Second Committee

Poverty eradication and other development issues, climate change and the international financial and trade systems were among key topics approved for consideration by the General Assembly’s Second Committee this afternoon as it adopted its organization of work for the sixty-fifth session.

Concluding its sixty-fourth session today, the Second Committee approved five draft resolutions on a range of agenda items, including a text by which the General Assembly would note with deep concern that the world financial and economic crisis had severely impacted international trade, with a particular effect on developing countries, resulting in lower fiscal revenues and balance-of-payment problems.

Taking action on a wide range of issues today, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved 15 draft resolutions -- 14 by consensus -– including a text by which the General Assembly would urge the international community to adopt urgent, effective steps to eliminate the use of unilateral measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved 11 draft resolutions this afternoon, including a text entitled “towards a new international economic order” that would have the General Assembly reaffirm the need to continue working towards that goal based on the principles of equity, sovereign equality, interdependence, common interest, cooperation and solidarity among all States.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon approved by consensus three draft resolutions, including texts concerning the Fourth United Nations Conference on Least Developed Countries, science and technology for development, and the sustainable development of small island developing States.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved by consensus today three draft resolutions relating, respectively, to sustainable mountain development, cyber security and landlocked developing countries.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved by consensus today a draft resolution on South-South cooperation for development and an oral decision on postponement of the fourth High-level Dialogue on Financing for Development.

The Second Committee approved three draft resolutions today, including a text by which the General Assembly would reiterate its deep concern over the destruction by the Israeli Air Force of oil storage tanks near Lebanon’s El-Jiyeh electric power plant due to the adverse implications for sustainable development in that country.

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) approved two draft resolutions today, including a text that would have the General Assembly demand that Israel stop exploiting, damaging, depleting or endangering the natural resources of the Occupied Palestinian Territory and the occupied Syrian Golan.

A total of 14 draft resolutions were introduced in the Second Committee this afternoon on agenda items ranging from sustainable development to macroeconomic policy questions to globalization and interdependence.