ECOSOC highlights relevance of the UN system Network on Rural Development and Food Security during its 2004 substantive session

To meet the internationally agreed development goals such as those established in the Millennium Declaration, recent sessions of the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations (ECOSOC) focused on the importance of an integrated UN system approach to rural development.

During ECOSOC's 2004 substantive session held from 28 June to 23 July a draft resolution was submitted on Coordinated and integrated United Nations system approach to promoting rural development in developing countries, with due consideration to least developed countries, for poverty eradication. In this document, ECOSOC "calls on the United Nations system to further support capacity -building programmes for, and exchanges of experiences on, rural development through enhanced coordination and information exchange mechanisms such as the United Nations System Network on Rural Development and Food Security."

The substantive session includes a high-level segment, at which national cabinet ministers and chiefs of international agencies and other high officials focus their attention on a selected theme of global significance. This year, the high-level segment covered "Resources mobilization and enabling environment for poverty eradication in the context of the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries for the Decade 2001-2010."

Based on the outcomes of last year's high-level segment on "Promoting an integrated approach to rural development in developing countries for poverty eradication and sustainable development" (read June 2003 update) the Secretary-General issued a Report on Coordinated and integrated UN system approach to promote rural development in developing countries, with due consideration to least developed countries, for poverty eradication and sustainable development, for the 2004 session.

In this report, the UN System Network on Rural Development and Food Security is once again referred to as a national and international forum that "can assist to exchange and disseminate information, experiences and best practices, reinforce ties between organizations of the United Nations system and other stakeholders and mobilize support for government efforts to implement rural development and food security."

To read the resolutions and documents of ECOSOC's 2004 substantive session please click here.