« The risk of growing social inequality as a result of the crises makes it even more important for the EU, after the entry into forces of the Lisbon treaty , to be present in the forum where this concerns are address at the world while level », said Pervenche Berès (S&D, FR), chairwoman of the EMPL committee who chaired the delegation.

he 48th session of the UN Commission for Social Development, part of the UN ECOSOC, focus on the issue of social integration, a theme on which the EMPL committee of the European Parliament has carried out substantial work and that is at the heart of the 2010 year on “Poverty and social inclusion”.

The main purpose of the visit is to strengthen the links with the UN Commission on Social Development and thus to promote the external dimension of EU’s social policies in light with the next adoption of the 2020 strategy.

The EP delegation to New-York from 2 to 5 February 2010, led by Pervenche Berès, was composed of eight MEPs: Elisabeth Morin-Chartier (EPP Vice-Coordinator, FR), Regina Bastos (EPP, PT), Edit Bauer (EPP, SK), Vincenzo Iovine (ALDE, IT), Milan Cabrnoch (ECR, CZ), Thomas Händel (GUE/NGL, DE) and Francesco Speroni (EFD, IT).

The EP delegation met with HE, Mr Leslie Kojo Christian, chair of the 48th Session of the Commission on Social Development and permanent representative of Ghana to the UN, HE, Mr Hamidon Ali, President of ECOSOC and permanent representative of Malaysia, Mr Sundaram Kwame Jomo, assistant secretary general and Mr Jean-Pierre Gonnot, acting director in the division of social policy and development.