Speakers Stress Need for Increased Effectiveness, Efficiency as Second Committee Takes Up Improving Working Methods
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) was the only Main Committee of the General Assembly to date that had adopted a decision on improvements to working methods, Committee Chair Sebastiano Cardi (Italy) told delegates today.
“Significant progress has been made,” he said, outlining several improvements already implemented but warning members of the need to remain vigilant. Monitoring of working methods had to continue in order to find where refinements might be needed.
The Committee faced “a crush of concurrent processes, dialogues and conferences” in the coming months, the representative of the United States pointed out. He stressed that it was more important than ever for the Committee to be “strategic and disciplined”, underlining the importance of negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda, and joining a unanimous expression by delegates of the need for increased effectiveness and efficiency in the Committee’s work.
Canada’s representative warned that the Committee should not “disrupt, pre-empt or otherwise replicate” intergovernmental negotiations on the route to September 2015, supporting the aim of ensuring that Committee resolutions were not used to prejudice or prejudge the outcome of the post-2015 discussion.
In that context, he said that “a dozen, if not more” texts required no more than procedural treatment or technical update and the Committee’s 2015 session should be spared from overburdening by proscribing future actions within the current session’s texts.
Also identifying scope for improvements, particularly on the timely conclusion of the Committee’s work, the representative of Barbados, who spoke on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said proposed changes to working methods should aim to enhance its functioning and status. Efforts to streamline agenda items had to improve the quality of deliberations and any decisions on biennialization or triennialization required careful consideration.
The representative of the Delegation of the European Union supported proposals for biennialization and triennialization of drafts, as well as the idea to merge texts into omnibus documents. The role of the Committee’s Bureau could be strengthened to help it ensure coherence in its work and to help ensure implementation of decision 65/530.
Other delegations also offered suggestions on how to improve the Committee’s working methods, with Singapore’s representative suggesting that the Committee scrap the general debate and go straight to discussion of agenda items, and Iceland’s representative encouraging the Secretariat to make available as early as possible information on the high-level officials and experts who presented reports to the Committee. For small delegations such as hers, such information greatly aided planning.
Representatives of Switzerland and Japan also made statements.
Prior to the discussion on working methods, the Committee concluded its general debate, with the representative of Liberia, who spoke on behalf of the Mano River Union, describing the negative impact of the Ebola outbreak in the countries of his group. The virus threatened peace and security and development aspirations, putting health systems under so much pressure that they could not deal with illnesses other than Ebola.
Also speaking in the general debate were representatives of Bulgaria, Fiji, United Arab Emirates, and Jordan.
Representatives of the Food and Agricultural Organization (also speaking on behalf of the World Food Programme and the International Fund for Agricultural Development), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies also spoke in the general debate.
Committee Chair Sebastiano Cardi notified delegates of adjustments to the Committee’s programme of work as contained in document A/C.2/69/L.1. They were the announcement of new dates for a side event and a joint meeting with the Economic and Social Council, and announcement of a new date for consideration of “Agriculture development, food security and nutrition”.
The Second Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on 13 October to consider “External debt sustainability and development”.
Statements
RADINA KOLEVA and ANI KOLEVA (Bulgaria) said that young people between the ages of 10 and 24 formed a quarter of the world’s population, yet they did not participate in the decision-making process in any way. They were a major human resource for development and should be the key agents for positive social change globally. However, unemployment was a major obstacle for them to actively contribute to development. They were three times more likely to be unemployed than adults, with one in six young people out of job, education or training. When they could not fulfil their potential, development was delayed. As such, they called on Governments to substantially reduce the proportion of young people not in employment or training by providing support for and investment in formal and non-formal education, focused on entrepreneurial and leadership skills. Young people should not only be the objects of policies but also should be recognized as key partners in their elaboration. Accordingly, their full participation in the post-2015 development agenda was vital.
PENI B. SUVEINAKAMA (Fiji), associating himself with the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, Alliance of Small Island States, and Group of Pacific Small Island Developing States, said the Samoa Pathway outlined a broad vision which placed an integrated approach, coupled with partnerships, as an indispensable requirement for the attainment of sustainable development. Moreover, the Third International Conference on Financing for Development provided a critical basis for ensuring the full realization of the post-2015 development agenda. As an ocean State, his country was highly dependent on a healthy marine environment for key developmental sectors such as tourism, transport and fisheries. Thus, it was of utmost importance to conserve and sustainably manage and use marine resources, he said, calling for a stand-alone goal on oceans and seas as well as one on climate change in the post-2015 agenda.
KHAULA ALI KHAMIS OBAID ALSHAMSI (United Arab Emirates), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, underlined the importance of poverty eradication and support for countries in special situations. The report of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals should not be renegotiated and commitments on upholding recommendations on financing for development had to be upheld. Sustainable development needed the participation of all sectors of society, requiring empowerment of women nationally and internationally. Special attention was needed to tackle climate change and collective, coordinated efforts were vital, particularly to provide assistance with adaptation. Reiterating solidarity with the Palestinian people and their aim to establish an independent State, she called on the international community and financial institutions to provide assistance to ensure its basic needs were fulfilled until a final settlement was achieved.
NOUR MAMDOUH KASEB ALJAZI (Jordan), associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, underlined the importance of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals report. Gaps in achievement of the current Millennium Development Goals had to be addressed. Poverty eradication must be at the core of the post-2015 agenda with better incorporation of the three pillars of sustainable development and of the global changes that had occurred since the Millennium Development Goals were agreed. The Conference on Financing for Development would achieve an ambitious outcome, while climate change would best be dealt with through the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and Kyoto Protocol. Lima was an important step in the journey to achieving a final agreement at the Paris conference in 2015.
REMONGAR T. DENNIS (Liberia), speaking on behalf of the Mano River Union and associating herself with the Group of 77 and China, African Group and the Group of Least Developed Countries, described how the post-conflict development trajectories of the States of the Union had been put at high risk because of the Ebola outbreak. That virus had claimed many lives and threatened peace and security and development aspirations. Health-care systems faced immense pressure and were unable to respond to illnesses like measles, typhoid, malaria, diarrhoea and others because they were geared totally towards Ebola. Cultural practices like shaking hands or traditional burial could not be followed, while development projects were suspended and farming, mining, manufacturing and other sectors were disrupted. Deaths continued to rise, suggesting weak progress in containing the epidemic.
The global economic system needed serious analysis, he said, calling for a united front dedicated to achieving stable global economic growth. The Millennium Development Goals deadline loomed and efforts to achieve them were ongoing. In many areas progress had been made, but some Goals lagged. Discussion on the post-2015 agenda brought into focus the needs and issues associated with small island developing States and the Samoa Pathway underscored the need for international solidarity with such countries. A comprehensive financing framework for the post-2015 development process was needed and was the concern of all States, while the sustainable development goals needed to recognize national circumstances, capacities and priorities.
SHARON BRENNEN-HAYLOCK, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), also speaking on behalf of the World Food Programme (WFP) and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said the latest State of Food Insecurity report revealed a fall in the number of people suffering hunger and undernourishment globally. The Millennium Development Goals hunger target was within reach, but marked disparities in successes between regions remained. Sub-Saharan Africa and Western Asia showed only modest progress, for example. Extreme poverty had been halved between 1990 and 2010, but the number undernourished was only 20 per cent lower. The aim was a “zero hunger world” and sustained political commitment was needed. Climate-smart agriculture could help address the interlinked challenges of food security, and climate change and family farming would be the theme of the 2014 World Food Day. IFAD, WFP and FAO had initiatives that sought to boost the contribution of the agricultural sector to increasing incomes and ensuring food security within the context of a changing climate.
JAMIL AHMAD, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), said the Organization’s Environment Assembly had reaffirmed States' commitment to the environmental pillar of sustainable development, expressing a vision of socioeconomic prosperity without degradation. The Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals had further emphasized that objective. He discussed other work of the Assembly on various issues, including air quality and illegal trade in wildlife. The Organization was on the way to a sustainable development agenda and the Second Committee had a concrete opportunity to further mainstream environmental sustainability in the work of the United Nations system. UNEP was engaged in various inter-agency activities related to sustainable development, including the National Cleaner Production Centres with the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO); UN-REDD with FAO and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP); and the Greener Cities Partnership with UN-Habitat. UNEP also supported system-wide support for small island developing States.
ANNE BANG CHRISTENSEN, observer for the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said that with 1.2 billion people living in extreme poverty, 2.4 billion lacking access to basic sanitation, and more than 800 million going to bed hungry every night, her organization was addressing the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable. She stressed the critical connection between reducing disaster risk and ensuring poverty eradication. Disasters had often set back years of progress towards sustainable development, with disaster risk increasing due to urbanization and climate change. Unless disaster resilience featured prominently in the post-2015 agenda, progress towards sustainable development would be threatened for years to come.
JAN PIROUZ POULSEN (European Union) said the Committee should not duplicate or pre-empt the negotiations taking place outside of it in parallel intergovernmental processes. If they agreed to a more focused approach to the Committee’s work during that session, they could create more space to improve its working methods. The post-2015 development agenda, once adopted, would eventually also become the Committee’s agenda, he said. As such, that was why he would welcome a comprehensive discussion on how to best ensure that the Committee, Economic and Social Council, and the high-level political forum on sustainable development could effectively follow-up on the outcomes of the July 2015 International Conference on Financing for Development and the September 2015 Summit.
He saw a stronger role for the Bureau in protecting the Committee’s policy coherence by proposing measures that would counter the increased fragmentation and proliferation of resolutions at the sub-agenda/issues level. In that regard, he supported the Bureau proposal for biennialization or triennialization of specific resolutions, as well as the proposal for a merger or combination of concrete resolutions into omnibus-type resolutions. Another area where he saw a need for strong Bureau guidance was in ensuring that the Committee implemented decision 65/530. Finally, while fully respecting the mandate of the Fifth Committee (Administrative and Budgetary) over budgetary issues, basic information on possible cost implications of the Second Committee draft resolutions should be made available in due time in order for delegations to take the best informed decisions during negotiations.
KEREETA NICOLE WHYTE (Barbados), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said she was mindful of the quality, relevance and timeliness of the Committee outcomes. There was scope for improvement in the Committee’s functioning, particularly regarding the timely conclusion of its work. They must ensure that the proposed changes enhanced its functioning and status. Any proposals for streamlining the agenda items should improve the quality of the Committee deliberations, and any decisions on biennialization or triennialization should be carefully considered. She also called for the Committee’s handling of decisions to remain timely and relevant.
Certain proposals for the Committee’s work went beyond procedural and organizational considerations, she said, calling for a balanced integration of the three pillars of sustainable development. They might wish to consider a relocation of agenda items at some point, and the consideration of the aspects that went beyond procedural might be best addressed following the adoption of the post-2015 agenda. She welcomed cooperation between the Committee and the Economic and Social Council. Moreover, since the social dimension of sustainable development was mainly dealt with within the Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural), she highlighted the importance of cooperation between the two Committees.
TATJANA VON STEIGER WEBER (Switzerland) said review of methods was important ahead of the post-2015 development agenda. Resolutions could be merged so as better to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development. She wondered whether it would be worth rationalizing agenda items so that resolutions could be more comprehensive but fewer in number. Looking back to the sixty-sixth session, prior to the Rio+20 Conference, many sustainable development resolutions had been procedural in nature. Given the negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda and on the financing for development conference, she called for a similar approach to be taken in the current session.
DOUGLAS CAREY (United States) stressed the importance of improvements to working methods given that the Committee faced “a crush of concurrent processes, dialogues and conferences”, with negotiations on the post-2015 development agenda at the centre. It was more important than ever to be “strategic and disciplined” and there was a need to avoid confusion or duplication of effort. The Committee’s broader weaknesses could also be addressed, and he applauded the Bureau for already undertaking many proposals, including enforcing deadlines, indicating changes to draft texts and rules for extensions. Convening the current discussion at the start of the Committee’s session was also positive. He welcomed any additional proposals that would ensure timely submissions of drafts, improve efficiency and enable completion of work on time. Guidelines for facilitators on responding to questions about programme budget implications were welcome and he supported streamlining of texts by various means.
MASATO USUI (Japan) said that most of the Committee’s work was related to the post-2015 development agenda and financing for development, and should thus avoid duplicating the work done as part of those two processes. Its work should be streamlined and effective, he said, noting that further streamlining of the agenda, clusters and resolutions in line with the post-2015 development agenda might be necessary in the future.
MARIA MJOLL JONSDOTTIR (Iceland), associating herself with the European Union, noted that her country’s small delegation benefited immensely from comprehensive information from the Secretariat for planning purposes. Good information was available on QuickPlace but the list of high-level officials and experts who presented reports to the Second Committee should also be made available as early as possible. Such was the practice in the Third and Fifth Committees, even in instances where lists remained subject to change. In the future, such a list should be made available annually, before the start of the work of the Committee.
MICHAEL DOUGLAS GRANT (Canada) said it was essential that the Second Committee not “disrupt, pre-empt or otherwise replicate” intergovernmental negotiations on the route to September 2015. He supported the aim of ensuring that Committee resolutions were not used to prejudice or prejudge the outcome of the post-2015 discussion. That was best achieved by using procedural resolutions for subject areas implicated in the post-2015 agenda and for issues addressed in other forums and conferences. “A dozen, if not more” resolutions required no more than procedural treatment or technical update. Adoption of the post-2015 agenda would offer a chance to rationalize the Committee’s agenda. Next year’s agenda should be spared from overburdening by proscribing future actions within the current session’s resolutions. Practical options included highlighting all new language in bold typeface, and the staggering of resolutions that fell under the same agenda item or that treated similar subject matter. Strict adherence to deadlines would also allow help with the conclusion of work on schedule. QuickPlace should also be used more and there should be greater communication with the budget office to identify budgetary implications of proposals as early as possible.
LIM MIN JING (Singapore) said that it was an important year for the Committee, due to the ongoing process of developing the post-2015 agenda. She called for increased effectiveness and efficiency of its working methods, suggesting that delegations make their statements concise and upload the longer versions if necessary. Draft resolutions should be circulated early to give delegates enough time for deliberation and negotiation. Moreover, she proposed the Committee not to hold a general debate, but to go straight to the discussion of the agenda items, following the examples of the Third and Fourth Committee.