The importance attached to skills, education, training and lifelong learning in enhancing employability and, in particular, tackling and preventing youth unemployment by addressing its root causes, many of which are examined in the recent communication of 20 November 2012 from the Commission to the European Parliament, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions — ‘Rethinking Education: Investing in skills for better socio-economic ...[+++] outcomes’.

33. Calls for the upgrading of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a drastic reduction in the number of its members and reinforcement of its decision-making powers in order to transform this body into the equivalent of the Security Council in areas dealing with economic matters, finance, development, biotechnology, communication systems, ethics, and threats to the climate and the biotope; calls for the establishment of a close and permanent consultation mechanism between a reformed ECOSOC and the Bretton Woods Institutions as w ...[+++]ell as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), enabling ECOSOC effectively to assess progress on the UN development agenda and to serve as a high-level development cooperation forum; calls for a better coordination mechanism between the various United Nations agencies operating under the aegis of ECOSOC; supports the proposed biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum and the establishment of an ECOSOC Executive Committee;

30. Calls for the upgrading of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), a drastic reduction in the number of its members and reinforcement of its decision-making powers in order to transform this body into the equivalent of the Security Council in areas dealing with economy, finance, development, biotechnology, communication systems, ethics, and threats to the climate and the biotope; calls for the establishment of a close and permanent consultation mechanism between a reformed ECOSOC and the Bretton Woods Institutions as well as the World Trade Organisation (WTO), enabling ECOSOC effectively to assess progress on the UN development ag ...[+++]enda and serve as a high-level development cooperation forum; calls for a better coordination mechanism between the various United Nations agencies operating under the aegis of ECOSOC; supports the proposed biennial high-level Development Cooperation Forum and the establishment of an ECOSOC Executive Committee;

31. Considers, however, that the reform proposals of the RSG in the socio-economic field remain largely below actual needs for a body that brings together the key developed and developing countries to address the critical interlinkages between trade, finance, the environment, economic and social development; fully supports as a first step the RHP proposal to transform the G20 group into a leaders’ group, with regular attendance by ...[+++] the IMF, WB, WTO, the European Union, the UN Secretary-General, the President of the ECOSOC and the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

34. Considers, however, that the reform proposals put forward by the RSG in the socio-economic field remain largely below actual needs for a body that brings together the key developed and developing countries to address the critical interlinkages between trade, finance, the environment and economic and social development; fully supports as a first step the RHP proposal to transform the G20 group, of which the European Union is an institutional member and the International Monetary Fund and the World ...[+++]Bank are ex-officio members, into a leaders" group with regular attendance by the WTO, the UN Secretary-General, the President of ECOSOC and the High Commissioner for Human Rights;

Conseil économique et social pour la Flandre - Sociaal-economische Raad voor Vlaanderen,