STATE PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, CIVIL SOCIETY NECESSARY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, RUSSIAN FEDERATION SAYS

30 April 1998

Press Release
ENV/DEV/477

STATE PARTNERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY, CIVIL SOCIETY NECESSARY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, RUSSIAN FEDERATION SAYS

19980430 Regulation, Voluntary Industry Initiatives, Produce Sound Development, Sustainable Development Commission Told

Constructive partnership involving the State, industry and civil society was the way to achieve sustainable development, the representative of the Russian Federation said this afternoon, as the Commission on Sustainable Development continued its high-level segment.

A combination of regulatory measures on the part of government and voluntary initiatives on the part of business and industry could lead to sound development policies, he said. Governments needed to strengthen mechanisms for such cooperation to encourage industry initiatives for sustainable development.

The State Secretary for International Development and Human Rights of Norway said a proper and predictable legal and fiscal framework was essential to attract investment. However, voluntary agreements could never replace law, regulations and green-tax regimes. Also, lowering environmental and labour standards should not be accepted as a means of attracting investments. Where the regulatory capacity of government was insufficient, international support and industry responsibility should work together, he said.

A representative of the International Youth and Student Movements for the United Nations said the global shifting of power from governments to corporations in the development sphere was troubling. Regulations and compliance measures should be placed on all transglobal corporations, and corporations should be induced to help small- and medium-sized national businesses.

A number of statements were also made on the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, which marked its thirteenth anniversary this year. The First Deputy Minister for Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine said his country estimated its losses from the disaster at $120 billion so far, the equivalent of six annual State budgets. He said the international community should provide greater assistance in helping meet those costs, as well as helping Ukraine find safer, more sustainable energy sources.

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The representative of Belarus said the disaster had posed a number of complicated impediments to sustainable development for his country, as well as for the Russian Federation and Ukraine. He said that while donor countries had pledged $74.5 million in disaster relief, only $1.5 million had so far been raised.

Statements were also made by the representatives of New Zealand, Monaco, Kyrgyzstan, Iceland, Iran, Egypt, and Philippines, as well as by representatives of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Southern Non-Governmental Organization Caucus, and the Center Perzent of Uzbekistan.

The Commission will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, 1 May, to continue its high-level segment.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on Sustainable Development met this afternoon to continue its high-level segment (for background, see Press Release ENV/DEV/474 of 29 April). The Commission was established following the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. Agenda 21, the Conference's action programme, stressed the importance of international cooperation for sustainable development.

SIMON UPTON, Minister for the Environment for New Zealand, said he believed that progress on agreements for sustainable development would be better made in an informal rather than a formal setting. It would be easier to reach a broader consensus on the elements of a sound policy that all concerned would implement voluntarily, than to try to negotiate a meticulously worded text that affected the rights and obligations of States.

Noting that negotiations in the drafting groups had been taking longer than expected, he said the fundamental objectives of the meeting should be remembered. Much of the discussion seemed to focus on sustainability, but the vast majority of the world's population would want the focus of the Commission to be at least equally on development.

He said he was pleased that the concerns of small island developing States would continue to be a priority for the Commission. The future of such States was threatened by climatic and environmental changes, but without development of their human resources and improvements across a wide range of skills and disciplines, those developing countries would not be able to make the strides they needed to improve the lives of their citizens.

BERNARD FAUTRIER, Minister in Charge of Questions of the Environment for Monaco, said that while the Kyoto Protocol was an important step in reducing harmful greenhouse gas emissions, more efforts were needed to solve the problem of climate change. Nations needed to introduce new efforts and take more measures to improve upon Kyoto.

On the issue of freshwater, he said that like any product that had a cost, water must be carefully managed in its supply and demand. Like any other limited resource, water must be preserved. In Monaco, aquifers were monitored for their levels and use, and they were also protected from sea water intrusion. There had also been programmes to increase awareness of water use that affected all sectors of the country. That awareness had helped limit water use and create a sustainable water management system.

V. BRATISHKO, First Deputy Minister for Environmental Protection and Nuclear Safety of Ukraine, said it was necessary to adopt new solutions based on a systematic environmental approach to water management. While his country was a large State with many resources, it also had economic and environmental problems. The most water-intensive users were in the energy production

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sectors, and there was a need to use new, more sustainable energy sources. This year marked the thirteenth anniversary of the world's largest nuclear disaster at Chernobyl. Restoring the environment required great financial resources. Ukraine estimated that the disaster had cost its economy more than $120 billion so far -- the equivalent of six annual State budgets. Statements were frequently made in support of aid, but greater action should be taken to back up those statements. His country especially needed assistance in its search for sustainable energy sources.

CARLOS SERSALE DI CERISANO, Assistant Director-General of the United Nations system for the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), spoke on behalf of its Director-General, Carlos Magarinos. He welcomed the Commission's focus on industry, freshwater, technology transfer and capacity-building. UNIDO's new policy orientation was based on the core concept of sustainable industrial development. It incorporated three interrelated elements: the development of a strong and competitive economy; the creation of productive employment; and protection of the environment. Sustainable industrial development had now become the main focus of all UNIDO activities.

Over the past few years, environmental protection had assumed increasing importance in UNIDO's development activities, he said. The shift towards sustainability in pursuing industrial development was part of UNIDO's changed orientation, within a broader trend in the United Nations system. The follow- up and implementation of Agenda 21 had become an integral part of the work programmes of every system body. Governments were increasingly agreeing that economic growth, social development and environmental protection were closely interrelated objectives.

In keeping with the above, UNIDO would implement the Commission's decisions and resolutions as part of its own work programme, he said. It would continue to support efforts by developing countries that balanced concern for the environment with the desire for competitiveness and social development. UNIDO would strengthen its field operations and expand its support for building national capacity for sustainable industrial development. To create jobs, it would develop programmes in the agro-based industries, primarily in Africa, to produce goods for export with minimal environmental impact.

In addition, UNIDO planned to strengthen its programme to increase national capacity for reducing carbon dioxide emissions within the context of improving productivity and generating new employment, he said. Sustainable development was a global challenge requiring a global response. Only true multilateral cooperation could effectively address the challenges of poverty, social and economic exclusion and environmental degradation.

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ZAMIRA ESHMAMBETOVA (Kyrgyzstan) said the main source of freshwater was mountains. All the world's rivers originated in mountains. Because they stored immense amounts of freshwater as ice and snow in lakes and reservoirs, mountains played a global role in supplying water for agriculture, industry and urban centres in adjacent lowlands. However, since more of the world would soon be experiencing water scarcity, water management and economic cooperation between upstream providers and downstream consumers would become extremely important in the next century.

Mountains or highlands made up more than a quarter of the earth's land surface, and were home to approximately 10 per cent of the world's population, she said. More than half of the world's population depended on mountain resources, many of which were of more than national or regional importance. Mountains had a truly global significance for the world's future.

Mountains were also physically dynamic, changing on a global scale, probably more rapidly than any other major environmental system, she said. To draw the attention of the international community to the exceptional importance of mountains to mankind, Kyrgyzstan had advanced the proposal to proclaim an international year of mountains. The Economic and Social Council resolution on the desirability of proclaiming such a year, cosponsored by 45 States, had been adopted by consensus last year.

TRYGGVI FELIXSON, head of the International Affairs Division, Ministry for Environment of Iceland, said his country was among those blessed with a relative abundance of freshwater resources. Iceland was determined, through the application of sustainable development policies, to avoid actions that might limit the access of future generations to that vital resource.

Integrated watershed management, aimed at improving the quality of all water, was directly linked to the health of the world's oceans, he said. About 80 per cent of the pollution of the oceans originated on land, and waterways were often the means that carried pollution from a source on land to the ocean. Chemicals polluting freshwater resources, and particularly persistent organic pollutants, posed a threat to life in the oceans.

He said there were direct links between strategic freshwater management and the issue of the oceans, which would be the main topic for the seventh session of the Commission in 1999. A review of issues relating to the use of living marine resources should be undertaken within the legal framework provided by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

NIKOLAI V. TCHOULKOV (Russian Federation) said that in addressing the problem of sustainable freshwater management, it was important for individual countries and the entire international community to make coordinated efforts to achieve agreed results. The main goal of sustainable water management was to ensure the provision of water to the population and the economy in sufficient quantity and quality, while minimizing harmful impacts on water

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bodies, related ecosystems and the population. The problems of freshwater use was of particular interest to the Russian Federation, where a new concept of State water policy was being discussed, aimed at the achievement of sustainable development of the water sector.

On the Chernobyl disaster, he said it was clear that the consequences of the major technological disaster of our time could not be overcome solely by the three States that had suffered its effects: Ukraine, Belarus and the Russian Federation. More than 3 million people in the Russian Federation had been affected by the disaster, and he called for increased support from the international community.

He said he believed that the potential of industry in the achievement of sustainable development could be realized through combining regulatory measures by governments with voluntary initiatives by business and industry. It would require great efforts to establish such an approach, improving the mechanism of constructive partnerships involving the State, industry and civil society.

NICH NZIOKI, of the International Youth and Student Movements for the United Nations, said there were obstacles to a sustainable future. Future generations would not survive without strong leaders. More youth should be given the opportunity to participate in such activities as the present session of the Commission.

The global shifting of power from governments to corporations in development was troubling, he said. The liaison role of the United Nations was vital in managing such shifts. Regulations and compliance measures should be placed on all transglobal corporations, and the corporations should be induced to help small- and medium-sized national businesses.

Increasingly, governments and popular movements were coming together, he said. Young people were part of the solution for the future, and they could provide the impetus for development. More of civil society should be involved in the Commission, and civil society should be encouraged to participate in development. Furthermore, more youth non-governmental organizations should be enabled to take part in future sessions of the Commission. The Commission should convene a high-level meeting on financing development, along with a world conference on racism.

GUANGCHANG SHI, Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Management Division of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), said that since the adoption of Agenda 21, ESCAP had been pursuing its implementation and promoting cooperation with and among its members and associate members.

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A mid-term review of the Regional Action Programme for Environmentally Sound and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, 1996-2000 showed general satisfaction with the progress made in environmental protection and the promotion of sustainable development at national and regional levels, he said. However, finance and the transfer of technologies remained major issues. Subregional cooperation on the environment in north-east Asia had made significant progress with the implementation and further identification of projects within an agreed framework by the participating countries.

Following the directive of the special session of the General Assembly to promote increased regional implementation of Agenda 21, the regional commissions and the regional and subregional organizations met in February 1998 in New York to discuss the mode of their interaction to provide support to the Commission's work. A regional meeting in the Asia-Pacific region was planned for November 1998 to discuss strengthening the Commission's regional link and the role of regional institutions.

HADI NEJAD-HOSSEINIAN (Iran) said sustainable water-resource management and water supply were a priority for his country and all those affected by desertification and drought. Sanitary piped water would be provided to 99 per cent of the Iranian people by the year 1999. The construction of dams and reservoirs was an important part of national development projects, and it was a catalyst for agricultural and industrial growth. The dams would also decrease the impact of the flash floods, which threatened the country's efforts towards sustainable development.

Iran was making every effort to diversify its industrial base, he said. It was trying to reduce the economy's chronic reliance on the oil sector and to promote non-oil exports, especially industrial products. Because Iran was concerned with the fragile ecosystem, environmental protection was being integrated into all development policies and activities.

The organizational arrangements of the current session of the Commission should not affect its intergovernmental character, he said. The allocation of time to various segments in the Commission's future work needed careful consideration. The organization and arrangements of the future sessions should increase and reinforce the high-level segment's impact on deliberations.

ALYAKSANDR SYCHOU (Belarus) said the convening of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development had coincided with his country's initial period of transition to a market economy. During the six years that had passed since then, Belarus had been actively and consistently carrying out its double transition -- to a market economy and to sustainable development. It was working to form a new legislative basis which would take into account the elements of transition of the country to the model of sustainable development.

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He said that in view of the acuteness of the problem of climate change, the appropriate authorities of Belarus were actively considering ratification of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol to that Convention.

On the explosion at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant, he said that disaster had posed a set of complicated impediments for Belarus, the Russian Federation and Ukraine in their attainment of sustainable development, and called for increased support from the international community. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs had organized two international special donor meetings to raise funds for a programme of assistance for areas affected by the disaster, but only $1.5 million of a $74.5 million goal had been raised.

MOSTAFA TOLBA, Former Minister of Scientific Research and Senior Advisor on the Environment of Egypt, said that discussions in the Commission's drafting groups continued to go on and would probably not end this evening. That meant decisions would not be made by the groups until the last minute, which was usually the case in the Commission. More discussions and informal debate throughout the Commission's sessions might aid in the effort to work out differences earlier. The Secretary-General's report to the high-level segment should identify fewer issues to be discussed and recommend more concrete initiatives that could be taken. The industry segment was over- abundantly represented by businesses from industrialized countries; developing countries should be represented as well.

Tourism, the topic designated for the industry segment next year, was becoming a very important income source for developing countries, he said. It was also bringing many environmental and social problems. The Commission should convene a small expert group to address the problems that arose from tourism. The Secretariat should look at the number of side-events that went on in conjunction with the Commission's session and evaluate whether all of them were necessary. He also asked that ministers of industry be invited to the high-level segment in addition to the environmental ministers.

DELFIN GANAPIN, Under-Secretary-General of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources of the Philippines, said that business must be brought into sustainable development activities. However, it was important to make sure that all sectors were equally represented, including trade unions and non-governmental organizations. A review of voluntary initiatives by industry should be considered at the next session of the Commission, as should many of the other suggestions made this year.

Greater representation by developing countries should be ensured in the future, he said. Support to enable participation of tourist businesses from small countries should also be assured for the next session. For its part, the Philippines would bring in youth representatives with its delegation.

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A natural and clean flow of sustainable development from developed to developing countries could not be expected, he said. Such development had to be implemented and regulated. Foreign direct investment (FDI) could help, but it did not replace official development assistance (ODA). The linking of ODA and FDI should be country-driven and carefully monitored. The Commission's actions must be more action-oriented.

LEIV LUNDE, State Secretary for International Development and Human Rights for Norway, said a watershed approach combining poverty reduction with an ecosystem approach should be the basis for national planning. The Global Water Partnership was a healthy response to the lack of multilateral and bilateral donors for such efforts, but the United Nations must be more involved in terms of the reporting mechanism and in providing guidance.

The Commission's round-table segment on industry had demonstrated that dialogue between government and major groups of civil society were fruitful, he said. The review of voluntary initiatives was particularly useful, but it was important that all major stakeholders and governments be represented, from both North and South. However, voluntary agreements could only be supplemental; they could never replace law, regulations and green-tax regimes.

He said that a proper and predictable legal and fiscal framework was essential to attract investment for sustained economic development, not least as a means of attracting foreign investment. Lowering environmental and labour standards should not be accepted as a means to attract investment. Where the regulatory capacity of governments was insufficient, international support should be made available. In those countries, industry should assume a special responsibility.

MAGDI IBRAHIM, of the Southern Non-Governmental Organization Caucus, said there should be more equitable representation in the Commission's industry segment. This year's segment had not included an adequate number of businesses from the South. The industry segment on tourism next year should include many businesses from developing countries. On freshwater resources, he said there were some indigenous communities that depended on lakes and rivers. Efforts should be taken to protect the water that they required. The Commission should also continue its discussions on the transfer of information and expertise, which was a prerequisite for sustainable development.

ORAL ATANIYAZOVA, of Center Perzent, a non-governmental organization in Uzbekistan, said water was one of the main factors effecting human health. Namely, 3 million people were suffering from anemia, cancer and other diseases related to the water they drank. Contaminated water was a particular problem in her country, where many pollutants had been dumped into rivers upstream many years ago. The companies that contaminated the water, however, were no longer there, leaving nobody to pay for the clean-up. Governments should hold to the principle of making polluters pay for cleaning up such contamination.

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