Sixty-seventh General Assembly

Second Committee

37^th Meeting (AM)

Second Committee Approves Draft Resolution Stressing Essential Role of Aid

 

in Complementing, Leveraging, Sustaining Development Financing Goals

 

Chair Says General Assembly Has Granted One-day Extension of Work Programme

The General Assembly would stress the essential role of official development assistance (ODA) in complementing, leveraging and sustaining financing for development objectives, including internationally agreed development targets, the Millennium Development Goals in particular, according to a draft resolution approved by consensus in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today.

Also by that draft — titled “Follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development” — the Assembly would stress the need to strengthen and support South-South cooperation, while stressing further that it was not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North-South cooperation.  The Assembly would, by further terms, stress that the financial and economic crisis had highlighted the need for reform and added new impetus to ongoing international discussions on reform of the international financial system and architecture, including on issues relating to mandate, scope, governance, responsiveness and development orientation.

By further terms, the Assembly would express serious concern at the lack of progress in the Doha Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, and reiterate calls for the necessary flexibility and political will to break the current impasse in the talks.  By other terms of the text, the Assembly would reiterate its appeal to Member States and other potential donors to consider contributing generously to the Trust Fund for the Follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development.

Following the Committee’s action on that text, the representative of the European Union delegation underlined the bloc’s strong commitment to the agreements reached at Monterrey and Doha, pointing out that it was the biggest supporter of developing countries, having accounted for more than half of all global aid in 2011, with $52 billion in donations.  He stressed also the European Union’s commitment dedicating the target 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to ODA.

The Committee Chair then said that informal consultations on a draft resolution relating to international migration and development had been concluded successfully, and the Secretariat was currently processing the final text.  He added that the General Assembly had agreed to a one-day extension of the Committee’s work.

Also speaking today were representatives of Mexico, Italy and the United Republic of Tanzania.

The Second Committee will meet again tomorrow, 14 December, at a time to be announced, when it is expected to take action on outstanding draft resolutions.

Background

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to take action on one draft and to update the Committee on the status of outstanding proposals before it.

Action on Drafts

At the meeting’s outset, the Committee took up the draft resolution, titled “Follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development” (document A/C.2/67/L.63).

GEORGE TALBOT ( Guyana), Committee Chair, said it would be necessary to waive rule 120 - the “24-hour rule” – of the General Assembly’s rules of procedure, since the text had only been circulated this morning.  “As a general rule, no proposal shall be discussed or put to the vote at any meeting of the Committee unless copies of it have been circulated to all delegations not later than the day preceding the meeting,” he explained.

SARA LUNA CAMACHO ( Mexico), the facilitator of negotiations on the text, proposed some editorial corrections.

STEFANO STEFANILE ( Italy) praised the facilitator’s specific expertise in financing for development and thanked the negotiators.

The Committee then approved the text without a vote, as orally corrected.

JOHN BUSUTTIL, Delegation of the European Union, underlined the bloc’s strong commitment to the agreements reached in Monterrey and Doha, noting that it was the biggest supporter of developing countries, having accounted for more than half of all global aid in 2011 with $52 billion in donations.  He added that the European Union remained committed to devoting the target 0.7 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) to official development assistance (ODA), stressing that it was therefore essential to ensure the effectiveness of aid.  Pointing out that the aid architecture had changed significantly in recent years, he emphasized the importance of South-South and triangular cooperation, and urged delegations to use the informal consultations mandated by the draft to catalyse the strengthening of financing for development.

The Committee then withdrew an earlier version of the text (document A/C.2/67/L.29).

Mr. TALBOT ( Guyana), Committee Chair, then took stock of the programme of work, noting the successful conclusion of informal consultations relating to the draft resolution “International migration and development”, the final text of which the Secretariat was currently processing.  He then asked the Committee Vice-Chairs to provide updates on the progress made in other negotiations.

Mr. STEFANILE ( Italy) said that last night’s final informal consultations on two drafts in the macroeconomic policy questions cluster had ended successfully, and both texts were being prepared for the Committee’s action.

MODEST MERO (United Republic of Tanzania) said there were still outstanding issues relating to the draft on the Quadrennial Comprehensive Policy Review.  If problems persisted, some paragraphs would be deleted to ensure approval of the text, he said, expressing confidence, however, that differences would be resolved today, whatever it took, because no further extensions of the session would be granted.

The Chair then said that the General Assembly had agreed to a one-day extension.

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For information media • not an official record