REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MUST BE SPEEDED, ASSEMBLY'S ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE TOLD

Press Release
GA/EF/2728

REDUCTION OF GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS MUST BE SPEEDED, ASSEMBLY'S ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL COMMITTEE TOLD

If No Action Taken, Global Temperature Rise Said to Be Inevitable; In Climate Debate, Small Island Nations Also Express Other Concerns

Urging a specific target for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS) told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon that the global average temperature relative to 1990 would increase by about two degrees Celsius by the year 2100 without mitigation policies.

Speaking as the Committee debated environment and sustainable development issues, the representative of Trinidad and Tobago, on behalf of the AOSIS, stressed the need for additional commitments by the industrialized countries to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.

The representative of Ireland, for the European Union and associated States, said that besides the strengthened commitments of developed countries, it was important that developing countries play their part in producing and using more energy efficient and lower carbon-emitting technologies. He stressed the need for developing early warning capacities and comprehensive regional and subregional frameworks for disaster-reduction.

The representative of the Marshall Islands (on behalf of the South Pacific Forum) rejected the argument that it would be better if the developing countries shouldered the burden of greenhouse gas reductions. Speaking in his national capacity, he expressed dissatisfaction with the Climate Change Convention process and the fact that after two sessions of the Conference of the Parties, rules of procedure had still not been adopted.

It was clear that developed countries were falling short of their commitments to stabilize greenhouse emissions and were setting a bad precedent by evading their responsibilities under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, said the representative of Costa Rica on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China. The developed countries had also fallen short of their commitments on technology transfer and provision of financial resources.

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Also this afternoon, Robert Watson, Senior Scientific Adviser of the World Bank Environment Department, told the Committee that the Bank's active environmental portfolio now stood at $11.5 billion for 153 projects in 62 countries. Out of that amount $7.2 billion had been committed, including $1.6 billion (for 20 projects) in the past year.

Statements were also made by the representatives of the United States, Russian Federation, Bangladesh, Canada, Saudi Arabia, Samoa, Belize, Papua New Guinea and Thailand.

An introductory statement was made by the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai. The Director of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs, Qazi Shaukat Fareed introduced a report on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 22 October, to continue its deliberations.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to take up environment and sustainable development issues. Among documents before it is the report of the Economic and Social Council for 1996 (document A/51/3, part II).

The report states that among the matters the Council considered at its substantive session in New York (from 24 June to 26 July 1996) were economic and environmental questions. It adopted a resolution on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction by which it recommended that adequate consideration be given to the International Framework of Action for the Decade as part of the evaluation and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21 in 1997. It also stressed the need for synergy between the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States and the Yokohama Strategy and its Plan of Action.

In addition, according to the report, the Council called upon States, relevant intergovernmental bodies and all others involved in the Decade to participate actively in its financial and technical activities, including the need to share the necessary technology to prevent, reduce and mitigate disasters.

Among other documents before the Committee is a report of the Secretary- General on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (document A/51/186-E/1996/80).

The report recalls that since the proclamation of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction on 22 December 1989, concerted efforts have been made to reduce the effects of natural disasters through the International Framework of Action for the Decade. The Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World, adopted by the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction, held in Yokohama, Japan, in May 1994, and endorsed by the General Assembly in December 1994, contained the guiding principles and provided a plan of action for the realization of the goals of the Decade.

The report states that the international community's commitment to the Framework of Action for the natural disaster reduction decade must be translated into concrete support through the provision of financial and human resources. Policy-makers must accept that disaster reduction is an investment in the protection of national assets and concerted efforts must be made to translate knowledge into practice. Moreover, equitable access to protection from natural disasters must be ensured for all.

The report says that the Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action of the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction must be integrated into the implementation of action plans of all recent United Nations conferences.

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Among the tasks remaining, according to the report, was the need to solicit a more active private sector involvement in disaster reduction and the need to develop institutional arrangements required by the year 2000 to maintain natural disaster reduction measures beyond the Decade. Moreover, the secretariat for the Decade should coordinate a programme on disseminating information on the subject.

Also before the Committee is a note by the Secretary-General transmitting the report of the second meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity held in Jakarta, Indonesia, from 6 to 17 November 1995 (document A/51/312).

The Conference accepted an offer by the Government of Canada to host the secretariat of the Convention in Montreal, the report says, and decided that the first national reports by the Parties to the Convention should be submitted not later than 30 June 1997. Suggestions on guidelines for preparing them are included in the report. A clearing-house mechanism to promote and facilitate technical and scientific cooperation was also approved by the Conference.

According to the report, a statement by the Conference welcomed the decision of the Commission on Sustainable Development to establish an open- ended Intergovernmental Panel on Forests and said the parties were ready to contribute to the fulfilment of the panel's mandate. It also expressed the wish to establish a dialogue with the panel on issues related to forests and biological diversity.

A ministerial statement on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity issued during the Conference urged the international community to make every effort to assist developing countries to build their own institutional capacity, including human resource development, and to facilitate the transfer of technology, the report says.

The third meeting of the Conference of the Parties will take place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, from 4 to 15 November 1996, including a ministerial segment on 13 and 14 November, the report adds.

Also before the Committee is the Secretary-General's report on action taken to implement the Programme of Action for the sustainable development of small island developing States (document A/51/354). That Programme of Action was adopted at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States held in Bridgetown, Barbados, from 25 April to 6 June 1994. The report recalls that the Commission on Sustainable Development, in its initial review of the Programme of Action, in 1996, had focused on: coastal area management; tourism resources; air transport; telecommunication development; natural and environmental disasters; energy resources; maritime transport and trade-related issues.

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It also recalls that the General Assembly at its fiftieth session requested the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), in collaboration with the Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, to finalize plans for convening a high-level panel on external trade of island developing States. In addition, it requested the Secretary- General to make provisions for the development of a "vulnerability index" for those States. In response, the Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, in its work programme for the year 1996/1997, had included the development of such an index and the exploration of modalities for mobilizing resources to implement the Programme of Action.

According to the report, the emerging body of work on the vulnerability index addresses issues of economic vulnerability, including vulnerability arising from environmental fragility, the incidence of natural disasters on a national scale, small size and distance from markets.

The report recommends that the Assembly request the Committee for Development Planning to examine the report of an expert group meeting on a vulnerability index for small island developing States, to be convened by the Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development. It adds that the Assembly might wish to endorse the recommendations made by the Commission on Sustainable Development for future action to implement the Programme of Action.

The report also comments on the work being done by: the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP); United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat); Department of Humanitarian Affairs; World Meteorological Organization (WMO); United Nations Educational and Scientific Organization (UNESCO); and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the area of climate change, natural disasters, management of wastes and coastal and marine resources.

The International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW) and the Inter-American Development Bank have been active in the field of fresh water resources, the report says. In addition, the report provides information on the implementation of the Programme of Action by the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the Indian Ocean Commission, the European Community, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the Pan American Health Organization and the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP).

The Committee also has before it a report of the Secretary-General on the protection of the global climate for present and future generations of mankind (document A/51/484).

The report recalls that on 20 December 1995, the General Assembly endorsed the institutional linkage between the secretariat of the United

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Nations Convention on Climate Change and the United Nations, as advised by the Secretary-General and adopted by the Conference of the Parties to the Convention at its first session.

It reviews developments regarding the provision of conference-servicing facilities for the sessions of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies, as well as arrangements or administrative support to the Convention secretariat, including delegation of authority to the Executive Secretary of the Convention. In addition, it reports that the end-1995 balances remaining in the trust fund for the negotiating process established under resolution 45/212, and in the special voluntary fund for participation, were being transferred respectively to the trust fund for the core budget of the Convention and to the trust fund for participation in the Convention. The transfer is subject to 15 per cent of the balances being withheld until 1997 to cover unliquidated obligations, although it had been agreed that the Convention secretariat could start drawing on the amounts.

Statements

In an introductory statement, NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, said the items on the Convention on Biological Diversity, the outcome of the Global Conference on Small Island Developing States, the Protection of Global Climate and the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction had been grouped together for discussion, since they were highly interlinked.

Stating that he would focus on the subject of small islands and the protection of the global climate, Mr. Desai said one of the main effects of climate change was its adverse impact on small island States. At the first meeting of the Conference of the Parties, the Berlin mandate had been agreed upon. The Geneva Ministerial Declaration had been the outcome of the second Conference of Parties meeting. It provided guidance for developed countries on emission standards. It also helped to establish guidelines on national communication. He stressed that the reports before the Committee should be treated as incremental updates on the Barbados Programme of Action regarding small island developing States. He said he would be happy to provide more information, should the Committee so require.

QAZI SHAUKAT FAREED, Director of the Department of Humanitarian Affairs New York Office, introduced the report of the Secretary-General on the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (A/51/186-E/1996/80).

ANA TERESA DENGO (Costa Rica), speaking for the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, urged the international community to comply with its commitments on the sustainable development of small island developing States. It was clear, she said, that developed countries were falling short of their commitments to stabilize greenhouse emissions and that they were setting a bad

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precedent by evading their responsibilities rather than assuming the leadership to which they were committed under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. The developed countries had also fallen short of their commitments on technology transfer and provision of financial resources. The Group stressed the need for transfers of suitable technologies.

The Group of 77 underlined the need for sectoral and cross-sectoral meetings to facilitate full integration of disaster reduction issues into the programme for sustainable development by the year 2000. The time had come to consolidate existing progress in natural disaster reduction and link it with economic and social development.

She said implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity should be included in the framework of a new model of sustainable economic development, to solve the paradox existing between economic growth and development in developing countries. Technology transfer could not be accomplished by simply providing information on the technologies currently available on the market. The challenge was to ensure that such transfers had been effectively fulfilled from developed to developing countries in accordance with the Convention. She also stressed the need for international cooperation in the fields of biotechnology and "biosafety".

CONOR MURPHY (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, and for Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovak Republic, Iceland and Norway, said the Union attached particular importance to continued dialogue on the issue of conservation and sustainable use of coastal resources, and marine biodiversity and agricultural diversity. It recognized the importance of genetic resources in meeting present and future requirements, and the need to reach solutions regarding access to them. It believed that considerable benefit could be gained by cooperation between the Convention and other biodiversity-related conventions.

On the outcome of the global conference on small island developing States, he said, the Union had noted the conclusion in the Secretary-General's report that it would be important for authorities in small island developing States to provide information on all their major activities under the Programme of Action. The Union was prepared to support the relevant international organizations in providing assistance in that context. So far as the item on the protection of global climate was concerned, the Union believed that there should be a closer partnership between developed and developing countries. Besides the strengthened commitments of developed countries, it was important that developing countries played their part in producing and using more energy-efficient and lower-carbon-emitting technologies.

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Two areas of the implementation of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction were of particular interest to the Union, he said. It was important that early warning capacities be developed, and also that comprehensive regional and subregional frameworks for disaster reduction be developed. He emphasized that the Economic and Social Council's debate must not be duplicated in the Committee's discussion.

BISA WILLIAMS-MANIGAULT (United States) said much had been achieved since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), particularly regarding issues facing small island developing countries. The United Nations had provided new and additional financial resources to the Global Environmental Facility and had worked to ensure that the facility would address critical issues facing the marine environment as elaborated in Agenda 21 adopted at the Conference. The implementing resolution on the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities recommended by the Economic and Social Council should be adopted. The United States actively supported establishment of a clearing- house mechanism for developed and developing countries to share information on numerous land-based activities such as sewage and water; heavy metals; nutrients and sediments. The expertise required to implement mechanism already existed within the United Nations system, she said.

The United States expressed regret that the Secretary-General's report did not provide more information about the nature and financial implications of the transitional arrangement for administrative support between the secretariat of the climate change convention and the United Nations. The United States believed that permanent secretariats to free-standing international conventions should draw upon the contributions of parties to the Convention for their resources.

ANETTE des ILES (Trinidad and Tobago), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island Developing States (AOSIS), said the Barbados Conference held in 1994 had given international recognition to the special situation of small island developing States and to the vulnerability of small islands. It had also represented a commitment on the part of the international community to support those States in their efforts at sustainable development. Had the Barbados Conference made a difference? she asked. If the answer to the question was negative, then a second question had to be posed and that was -- why not? To find an answer to that question, the place that the Barbados Programme of Action held in the formulation of national policies for sustainable development in small islands had to be examined. The collaborative efforts at the national and regional levels should also be examined, as should be the commitment of donor countries and multilateral organizations.

Speaking on the protection of global climate, she stressed the need for additional commitments by the industrialized countries to the reduction of

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greenhouse emissions. Members of the AOSIS had proposed a specific emission target with which the Committee was familiar. The Alliance countries were now experiencing severe climatic occurrences. It had been projected that without specific mitigation policies, the global average temperature relative to 1990 would increase by about 2 degrees Celsius by the year 2100 and the average sealevel would rise by about 150 centimetres. Those changes would be damaging to the small island developing States. Since climate change was not just a small island problem, she said all States should act in concert with urgency on the issue.

ALEXANDER PANKIN (Russian Federation) said the Second Assessment Report did not define what level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere could be considered "dangerous", and he urged that a comprehensive scientific study on this question be launched as quickly as possible. The Convention's goal to stabilize greenhouse gases and avoid negative impact on the climate system could not be achieved without an understanding of what constituted "dangerous".

Concerted political action in the area of climate change required more information than was presently available. He suggested that additional mechanisms be created to stimulate the involvement of all potential actors, including the private sector, in the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and financing. He also restated the Russian proposal to establish a subsidiary body to assist in solving relevant problems different countries experienced.

On the International Decade of Natural Disaster Reduction, he said technological innovations and commercial opportunities played an increasing role in any effective response to emerging natural disasters. Increased utilization of modern telecommunications and information technologies could be achieved through wider access, reasonable rates and a readiness to integrate into a global system of early-warning and alert.

AMINUL ISLAM (Bangladesh) said some parts of the world were more prone than others to specific types of natural calamities. When a disaster struck, it could take a significant toll in human lives and cause considerable damage to property and infrastructure. The effect of such situations on small economies was especially crippling. They suffered most, because of their limited capacity to respond to emergency.

The indigenous capacity of the disaster-prone developing countries needed to increase to enable them to face natural disasters effectively, he said. His Government commended the work of the Department for Humanitarian Affairs in its work on natural disaster relief assistance. However, the United Nations could further help disaster-prone countries by developing disaster-mitigation programmes as well as early warning systems. Furthermore, coordination of United Nations emergency relief assistance became more

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effective if it was synchronized with national relief efforts -- since it took into account their individual needs and priorities. The latter could be ensured through proper integration of United Nations relief operations with those mounted by national authorities.

"Natural disasters like floods, cyclones and earthquakes cannot be prevented by a country irrespective of its being rich or poor", he continued. However, consequent damage to life and property could be greatly minimized if there were effective early-warning systems and pre-disaster preparedness. In addition, it was important that the country implemented proper plans for post- disaster relief and rehabilitation. The international community and the Department for Humanitarian Affairs needed to focus its attention on the national capacities of countries to face such disasters.

ESPEN RONNEBERG (Marshall Islands), speaking in his country's capacity as Chairman of the South Pacific Forum, called for marine biodiversity to be given a higher priority. He said the Forum had called upon UNEP and the Global Environment Facility to allow an extension of the funding period for the South Pacific Biodiversity Conservation Programme. That would provide time for community-based conservation activities to build effective structures for the implementation of the programme, by involving all sectors of the Pacific Island countries concerned.

He said climatic change was a global problem that required a global solution, and cited the Second Assessment Report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change which suggested human influence on global climate. The Forum called on the international community to accelerate negotiations on a legally binding protocol, or another legal instrument, in time for adoption at the next Conference of the Parties.

He said the Pacific countries had expressed growing concern over the increased intensity and frequency of storms and typhoons in the region. The impact would continue to stretch resources of those States.

He said that after two sessions of the Conference of the Parties to the Climate Change Convention rules of procedure had still not been adopted. It was unacceptable that a small minority of countries had been allowed to obstruct the entire proceedings with often spurious argumentation. He said the bureau membership for the Small Island Developing States was approved and adopted by the Group of 77 and China, before it was brought before the Conference of the Parties; it commanded unanimous support at that time. To bring back the issue, and link acceptance of the sealing of those States to the overall adoption of the rules undermined the interest of all developing countries. It was hard to believe that anyone who accepted the findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change would go on to claim that action on their part would be too expensive and too cumbersome, and would make no

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difference. He also rejected the argument that it would be better if the developing countries shouldered the burden of greenhouse gas reductions, since that would be cheaper.

LUCIE EDWARDS (Canada) said that, as the world's largest exporter of forest products, her country would like to see the development of non- discriminatory and multilaterally-agreed rules for trade and sustainable forest management. It strongly supported efforts to develop and apply criteria for, and indicators of, sustainable management of forests that reflected the full range of forest values. She said next year's new phase of activities of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests should include provision of clear and comprehensive direction to international organizations and instruments dealing with forests; common priority setting; regular measuring of collective progress towards sustainable forest management; and an independent, high-level political forum to provide governance on forest issues.

Canada believed that the international community should focus more attention on coastal zone management and sustainable development. The global community should follow up on the United Nations Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities and develop regional and national programmes of action as agreed at the 1995 Washington conference. The progress made since UNCED in Rio in protecting the fisheries resources on the high seas through the new United Nations Agreement on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks should continue with the early entry into force of the Agreement. Canada was committed to helping make the forthcoming UNEP Governing Council meeting in Nairobi a success, building on the considerable achievement by UNEP under the guidance of its Executive Director Elizabeth Dowdeswell.

She said the General Assembly special session on Agenda 21 should encourage progress in developing chemical-related international instruments. Participants in the current negotiations sponsored by UNEP and the FAO on a legally-binding instrument to apply prior informed consent procedures to trade in certain hazardous chemicals should be encouraged to bring those negotiations to a successful conclusion in 1997. The special session should also encourage and endorse regional and multilateral action by United Nations bodies on the problems posed by persistent organic pollutants. Canada would like to see progress towards gender equality and would also encourage promotion of youth education, training and employment programmes. It was interested in the further development of an international strategy for a holistic, interdisciplinary approach to sustainable education.

MUJAHID ALI WAHBI (Saudi Arabia) said the safety of the environment and biological equilibrium were crucial. The United Nations had been in the vanguard of protecting the environment. It had organized several conferences, the foremost among which had been UNCED. Also important, in that respect, was

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the Agenda 21, and the Committee on Sustainable Development and its follow-up action.

The General Assembly in its resolution 47/190 had decided that a review session would be held before 1997, he said. Since the problems transcended international boundaries and had an impact on the welfare of mankind, a review of the programmes of development was indeed required. He stressed that the use of alternative technology should be explored and the United Nations should launch an information campaign to eliminate waste.

TUILOMA NERONI SLADE (Samoa) said cooperation and action at the regional level were crucial for small island developing States. The region in the Pacific had a well-established tradition of cooperation which was employed to the full in the sustainable development effort. Samoa was not interested in sanctioning reports which were ritualized and it believed that reports of the Programme of Action, wherever feasible, should aim to evaluate the effectiveness of activities being implemented. It was interested in knowing what was being done about the reported insufficient attention being given to some priority areas of the Programme of Action. It was important that the Secretary-General's report reflect fully the very deep and serious concern of the small island States about the climate change issue, and report on what the United Nations was doing to require the international community to take action on that matter.

Significant reductions in greenhouse gases were technically possible and economically feasible, he said. To stabilize greenhouse concentration near present levels, immediate and substantial cuts of about 50 to 70 per cent of current emission levels were required. To that end, the targets proposed by the AOSIS Protocol remained credible and achievable. The rise in the sealevel posed the greatest danger for the small island States. He stressed that adaptation strategies could be realistically implemented only through, for instance, the assistance of the Global Environment Facility.

CHARLES EDWARD PEYREFITTE (Belize) said much of the country's territory was offshore islands, and a substantial proportion of the municipalities were located there. Belize City was so low and vulnerable that after its destruction by Hurricane Hattie in 1961 the capital had been moved inland to Belmopan. His delegation would like the country to be placed among the small island developing States listed in Annex I of the Secretary-General's report contained in document A/51/354. It looked forward to the outcome of the project on strengthening the tide gauge network for the Global Oceanic Observation System among Caribbean small island developing States. His delegation wished to have the five-year Caribbean disaster mitigation project of the Organization of American States (OAS) described as disaster prevention.

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JIMMY U. OVIA (Papua New Guinea) said his country continued to give special prominence to the unique needs of small island developing States and the important role of the United Nations in strengthening linkages between the Barbados Programme of Action with the outcomes of other international conferences, to ensure its full implementation. He reaffirmed his Government's commitment to the Programme of Action, stating that it was working together with its partners in the South Pacific Forum. His delegation agreed with the recommendations of the Secretary-General and would support a resolution of the General Assembly endorsing them.

ROBERT WATSON, Senior Scientific Adviser of the Environment Department of the World Bank, said the Bank's active environmental portfolio now stood at $11.5 billion for 153 projects in 62 countries. Of that amount, $7.2 billion had been committed -- including $1.6 billion, for 20 projects -- in the past year. The Bank's lending for the environment had leveraged an additional $14.5 billion from other sources, bringing the total investment in the environment to $26 billion. The environment portfolio was on the average currently performing slightly better than the Bank's overall loan portfolio. Environmental programmes, due to their cross-sectoral nature and frequent opposition from vested interests, posed complex implementation challenges, and careful supervision would be necessary, he said. The Bank was currently carrying out a systematic review of project and policy implementation, focusing first on natural habitat protection, pollution management and capacity-building.

He said the focus of the Bank's biodiversity projects continued to evolve from traditional protected area management to an emphasis on sustainable natural resource utilization, with participation and involvement of the private sector. Last year, the Bank completed a landmark work on defining a biodiversity conservation strategy for Latin America and the Caribbean, and completion of a draft biodiversity conservation strategy for sub-Saharan Africa. In the area of water resources management, it had this year supported regional cooperation in water management in southern Africa, and national water strategies in Tanzania, Kenya and Zimbabwe. In Europe and central Asia, progress was made in implementing five major international water programmes in which the Bank played a coordinating or supporting role. The two main thrusts of the Bank's work in the area of climate change were energy efficiency and renewable energy. In addition to its targeted programmes for the environment, the Bank ensured that all its activities took environmental concerns into account.

THAKUR PHANIT (Thailand) said his country had become a party to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 1995, but many tasks lay ahead. It was disappointing that there was still no progress on the transfer of, or access to, environmentally-sound technologies as provided for in the Convention.

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He said Thailand had incorporated the concept of energy efficiency in its national planning in 1991; to date the programme had yielded satisfactory results, including financial incentives in the commercial, industrial and residential sectors. The use of unleaded gasoline and the introduction of obligatory emission standards for engines were other measures taken. A number of research projects related to climate change were being carried out, including the impact of sealevel rise, methane emission from paddy fields, among others.

Although Thailand was not yet ready to ratify the Convention on Biological Diversity, it did recognize the importance of conserving biological diversity. In Thailand work to that end was not neglected. Protected areas had been established, including 79 national parks, 35 wildlife sanctuaries, 42 forest parks and 44 non-hunting areas. In addition, more than 40 other national parks and 4 wildlife sanctuaries would be opened in the near future. Thailand had also co-hosted two international conferences on the subject this year which had facilitated an exchange of technical knowledge, and illustrated Thailand's willingness to cooperate with all concerned in activities related to biodiversity conservation and environmental protection.

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