SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION AT HEADQUARTERS 28 APRIL – 9 MAY, WITH FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTING 2002 JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT OUTCOME

Background Release

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT COMMISSION AT HEADQUARTERS 28 APRIL – 9 MAY,

WITH FOCUS ON IMPLEMENTING 2002 JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT OUTCOME

The Commission on Sustainable Development will hold its eleventh session at Headquarters from 28 April to 9 May, with a focus on its own future work in translating into reality the commitments made -– and the goals and targets agreed upon -- at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002).

Meeting for the first time since the Summit, the Commission’s discussions will aim at providing sound political direction for the way forward; or, as described in a paper prepared for the session, “who does what, when and how” in carrying out the Plan of Implementation adopted in Johannesburg.  That Plan addresses such areas as poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, protecting and managing the natural resource base, health, the means of implementation, and the special needs of small island developing States and Africa.

The first three days will be devoted to a high-level segment, with ministerial statements on the Commission’s future methods of work and interactive ministerial round tables on the broad theme “Priority actions and commitments to implement the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development”.  The session will also include regional implementation forums, a multi-stakeholder dialogue, with presentations by major groups on the future Commission work programme, and an interactive discussion of the major groups’ proposals.

Although the Johannesburg Plan emphasizes that governments hold the primary responsibility for achieving sustainable development, it assigns considerable responsibilities to the United Nations system and recognizes the increasing contributions of nine major civil society groups -- women, children and youth, indigenous people, non-governmental organizations, local authorities, workers and their trade unions, business and industry, the scientific and technology community, and farmers.

The Commission will also address the preparation for the 10-year review of the Programme of Action adopted at the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States held in Barbados, 1994.

In parallel with the Commission session, a “Partnerships Fair” has been organized to highlight voluntary partnerships that promote sustainable development -– by and between governments, civil society and the private sector.  The idea was introduced in Johannesburg and some 264 partnerships have thus far been confirmed, with 60 of those scheduled to make presentations over the course of the current session.  The first such event is entitled “Successful Partnerships for Sustainable Development:  My Community, Our Earth”, organized by the Association of American Geographers, Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc.,

Inter-American Development Bank, National Geographic Society, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the United States Departments of State and Agriculture.  

In addition, a Learning Centre will be operating in the Dag Hammarskjold Library offering three-hour training sessions on practical ways to meet the Johannesburg targets.  The first session is on information and communication technologies for sustainable development, organized by Tulane University; later, the World Bank will conduct a programme on “Markets for Biodiversity”.  (A schedule for the Fair and Centre can be found on the Commission session Web site

-– www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd11).

The Commission was established in 1993 by the Economic and Social Councilto monitor progress in the implementation of “Agenda 21”, agreed upon at the 1992 United Nations Conference for Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Last year’s Johannesburg Summit decided that the Commission should continue to be the high-level organ on sustainable development within the United Nations system; thus it should serve as a forum for considering the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development – economic growth, social development and environmental protection. The Plan adopted in Johannesburg contains a number of provisions to enable the Commission to carry forward that mandate.

The Commission consists of 53 members elected for three-year terms.  In 2003, the membership is as follows:  Antigua and Barbuda; Argentina; Australia; Austria; Azerbaijan; Belarus; Belgium; Bolivia; Brazil; Canada; China; Costa Rica; Croatia; Democratic Republic of the Congo; Ecuador; Egypt; France; Gabon; Germany; Ghana; Greece; Guatemala; Iceland; India; Indonesia; Iran; Japan; Lesotho; Madagascar; Mali; Mexico; Mongolia; Morocco; Nepal; Nigeria; Norway; Pakistan; Peru; Poland; Republic of Moldova; Saudi Arabia; Senegal; Slovenia; South Africa; Sudan; Switzerland; Thailand; Turkey; Uganda; United Kingdom; United States; Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

Reports before the Commission

A report of the Secretary-General on follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the future role of the Commission on Sustainable Development:  the implementation track (document E/CN.17/2003/2) notes that post-Johannesburg the Commission’s work programme must be more directly linked with practical implementation and progress toward the agreed goals, and its decisions must be far more focused on the precise steps required to expedite implementation. 

The Commission, the report stresses, should move from considering sustainable development themes to analyzing progress in reaching goals agreed at the Summit; namely, in the Declaration on Sustainable Development, the Plan of Implementation, and through various partnerships.  It should become a global forum for exchanging information, easing international cooperation and promoting multi-stakeholder partnerships.

The report suggests that the Commission’s future work be organized around three functional groups.  The first would focus on general development issues, such as poverty eradication, globalization, gender and an enabling environment, while the second would emphasize broader issues, including sustainable consumption and production patterns.  The third would devote itself to natural resource and

related economic sectors, such as water and sanitation, energy, biodiversity, land and agriculture, oceans and tourism.

Based on the Summit decision that it would only negotiate once every two years, the Commission’s work could be arranged in two-year cycles, the report proposes.  The first year would be for review -- to assess progress; identify obstacles, areas of concern and challenges to implementation; and share experience and good practices.  The second “policy” year would examine options for action at national, regional and international levels to speed up progress in problem areas and consider measures to overcome obstacles.

During the review year, the Commission's inter-sessional working groups could become implementation forums to draw in relevant actors and analyze implementation, the report states.  Those groups could be replaced by expert forums in the policy year, giving Commission members and others a chance to discuss concerns with experts and practitioners.

The report emphasizes that further efforts are needed to ensure that the Commission, particularly its high-level segments, draws policy makers at the highest level.  In addition, the Commission should raise the public profile of critical issues, set up a clearing house for exchanging information on policies and programmes, as well as for sharing lessons learned, and promote policy coherence.

The report stresses that the major groups should be more closely linked to major Commission activities.  Multi-stakeholder dialogues could be spread throughout sessions, it suggests, and regional implementation forums could include multi-stakeholder engagements.  The Commission should also consider involving educators in panels and interactive discussions to exchange experiences on the most promising educational policies, methodologies and tools.

As for partnerships, the report notes that guiding principles for partnerships announced at the Summit had enjoyed broad agreement by participants, but had not been officially endorsed or adopted.  The Commission should clarify several partnership issues, such as the applicability of the guiding principles, reporting mechanisms, interaction with national-level processes and funding, keeping in mind that a flexible approach was desirable to encourage further partnerships and allow for creativity.

Also before the Commission is a letter dated 7 February 2003 from the Permanent Representative of Austria containing the executive summary of the third meeting of the Global Forum on Sustainable Energy, held in Austria from 27 to

29 November 2002.

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