Commission on Sustainable Development

Fifteenth Session

6^th Meeting (AM)

GOOD GOVERNANCE, TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER, FINANCING AMONG ISSUES HIGHLIGHTED,

 

AS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FORUM CONTINUES TALKS ON OUTCOME DOCUMENT

 

The Commission on Sustainable Development this morning focused on issues common to the four themes of the current session -- energy, climate change, air pollution and industrial development -- as discussions continued on a draft negotiating text.

Building on the outcomes of the fourteenth session, the Commission at its current two-week session, set to conclude on 11 May, will aim to take policy decisions on practical measures to advance long-term energy solutions that can fuel economic and social development, while reducing air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions responsible for climate change.

Participants in today’s discussion included representatives of Member States, United Nations agencies and the nine major groups recognized by the Commission, namely women, youth and children, non-governmental organizations, farmers, scientific and technological communities, business and industry, local authorities, workers and trade unions and indigenous people.

Among the interlinkages and cross-cutting issues identified were education, good governance, access to financing, technology transfer and sustainable patterns of consumption and production.  Such issues were vital to the realization of sustainable development and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.  Also emphasized was the need to implement previously agreed commitments, including the Bali Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity-Building and the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the sustainable development of small island developing States.

It was agreed that good governance at the national level provided a strong foundation for progress, and would attract both official development assistance and vital investments from the private sector, particularly in the area of energy.  Business and industry needed stable Governments and predictable regulations.  One speaker also pointed out the interlinkages between human rights, security and development, and the importance of mainstreaming the gender perspective in all policy issues relating to the four themes.

Many representatives pointed out the unsustainable patterns of production and consumption found in developed countries had led to climate change and environmental degradation, which in turn posed a threat to developing countries, especially small island developing States.  Others asked that the outcome document included references to multilateral finance mechanisms, which developing countries, especially small island nations, had great trouble accessing and which involved enormous transaction costs.  The vital role of private-public partnerships, as well as regional and South-South cooperation was also stressed.

The world had shown tremendous stewardship in outlining a comprehensive global development agenda during past United Nations summits and conferences, but implementation remained the Achilles heel, said one speaker, calling for the full and faithful implementation of agreed commitments.  “Means of implementation,” said another speaker, “do not necessarily come from words on a page, but from unleashing the creativity, enthusiasm and resources of a distributed network of stakeholders across the globe.”

One delegate mentioned water as a cross-cutting issue, saying that integrated water resources management plans would promote efficient use of water resources such as rain water and recycled water.  Also, hydropower represented an important source of energy.  Another pointed to the importance of mountains as a provider of water and energy, and as being an ecosystem threatened by global warming.

Also today, the Commission wrapped up its discussion of policy options and measures in the thematic areas of energy and climate change.  A representative from an oil-producing country said that “we should use all the energy we can harness”.  Providing access to energy should be the most important aspect of the debate, with questions about “what type” coming later.  All energy sources should be assessed on their merits, including cost, performance, safety, environmental impact, primary resource depletion and energy security, another speaker said.

A representative for the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT) said that by the end of this year, more than half of the world’s people would be living in cities, and more than 1 billion of them eking out their existence in slums without potable water, adequate sanitation or access to reliable energy services.  That sad reality engendered another, he said, noting “If we fail to achieve the MDGs [Millennium Development Goals] in towns and cities, we will simply fail to achieve them at all.”  Affordable and reliable energy supply to the urban poor would be critical to attaining those and other sustainable development goals, he said, adding that the energy needs of the urban poor had not received the same attention from development partners as those of rural communities.

Among the major groups addressing the Commission was youth and children, whose representative recommended that Government delegations consider concrete policies and actions with time-bound targets, which addressed mitigation, adaptation and education efforts that would also advance sustainable development.  A representative for women’s groups called on the Commission to ensure that Governments promoted gender equality in climate change policies and programmes, and to ensure women’s involvement in all aspects of climate change policy development and implementation.

The next formal meeting of the Commission will be announced.

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For information media • not an official record