ABSTRACT

While the responsibilities assigned by the Charter to ECOSOC - 'the creation of conditions of stability and well-being which are necessary for peaceful and friendly relations among nations'1 - were certainly awe-inspiring, the fact is that the Council did not live up to them and fell short of the expectations of Member States. ECOSOC was almost immediately pre-empted by other organizations, especially the Bretton Woods organizations, and, as a result, the first fifty years saw ECOSOC rendered effectively impotent, never to produce the desired results. We believe that it is time to return to the original principles and intentions for ECOSOC, revitalizing and strengthening its mandate in inter­ national economic and social affairs, emphasizing its leading role and the complementarity of the other economic and social institutions, including, primarily, the Bretton Woods institutions. This will not be easy. This is an area where North-South entrenched positions have not moved an iota in the last 50 years and it is not realistic to expect any miracles in this respect in the future. We feel, however, that our proposals may offer possi­ bilities for breaking the deadlock.