29 July 2024 - A veteran Canadian politician and diplomat was elected President of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), which lies at the centre of the Organization’s efforts to advance sustainable development.

Robert Rae currently serves as Canada’s Ambassador to the UN and chair of ECOSOC’s Ad Hoc Advisory Group on Haiti. He succeeds Paula Narváez Ojeda of Chile.

The 54-member Council also elected three new Vice-Presidents: Lok Bahadur Thapa (Nepal), Krzysztof Szczerski (Poland) and Maritza Chan Valverde (Costa Rica). They represent the Asia-Pacific, Eastern European, and Latin America and Caribbean States, respectively.