The Economic and Social Council Chamber, or ECOSOC, is a gift from Sweden, and is one of three Scandinavian countries to furnish the 3 principal organ chambers of the UN (Denmark designed and furnished the Trusteeship, while Norway was responsible for the Security Council). Designed in the 1950s by Swedish architect Sven Markelius (1889 – 1972), the ECOSOC chamber has a horse-shoe shaped table for delegates overlooked by an area for the press and general public. 

Originally, Markelius planned for the east-facing windows to sport both a day curtain and a night curtain. The day curtain (made in the 1950s) was created by textile designer Astrid Sampe (1909 – 2002), while the night curtain (made between 1950 – 1952) was originally designed by Marianne Richter (1916 – 2010). The curtains have since been replaced two times: first in 1988 with an adaptation of a design by Markelius titled “Pythagoras”, then again in 2013, with a design, by painter Ann Edholm (1953 –), titled “Dialogos”. The current curtain is comprised of interlocking orange and white wedges, meant to represent a visual abstraction of dialogue – the foundation of democratic discourse.

Included in Sweden’s gift are the marble floors, carpet, fireproof wooden walls, and custom designed ceiling. The original 1952 chairs by Elias Svedberg (1913-1987) were replaced in 2023. The ceiling is designed to appear unfinished, leaving the air vent pipes exposed, as a reminder that the work of the UN is never finished.

In 2023, ECOSOC chamber received a new chair from Swedish Interior Architect and furniture designer, Åke Axelsson, of the Gärsnäs company. Sven Markelius envisioned all would be included if sitting in the same chair. This new beech chair has 3 styles of seating, Delegate, Advisor and work chairs and all are upholstered in wool. 

The ECOSOC council is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. It coordinates the economic and social areas of the organization. It is a central forum for discussing international issues and formulates policy recommendations addressed to member states and the UN system.  
 
The newly renovated ECOSOC chamber was inaugurated in 2013 with the following officials present: Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, President of ECOSOC, Permanent Representative of Colombia to the UN, Nestor Osorio, Minister for the International Development Cooperation of Sweden, Gunilla Carlsson, and Deputy Secretary-General, Jan Eliasson.