The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) concluded its work for the session this morning by approving, as orally amended, its draft biennial programme of work for 1996-1997. At the current session the Committee approved 42 draft proposals, two by recorded votes, and held 45 formal meetings.
The draft programme was introduced by the Chief of the Programme and Documentation Planning Section, William Bunch, who orally amended it to reflect provisions of draft resolutions approved yesterday by the Committee.
Biennial items which will be before the Committee in 1996 include the implementation of the Declaration on International Economic Cooperation as well as of the International Development Strategy for the Fourth United Nations Development Decade. Issues related to the net transfer of resources between developing and developed countries and the integration of the economies in transition into the world economy are also scheduled for consideration.
In concluding remarks, the Committee Chairman, Goce Petreski (The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia), recalled that during the session many reflections upon the crises of the United Nations system had been heard and concerns had been expressed about its competence and credibility. As a product of the "great ideas of our time", the United Nations system should be open to ideas and visions of future times, he said.
It was clear that changes needed to be made in several areas, he said, but they should come naturally to enable the system to cope with global and substantive political changes. The United Nations was a complex structure with inbuilt rigidities, some of them coming from the outside. Moving that immense structure through political agendas of governments and the diversified structures of its institutions was a complex task. And "that is the task ahead", he stressed.
Second Committee - 2 - Press Release GA/EF/2717 44th Meeting (AM) 13 December 1995
The Second Committee dealt with economic and financial matters which were not enlightening issues of civilization, but created the conditions for civilization to exist, he said. The Committee was expected to provide intellectual leadership in that field. In an age when information was spreading fast, analysis became crucial. "Keep one eye on trends. They carry the message. They bring the signs of future to today's existence", he concluded.
Concluding remarks were also made by the two Committee Vice-Chairmen, Max Stadthagen (Nicaragua) and Conor Murphy (Ireland), and by the representative of the Philippines who, speaking on behalf of all Committee members, drew attention to the launching of the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty (1996), to be held on 18 December.
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