Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Friday and Saturday

The first two sessions at ECOSOC seem to have teed up the debate nicely for the weekend. On the Friday evening a broad debate about how to distribute aid encapsulated issues such as who should receive aid in Somalia - the government, the people, or the neighbouring states to which refugees flee. This did, however, create something of a minefield for some of the delegates for whom English was not the first language, with slips such as "Giving AIDS to vulnerable citizens" rife. After the motion to adjourn to the global village was passed by a large majority at the end of Friday's session, the Namibian delegate objected vociferously, albeit with tongue stuck firmly in cheek, that "people are dying, man!".

This morning's session covered working papers on Somalia, with a core group lead by Australia and India urging training of police forces and greater communication between relevant parties. Despite the wide support for the paper, reservations were expressed by nations such as Venezuela and Niger over encroachment on Somalia's sovereignty, advocating greater inclusion of the Somalian government in the measures proposed.