COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT CONCLUDES FIRST SESSION
Press Release
ENR/5
COMMITTEE ON ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES FOR DEVELOPMENT CONCLUDES FIRST SESSION
19990416 Takes Decision Related to Preparation for Ninth Session of Commission on Sustainable DevelopmentAmong various decisions taken as it concluded its first session this afternoon, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development decided to submit an informal paper, as orally revised, as a contribution to the preparatory process for the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
The paper identifies issues relating to a sustainable energy future and identifies the most critical to be addressed during the preparatory process, particularly by the open-ended intergovernmental group of experts on energy and sustainable development during 2001, and by the Commission on Sustainable Development. It identifies options for a sustainable energy future, as well as policies and measures for achieving it, by addressing such critical issues as accessibility; atmospheric emissions; development of technology; transportation; the impact of liberalization and privatization; financing; and formulation and implementation of policies.
Further, the paper recommends that the ninth session of the Commission aim to increase understanding of sustainable development issues for the next century, including approaches for achieving it. The session should also express recognition of development issues and constraints in order to facilitate formulation and implementation of sustainable energy policies at the national level within a regional context.
In addition, the Commission should initiate a mechanism for a progressive set of commonly accepted principles that could form the basis for recommendations on best practices for a sustainable energy future. Specific actions, especially on international levels, should be taken in such areas as improving efficiency in energy production and use, and speeding up the development and use of renewable energy technologies. Regional initiatives
should be encouraged and systematic evaluation of programmes in the field should be undertaken, along with a strengthening of cooperation and coordination at the global, regional and field levels.
Also this afternoon, as a contribution to the preparatory process for the Commission's eighth session on integrated planning and management of land resources and on agriculture, the Committee approved two draft texts, as orally revised.
By the terms of the draft decision on integrated planning and management of land resources and agriculture (document E/C.14/1999/L.2), the Committee recommends to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of a draft resolution by which the Council would invite the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to prepare a background paper for the Commission's eighth session on the interrelationship of agriculture and water.
The document should examine the use of water in agriculture, recognizing the scarce and vulnerable nature of water and also recognizing agriculture as one of many users and as the primary consumptive user of water on a global basis. Further, it should examine the issues presented in the draft decision, including overarching issues, and issues related to irrigation and drainage, and rain-fed agriculture, analyse their importance and recommend actions or alternatives, citing case studies where possible.
In addition, the FAO should include consideration of water in all of its preparations and discussions for the preparatory meeting it is co-sponsoring with the Government of the Netherlands.
By the terms of the draft resolution entitled report of the Secretary- General on issues related to the spatial planning of land (including minerals) and water resources (document E/C.14/1999/L.3), the Economic and Social Council could ask the Secretary-General to prepare a report, based on the report mentioned above and taking into account the suggested revisions contained in the annex to the present resolution, and to make it available to the Commission's eighth session as a background document on integrated land management.
By approving, without a vote, a draft decision on mining, which was read out by the Committee's Secretary, Vivian Pliner-Josephs, the Committee decided to invite the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, in cooperation with other organizations of the United Nations system and with the mining industry, to consider the possibility of convening a meeting on issues of the environmental effects of small-scale and artisanal mining operations, including but not limited to pollution of surface and groundwaters.
The Committee next approved a final report by its subgroup on energy, as related to the Committee's work under agenda item 5 -- a review of salient
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trends and issues on energy development and use in the context of sustainable development. The report included a follow-up to the previous sessions of the former Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development; a review of environmentally sound and efficient fossil energy technologies and on renewable sources of energy, with special emphasis on wind energy; rural energy; energy and transportation; and coordination of activities of the organizations in the United Nations system in the field of energy.
Also this afternoon, the Committee approved a draft decision orally introduced by its Chairman, Christian M. Katsande (Zimbabwe), concerning the timing of its next session, which would be included in the report of the current session. By the terms of the text, the Committee recommended to the Economic and Social Council that the second session of the Committee be brought forward and held from 14 to 25 August 2000 and that provisions be made for the two subgroups -- energy and water resources -- to hold parallel meetings.
In other action, the Committee approved a draft decision, also orally introduced by its Chairman, by which it recommended to the Economic and Social Council the adoption of a draft decision on the report of the Committee on its first session, and provisional agenda and documentation for its second session. By its terms, the Council would: take note of the Committee's report on its first session; decide to transmit the report to the Commission on Sustainable Development; and approve the provisional agenda and documentation for the Committee's second session, as set out in the text.
The Committee also approved, as orally revised, the report of its first session, as contained in document E/C.14/1999/L.1 and Add.1, as well as two informal papers:
-- a substantive summary of its work by the subgroup on water resources. The paper states that the Committee focused on key issues in water management as linked to poverty alleviation and sustainable development, notably the provision of water supply and the impact of agriculture on the water-resource base. The Committee noted that barriers to the integration of economic, social and environmental objectives persisted in current approaches to water management. Solutions would be found only through clearly integrated frameworks agreed upon at all levels of society, along with long-term commitments to development of public health and natural resource policy, strategic planning and mobilisation of resources;
-- a procedural summary of the discussions by the subgroup on energy of agenda items 3 and 5, encompassing, respectively, the Committee's contribution to the preparatory process for the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, and its review of the salient trends and issues on energy development and use.
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Last week, the Committee had approved a text on water, as orally revised, in contribution to the preparation of the Secretary-General's report on progress made in providing a safe water supply and sanitation for all during the 1990s, to be submitted to the Commission at its eighth session.
By the terms of that draft resolution, the Committee would have the Economic and Social Council request the Secretary-General, in preparing his report, to ensure that the connections between water supply and sanitation and other sectors are explored, and to focus on analysing shortfalls, including barriers to progress in providing water supply and sanitation.
The Secretary-General would also be requested to explore how inadequate attention to an integrated approach to water and land management can exacerbate problems of water supply and sanitation and vice-versa. He would also emphasize the analysis of issues, explore topics where adequate progress has not been made and identify actions and provide examples of successful efforts.
Further by the text, the Council would request that the following issues elaborated in the Committee's decision, and annexed to the resolution, be included in the analysis: mobilization of political will; economic sustainability and private-sector involvement in water supply and sanitation; community participation and social mobilization; sanitation, sewage treatment and wastewater recycling; communication and awareness raising; gender issues; protection of water resources; and water conservation efforts.
In his closing remarks, Christian M. Katsande (Zimbabwe), Chairman of the Committee, thanked all members of the Committee for their dedication, and thanked the Bureau, members of the Secretariat, and the members of agencies and non-governmental organizations for their contributions. The Committee had put together a foundation for working towards the integration of the issues being addressed.
Wilhelmus C. Turkenburg (Netherlands) and John Michael Matuszak (United States) served as Vice-Chairmen for the first session. Mr. Turkenburg chaired the Committee's subgroup on energy and Mr. Matuszak, the subgroup on water resources. Serving as Rapporteurs were Wafik Meshref (Egypt) and Owen Macdonald Kankhulungo (Malawi).
The other members of the 24-member expert body include: Adam Edow Adawa (Kenya), Carlos Alberto Aguilar Molina (El Salvador); Hernan Bravo Trejos (Costa Rica); Dmytro Victorovych Derogan (Ukraine); Bernard Devin (France); Malin Falkenmark (Sweden); Siripong Hungspreug (Thailand); Jon Ingimarsson (Iceland); Ahmad Kahrobaian (Iran); Badr Kasme (Syria); Markku Juhani Makela (Finland); Messaoud Moumaout (Algeria); Sergey M. Natalchuk (Russian Federation); Ainun Nishat (Bangladesh); Neculai Pavlovschi (Romania); Carlos
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Augusto Saldivar (Paraguay); Eddy Kofi Smith (Ghana); Raymond Marcio Wright (Jamaica); and Zhang Guocheng (China).
A subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council, the Committee was created through resolution 1998/46 of 31 July 1998, annex I, which merged two committees -- the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for Development and the Committee on Natural Resources -- into a single expert body. During the first session, it took up items on issues in the water and energy sectors that emerged after the cancellation of the sessions of the two former Committees.
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