The UN Economic and Social Council’s (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Affairs Segment (HAS) 2023 will take place on 19 to 23 June 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland, during ECOSOC’s 2023 session. It provides a key opportunity for Member States, the United Nations system, development actors, the private sector and other humanitarian partners to discuss current and emerging humanitarian challenges and priority themes and share experiences and lessons learned.
The HAS will be chaired by His Excellency Ambassador Maurizio Massari, Permanent Representative of Italy to the United Nations in New York, in his capacity as the ECOSOC Vice-President for the HAS. On the basis of the ECOSOC decision agreed on 5 April, the theme for this year’s HAS is “Strengthening humanitarian assistance at a time of unprecedented global humanitarian needs: driving transformation and solutions to address the urgent challenges of rising food insecurity and the risk of famine, protection risks and climate change” (E/2023/L.11).
Four high-level panel discussions will be held during the HAS under the following themes:
- “Addressing the unprecedented global challenge of food insecurity and the risk of famine: scaling up prevention, response and resilience”;
- “Addressing protection risks, needs and challenges in humanitarian emergencies, particularly the disproportionate impact on women and children”;
- “Preparing for the future: reinforcing and expanding partnerships at the global, regional, national and local levels”;
- “Strengthening humanitarian assistance in the face of climate change: humanitarian implications, lessons and recommendations for future action”
In addition to high-level panel discussions, the organization of the HAS will include opening and closing sessions, including a general discussion and action on the annual ECOSOC humanitarian resolution on Strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance of the United Nations. A limited number of side events will be held on the margins of the HAS from 19 to 23 June.