ECONOMIC COMMITTEE TOLD DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FALL SHORT ON COMMITMENTS FOR FINANCIAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENTALLY-SOUND TECHNOLOGIES

22 October 1996

Press Release
GA/EF/2730

ECONOMIC COMMITTEE TOLD DEVELOPED COUNTRIES FALL SHORT ON COMMITMENTS FOR FINANCIAL RESOURCES, ENVIRONMENTALLY-SOUND TECHNOLOGIES

19961022 Call for Rio Conference Agreements To Be Reviewed At Special Assembly Session, but Speakers Warn against Renegotiation

Developing countries were being subjected to restrictive trade and investment policies, while developed countries had not yet met their commitments to provide adequate financial resources and environmentally-sound technologies, the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) was told this afternoon.

Speaking as the Committee discussed implementation of recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the representative of Costa Rica (on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China) said the huge responsibilities that Agenda 21 imposed on developing countries had gained acceptance in light of assurances of full support by developed countries. However, those commitments had not been honoured.

The main thrust of the review of implementation of Agenda 21 (adopted at UNCED) should be to assess how far matters agreed to in Rio had been implemented, said the representative of Ireland (on behalf of the European Union and associated States). The Special Session of the General Assembly on Agenda 21 should suggest improvement where necessary, but should not attempt to renegotiate the agenda.

The representative of China said progress made in international cooperation in the field of the environment and development had fallen far behind the objectives set at the Rio conference. The commitments made by developed countries to transfer financial resources and technology had remained "words on paper", and the trend towards "covert protectionism" under the pretext of environmental considerations had grown.

Also this afternoon, the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, told the Committee that it should finalize a date for the special Assembly session. The Secretariat had

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suggested 9 to 13 June 1997; however, it could be held any week in June. The Committee should also decide the structure of the Special Session and its rules of participation. He said it would help if the Committee focused on what the outcome of the Special Session ought to be.

The Executive Secretary of the Interim Secretariat to the International Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, Arba Diallo, introduced reports on that subject and on activities undertaken by countries to implement the Convention.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Tunisia, Mexico, Bangladesh, Marshall Islands, Cuba, Russian Federation, Ethiopia and Thailand.

The Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 23 October, to continue its deliberations.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to continue its discussions on environment and sustainable development issues, focusing on implementation of the decisions and recommendations of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992. The Committee will also consider the 1997 special session of the General Assembly for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21 adopted at the Rio conference. (For details see Press Release GA/EF/2728 of 21 October).

Before the Committee are two notes of the Secretary-General (documents A/51/76 and A/51/76/Add.1) containing an account of the eighth and ninth sessions respectively of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for the Elaboration of an International Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa.

According to the note on the ninth session which took place in New York from 3 to 13 September, the first conference of the Parties to the Convention will be held in Rome at the invitation of the Government of Italy and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The dates are to be determined later. The note recommended that the General Assembly maintain the arrangements within the current programme budget for the interim secretariat to support the Convention until 31 December 1998 and to maintain extrabudgetary funds. It also recommended that the Assembly include in the calendar of conferences and meetings for 1997-1998 the sessions of the Conference of the Parties and of any subsidiary bodies that the conference may need to convene.

Other decisions included a request for comparisons of the offers of Canada, Germany and Spain to host the permanent secretariat of the Convention to Combat Desertification. The session also adopted a series of procedures for the communication of information and review of the implementation of the Convention. Recommendations were also made for submission to the first session of the Conference of the Parties relating to the terms of reference of the Committee on Science and Technology, the establishment and maintenance of a roster of experts and appointment of ad hoc panels. The Committee decided that its tenth session should aim at finalizing all outstanding negotiating issues and that the negotiations of its two working groups should be concluded at that session. The Committee accredited 31 non-governmental organizations, bringing the total of such organizations accredited to it to 63.

The note on the eighth session of the Committee which took place at Geneva from 5 to 15 February this year (document A/51/76) says the Committee decided to postpone to the first session of the Conference of the Parties further consideration of procedures to resolve questions on implementation of

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the Convention. It similarly deferred consideration of procedures for conciliation and arbitration to the Conference of the Parties.

Also before the Committee is a report of the Secretary-General (document A/51/510) on the implementation of the convention against desertification in countries, especially in Africa, experiencing serious drought and/or desertification. As at 3 October 1996, the Convention, which was adopted on 17 June 1994, had been signed by 115 States and ratified, accepted, approved or acceded to by 50 countries. The Convention will enter into force on 26 December 1996 with the deposition on 26 September 1996 of the fiftieth instrument of ratification. The first session of the Conference of the Parties will take place not later than one year after the entry into force of the Convention, namely 25 December 1997.

The report also contains arrangements to ensure the success of the observance by the United Nations of World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought. On the occasion of World Day on 17 June 1996, it says the interim secretariat of the Convention undertook or supported a variety of significant activities in Geneva, Mexico, New York and Nairobi. The aim was to promote and raise public awareness of the problem of desertification and to promote the implementation of the Convention.

Reports and discussions at the eighth and ninth sessions of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee demonstrated, according to the report, that all signatories to the Convention are taking active steps to promote action during the interim period, with the support of competent international organizations. Members of the Committee were particularly committed to implementing the resolution on urgent action for Africa, and are taking measures accordingly. The discussions also demonstrated that concrete action is being taken in other regions, underlining the global dimension of desertification and the readiness of countries to initiate response measures.

Another report of the Secretary-General before the Second Committee (document A/51/420) recommends that the special session of the General Assembly to review and appraise the implementation of Agenda 21 adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) should be held from 7 to 13 June 1997. It is likely, according to the report, that the main work on the text of the final document of the special session will be done during the fifth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in April 1997 which will largely be a negotiating meeting. During the special session itself an ad hoc committee of the whole, reporting to the plenary, could be established, the report states. The committee's role will be to reach agreement on all outstanding matters in the final document.

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An important challenge, the report states, will be to ensure appropriate arrangements that will allow major groups, including non-governmental organizations, to make their contribution to the meetings with due respect to the existing rules of procedure. It is also suggested that during the Commission's fifth session there could be hearings involving representatives of governments, major groups and eminent persons, devoted to an assessment of the existing and potential role, and contribution to its implementation, of each of the major groups identified in Agenda 21. During the special session itself, the formal debate in plenary meeting could be interspersed with panels and/or dialogue sessions with world leaders or other eminent persons covering a wide spectrum.

The report notes the broad consensus at the May 1996 fourth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development that the special session should not attempt to renegotiate Agenda 21 or other intergovernmental agreements in the field of sustainable development. The objectives of the special session highlighted at that meeting included revitalizing the commitment to the concept of sustainable development; boosting implementation of the commitments adopted at UNCED in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June 1992, and defining priorities for the period beyond 1997. Another objective was to raise such issues as changing consumption patterns, energy (including renewables) and transport, urban questions and management of risks.

The report also gives details of activities of relevant bodies in connection with preparations for the special session such as the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development and the High-level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development. Activities in support of the special session preparatory process at the national, regional and subregional levels as well as those of the conferences of parties or other regulatory bodies are also included in the report. Furthermore, the regional commissions, in cooperation with the regional offices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), are preparing inventories of regional initiatives on sustainable development undertaken since the Rio Conference, or conducting regional reviews. The results of those exercises will be available at the special session.

The Department for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development and the Department of Public Information (DPI) are joining their efforts to design and implement the media/public information strategy to ensure broad outreach of the preparatory activities and to build awareness of sustainable development issues, according to the report.

Statements

In an introductory statement, NITIN DESAI, Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, said he wanted to focus the

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Committee's attention on what it could do to ensure that the high expectations from the 1997 Special Session for the review of the implementation of Agenda 21 were met. The preparatory process for the Special Session was, in many ways, more organized than that for the 1992 UNCED held at Rio de Janeiro. A large number of activities had been under way to contribute to the process. It would include inputs from the governing body of UNEP, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

Speaking of the Trust Fund for the participation of developing countries in the review, he said he had invited Member States to contribute to that Fund. Unfortunately, so far the contributions had not been very large. The five-year review of the Rio Conference was as important as the Conference itself, and he appealed for contributions to the Fund. In addition, he said, the Second Committee should fix a date for the review process. The Secretariat had suggested 9 to 13 June 1997; however, it was open to the review being held any week in June. The Committee should also decide how the Special Session would be structured. He suggested that it would be prudent to allow for a parallel ad hoc committee.

He said much of the dynamic of the Rio process had been derived from non-governmental organizations. In that respect the Committee should consider how the Special Session should be handled. Should the rule for participation in conferences be applied to it, or should informal sessions be interspersed with plenary sessions? The Second Committee should provide guidance.

The Secretariat, he went on, was working actively with representatives of the private sector to ensure their participation in the review process. It was also working closely with the DPI to get the media interested and involved. As to what the end product of that week should be, he said that in the case of the Rio Conference there had been a specific declaration in mind. If the Second Committee could focus on what the outcome of the Special Session ought to be, that would prove helpful to the Commission on Sustainable Development and the intersessional group. Would the review result in a series of commitments? Would it result in a declaration? Would it lead to agreed conclusions? The Secretariat was also in the process of organizing the documentation for the Special Session and the bulk of the documents would be available by January 1997.

ARBA DIALLO, Executive Secretary of the Interim Secretariat to the International Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, introduced reports on the subject, and on activities undertaken by countries to implement the Convention. He said that, as of today, 53 States had ratified the Convention, which would come into force on 26 December next.

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Significant measures had been taken in African countries to make the objectives of the Convention better known. Subregional and regional bodies were also elaborating programmes to implement the Convention. Consultations were under way to launch a regional action programme, he stated, adding that more efforts were needed to meet the objectives of the Convention. A workshop was planned in Mauritania to review action in participating countries in the West African subregion, followed by others early next year in other parts of the continent.

In Asia a number of interesting activities had been initiated, he said. An Asia-Africa forum was organized last August in China to see how the two regions could cooperate to implement the Convention. Meetings had also been held in Latin America, in countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and in the Mediterranean region. He said 363 non-governmental organizations had been granted accreditation by the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee, and he commended their role in the implementation of the Convention. He also referred to information activities being carried out by the Interim Secretariat of the Convention to publicize the Convention.

PATRICIA CHAVEZ (Costa Rica), speaking for the "Group of 77" developing countries and China, said she would focus her remarks on the Special Session for the purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21. In Rio, the developed and developing countries, the United Nations system and the members of civil society had declared their full support for the realization of the goals of Agenda 21. The huge responsibilities that Agenda 21 imposed on developing countries had gained wide acceptance in light of assurances of full and mutual support by developed country partners. The developing countries planned to reduce air and water pollution; protect marine life; and prevent land degradation.

They had been assured that those countries which benefited the most from activities that destroyed the environment because of their unsustained consumption and production patterns would take the necessary steps to ensure implementation of measures tailored to fulfil their part of the responsibilities. Developing countries had faced many difficulties, in particular the lack of sufficient financial resources, she said. Additionally, the commitment to transfer environmentally-sound technologies on concessional and preferential terms in order to accelerate and achieve development was far from being materialized.

While the Rio commitments on the provision of adequate and additional financial resources, transfer of environmentally-sound technologies, obtaining more equitable terms of trade and making trade and environment mutually supportive had yet to materialize, the developing countries were already being subjected to restrictive trade and investment policies alleged to be necessary under the banner of environmental protection concerns.

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The review of Agenda 21 would occur when the enthusiasm that had characterized UNCED looked diminished, she said. The developing countries were concerned about what had happened to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities. She stressed that the role and work of the Commission on Sustainable Development in promoting the follow-up of commitments agreed at the Rio Conference must be recognized. The Commission should not only operate as a technical intergovernmental monitoring body regarding the implementation of Agenda 21, but also serve as a consensus mobilizer for the promotion of sustained economic growth and sustainable development.

CONOR MURPHY (Ireland), speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated members, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovenia, Slovakia and Iceland, stressed the priority they attached to the Special Session of the General Assembly on Agenda 21. The session should particularly look at the future role and methods of the Commission on Sustainable Development and give political impetus and guidelines for the future in the field of environment and sustainable development. The European Union believed that the contribution by all major groups related to sustainable development remained a vital element, particularly in the preparatory phase leading to the session, and also at the session itself.

He said the fifth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, preceded by a meeting of its Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-Sessional Working Group, should enable good progress to be made towards completing a document which would be a worthy outcome of the Special Session. As to the session itself, the European Union believed that no attempt should be made to renegotiate Agenda 21. The main thrust of the review should be to assess how far matters agreed to in Rio had been implemented and make suggestions for improvement where necessary.

ABDERRAZAK AZAIEZ (Tunisia) said that mobilization of resources, including new and additional ones, should be in the form of grants. The Special Session of the General Assembly should not be an opportunity for renegotiating Agenda 21. The session should renew the commitments to sustainable development. It should make it possible for the organs of the United Nations system to integrate sustainable development dimension into their activities. The United Nations system, including the Bretton Woods institutions, should actively contribute to making the session a visible success. He said his country had launched a national programme aimed at combating desertificafion. The efforts of the Government had led to tangible results.

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GERARDO LOZANO (Mexico) said the convening of the Special Session must ensure high-level participation from all sectors. The Session should identify areas where progress had not been made, and the reason for that lack of progress. The Special Session should also review the work done by the Commission on Sustainable Development and assess whether it was appropriate to revamp its work. In addition, it must analyse the relationship of the Commission with other United Nations bodies and the Conference of the Parties to various conventions.

He stressed that a follow-through of the commitments made in Rio was required. The agreements reached in Rio must not be reopened; it would not be effective "to hold a Rio year after year". However, it would also be unproductive to confine evaluation to administrative efficiency. The format of the Commission on Sustainable Development vis-a-vis various chapters of the Agenda should be looked at. Restructuring must not imply the preparation of a parallel agenda. He said four weeks for the preparatory process might prove to be insufficient. In addition, a very brief policy reaffirmation on Rio would help.

M. AMINUL ISLAM (Bangladesh) said his Government had formulated a national plan which aimed at conservation of nature, reduction of environmental degradation, promotion of sustainable development and the raising of general quality of life. The general awareness of the public had made projects designed to conserve nature relatively successful in Bangladesh. Massive afforestation and reforestation programmes were also becoming successful. Specific actions for other priority sectors had been recommended and efforts were being made to implement them.

An active interest had been taken in issues related to forest management and in that respect the Government welcomed the establishment of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests. Bangladesh was fully committed to working to achieve the goals and recommendations of the panel. It also hoped to draw from the wisdom gained from the collective efforts of countries against desertification, and successfully apply it. He urged the international community to step up efforts to promote global partnership to implement Agenda 21 which provided the blueprint for making the future economically, socially and environmentally sustainable.

WANG XUEXIAN (China) said that a General Assembly Special Session for the purpose of reviewing and appraising the implementation of Agenda 21 would be a good opportunity to obtain greater insight by reviewing the past. China believed it essential that the Special Session objectively appraise shortfalls in the implementation of Agenda 21. It should be recognized that the progress made in international cooperation in the field of environment and development in recent years had fallen far behind the objectives set at the Rio Conference. The commitments made by developed countries to transfer financial

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resources and technology had remained "words on paper". The trend towards "covert protectionism" under the pretext of environmental considerations had grown.

The Special Session should also adhere to the principles set forth at the conference, he continued. He cited "coordination between environmental protection and economic development", "common but differentiated responsibilities", and "taking into consideration the special conditions of developing countries". It was also essential, he went on, to review international cooperation in the field of environment and development, along with the creation of a favourable external environment to enable developing countries to achieve sustained and healthy economic development. Finally, the Special Session should grasp the "key link" -- international cooperation in terms of financial resources and technology transfer -- that ran through the entirety of Agenda 21.

ESPEN RONNEBERG (Marshall Islands) said the international community had taken steps at the Barbados Conference to acknowledge the special situation of the small island developing States. He stressed the need to give particular attention to the comprehensive Programme of Action produced at that conference. The Special Session for the review of Agenda 21 should include laying the grounds for further international cooperation; national and regional initiatives; and mobilization of resources for meeting the sustainable development needs of small island developing States.

He thanked Japan for its efforts in establishing the Pacific Islands Centre in Tokyo. That centre represented a major benefit to small island States in trade, tourism and sustainable development, while at the same time allowing Japanese companies and citizens access to the Pacific islands region. He expressed concern that the Secretary-General's report had not mentioned the special situation of the small island developing States. Commenting on the attitudes and policies of some countries on climate change, he said it was difficult to believe that some developed States were saying that developing countries should pay for the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. That was the ultimate betrayal of trust. Moreover, for some parties to maintain that they would not even try to reach the targets set at the conference was selfish.

MIRTHA HORMILA (Cuba) said the implementation of the Rio action programme had not reached expectation. Commitments had not been met. She said the Special Session of the General Assembly should strike a balance between achievements since Rio and identifying steps to address areas where progress had not been made. The session should not attempt to renegotiate Agenda 21 or other relevant international agreements. There should be focus on technology transfer issues and the question of financial resource flows. Developed countries had responsibilities to pay their ecological degradation

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debt and for the pollution of the global environment. She also drew attention to the havoc caused by desertification.

NIKOLAI TCHOULKOV (Russian Federation) noted that achievements had been made in the implementation of the UNCED recommendations. The concept of sustainable development had been further developed at other major United Nations conferences and widely applied in national, regional and international policies. The decisions adopted by the Moscow Summit on Nuclear Safety and Security last April were also of particular importance for the promotion of international efforts to protect the environment, especially in such areas as energy efficiency and energy conservation, as well as proper handling, storage and ultimate disposal of radioactive waste. The Russian Federation intended to submit to the current Assembly a number of ideas for a draft resolution on environment and development.

Despite the progress achieved, he said, there should not be over- optimism. Ongoing efforts were insufficient for effective handling of global and other environmental dangers and health hazards and for the creation of decent living conditions. The Russian Federation envisaged the possibility of the elaboration of a special protocol on the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions for the economies in transition, or to reflect specific interests of the group of countries indicated in the draft protocol being negotiated. It had already made relevant proposals on the matter and counted on the understanding of its partners.

The Russian Federation generally accepted proposals presented by the Commission on Sustainable Development on the Special Session of the General Assembly. The preparatory process and the session itself should ensure an in-depth analysis of what had been achieved, to propose far-reaching and effective measures to deal with those problems which were either ignored or not identified at UNCED.

BERHANU KEBEDE (Ethiopia) said the Special Session of the General Assembly on Agenda 21 should focus not only on what had been achieved since UNCED but give political impetus and guidelines for action beyond 1997. It should be a platform where the principle of common responsibility had to be consolidated and the issue of financing, transfer of technology and the institutional follow-up mechanisms streamlined. The session should also address the challenges encountered in the implementation of the agreed commitments. Swift implementation of those commitments required genuine partnership on several fronts, including responsibilities of national governments and multilateral development agencies and international financial institutions.

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The international community should devise appropriate mechanisms to further incorporate the principles of the convention against desertification in the programmes of the United Nations organs and multilateral institutions. He called for special arrangements within United Nations agencies, especially the regional commissions, to deal solely with desertification issues. He urged international assistance in strengthening the East African Intergovernmental Authority on Development.

ASDA JAYANAMA (Thailand) said his Government had taken necessary steps to implement commitments that it made during UNCED. He said Thailand had strongly endorsed the declaration from the Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, held in Bangkok from 27 to 28 November last year, and had endorsed the Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development 1996-2000 of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Along with the other members of the Association of South-East Asian Nations (ASEAN), Thailand had adopted the ASEAN Strategic Plan of Action on the environment as a response from the region to Agenda 21.

He referred to the Special Session of the General Assembly on the implementation of Agenda 21, and said it should review the progress achieved at all levels in the five years since the Rio Summit. That session should culminate in the adoption of an agreed statement or an action-oriented declaration. Thailand also saw merit in the suggestion to organize a joint meeting of ministers of environment and ministers of finance as part of the preparatory process for the Special Session.

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