MOSCOW, August 3 (RIA Novosti) - The UN Economic and Social Council (Ecosos) might obtain the status of a development forum at the UN Summit-2005 scheduled for September 14-16 in New York, the official spokesman for the Russian Foreign Ministry said.
"The UN members have reached a broad consensus on this particular issue. The Ecosos would be given new momentum, since it would become a key mechanism for shaping and coordinating major development-related political issues," Alexander Yakovenko said in an article published by the government daily Rossiyskaya Gazeta Wednesday.
The Ecosos, one of the main bodies within the UN, consists of 54 members elected for three-year terms by the General Assembly. One-third of the members are rotated each year. Ecosos sessions are held twice a year.
The Ecosos manages international economic and social programs under the aegis of the UN General Assembly. The council issues policy recommendations to the UN General Assembly and coordinates with specialized UN bodies.
The UN Summit-2005 will be a 60th-anniversary session of the UN General Assembly.
