DELEGATES STRESS IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE AS SECOND COMMITTEE TAKES UP QUESTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, DESERTIFICATION, BIODIVERSITY

Fifty-eighth General Assembly

Second Committee

12^th & 13^th Meetings (AM & PM)

DELEGATES STRESS IMPORTANCE OF GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE AS SECOND COMMITTEE

TAKES UP QUESTIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE, DESERTIFICATION, BIODIVERSITY

Speakers Highlight Need to Protect World’s Rapidly Deteriorating Environment

Emphasizing the urgent need to bolster global environmental governance, delegates to the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) today also highlighted progress and problems in implementing the three Rio conventions on climate change, desertification and biodiversity, as well as other instruments to protect the world’s rapidly deteriorating environment.

As the Committee took up consideration of environment and sustainable development, Italy’s representative, speaking on behalf of the European Union, urged the international community to strengthen global environmental governance, as called for during the 2002 Cartagena Global Ministerial Environment Forum and endorsed by the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.  That could mean upgrading the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to the level of a specialized agency with a broad mandate on environmental matters.

He pointed out that climate change and poverty posed the greatest challenges for environmental sustainability and urged nations to ratify and implement the Kyoto Protocol (on minimizing greenhouse gas emissions) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  They should also assist the least developed countries and small island developing States in preventing and minimizing disasters.

The Executive Secretary of the Framework Convention on Climate Change said in introducing her report that she had expected the Kyoto Protocol to enter into force in 2003.  A total of 119 parties had ratified the Protocol, including developed countries that accounted for 44.2 per cent of carbon dioxide emissions (55 is the percentage required for entry into force).  Ratification by the Russian Federation was now key to the Protocol’s entry into force, she added.

Taking up that question, the Russian Federation’s delegate said his Government was currently examining the difficult problems of the Kyoto Protocol and considering the idea of ratifying it.  The Russian Federation was committed to protecting the global climate and preventing irreversible climate changes.  As President Vladimir Putin had noted at the recent World Conference on Climate Change in Moscow, greenhouse gases emissions in the Russian Federation had decreased by 32 per cent over the past decade, offsetting almost 40 per cent of increases in the emissions of other countries.

Reviewing efforts to implement the Convention on biodiversity, and introducing the report on that subject, the Executive Secretary of the Convention said 187 States had signed it, committing to improvements and work programmes in major biomes, from biodiversity of forests and agriculture to marine and coastal areas, inland waters and dry lands.  The Convention’s financial mechanism, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), had channelled $1.6 billion to developing countries for biodiversity projects and leveraged another $1.6 billion through

co-financing.

Morocco’s delegate, speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said that since the Convention to Combat Desertification had entered into force, 130 million hectares had been permanently lost and 30,000 people had died of hunger.  Desertification had continued to worsen despite solid international commitments to control it, he warned, emphasizing that effective international monitoring was needed to ensure that those efforts were not in vain.

Other delegates highlighted the need to prevent and control the effects of natural disasters, to increase the world’s use of renewable energy sources and to foster and protect sustainable development in mountain regions.

Introducing the report on implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, the United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator noted that more than 200 million people on average were affected by natural disasters every year and that last year alone, 500 disasters had affected 600 million people at a cost of $55 billion in direct damages.  During the first half of 2003, earthquakes in Algeria, China and Turkey; floods in Argentina, Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka; and heat waves in South Asia and Europe had claimed the lives of thousands of people and wreaked economic havoc worldwide. 

On the issue of renewable energy, the representative of the Republic of Korea said that increasing the use of new and renewable energy sources would ease access to modern energy services for the poor, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate pollutant emissions from fossil fuel use and replace depleting fossil fuel resources.  However, access to such forms of energy were limited, due to the higher prices of renewable energy relative to fossil fuel energy, the lack of information and knowledge about new and renewable sources of energy, the enormous expense of developing the relevant technologies and facilities and the difficulty of marketing them.

The Committee also heard the introduction of reports on new and renewable sources of energy, the International Year of Mountains, the UNEP Governing Council and the Convention to Combat Desertification.

Also speaking today were the representatives of China, Peru (on behalf of the Rio Group), Brazil, Venezuela, Mexico, Croatia, Kenya, Iceland, Iran, Algeria, Oman, Namibia (on behalf of the Southern African Development Community), Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, India, Benin, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Burkina Faso, Japan, Switzerland, Ecuador (on behalf of the Andean community) and the United Arab Emirates.

Other speakers included representatives of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), International Union for the Conservation of Nature, World Bank and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.

A representative of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States also made a statement.

The Second Committee will meet again at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Friday, 17 October, to continue its consideration of environment and sustainable development.

Background

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this morning to begin its consideration of environment and sustainable development.

Before the Committee was a report of the Secretary-General on the promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 (document A/58/164).  The report details actions by United Nations bodies, other international organizations, national governments, private corporations and non-governmental organizations to promote new and renewable sources of energy.

The report notes that five issues have highlighted the need to increase the use of new and renewable sources of energy -- poverty elimination, climate change, localized pollution, increased energy demand and eventual fossil-fuel depletion.  Addressing this need, the World Solar Programme 1996-2005, which was initiated by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), has now become a tool for increasing the use of renewable energy sources.

According to the report, UNESCO has helped to further implement the World Solar Programme by mobilizing investment as well as promoting education, training and information.  It has also been assisting the task force set up to restructure the World Solar Commission, which will be adopting a new name -- the "World Commission on Renewable Energy" -- and re-establishing itself as an autonomous organization.  In addition, UNESCO has helped the African Energy Commission (AFREC) lay down an energy information system for Africa and set up an AFREC energy database.

The report says that the Department of Economic and Social Affairs has signed a memorandum of understanding with the E7 group of leading utilities in major industrialized nations, which focuses on assisting developing nations with renewable energy.  The Global Environment Facility (GEF), through its three implementing agencies (the World Bank, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)), continues to finance renewable energy projects in developing countries.

As part of the preparatory process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg, 2002), the UNDP and the World Bank launched a Global Village Energy Partnership, which aims to provide access to modern energy services to about 400 million people, including more than 50,000 communities.  Working with a wide range of partners, UNEP assists decision makers in government and the private sector to make better energy choices that fully integrate environmental and social costs, with an emphasis on renewable energy.

The report concludes that actions to promote renewable energy have increased significantly, becoming more varied and innovative.  This year's session of the Commission on Sustainable Development adopted "Energy, industrial development and climate change" as the theme for its second cycle (2006-2007), with increasing use of renewable energy as one of the key issues for review of the World Summit’s Plan of Implementation.

Also before the Committee was a report of the Secretary-General on implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (document A/58/158), which reviews progress in implementing the Convention.

The report notes that, as stipulated in the Convention, the Plan of Implementation adopted by the World Summit on Sustainable Development called for increased prevention and/or reduction of land degradation, rehabilitation of partly degraded land, and reclamation of desertified land in arid, semi-arid and dry sub-humid areas.  Also, as per the Convention, the Johannesburg Plan called for increased focus on preparing and implementing national, subregional and regional action programmes in combating desertification and diminishing the effects of drought.

Another key development was the GEF’s decision to make itself available as a financial mechanism of the Convention, the report states.  At its fifty-seventh session, the General Assembly invited the GEF council to finalize and adopt the operational programme on land degradation, which the council did at its May 2003 session.

The report also notes that the first session of the Committee for the Review of the Implementation of the Convention (CRIC) was held in Rome in November 2002, and that the second session was to take place during the sixth session of the Conference from 26 to 29 August 2003.  As for interest in the Convention, the General Assembly noted at its fifty-seventh session the increased number of developing-world parties that had adopted national, subregional and regional action programmes.  The report suggests that the Assembly take note of the conclusions of the World Summit on implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification and reaffirm its vital role in combating poverty.  Since poverty is widespread in the rural dry lands of developing countries, the Assembly may identify the Convention as a means of achieving the Millennium Development Goals.

Another report before the Committee was on implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (document A/58/277), which gives an update on implementing the Strategy as guided by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction and the inter-agency secretariat of the Strategy.

The report notes that the World Summit on Sustainable Development stressed the need to invest in disaster reduction in securing sustainable development, and observes that growing vulnerability to hazards is largely due to development activities.  Global warming and disaster reduction are intimately linked, and coordination among the development, disaster risk management and climate communities is vital in reducing current and future climatic risks.

Member States and international organizations must ensure that development plans and poverty reduction strategies include disaster risk assessment and increase investments to reduce risk and vulnerability, the report urges.  Natural and technological hazards, along with the increasing threat of HIV/AIDS, other epidemics and emergencies, must be tackled through team efforts by the international community if development goals are to be achieved.

The Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction will provide an opportunity for Member States and expert institutions to discuss and adopt a set of principles and substantive activities for 2005-2015, the report states.  At its seventh meeting in April 2003, the Task Force welcomed and endorsed the offer made by Japan to host such a conference in Kobe.  This year, the Second International Conference on Early Warning is expected to launch a programme to ease cooperation on early warning at the global and regional levels.  The results of the Conference should be a vital component of the action programme to be launched by the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction.

Also before the Committee was a report of the Secretary-General on the International Year of Mountains, 2002 (document A/58/134), which details activities during the Year at the national, regional and international levels.  The national response to the Year was “tremendous”, with 78 national committees operating worldwide by December 2002.  Activities generating awareness of the importance of mountains and the need to protect them included national seminars, concerts, expeditions, school competitions and nationwide television and radio broadcasts.

Regionally, efforts were made to set up research networks on sustainable mountain development and highland ecosystems in Africa, and to focus on links between ecotourism and conservation and sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, the report says.  Many nations in Europe concentrated on tourism and cultural heritage, while mountain biodiversity, mountain ecosystems and links between mountains and water were emphasized in Latin America and the Caribbean. Water management and mountain tourism were of key interest in the Near East and North Africa, and mountain culture and tourism in North America.

Globally, the report underlines the International Partnership for Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions formed at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which focuses on reducing poverty and food security in mountain communities, and protecting the world’s fragile mountain ecosystems from threats to freshwater systems and biodiversity.  It also draws attention to the Bishkek Mountain Platform, drawn up at the 2002 Bishkek Global Mountain Summit, which recommends concrete action for improving the livelihoods of mountain people, protecting mountain ecosystems, and using mountain resources more wisely.

The report makes suggestions to the General Assembly on how governments could continue to promote sustainable development worldwide.  These include promoting mountain-disaggregated information and setting up databases, supporting capacity-building and education programmes to enhance awareness of good practices in sustainable mountain development, and encouraging donor and United Nations mechanisms, such as the GEF, as well as the private sector to invest in sustainable mountain development.

Also before the Committee was a report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme (document A/58/25, Supplement No. 25) detailing the activities of its Global Ministerial Environment Forum held at Nairobi in February.

A note of the Secretary-General submits the report of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (document A/58/191), which outlines activities that have been carried out within the framework of the Convention since the previous report.

The report gives recommendations from three meetings that have taken place since the world Summit -- the open-ended Intersessional Meeting on the Multi-year Programme of Work of the Conference of the Parties up to 2010 and follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, held in March 2003; the eighth meeting of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice, also held in March 2003; and the Meeting on 2010:  The Global Biodiversity Challenge, held in May 2003.

Among other recommendations, the Intersessional Meeting suggested that such concerns as hot spots, ecological networks and corridors be considered by the

Ad Hoc Technical Expert Group on Protected Areas, the Subsidiary Body on Scientific, Technical and Technological Advice at its ninth meeting and the Conference of the Parties at its seventh meeting..In addition, it underlined the need to incorporate the World Summit decision on the international regime on access and benefit-sharing into the Convention process.  Other key topics at the meeting were inland water ecosystems, marine and coastal biological diversity, marine and coastal protected areas, mariculture, and the conservation and sustainable use of deep seabed genetic resources beyond national jurisdiction.

The Meeting on 2010 was held in partnership with UNEP’s Conservation Monitoring Centre and UNDP.  It aimed to lay down a framework for action to meet the target of reducing the current rate of biodiversity loss by the year 2010 and, noted that no commonly agreed set of parameters yet existed to measure how much biodiversity was being lost, stressing the urgent need for data on the rate of loss.  It also recommended a significant increase in funding for activities aimed at meeting the 2010 target.

A note of the Secretary-General transmitted the report of the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change on the outcome of the eighth session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (document A/58/308).

The report states that the eighth session of the Conference, which took place at Delhi from 23 October to 1 November 2002, adopted the Delhi Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development.  The Declaration stresses that risks linked to climate change must be tackled by integrating action on national sustainable development strategies in such key areas as water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity.

Emphasizing the need for urgent action to adapt to climate change, the Declaration promotes information-sharing among parties on activities to diminish its effects.  In addition, it highlights the need for international cooperation in developing and disseminating innovative technologies, especially in the energy sector, through investment, market-oriented approaches, private-sector involvement and supportive public policies.

Introduction of Reports

JOKE WALLER-HUNTER, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), introduced her report (document A/58/308), saying she had expected the Kyoto Protocol to enter into force in 2003, but that had not yet occurred.  A total of 119 parties had ratified the Protocol, including developed countries accounting for 44.2 per cent of CO2 emissions (55 per cent are required for the Protocol to enter into force).  The Russian Federation was now key to the Protocol’s entry into force, which would occur 90 days after that country had ratified the Protocol.

Turning to the Clean Development Mechanism, she said it was well under way as a financial mechanism to help channel private-sector investment into emissions reduction projects in developing countries.  Its Executive Board had developed operational activities, approved baseline and monitoring methodologies, as well as accreditation procedures for operational entities that would validate projects and certify emission reductions.

She also noted that the Conference of the Parties, in an effort to enhance collaboration between the Rio conventions -- the UNFCCC, the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and the UNEP Convention on Biological Diversity -- had set up a Joint Liaison Group, comprising members of the three conventions, which had identified major cross-cutting thematic areas for synergistic activities, including technology development and transfer, education and outreach, research and systematic observation.

HAMDALLAH ZEDAN, Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity introduced his report (document A/58/191), saying that 187 States had signed the Convention and committed to improvements and work programmes in major biomes, from biodiversity of forests and agriculture to marine and coastal areas, inland waters and drylands.  The Convention’s financial mechanism, the GEF, had channelled $1.6 billion to developing countries for biodiversity-related projects and leveraged another $1.6 billion through co-financing.  There had been a major shift in society’s perception of biodiversity, which was now recognized as a crucial part of efforts to achieve sustainable development and poverty eradication.

CAROLYN MCASKIE, Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, introduced the Secretary-General’s report on implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (document A/58/277), saying that more than 200 million people on average were affected by natural disasters every year.  Last year alone,

500 disasters had affected 600 million people at a cost of $55 billion in direct damages, mainly due to huge floods in Europe.  During the first half of 2003, earthquakes in Algeria, China and Turkey; floods in Argentina, Bangladesh, China, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka; and heat waves in South Asia and Europe had claimed the lives of thousands of people and wreaked economic havoc worldwide.  United Nations agencies and governments were increasingly using the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction as a guide.  Regional disaster-reduction outreach programmes had increased information exchange and policy coherence among stakeholders, particularly in Africa. 

WALTER SHEARER, Deputy Chief of the Energy and Transport Branch, Division for Sustainable Development in the Department of Economic and Social Affairs, introduced the report on the promotion of new and renewable sources of energy, including the implementation of the World Solar Programme 1996-2005 (document A/58/164).  He noted a significant increase since the Johannesburg Summit of concrete and extensive actions by various organizations at the national, regional and international levels to promote the use of renewable sources of energy.

FLORENCE CHENOWETH, Director of the Food and Agriculture (FAO) Liaison Office with the United Nations, introduced the report on the International Year of Mountains, 2002 (document A/58/134).  She said the Year had been a tremendous success at the national, regional and international levels.  A growing network of organizations and individuals now understood the necessity to protect mountain biodiversity, to create fair policies and laws for mountain people, and to implement strategies to support sustainable development in mountain regions.  Many also now realized that mountains were the source of freshwater for half of humanity, and storehouses of genetic diversity that helped to feed the world.  In addition, many were now aware of the threats facing mountain environments -- from global climate change to exploitative mining, unsustainable agricultural practices and urbanization.

ADNAN AMIN, Director of the New York Office of UNEP, introduced the report of the agency’s Governing Council (document A/58/25), saying its meeting had been the first major intergovernmental gathering following the Johannesburg Summit.  It had focused primarily on implementation of the Summit’s goals of poverty eradication and sustainable development.  During the meeting, the Council had adopted 24 decisions concerning early warning assessment and monitoring; strengthening UNEP’s scientific base; a global assessment of the marine environment; water issues, including regional sea and ocean programmes; chemicals and international chemicals management; and promotion of sustainable production and consumption patterns, governance and law.

The Council’s 2004 session, he said, would focus on water, assessing current supply, changing unsustainable consumption and development capacity and the international environmental governance process.  Also on the agenda would be expanding membership and launching a test run for a new funding mechanism, voluntary contributions, strengthening UNEP’s scientific base and consolidating and strengthening its work in technology transfer and capacity-building.

HARRIET SCHMIDT, Director of the Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, introduced the report on the implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa (document A/58/158).  She said that while the international community increasingly recognized the importance of the Convention in eradicating poverty and hunger, the necessary resources to implement national programmes based on the Convention’s principles had not been forthcoming.  Development partners, particularly those with large technical and financial resources, were urged to step up their efforts.

Statements

MOHAMMED ARROUCHI (Morocco), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said environmental degradation and the global spread of poverty were the greatest obstacles to sustainable development in the developing world.  Since the entry into force of the Convention on desertification, 130 million hectares had been permanently lost and 30,000 people had starved to death.  Despite solid international commitments to control desertification, it continued to worsen.  Effective international monitoring was needed to ensure that efforts were not in vain.

He said UNEP’s work programme should be more action-oriented and focused on helping developing nations through sustainable capacity-building.  Regarding environmental degradation in the occupied Palestinian territories, he called on the international community to commit resources and time for infrastructure reconstruction and sustainable management.  He also called on parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to take the necessary steps to implement its main objectives and for greater funding from the donor community for disaster prevention, management and assessment.

ANTONIO BERNARDINI (Italy), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said climate change and poverty eradication were the greatest challenges to environmental sustainability.  In that regard, it was vitally important to ratify and implement the Kyoto Protocol as well as to provide international scientific and technological cooperation to develop the disaster prevention and mitigation capacity of nations, particularly the least developed countries and small island developing States.  The European Union also supported the development of renewable energy sources as well as biological diversity and conservation.

He said the European Union was committed to strengthening international environmental governance as called for during the 2002 Cartagena Global Ministerial Environment Forum and endorsed by the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.  That process could lead to the upgrading of UNEP to a specialized agency with a broadly-based mandate on environmental matters.

Welcoming the funding increases for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) and growing collaboration with international financial institutions such as the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, he urged

UN-HABITAT to forge more partnerships with the private sector, non-governmental organizations and local governments to improve the quality of life of slum dwellers and the provision of water and sanitation services to people worldwide.

WANG LING (China), affirming that climate change was a global issue to be addressed through international cooperation, called on countries to fulfil their obligations in accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, based on genuine partnership.  The developed countries bore historical and contemporary responsibilities that obligated them to take the lead in reducing and limiting greenhouse gas emissions.  The entire issue of climate change should be addressed from the perspective of sustainable development.

She said that the development, promotion and use of technologies for new and renewable sources of energy should contribute to solving such urgent problems as poverty, pollution, increased demand and eventual depletion of fossil fuels.  Since that pursuit was science- and technology-intensive, it was particularly important for the international community and especially the developed countries to provide financial and technical assistance to others.  That was key to the spread of the new energy sources.  China’s energy policy could be summed up thus: ensure energy security and optimize the energy ratio; increase energy efficiency; preserve the ecology; open up to the outside world and accelerate development of the western regions. 

YURIY ISAKOV (Russian Federation) said that ensuring the sustainable use of biological diversity and the equitable distribution of benefits arising from the use of natural resources, including genetic resources, was a major priority in his country.  The Russian Federation attached great importance to improving international cooperation under the auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity to achieve the Johannesburg goal of significant reduction by 2010 of the current rate of biological diversity loss.  In addition, the country had recently become a member of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification and supported the World Solar Programme.  It considered the reduction of natural, environmental and technological disasters a vital element of sustainable development and supported the use of new and renewable sources of energy.

He said the Russian Federation was also committed to joint efforts to protect the global climate and prevent irreversible climate changes.  The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change was essential in that respect. Russian President Vladimir Putin had recently stressed at the World Conference on Climate Change in Moscow that greenhouse gases emissions in the country had decreased by 32 per cent over the past decade, offsetting almost 40 per cent of the increases in the emissions from other countries.  The Russian Government was currently examining the difficult problems relating to the Kyoto Protocol and considering the idea of ratifying it.

JOSÉ ANTONIO DOIG (Peru), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said efforts in his region had been devoted to diversifying and extending the use of new energies, including solar and biomass.  That was the basis for sustainable development.  Yet limitations meant that regional and international cooperation must be dedicated to strengthening the development of energy policies and infrastructure, as well as the adoption of a market focus involving the private sector to complement public policies of support.

Of significant concern to Peru, he said, was the increase in the intensity and frequency of natural disasters and the accompanying extremes in climate phenomena.  Expressing support for a world conference on disasters, he called for a concrete action plan and the creation of an international regime to promote, safeguard and equitably share the benefits of genetic resources with regard to biological diversity. 

Finally, he called for the strengthening of joint international cooperation to increase the capabilities of developing countries and the adoption of effective measures to ensure a clean environment and efficient technologies.  The United Nations budget should finance the sessions of the bodies dealing with the conventions on desertification and climate change. 

MARIA LUIZA RIBEIRO VIOTTI (Brazil) said a priority area for her country that needed more global effort was that of renewable energy, which constituted a considerable percentage of Brazil’s energy output.  There was still great potential for expansion and the endogenous technology had already been developed for using the clean energy source of ethanol for fuel.  Brazil would be hosting a regional conference on renewable energy in Brasilia on 29-30 October to coordinate the participation of countries in the International Conference on Renewable Energy to be held in Bonn next June.

Biodiversity was another priority area for Brazil, she said, calling for the negotiation of an international regime for benefit-sharing.  As mandated by the World Summit, it should focus on the three intertwined objectives of conservation, sustainable use and equitable sharing.  Once finalized, it would contribute to poverty eradication and sustainable development.  Also, the issue of natural disasters and vulnerability must be addressed with an emphasis on prevention.  That required resources and technical cooperation.  Welcoming Japan’s offer to host a world conference on natural disasters, she said the main challenge was to integrate sustainable development into decision-making processes at all levels and to implement commitments made 10 years ago and reconfirmed at Johannesburg. 

ADRIANA PULIDO SANTANA (Venezuela) said environmental protection was a top priority for her country as it was essential for sustainable development and poverty eradication.  Venezuelan officials had incorporated sustainable development policies into the nation’s Constitution and broadened national regulations and policies to include more comprehensive provisions for food security, public health and a greater civil society role in decision-making.

She said greater cooperation and commitment were needed among the international community for the numerous global conventions on disaster reduction, biodiversity protection, desertification and renewable energy promotion.  She also underscored the importance of scientific and technological cooperation and technology transfer to safeguard the conventions’ objectives, particularly as they related to the Millennium Development Goals.

JOSÉ RAMÓN LORENZO (Mexico) said natural disasters and their negative socio-economic impact had increased significantly in recent years, particularly hampering sustainable development in developing countries.  Mexico had incorporated a disaster prevention strategy into its national civil protection programme.  As part of the programme, officials had worked to enhance their knowledge of disaster threats and risks in order to reduce vulnerability, step up risk reduction research and promote a culture of self-protection while seeking outside technical and financial assistance.

He said his country also placed a high priority on regional disaster reduction strategies and collaboration.  Mexico was a member of the Special Committee on Natural Disasters of the Association of Caribbean States and the High-level Group on Disaster Prevention and Relief of the Group of Three, among other regional agreements.

IRENA ZUBČEVIĆ (Croatia) said her country was particularly vulnerable to climate change due to its long coastline, many islands and forests.  Keen to take part in practical international efforts to deal with climate change, Croatia was a signatory of the Kyoto Protocol and had committed itself to reducing its emissions of greenhouse gases by 5 per cent over the period 2008-2012.

Commending the United Nations for its efforts in the area of biosafety, she also welcomed the increased impetus provided by the Convention on Biological Diversity.  In the context of the European region, Croatia had supported the Euro-Mediterranean Forum on disaster reduction.  It had also participated in the International Year of Mountains and had reconstructed mountaineering facilities on its highest mountain.  Hopefully, the Year would become more than just an event and continue to promote sustainable mountain development.

WANJUKI MUCHEMI (Kenya) said environmental degradation continued unabated, undermining Africa’s ability to fight poverty.  In Africa and other developing regions, poverty had led to excessive exploitation of natural resources and short-term development at the expense of long-term sustainability.  That phenomenon’s negative impact was felt most by the world’s poor, the majority of whom lived in rural areas and whose livelihoods depended on the environment and on natural resources.

Kenya was committed to fighting environmental degradation on all fronts, he said, noting that it had created a National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan and was preparing a National Energy Policy and Strategy Paper.  The country had also set up a drought monitoring centre in Nairobi to assist countries in the Horn of Africa with climate monitoring and disaster warning.  The centre required international assistance in order to carry out its mandate.

HJÁLMAR HJALMARSSON (Iceland) said his country was fortunate to be rich in clean renewable energy sources.  It was the only country in the Western world to produce 100 per cent of its electricity by renewable means, mainly by hydroelectricity.  The sun’s heat transformed water from oceans and lakes into clouds, providing rain to feed rivers that were harnessed to produce hydroelectricity.  Electrical production in Iceland was totally carbon-free.  Some of the country’s electricity came from geothermal sources, which provided energy for over 95 per cent of Iceland’s space heating.  In all, 72 per cent of its total energy needs were provided by renewable sources.

He said that abundant hydro-resources and national awareness of the need for clean energy were not, by themselves, sufficient to herald Iceland into the new age of the hydro-economy.  Cooperation with other countries and international corporations was needed to develop the necessary technology and applications.  The international community needed to build up consensus for eco-friendly energy solutions to accelerate technical innovations and lower production costs.

NASROLLAH KAZEMI-KAMYAB (Iran) said the agenda of the UNEP Governing Council should focus on implementation and capacity-building so as to strengthen the international community’s ability to achieve sustainable development and encourage States to contribute more to the Programme’s activities.  He suggested that the Convention to Combat Desertification become the leading policy-planning entity in land degradation and desertification matters.

Encouraging cooperation and collaboration among regional and international biodiversity-related conventions to implement a more harmonious system of reporting, he said the Second World Conference on Disaster Reduction should result in effective monitoring of disaster reduction and measures to assist developing countries with natural disaster management.  There were great complexities but no certainty on the link between natural disaster and climate change, he noted, citing paragraph 15 of the Secretary-General’s report on disaster reduction.

BELKACEM SMAILI (Algeria) said urgent and unified action was needed to tackle the changes and dangerous imbalances caused by desertification on delicate ecosystems.  No country could, on its own, do what was needed to combat desertification and drought, which was unavoidable if developmental goals were to be met.  In combating those hazards, it was vital that the international community provide resources, technical assistance and capacity development.  The GEF would play a critical role in implementing the Convention on desertification, but its funding must be increased.

XENIA VON LILIEN-WALDAU, New York Liaison Office of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Global Mechanism of the Convention to Combat Desertification, said the Global Mechanism’s 2004-2006 business plan would focus on mobilizing financial resources to support implementation of the Convention, broaden its funding base and develop an information system and communication strategy.  Resource mobilization and partnership building would guide the Global Mechanism’s work in the future.  Bilateral and multilateral donors must make the Convention’s implementation a programmatic priority.

She said IFAD was committing half of its funding to directly combat land degradation in developing countries.  The Fund earmarked $75 million annually for land and water management programmes, leveraging total investments of about

$200 million annually for those activities.  It was also exploring ways to systematically integrate the Global Mechanism’s field operations, policy development and advocacy into the Fund’s work. 

IRENE FREUDENSCHUSS-REICHL, United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), said the agency had developed comprehensive projects to focus on the rural areas in the developing and least developed countries to improve living standards, create new jobs and business opportunities.  Such initiatives included technical cooperation projects to reduce greenhouse gases, increase energy efficiency on both the supply and demand side, and promote the application of renewable energies.

Another pressing environmental issue, she said, was the negative effect of climate change, which was particularly threatening in developing countries due to their lack of resources and lower capacity to adapt.  With the Kyoto Protocol moving swiftly towards entry into force, and efforts to mobilize financing for related investments accelerating, resources for transferring energy-efficient technology could become more readily available.  Energy-efficient industrial technologies and renewable energy would deliver high-quality emissions reduction and contribute significantly to sustainable development.

THAMIR AL-ALAWI (Oman), noting the important role of international organizations in combating environmental degradation, said that solving the negative effects of climate change and pollution was a shared responsibility of the international community.  Developed countries should finance technology transfer, capacity-building and environmental management programmes in the developing world to enable them to achieve the goals set forth in Agenda 21.

He said the Convention to Combat Desertification, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction were essential tools for sound environmental governance and sustainable development.  Oman urged Member States to abide by their objectives and to incorporate them into national development programmes.

MARTIN ANDJABA (Namibia), speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said desertification remained a major hindrance to development in Africa and contributed to impoverishing its people.  The adoption of the Convention to Combat Desertification in 1994 had begun a process of addressing the growing problem of desertification and drought, which affected millions of people in African countries.

In its activities to promote the Convention, he said, the SADC had designated the Gobabeb Training and Research Centre in Namibia as a SADC Centre of Excellence for training SADC citizens to combat land degradation and desertification.  The SADC called on the international community to support national action programmes and other African initiatives, such as the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Environment Initiative in fighting desertification.  It also called on the international community to design a concrete mechanism and map out strategies aimed at addressing all aspects of drought and desertification.

RIM SONG CHOL (Democratic People’s Republic of Korea) noted that 2.5 billion people continued to lack access to safe drinking water and adequate sanitation, leading to disease and poverty, while economic activities aimed at monopolized profits, abuse of resources, sanctions and blockades had hampered socio-economic development in the developing world.  Full realization of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation required the creation of a political environment that would favour sustainable economic development and timely implementation of development assistance commitments.

Developed countries had a moral and historical responsibility to give developing nations financial and technical assistance for sustainable development as well as debt relief, he said.  The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea was doing its part to achieve sustainable development through large-scale tree plantations, house construction, and river and stream management.  Thanks to financial support from the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) Fund, two new major waterways would help to increase crop production.

A.C. JOSE (India) said the Johannesburg World Summit had highlighted the need to integrate the objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity into global, regional and national sectoral and cross-sectoral programmes and policies.  One of the Summit’s most significant outcomes was the commitment to reduce significantly the current loss of biological diversity by 2010.  It was acknowledged that achieving that target would require the provision of new and additional financial and technological resources to developing countries.  As one of the world’s 12 mega-biodiversity countries, India had taken a series of measures, including adoption of the National Policy and Action Strategy on Biodiversity for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

Climate change had emerged as one of the most serious environmental concerns, a global phenomenon with diverse local impacts, he said, calling on countries that had not yet done so to ratify the Kyoto Protocol of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.  The Protocol’s early entry into force would be a significant step in giving practical effect to the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

FERNANDE AFIAVI HOUNGBEDJI (Benin) said an increasing number of countries were gaining awareness of the disastrous effects of desertification on people and habitats.  Land degradation was a problem for development, to which water and resource scarcity was closely linked.  Benin welcomed the creation of the GEF as the new financial mechanism for the Convention on combating desertification.

Noting that 37 per cent of the GEF 2003-2005 budget of $500 million would be spent on sustainable land development and institutional capacity-building, she said more efforts were needed to mobilize resources for projects and activities.  The Convention on desertification must be integrated into national poverty-reduction strategies in order for developing nations to achieve the millennium targets.  Benin urged members of OPEC to provide greater financial resources to countries that were most affected by desertification.

PAUL EMPOLE LOSOKO EFAMBE (Democratic Republic of the Congo), noted that the increase in greenhouse gas emissions could change the face of the planet, adding that developing countries were particularly vulnerable to their effects.  Future generations would be unable to fathom how it could have been allowed to happen.  It was a matter of some solace that several countries had joined the Climate Change Convention and ratified the Kyoto Protocol.

He stressed that international cooperation in environmental protection must include technological progress to help research and development in developing countries.  That would help build their capacity to deal with climate change issues.

DER KOGDA (Burkina Faso) said land degradation affected millions of Africans and had dire socio-economic consequences on communities throughout the continent.  Combating desertification, sustainable forestry resource management and environmental preservation were top priorities for Burkina Faso.  The country’s 2000 desertification action plan included provisions for such management, for the promotion of food security and poverty eradication, and for the creation of anti-desertification management as well as a commission to monitor its effects.

The national programme aimed to achieve sustainable development, improve living standards, effectively manage national heritage and improve knowledge of the environment and how to prevent environmental degradation, he said.  Burkina Faso was also committed to effective regional and international environmental management and was party to the United Nations conventions on climate change, biodiversity and combating desertification. 

KOICHI ITO (Japan) said that although earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, droughts and storms continued to cause enormous damage to people and the environment in every corner of the globe, each country had a wealth of knowledge

-- indigenous, traditional or modern -- to combat natural disasters.  Japan had learned valuable lessons from its many experiences with natural disasters, including earthquakes, typhoons and volcanic eruptions.  Now it must share such wisdom in building a safer world.

He proposed that the General Assembly adopt a resolution allowing the United Nations to hold a world conference on disaster reduction to conclude the review of the Yokohama Strategy, upgrade it to reflect fully the guiding principles of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and identify specific policy measures to put it into effect.  Japan would like to host such a conference at Kobe, Hyogo, from 18 to 22 January 2005.  The conference would allow the international community to listen to the people of Hyogo, who had experienced a severe disaster at first hand.

BHAGWAT SINGH, Observer for the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, said the organization had stressed the importance of protected areas for sustainable development and poverty eradication during the recent meeting in Malaysia of the Convention on Biological Diversity.  It had urged parties to the Convention to make a strong political commitment to achieving the Johannesburg Summit goal of significantly reducing biodiversity loss by 2010, including by identifying and filling in existing gaps in global protected areas by using systems based on sound science; creating mechanisms to ensure equal participation and sharing of the benefits of protected areas, particularly among indigenous and transient groups; and creating effective institutional, human resources and legal frameworks to manage protected areas.

Moreover, the Union, through its partnership with UNEP, had produced a new United Nations List of Protected Areas, offering the first comprehensive review of the global protected area estate since 1997.  That illustrated the extraordinary growth in the extent of protected areas worldwide and reflected the great social and cultural value the global community placed on protecting the Earth’s natural places.

SHIN BOO-NAM (Republic of Korea) said that increasing the use of new and renewable energy sources would ease access to modern energy services for the poor, helping to meet rising energy demands, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, eliminate pollutant emissions from fossil fuel use and replace depleting fossil fuel resources.  While the Republic of Korea welcomed international efforts to increase the use of new and renewable energy, including the 23 partnership initiatives for sustainable development launched at the Johannesburg Summit, there were limitations to the use of such forms of energy.  They included the higher prices of renewable energy relative to fossil-fuel energy, the lack of information and knowledge about new and renewable sources of energy, the enormous expense of developing the relevant technologies and facilities and the difficulty of marketing them.

He said those problems should be solved by adjusting the energy price structure and internalizing the social costs generated from emissions of air pollutants in accordance with the use of fossil fuel energy, setting up a mechanism for the exchange of information and knowledge through international cooperation, sharing the investment burden through the expansion of public-private joint projects and providing finance and tax incentives for relevant technology and facility development.

STEFANO TOSCANO (Switzerland) said his country had ratified the Kyoto Protocol in July and agreed in 2001 to reduce by 10 per cent its domestic emissions by 2010.  Switzerland urged all remaining non-States parties to sign on to that important instrument for controlling greenhouse gas emissions.  Moreover, Switzerland had adopted energy policies to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and had joined the Johannesburg coalition for renewable energy.

Regarding the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, he said results in the last 12 months were encouraging and noted the cooperation among the UNDP and other organizations in that area.  Hopefully, guidelines for setting national platforms for disaster prevention would soon become operational.

CHARLES DI LEVA, World Bank, said the institution was financing environmental projects worth more than $13 billion and was also using enhanced lending mechanisms for such projects.  The Bank had endorsed three new strategy papers -- for water, forests and the rural sector -- over the past year for the protection of the environment and sustainable development, which represented increased funding for sustainable development.  It was also helping to rid the African continent of 50,000 tons of toxic stockpiles.  To help combat global warming, the Bank had channelled private and public funding to related projects and launched new funds for small projects in lower-income countries.

LUIS GALLEGOS CHIRIBOYA (Ecuador), speaking on behalf of the Andean community, said the subregion was home to 25 per cent of the Earth’s biological diversity.  Deforestation and the subsequent destruction of ecosystems and habitats; water, soil and air pollution; the exploitation of flora and fauna, jungles and fishing resources; and the introduction of exotic species were threatening the region’s rich treasures.

In July 2002, he said, foreign ministers of Andean countries had hammered out a regional biodiversity strategy to protect national sovereignty over natural resources and develop common political policies for biodiversity conservation, rehabilitation and sustainable use for the equal benefit of all.  In June, officials of the Andean community and the non-governmental organization Conservation International had signed a memorandum of understanding in Washington, D.C., to promote and facilitate the Andean Strategic Action Plan through a fund and other alliances.

RAIMOND DUIJSENS, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, said the number of people affected by disasters over the past few years had increased beyond belief, tripling to around 250 million per year.  Some estimates projected that disasters related to global warming cost about $3 million per year.  Disasters were a major obstacle to sustainable development, seeking out and staying with the poor.  They wiped out the hard-won gains of development for individuals, communities and regions alike.

In addition, he continued, about 30 million people died every year from infectious diseases.  Such diseases as HIV/AIDS, in particular, placed individuals at high risk, overwhelmingly weakening people’s coping mechanisms.  Disasters were also a major threat to the global economy and society.  To ensure that investments in development were not squandered, they should be directed towards mitigating disasters.  The world should not only repair, but prepare, he said, urging governments not to let geopolitical factors cloud the disaster-reduction agenda.

Ms. AL-SUWAIDI (United Arab Emirates) said her country had developed a national land conservation strategy and enacted environmental protection laws to address rural development in the principally arid region.  It had also created several forest projects and air pollution programmes.  All told, there were

90 projects worth 430 million dirham.  In addition, a central station for processing dangerous wastes, a contingency plan for natural resource shortages, a solar energy transfer project and the promotion of lead-free fuel were all under way.

Moreover, the United Arab Emirates was committed to the protection of marine life and endangered species, she said.  The country attached great importance to international cooperation and commitment to conserve and make sustainable use of the Earth’s resources.  In that regard, it was party to the United Nations conventions on desertification, biodiversity and climate change.

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