PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIRMAN OF COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Press Briefing
PRESS CONFERENCE BY CHAIRMAN OF COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
19980420
An innovative new "industry segment" would provide the Commission on Sustainable Development with a means for having direct dialogue with such major groups as industry, trade unions and the rest of civil society, Cielito Habito (Philippines), Chairman of the Commission, said this morning at a Headquarters press conference. The Commission's sixth annual session is being held at Headquarters from 20 April to 1 May.
The industry segment would provide an avenue for direct interaction between representatives of government and those of private business, as well as with other major groups, Mr. Habito said. The innovation would thus be very helpful in making the Commission's work responsive to the needs of a wider group. The work of the United Nations was geared towards fostering a community, not only of nations and governments, but also of the peoples who made up those nations.
He said he placed great value on the role of civil society and the private sector in the kind of work the Commission must keep doing in order to truly and meaningfully advance Agenda 21 -- the global blueprint for sustainable development adopted by more than 100 Heads of State at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
Mr. Habito said the current session of the Commission would focus primarily on freshwater use and management, as well as on industry and sustainable development. It would also devote time to such cross-sectoral issues as technology transfer, capacity-building, education, science and awareness-raising, as well as to continuing discussions on the sustainable development requirements and challenges of small island developing States.
"We must ensure adequate access to potable drinking water and to sanitation to all human beings around the world", Mr. Habito said. It was a shared responsibility of all to work in that direction and to bring resources and efforts together. "The main point of continuing debate in the area of freshwater concerns the ticklish issue of shared water resources or transboundary water resources, especially among States that share the same river systems."
On industry, he said continuing discussions revolved around the topic of eco-efficiency and whether there should be clear targets and standards for achieving it. "In general, it has been widely recognized that industry plays a very crucial role in promoting and pursuing sustainable development."
A correspondent asked why developing countries, initially suspicious of industry, were now courting it. Mr. Habito said one of the major considerations of developing countries was the continuing need to create
Habito Press Conference - 2 - 20 April 1998
employment, especially where there were continuing problems of unemployment. "Obviously, the attraction of investment from abroad, whether in the form of transnational corporations or just plain foreign bilateral investment, helps in that kind of situation."
However, attracting foreign industrial ventures was not something to be done indiscriminately. Mr. Habito said. Most developing countries, including the Philippines, had environmental clearance mechanisms to screen such industries very carefully before allowing them to operate. "The more environmentally questionable types of investment -- like cement plants and power plants -- tend to get subjected to the rather rigorous processes of environmental impact assessment before they are allowed to operate."
Could freshwater, already so scarce, in future become an export commodity? a correspondent asked. "Somehow, there has to be some mechanism that will develop -- if not now, certainly in the future -- that will ensure a more equitable distribution of that water; and if that includes private sector mechanisms for transferring water supplies across boundaries, then that is obviously within the realm of probability", he replied.
Wouldn't the introduction of market principles to ensure equitable water distribution result in higher prices at the cost of the poor? a correspondent asked. Mr. Habito said the only way to ensure that production would respond to actual requirements was to ensure that the cost of providing water was fully covered. "On the other hand, you can have the law of supply and demand determining that, but at the same time ensure that there are adequate measures to take care of those unable to pay for the full cost. This requires a lot of creativity on the part of the parties concerned."
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