Second Committee Introduces 17 Draft Resolutions, Including Text on Raising Public Awareness of Tsunamis, Building Back Better

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to introduce 17 draft resolutions, including one on “World Tsunami Day”, which aimed to raise public awareness, promptly disseminate information through early warning systems and implement the concept of “build back better”.

The representative of Japan introduced that draft resolution (document A/C.2/70/L.11), explaining that the choice of 5 November as the date for “World Tsunami Day” was linked to several important lessons.  Among those, he noted that, on that day in 1854, a man in a village in Japan recognized the signs of an approaching tsunami after a large earthquake.  He saved the lives of his fellow villagers and they built back better than before.

Although tsunamis were a relatively rare phenomenon, they caused tremendous damage in terms of loss of human life and destruction of poverty.  Even individuals from countries which had never experienced tsunamis were not immune from the risk.

The representative of Chile said his country was affected by tsunamis and welcomed the resolution, which aimed to raise awareness and strengthen response mechanisms.  In order to forge resilient societies, it was important to include all sectors of societies in the build back better initiative.

The representative of Samoa introduced the draft resolution on “International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development, 2017” (document A/C.2/70/L.5) under the agenda item on Sustainable Development, saying that, over the past several years, tourism had experienced significant growth.  That sector was responsible for 9 per cent of global gross domestic product (GDP), accounted for 30 per cent of the world’s trade in services, created 277 million jobs and employed one out of every 11 people worldwide.  The important contribution of sustainable tourism to sustainable development was evident in the 2030 Agenda, she said.

The representative of South Africa, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, introduced a draft resolution on “Combating sand and dust storms” (document A/C.2/70/L.22).  Noting that the Group was introducing the latter text for the first time to recognize the severe damages caused by such storms to the inhabitants of affected areas, especially in Africa and Asia, he said that cooperation at the regional and international levels would be vital for preventing and managing their adverse effects.

That was one of several texts he introduced on sustainable development, the most comprehensive item on the Committee’s agenda.  Other texts included

“Oil slick on the Lebanese shores” (document A/C.2/70/L.14), “Follow-up to and implementation of the SIDS [small island developing States] Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States” (A/C.2/70/L.17) and “International Strategy for Disaster Reduction” (A/C.2/70/L.15).  Further texts under that agenda item concerned “Protection of global climate for present and future generations of humankind” (document A/C.2/70/L.18) and “United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development” (document A/C.2/70/L.20).

The delegate also introduced a draft resolution on “Information and communications technologies for development” (document A/C.2/70/L.23) and two texts on macroeconomic policy questions, including “Unilateral economic measures as a means of political and economic coercion against developing countries” (document A/C.2/70/L.2) and “International financial system and development” (document A/C.2/70/L.7).

On the agenda item on globalization and interdependence, he introduced a text on “Culture and sustainable development” (document A/C.2/70/L.6) and another on “Follow-up to the Fourth United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries” (document A/C.2/70/L.19), which pertained to the agenda item on groups of countries in special situations.

Several texts were introduced on the eradication of poverty, including “Implementation of the Second United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (2008-2017)” (document A/C.2/70/L.9), “Women in development” (document A/C.2/70/L.8) and “Human resources development” (document A/C.2/70/L.16).  The final text introduced by the Group of 77 today was on “Permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and of the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan over their natural resources” (document A/C.2/70/L.21).