United Nations Economic and Social Council

The United Nations Economic and Social Council (Abbreviation: ECOSOC), referred to as the "Economic and Social Council", is to coordinate 14 United Nations specialized agencies, 10 functional commissions and 5 regional committees of economic, social and economic. The main agency for related work is one of the six main agencies of the United Nations as stipulated in the Charter of the United Nations.

The mission of the Economic and Social Council is to assist the United Nations General Assembly to promote international economic and social cooperation and development. The Economic and Social Council has a total of 54 members, of which 18 are elected by the UN General Assembly each year for a three-year term.

Main function of UN-ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Council

The main functions of the Council are: to coordinate the economic and social work of the United Nations and various specialized agencies; to study relevant international economic, social, development, cultural, educational, health, and related issues.

To convene international conferences on matters within its competence, and draft the draft convention to submit to the UN General Assembly for review; other UN General Assembly recommended to perform the functions.

What is the Organization Structure of of UN-ECOSOC United Nations Economic and Social Council?

The 54 members are elected by the UN General Assembly for a three-year term. Their seats are distributed according to regions, and one-third of the members are re-elected by the General Assembly each year.

Permanent members of the Security Council can usually be elected as members of the Economic and Social Council. The substantive meeting of the Council is held in July every year for 4 weeks, alternating between New York and Geneva. The Economic and Social Council has 9 functional committees, 5 regional agencies and 5 standing committees to handle related work.

In addition, the Economic and Social Council has established working relations with 14 specialized UN agencies in economic, social and cultural fields, and established consultative relations with 4, 500 non-governmental organizations, the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the International Red Cross.

Economic and Social Council Members

Members of ECOSOC: The Council is composed of 54 member governments and is elected by the UN General Assembly for a term of three years. The seats of the Council are allocated according to the geographical representation system.

There are 14 African countries, 11 Asian countries, 6 Eastern European countries, 10 Latin American and Caribbean countries, and 13 Western European and other countries.

The list of all member states of the Economic and Social Council in 2013 and their terms of office (54 member states with a term of three years):

Membership in 2013 until December 31

Albania 2015

Ethiopia 2014

Ireland 2014

Austria 2014

Pakistan 2013

Brazil 2014

Belarus 2014

Bulgaria 2013

Benin 2015

Bolivia 2015

Burkina Faso 2014

Great Britain and Northern Ireland United Kingdom 2013

Republic of Korea 2013

Denmark 2013

Dominican Republic 2014

Russian Federation 2013

Ecuador 2013

France 2014

Colombia 2015

Cuba 2014

Haiti 2015

Netherlands Netherlands 2015

Kyrgyzstan 2015

Canada 2015

Gabon 2013

Cameroon 2013

Qatar 2013

Kuwait 2015

Croatia 2015

Latvia 2013

Lesotho 2014

Libya 2014

Malawi 2013

Mauritius 2015

United States of America 2015

Mexico 2013

South Africa 2015

Nepal 2015

In 2013, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Sweden 2014 Japan 2014 2013 2014 Salvador San Marino, Senegal 2013 2015 2015 Sudan Tunisia 2015 Turkey Turkmenistan 2014 2015 2014 Spain, India, New Zealand 2013 2014 2014 China 2013 Indonesia

ECOSOC Bureau

The Bureau of the Economic and Social Council is elected by the whole council at the beginning of each annual meeting. The main functions of the Bureau are to propose a agenda, draft work plans and organize meetings with the assistance of the United Nations Secretariat.

 

2013 Bureau members:

• ECOSOC President: His Excellency Ambassador Néstor Osorio (Colombia)
  
• Vice President of ECOSOC: Daffa-Alla Elhag Ali Osman Ambassador (Sudan)
  
• Vice-Chairman of the Economic and Social Council: Ambassador Masood Khan (Pakistan)
  
• Vice-Chairman of the Economic and Social Council: Ambassador Ferit Hoxha (Albania) Economic and Social Council
  
• Vice-Chairman: His Excellency Ambassador Martin Sajdik (Austria)
• Chairman: Ambassador Nestor Osorio was elected as the 69th President of the Economic and Social Council on January 28, 2013.

Ambassador Nestor Osorio was elected as the 69th President of the Economic and Social Council on January 28, 2013.

2013: Nestor Osorio (Colombia)

2012: Mr. Milos Koterec (Slovak Republic)

2011: Mr. Lazaros Capambwe (Zambia)

2010: Kazakhstan Mr. Milton Ali (Malaysia)

2009: Ms. Sylvie Luca (Luxembourg)

2008: Mr. Leo Merore (Haiti)

2007: Mr. Dalius Ceculios (Lithuania)

2006: Mr. Ali Hachani (Tunisia)

2005: Mr. Munir Akram (Pakistan)

2004: Ms. Maryatta Rasi (Finland)

2003: Gert Rosenthal Mr. (Guatemala)

2002: Mr. Ivan Simonovic (Croatia)

 

Institutional reform

For a long period of time, the Economic and Social Council is only a discussion mechanism, and it has almost no right to take action. Many member states believe that its role is insignificant.

Since 1992, some countries have begun to strengthen the responsibilities and rights of the Economic and Social Council in economic, social and related matters, especially development.

The result of these reforms is that the Economic and Social Council now has the responsibility for overseeing and setting policies for United Nations development projects and for agencies such as the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund and the United Nations Children’s Fund.

In addition, it has the role of coordinating the actions of various agencies in cross-cutting areas, such as anesthetic control, human rights, overcoming hunger and overcoming AIDS.

One result of this reform is that the UN development agencies act more consistently in overcoming natural and man-made disasters.

An example of the decision of the Economic and Social Council is the 1994 decision to establish a United Nations project to overcome AIDS. This project unites relevant existing resources and experience of the United Nations such as the World Health Organization, the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Development Programme, the United Nations Population Fund, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization and the World Bank to strengthen and unify institutions and the fight against AIDS among member states. This project has been running since January 1996.

 

Subsidiary Body of ECOSOC

• Committee

Statistical Committee

Population and Development Commission

Social Development Committee

Committee on the Status of Women

Narcotics Committee

Committee on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice

Science and Technology Commission for Development

Sustainability Committee

United Nations Forum on Forests Secretariat

•  Regional Committee

Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) Economic Commission for Europe (ECE) Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA)

•  Standing Committee

Program and Coordination Committee Non-Governmental Organization Committee Intergovernmental Institutions Consultative Committee

Ad hoc institutions

Information Open-ended Ad Hoc Working Group

Expert organization

Expert agency composed of government experts:

Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals Intergovernmental Expert Working Group on International Accounting and Reporting Standards United Nations Panel of Experts on Geographical Names

An expert body composed of members in their personal capacity:

Development Policy Committee Public Administration Expert Committee Ad Hoc Expert Group on International Taxation Cooperation Economic, Social and Cultural Rights Committee Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues

•  Other related institutions

United Nations Population Awards Committee

International Narcotics Control Board

Board of Directors of the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women Program Coordinating Committee of the United Nations Joint Programme on HIV / AIDS

ECOSOC Specialized Agencies

Autonomous organizations coordinate their work with other UN agencies through the Economic and Social Council. International Labor Organization

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

World Health Organization

World Bank Group (including: the five major institutions of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, International Development Association, International Finance Corporation, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), International Investment Dispute Resolution Center) International Monetary Fund

International Civil Aviation Organization

International Maritime Organization

International Telecommunication Union

Universal Postal Union

World Meteorological Organization

World Intellectual Property Organization

International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) United Nations Refugee Organization (disbanded in 1952)

Relations with China

China has been a member of the council since 1972. In April 1993, the Chinese delegation attended the NGO Committee meeting for the first time as an observer.

On July 29, 1998, the Economic and Social Council decided to grant the China Federation of Disabled Persons special consultative status in the institution.

In November 2007, China was re-elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for a term from January 1, 2008 to December 31, 2010. In October 2010, China was re-elected as a member of the United Nations Economic and Social Council for a term from January 1, 2011 to December 31, 2013.

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What is National day of Mourning?

When a catastrophic event occurs or an important person dies, most countries can set up a national day of mourning to pin their grief. During this period, usually all domestic government agencies and agencies abroad lowered their flags, stopped public entertainment activities, and held silent ceremonies.

In order to express the deep condolences of the people of all ethnic groups in the country in the fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic, at the expense of martyrs and deceased compatriots, the State Council decided to hold a national mourning event on April 4, 2020.

During this period, the national and foreign embassies and consulates in the lower half of the flag mourned, and the country ceased public entertainment. From 10:00 on April 4, the people of the whole country mourned for 3 minutes. Cars, trains, and ships whistle and air defense alarms sounded.

 

Name:    National Mourning Day

Festival type:    Mourning day

Festival Origins:    Institutional setting

Festival event:    Silence, whistle sound, air defense alarm, flower presentation, etc.

Holiday meaning:    Mourning the victims

Setting up an institution:    State Council

Country:    People's Republic of China

 

Table of Content

    1 Origin of the festival

    2 Holiday significance

    3 Domestic events

     4 Mourning Wenchuan

    ▪ Domestic

    ▪ International

    5 International events

    6 Half Flag Regulations

 

Origin of the festival

Wenchuan earthquake mourning day

All along, after the death of important people, various countries often set up various forms of mourning days to show their memory.

In addition, after major accidents with heavy casualties, many governments will also announce the establishment of a national day of mourning to show respect for the lives of ordinary people.

Since this form embodies the consciousness of "respect for life" and "people-oriented", it has gradually become a kind of "international practice". Depending on the situation, the length of the national day of mourning varies.

In addition, if the deceased person's influence is huge, or the loss caused by the disaster is very large, other countries or international organizations will also initiate various mourning activities.

Before the announcement of the National Day of Mourning by the State Council of China, Ge Jianxiong, a professor and historical geographer of Fudan University, publicly proposed on May 16, 2008 to use May 19 as the national day of mourning, "to express the people’s of the victims and victims of disaster relief.

It shows the world the love of the Chinese government and the Chinese people for life and the determination of hundreds of millions to devote themselves to disaster relief and reconstruction. "

The day of mourning was set up on the day of the "First Seven", first of all because this is a folk custom of our country, and it has been used to commemorate and commemorate the dead in this form before Qin Dynasty.

The second is that 7 days have passed. This is a time of ups and downs, which can free up a little time to appease the people who have lost their loved ones, to unite the hearts of the people of the country, continue to leave hope, and drive away the shadow of sadness.

To express the deep condolences of the people of all ethnic groups across the country to the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, the State Council decided that May 19-21, 2008, will be the national day of mourning.

During this period, the national and foreign agencies in the second half of the flag mourned and ceased public entertainment activities, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese embassies and consulates set up condolences.

From 14:28 on May 19th, the people of the whole country observed three minutes of silence, when cars, trains, and ships whistle, and the air defense alarm sounded.

The National Flag Law of the People’s Republic of China

promulgated as early as 1990 already clearly stipulated: “In the event of an unfortunate event of a particularly serious casualty or a serious natural disaster resulting in a major casualty, the flag can be mourned at half a flag.” In 2008, this law was first obtained Practice. Although 18 years is a long journey, but after taking this step, the lost life has been mourned by the country.

National Mourning Day Holiday meaning

The establishment of a national day of mourning and a national flag of mourning in the second half of the country. This kind of mourning ceremony held by the central government in the name of all the people not only provides great spiritual consolation to the relatives of the victims, but also makes all the people really feel that they are the family of the motherland.

One member, thereby enhancing each citizen’s sense of national identity and national identity, inspiring people’s patriotic feelings and cohesion of the entire nation. When the national flag falls for citizens, dignity rises for life.

Domestic events

On October 27, 1950, the secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China Ren Bishi passed away and mourned at the lower half of the banner.

On January 8, 1976, when Zhou Enlai, Zhu De in July 1976, and Mao Zedong died on September 9, 1976, a national day of mourning was set.

On May 29, 1981, Song Qingling passed away. The national flag on the Tiananmen Square in Beijing lowered half of the flag on May 30, expressing deep condolences for Song Qingling's death.

In April 1989, Hu Yaobang, the former general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China, passed away.

In June 1992, the chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and former chairman Li Xiannian passed away, and the country and its agencies abroad lowered their flags by half.

On February 19, 1997, Deng Xiaoping died, and all TV shows were stopped. There was only a big photo of Deng Xiaoping on the TV, and the sadness and joy returned.

In September 1998, Yang Shangkun, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and chairman of the state, passed away and mourned in the second half of the banner.

On May 12, 1999, to mourn the three martyrs killed in the NATO attack led by the United States led by the United States, the Tiananmen Square, Xinhua Gate, the Great Hall of the People, the location of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Shanghai were flagged at half an underground.

On May 12, 2008, a 8.0 magnitude earthquake occurred in Wenchuan County, Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture, Sichuan Province.

On May 18, the State Council issued an announcement:

In order to express the deep condolences of the people across the country to the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan, the State Council decided that May 19-21, 2008, will be the national day of mourning. During this period, the national and foreign embassies and consulates in the lower half of the flag expressed condolences and ceased public entertainment activities.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Chinese embassies and consulates abroad established condolences.

From 14:28 on May 19th, the people of the whole country observed three minutes of silence, when cars, trains, and ships whistle, and the air defense alarm sounded.

On April 14, 2010, an earthquake of magnitude 7.1 occurred in Yushu City, Yushu Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Qinghai Province.

On April 20, the State Council issued an announcement:

In order to express the deep condolences of the people of all ethnic groups across the country to the victims of the earthquake in Yushu, Qinghai, the State Council decided to hold a national mourning event on April 21, 2010. Stop public entertainment.

On August 7, 2010, a huge torrential mudslide occurred in Zhouqu County, Gannan Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture, Gansu Province. On August 14, the State Council issued an announcement: In order to express the deep condolences of the people of all ethnic groups across the country to the victims of the large debris flow in Zhouqu, Gansu, the State Council decided to hold a national mourning event on August 15, 2010. Zhimour, stop public entertainment.

In 2020, the new pneumonia epidemic will spread throughout China. On April 3, the State Council issued an announcement: In order to express the deep condolences of the martyrs and deceased compatriots at the expense of the people of all ethnic groups in the fight against the new crown pneumonia epidemic, the State Council decided to hold a national mourning event on April 4, 2020. During this period, the national and foreign embassies and consulates in the lower half of the flag mourned and stopped public entertainment.

From 10:00 a.m. on April 4, the people of the whole country mourned for 3 minutes. Cars, trains, and ships sounded whistle and air defense alarm sounded.

Mourning Wenchuan

Chinese Domestic: From 14:28 on May 19, 2008, people from all over China observed three minutes of silence in silence for the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan. Hu Jintao and other leading comrades stood in silence in front of Huairentang, Zhongnanhai for 3 minutes.

Hong Kong ships, trains and non-operating public buses whistle at the same time to mourn the victims of the Sichuan earthquake. The Chief Executive, Mr Donald Tsang, led all civil servants in silence.

On May 19, 2008, most websites in the country were displayed in gray style to express their deep condolences to the compatriots who died in the Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake.

Some video sites suspended their unrelated broadcasts and searches during National Mourning Day. From 0:00 on May 19 to 0:22 on the 22nd, the national TV and TV stations' logos changed to black and white.

International: The Peruvian government announced May 21 as "National Day of Mourning" on May 19 to mourn China's victims in the Wenchuan earthquake.

The Bangladesh caretaker government announced on May 20 that May 21 is a national day of mourning to mourn the victims of the Wenchuan earthquake in Sichuan and the severe tropical storm in Myanmar.

Tonga announced that the country had lowered its flag at half a half on May 21, 2008.

The International Olympic Committee Headquarters lowered its flag at half a mourning on May 20, 2008.

The United Nations Office at Vienna lowered the flag at half a mourning on May 20, 2008.

Pyongyang, North Korea, sounded the air defense alarm at 14:28 on May 19, 2008, Beijing time. The car stopped and whistle to mourn the victims of the earthquake.

On the evening of May 20, 2008, some Palestinians spontaneously came to the Office of the People’s Republic of China in the State of Palestine to express their condolences with candlelight.

The Comoros government announced May 22, 2008 as the national day of mourning in the Comoros, and the second half of the country mourned the victims of the Sichuan earthquake in China.

As of 20 o'clock on May 21, 2008, leaders of 115 countries and people from all walks of life as well as foreign envoys had paid condolences to Chinese diplomatic institutions abroad to express their deep condolences to the victims of the Sichuan Wenchuan earthquake.

International events

In 2001, after the "9.11" incident, the United States designated September 14, 2001 as the National Day of Mourning.

Russian National Day of Mourning, September 6, 2004

In September 2004, after the hostage case in the Russian Republic of North Ossetia, many hostages were killed. Russia designated September 6 and 7 as the national day of mourning, and the flags across the country were lowered by half to mourn the victims.

In December 2004, after the Indian Ocean tsunami, many countries expressed their condolences for the victims to lower their flags by half.

The national government agencies in Thailand lowered the flag for half a day and canceled all New Year celebrations. Sweden, Germany, etc. all lowered their national flags to mourn their citizens killed in the tsunami.

In 2005, to mourn the victims of the Madrid train bombings on March 11, 2004, the Spanish government announced the March 11th anniversary of March 11 as a national day of mourning.

In September 2005, after the hurricane "Katrina", US President Bush signed a decree ordering the nation and all foreign agencies to lower the flag by half to express their condolences to the victims.

According to this decree, all public buildings and venues in the United States, including the White House, and all military installations have been lowered by half.

From May 21 to 23, 2008, Myanmar, which was hit by hunger and tropical storms, also mourned the people who lost their lives for three days. All flags were lowered across the country and the school held a collective mourning ceremony.

On June 1, 2009, Air France Flight 447 used the Airbus A330-203 passenger plane, carrying 216 passengers and 12 crew members crashed near the islands of San Pedro and São Paulo in Brazil.

All the people on board were killed. It was Air France Since the establishment of the worst casualty in the air crash, the French government decided to designate June 8 as the national day of mourning.

On February 12, 2010, Haiti declared that day as a national day of mourning to mourn the victims of the January 12 earthquake.

Starting on March 7, 2010, Chile began a three-day national mourning to mourn the victims of the February 27 earthquake and tsunami.

From April 11th to 17th, 2010, Poland announced the entry of a week-long national day of mourning in memory of Polish President Kaczynski, who was killed in the plane crash on April 10, and government officials, military generals, 96 people including clergy.

On April 17, 2010, Hungary carried out the "National Day of Mourning" event in memory of the Polish President Kaczynski and his entourage who were killed in the plane crash. On the morning of the same day, the "National Day of Mourning" ceremony was held at Kosut Square in front of the Hungarian Parliament Building.

On August 25, 2010, the National Day of Mourning in the Philippines mourned the victims of the August 23 Philippine abduction of tourists in Hong Kong in silence.

On December 17, 2011 (local time), North Korea ’s top leader Kim Jong Il passed away, and North Korea announced national mourning from December 17 to 29.

On July 17, 2014 (local time), Malaysia Airlines flight MH17 flew from Amsterdam Airport Schiphol to Kuala Lumpur International Airport, and was suspected of being shot down by a 9K37 "beech" surface-to-air missile at a height of 33,000 feet (10,000 meters) near Ukraine’s border with Russia. In the crash, 283 passengers and 15 crew members were all killed.

The Netherlands decided that the 23rd will be a national day of mourning

On October 31, 2015 (local time), an Airbus 321 aircraft of Russian MetroJet Airlines was performing flight 9268 from Sharm el-Sheikh to Saint Petersburg. October 31, 2015, a large number of air crashes occurred in Egypt. Personnel died.

While expressing condolences to the victims and sympathy with the relatives of the victims, it is hereby stipulated that November 1, 2015 will be declared a day of mourning for the Russian Federation.

On November 13, 2015, a terrorist attack occurred in Paris.

French President Hollande delivered a national speech:

Cndemning the "Islamic State" organization (IS) for planning the terrorist attack in Paris. This terrorist attack is a "behaviour of war". Planned and implemented by overseas IS organizations, assisted by forces in France.

Hollande held a special meeting in the French Parliament on the 16th and will set up a three-day mourning day.

On the evening of November 25, 2016, Cuban revolutionary leader Fidel Castro died at the age of 90. Uruguayan President Vazquez sent a message of condolences to the Cuban government and people to mourn Fidel Castro.

The Uruguayan government also announced the 27th as the National Day of Mourning, and all public buildings, military camps, air bases, warships, and embassies and consulates in foreign countries will lower their flags to mourn.

On March 11, 2019, an Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 737-MAX 8 passenger plane crashed on the 10th, killing all 157 people on board. Ethiopian Prime Minister Abi Ahmed Ali announced that March 11 will be designated as a national day of mourning to mourn all the victims of the crash.

On March 21, 2019, Prime Minister Adil Abdul-Mehdi announced that the national and foreign agencies in Iraq will begin a three-day national mourning period from the 21st to mourn the death of the ferry in the north of Iraq By.

On April 21, 2019, a series of bombings in Sri Lanka killed 290 people and injured more than 500. President Cirisena declared 23 the National Day of Mourning.

 

Half Flag Regulations

Mourning: On June 28, 1990, the 14th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Seventh National People’s Congress was adopted.

On the same day, the Order of the President of the People’s Republic of China was promulgated on the 28th. Article 14 of the National Flag Law stipulates that the death of the following persons will reduce the flag to half of the flag:

(1) Chairman of the People's Republic of China, Chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress, Premier of the State Council, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission

(2) Chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference

(3) People who have made outstanding contributions to the People's Republic of China

(4) Persons who have made outstanding contributions to world peace or the cause of human progress.

In the event of an unfortunate event of particularly serious casualties or a serious natural disaster that causes major casualties, you can go to the bottom of the flag to mourn. I

In accordance with the provisions of the first paragraph (3), (4) and second paragraph of this article, the second half of the flag shall be decided by the State Council.

The date and place of the second half of the banner in accordance with this Article shall be determined by the state’s funeral institution or the State Council.

 

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