Second Committee Opens Seventy-Seventh Session, Approving Organization of Work
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) of the United Nations General Assembly held its first meeting of the seventy-seventh session today, introducing the Bureau and approving its organization of work.
Opening the meeting, Committee Chair Lachezara Stoeva (Bulgaria) welcomed members of the new Bureau: Vice-Chairs Ahmed Magdy (Egypt), Abdulrahman Abdulaziz Fahad Al-Thani (Qatar) and Vladamir Budhu (Trinidad and Tobago); as well as its Rapporteur, Francesca Cassar (Malta).
She then referred delegates to the allocation of 14 agenda items for consideration during the session (document A/C.2/77/1); Organization of work of the Second Committee (document A/C.2/77/L.1); and Status of documentation for the session (document A/C.2/77/L.1/Add.1).
The Committee’s general debate, which runs from 3 to 4 October, will be preceded by a keynote address by University of Chicago Professor Michael Kremer, winner of the 2019 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences. She added that during its session, the Committee will hold a joint meeting with the Economic and Social Council on 11 October, with a focus on poverty eradication and sustainable recovery. A side event titled “The role of trade and logistics in getting food and energy to all” is scheduled for 13 October. Another joint gathering will be held on 25 October with regional economic commissions.
She reminded delegations of the General Assembly’s decision that resolutions should be more concise and action-oriented, making a clear link to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in their titles and including provisions to accelerate its implementation. The Committee is scheduled to end its work on 23 November.
The representative of the United Kingdom asked to clarify the format of the informal consultation process of draft proposals. Chair Stoeva said the Bureau had agreed to have up to six informal consultations — the first two meetings in person, the third to fifth in a virtual format and the sixth in person. Each consultation would last for 90 minutes.
The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 3 October, to begin its general debate.
Press releases, in English and French, on the Second Committee’s public meetings are prepared by the Department of Global Communications and are made available on the United Nations website.