GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS SHOULD NOT BE IMPOSED ON STATES UNDER GUISE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, COMMISSION IS TOLD

19 April 1996

Press Release
ENV/DEV/349

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL STANDARDS SHOULD NOT BE IMPOSED ON STATES UNDER GUISE OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, COMMISSION IS TOLD

19960419 Group of 77 Developing Countries Calls Instead for States To Adopt National Standards to Meet Particular Conditions

There should be no imposition of global environmental standards on countries under the guise of seeking to achieve sustainable development, the Commission on Sustainable Development was told this afternoon as it continued its discussion of cross-sectoral issues.

The representative of Costa Rica, speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said that instead of global regulations, countries should adopt norms and standards that met their particular conditions. It was also important not to place any restrictions on goods from developing countries.

The representative of Malaysia said that four years after the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the technological and financial resources necessary for implementing Agenda 21 were not forthcoming. Environmental concerns should not be used as a means of restricting trade; Malaysia rejected the unilateral efforts of some States in that regard. The representative of Brazil supported the notion of developing country responsibility in facilitating private investment, but added that technical cooperation required intergovernmental efforts.

The representative of Japan said that economic performance and sustainable development were not necessarily incompatible. In Japan, a "win- win" situation had been achieved in which environmental policies had improved resource efficiency while reducing unemployment and creating competitive industries. High environmental standards could facilitate private investment in cleaner, more efficient technologies, he said.

The representative of Germany said that in developing indicators of sustainable development, environmental, social and economic factors should be interlinked. Dialogue between scientists and policy makers was crucial.

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A representative of the European Community said that there was no evidence that environmental policies had any detrimental impact on trade competitiveness. A representative of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) introduced the Survey of Information Systems Related to Environmentally Sound Technology -- a database of 84 information systems containing sustainable development-related data.

Also speaking were the representatives of Italy (on behalf of the European Union), Philippines, Italy, Indonesia and Cuba. Representatives of the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and of the International Conservation Union also spoke.

Also this morning, the Commission elected the following Vice-Chairmen: Daudi Ngelautwa Mwakawago (United Republic of Tanzania), Adam Vai Delaney (Papua New Guinea) and Enrique Provencio (Mexico).

When it meets again at 10 a.m. on Monday 22 April, the Commission will take up financial resources and mechanisms.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on Sustainable Development met this afternoon to continue its discussion of cross-sectoral issues with particular reference to critical elements of sustainability and the review of cross-sectoral clusters in "Agenda 21 -- the blueprint for sustainable development adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Rio de Janeiro, 1992). (For background on reports before the Commission, see Press Release ENV/DEV/346, issued 18 April.)

Statements

JOSE M. GUTIERREZ (Costa Rica), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, welcomed all actions to support the impetus of UNCED. The Group of 77 and China attached great importance to the transfer of environmentally sound technology to developing countries. Such transfer should take place on concessionary terms and should receive financing. Account should also be taken of differences among countries and the impact of those differences on the transfer of technology.

He said that efforts aimed at trade liberalization would assist societies in raising money to meet environmental challenges. The Group of 77 and China opposed any imposition of global environmental standards. It rather supported that each country should adopt norms and standards that met its particular conditions. There should not be any placement of restrictions on goods from developing countries.

The relationship between trade and the environment had an important impact on sustainable development, he continued. Messages seeking to stop developing countries from benefiting from the advantages of liberalization must be rejected. Positive measures were the more effective way of achieving environmental development. Those considering trade measures should bear in mind the broader context of development.

GUISEPPE JACOANGELI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, stressed the importance of integrating and incorporating activities aimed at increasing public awareness in the planning stages of policies in the field of sustainable development. Such activities gained in effectiveness when they were combined with other policy instruments such as regulations and financial incentives. It was also necessary to provide options for alternative action.

The European Union favoured international -- preferably regional -- mechanisms to exchange experiences in the field of public awareness strategies, he said. The Union also supported the findings and recommendations of the Prague workshop on education for sustainable development, a subject which the Commission should address as part of its

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programme of work. The Commission should also call for an alliance of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and others within the United Nations system to develop and implement programmes geared towards education for sustainable development.

CORNELIA QUENNET-THIELEN (Germany) said that the scientific workshop on indicators of sustainable development, held in Germany last November, had discussed current conceptual approaches to indicators for sustainable development with a view to stimulating their future development. Environmental, social and economic indicators should be interlinked, the workshop showed. There were many interesting conceptual approaches being employed around the world.

Dialogue between scientists and policy makers was crucial. Scientists should further refine indicator measurement systems, but policy makers should not wait for a perfect system. Germany was willing to serve as a pilot country for the Commission's pilot programme on indicators.

She welcomed the expanding role of major groups. Local authorities in Germany were taking action for sustainable development in a programme developed by the Association of German Cities and Towns. Inspired by Agenda 21, that group had published a reference guide which was available to Commission delegates.

SERGIO FLORENCIO (Brazil) said that the work of the Commission should be aimed at making the world a better place for the world's youth. The report of the Secretary-General on technology transfer had stressed the support of the private sector, as well as developing countries' responsibility to facilitate private investment. Brazil agreed with that approach, but technical cooperation also required intergovernmental efforts. Brazil supported the work of UNEP in developing a sustainable development information network.

Agenda 21 had called for the transfer of technology on favourable and preferential terms, he recalled. Appropriate incentives for technology transfer were necessary. The establishment of a collaborative, international network of centres for environmentally sound technology was essential. Non- governmental organizations had a critical role to play in that effort.

The use of trade restrictions to secure compliance with international environmental goals could have a detrimental effect on global relations. International agreements should seek to facilitate finance and technology transfer, consistent with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the World Trade Organization should address environmental issues comprehensively and should report to the Commission.

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C.H. SAW (Malaysia) said that four years after Rio, the technological and financial resources necessary for implementing Agenda 21 had not been forthcoming. International cooperation should take into account efforts to remove distortions in international trade. Environmental concerns should not be used as a means of restricting trade; Malaysia rejected the unilateral efforts of some States in that regard.

Poverty was the major contributor to environmental decline in developing countries. In Malaysia, priority was being given to "growth with equity", offering the poor a means of generating income. Malaysia had a national policy for women which aimed to promote their role in society, he said. The greatest achievement of UNCED so far had been in increasing public awareness of the importance of sustainable development. Malaysia had introduced educational curricula on the matter to instill greater awareness of the environment among young Malaysians. Efforts should continue to ensure developing countries' access to new technologies on preferential and concessional terms.

TAKAO SHIBATA (Japan) said that economic performance and sustainable development were not necessarily incompatible. In Japan, a "win-win" situation had been achieved in which environmental policies had improved resource efficiency while reducing unemployment and creating competitive industries. High environmental standards could facilitate private investment in cleaner, more efficient technologies.

It was premature for the Commission to initiate an intergovernmental process aimed at developing guidelines on the use of trade in multilateral environmental agreements. Japan failed to understand why that effort was under way when an intergovernmental process had already begun in the World Trade Organization's Committee on Trade and the Environment.

CECILIA B. REBONG (Philippines) supported the statement by Costa Rica on behalf of the Group of 77 and China. As a demonstration of her country's support of the role of non-governmental organizations in sustainable development, the Philippines membership on the Philippines Council on sustainable development had included several non-governmental organizations. Those non-governmental organizations had been playing an active role in the area of sustainable development. The Philippines was determined to assume its fair share of responsibility in implementation of the provisions of Agenda 21. However, since Agenda 21 was a global partnership, the goal could only be achieved if that partnership was kept alive.

Mr. JACOANGELI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that proposals were under way in the union to promote integration through the use of the Union's financial support mechanisms and through integrating environmental dimensions in law-making. It was not enough just to have

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sustainable development strategies. There should also be the tools to monitor development and its should be emphasized that economic instruments could be very effective and were not being sufficiently used.

JILL HANNA, representative of the European Community, said that trade liberalization and sustainable development did not conflict and should be mutually supportive in favour of sustainable development. There was also no evidence that environmental policies had any detrimental impact on trade competitiveness. Trade and environmental issues should be approached in a way that did not undermine development.

The European Community felt that "eco-duties" should not be imposed in order to compensate domestic industries for higher environmental requirements, she said. A multilateral approach was the best way to deal with environmental problems. All countries should cooperate to solve global environmental problems. Consideration should be given to increasing market access to products that were environmentally friendly.

MARILYN YAKOWITZ, of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) said that sustainable development was a guiding concept of the OECD. That organization was a key repository for accurate data covering all its member countries as well as many non-member countries. It would continue to cooperate with the Commission.

BAGAS HAPSORO (Indonesia) said that international trade had a major impact on sustainable development. There was a need for the removal of restrictions on international trade to ensure that trade and the environment were mutually supportive. Indonesia's experience in liberalization and opening up its economy had not met the expected result.

He said that developing countries had become victims of policies of certain countries which used "eco-labelling" to frustrate their efforts to penetrate the international market. The Commission should send a clear message against such practices. The Promotion of sustainable development must not be unilateral.

JORGE MARIO GARCIA FERNANDEZ (Cuba) said that all Cubans had guaranteed access to education and to scientific and technical advancements. In Cuba, Agenda 21 was being implemented in a variety of inter-disciplinary programmes. At the university level, environmental awareness was being promoted through curricula and in informal contexts. Non-governmental organizations and local governments also had a decisive role to play. The intention was to reorient the entire educational system towards sustainable development.

FRITS SCHLINGEMANN, of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), introduced the Survey of Information Systems Related to Environmentally Sound

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Technology. That catalogue of 84 information systems had been categorized by technologies, dissemination and media, geographic location, languages used, means of system access and cost of information.

In developing the catalogue, UNEP had contacted 400 institutions by mail, distributed 10,000 survey forms through newsletters and conducted extensive Internet searches. Of the 84 information systems identified, 16 per cent were in developing countries; 75 per cent were available through the Internet; 50 per cent were disseminated by hard copy; 21 per cent used query- response services by phone or fax; 82 per cent of the systems did not restrict access; 50 per cent charged for information; and 27 per cent provided information in languages other than English.

WENDY GOLDSTEIN, of the International Conservation Union, said that Agenda 21 would fail if people were not sensitized to the need to take responsibility for sustainable development. International non-governmental organizations and multilateral agencies should integrate information systems and coordinate national action plans for communications for sustainable development. Such an alliance could increase funding for education for sustainable development. The Internet would be particularly important when it came to sharing "lessons learned".

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