramasamy Mudaliar | British India | Fourth |
| 1947 | Ján Papánek | Czechoslovakia | Fifth |
| 1948 | Charles Habib Malik | Lebanon | |
| 1949 | Jim Thorn | New Zealand | |
| 1950 - 1951 | Hernan Santa Cruz | Chile | |
| 1952 | Syed Amjad Ali | Pakistan | |
| 1953 | Raymond Scheyven | Belgium | |
| 1954 | Juan I. Cooke | Argentina | |
| 1956 | Douglas Copland | Australia | |
| 1956 | Hans Engen | Norway | |
| 1957 | Mohammad Mir Khan | Pakistan | |
| 1958 | George F. Davidson | Canada | |
| 1959 | Daniel Cosio-Villegas | Mexico | |
| 1960 | C. W. A. Schurmann | Netherlands | |
| 1961 | Foss Shanahan | New Zealand | |
| 1962 | Jerzy Michalowski | Poland | |
| 1963 | Alfonso Patino | Colombia | |
| 1964 | Ronald Walker | Australia | |
| 1965 | Akira Matsui | Japan | |
| 1966 | Tewfik Bouattoura | Algeria | |
| 1967 | Milan Klusák | Czechoslovakia | |
| 1968 | Manuel Perez Guerrero | Venezuela | |
| 1969 | Raymond Scheyven | Belgium | |
| 1970 | J. B. P. Maramis | Indonesia | |
| 1971 | Rachid Driss | Tunisia | |
| 1972 | Karoly Szarka | Hungary | |
| 1973 | Sergio Armando Frazao | Brazil | |
| 1974 | Aarno Karhilo | Finland | |
| 1975 | Iqbal A. Akhund | Pakistan | |
| 1976 | Simeon Aké | Ivory Coast | |
| 1977 | Ladislav Šmíd | Czechoslovakia | |
| 1978 | Donald O. Mills | Jamaica | |
| 1979 | Hugo Scheltema | Netherlands | |
| 1980 | Andreas V. Mavrommatis | Cyprus | |
| 1981 | Paul John Firmino Lusaka | Zambia | |
| 1982 | Miljan Komatina | Yugoslavia | |
| 1983 | Sergio Correa da Costa | Brazil | |
| 1984 | Karl Fischer | Austria | |
| 1985 | Tomohiko Kabayashi | Japan | |
| 1986 | Manuel dos Santos | Mozambique | |
| 1987 | Eugeniusz Noworyta | Poland | |
| 1988 | Andres Aguilar | Venezuela | |
| 1989 | Kjeld Vilhelm Mortensen | Denmark | |
| 1990 | Chinmaya Rajaninath Gharekhan | India | |
| 1992 | Darko Silovic | Yugoslavia | |
| 1992 | Robert Mroziewicz | Poland | |
| 1993 | Juan Somavia | Chile | |
| 1994 | Richard William Butler | Australia | |
| 1995 | Ahmad Kamal | Pakistan | |
| 1996 | Jean-Marie Kacou Gervais | Côte d'Ivoire | |
| 1997 | Karel Kovanda | Czech Republic | |
| 1998 | Juan Somavia | Chile | |
| 1999 | Paulo Fulci | Italy | |
| 2000 | Makarim Wibisono | Indonesia | |
| 2001 | Martin Belinga-Eboutou | Cameroon | |
| 2002 | Ivan Šimonović | Croatia | |
| 2003 | Gert Rosenthal | Guatemala | |
| 2004 | Marjatta Rasi | Finland | |
| 2005 | Munir Akram | Pakistan | |
| 2006 | Ali Hachani | Tunisia | |
| 2007 | Dalius Čekuolis | Lithuania | |
| 2008 | Léo Mérorès | Haiti | |
| 2009 | Sylvie Lucas | Luxembourg | |
| 2010 | Hamidon Ali | Malaysia | |
| 2011 | Lazarous Kapambwe | Zambia | |
| 2012 | Miloš Koterec | Slovakia | |
| 2013 | Néstor Osorio Londoño | Colombia | |
| 2014 | Martin Sajdik | Austria | |
| 2015 | Oh Joon | Republic of Korea | |
| 2016 | Frederick Musiiwa Makamure Shava | Zimbabwe | |
| 2017 | Marie Chatardová | Czech Republic | |
| 2018 | Inga Rhonda King | Saint Vincent | |
| 2019 | Mona Juul | Norway | |
| 2020 | Munir Akram | Pakistan | |
| 2021 | Collen Vixen Kelapile | Botswana | |
| 2022 | Lachezara Stoeva | Bulgaria | |
| 2023 | Paula Narváez | Chile | |
| 2024 | Bob Rae | Canada | |
* ↑ Elected in January
* ↑ Elected in June