Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territories and the Syrian Golan continue to deprive populations living there of their rights and to hinder their development in all spheres, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today as it took up the issue of those lands.

Global partnerships are instrumental in harnessing investment, transferring technology, generating employment and promoting training, but must be tempered by adherence to United Nations values and Global Compact principles, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it took up that topic today.

Least developed nations are not entirely on track to attain the Sustainable Development Goals or eradicate poverty, speakers heard as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up groups of countries in special situations today.

With migrant numbers skyrocketing worldwide, speakers emphasized that group’s contribution to development as well as the need to recognize their qualifications, protect their rights and combat illegal trafficking, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up globalization and interdependence today.

Marking the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty today, delegates noted the persistent scourge of extreme global poverty and called for increased aid and development to tackle it as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) took up the issue.

Renewable energy sources are the least expensive options in boosting electricity access, reducing air pollution and cutting carbon dioxide emissions worldwide, speakers stressed as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded sustainable development today.

Lowering greenhouse gas emissions and switching to renewable energy sources are key to a sustainable future threatened by climate change, delegates told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it took up sustainable development today.

Destructive impacts of climate change like droughts, floods and increasingly severe storms are the primary culprits behind decreased farming output and rising hunger worldwide, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial), as it took up agriculture, food security and nutrition today.

Unilateral coercive measures and trade practices harm the global economy as well as countries at the regional and national levels, speakers told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today during its debate on Macroeconomic policy questions.

Speakers stressed the need for a revamped, better‑funded United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) to bolster its vital role in implementing the New Urban Agenda and 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) focused on that topic today.