NO CONSENSUS ACHIEVED ON INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROTECTING MARINE ENVIRONMENT, COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS TOLD
Press Release
ENV/DEV/352
NO CONSENSUS ACHIEVED ON INSTITUTIONAL ARRANGEMENTS FOR PROTECTING MARINE ENVIRONMENT, COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IS TOLD
19960423 The Commission on Sustainable Development's ad hoc inter-sessional working group on sectoral issues had been unable to achieve consensus in its discussion of global governance and on the question of institutional arrangements to follow up the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, which was adopted in Washington, D.C., in November 1995, the Chairman of that working group told the Commission at a brief meeting this morning.Presenting the working group's report, Svante Bodin (Sweden) said that the report stressed that it was important that all financial agreements in Agenda 21 -- the blueprint for sustainable development adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development -- be implemented. National efforts in developing countries had to be supported by the international community.
There was also the need to take action to protect all critical habitats of marine life, he continued. The Commission should call on States to further protect marine resources. The working group felt that there was no compelling need to develop further regulations to control offshore oil production activities, he noted. It had also recommended that all nations that had not done so should sign the Framework Convention on Climate Change and other related instruments.
When it meets again this afternoon at 3 p.m., the Commission will begin reviewing sectoral clusters of Agenda 21 dealing with protection of the atmosphere, and protection of the oceans and all kinds of seas.
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