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SG's Report on Regional Cooperation and the Summaries of the Work of the Regional Commissions


Report of the Secretary-General on regional cooperation in the economic, social and related fields and its Addenda.

The first part of the report provides an overview of the work in support of the 2030 Agenda, including in relation to the means of implementation, focusing on showcasing the Regional Commissions' impact in shaping agendas and policies and the important steps undertaken by the Regional Commissions to align their work with the requirements of Agenda 2030. Moreover, it illustrates the role of the Regional Commissions in leveraging partnerships and intra- and inter-regional cooperation in support of Agenda 2030.

The second part of the report covers developments and outcomes in selected areas of regional and interregional cooperation, efforts to promote policy coherence at the regional level, and enhanced cooperation among the Regional Commissions.

  • E/2019/15 (English)
  • E/2019/15/Add.1 (English)
  • E/2019/15/Add.2 (English))


    • Summaries of the work of the Regional Commissions

    Summary of the work of the Economic Commission for Africa, 2018–2019

    The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean, 2018-2019

    Summary of the work of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 2018–2019

    Summary of the work of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia, 2019

    Summary of the work of the Economic Commission for Europe, 2018–2019

    Secretary-General Meets Heads of UN Regional Commissions Secretary-General Meets Heads of UN Regional Commissions Secretary-General António Guterres (centre left) meets with (left to right): Rola Dashti, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA); Alicia Bárcena, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC); Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP); Olga Algayerova, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Europe (ECE); and Vera Songwe, Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). 21 February 2019 United Nations, New York

    Regional Coordination Mechanisms

    The Regional Coordination Mechanisms (RCM) were mandated by ECOSOC resolution 1998/46 of July 1998 (Annex III, B para 13).

    The role and functions of the RCM in promoting coherence in policy and in regional and sub-regional programming are being reinvigorated within the new parameters and frameworks of UNDS strategic engagement in the regions. Its role is increasingly relevant in order to meet the integrated policy advice needs of the 2030 Agenda, strengthen the policy-operational linkage including in strategic planning and regional and subregional programming, avoid duplication and overlaps, and ensure a more coherent and robust accountability to ECOSOC and its oversight of the regional level results.

    All five RCMs have taken action to align with the 2030 Agenda and their work feeds into the Regional Forums for Sustainable Development. While their working arrangements as well as the level of interaction with the regional-UNDG (R-UNDG) vary from region to region, efforts are being made now in all regions to convene the RCM and R-UNDG jointly or back to back, pending a broader repositioning of the regional level to be proposed and decided upon by Member States as an integral part of the UNDS repositioning to support implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

    Please click below for additional information on the five Regional Coordination Mechanisms. ECA ECLAC ESCAP ESCWA UNECE

    What’s New

    New strategic vision of the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia: Note by the Secretary-General (E/2020/12)

    The Regional Forums for Sustainable Development

    The Regional Forums for Sustainable Development, convened annually by the Regional Commissions, have consolidated their status as the regional platforms for assessing progress and exchanging knowledge, best practices and solutions to support the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, in line with regional priorities and specificities. Countries have continued to receive support in the preparation of voluntary national reviews, benefiting from the wealth of knowledge and experiences shared in these forums.

    The Regional Forums are convened in collaboration with United Nations agencies and bring together stakeholders from across the three dimensions of sustainable development, including from Member States, as well as regional and sub-regional organizations, international financial institutions, the private sector, academia and civil society organizations.

    ECA: 6th session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development 24–27 February 2020, Victoria Falls Town, Zimbabwe

    UNECE: 3rd session of the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development for the UNECE Region 19 March 2020 Virtual Meeting

    ESCAP: 7th Asia-Pacific Forum on Sustainable Development 25–27 March 2020, Bangkok, Thailand “Postponed until further notice”

    ECLAC: 4th session of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development 31 March 2020 Virtual Meeting

    ESCWA: 7th session of the Arab Forum for Sustainable Development 7-9 April 2020, Beirut, Lebanon “Postponed until further notice”

    Sessions of the Regional Commissions

    Fifty-third session of the Commission, Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development 18–24 March 2020, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

    The Thirty-first Ministerial Session of ESCWA 13-16 April 2020, Tunis, Tunisia

    76th Session of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 18-22 May 2020, Bangkok, Thailand

    Thirty-eighth session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean 25-29 May 2020, San José, Costa Rica

    THE UN REGIONAL COMMISSIONS