COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HEARS CALLS FOR TRANSFER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND TECHNOLOGIES

1 May 1998

Press Release
ENV/DEV/478

COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT HEARS CALLS FOR TRANSFER OF ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND TECHNOLOGIES

19980501 Concludes High-Level Segment

The transfer of environmentally sound technologies from developed to developing countries should be accompanied by transfer of the capacity to maintain them, the Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa told the Commission this morning.

Addressing the Commission as it concluded its high-level segment, he said a major study should be conducted on the transfer of such technologies and the application of intellectual property rights. Investing in human resource development was also essential for the promotion of sustainable development, which should aim at the eradication of poverty, he said.

There was a clear link between the capacity-building and the eradication of poverty, the Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) told the Commission. The agency's activities to improve such capacity in developing countries included the participation of the full range of national actors and took account of the shifting role of government and reform of the public sector.

The transfer of new technologies that were clean and efficient was essential for the economic growth of developing countries, the representative of Cuba said. She also called on the Commission to accord high priority at its next session to its consideration of the oceans and the tourism sector. On the same theme, the representative of Jamaica stressed the need to bring out the important linkages between the oceans and sustainable tourism.

The representative of Samoa, speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States, said the benefits of globalization were not "ready picking" for those States. On the contrary, they faced constraints in the sustainable development of their trade and industry sectors because of their isolation from world markets and the sensitivity of their small economies to external shocks.

Statements were also made by representatives of Turkey, Brazil, Mexico and Barbados, as well as by representatives of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the World Bank.

The Commission will meet again at 4 p.m. this afternoon to conclude the work of its current session.

Commission Work Programme

The Commission on Sustainable Development met this morning to continue its high-level segment. 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.

Statements

TULUY TANC (Turkey) said local initiatives were imperative for the achievement of sustainable development. As far as freshwater management and industry were concerned, getting positive results at the local level was essential in order to change production models and consumption patterns. One of the most important developments in his country had been the revision of its environmental legislation. Appropriate technology transfer to those countries which had not completed their industrialization process was necessary to enable them to adopt a protective approach to the environment.

He said that Turkey could not sign the Convention on Climate Change and the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 because of its special position regarding Annexes I and II of the Convention. His country asked once more to be excluded from those annexes because of the burdens they presented. In that case, his Government would be willing to become a party to both instruments. Turkey had been engaged in integrated water management for the past four decades, and the delicate balance between the needs of such different users as farmers, households, manufacturers, municipalities, industry and the ecosystem had been carefully guarded.

Sustainable development and the management of water resources should take account of appropriate pricing mechanisms, he said. That required full awareness of the needs of the vulnerable groups in society, including women, and must assign costs of pollution to the polluters themselves. With irrigation constituting the bulk of water demand, users had an important role to play. User-group involvement should thus be fostered by participatory approaches.

His said that Turkey considered bilateral and regional approaches to the management of transboundary watercourses appropriate and result-oriented. A global approach would not necessarily be effective. Some delegations had cited the Convention on the Law of the Non-Navigational Uses of International Watercourses with respect to the development of valid basic principles and a legal framework. However, that Convention did not take account of the economic and sustainable development aspects of the transboundary watercourses and was therefore not a suitable reference document.

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EDUARDO MARTINS, President of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (IBAMA) -- the federal environmental agency of Brazil -- spoke of the fires which had affected his country's northern state of Roraima. He said they were caused by the prolonged drought, which was aggravated by El Nino, and by the agricultural practice of slash and burn, used to prepare land for cultivation. In the next three weeks, his Government would provide numbers on the extent of damage. In combating the fire, more then $10 million had been used, while another $17 million was being used to cover material damages in rural areas. A broad programme had been established for the prevention and control of slash-and- burn practices and forest fires in the Amazon deforestation belt. That would become an important element within the context of the integrated national policy for the Brazilian Amazon.

In Brazil's march towards environmental sustainability, there were initiatives worth highlighting, he said. The new Environmental Crimes Law would ensure greater efficacy and creativity in applying penalties to those who harmed the environment. Also, four new protected areas were established in partnership with the World Wildlife Fund and the World Bank, to meet the presidential commitment to protect at least 10 per cent of Brazilian forests by the year 2000.

The adoption in Brazil last year of Law No. 9433, which instituted the national water resources policy and created the National Water Resources Management System, represented a qualitative step forward in the process of institutionalization, water planning and management, he said. It introduced among its provision the concept of river basins as units of management and focused on users' basin committees. The fundamental characteristics of that instrument was decentralization, through which responsibilities were passed to states and municipalities.

JUAN CARLOS BELAUSTEGUIGOITIA, Deputy Minister for Planning at the Ministry of the Environment, Natural Resources and Fisheries of Mexico, said the Commission's consideration of industry and freshwater management had taken important steps towards sustainable development. Mexico was furthering sustainable development by managing its fresh water for the good of the country. It was providing legal security, bringing prices into line, expanding opportunities for society to participate in development and introducing use patterns that would ensure the future availability of water. Strategies revolved around such components as aquifer systems, and social participation took the form of basin councils and services.

He said that Mexico had made many changes relating to industry and the environment. The overall impact was that environmental concerns had been rationalized to provide more flexibility. New standards for emission limits had been set, and costs had been regulated depending on the ecosystem involved. The system had been simplified, and agreements between the

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Government and industry were largely voluntary. Economic instruments and markets had been developed, and assistance was provided to small- and medium- sized enterprises. Public information programmes were under way, and development indicators were used to evaluate and analyse environmental performance for the development of new policies. When industry took environmental concerns into consideration, that turned into economic gain for society by creating jobs.

THORVALD MOE, Deputy Secretary-General of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), said his organization's point of departure was economic development. Economic, human and environmental considerations should be approached in an integrated manner. Work was currently proceeding too much on parallel tracks. The OECD was committed to integrating the process, and had sponsored joint discussions involving the various parties to the process.

Sustainable development was a priority for the OECD, which had made progress in such areas as climate change and technology, he said. The organization would provide a major report for a 10-year review of the Rio Conference, and would make important intermediate reports on such issues as climate change, the environment and industry. The OECD had also done a lot of work analysing policy and performance in water management, and it was monitoring official development assistance (ODA) figures.

CARLSTON B. BOUCHER (Barbados) said the Commission's discussions on industry had underlined the need for a genuine compact between government, business, labour and civil society in shaping and implementing policies. The 1999 programme leading up to the special session of the General Assembly to review implementation of the Programme of Action of the 1994 Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, held in Barbados, had a strong emotional meaning for his country. The Programme clearly addressed the vulnerabilities facing those States in achieving sustainable development.

Implementation of the Programme of Action had failed and yet commitment to it remained strong, especially as weaknesses were identified and addressed, he said. Those weaknesses included the lack of technical capacity, inadequate financial resources and strained managerial and organizational skills. Adequate financial support from the international community was more critical than ever. The upcoming donors conference should help foster commitment and support for the Programme's broad project portfolio, which would strengthen implementation in the coming years. Improving the effectiveness of the regional coordinating mechanism was a major priority.

TUILOMA NERONI SLADE (Samoa), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, said that those States faced real constraints in the sustainable development of their trade and industry sectors because of their

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isolation from world markets and the sensitivity and susceptibility of their small economies to external economic and trade shocks. The benefits of globalization were not of "ready picking" for small island States. On the contrary, it tended to underline their particular vulnerability to marginalization.

The Alliance saw the role of industry in sustainable development as being not simply for the benefit of shareholders, but rather more for the broader interests of all stakeholders, he said. "We must not lose sight of the importance of scale and appropriateness." In many small island communities, it was not simply a case of expanding or making cleaner existing industrial opportunities, but of a fundamental transition from no industry to an appropriate enterprise, and from subsistence to cash transactions.

As the front-line States in the struggle against climate change, the small island States were keen to see early action on the full implementation of the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol, he said. The Alliance continued to place high priority on the development of a vulnerability index, and took particular note of the expert conclusion that as a group, small island States were more vulnerable than other groups of developing countries.

While accepting the role of industry and the private sector, it was important to recognize that not all countries had the same ability for mobilizing their private sectors to undertake social and sustainable development projects, he said. "Our own countries are not yet in this position. Our markets are too small, too vulnerable and too easily overcome by outside forces to enable them and our limited national private sectors to participate as equals." The interest of the international private sector was not always directed at the primary national priorities of small island States. That private sector was more often interested in tourism, natural resources and offshore financial arrangements.

GISELA ALONSO (Cuba) said there had been certain innovations in the work of the Commission, and it had been very important to have the input of all the groups that had been involved in its discussions. However, there should also be more of a balance between the North and the South in future deliberations. Industrial development was fundamental for the economic growth of developing countries. Government, industry and environmental groups were working together to that end in Cuba, in accordance with the economic possibilities of the country.

In Cuba, there was a water supply for more than 90 per cent of the population, and prices for water varied in the different sectors of the country, she said. In discussions on the supply of fresh water, the reality of the situation of developing countries should not be overlooked.

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The transfer of new technologies that were efficient and clean was essential, she said. Cuba supported the statement made on behalf of the small island developing States about the need for comprehensive preparations for the meeting in 1999. Oceans and the tourism sector should be high priorities at the Commission's next session.

M. PATRICIA DURRANT (Jamaica) said she was pleased that discussions over the past two weeks had recognized the need for a comprehensive approach to freshwater issues. The recommendations in the Secretary-General's report relating to strategic approaches to freshwater management provided a broad framework for action. Now that there was a common strategy, there must be closer cooperation between all the United Nations funds and agencies. Perhaps there should be a task force dedicated to freshwater issues.

Jamaica faced water shortage problems and had embraced many of the recommendations in the Secretary-General's report, she said. It had created a Ministry of Water, intended to ensure integrated and informed management of the country's water resources. That Ministry was also intended to implement measures to ensure conservation by suppliers and consumers of water. Her Government recognized that future water demands and related capital expenditures should be driven by policy. Water should be supplied to those who could not afford it at reduced cost or free of charge.

It was timely that the Commission would address the subject of the oceans following the International Year of the Oceans (1998), she said. Important linkages between the oceans and sustainable tourism should be brought out in next year's discussions. The shipping industry and tourism organizations should also be included.

IAN JOHNSON, Acting Vice-President on Environmentally and Socially Sustainable Development of the World Bank, said that more than 75 countries had now designed national environment action plans, often with Bank assistance. Those countries worked through a participatory process to identify and assess environmental problems, define priority actions and specify the institutional, human and financial resources needed to ensure effectiveness. The Bank and its partners were also helping groups of countries to come together and find strategic solutions to their regional problems involving such bodies as the Mediterranean, Caribbean, Baltic, Black and Aral Seas, the Danube River Basin and Lake Victoria.

The World Bank was also encouraging its client countries to work for change in the national environment as a critical step towards movement of private capital into their economies, he said. New efforts to mainstream issues of sustainability into the Bank's regular lending portfolio on a number of fronts should help lead to more effective solutions on water and industry issues.

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A significant shift had taken place at the Bank to enhance industrialization in a sustainable manner, he said. The International Financial Corporation, the Bank's private-sector arm, reflected the growing belief that sustainability was an opportunity. That new approach recognized that while competition in the marketplace continued to pull companies towards maximizing short-term profits and minimizing costs, more businesses had determined that eco-efficiency enhanced their competitiveness and had begun to address social and cultural issues arising from their operations. The Bank was supporting that principle by looking to environmental and social improvements as key elements in enhancing the long-term development impact of work with the private sector.

He said the Bank's development agenda had also shifted to more fully integrate the social agenda, which would help create a positive approach to water resources management. It had also recently adopted a new policy on operations in conflict and post-conflict countries which emphasized the importance of reconstructing both the social and physical infrastructure. Work on water issues and industrialization would be critical to that task.

In the water sector, the Bank's total water resource portfolio from the fiscal year 1988 to 1997 involved more than 400 projects, with loans accounting for more than $33 billion, he said. Its water resources management programme included investments for urban, rural, industrial and agricultural water supply, sewage treatment, flood control, irrigation and drainage, hydropower and navigation projects. Other activities affecting catchment waters included forestry, mining and construction, industrial discharge and agricultural run-off.

PALLO JORDAN, Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa, said the eradication of poverty through sustainable development was a fundamental goal of the international community. The two cross-sectoral issues critical to that were the transfer of environmentally sound technologies and the related issue of intellectual property rights. The potential for South-South transfers should not be neglected, and transfers from developed to developing countries should include transfer of the capacity and ability and maintain those technologies. Such technologies should be adapted to the circumstances, serve to create jobs and require low maintenance.

He said the transfer of environmentally sound technologies should not be used as another opportunity to advance the developed markets, which already have a competitive advantage. The ODA should include preferential programmes to allow developing countries to access environmentally sound technologies. Developing countries also needed to assess and put a value on their own natural endowments, especially with respect to biotechnological innovations. A major study should be undertaken on intellectual property rights and the transfer of environmentally sound technologies.

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Investing in human resource development was essential for promoting sustainable development, he said. International networking to facilitate capacity-building would create international partnerships for the sharing of experiences on the best practices for advancing global knowledge and skills.

JAMES GUSTAVE SPETH, Administrator of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), said his agency's activities to improve capacity-building in developing countries included the participation of the full range of national actors. It took into consideration the shifting role of government through reform by the public sector; and sought to secure compliance with rules under legal covenants. It approached monitoring and evaluation from the perspective of the learning needs involved in capacity-building.

The link between capacity-building and the eradication of poverty for sustainable development was clear, he said. Poverty and environmental degradation were linked in a cycle, the operational aspects of which had not yet been defined. The UNDP and the European Commission were undertaking a project to uncover some of the operational links between poverty eradication, the environment and sustainable development. The UNDP's focus was on capacity-building to support the environment, for example, by increasing the capacity of governments to integrate freshwater resources and aquatic environment management programmes into national and regional strategies.

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