Brazil calls for reform in UN economic body

Brazil on Wednesday called upon the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) to reform its two mechanisms in order to further strengthen its crucial role on issues of economic and social development. Regina Maria Cordeiro Dunlop, the deputy permanent representative of Brazil to the United Nations, made the call while addressing the 66th session of the UN General Assembly during the joint debate on the report of ECOSOC. She urged ECOSOC to reform its forum for multi-stakeholder dialogue on international development cooperation and its follow- up mechanism to the International Conference on Financing for Development. "Brazil believes that it is important to further strengthen the Council so that it can fully contribute to the international policy discussions and deliberations on substantive issues of development," Dunlop said. Dunlop proposed that the Development Cooperation Forum (DCF), a principal forum for multi-stakeholder dialogue on international development cooperation at the global level, should meet annually instead of the current practice of meeting biannually. "Furthermore, we believe the DCF deliberations should be reflected in a negotiated outcome, not simply a Chair's summary," said Dunlop. Brazil is convinced that DCF can evolve into the main forum for development cooperation, addressing issues such as official development assistance, the South-South cooperation, philanthropy and new and emerging donors, she said. Dunlop also suggested that a functional commission be established to follow up on the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration of Financing for Development. These two documents were outcomes of the UN International Conference on Financing for Development in 2002 and 2008, aiming to mobilize financial resources for development, promote international trade, and increase global financial and technical cooperation for development.