RESPONSIBILITIES OF UNEP, COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REMAIN DISTINCT, SECOND COMMITTEE TOLD
Press Release
GA/EF/2731
RESPONSIBILITIES OF UNEP, COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT REMAIN DISTINCT, SECOND COMMITTEE TOLD
19961023 United States Says Commission Is Review Forum, UNEP Develops Policy; Unmet Commitments of Developed Countries After Rio Conference Also AddressedThe Commission on Sustainable Development should serve as a high-level forum to ensure understanding of the concept of sustainable development, while the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) retained responsibility for environmental policy development, the representative of the United States told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) this afternoon.
Speaking as the Committee continued its debate on environment and sustainable development issues, he said the Commission, which was established by the General Assembly to monitor implementation of Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, should take the lead in reviewing integrated implementation of the results of recent United Nations conferences on sustainable development. In addition, it should take a fresh look at issues pertaining to finance and technology.
The representative of New Zealand said that the 1997 special General Assembly session to review Agenda 21 should identify issues that needed urgent action and focus on improving institutions and their effectiveness.
The representative of Guyana, speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said while no attempts must be made to renegotiate Agenda 21, the compact it represented should be fully reaffirmed. The review of the Agenda should be comprehensive and encompass assessment of progress made and obstacles encountered, he said.
The representative of Indonesia concurred that the special session should not reopen negotiations on Agenda 21. However, it must focus on unfulfilled commitments by developed countries on providing adequate financial resources and environmentally sound technologies to developing countries. The Global Environment Facility (GEF), which had been expected to be a principal mechanism to finance efforts to protect the environment, had also fallen short of expectations, she said.
Statements were also made by the representatives of Kenya, Ghana, Kazakstan, Brazil (on behalf of the MERCOSUR group of countries -- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay) and Colombia. Observers from the Holy See and Switzerland also spoke. In addition, the Committee heard statements from representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), UNEP and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). The Director of the Division for Sustainable Development responded to issues raised by the representatives.
The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. today to continue its deliberations.
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
Committee Work Programme
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to continue consideration of environment and sustainable development issues. (For background information see GA/EF/2728 of 21 October and GA/EF/2730 of 22 October).
Statements
JEFF LANGLEY (New Zealand) said the effectiveness of institutions that had been established and the relationship between them must be addressed in the special session held to review the implementation of Agenda 21 of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED). A consideration of future courses of action must do more than identify issues that needed urgent action or those that were politically topical. Attention must be given to improving the institutions -- the machinery of the international community -- so that real progress could be made.
His Government had long been concerned by the proliferation of international bodies and processes that often dealt with similar or identical issues, he said. In 1997, the issue of improving the performance of the Commission on Sustainable Development must be dealt with, as it was a key political forum in which the international community could work to streamline the environment and sustainable development agenda. He supported the comments made by Trinidad and Tobago earlier in the debate on the important relationship between the Programme of Action adopted at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held in Barbados in 1994, and Agenda 21. He also stressed that the current session of the Assembly should not place constraints on the special session preparatory process, because it was not its role to identify issues for the post-1997 period.
LUIS MARQUES, of UNESCO, said that at its November 1994 session, the UNESCO Executive Board had approved the establishment of a World Solar Commission and the preparation of a priority World Solar Programme to promote renewable energy and oversee and guide the preparatory process for the World Solar Summit. The Commission had guided the preparatory process and had endorsed the two basic documents that were prepared for the Summit: the draft Harare Declaration on Solar Energy and Sustainable Development; and the draft outline of a World Solar Programme 1996-2005.
The Summit, which was held in Harare, Zimbabwe, in September 1996 had recognized that renewable energies were an important component of the energy sector for the twenty-first century, deserving to be used and developed on a wide scale, he said. It had also launched the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 as a joint effort of the United Nations and its specialized agencies, national
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
governments, intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations, academic and research institutions and the private sector.
VICTOR MARRERO (United States) said his country had moved environmental issues to the centre of its foreign policy and was working hard to find solutions to the underlying problems. The 1994 United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification Particularly in Africa had been forwarded to the United States Congress for ratification. The international institutions responsible for the environment and sustainable development must be made more effective and the important political role of the Commission on Sustainable Development should be confirmed among United Nations institutions. The Commission should serve as a high-level political forum, working with the United Nation's relevant agencies and the international financial institutions invested with the task of promoting the implementation of Agenda 21. The understandings about the division of roles between the Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) should be reinforced. UNEP should be confirmed as the environment voice of the United Nations, responsible for environmental policy development, scientific analysis, monitoring and assessment.
A good beginning had been made since the adoption of Agenda 21 in Rio, he continued. While its implementation had not been rapid, as many would like, a critical new understanding of the concept of sustainable development had spread throughout the world. In 1997, the question of deciding how the Commission on Sustainable Development could best continue its efforts to promote Agenda 21 should be faced. He hoped the special session of the General Assembly would be used to expand the roles and functions of the Commission. The Commission should take the lead in reviewing and overseeing the integrated implementation of the results of recent United Nations conferences on sustainable development and related issues and should also take a fresh look at financial and technology issues.
S.R. INSANALLY (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said the review of Agenda 21 should be comprehensive and should encompass assessment of progress made and obstacles encountered in its implementation. A determination was now needed of critical issues that required urgent action. The particular problem of small island developing States and the final report of the Inter-Governmental Panel on Forests should be given more attention. He expressed concern that the Secretary-General's report on the 1997 review of Agenda 21 (A/51/420) contained no reference to the Barbados Declaration and the Programme of Action on the sustainable development of small island developing states.
The Commission on Sustainable Development, given its mandate for the follow-up to Agenda 21 and other related agreements, was ideally placed to prepare for the review, he said. While not attempting to renegotiate the Agenda, countries should fully reaffirm the compact it represented. Moreover,
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
without attempting to anticipate the conclusions of the proposed review, it was obvious that the single most important impediment to progress in sustainable development was the failure to provide for the transfer of appropriate technology and new and additional financial resources to developing countries, as called for by the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21. Moreover, it was necessary to replenish the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and further improve its internal procedures.
TIMOTHY U.K. M'MELLA (Kenya) said contributions to UNEP's voluntary and trust funds had dwindled at an alarming rate and if that was allowed to continue, it would have a crippling impact on the activities of the Programme. He appealed to each Member State to not only contribute to the environment fund, but also to make every effort to ensure that UNEP and the United Nations Centre for Human Settlements (Habitat), located in Nairobi, Kenya, were strengthened, as called for by the various General Assembly resolutions.
He stressed that most meetings related to environment issues must be held at UNEP headquarters. The United Nations and donor funds should be utilized to encourage the holding of those meetings. He also expressed disappointment at the deteriorating nature of the environment, which could lead to a possible "holocaust" if left unchecked. That "environmental holocaust" would affect countries of the North and South alike. Therefore, all countries should martial political will to address environmental concerns. Moreover, technological advances that were available in developed countries should be made available to all actors to adequately address environmental problems.
MESSIE AMOAH (Ghana) said that his Government had adopted a national environmental policy and an environmental action plan aimed at ensuring the sound management of natural resources and the environment. The environmental policy sought to reconcile economic development with natural resource conservation, and to make the high quality of the environment a key element in supporting the country's economic and social development. Since 1992, the Government had also established a Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology in its effort to use science and technology as a tool for development, while maintaining the integrity of the environment.
She said next year's special session of the General Assembly should study the question of indicators for measuring the implementation of Agenda 21. It should also look at how developing countries could be assisted in capacity-building, and in strengthening the role of science and technology for sound environmental and natural resource management. Furthermore, the session should review the question of financial resources to developing countries and the issue of unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
RENATO R. MARTINO, observer for the Holy See, said people were central to any discussion on environment and development. That centrality had been enshrined in the first principle of the Rio Declaration, which had stated that human beings were the centre of concern of sustainable development and were entitled to a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature. The Rio Declaration and Agenda 21 had given impetus to the movement to turn the world towards a system of renewal and sustainability and away from patterns of selfish consumption. However, as the world approached the new millennium, the light that had guided that movement seemed to have faded.
He said developing countries, especially the least developed ones, must be empowered to take part in the world economy. Women must be empowered, so they had an equal opportunity in the economic and developmental programmes of their countries. Moreover, present needs should be achieved without jeopardizing the ability of future generations to fulfil their needs. In addition, fundamental human rights and freedoms must be guaranteed. Access to information and technology for trade and the creation of an enabling environment were important in that process.
WENING ESTHYPROBO MOE'MIN (Indonesia) said the actual implementation of the Rio commitments, particularly in the fields of financial resources and environmentally sound technologies, had fallen far short of expectations. The commitments of the developed countries to ensure an adequate flow of financial resources and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies, which were crucial for the developing countries to implement Agenda 21, had been left unfulfilled. The GEF, which had been expected to be a principal mechanism to finance efforts to protect the environment, had also fallen short of expectations.
As a result of those developments, many developing countries had no alternative but to reallocate overstretched budgets to implement the provisions of Agenda 21, she said. That alternative was not feasible in the long-term. She fully supported the view that the special session should not reopen the Agenda 21. It should, however, identify the critical constraints blocking implementation of the Rio commitments. Moreover, the Commission on Sustainable Development should undertake an in-depth evaluation of the progress achieved.
KANAT BAISHEV (Kazakstan) said implementation of the various legal instruments on environmental issues was vital. High priority was given to environmental problems in his country. The problems were of such a nature that international assistance was required to help deal with them. More than 450 nuclear explosions, including atmospheric ones, carried out on the territory of Kazakstan since the Second World War had seriously affected the environment and resulted in a number of health problems. Huge financial outlays were required to make the lands in the test areas productive.
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
He commended the assistance provided by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the World Bank and other agencies in helping the Government deal with the country's environmental problems and appealed for more donor assistance. He hoped General Assembly special session on the implementation of Agenda 21 would also focus on the environmental problems of Kazakstan and others in that region.
JOANNE FOX-PRZEWORSKI, Director of the Regional Office for North America of UNEP, said the agency's structure and biennial work programmes since the 1992 Rio Conference reflected a fundamental shift from a sectoral approach towards the environment to a fully integrated strategy based on a clear assessment of needs. Accordingly, for 1996-1997 emphasis was being placed on relationships between socio-economic driving forces, environmental changes, and impacts on human health and well-being. The UNEP had moved to strengthen the regional delivery of its programmes and implemented a more efficient and transparent management structure. It had made major contributions to the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development on water, seas and oceans.
The twenty-fifth anniversary of UNEP next year would provide an opportunity for it to review past performance and rededicate itself to future challenges, she continued. UNEP's contribution to the special session of the General Assembly would contain proposals and views on its future role. The draft plan to implement the global programme of action for the protection of the marine environment from land-based activities would be submitted to UNEP's Governing Council at its session in January 1997. A series of workshops were being organized to develop regional strategic programmes that would address land-based polluting activities. Also, an interim office had been established to assist in discharging UNEP's secretariat functions as the focal point for programme implementation.
LIVIA LEU, observer for Switzerland, said the Commission on Sustainable Development must continue to play a coordinating role after 1997. It must focus on the priority themes that would, she hoped, be outlined by the special session. However, there should be no duplication of work done in other fora. She supported the system of task managers and said the idea of regional reports was also worth considering. More thought must be given, among others, to the issues of trade and environment, the situation of women in society, development of productive practices in consumption, the social dimension of development and the management of waste.
She stressed that the dialogue in the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests should continue beyond the fourth meeting of that panel. She awaited with interest the second report on the status of mountains, which would be presented to the Commission on Sustainable Development. It would contribute more resources, financial and otherwise, to the issue.
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
LUIZ TUPY CALDAS DE MOURA (Brazil), speaking on behalf of the MERCOSUR group of countries -- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay -- said commitments made in 1992 at Rio had remained a dead letter. Official development assistance was declining and there had been few resources to support implementation of the agreements. Environmental problems had been relegated to second place, and the sustainable development concept given short shrift. A joint effort involving both the industrialized and developing countries was needed. The special session of the General Assembly should realistically identify what had and had not been achieved since the 1992 Rio Conference and help restore the Rio spirit. It should establish priorities for future work.
In his region, two initiatives were planned to assess Agenda 21, he said. Those initiatives also underlined the crucial role of the private sector in the Rio review process. He noted that the multilateral agenda had not paid much attention to production and consumption patterns. The group supported the work of the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests, but it was premature to assess its progress. He also stressed the importance of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
FREDERICK WEIBGEN, of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), said a sustainable development department had been created within his organization following the Rio Conference. Considerable responsibility had been placed on FAO in the planning and management of land resources. In addition, it had been made responsible for combating deforestation, ensuring sustainable mountain and rural development and sustainable agriculture. To that end, FAO had been involved in: developing effective land resource planning and management frameworks, strengthening the use of land use information; and strengthening institutional structures.
Regarding deforestation, FAO task managers had played an active role in preparing national forest programmes, assessing forest resources, defining criteria for sustainable forest management, as well as in technology transfer in genetic conservation and reforestation programmes, he said. The FAO strongly supported the Intergovernmental Panel on Forests established by the Commission on Sustainable Development. Together with other United Nations agencies, it was engaged in efforts to improve farming systems and in the formation of a global data network for animal genetic resources. Moreover, along with UNEP, it was engaged in the publication of the World Watch List for domestic animal diversity.
JUAN MANUEL TURBAY (Colombia) said the developing countries had demonstrated their willingness to meet their commitments under Agenda 21. They had realized that sustainable development could only be understood within: the framework of sustained economic growth leading towards the eradication of poverty through social investment; the strengthening of opportunities for women; and the provision of adequate housing for all.
Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2731 13th Meeting (AM) 23 October 1996
As proof of their willingness to work jointly in the achievement of sustainable development, developing countries had also undertaken initiatives at the regional level, he said. He hoped that developed countries would fulfil their commitments, since they held the financial resources and environmentally sound technologies. The developing countries depended on the transfer of those technologies on concessional and preferential terms so that their industrial processes did the least environmental damage as technologically possible. They also depended on an enabling economic environment and on the fulfilment of the agreed target by donor countries to pledge 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) to official assistance for development.
JOKE WALLER-HUNTER, Director, Division for Sustainable Development of the Department of Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development, responding to the statements made by Committee members, said she had noted that many Member States had asked that Agenda 21 not be reopened or renegotiated. In addition, it had been stated that there should be a focus on priorities. It seemed that expectations about the special session were high. The Department would do its utmost to live up to those expectations.
Responding to a question of how the special session planned to deal with the 1994 Barbados Programme of Action, she said the Barbados Programme of Action had been the first important act in implementing Agenda 21. The Commission on Sustainable Development had been asked by the General Assembly to carry out an initial review of that Programme of Action. That review had been done in April 1996. Another major review of the Barbados Programme of Action was scheduled for 1999. The progress achieved by the Commission on Sustainable Development in its review would be taken into consideration. She added that by the year 2000 a full set of indicators for sustainable development should be available.
* *** *