Economic issues

Resuming its substantive session today, the Economic and Social Council filled vacancies on five of its subsidiary bodies, with all new members elected by acclamation.

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.

Resuming its 2012 substantive session today, the Economic and Social Council adopted three draft resolutions and three draft decisions in addition to filling vacancies in a number of its subsidiary bodies, having deferred several elections from previous sessions.