Commission on Sustainable Development

Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting

9^th & 10^th Meetings (AM & PM)

Intergovernmental Preparatory Committee, Concluding Session, Adopts Draft

 

Negotiating Text to Be Taken Up by Commission on Sustainable Development

 

Closing its deliberations today, the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the nineteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development adopted its report, which included a draft negotiating document for the Commission’s consideration in May.

The draft negotiating document contained suggestions for policy options and actions needed in the implementation of the five themes of the nineteenth session — transport, chemicals, waste management, mining, and a 10-Year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns.  It also contained policy options and actions regarding interlinkages and cross-cutting issues, including means of implementation.

To address growing transport challenges, the draft negotiating document suggested the following actions:  increasing access to sustainable transport, particularly in rural areas of developing countries; significantly improving public transport systems for more sustainable urban development; promoting modal shifts, where possible, towards less energy-intensive and low-carbon modes of transport; further developing and improving transport technologies; creating an enabling environment for sustainable development; and enhancing international cooperation on transport.

Regarding the sound management of chemicals, actions were needed to:  address chemicals management throughout their life cycle by developing comprehensive regulatory and institutional frameworks at the national level; increase information accessibility and sharing on risk assessment, risk management and safe use of chemicals throughout the life cycle; enhance chemical safety, risk prevention and reduction; build up partnerships among Governments, the private sector, research institutions and civil society; and strengthen the international policy and legal framework.

As for waste management and waste minimization, proposed policy options and actions included:  defining a long-term waste management strategy within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication at all levels; improvingwaste management systems, infrastructure and technology; sustaining the implementation of environmentally sound waste reduction, reuse and recycling; strengthening the implementation of effective policies and strategies on e-waste and hazardous waste; managing specific waste streams, like e-waste, plastics, agricultural biomass, as well as health-care, industrial, hazardous and radioactive waste; improving agricultural waste management; promoting capacity-building and technology transfer; and financing and building partnerships.

Concerning mining, actions were needed to:  develop partnerships and effective collaboration among Governments, companies and communities; better integrate the mining sector into national economies; strengthen legal, regulatory and institutional frameworks to address environmental and social impacts; enhance participation by major groups and local communities; strengthen technical capacities at the national level, with support from the international community; support the transfer of sound technologies and know-how; foster improved performance by mining companies; fully integrate artisanal and small-scale mining; continue to improve international governance of the mining sector; and improve energy and resource efficiency, as well as reuse and recycling of metals and minerals.

As for the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, the draft negotiating document noted that resource productivity had been increasing in many countries and that the combination of over- and under-consumption had resulted in enormous disparities within and between countries.  The framework should affirm a common vision of shared prosperity and human development on a shared but finite planet, according to the text.  It should be simple and flexible, avoiding new constraints on developing countries, additional conditionality for international development-financing or trade-protectionism measures.

Furthermore, the framework should provide concrete short-, medium- and long-term measures to support existing activities and programmes.  It should include a simple, efficient and well-functioning organization structure that would incorporate all key partners, including Government and major groups, building on existing United Nations entities and inter-agency collaboration.  Predictable financing, access to environmentally preferable technologies and more open market access for environmentally and socially preferable goods and services would be a key driver of the speed at which the 10-year framework would be implemented.

Addressing interlinkages and cross-cutting issues, the document suggested that policy options and practical measures to expedite implementation should be participatory, multidisciplinary, multisectoral and mutually reinforcing.  To that end, convergence among the three pillars of sustainable development — social, economic and environmental — should be accelerated.  Natural resources should be managed in a sustainable manner that would support ecosystem functions for the benefit of present and future generations, facilitate the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, and promote greater resource efficiency.

In closing remarks, Commission Chair Laszlo Borbely ( Romania) said the real challenge of sustainable development lay in finding the means for implementation at the regional, national and subnational levels.  The five themes discussed during the past week were linked to each other, to other sustainable development themes, including those of past and future cycles of the Commission, and to the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, he added.

He said one of the main scopes of sustainable consumption and production in the transport sector was to decouple the sector’s growth from its negative environmental, health and social impacts.  On waste, he said its management and minimization represented challenges to developing countries in particular.  He said responsible mining had the potential to contribute to the sustainable development of society, provided its negative environment and social impacts were properly addressed.  As for the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns, they should aim to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production in order to achieve shared prosperity and well-being within the carrying capacities of ecosystems.

Making brief factual comments on the draft negotiating text were representatives of Hungary (on behalf of the European Union), Federated States of Micronesia (on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States), Argentina (on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China), Switzerland, Maldives (on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States), Canada, Mexico, Japan, Chile, Cambodia, Russian Federation, United States and Bolivia.

Representatives of the non-governmental organizations, farmers and women major groups also made statements.

Earlier, the Preparatory Meeting held two multistakeholder dialogues.  In the first — on advancing the implementation of sustainable development in terms of the themes of the eighteenth and nineteenth sessions — the following expert panellists made presentations:  Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Coordinator at the Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; and Sharyle Patton, Director of the Commonwealth Health and Environment Program of California.

Making presentations on the topic of the second dialogue — contributions of the upcoming nineteenth session to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“Rio+20”) — were Helio Mattar, President of the Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption in São Paulo, Brazil, and Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Co-Chair of the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management.

The Commission on Sustainable Development will meet again at 10 a.m. on Monday, 7 March, as the Preparatory Committee for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

Background

The Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the nineteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development met this morning to hold two multistakeholder dialogues, one on advancing the implementation of sustainable development on the themes of the eighteenth and nineteenth sessions, and the other on the upcoming session’s contributions to the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“Rio+20”).  In the afternoon, the Commission was expected to adopt its report, including the Chair’s draft negotiating text.

At its eleventh session, the Commission decided that its multi-year programme of work would be based on seven two-year cycles, each focusing on a selected thematic cluster of issues in alternating review and policy sessions.  Of the three cycles completed thus far, the Commission has reached agreed decisions on water, sanitation and human settlements in 2005, and on agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa in 2009.

Multistakeholder Dialogue I

The following expert panellists featured in the first multistakeholder dialogue:  Elizabeth Thompson, Executive Coordinator, Secretariat of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; and Sharyle Patton, Director, Commonwealth Health and Environment Program, California, United States.

LASZLO BORBELY ( Romania), Chair of the Commission, said in opening remarks that the slow implementation rate of the sustainable development agenda, including the Commission’s decisions, remained a source of concern at all levels.  Sustainable development was about setting long-term objectives but the challenge was implementation at the regional, national and subnational levels.  Concerns had been raised that the implementation of the Commission’s decision had lost dynamism, he noted.

Emphasizing that sustainable development required continuous adaptation of the society and the economy, as well as a well-balanced approach to allow for better management of future crises, he said the next 10 years would be critical.  Recent crises had created a new sense of urgency as a crisis in one area could affect the whole world, he said, underlining the need for cooperation with the international community and all relevant stakeholders.

He said the themes of the current cycle provided opportunities for action if one worked on the results achieved so far and used existing synergies to accelerate implementation.  The themes – transport, chemicals, waste management, mining and a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns — were linked to each other and to previous themes, as well as the forthcoming United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (“Rio+20”), he said.

The main objective was to adopt practical measures, he said, proposing that the first dialogue consider:  how synergies among all stakeholders could be strengthened to raise awareness of the Commission’s decisions; what must be done at the international level to provide the best support for the implementation of those decisions; how implementing partners could best turn policy decisions into projects at the national and regional levels; and how a fast-track strategy for scaling up successful practices could best be promoted.

Ms. PATTON, noting that she would be speaking “more from the heart than the head”, said the multistakeholder dialogue needed to identify catalysts that would help them move implementation forward.  Speaking as a member of civil society, as well as through the lens of her specialty, toxic chemical policies, she pointed out that social media and quick messaging, such as e-mail and Twitter, were changing the balance of power between civil society and Governments, as seen in the Middle East and Wisconsin.  Governments must, therefore, open the door to civil society.

She emphasized the importance of fostering the livelihood of communities that had “resilience” on the ground, thereby having the capacity to withstand various perturbations and work as communities to create change and respond to crises “around the corner”.  One example of such resilient communities was Healthcare without Harm, an international network of civil society groups that took on the issue of “green” hospitals and waste in hospitals.

Healthcare without Harm had begun by separating waste to avoid incineration, before moving on to numerous other actions, including the promotion of quality materials for cleaning and the provision of healthy food in hospitals, she said, adding that it also worked with local businesses, the community itself and patients.  While it focused on local issues, it had grown to participate in a project with the World Health Organization (WHO).  It was representative of a group that had achieved “creative collaboration”, which entailed identifying a problem and coming up with a solution, she said.

She went on to cite the Good Guide community, a website that examined product quality in terms of how healthy or toxic they were, whether they adhered to fair labour practices, the kind of environmental footprint they had.  Consumers could obtain product ratings when shopping by using their iPhones to scan a particular product’s barcode.  That could have an interesting impact on sustainable consumption and production patterns by providing information on who was looking at which products and what results they found.  Another characteristic of resilient communities, therefore, was using communication tools well and getting people excited about the possibility of exercising choice.

At international summits like Rio+20, she said, it was never immediately clear who the emerging leaders would be, but then they saw that women’s groups were the ones that could identify problems and come up with solutions.  While there were many women’s groups working on issues around the world, an important one was “Voices of African Mothers”, which had taken on the issue of war and efforts to achieve peace.  That community cared deeply about its members, she said, underlining the importance of caring about the public and being willing to work as part of a team.

While resilient communities had many capacities, they lacked the capacity to be a “watchtower” with the foresight to be able to tackle future issues, she said.  One example entailed dealing with the consequences of toxic chemical contamination.  There were reservoirs of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) all over the world, even in people, which posed a particular problem for pregnant women, because they transferred PCBs to their children.  Women eating just one game fish had enough PCBs to cause adverse effects such as low IQ, smaller head circumference and, especially, a highly sensitized startle response.  That meant a generation of children born afraid would have to figure out how to deal with that fear, including its effects on participatory democracy, since most people were frightened of each other.

Ms. THOMPSON said that as a former high-level official in Barbados, she had seen the Commission from a different perspective.  In the past, there had been a trend to set up national and other commissions, but discussions had not led to the mainstreaming of sustainable development into planning policies.  “Unless we move to include ministers of finance and economic affairs into the dialogue, full implementation will not be achieved,” she warned.  They were the agencies that would provide the finances for hiring staff and technical experts in addition to determining the funding for competing interests, she said, pointing out that it was a disconnect at the policy level that created implementation problems.

While there had been success in the intergovernmental process, the boundaries of outreach must be expanded to non-governmental and non-traditional stakeholders, she stressed.  A green economy could not be implemented unless citizens and the private sector bought into the notion of a “green” economy.  Non-governmental organizations were doing critical work, but they had not been embraced as an agency for the implementation of policy initiatives, she noted, emphasizing that the outreach process was a critical way to advance implementation as it extended dialogue and interventions from the level of State actors to non-State actors and other critical stakeholders.  Governments needed to embrace better social media in order to engage with those not normally included in the dialogue.

One of the difficulties encountered was that, across the globe, one was often unable to replicate best practices or identify good examples, she continued, noting that examples of successful implementation in the global South were never replicated.  Communication methods should, therefore, be expanded, especially in an environment where developing countries found it difficult to access financing.  There was, therefore, a need to look at a higher degree of South-South and North-South cooperation, as well as cooperation with non-traditional stakeholders, in order to replicate successful initiatives, she said, emphasizing that insufficient attention had been paid to South-South partnerships and those between Governments and the private sector.

Part of the problem in advancing implementation was also due to the fact that assistance offered by developed countries was often too complex for the often small departments of the developing world, she said.  It was difficult to successfully pursue reporting requirements, fill out all the relevant forms and still implement policies on the ground.  In order to advance implementation on the ground, it was important to evaluate what was being done, communicate effectively, find best practices, increase South-South and North-South cooperation through partnerships, and establish effective national and international structures to carry the implementation process forward.

Before the interactive dialogue, a representative of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs presented an overview of the Commission’s working methods at the national and international levels, with an emphasis on how all United Nations agencies could play a role, and on the creation of a task force to promote input and partnership.

During the discussion, delegates said that strong participation by major groups and stakeholders in the Commission’s work was one of its main added values, emphasizing that no country or group of countries could face sustainable development challenges on their own.

As the Chair turned the floor over to the major groups, many of their representatives called for improved cooperation, such as international support for the transfer of technology and greater investment in innovative solutions.  They also called for more meaningful engagement by those affected, as well as access to funding, programming and decision-making.  Some discussed the need for appropriate legal frameworks, as well as frameworks for working with local authorities.  Rights in the workplace, particularly mining, transport and chemicals, were also fundamental, they said.

Multistakeholder Dialogue II

SILVANO VERGARA (Panama), Commission Vice-Chair, began the second Multistakeholder Dialogue by remarking that the nineteenth session would be the last before Rio+20, the objective of which would be to secure renewed political commitment for sustainable development, assess the progress made to date and identify remaining gaps in implementing the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development, all while addressing new and emerging challenges.  Policy decisions to be adopted in the thematic areas of the eighteenth and nineteenth sessions were, therefore, directly linked to those objectives as they showed both the progress made and remaining gaps in implementation, and addressed them in the context of emerging challenges.

The theme of sustainable consumption and production patterns, identified as a cross-cutting issue at the Commission’s eleventh session, had direct relevance to the “green economy” theme in the context of poverty eradication, he said, noting that it addressed changes in lifestyle and the convergence of the three pillars of sustainable development while demonstrating how greater equity could be achieved if resources were shared more equally.  The preparatory process for Rio+20 had already identified several priority issues, such as access to energy, water, food security and sustainable agriculture, biodiversity, urbanization and vulnerability to disasters.  They were all linked with the thematic areas of the present cycle, he said, adding that today’s dialogue should focus on how to strengthen those inputs to the preparatory process.

Bearing all that in mind, he said that questions on which to focus the discussion included:  how public transport and better management of waste, chemicals and production, based on the life-cycle approach, could help create more sustainable cities, given that urbanization had been identified as one of the priority issues for Rio+20; how a more sustainable use of water, especially in mining and waste management, could help decrease the pressure on water usage; how a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns could advance the sustainable development agenda, including a green economy; and what message could be sent to the Conference, especially with regard to strengthening the Commission and better implementation of its decisions.

To start the discussion, delegates heard presentations by two panellists:  Ernst Ulrich von Weizsäcker, Co-Chair, International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management; and Helio Mattar, President, Akatu Institute for Conscious Consumption, São Paulo, Brazil.

Mr. MATTAR, referring to a “surprising” report of the World Economic Forum on sustainable consumption, said it concluded that humanity’s ecological footprint was greater than the Earth could support and would increase.  It also described sustainable consumption as an imperative requiring a transformed system of production.  It started with citizens but should also be applied by business, he said, stressing the report’s finding that realizing sustainable consumption would be disruptive, although companies and countries that became part of the transformation were more likely to prosper than those that did not.

Emphasizing that systemic change would not occur by itself, he said the report only reflected some of its worrisome elements.  Some 70 per cent of the world’s population was consuming at the level of minimum needs or less, while 16 per cent of humanity consumed 78 per cent of its natural resources, he said, noting that humanity was now consuming 30 per cent more resources than the Earth could renew.  Humanity was, therefore, in an extremely vulnerable social and environmental situation, with potential threats of mounting violence.  The present model of consumption and production was totally inadequate for a sustainable society, he said, pointing out that developed countries were basing their economic systems on excessive consumption.

Continuing at that level would require the natural resources of three to five Earths, he warned, adding that it would be optimistic to expect a single social actor to find a solution.  Neither could any actor single-handedly introduce changes at the speed and scale necessary before a shock to society occurred and violence broke out between regions and countries.  However, it would be difficult to negotiate with the most powerful economic forces, and technological improvements were inadequate to provide for the required gain in productivity since a four- to five-fold increase in the productivity of natural resources was necessary.  A bottom-up process was needed, starting at the national level and in which knowledge of the limits would be taken as a collective responsibility to produce change and include the most important stakeholders in society, he said.

That could only be done through a multistakeholder dialogue in which the interconnectedness of impacts became evident to all, he said.  Luckily, that process had begun some seven years ago in several countries participating in the Marrakech Process under the leadership of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).  They had adopted a 10-year programme, presenting, at least in the environmental sector, national programmes to be implemented by different social stakeholders.  It suggested actions on, among other things, education towards sustainable consumption, solutions to environmental problems and media engagement in raising awareness.  That framework should be endorsed by the nineteenth session and be included in Rio+20, he stressed.

Mr. VON WEIZSÄCKER cited reports of the International Panel for Sustainable Resource Management on such topics as biofuels, metals, water, decoupling and the impacts of consumption and production on the environment.  Emphasizing the need for efficiency, he noted, for example, that 99 per cent of metals were being wasted and it would be a huge technological challenge to solve that problem.  In addition, the topic of water required the huge task of avoiding waste as ever greater amounts of water were supplied.  Land and soils were a resource issue, not just a question of food, but of who owned the land and how to use it in such a manner as not to hurt the poor, he emphasized.  As for the impact of clean technologies, he said he was not sure what was clean, pointing out that, at one point, people had considered nuclear energy to be clean.  With regard to decoupling, which was the big agenda for everyone, hardly any policies had been implemented, he noted.

While the task for developing countries was “relative” decoupling, that facing prosperous countries was “absolute” decoupling, which must lead to distinctions and appropriate policies, he continued.  He cited the “Kuznets Curve”, whereby countries started off “poor and clean”, became “rich and dirty” and then “rich and clean”, saying developing countries needed help to tunnel through to the last stage.  That would be a difficult technological task, he cautioned, adding, however, that it was easier than sending a man to the moon and there was no reason to give up.

The “Green Economy” programme presented in Nairobi had a lot of promise, but still involved challenges, he said.  One was the need to reduce the size of carbon footprints even though poor countries still needed more development.  It was possible, though, to offer improvements while continuing supply, he said, citing his own book, Factor Five, which demonstrated the existence of technologies for decoupling by becoming five times more efficient currently.  For example, they could become five times more efficient through designing homes that required no heating because they were technologically mature, like those in Germany.  Other examples included LED light bulbs and Portland cement containing geopolymers, among other examples.

Appropriate incentives were needed to make the green economy profitable everywhere, he emphasized, noting, however, that today the opposite was happening, as people got richer by wasting more.  It was, therefore, necessary to adjust incentives.  However, that must be accompanied by appropriate governance to protect the poor through laws, since markets favoured the strong, he cautioned.  What must be done in preparation for Rio+20 was to pick up on what had been said in Nairobi, but also to listen carefully for any hesitation by developing countries.  Common but differentiated responsibilities must be observed, or developing countries would fear new disadvantages, he warned.  It would also be important to involve relevant United Nations organizations, as well as civil society.  There would be no success unless all actors were pursuing a common goal, he stressed.

During the ensuing discussion, the Commission heard from representatives of the major groups — farmers, science and technology, trade and industry, workers and trade unions, local authorities, and non-governmental organizations — in addition to representatives of Member States and United Nations agencies.

Speakers stressed that the topics addressed during the nineteenth and previous sessions, a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns in particular, must feature prominently at Rio+20.  The 10-year framework would be invaluable in elaborating a “green” economy because the current unsustainable consumption and production patterns put the functioning of the earth system at risk.  Without action by regional, national and international players, the world would neither realize the objective of global sustainability nor the Millennium Development Goals.  The ultimate aim of sustainable development was human well-being, they said, emphasizing that the Commission and Rio+20 must ensure that resources would be available for future generations.

Many speakers insisted on the crucial importance of involving major groups in the preparatory process for Rio+20 and during the Conference itself, as well as the necessity of multistakeholder partnerships.  Enhancing linkages and building partnerships among Government agencies, the private sector, civil society, the research community, international and regional institutions, local communities and the United Nations system would prove to be of particular importance, one speaker said, as would promoting a fast-track strategy for scaling up successful practices.

Some speakers noted the disastrous effects that speculation in raw materials was having on poor households and employment, saying that sustainable development must address the issue of better economic governance for social and environmental protection.  One speaker highlighted the relationship between the five themes and the question of food security, saying “business as usual” would endanger the nutrition of millions of people and warning that Rio+20 could not be effective unless speculation was addressed.

Speakers also emphasized that advancing the concept of a green economy must contribute to equity by closing the gap between developed and developing countries, as well as reducing the gap between rich and poor within countries.  The green economy should be inclusive and provide opportunities for better living standards for women, youth and those in the informal economy, while generating decent work.  In developing the green economy concept, agriculture should be emphasized and climate change mitigation and adaptation included.  Broader access was necessary in resource-sharing through South-South and North-South cooperation.

Mr. MATTAR, addressing some concerns raised by speakers, underlined the importance of educating consumers on buying, using and discarding products.  They should not only choose products that were more sustainable but also buy them from companies that were dedicated to sustainability, including social sustainability, he said.  Consumer education should start in primary school and centre on lifestyles.  Media should also be engaged in promoting better modes of sustainable consumption.  Corporations had already discovered that economic sustainability depended on social and environmental sustainability, and were undertaking actions that had been unthinkable 10 years ago, he said.

Adoption of Report

Mr. BORBELY (Romania), Chair of the Commission, introduced the draft negotiating document, saying the past week had proved successful in gathering critical ideas on transport, chemicals, waste management and a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns.  They had been collected in the draft negotiating document, building on the frank and forward-looking discussions held.  Negotiations on the text would start on 2 May, the first day of the nineteenth session.  Factual comments made today would also be incorporated into the draft negotiating document, he said, adding that the Commission’s Bureau had requested the Secretariat to create an e-room for a compilation of ideas and comments.  He then invited delegations to make brief factual statements on the draft negotiating document.

The representative of Hungary, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the negotiating document laid down the foundation for a successful nineteenth session and integrated all views in a balanced manner.  Regarding transport, he called for the strengthening of the environmental dimension, and asked for the development of a transport database based on an agreed set of indicators.  On chemicals he said the coherence between the chemicals and waste conventions should be improved and all viable solutions must remain on the table.  There was a need to continue to seek support for long-term cooperation in order to avoid a duplication of efforts.

As for waste management, it was essential to move towards a recycling and energy-recovery society, he said, stressing that clear responsibilities and strict requirements were crucial.  Regarding mining, he said the sector needed good governance, fair distribution and transparency.  There was also a need for continued support for the efforts of developing countries to address the mining sector’s concerns, he said, adding that part of income generated by mining should be channelled to recovery of damage done by closed and abandoned mines.  Child labour should be eliminated.

He recommended that the nineteenth session endorse the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, calling for the involvement of all sectors, including the private sector.  Turning to cross-cutting issues, he called on the Commission to make progress on means of implementation at the national level.  Noting that paragraph 86b provided an “unusual” formulation on financial support, he called for new languages on that issue, emphasizing that the European Union preferred full and efficient use of existing funding resources to new and additional ones.

The representative of the Federated States of Micronesia, speaking on behalf of the Pacific small island developing States, said he was encouraged by the recommendation on increasing financial support, as well as public and private investment from national and international sources, for transport systems in developing countries.  The Pacific small island developing States also agreed that there was a need to factor the impacts of climate change into the planning of transport infrastructure, to reduce marine pollution, including plastics in the oceans, and to mobilize financial resources for building waste-management infrastructure.  However, he requested the inclusion of a brief section on small island developing States in the draft negotiating document, dealing with previously documented items, including:  the shortcomings of institutional support for small islands; specific benchmarks, goals and targets; the need for more technical data and analysis; a holistic coordination mechanism for delivering support to small island States; and the conservation and sustainable management of ocean and marine resources, including fish stocks and the protection of coral reefs.

The representative of Argentina, speaking on behalf of the “Group of 77” developing countries and China, called for the further streamlining and clarification of the draft negotiating document and clarified, particularly with regard to actors and implementation.  There was a need to distinguish between the actions of developed and developing countries with respect to “common but differentiated responsibilities”, and it was not clear that the necessary finances and capacity-building were in place.  Policy recommendations should respect national ownership and priorities, he said.  Concerning sustainable consumption and production, greater clarity was needed on the structure of a 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns.

At present, it was difficult for delegations to see how elements of the text could be implemented, he said.  There was also a lack of balance regarding trade for developing countries, and the document did not include a call for predictable financial resources.  There was a need to build on existing work, including regional initiatives.  On waste, the missing elements included a failure to distinguish between developed and developing countries on capacity-building.  There was also a need for a reference to helping developing countries establish e-waste inventories due to the poor management of such waste.  Turning to transport, he said a missing element was the request for increased financial resources and capacity-building, including for clean fossil fuels.  As for mining, he reiterated the sovereign rights of States over resources, stressing that such matters were governed by national legislation.  On chemicals, he emphasized the need to avoid introducing issues discussed in other bodies, as well as the importance of reaching agreement on a definition of hazardous waste.

The representative of Switzerland said there was no need to establish an international mechanism for capacity-building and education on sound chemicals management.  Furthermore, the language on sustainable consumption and production was confusing and ambiguous.  He said UNEP should be mandated as the coordinating institution.

The representative of the Maldives, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Islands States (AOSIS), said she was concerned that many of the group’s proposals on means of implementation, finance, technology and capacity-building had not been included in the draft negotiating document, emphasizing that its inputs should be reflected.

The representative of Canada called for more general language regarding chemicals, rather than the specific language used.

The representative of Mexico said the text made no mention of short-distance water and coastal transportation, adding that there was a need to mention the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management.  The 10-year programme on sustainable consumption and production should be based on the work of existing agencies, he said, reiterating also the need to be able to count on predictable financing and criteria in order successfully to discharge programme requirements.  Additionally, in the context of cross-cutting issues, the trans-sectoral variant should be one of the draft negotiating document’s main guidelines, bringing in all the main groups and themes involved.

The representative of Japan noted that the dates of the intersessional meeting held in his country, specifically Tokyo, were 16-18 February.

The representative of Chile said two elements that his country wanted mentioned involved transport and waste.  Regarding transport, the approach should be based on improving the sustainability of supply, but there was no real comprehensive approach to manage demand.  It was also important to avoid needless trips when possible, he said, noting that information technology made it possible to carry out meetings and negotiations online without travelling.  All sectors should promote that type of solution when possible, he added.

He went on to say that the supply of basic services in cities could decrease demand for transportation, and management measures to improve infrastructure, such as the use of reversible highways, could be implemented without further investment.  Regarding waste, it was being generated without the creation of incentives for reducing waste production or for avoiding the use of materials that were not indispensable, he said.

The representative of Cambodia said the term “least developed countries” should be used alongside “developing countries” throughout the text.  The section on transport should mention financial means for the maintenance of transport infrastructure, among other things.  As for the mining section, he suggested the inclusion of the need to establish a fund for disaster preparedness.

The representative of the Russian Federation said the document’s length should be reduced.  As for the transparency initiatives mentioned in the text, the New York Platform initiative was not really supported by the majority of States and reaching agreement could be difficult.

The representative of the United States said many items discussed, including some raised by his delegation, were not included in the text.  In the transport section, for instance, a reference to innovative goods movements and supply chains was missing.  There was no reference to partnerships and, as for the section on waste, a reference to the importance of incorporating reuse and recycling into product design was missing.  He was also concerned about the phrasing of the section on sustainable consumption and production patterns.

The representative of Bolivia, referring to common but differentiated responsibilities, said they were needed to reaffirm equality among human beings, defence of the Earth by all and participation by all States.  With regard to chemicals, there was a need to cease using agrochemicals that polluted water and land.  Furthermore, the use of biofuels led to monoculture and other problems.

As the major groups took the floor, a representative of non-governmental organizations listed several items that should be included in the text, including:  accountability, alongside the concept of social responsibility; emphasis on a holistic approach; a mention of other sectors of civil society alongside major groups; and a reference to sustainable rural development.

A representative of farmers called for the inclusion of references to:  hungry people; waste management and reducing waste from agricultural produce; hazards that chemicals brought into people’s lives; better pest management; a distinction between e-waste and other types that were not as hazardous; biogas for lighting and not just fuel; and primary education for boys and girls.

A representative of women, while welcoming the inclusion of many of the group’s recommendations, said she would like to have seen mention of social equity and gender equality in the section on sustainable consumption and production patterns since that section made no mention of gender mainstreaming.  She also suggested the deletion of any reference to women as “vulnerable”.

The meeting then took note of the draft negotiating document, to be submitted to the nineteenth session in May as part of the Commission’s report.

Acting without a vote, the meeting then adopted its report (document E/CN.17/IPM/2011/L.2).

Commission Chair BORBELY ( Romania) said in closing remarks that sustainable development was about establishing long-term decisions, although the real challenges lay in finding the means of implementation at the regional, national and subnational levels.

One of the main aims of sustainable consumption and production in the transport sector was to decouple transport growth from its negative environmental, health and social impacts, he said.  The Commission should also call for a higher national priority on chemicals and on integrating chemicals into national development plans, as well as poverty reduction strategies.  Managing and minimizing waste represented challenges for developing countries in particular, he said, stressing the need to decouple waste generation from economic growth.

He said responsible mining had important potential to contribute to the sustainable development of society, provided its negative environment and social impacts were properly addressed.  As for the 10-year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production, it should aim at accelerating the shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns in order to achieve shared prosperity and well-being within the carrying capacity of ecosystems.  It should also promote poverty eradication and realization of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development targets, preparing humankind for the decoupling of economic growth from environmental degradation, he said.

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