SECOND COMMITTEE APPROVES THREE TEXTS ON ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Press Release
GA/EF/2901

SECOND COMMITTEE APPROVES THREE TEXTS ON ENVIRONMENT, SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The General Assembly would call on the Caribbean countries to develop further an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development, as proposed by one of three texts approved this afternoon by the Second Committee (Economic and Financial).

Approving that text as orally amended, without a vote, the Committee would also have the Assembly call on the international community and the United Nations system to support efforts to develop further and implement the above-mentioned approach.

Furthermore, Member States would be called on to give priority to improving their emergency response capabilities and to increasing their participation in existing mechanisms so as to allow for a timely, effective and coordinated response to natural disasters, as well as for the containment of environmental damage in the Caribbean Sea area in the event of an accident or incident relating to maritime transport. In addition, the Assembly would invite all parties concerned to take action to address land-based sources of marine pollution.

The Committee also approved, as orally amended, without a vote, a text on enhancing complementarities among international instruments related to environment and sustainable development. The terms of that text would have the Assembly encourage the Conferences of the Parties to and permanent secretariats of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, to further examine measures to strengthen complementarities, and to improve scientific assessments of ecological linkages among the three conventions.

By a Third Text, approved as orally amended without a vote, on the World Solar Programme 1996-2005, the Assembly would call on all funding institutions and bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as regional funding institutions and non- governmental organizations, to support efforts to develop the renewable energy sector in developing countries, and assist in the attainment of the investments necessary to expand energy supplies beyond urban areas.

Also by that text, the Assembly would invite all Governments to encourage the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, in the promotion of research on and development of renewable sources of energy, in accordance with their respective national policies.

The Committee will meet again on a date to be announced in the Journal.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to take action on three draft resolutions related to the environment and sustainable development.

The Committee had before it a draft resolution, submitted by Committee Vice- Chairman Daul Matute (Peru), on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.22, on enhancing complementarities among international instruments related to environment and sustainable development (document A/C.2/54/L.59). By the terms of the text, the Assembly would encourage the Conferences of the Parties to and permanent secretariats of the United Nations Framework convention on Climate Change, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa, to further examine opportunities and measures to strengthen their complementarities and to improve scientific assessments of ecological linkages among the three conventions.

Also, the Assembly would stress the need for the integrated consideration of linkages, both among sectors and between sectoral and cross-sectoral aspects of Agenda 21.

Further, the Assembly would encourage the secretariats of the various environmental and environment-related conventions and international organizations, with full respect for the status of the secretariats of the conventions and the autonomous decision-making prerogatives of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention concerned, to strengthen cooperation in the implementation of those conventions by: a. Identifying opportunities for complementarity of activities undertaken to facilitate implementation of commitments made by the parties to the various conventions; b. Encouraging further scientific analyses by relevant international organizations, such as the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the secretariats of the conventions, their subsidiary bodies, the United Nations Secretariat and the relevant international scientific bodies, to identify possible activities with potential multiple benefits, and to bring them to the attention of conferences of the parties; c. Promoting more effective and coherent support from international organizations and financial institutions and mechanisms for national action aimed at the implementation of the conventions, particularly, in the area of capacity-building; d. Addressing practical issues, such as more effective information exchange, enhanced awareness-raising and streamlining of national reporting; e. Supporting, upon request, efforts being made at the national level towards adopting an integrated and holistic approach to the implementation of environmental and environment-related conventions; and f. Bringing relevant issues to the attention of the Assembly and relevant intergovernmental bodies for consideration of Member States, and formulation of agreed policy recommendations to promote a more holistic approach.

Mr. Matute also submitted, on the basis of informal consultations, a draft resolution on promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development (document A/C.2/54/L.60). By the terms of that draft, the Assembly would call on the Caribbean countries to develop further an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development. It would also call on the international community and the United Nations system, particularly the relevant agencies, to support efforts to develop further and implement the above-mentioned approach.

The Assembly would call on Member States to give priority to improving their emergency response capabilities and to increasing their participation in existing mechanisms, so as to allow for a timely, effective and coordinated response to natural disasters and for the containment of environmental damage in the Caribbean Sea area in the event of an accident or incident relating to maritime transport. In addition, the Assembly would invite all parties concerned to take action, to address land-based sources of marine pollution.

Also, the Assembly would encourage the further development of the integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development, to include environmental, economic, social, legal and institutional elements, and take into account the experience gained, as well as the provisions of Agenda 21, the Programme of Action adopted by the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, the outcome of the twenty-second special session of the General Assembly and the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development, in conformity with relevant international law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.

Also before the Committee is a draft resolution submitted by the Vice- Chairman on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.16, on the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 (document A/C.2/54/L61). By its terms, the Assembly would call on all relevant funding institutions and bilateral and multilateral donors, as well as regional funding institutions and non-governmental organizations, to support the efforts being made for the development of the renewable energy sector in developing countries based on environmentally friendly renewable sources of energy of demonstrated viability, while taking fully into account the development structure of energy-based economies of developing countries, and to assist in the attainment of the investments necessary to expand energy supplies beyond urban areas.

Also, the Assembly would invite all governments to encourage the involvement of all relevant stakeholders, including the private sector, in the promotion of research on and development of renewable sources of energy, particularly within the context of the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005, in accordance with their respective national policies. It would also invite the Inter-Agency Working Group on Energy to facilitate the contribution of the work under the World Solar Programme to the consideration of the theme of energy by the Commission on Sustainable Development.

Further, the Assembly would request the Secretary-General, in consultation with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and in cooperation with UNEP and other relevant organizations, to submit to the Assembly at its fifty-fifth session a report on concrete action being taken to implement the present resolution, for the effective implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005, including promotion for mobilization of resources. It would also request him to include, in his report on energy and sustainable development to the Commission, a report on action to be taken to implement the present resolution, including further recommendations on appropriate modalities to promote new and renewable sources of energy.

Action on draft (Environment and Sustainable Development)

On behalf of the Committee, Vice-Chairman Daul Matute (Peru), Vice-Chairman Alexandru Niculescu (Romania) submitted the draft resolution based on informal consultations on draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.16, entitled "World Solar Programme 1996-2005" (document A/C.2/54/L61).

The draft resolution, as orally revised, was approved without a vote, and draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.16 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

Introducing the draft entitled "enhancing complementarities among international instruments related to environment and sustainable development" (document A/C.2/54/L.59), which was based on consolation on a prior draft (A/C.2/54/L.22), Mr. Niculescu said the representative of the Russian Federation had pointed out that the proposal would be considered under agenda item 100, without reference to a sub-item. That proviso should also be applied to the present text (L.59), and would be corrected accordingly when the text was considered by the Plenary.

The representative of the Russian Federation said that the words “under the agenda item Environment and sustainable development” should be added to the end of the last operative paragraph.

The draft resolution was approved, as orally amended, without a vote, and draft resolution A/C.2/54/L.22 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

Mr. Matute then submitted, following informal consultations, a draft resolution entitled "promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development" (document A/C.2/54/L.60).

The draft resolution was approved without a vote, as orally amended.

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