Second Committee

The gap between emerging and least developed countries was widening as the latter continued to lag behind in their pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals, Haiti’s representative stressedtoday, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) continued its general debate.

Quality teachers did not just improve test scores, they had long-term positive effects on the socioeconomic status of children 20 and 30 years down the line, delegates in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) heard today as they opened their first general debate of the sixty-eighth session.

Concluding its session today, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved four draft resolutions, including one by which the General Assembly would stress the primary responsibility of Governments for their countries’ development and for coordinating all external assistance, including that provided by multilateral organizations, on the basis of national strategies and priorities.

The General Assembly would stress the essential role of official development assistance 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.

The General Assembly would stress the need to increase investment from all sources in agriculture and rural development, including by providing technical and financial assistance to least developed and net food-importing developing countries, according to one of three draft resolutions approved by consensus in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today.

The General Assembly would stress the importance of responsible lending and borrowing, while emphasizing the shared responsibility of creditors and debtors for preventing unsustainable debt situations, according to one of three draft resolutions approved without a vote in the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today.

The General Assembly would urge donors to increase voluntary funding to the United Nations Environment Programme, including to the Environment Fund, according to one of eight draft resolutions that the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved today.

The General Assembly would stress the need to increase the share of new and renewable sources of energy in the global mix as an important contribution to universal access to sustainable modern energy services, according to one of four draft resolutions that the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved by consensus today.

The General Assembly would stress the importance of efforts to strengthen the scientific base of activities to address desertification and drought, according to one of five draft resolutions that the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved by consensus today.

The General Assembly would stress the importance of continued substantive consideration of the follow-up to and implementation of the Mauritius Strategy on the sustainable development of small island developing States, according to one of five draft resolutions that the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved by consensus today.