SECOND COMMITTEE DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE, UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY; CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CONFERENCE

Press Release
GA/EF/2938

SECOND COMMITTEE DISCUSSES CLIMATE CHANGE, UNITED NATIONS UNIVERSITY; CONCLUDES CONSIDERATION OF LEAST DEVELOPED COUNTRIES CONFERENCE

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to begin its consideration of the protection of the global climate for present and future generations and the United Nations University, and to conclude its discussion of Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries.

Rarely had there been an environmental issue more important than climate change, the representative of Kenya said, as the Committee discussed that issue. There was a clear consensus that humankind was destroying the atmosphere in an unprecedented manner through carbon emissions. As a result, the earth’s atmosphere was warming at an increasing rate and the increased temperatures, in turn, were speeding up the global water cycle. On the African continent, countries like his were experiencing a climate change pattern that was no longer predictable.

India’s representative said damage to affected everyone. Scientific evidence was increasingly demonstrating that man-made pollution contributed to climate change. India was strongly supportive of international cooperation in the field of the environment, and was committed to working constructively on the basis of a global partnership.

The representative of Australia said that his Government had signaled its strong support for effective action to combat global climate change by committing almost 1 billion Australian dollars over five years, to implementing a range of domestic greenhouse gas reduction programmes. On a per capita basis, Australia was spending more money on greenhouse gas reduction efforts than any other developed nation. Strong economics were compatible with better environmental outcomes, he stressed.

During the Committee’s discussion of the United Nations University, the representative of China said his delegation appreciated that in the past several years, the activities of the University had been more closely linked with those of other United Nations agencies. The University was becoming an increasingly important source of information and knowledge. The report on the University before the Committee indicated that the University’s activities had received very little financial support from the United Nations system. His delegation thought it was time that the situation was corrected.

The representative of Jordan said that his delegation greatly appreciated the efforts by the University to secure interaction between the United Nations

Second Committee - 1a - Press Release GA/EF/2938 31st Meeting (PM) 31 October 2000

and the University. It was already participating in the activities of the Economic and Social Council, particularly with regard to policy research in connection with official development assistance. The result of those activities had made a real contribution to the understanding of the problems and challenges facing the modern world.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the representatives of Japan, Maldives, Bhutan, India, Canada, Nigeria (on behalf of the “Group of 77" developing countries and China), Norway, Guatemala, Antigua and Barbuda (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Belarus, Poland, Chile, and Argentina. The observer for Switzerland also spoke.

Michael Zammit Cutajar, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and Jan Szyszko, the President of the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, made introductory remarks on climate change. Hans Van Ginkel, the Rector of the United Nations University, introduced the report on the University.

The Committee will meet again Wednesday, 8 November, at 10 a.m. when it will take up its agenda item on the Economic and Social Council.

Second Committee - 3 - Press Release GA/EF/2938 31st Meeting (PM) 31 October 2000

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries. Following that, it was expected to consider training and research, as well as environment and sustainable development.

The Committee had before it a report of the Council of the United Nations University: January-December 1999 (document A/55/31) highlighting the work of the University during its twenty-fourth year. During the year, the report states preparations for the University's first strategic plan were undertaken and pilot initiatives within the new lines of development of the University were launched.

According to the report, the work areas of the University include peace and governance, environment and sustainable development, knowledge networks, capacity-building, dissemination and public lectures, and finance and administration. The research programmes of the University are clustered into the broad and interrelated thematic areas of peace and governance and environment and sustainable development.

The report states that the University is striving to invigorate its network of associated and collaborating institutions, prominent research groups, international organizations and industry that share similar objectives. The University’s main mode for dissemination of research is through books, articles in journals, policy briefs and articles in the press. The University is increasingly trying to disseminate its work in innovative ways, through CD-ROM, the Internet and video. The report includes several tables, which provide a provisional estimate of actual income and a list of contributions to the University received during 1999.

Statements

TETSUO KONDO (Japan) said that the international community must achieve tangible results from the Third Conference on Least Developed Countries. The next stage of the programme of work would be the first formal reading of the draft programme of action in January 2001. The draft-annotated outline was a good basis for deliberations. His delegation emphasized the importance of distributing this draft in time to ensure that the members of the Preparatory Committee had sufficient time to consider it before their January meeting.

Japan was of the view that the new programme of action should be based on genuine ownership among all relevant actors in the international community, he said. Such a programme should be consistent with every national programme of action. Account should also be taken of the need to avoid unnecessary duplication of work with the ongoing process. Japan would like to see the upcoming draft firmly based on national programmes of action, and on clear priorities set out in a realistic vision. His delegation expressed their sincere gratitude to the Secretariat for their dedicated work in preparing for this historically important event.

HUSSAIN SHIHAB (Maldives) said that the growing list of least developed countries revealed the failure of the previous programmes of action. In 1990, 42 countries had been categorized as least developed by the United Nations. Today, however, the figure had increased to 48 countries and three more were considered eligible for inclusion on the list.

Maldives was earmarked for graduation from the list this year, he said, but its vulnerability persisted. Its economic growth had been depressed by factors virtually beyond its control. Therefore, he was convinced that the present criteria for graduation required refinement to reflect the sensitivities of vulnerable island economies. While there were many similarities between small island States, they also exhibited numerous differences, which strongly affected their economic potential and performance. Moreover, conflicting recommendations made regarding graduation of some small island States in the past were indicative of the shortcomings and the urgent need for refining the present criteria.

SANGYE RINCHHEN (Bhutan) said that after hearing the many statements made by other Committee members, his delegation felt that the political will did in fact exist to help the least developed countries. The preparations at the national and regional level were essential in making the Conference a success.

He said there needed to be a review of the Second Conference of the Least Developed Countries, as it was clear that the implementation process had fallen short of the commitments made. Ways and means to implement international positions must also be found. Bhutan looked forward to a successful Conference that was based on partnership and international solidarity.

HANS VAN GINKEL, the Rector of the United Nations University, said that since its establishment 25 years ago, the University had rapidly grown and expanded the scope and outreach of its activities. The University now consisted of the University Centre in Tokyo and a global network of 12 Research and Training Centres and Programmes. The initial budget of $3.4 million had grown to an estimated $36 million by the year 2000. Set up in the 1970s, the mission of the University was still highly relevant today. Knowledge, a critical component in finding solutions for many serious global challenges, was increasingly vital in the work of the United Nations, whether in keeping the peace, promoting development or combating disease.

In order to play the role of think-tank for the United Nations and in order to be a bridge between the United Nations and the international academic community, a critical goal of the University was to build an ever more open and pro-active institution. Over the last few years, the University had been striving to start new initiatives and to reach out to prominent research groups, international organizations and industries. Advances in information and communications technology would no doubt further enhance the effectiveness of the networking approaches.

The University hoped to create regional centres of excellence from which to further increase its contribution to help resolve the most pressing global problems. The mission that the General Assembly had given to the University 25 years ago had lost none of its urgency. The University was extremely grateful for the continuing support of the governments and peoples of its host countries, as well as the stakeholders.

RATTAN LAL KATARIA (India) said the availability of rigorous, reliable and impartial academic inputs to the development of multilateral policies for cooperation was a major contribution to the deliberations of United Nations intergovernmental organs. He welcomed the intent of the University to undertake research and capacity-building within two main programme areas –- peace and governance, and environment and sustainable development. However, it was important that, while undertaking its research studies and organizing workshops, the University bear in mind the mandate of the intergovernmental processes and the priorities of developing countries.

In the field of development, he said, there was no dearth of possible areas of research. One major topic of relevance to Member States was the application of science for development. In that respect, the University should endeavour to make the work emanating from its Research and Training Centres concerned with science and technology and information technology more widely known and accessible to Member States. More generally, the University should place greater emphasis on the dissemination of its research findings at the United Nations duty stations.

JI FUSHENG (China) said his delegation appreciated that in the past several years, the activities of the University had been more closely linked with those of other United Nations agencies. The University was becoming an increasingly important resource of information and knowledge in the decision- making processes of many bodies within the United Nations system. The University had launched a series of seminars, courses and educational programmes to help developing countries in their capacity-building efforts.

The Council’s report indicated that the University’s activities had received very little financial support from the United Nations system. His delegation thought it was time that the situation be corrected. The support of the United Nations system would demonstrate the political and economic will of the United Nations and its Member States to implement the Millennium Declaration.

CRAIG WEICHEL (Canada) said that four years ago, Canada had welcomed the creation of the first major research and training programme of the United Nations University in Canada -- the International Network on Water, Environment and Health (INWEH), which was established at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The Network operated as a project-based, revenue-gathering United Nations network, using experts seconded from a wide range of organizations to form customized, multi-disciplinary project teams. It cooperated closely with other multilateral bodies in the United Nations system. Its projects were based on a demand-driven, community-based approach, which ensured local involvement and ownership in decision-making and project execution.

Since its inception, the Network had planned, initiated and completed projects in Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Middle East, he said. It had worked on mitigation technologies for arsenic pollution in Bangladesh, as well as offered a training course on groundwater mining in Pakistan. The Network was also a partner in the launch of the United Nations World Water Development Report. Both the Network and the University had already made significant contributions to improved water management and capacity-building in the developing world.

WALID A. AL-HADID (Jordan) said that he greatly appreciated the efforts by the Rector and the Council to secure an interaction between the United Nations and the University. The University was already participating in the activities of the Economic and Social Council, particularly with regard to policy research in connection with official development assistance. The result of those activities had made a real contribution to the understanding of the problems and challenges facing the modern world. The joint project between the University and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) had found that most countries were experiencing a decline in their incomes, which had greatly impacted their efforts for development and poverty reduction.

The University had also organized a forum on the Kosovo conflict, at which humanitarian intervention was discussed, he continued. He welcomed the University’s analysis of the complex problems of the environment and its attempt to establish environmental policies. The University should also participate in capacity-building, particularly in the developing world. Jordan was proud to host the United Nations Academy in Amman for training personnel who might take on managerial roles in the field of international relations. Among the University’s contribution to capacity-building in the Arab world was the Network for Water, Environment and Earth. In February 2001, Jordan would be hosting a workshop on water resources management.

YUJI KUMAMARU (Japan) said that his Government valued the leadership that Mr. Van Ginkel had provided to invigorate the work of the University. It also appreciated the University’s increasingly active participation in the work of the United Nations General Assembly, Economic and Social Council, and other forums of the United Nations system.

He said he looked forward to seeing the University take and an even more active role in the future, particularly in connection with the global conferences to be held in the next few years, including the World Water Forum. He stressed the importance of enlisting more countries as financial contributors to the work of the University.

JAN SZYSZKO, the President of the Fifth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention for Climate Change, said the common global problem of climate change must be solved. Negotiations might not always bring about quick results but they were necessary to bring about change. Last year, he had had many opportunities to overcome the difficulties of negotiations. He had also been able to witness the building of bridges between countries.

The management of land and water resources was important if the international community was to safeguard people’s needs, he said. In order to preserve credibility in the eyes of citizens, the provisions of the Kyoto Protocol had to be implemented. In his work, he had repeatedly drawn attention to good governance, which he viewed as crucial. He hoped that today’s debate would serve to open the exchange of views for a better understanding of the issues. Everyone was responsible for sustainable development. It was essential for the developed countries to help the developing countries and vice versa. This was in the interest of the entire world.

MICHAEL ZAMMIT, the Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention for Climate Change, provided an oral report on how the activities of the Convention were contributing to the implementation of Agenda 21. He said that the Convention and its Secretariat were direct outcomes of the Rio process. The functions of the Secretariat included making arrangements for sessions of the Conference of the Parties and its subsidiary bodies, compiling and transmitting reports submitted to it, preparing reports of its activities and ensuring coordination with the Secretariats of other relevant international bodies.

The Convention Secretariat participated in the implementation of Agenda 21 in a number of important ways, he said. This included aiding the flow of information by and among Parties on national sustainable energy policies, as well as facilitating the intergovernmental negotiations on the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Coordination of activities and information on capacity- building had also been a key contribution from the Secretariat. Ultimately, the successful implementation of Agenda 21 and the achievement of its sustainable development goals did not depend upon the actions taken by the Convention Secretariat, but on the actions of the Parties to the Convention.

OSITADINMA ANAEDU (Nigeria), speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, said that the lack of progress in the ratification of the Kyoto Protocol by developed countries in sufficient numbers to bring it into force, was a vivid manifestation of their unwillingness to meet their commitments under the Convention. In that light, he advised against opening at the Sixth Conference of the Parties divisive debates on the so-called enhancement of contribution of developing countries.

The Group, he said, supported the need for research on new and renewable energy. It also recognized that fossil fuel and other traditional sources of energy should be improved on through application of new technologies to reduce their adverse emissions on the environment. He called for caution regarding the recent call for the creation of an intergovernmental task force to develop guidelines for decision-makers on reforming energy prices, which did not include other factors of production. Further, he saw no reason to prolong the lifespan of the ad hoc open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable Development beyond the ninth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

Similarly, he continued, he would not support the enhancement of the role of the existing Committee on Energy and Natural Resources for Development or giving it a particular task in the follow-up to the ninth session of the Commission on the issue of energy. It would be the task of the 10-year review of Agenda 21 in 2002 to address all crucial issues regarding energy and other issues of sustainable development.

OLE PETER KOLBY (Norway) said that the small island developing States and the least developed countries, particularly in Africa, made practically no contribution to greenhouse gas emissions. Nevertheless, they were the countries likely to suffer the most as a result of climate change and a rise in sea level. The particular vulnerability of those countries underlined the urgency of dealing effectively with climate change and its adverse effects. Industrialized countries had to lead the way in demonstrating their serious intention to fulfil their obligations under the Convention and the Kyoto Protocol.

In order to ensure active participation from developing countries in the implementation of the Convention and the Protocol, capacity-building was necessary, he continued. Therefore, he underlined the importance of reaching a comprehensive decision at the Sixth Conference, including a strategy for capacity-building. Capacity-building activities should be country-driven and should build on the work already accomplished in that area. They should be undertaken in an effective and coordinated manner, taking into account the specific national circumstances of each developing country. The industrialized countries had a responsibility to respond to the capacity-building needs of the developing countries. It was vital that all parties strive to create an enabling environment to ensure more climate-friendly development.

SILVIA CORADO (Guatemala) said that the territory of her country encompassed 2.8 million hectares of wide-leafed forest. It was an oxygen- producing country and had enormous potential to become a net carbon sink through its forest cover. Activities related to climate change in Guatemala had been carried out through the National Council for Climate Change, which was composed of representatives of the Government, the private sector, academia and non- governmental organizations. The country was preparing to enter the clean development mechanism phase, through the identification of and technical support for carbon-sequestering projects in the energy component. Guatemala attached particular importance to climate change, on account of its effects on the country’s population and economy.

As for the First National Communication, three studies –- on inventories, vulnerability and mitigation –- had been complete, she said. On the basis of those studies, the First Communication, which would be submitted to the Sixth Conference, was being elaborated. The inventories contained information on energy, industrial processes, cattle raising, change in land use and forest cultivation, and waste.

BALBIR K. PUNJ (India) said that the environment was a matter of common concern, and damage to it affected everyone. Scientific evidence was increasingly showing that man-made pollution contributed to climate change. India was strongly supportive of international cooperation in the field of the environment and was committed to work constructively on the basis of a global partnership. His delegation wanted to emphasize the urgent need for immediate measures to provide developing countries with the necessary financial and technological resources to enable them to meet their existing commitments under the Framework Convention on Climate Change.

India attached great importance to the forthcoming Conference of the Parties meeting being held in The Hague in November. It was hopeful that there would be an agreement on the principles, rules and modalities for the three mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol. The major proportion of emission reductions by the developed countries should be met through domestic action. Moreover, the choice of areas and technologies for the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) should be left to the recipient governments so that their sustainable development priorities could be fully respected. His delegation called for the widest possible cooperation by all countries in the environmental field.

DORNELLA M. SETH (Antigua and Barbuda), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that as the countries most at risk to the adverse effects of climate change, the small island developing States of CARICOM, had the most to lose from sea-level rise and the other predicted manifestations of global warming. The main culprit for climate change were the greenhouse gases produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels, which were altering the atmosphere in ways that affected the Earth’s climate.

She noted with concern that although the Kyoto Protocol was adopted in 1997 and had been signed by more than 150 countries, the only ones to ratify it were the developing countries. To date, not one industrialized country had ratified the Protocol. As the primary contributors to the problem, and as possessors of the wherewithal to address it, industrialized countries needed to act now.

MICHAEL K. KOECH (Kenya) said that rarely had there been an environmental issue more complex and more important than climate change. There was a clear consensus that humankind was destroying the atmosphere in an unprecedented manner through carbon emissions. As a result, the earth’s atmosphere was warming at an increasing rate and the increased temperatures in turn were speeding up the global water cycle. In the African continent, for example, countries like Kenya were experiencing a climate change pattern that was no longer predictable.

Because of the global concern about the potential impacts of climate change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change had been negotiated and signed at the Rio Summit in 1992. Kenya had ratified the Convention in 1994 and it came into force three months later. Although the Convention had started to be implemented at different levels by Member States, there were still pertinent issues that needed to be considered and resolved. His delegation called for closer cooperation with its partners in the North and urged developed countries to assist developing countries in implementing capacity-building programmes within the Climate Change Convention.

GUY O’BRIEN (Australia) said that his Government had signaled its strong support for effective action to combat global climate change by committing almost 1 billion Australian dollars over five years to implementing a range of domestic greenhouse gas reduction programmes. On a per capita basis, Australia was spending more money on greenhouse gas reduction efforts than any other developed nation. To address greenhouse gas issues, Australia had developed a National Greenhouse Strategy, which covered a broad range of key sectors, including energy, transport, industry, waste and agriculture. He briefly set out some of the measures his Government was putting in place in the areas of renewable energy, energy efficiency, industry involvement, carbon accounting and emissions trading.

Australia’s national circumstances were unique, he said. Its demography, geography, resource base, trade profile, economic structure and the energy intensity of its exports required it to develop a unique strategy for reducing its emissions. It had taken domestic measures to promote cutting-edge renewable energy technology and improve energy efficiency in Australian industry. His Government remained a strong advocate of equitable, realistic, cost-effective and environmentally-effective solutions, he said. Strong economics were compatible with better environmental outcomes.

MONIKA RUHL BURZI, observer for Switzerland, said that global climate change was endangering the environment of the planet. The Sixth Conference of the Parties would take place in November in The Hague. This meeting was important for the impact of the fight against greenhouse gases and climate change. There needed to be a strong system created in regard to compliance with commitments made.

She said she hoped that the industrialized countries would reduce their emissions without resorting to subterfuge. The next step would be to implement the Kyoto Protocol at national levels. Switzerland had adopted nation legislation that required that carbon dioxide emissions be reduced by 2010. In that regard, Switzerland was working to implement the Kyoto Protocol even before it had been ratified.

ANDREI POPOV (Belarus) said that it was common knowledge that combating global climate changes required multi-faceted tasks for both individual countries and the world as a whole. No doubt the ability to make reliable forecasts about climate change could considerably ease the mitigation of its effects. One of the basic elements of the implementation of the Convention by Belarus was the compilation of inventories of national greenhouse gas emissions. Belarus had made an analysis of greenhouse gas sources and evaluated emissions. For a long time now, it had been participating in the world climate programme and the world climate change monitoring system.

At the same time, he continued, there were serious concerns about insufficient external support for the country’s national efforts. Without an increase in that support, his country might find it difficult to address the adverse impacts of climate change. He welcomed the constant expansion of the number of States parties to the Kyoto Protocol. He expressed satisfaction with the present level of cooperation between Belarus and the World Bank in the reduction of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. He hoped that such cooperation would continue in the future.

JANUSZ STANCZYK (Poland) said that climate change constituted a major challenge for the international community. Only concerted action by the whole world community based on good faith would be able to contain the risks posed by the phenomenon. The Kyoto Protocol was just a modest step towards the stabilization of the greenhouse gases concentrated in the atmosphere.

His delegation was proud that Poland was one of the few countries that had been able to meet its commitments under the Convention and had not only stabilized its greenhouse gas emissions but had also reduced those emissions by 25 per cent. Poland was equally determined to implement the commitments agreed upon in the Kyoto Protocol and expected that the decisions to be taken at the forthcoming sixth session of the Conference of the Parties would enable the international community to engage in the speedy ratification of the Protocol.

RODRIGO DONOSO (Chile) said that his country was a party to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer and all its amendments. It had thus far been the first and only country to have subscribed to the Beijing Amendment, which showed the seriousness with which it viewed the grave problem of climate change. He urged all States parties to the Vienna Convention and the Montreal Protocol to request the scientific panels, established pursuant to the Montreal Protocol, to identify the countries that were most vulnerable to the consequences of the depletion of the ozone layer and grant them special financial status with respect to the problem.

The States parties were also urged to ratify without delay the Montreal and Beijing Amendments; combat the illegal traffic in substances that depleted the ozone layer; enact national legislation to prohibit the importation, manufacture, and national and international trade in those substances; and promote greater consumer awareness so that customers would demand that companies manufacture products that did not damage the ozone layer. Also, he urged them to introduce national environmental seals that distinguished products that did not damage the ozone layer; identify and promote alternative technologies and ensure that the technologies chosen to address the problem did not themselves contribute to the greenhouse effect; and allocate resources and assistance for activities to monitor ultraviolet rays and to mitigate and conduct research on the impact on ecosystems and human health of the direct effects of the problems under discussion.

GUSTAVO AINCHIL (Argentina) said that his delegation attached great importance to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Argentina had noted with great concern the increase in greenhouse gas emissions from the industrialized countries. There needed to be sustained coordination for the implementation of the Kyoto Protocol. To that end, both the developed and the developing countries had to work together within the context of joint and shared principles.

Mr. JI (China) said that the principle of common but differentiated responsibility must be observed in addressing global climate change issues. The Convention made clear that the developed countries were the biggest sources of greenhouse gas emissions. One could not confuse the differing responsibilities between developed and developing countries. Developed countries should take the

lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions. The core of the Kyoto Protocol aimed at specifying quantified emission reduction obligations for developed countries while providing them with extraterritorial emission reduction mechanisms. However, extraterritorial reduction actions were only complementary to the domestic emission reduction efforts made by developed countries.

It must be pointed out, he continued, that the Protocol did not replace the obligations on technology transfer and financial assistance assumed by developed countries in accordance with the Convention. Developed countries should take effective measures as soon as possible to honour their obligations and to provide financial assistance and technology transfer to developing countries. The European Union had clearly expressed its wish for the Protocol to come into force prior to 2002. He hoped that various countries would show their good faith and stick to the fundamental principles set out in the Protocol so as to conclude the negotiations in a smooth way and bring it into force at an early date.

Mr. ZAMMIT CUTAJAR, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Climate Change, said that the debate today had given him a sense of what lay ahead at the Sixth Conference of the Parties in The Hague. He was encouraged by the comments made, and appreciated that the statements called for the need for joint action in support of developing countries.

ALEXANDRU NICULESCU (Romania), Chairman of the Second Committee, said the representatives of Canada, Cyprus, Fiji, Finland, Hungary, Japan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea and Sweden had joined in co-sponsoring the draft resolution on integration of the economies in transition (document A/C.2/55/L/4).

He also announced that the representatives of Belgium, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guatemala, Honduras, Iceland, Kenya, Luxembourg and South Africa had joined in co-sponsoring the draft resolution on the status of preparations for the International Year of Mountains, 2002 (document A/C.2/55/L.5).

* *** *