SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ELECTS OFFICERS FOR ELEVENTH SESSION, TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 28 APRIL - 9 MAY
| Press Release ENV/DEV/715 |
Commission on Sustainable Development
Eleventh Session
1st Meeting (AM)
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION ELECTS OFFICERS FOR ELEVENTH SESSION,
TO BE HELD AT HEADQUARTERS 28 APRIL - 9 MAY
The Commission on Sustainable Development this morning elected by acclamation Valli Moosa, Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism of South Africa, as Chairman for its eleventh session, which will take place from 28 April to 9 May. The Commission further elected, also by acclamation, four vice-chairmen.
The four Vice-Chairs were: Hossein Moeini Meybodi (Iran) from the Asian States; Irena Zubcevic (Croatia) from the Eastern European States; Bruno Stagno (Costa Rica) from the Latin American and Caribbean States; and Nadine Gouzee (Belgium) from the Western European and other States.
Mr. Moosa, in opening remarks read on his behalf by a representative of South Africa’s United Nations delegation, said that at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa, last year, heads of State had agreed to make the Commission the high-level forum on sustainable development. The Summit had agreed that the Commission should identify constraints in the implementation of Agenda 21 and make practical recommendations on ways to overcome them. The Commission should also serve as a focal point for the discussion of partnerships that promote the implementation of sustainable development.
He said the challenge for the Commission’s eleventh session would be to translate the outcomes of the Summit into practical modalities for its next decade of work, which should be guided by the active participation at the highest political levels and ensure the full involvement of technical experts. There was a need to consider whether the focus of the various sessions should not be on the evaluation of progress in implementation of goals and targets set in Johannesburg. The participation of stakeholders in the Commission’s work should also be enhanced, building on the experiences of the Summit. The task the eleventh session faced was a formidable one, requiring the time and expertise of all governments and other stakeholders committed to the implementation of sustainable development.
Today, Jo Anne Disano, Director for Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), who served as the temporary Chairman, said the Commission would have major challenges ahead of it, as it was the first session meeting after Johannesburg. The session would have major political implications and it must be organized in a way that kept the momentum of Johannesburg going and laid the foundation for future work. The session should provide for active engagement from all stakeholders. The Secretariat would provide suggestions,
1st Meeting (AM)
based on positive experience, and include proposals for the high-level segment, for engagement of regional institutions, proposals for multi-stakeholder engagement, as well as for discussion on follow-up for partnerships. The Secretary-General’s report was being finalized and would probably be made available by mid-February.
Speaking on behalf of the European Union and associated States, the representative of Greece said it was necessary to agree on a long-term programme of work, building on the commitments undertaken in Johannesburg. The Union believed that an active and more meaningful involvement of all stakeholders in the preparation and the follow-up of the sessions were of paramount importance and that the principles of flexibility and predictability should be kept in mind in drafting the programme. Partnerships should be encouraged, through sharing of lessons learned and by establishing credible, flexible and publicly accessible reporting mechanisms.
The representative of the United States said the Commission could and must do more to facilitate implementation of sustainable development objectives. The promise of a reformed, relevant Commission was a perfect example of that. The goal was a Commission that better engaged the full stakeholder community. The Commission’s challenge was to attract more participation from a broader cross-section of government agencies, as well as stronger participation from non-government actors. He called on civil society and the non-governmental organization community to send representatives with constructive messages based on development experience. He said the job in the coming 14 weeks, before the beginning of the eleventh session, was to ensure that the Commission evolved into a forum for innovation, ideas and action on implementation.
The representative of Morocco, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing Countries and China, said in the face of growing poverty and environmental degradation, the challenge was now the effective implementation of the Johannesburg Summit and the major international conferences since Rio. The focus on implementation called for new adaptation of the Commission’s methods of work. The focus on implementation must be the Commission’s guiding principle.
The representatives of Switzerland and Indonesia also spoke.
A functional, 53-member commission of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), the Commission on Sustainable Development, established by the General Assembly in 1992, monitors and reports on implementation of Agenda 21, adopted at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, also known as the “Earth Summit”, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992. It supports and encourages action by governments, business, industry and other non-governmental groups to bring about social and economic changes needed for sustainable development, and helps to coordinate environment and development activities within the United Nations.
The Commission will meet again at a date to be announced.
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