EU Presidency Statement - Programme of Work of the Second Committee

Mr. Chairman,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia align themselves with this explanation of vote.

The European Union has voted in favour of the decision on the programme of work of the Second Committee and wishes to make an explanation of vote. Our vote has not to be interpreted as a manifestation of satisfaction with the programme of work which is set out in the annex.

The European Union has approached the work of the 2nd Committee in the 58th session with the strong conviction that this work has to be reformed and updated in the light of the latest developments and particularly after the conclusion of the Monterrey Conference and of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. From the very beginning, we have been constantly trying to stimulate the discussion on how to better organize our work and on how to make more relevant and visible the 2nd Committee, drawing the attention to the weaknesses and inconsistencies of the present programme of work, as well as the working methods.

Following the conclusion of the intense discussion and negotiations on the integrated and coordinated follow-up on the UN conferences and summits, which led to the approval of the resolution 57/270B, we have been reviewing our way to deliver statements to the 2nd Committee; we have for the first time produced position papers on thematic clusters; and we have been trying to stimulate discussion in the context of the negotiations on the programme of work. In our effort we have been guided by a positive vision. But we have been confronted with parochial reactions.

Looking at the future, we have to let the wind of change that is blowing through the UN revitalize our committee. The SG has launched a call for reform. The President of the GA has urged us to strengthen and revitalize the Assembly and its work. Leaders of many Member States have voiced strong support, and noted the sterility into which this body has been sinking.

Mr. Chairman,

These are not the views of my group alone. The proposal made by the President of the General Assembly, Mr. Julian Hunte, is quite clear: to streamline the agenda by clustering or biennializing specific items; to review the working methods of the committees; and to reduce the volume of Secretariat reports. The reaction of many Member States in the informal consultations suggest widespread support for these sensible, practical proposals. They are not ideological points. They are useful steps to make our shared work here more effective.

We regret that this committee has made so little progress on those concepts. The EU will continue to work for the revitalization and modernization of our committee. We will continue to reach out to other groups and partners. We will not accept continued marginalisation of the issues that this committee covers, which are at the heart of the UN's work.

Mr. Chairman,

We voted in favour of this decision because it will allow continued discussion of the programme of work, as well as methods of work, reporting, resolutions, and all other issues relevant to the working of our committee. We believe in dialogue and we are convinced that true dialogue, a continuing discussion and exchange of ideas with other delegations will allow to reach better results. The decision that we have adopted has empowered you and your bureau with the responsibility to continue the process of consultation. We will support you in all the efforts and energies that you will dedicate to accomplish this important task.

We wish to think that the lack of consensus registered today is not a sign of the Second Committee departing from the basic stance of working to forge common views but rather an incentive to work harder in modernizing our working methods. It should be our shared objective to do better in the future. We look forward to show our commitment working towards that goal with all those who support strengthening the Assembly and the 2nd Committee, and in doing so revitalizing the United Nations.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

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