Commission on Sustainable Development

Nineteenth Session

4^th Meeting (PM)

Working Group Chairs Brief Sustainable Development Commission

 

on Progress in Negotiations

 

The Commission on Sustainable Development had reached a critical moment in its negotiations to develop concrete policy recommendations, delegates were told today as the body discussed progress made by its working groups more than halfway through its annual two-week session.

“After years of assessing the five policy themes, it’s up to us,” said Chair László Borbély, Minister of Environment and Forests of Romania as he addressed the 53-member Commission.  “It’s our ultimate chance to make it happen,” he added, calling on delegations to “spare no effort” to make further progress.

Mr. Borbély spoke briefly following a status update from the Co-Chairs of the Commission’s working groups, which were continuing to negotiate elements of the outcome document that the Commission hoped to adopt after the conclusion of its three-day high-level segment on 13 May.  Those elements, in parallel with the Commission’s priority themes, were:  mining and transport; chemicals, interlinkages, cross-cutting issues and means of implementation; the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on sustainable consumption and production; waste management; and the outcome document’s preamble.

Pointing out that the negotiations of the working groups had not been concluded in the allotted time period, before the start of the high-level segment, Mr. Borbély nonetheless commended the working group members and Chairs for their tireless efforts on difficult matters.  Among those, he said, were outstanding questions about the measures that each country must take and the resources available to developing countries to advance their sustainable development agendas.

Taking the floor, Yvette Banzon-Abalos (Philippines), Commission Vice-Chair and Co-Chair of the working group on mining and transport, said there had been four meetings to date in the area of transport, with the most recent taking place on Monday evening.  The discussions had emphasized transport technologies, she said, noting that some delegations had suggested that certain parts of the draft language was more suitable for other sections of the text, including in the section on interlinkages and cross-cutting issues.  The issue of a reference to the “green economy” had not yet been resolved, and members needed to work harder to resolve some of the more challenging issues.

Four sessions had been held on the issue of mining, with a smaller contact group meeting informally.  One more session remained, she said, and the search for consensus was being assisted significantly by the contact groups.  The group had completed a first reading of the text and had moved on to a second reading, of which three paragraphs still remained to be considered.  While some issues had not yet been resolved, overall progress on the text was encouraging.

Silvano Vergara Vasquez (Panama), Commission Vice-Chair and Co-Chair of the working group on chemicals, as well as inter-linkages and cross-cutting issues, including means of implementation, said that four meetings had been held on the subject of means of implementation, inter-linkages, and cross-cutting issues.  They took place Wednesday and Friday of last week, and Monday and Tuesday of this week.  Out of 88 paragraphs, the group had reached paragraph 82k and had reached agreement on a number of issues.  Nonetheless, a number of complex issues needed further debate, particularly regarding interlinkages and means of implementation.  It would be appropriate to establish a contact group to draft the text, he said, adding that two or three meetings were still needed to complete the work.

On chemicals, he said that three meetings had been scheduled.  Two were held yesterday afternoon and evening.  The contact group had informed him that considerable progress had been made, many agreements had been achieved, and brackets had been eliminated from many paragraphs.  He asked the group to continue yesterday evening and, this morning, it had informed him that more significant progress had been made.  Progress on chemicals was encouraging and, with the assistance of the contact group, only one or two more meetings on the subject would be needed.

Andrew Goledzinowski (Australia), Commission Vice-Chair and Co-Chair of the working group on the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on sustainable consumption and production, said that the working group had held seven meetings, and was moving forward with an eighth meeting this evening.  A second reading of the draft text had been completed, and a third was beginning with a focus on the key issues needed to move forward.  Some delegations had requested a change of venue to a smaller room, he noted, which had not yet been possible.  Despite some unresolved issues, the discussion was nonetheless continuing in a professional spirit.

Abdelghani Merabet (Algeria), Commission Vice-Chair and Co-Chair of the working group on waste management and the preamble, expressed appreciation for the participants’ flexibility during yesterday night’s and this morning’s meetings on waste management.  The working group on waste management had devoted five three-hour sessions to the issue and, by the second reading, 16 paragraphs had been agreed upon.  The text had grown from 58 headings to 100, he said, but there was now convergence on waste management as it related to the three pillars of sustainable development, including its relationship to health.  The question of the final placement of the waste remained an issue, he said.  One open-ended night session would be required in the second week, and it remained unclear whether the group would complete its work by that session.

Two three-hour sessions had been devoted to the issue of the outcome document’s preamble, during which the group had covered all 39 paragraphs.  The text had been reduced from 62 to 53 paragraphs by the end of last night, 10 May, and the degree of convergence continued to be high.  One area of concern was the language of United Nations legislation, he noted.  One additional three-hour session was planned, an additional session would also be needed.

In other business today, the Commission was briefed by its Secretary, Vivian Pliner, on organizational matters for the high-level segment.

The Commission will reconvene in plenary at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, 11 May, to begin its high-level segment.

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For information media • not an official record