I would like to thank the Ambassadors of Guinea and Latvia for their co-facilitation of this important review, which the EU supports fully.

We will provide detailed comments throughout this process and will engage on both elements of the review.  Let me come in today with preliminary remarks.

We find ourselves at a critical juncture. Implementation of the 2030 Agenda has fallen behind, held back by the pandemic, war and economic and social crises, and triple planetary crisis. To help overcome this, we need strong, impactful, efficient and well-coordinated UN mechanisms. The regular review of ECOSOC and the HLPF can give us an invaluable opportunity to contribute to a well-functioning multilateral system, based on evidence, past experience and best practices, with an effective UN at its core.

ECOSOC has a key role to play in coordinating and guiding the UN development system. While the UN Charter in article 62 gives it a broad thematic mandate on ‘international economic, social, cultural, educational, health and related matters’, it is today rightly focused on implementation of the 2030 Agenda, along with overall monitoring of various parts of the UN system, as an all-encompassing framework for achieving shared prosperity on a healthy planet.

ECOSOC’s subsidiary bodies conduct important expert work and should be geared fully towards SDG implementation. The 2022 Review of ECOSOC Subsidiary Bodies, conducted under the Bulgarian ECOSOC Vice-Presidency, provided valuable recommendations in this regard, which we should implement including looking how to revitalize some of these bodies.

The HLPF for its part is the key, inclusive platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and for building interlinkages between SDGs. We should find ways how to further strengthen this review bearing in mind very low implementation thus far and that we only have six years left to 2030.

The EU supports the accountability and peer learning character of the exercises linked to these processes, including the SDG in-depth review and Voluntary National Reviews. We support harmonisation of the VNRs for better comparability, along with active participation of non-State stakeholders.

It is critical that we use the full potential of both ECOSOC and HLPF, avoiding overlaps such as with the General Assembly and its revitalization agenda.

We would like to see ECOSOC rationalised, strengthening its relevance, credibility and efficiency. We encourage Member States to engage on an evidence-based exchange, through which we can improve the efficiency and impact of ECOSOC, its forums, commissions and meetings, for example through improved time-management, learning lessons from recent sessions and editions. This would also free space for further synergies and interactions with other key multilateral fora, including IFIs.

Similarly, for the HLPF, we would like to enhance its effectiveness, its participatory and interactive character and appeal.

We see this ECOSOC and HLPF review as part of a broader process. Through our engagement in the Summit of the Future, the SIDS and LLDC conferences, the EU will strive to act as a fair, constructive and ambitious advocate for universal values and principles including multilateralism, respect for international law, human rights, gender equality and inclusive processes. And ultimately in pursuit of the SDGs, leaving no one behind.

We look forward to working with you, to help improve our multilateral institutions.

I thank you.