SAFEGUARDING ENVIRONMENT TRANSCENDS DIVISIONS, COMPELS LONG-TERM COOPERATION, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE TO UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL

Press Release
SG/SM/6155
HE/945

SAFEGUARDING ENVIRONMENT TRANSCENDS DIVISIONS, COMPELS LONG-TERM COOPERATION, SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL IN MESSAGE TO UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL

Following is the message of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, delivered on his behalf by Under-Secretary-General Nitin Desai, to the high-level segment of the nineteenth session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which is meeting in Nairobi from 5 to 7 February:

It is my privilege to convey a message to this important gathering. For a quarter century, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has played a central role in the international community's efforts to care for the world's environment. The UNEP has served as an expert "watchdog", monitoring the state of ecosystems and species worldwide. It has worked closely with its partners in the United Nations system and contributed to the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development. It has been -- and remains -- the environmental conscience of the United Nations.

At this nineteenth session of the UNEP Governing Council, you have many demanding tasks before you, including one of particular significance: formulating your contribution to the upcoming special session of the General Assembly, which will review and appraise progress in carrying out the commitments made at the landmark United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, nearly five years ago.

The "Earth Summit" was an extraordinary event -- a challenge to States, international organizations and civil society to address, in an integrated way, an array of related global problems. And to institute, in response, basic changes in our individual and collective behaviours. The Summit process produced Agenda 21 and other major international agreements. Equally inspiring, it forged an alliance of State and non-State actors committed to the pursuit of sustainable development.

At the "Earth Summit Plus Five" -- the special session to be held at United Nations Headquarters -- we will return to many of the fundamental questions addressed at Rio de Janeiro. How can we stop the rapid depletion of the world's resources? How can we find an equitable balance between the economic, social and environmental needs of the present and those of future generations? And how can we enhance partnerships between developed and developing nations, and between governments and civil society, so that the basic needs of all human beings can be met? - 2 - Press Release SG/SM/6155 HE/945 5 February 1997

Thus, the burden of this Governing Council is great. I am confident that your deliberations will generate invaluable preparatory material for the comprehensive and honest assessment we have pledged to undertake in June. Indeed, as momentum builds towards this crucial session, UNEP's voice must continue to be heard.

The UNEP itself is a product of the first United Nations Conference on Environment. As you look to the future, sufficient attention should be paid to strengthening UNEP's ability to help countries build their capacities for environmental assessment and management. This would enable them to meet national and global goals and to deepen regional, as well as global, cooperation towards these ends.

Safeguarding the environment is a cross-cutting United Nations activity. It is a guiding principle of all our work in support of sustainable development. It is an essential component of poverty eradication and one of the foundations of peace. At its core is the idea that all of humankind has shared needs and interests that transcend what divides us and compel us to work together, with the long term in view. In that spirit, and in the expectation that you will sustain the "spirit of Rio", I offer you my best wishes for a successful outcome to this Governing Council session, and I look forward to reviewing the recommendations that will emerge from these most serious and vital consultations.

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