2009 REGIONAL MEETINGS ON ECOSOC ANNUAL MINISTERIAL REVIEW
Regional meetings are key preparatory activities leading to the ECOSOC Annual Ministerial Review (AMR). They focus on a topic related to the AMR theme that is of particular relevance to the region hosting the consultations.
In 2009, five regional meetings were organized:
- South Asia Regional Ministerial Meeting on “Financing Strategies for Healthcare”, Colombo, Sri Lanka, 16-18 March 2009
- Asia-Pacific Regional Ministerial Meeting on “Promoting Health Literacy”, Beijing, China, 29-30 April 2009
- Western Asia Regional Ministerial Meeting on “Preventing and Controlling Non-Communicable Diseases”, Doha, Qatar, 10-11 May 2009.
- Latin America and Caribbean Regional Ministerial Meeting on "HIV and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean", Montego Bay, Jamaica, 5-6 June 2009
- Africa Regional Ministerial Meeting on "eHealth - information and communication technology for health", Accra, Ghana, 10-11 June 2009
In general, the regional reviews facilitate:
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Exchange of views. The multistakeholder format brings together a broad cross-section of representatives (from national and local government, regional organizations, UN system, NGOs, foundations, academia and private sector firms) from the region and beyond to engage in robust and constructive dialogue on key development issues.
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Review of regional development. The programme encourages an assessment of progress towards the internationally agreed development goals by the region as a whole, as well as the examination of disparities within the region.
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Sharing of good practices. The presentations showcasing successful initiatives to meet development challenges facilitate exchange of good practice and are highlighted in the meeting documentation for wider dissemination.
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Generation of action-oriented recommendations. The participants identify various follow-up actions to be undertaken by the relevant stakeholders within the region to promote attainment of the development goals, such as strengthening regional cooperation and creating new partnership initiatives.
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Reflection of regional perspectives in AMR. The report of the meeting captures the top priorities, challenges and successes of the region, and a constitutes a key contribution to the AMR as it is published and presented to ECOSOC at the High-level segment for the Council's consideration.
Previously, AMR regional preparatory consultations were held in , hosted by the Government of Brazil, and , hosted by the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain.
For more information on the AMR regional meetings, please contact Mr. Alberto Padova, Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, UN/DESA (+1 212 963-4759, padova at un dot org).