GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT IMPERILED BY UNSUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION OF WEALTHY, PERVASIVE POVERTY OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Press Release
GA/EF/2874

GLOBAL ENVIRONMENT IMPERILED BY UNSUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION OF WEALTHY, PERVASIVE POVERTY OF DEVELOPING COUNTRIES

Mexico Calls for Transfer of Technology To Help Anticipate and Manage Natural Disaster Impact

Unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, mainly in the developed countries, were predominant sources of environmental degradation, as were the pervasive poverty and underdevelopment still afflicting most developing countries, said the representative of Indonesia this morning as the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) began its consideration of the environment and sustainable development, including the implementation of Agenda 21.

It was 27 years ago that the United Nations first put the issue of the environment squarely on the international agenda in Stockholm, he said. Yet progress had fallen far short of expectations. Numerous global, legally-binding conventions and instruments on environmental protection had come into force, but such processes would not necessarily lead to a significant improvement in the quality of the global environment. It was important to implement all commitments, as well as to seek to overcome the major constraints faced by the developing countries. Poverty eradication had to be an integral part of efforts to promote sustainable development and thereby ensure the well-being of present and future generations.

The representative of China said that the implementation of Agenda 21 required joint efforts by the international community as a whole, and the key to success lay in the concrete actions of all states. Developing countries were the most vulnerable to the consequences of persistent environmental degradation. “We should seize the hour and put our own house in order first”, she said. Economic, social and environmental pressures were on the rise, and inadequate resources and lack of capacity were the most daunting barriers to overcome.

Adnan Amin, Director of the Regional Office for North America of the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), said that the present course of action was unsustainable, and postponing action was

Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2874 18th Meeting (AM) 22 October 1999

no longer an option. Underpinning many of the environmental problems the international community faced was the poverty of the majority of the planet’s inhabitants and excessive consumption by the minority. The current grave imbalances in productivity and in the distribution of goods and services that threatened the global ecosystem must be corrected. The integration of environmental thinking into the mainstream of decision-making on agriculture, trade, investment, research and development, infrastructure and finance was now the best chance for effective action.

The representative of Mexico noted that efforts to achieve sustainable development had been severely constricted by natural disasters, which disproportionately impacted the efforts of developing countries to implement Agenda 21. As a result, there was an urgent need to facilitate the transfer of technology for natural disaster reduction. It was also vital to improve early warning systems. The management of natural disasters required a comprehensive approach.

Also this morning, the representative of Egypt expressed concern at the late issuance of documents for consideration under the Committee’s agenda.

Statements were also made by the representatives of Guyana (on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China), Finland (on behalf of the European Union and associated States), United States, Russian Federation, Norway, Cyprus, Republic of Korea, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Zimbabwe and Cuba. A representative of the Energy and Transport Branch of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), as well as representatives of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) also spoke.

The Committee will meet again at 3 p.m. to continue its discussion on environment and sustainable development.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to begin its consideration of environment and sustainable development, including implementation of Agenda 21 and the programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21.

Before the Committee was the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on the work of its twentieth session (document A/54/25 and Add.1), held in Nairobi from 1 to 5 February. The opening meeting of the session was addressed by representatives of youth organizations, who referred to the call to youth in Agenda 21 to participate actively in environmental matters and pledged their commitment to mobilize youth in their own countries to work for the good of the environment. Pleading with representatives not to politicize the environment, they urged governments to develop a vision for the global environment and to increase their financial contributions in realizing that vision. Among the issues discussed during the session were: environmental assessment and early warning; technology, industry and economics; and the Global Environment Facility (GEF), management and administration.

The decisions adopted by the Governing Council are annexed to the report. It highlights those of particular relevance to the Commission on Sustainable Development and the General Assembly. For example, the Council called on the Commission, at its seventh session, to promote enhanced coordination and improved institutional arrangements within the United Nations system on activities concerning the marine environment. The Commission should also consider how to promote the early implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities as one of the components of implementing Agenda 21. Also, the Commission was invited to call on governments to integrate consideration of sustainable tourism in their national sustainable development strategies, and into relevant multilateral environmental conventions.

According to the report, the Council noted with concern the large discrepancy in the amount of funding provided from the Organization's regular budget to the United Nations Office at Nairobi, in relation to that provided to the Offices at Vienna and Geneva. It appealed to the Assembly at its fifty-fourth session to positively consider a substantial increase in the regular budget allocation to the administration of the Nairobi Office in the context of the regular budget for the United Nations for the biennium 2000-2001.

The addendum to the report presents additional information on developments in and changes to the status of international conventions and protocols in the field of the environment. It covers the period from 11 December 1996 to 10 November 1998, and where more updated information has been made available, up to 30 July 1999. The information has been provided by Governments and international organizations acting as depositaries of the respective instruments, in response to a request by the secretariat of UNEP.

The Committee had before it the report of the Secretary-General on the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 (document A/54/212), concerning measures taken by the different entities of the United Nations system, in accordance with the provisions of the Assembly resolution which endorsed the Programme as a contribution to the overall agenda of sustainable development, and invited all Member States to contribute to its successful implementation. Energy plays a vital role in achieving the interrelated economic, social and environmental objectives of sustainable development. It will require significant financial, human and technical resources and a broad-based mix of energy sources. However, investments in renewable energy resources remain modest, despite the fact that they are an environmentally sound means of producing energy and an increasingly cost-effective option for addressing the needs of the approximately two billion people without access to modern energy services.

With regard to the relationship of the World Solar Programme to the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development, at its first session (1999), stressed that further efforts should be undertaken to obtain qualitative and quantitative information on the availability of renewable sources of energy, states the report. The Committee drew attention to the valuable recommendations for speeding up the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies contained in the World Solar Programme. In the agenda for the second session (August 2000), the Committee will have for its consideration an item on renewable energy, with special emphasis on solar energy. The Committee’s report on its second session will be an input to the deliberations of the Commission on Sustainable Development at its ninth session in 2001.

According to the report, efforts continue to be made within the United Nations system to promote policies and programmes in renewable energy resources and to foster cooperation in the implementation of global, regional and national projects. For its part, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has intensified activities under its Initiative for Sustainable Energy (UNISE), which describes how energy issues relate to the UNDP’s main programme goals, especially poverty eradication. The Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) has taken several initiatives, including training seminars, workshops and symposia on such topics as decentralized rural electrification and barriers to sustainable energy development in developing countries, with emphasis on Africa. Also, the secretariat of the World Solar Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) have participated actively in a number of international meetings dealing with relevant aspects of the greater use of renewable and environmentally friendly energies.

During the past two years, the World Solar Commission has been able to mobilize about $500 million in international assistance for the execution of approximately 400 national high-priority renewable energy projects included in the Programme, states the report. The Programme also includes projects submitted by developed countries, many of which have been implemented with funding from national sources. A number of countries have taken legislative action favouring the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies. For example, in Spain, subsidies can be granted to renewable energy firms, and legislation for an electricity protocol has been passed, firmly establishing the principle of differential treatment and giving priority to electricity generation by renewable energy sources.

The report goes on to state that significant progress has been made at the international level by individual governments, United Nations entities and other organizations in the Programme’s implementation, as part of the overall effort to enable renewable sources of energy to make an optimal contribution towards achieving a sustainable energy future. In preparing for the deliberations of the Commission on Sustainable Development on energy issues at its ninth session in 2001, the Inter-Agency Task Force on Energy is endeavouring to ensure that the Programme is fully integrated and brought into the mainstream of the efforts of the United Nations system to attain the objectives of sustainable development. Also before the Committee is the report of the Secretary-General on measures taken in the United Nations system to accelerate progress in the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 (document A/54/131-E/1999/75), including identification of constraints and recommendations on how to address them. In November 1992 the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC) established a subsidiary body, the Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development (IACSD) to promote cooperation and joint action within the United Nations system with a view to supporting the implementation of Agenda 21 and other outcomes of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The report describes recent developments in the IACSD as well as in other inter-agency processes, such as the Ad Hoc Inter-Agency Task Force on Energy.

Also included in the report is the United Nations system response to the outcomes of the sixth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in the areas of freshwater; transfer of environmentally sound technology; capacity-building, education and public awareness and science for sustainable development; and industry. Outcomes of the seventh session of the Commission that call for action by the United Nations system in the areas of oceans and seas, tourism and sustainable development, and consumption and production patterns are also included. With regard to constraints, the report states that additional tasks such as those implied in many decisions of the Commission on Sustainable Development cannot be implemented fully by individual United Nations agencies without additional resources. For example, no additional resources have been provided for the Commission work programme on education, public awareness and training for sustainable development. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), as task manager for this programme, has not had recourse to additional resources to reinforce its capacity to further this work programme. Governments and respective governing and budgetary bodies should be encouraged to work together to provide the resources to implement their decisions, particularly at the outset.

Other constraints, the report continues, are related to the lack of institutional capacity, vague mandates and roles, and lack of clearly defined priorities, both for individual organizations and for the United Nations system as a whole. In addition, there is often a perception that the follow-up to United Nations conferences is primarily the responsibility of the United Nations system in general, and particularly of task managers. Actions need to take place primarily at the national level, with governments, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), the private sector and others as the main actors. The United Nations system’s role is, among other things, to facilitate cooperation among major actors to enhance action at the national level. Also, a number of specific difficulties are related to fostering progress in some inter- sectoral aspects of sustainable development, such as health. The United Nations system needs to address health issues, particularly those related to preventive health, in its approach to sustainable development.

Statements

ADNAN AMIN, Director of the Regional Office for North America of UNEP, said that in the context of globalization, all countries, developed and developing, were confronted with the challenge of environmental sustainability. The present course was unsustainable, and postponing action was no longer an option. Underpinning many of the environmental problems the international community faced, was the poverty of the majority of the planet’s inhabitants and excessive consumption by the minority. There was a need to correct the current grave imbalances in productivity and in the distribution of goods and services that threatened the global ecosystem. The integration of environmental thinking into the mainstream of decision-making relating to agriculture, trade, investment, research and development, infrastructure and finance was now the best chance for effective action.

He said that the twentieth session of the Governing Council had adopted important decisions with regard to three fundamental issues -– revitalizing policy issues as contained in the programme of work, reform and finance. He highlighted the key outcomes of the session, as contained in the Council’s report. The integrated programme of work was based on five areas of concentration, namely: environmental monitoring, assessment, information and research, including early warning; enhanced coordination of environmental conventions and development of environmental policy instruments; freshwater management; technology transfer and industry; and support to Africa.

With regard to finance, governments recognized the need for UNEP to have adequate, stable and predictable financial resources if it was to effectively meet the expectations of Member States. A decision was taken to broaden the funding base, and the Council authorized an increased budget of $120 million for the next biennium, which was a particularly significant demonstration of renewed confidence in UNEP. In the area of reform, the Council adopted a significant decision based on its consideration of the recommendations contained in the report of the Secretary-General on Environment and Human Settlements. The UNEP would be receiving further practical guidance from its High Level Committee of Ministers and Officials, which would be considering the implementation of the reform recommendations at their meeting in Bonn at the beginning of November, in the margins of the fifth Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

SHEM ARUNGU-OLENDE, Energy and Transport Branch of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said it was universally recognized that energy played a vital role in achieving environmentally acceptable sustainable development. The World Solar Energy programme was closely related to other programmes within the United Nations system. It was the outcome of a concerted effort by the World Solar Commission and entities within and outside the United Nations system, under the auspices of UNESCO, which had played a decisive role in promoting the implementation of the Programme.

Within the United Nations system, he said, efforts continued to be made to promote policies and programmes in renewable energy resources, and to foster cooperation in the implementation of global, regional and national projects. Such activities were intended to promote energy efficiency and more widespread development and application of renewable energy technologies. The DESA had taken several initiatives in regard to the development and use of renewable sources of energy, which had included training seminars, workshops and symposia, technical assistance in building institutional capacities for renewable energy development, and introducing technologies for the development and use of renewable energy sources in small island States.

Significant progress had been made at the international level and by individual governments, entities of the United Nations system and other organizations in the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005. Those achievements were an overall effort to promote more widespread development and application of renewable sources of energy. DONNETTE CRITCHLOW (Guyana), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 developing countries and China, reiterated the importance of the implementation of Agenda 21 to sustainable development. To implement programmes effectively, developing and developed countries alike would have to address fundamental issues. Those issues included the fulfillment of conference commitments by developed countries, the transfer of environmentally sound technology, capacity-building and training, debt relief to poor countries, and the reduction of the gap between developed and developing countries. Overall trends with respect to the global environment had not improved.

She underscored the need for adequate preparations for the upcoming ten-year review of the implementation of the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development. The Group of 77 requested that the views of Member States be included on the form, scope and modalities for the preparatory process for initial discussion at the eighth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. It would also be useful for the Secretary-General to present to the Fifty- fifth General Assembly an analytical report clearly indicating the contribution of the United Nations bodies in accelerating the implementation of Agenda 21. The report should also identify constraints which had limited further progress and make recommendations on how those constraints could be addressed.

She noted with satisfaction the progress made with respect to the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1998-2005, and specifically the incremental utilization of solar energy with respect to rural electrification programmes, but she reiterated the need for greater financing for the further promotion of that form of environmentally- friendly energy.

AIRA PAIVOKE (Finland), speaking on behalf of the European Union (EU) and Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Cyprus, Malta and Iceland, said that the EU supported the efforts by the Executive Director of UNEP to strengthen the linkage with the Global Environment Facility. Careful consideration was needed when drawing the line between UNEP’s catalytic function and the pilot character of its activities, and the large-scale operational activities of implementing agencies like the World Bank and the UNDP.

On the implementation of Agenda 21, she said that a lack of institutional capacity, vagueness in mandates and respective roles, and a lack of clearly defined priorities had been attributed to a lack of coherence in intergovernmental decision-making. A more integrated approach was needed to the follow-up of all recent major United Nations conferences in order to achieve synergies and to ensure a more efficient and effective use of limited resources.

The work of the World Solar Programme undoubtedly constituted a valuable contribution to the forthcoming debate in the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-9), in 2001. She stressed the importance of linkages between the international, intergovernmental and non-governmental stakeholders. When addressing energy options, the impact of energy from a social, economic and environment perspective, and the roles of the private sector, civil society at large, and the scientific and academic communities needed to be considered.

SIM FARAR (United States) said that explicit in the Rio discussions was the recognition that environmental damage rarely respected national boundaries. Global climate change was the premier environmental challenge of the twenty-first century. There was overwhelming scientific consensus that human activity had begun to affect the climate, and that continuing on the present course might have dire consequences. The United States was fully committed to meeting that challenge, both through strong domestic actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and by working with other nations to achieve agreement on a sound, cost-effective global strategy. It looked forward to participating in the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, to be held in Bonn. “If we fail to move forward –- both in Bonn and beyond -– we risk missing an important opportunity to protect the world climate for generations yet to come.”

Desertification was another area where international cooperation was needed, he said. Dry land degradation, or desertification, was a growing problem that threatened the well-being of millions of people in many parts of the world, and in particular in Africa. The Convention to Combat Desertification sought to mitigate the effects of dry-land degradation and prevent further desertification through collaboration at the local level, and in partnership with communities, NGOs and national governments. The United States currently spent millions of dollars in humanitarian aid to drought-affected countries and strongly supported the aims of the Convention. It looked forward to the upcoming Third Conference of Parties where, for the first time, countries would present elements of their national action plans and where debate could focus on methods to alleviate dry-land degradation.

VASSILI A. NEBENZIA (Russian Federation) said that serious efforts towards the implementation of Agenda 21 were underway in her country, which had elaborated a national concept for sustainable development. The Russian Federation also played an active and instructive part in international initiatives for the protection of the environment. It had entered into several international agreements on environmental protection, and favoured rapid implementation of those agreements.

He noted with satisfaction that UNEP had adopted a number of important decisions aimed at strengthening its role within the United Nations system. An analysis of the difficulties facing United Nations agencies was necessary. The work of the Commission for sustainable development could benefit from the contribution of the Solar Energy Programme, she said. An important challenge now before the General Assembly was to provide a holistic approach to conventions for environmental protection.

MATILDE GARCIA VERASTEGUI (Mexico), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group of Latin American Countries, said that the Earth Summit had established the principles and modalities for international cooperation to achieve sustainable development, as well as the framework for action by the United Nations system, governments and civil society, in each of the areas of human activity that impacted the environment. Two years ago, at the nineteenth special session of the Assembly, States had adopted a programme of action for further implementation of Agenda 21. The Rio Group fully agreed with the conclusions reached at the session and was convinced of the need to work further for the full implementation of Agenda 21 and to change the present unsustainable patterns of consumption and production. It was essential to intensify international cooperation between developed and developing countries to ensure that they could achieve the set objectives.

Efforts to achieve sustainable development had been severely constricted by natural disasters, which disproportionately impacted the efforts of developing countries, she continued. Therefore, there was an urgent need to facilitate the transfer of technology for natural disaster reduction. It was vital to improve early warning systems. Management of natural disasters required a comprehensive approach. The Rio Group had committed themselves to acting together to achieve compliance with Agenda 21 at the local, national, regional and international levels. It emphasized the importance of the ratification and implementation of international instruments on environment, climate change and desertification. The Group awaited the upcoming Fifth Conference of Parties in Bonn as well as the Third Conference of Parties on the Convention on Desertification. The role of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was of fundamental importance as a follow- up organ for Agenda 21. To achieve sustainable development, developed countries must demonstrate political will. Together with the participation of developed countries and the international financial institutions, States could comply with what had been adopted since 1992.

DJAUHARI ORATMANGUN (Indonesia) said that it was 27 years ago that the United Nations first put the issue of the environment squarely on the international agenda in Stockholm. Yet progress over that span of years had fallen far short of expectations. Unsustainable patterns of both production and consumption, mainly in the developed countries, were predominant sources of environmental degradation, as were the pervasive poverty and underdevelopment still afflicting most developing countries. Unless significant inroads were not achieved in the struggle to combat poverty, little could be done towards the implementation of Agenda 21 in developing countries.

Numerous global, legally-binding conventions and instruments on environmental protection had come into force, but such processes would not necessarily lead to a significant improvement in the quality of the global environment. It was important to implement all commitments, as well as to seek to overcome the major constraints faced by the developing countries. Commitment to combat poverty had to be an integral part of efforts to promote sustainable development and thereby ensure the well-being of present and future generations. The donor community must meet their commitments, particularly in providing financial resources at the agreed level of 0.7 per cent of their respective gross national products.

JOSTEIN LEIRO (Norway) said that progress towards a sustainable future was slow and uneven. Advances being made in some areas were often accompanied by less positive developments in other areas. Agenda 21 and the other documents that had emerged from the Rio Conference on the environment provided a comprehensive description of how the issues were interlinked, what actions were needed, and the resources necessary to achieve the results. “Why, then, are we not doing even better?” he asked. The reasons were many and complex, including lack of sufficient resources, institutional capacity, vague mandates, roles and priorities, inconsistent decisions in various governing bodies, and lack of adequate coordination. Several constraints also existed at the national level. National coordination could be achieved only if environmental and economic policies were interlinked. Financial instruments, while not the only remedies for the world’s environmental health, could bridge the financing gap in sustainable development by encouraging behavioural changes. At the national level, resources should be mobilized and allocated to support sustainable development. Capacity-building and strengthening of institutions and legal frameworks to ensure the sustainable use of natural resources, were vital in that regard.

Norway looked forward to the upcoming Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Climate Change. He hoped that the meeting would be a stepping stone in efforts to reach conclusions on flexible mechanisms, and a step forward for the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol. The flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol, such as the Clean Development Mechanism, had the potential to mobilize resources not only to combat climate change but also to further the wider sustainable development agenda, including transfer of technology and capacity- building -- the other key areas for increased international attention.

AGIS LOIZOU (Cyprus) said that small States were particularly exposed to such serious environmental risks as natural disasters, vulnerability to sea-level rise, marine pollution, deforestation, desertification, soil erosion, overfishing and limited availability of freshwater. Proceeding from the Rio Summit documents and the Barbados Programme of Action, his country had adopted an Environmental Action Plan designed to protect the environment, as well as a Strategic Development Plan aimed at the continuous reassessment and upgrading of social and economic policies. The government had endorsed the need to integrate and harmonize the goals of its economic policy with those of environmental conservation. It pursued those goals through a process facilitated by a highly pluralistic society and through interaction between the public and the private sector and NGOs.

The General Assembly’s Declaration on the Right to Development recognized the right to a high-quality environment as a human right, he said. Equally important was the right to a secure environment, free from external security threats. Cyprus was an unfortunate victim of foreign aggression and occupation, which had caused extreme suffering to its people, destruction of economic resources and damage to the environment. In addition, the recent destructive earthquake had raised great concern over Cypru’s plans to build a coastal nuclear power plant opposite its northern shore. Finally, cooperation and coordination among small States was of utmost importance. He reiterated his offer to share Cypriot expertise and experience in areas of direct interest to most small States, such as solar energy, sustainable tourism and planning.

BAI YONGJIE (China) said she welcomed the progress of UNEP’s reform efforts. The implementation of Agenda 21 required the joint efforts by the international community as a whole, and the key to success lay in the concrete actions of all States. Developing countries were the most vulnerable to the consequences of persistent environmental degradation. “We should seize the hour and put our own house in order first”, she said. In the process of globalization, international competition was becoming fierce, and developing countries found themselves in an upstream journey fraught with risks and perils. Economic, social and environmental pressures were on the rise, she said. Inadequate resources and lack of capacity were the most daunting barriers to overcome.

In helping its Member States in their efforts to implement Agenda 21, the United Nations should focus its attention on the following goals: to mobilize political will by forging international consensus in specific areas, and also by forcefully facilitating the implementation of various inter-governmental decisions; to enhance coordination; and to focus on the problem of lack of resources. Lack of resources threatened the implementation of existing agreements and new projects alike. She suggested that the issue of resources should be integrated into consideration of any new policy measures.

YOUNG JU OH (Republic of Korea) said that the international community should strive for more tangible results in protecting the global environment. Progress could be made by promoting the establishment of an international legal framework for the management of deteriorating natural resources, for enhancing coordination among international environmental institutions, seeking global guidance for the emerging environmental agenda, and pursuing feasible solutions to the problems of implementing Agenda 21, such as financial resources and technology transfer.

International initiatives to develop policy measures and strategies to make production and consumption patterns sustainable were urgently needed, she said. The CSD-7’s identification of new priority areas in that field would constitute a solid basis for the international community to develop valid policy measures and strategies. Progress in studying the impact of globalization in promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns, called for in the CSD-7 decision, would be welcome. She hoped that the next CSD would provide a valuable opportunity to explore policy measures aimed at promoting the mobilization of financial resources and technology transfer.

FAWZI BIN ABDUL MAJEED SHOBOKSHI (Saudi Arabia) said there was no doubt that the environment and sustainable development were the most important issues facing the United Nations. The great attention paid by Saudi Arabia to the environment stemmed from Islamic teachings. The country had been adopting the concept of sustainable development and deepening it at all levels to include all strata of society in the protection of the environment. The Government had developed national plans for environmental protection. For example, it had established a department, associated with the Meteorological Society, charged with laying down the proper framework to evaluate construction activities, and taking into account their environmental impact. Training seminars had been held to explain and implement posters published by UNESCO on environmental protection. Saudi Arabia had signed the Convention on Climate Change, and had organized a scientific conference on the impact of development on the environment. Currently, it was elaborating a progamme of action to combat desertification.

Saudi Arabia had laid down national plans to protect its coastal areas and marine resources, he continued. Solid and liquid wastes had been restricted in the surrounding seas to protect the marine environment. In the field of conservation of flora and fauna, it had laid down comprehensive plans for protected areas, and established maritime and wild protected areas. It had also tried to reintroduce species that had become extinct in Saudi Arabia. In 1999, a ministerial committee was established to deal with all environmental matters. Furthermore, the use of pesticides had been reduced. Unconventional pesticides had been increasingly used in past years in order to reduce the use of chemical pesticides, which were known for their destructive impact on the environment. In the field of solar energy, Saudi Arabia had established solar villages, which depended on generating solar energy as their main source of energy.

AGEEL BA’OMAR (Oman) noted that the gap between developing and developed countries was widening in many areas. In dealing with the economic and social problems of developing countries, it was of the utmost importance to establish multilateral and balanced trade regime with equitable rules. In order to assist developing countries in facing the economic challenges of globalization, additional resources had to be mobilized. He called upon the developed countries to fulfil their commitment-agreed target of 0.7 per cent of their gross national product (GNP) to official development assistance (ODA), in order to help developing countries implement the obligations contained in Agenda 21.

On preservation of Oman’s marine environment –- threatened by the number of tankers that sailed past its coast, frequently dumping their wastes at sea –- he said that a waste-collection facility was under construction. He added that developed countries had considerable technical and scientific capabilities which could assist developing countries in formulating plans for implementation of the Agenda and monitoring progress. Moreover, they could provide training and scientific research.

MISHECK MUCHETWA (Zimbabwe) said his country had taken the whole concept of renewable energy utilization very seriously. That was because 70 per cent of its population lived in rural areas where only five per cent of the people had access to grid-based electricity, with the rest depending on wood fuel as their main source of energy. Zimbabwe had identified strategic renewable energy projects falling under four broad areas: building the capacity for training and research for renewable energy resources in schools, technical colleges and universities; solar energy projects; biomass utilization projects; and mini-hydro projects. The projects were selected on the basis of their compatibility with the National Energy Policy Framework, which emphasized such objectives as: accelerated economic development in all sectors; rural development; promotion of small-to-medium-scale enterprises; development of environmentally-friendly energy projects; enhancement of efficient use of energy resources; reduction of the workload of rural women; and building local capacity in renewable energy systems.

The success of the World Solar Programme would require the commitment and unwavering support of the international community, he added. He stressed the need for increased financial resources, investment and the provision of technical expertise and training if progress was to be made in the development and utilization of renewable energy technologies, particularly in developing countries. Zimbabwe would be presenting a draft resolution for the consideration of the Assembly at the current session, and counted on the support of Member States in achieving full consensus on it.

ALFATIH HAMAD, UNESCO, said that the following were among events organized or sponsored by UNESCO: a summer school on Solar Electricity for Rural and Remote Areas in Paris, from 19 July to 6 August; a meeting of personal representatives of the Heads of State and Government of the members of the World Solar Commission in Varese, Italy on 3 October; and a conference on the launching of a World Solar Cooking and Food Processing Programme -– Strategies and Financing, also in Varese, from 3 to 6 October. In addition to those events, a Business and Investment Pan-European Forum on Renewable Energy would be held in Sofia, Bulgaria, from 1 to 3 December.

On the subject of integrating the World Solar Programme into the efforts of the United Nations system towards the objective of sustainable development, UNESCO was a member of the recently established Inter-Agency Task Force on Energy. UNESCO also participated actively in all meetings on energy matters, notably those where preparatory work was done for the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The sectoral theme for discussion at that session would be atmosphere/energy, while the discussions on the economic sector would be on energy/transport. The UNESCO agreed that a common system-wide approach to energy and sustainable development should be inclusive rather than exclusive, and that all energy options should be reviewed. In that respect, the World Solar Programme should be an important component of the renewable energy option.

D.D.C. DON NANJIRA, representative of the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), said that the significance of the questions of the environment and sustainable development lay in the all-embracing and cross-cutting nature of the issues at stake, and in the impacts and conditionalities those issues imposed on humankind’s daily survival needs. The international community must decide what needed to be done to achieve tangible results from discussions of such crucial issues. He must also avoid repetitive annual debates on the item.

The WMO had played an active role in protecting the environment and reducing the obstacles to sustainable development, such as poverty and famine, ignorance and disease, drought, desertification and other natural disasters, over 70 per cent of which were weather - and climate- related. The WMO had strengthened the capacities of the National Meteorological and Hydrological Services (NMHS) to promote the application of meteorology and hydrology to key sectors of national economies, including food security through agricultural production, transportation, energy, human settlement, tourism and coastal management.

The WMO would continue to assist the efforts of the Member States, especially those from developing countries, to enhance their national capacities for further implementation of Agenda 21, he said. It would strengthen its support for and activities in small island developing States (SIDS), including natural disaster reduction in SIDS and other disaster-prone countries, through improved capabilities in weather forecasting and early warning systems. The WMO would also work to enhance further implementation of Agenda 21 and the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) Conventions on Climate Change and Desertification. It would be working in close collaboration and consultation with relevant United Nations system organizations, Member States and other entities. ILEANA BARBARA NUNEZ MORDOCHE (Cuba) said that neo-liberal globalization had intensified the differences between the rich and the poor of the planet, and the environment was one aspect of that process. Clearly the poor, who were given few options, exerted much pressure on the environment. However, how could one tell poor people to limit their use of wood because of its environmental ramifications, when wood was their sole source of energy? “What sustainability are we speaking about when a person in a developed country consumes 9,491 kilowatts of energy per hour while a person in a developing country consumes only 845 kilowatts per hour”? Was it fair that 20 per cent of the world’s population -– all from developed countries consumed 84 per cent of the paper produced in the world? Developing countries must be included in current international relations and must participate in all global decision- making. In addition, they must be integrated into the world economy, particularly with regard to increasing access of their exports, on a preferential basis, to world markets.

Agenda 21 and the Barbados Programme of Action had not achieved the desired objectives, she continued. Lack of political will and financial resources had impeded their full implementation. She called on developed countries to provide stable and predictable resources. While donor conferences had been held, there was still a long list of projects waiting to be implemented. Despite the economic war Cuba had been subjected to, environmental protection remained one of its key policy priorities. Cuba attached great importance to regional efforts to implement of Agenda 21 and the Barbados Programme of Action. “If the rich and poor do not act together, we will be unable to ensure our own survival”.

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