http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/MYAI-7XF4BD?OpenDocument
Acceptance of lesser climate deal will threaten existence of small
islands, Second Committee told, as it begins sustainable development
debate
Source: United Nations General Assembly
Date: 02 Nov 2009
GA/EF/3262
Sixty-fourth General Assembly
Second Committee
27th & 28th Meetings (AM & PM)
If Member States accepted a lesser deal during the upcoming Copenhagen Climate Conference than
what was scientifically needed to cut greenhouse gas emissions, they would be threatening the very
existence of small island countries, the representative of the Federated States of Micronesia told the
Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it began its consideration of sustainable
development today.
Speaking on behalf of the Pacific Small Island Developing States, he said that, without adequate
cuts in emissions, those islands would face severe food production losses caused by heavy rainfalls,
erosion and saltwater intrusion into agricultural areas. "The outcome of Copenhagen will determine
the quality of our future, and for some of us, if we even have a future. Our survival is not
negotiable", he emphasized.
While small island countries were grateful for the support they had received, he continued, limited
technical, financial and human resources precluded full implementation of the Mauritius Strategy
for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States. "We need assistance that delivers real outcomes for our people,
rather than the hollow pledges of the past."
Indonesia's representative, speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian Nations
(ASEAN), agreed, stating: "By reinvigorating our commitment to the new green development
paradigm, we will give this earth to our grandchildren the way it was given to us, so we may be
remembered as those who were responsible, not those that were cursed for selfishness by the
generations to come." He said the Rio Conventions offered a jumping off point for green
development and the end of the year would test the international community's commitment to
combating climate change.
He went on to say that the ingredients for success were on the table. The International Year of
Biodiversity in 2010 and the International Year of Forests in 2011 complemented the broader goals
of poverty eradication. The proposed 2012 Sustainable Development Summit presented an
opportunity to build political momentum for a strengthened international institutional structure for
environmental and developmental governance.
In a similar vein, Mexico's representative, speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said developed
countries had a historic responsibility to the Climate Change Convention and its Kyoto Protocol.
They must honour their commitments to make ambitious emission cuts, and give technology and
capacity-building support to developing countries. On the issue of natural disasters, he said that
between 2000 and mid-2009 they had cost Latin America and the Caribbean almost $47 billion and
left 18,000 people dead. He called for strong international cooperation to set up early-warning
systems, contingency plans and adaptation strategies, which could help better manage disasters,
save lives and minimize risk.
Turning to desertification, he said soil degradation was a serious problem threatening natural
resources and food security, and fuelling poverty and migration. He supported the work of the
Convention to Combat Desertification and efforts to apply its Regional Implementation Annex for
Latin America and the Caribbean, which included steps to recover soil for agriculture and land for
production, and to employ techniques to avoid water scarcity in risk zones.
Sweden's representative, speaking on behalf of the European Union, said the international
community must take the necessary steps to limit global warming to below 2˚ Celsius. Global
greenhouse gases must peak no later than 2020 and fall by at least half by 2050 compared with 1990
levels. He pledged to do his part to make that happen. "The European Union is ready to take its fair
share of the global effort by setting an ambitious mitigation target, allowing for offsets and
providing its fair share of public support."
He called for a legally binding agreement from 1 January 2013 that would build on the Kyoto
Protocol and incorporate all its essential elements, as well as a financing deal to help developing
countries implement ambitious mitigation and adaptation strategies. Furthermore, he supported
steps to make the Adaptation Fund operational and to create mechanisms to reduce deforestation
and degradation, promote conservation, and enhance forest carbon stocks in developing countries.
Particularly worrisome was the fact that 1.6 billion people worldwide lacked access to modern
energy and that investment in energy had declined in 2009, making life even more difficult for the
poor. A new deal promoting clean technology and effective energy use was essential to rectifying
that.
The Committee also heard the introduction of several sustainable development-related reports by
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs; Margareta Wahlstrom,
Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the Implementation of the Hyogo Framework
for Actions and Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction; Luc Gnacadja, Executive
Secretary of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification; Tariq Banuri, Director of
the Division for Social Development; Lila Ratsifandrihamanana, Director of the Food and
Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison Office; Habib El-Habr, Director and Regional
Representative, United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia;
Juanita Castano, Director of the UNEP New York Office; Tadanori Inomata of the Joint Inspection
Unit; and Kenneth Herman of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination
(CEB) Secretariat.
Also taking part in today's debate were representatives of the Sudan (on behalf of the "Group of 77"
developing countries and China), Belize (on behalf of the Caribbean Community), Nepal (on behalf
of the Least Developed Countries), Lesotho (on behalf of the Southern African Development
Community), Zambia (on behalf of the African Group), Colombia, United States, China, Saudi
Arabia, Singapore, Kenya, Algeria, India, Guatemala, Namibia, Peru, Nigeria and the Philippines.
The Committee will meet again on 10 a.m. tomorrow, Tuesday, 3 November, to conclude its debate
on sustainable development and take up its agenda item on implementation of the outcome of the
United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat II) and strengthening of the United
Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT).
Background
The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met today to consider the issues of sustainable
development.
Before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report titled Oil slick on Lebanese shores
(document A/64/259), which provides an update on the implementation of General Assembly
resolutions 61/194, 62/188 and 63/211 related to the oil slick on Lebanese shores resulting from
Israel's bombing of the El Jiyeh power plant.
In the report, the Secretary-General urges Israel to assume responsibility for promptly and
adequately compensating the Government of Lebanon and calls on States, international
organizations and institutions to continue their support for rehabilitation efforts.
Annexed to the report is a letter dated 10 December 2008 from the Permanent Representative of
Israel to the Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), which
discusses the oil spill's implications for the Lebanese economy, as well as progress in providing
Lebanon with technical and financial support for clean-up and rehabilitation operations, and in
setting up the Eastern Mediterranean Oil Spill Restoration Fund.
Also before the Committee is a Letter from the Permanent Representative of Syria addressed to the
Secretary-General (document A/C.2/64/10), dated 28 October 2009, which describes that country's
position regarding the Secretary-General's report on the oil slick.
The Committee also had before it the Secretary-General's note transmitting the report of the Joint
Inspection Unit on the Management review of environmental governance within the United Nations
system (document A/64/83–E/2009/83), which identifies measures for promoting enhanced
coordination, coherence and synergies between Multilateral Environmental Agreements and the
United Nations system. It makes several recommendations and notes the lack of an overarching
authority for global environmental governance within the United Nations system, pointing out that
UNEP does not effectively exercise its original mandate to coordinate all of the Organization's
environmental initiatives. It also emphasizes that it is essential that organizations with
environmental responsibilities have effective mechanisms for discussing and agreeing on a holistic
approach to ensure more productive and cost-effective responses to emerging major challenges.
A note by the Secretary-General (document A/64/83/Add.1 – E/2009/Add.1) transmits his
comments and those of the Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB), whose members, while
supporting many of the recommendations in the above-mentioned report, also express concerns
about implementation.
The Committee also had before it a letter by the Permanent Representative of Namibia addressed to
the Secretary-General (document A/64/81) transmitting four resolutions adopted by the120th
Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union in Addis Ababa on 20 April 2009. The resolutions are
titled "The role of parliaments in mitigating the social and political impact of the international
economic and financial crisis on the most vulnerable sectors of the global community, especially in
Africa"; "Advancing nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament, and securing the entry into force
of the Comprehensive Nuclear-Test-ban Treaty: the role of parliaments": "Climate change,
sustainable development models and renewable energies" and "Freedom of expression and the right
to information".
Also before the Committee was the Secretary-General's report titled Implementation of Agenda 21,
the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the outcomes of the World
Summits on Sustainable Development (document A/64/275), which, in addition to an update on
implementation, includes the views of Member States regarding a high-level event on sustainable
development. It recommends that Governments, United Nations agencies and major groups deepen
their commitments to sustainable development by redoubling their efforts to implement Agenda 21,
the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation.
It also calls upon donor Governments and international financial institutions to support developing
countries in the areas of transport, chemicals, waste management, mining and a Ten-Year
Framework of Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns. Further, the report
encourages States, in collaboration with the United Nations and major groups, including business
and industry, to increase the effectiveness of national sustainable development strategies.
The Secretary-General's report titled Preparations for the International Year of Forests, 2011
(document A/64/274), highlights significant activities organized by Governments, the United
Nations and others to observe the Year and offers recommendations such as the establishment of
national coordinating committees and the creation of voluntary partnerships among other steps.
A report of the Secretary-General titled Agricultural technology for development (document
A/64/258) details how the developing and developed worlds have different access to agricultural
technologies. It sets out policy recommendations for the development and deployment of such
technologies, concluding that the issue should be incorporated into national sustainable
development strategies. It also states that the Commission on Sustainable Development called for a
green revolution that uses science-based approaches and local indigenous knowledge to enhance
agricultural production while protecting natural resources and limiting the use of pollutants.
Further, according to the report, the Commission called for mobilization of funding for research and
development of drought-tolerant seed varieties and for investment in agriculture as a way to address
climate change. The Commission highlighted the importance of additional financial resources for
agricultural development assistance, in particular to support a green revolution in Africa.
The Secretary-General's report titled International Year of Sanitation, 2008 (document A/64/169)
states that despite significant efforts by Governments, organizations and other stakeholders,
progress towards reaching the Millennium target of halving the percentage of people without access
to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015 has been slow and uneven. Forty-one per cent of
the global population -- some 2.5 billion people –- still lack access to basic sanitation facilities.
During the Year, stakeholders galvanized the international community's efforts and thinking to
work more effectively and coherently, and inspired wide-ranging actions and partnerships through
advocacy, according to the report. That momentum is expected to continue with the key message
that sanitation matters and is an important development issue. In the future, however, sanitation
issues must be approached in a much broader context that encompasses basic sanitation services,
sewerage, and wastewater treatment and reuse.
The report concludes that most developing countries cannot achieve their sanitation goals without
international donor support in the form of official development assistance (ODA), grants and
support to implement the goals. Microcredit programmes should be expanded, as should large-scale
private-sector investment for urban sewage and wastewater treatment systems. The methodology
and data collection of the Joint Monitoring Programme of the World Health Organization (WHO)
and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) for estimating sanitation coverage should be
strengthened to better assess progress towards achieving the Millennium target on sanitation, and it
should incorporate robust gender-disaggregated data.
A letter from the Permanent Representative of Israel addressed to the Secretary-General (document
A/64/301) and dated 7 August 2009 transmits General Assembly resolution 62/190 titled
"Agricultural technology for development".
Also before the Committee was a report of the Secretary-General titled follow-up to and
implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the Programme of
Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (document A/64/278),
which gives an overview of arrangements for the September 2010 high-level review of progress in
addressing the vulnerabilities of small island developing States by implementing the Mauritius
Strategy. It also gives an account of those States' continuing efforts, with the support of the United
Nations and the international community, to follow up and implement the Strategy, and to address
environmental, economic and social challenges. The report concludes that the scaling up of
international support, particularly through concessionary financing, technology transfer and
capacity-building, would enhance those States' efforts to achieve sustainable development.
The Secretary-General's report on implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction (document A/64/280) provides an overview of progress in implementing the
International Strategy, in response to General Assembly resolution 63/216. Included in an annex are
details on national, regional and international efforts to implement the Hyogo Framework for
Action. The report notes good progress in some aspects of implementation, such as improvements
in institutional capacities and disaster preparedness, but calls for speeding up implementation of all
the Framework's goals. New information in the recently launched Global Assessment Report on
Disaster Risk Reduction indicates that growing exposure to risk is outstripping current abilities to
reduce vulnerability.
According to the report, investment is urgently needed to address disaster-risk drivers: rural poverty
and vulnerability, unplanned urban growth and declining ecosystems. The second session of the
Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction, held in June 2009, called for action to integrate
disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation efforts and to strengthen community-level
action. It discussed several specific targets, such as undertaking national assessments of the safety
of existing education and health care facilities by 2011, and new initiatives to scale up investment in
that area.
In the report, the Secretary-General encourages Member States to develop mechanisms for disaster
risk reduction and national and local risk assessment, link disaster risk reduction and adaptation
policies to national strategies in all sectors, especially in land-use and settlement planning, critical
infrastructure development, and management of natural resources, health and education. He also
calls on them to increase funds to reduce disaster risks and take steps to halve the loss of life from
disasters by 2015, when the Hyogo Framework concludes, as well as recommends that States
develop investment benchmarks, such as allocating 10 per cent of funding for humanitarian relief
and reconstruction funds, 1 per cent for national development funding and 30 per cent for national
climate change adaptation.
A note by the Secretary-General on implementation of United Nations environmental conventions
(document A/64/202) transmits the reports of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC), the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those
Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa, and the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
The report of the Climate Change Convention gives an account of the December 2008 Poznan
Conference on climate change and its follow-up, including progress in negotiations leading up to
the conference scheduled for December 2009 in Copenhagen, and on implementation of the
Convention and its Kyoto Protocol. The report on the Desertification Convention describes the
2008-2018 strategic plan and framework to implement the Convention, the seventeenth session of
the Commission on Sustainable Development and its preparatory process, and observance of the
2009 World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought, among other measures. The report of the
Convention on Biological Diversity describes preparations for the fifth and tenth preparatory
meetings of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention, to be held in 2010, as well as
preparations for the General Assembly's high-level segment on biodiversity, also in that year.
A note by the Secretary-General on the Report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the assessment of the
Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (document
A/64/379) transmits the Unit's 2009 report titled "Assessment of the Global Mechanism of the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification" (document JIU/REP/2009/4), which
assesses the Mechanism's activities, including in the field, and the monitoring of its resource
mobilization. It also discusses the Mechanism within the United Nations governance structure,
lessons learned, its partnerships with other international organizations, its role in promoting
synergies between the Rio conventions, and institutional options to effectively implement the
Convention.
The report of the UNEP Governing Council, titled United Nations Environment Programme
(document A/64/25), summarizes discussions at the twenty-fifth session of the Governing
Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum of the Programme in Nairobi in February. On the
subject of a greener economy, delegates explored challenges as well as opportunities in the context
of the global crises and suggested that there was a need to tilt the policy playing field towards the
green economy. With regard to trade and finance, delegates said that environmental standards
should not be an impediment to market access but rather should promote trade and market access,
especially for developing countries and those with economies in transition.
Delegates noted that there was a need for job creation, capacity-building and investments in
technology, the report states. New regulation would require strong leadership, but opportunities
existed to turn carbon subsidies into green incentives. The Organization should coordinate national
and international efforts to help States tackle the challenges of food, energy and water supplies.
There were also opportunities for involving the private sector, especially in investment in the
transport sector and in clean technologies.
The report also notes several governance challenges and suggests that there is a need for a multi-
thematic process of strengthening international environmental governance so as to develop a system
that takes into account the interconnected nature of environmental challenges from ecosystem
services to climate change and development.
A report of the Secretary-General report titled Sustainable mountain development (document
A/64/222) describes the status of mountain development at the national and international levels,
details the challenges ahead and provides suggestions for the promotion and sustenance of
sustainable development in mountain regions around the world. It notes significant progress in
terms of awareness and in the creation and strengthening of institutional arrangements, but cautions
that there is much work ahead on the issue, especially in the context of climate change, soaring food
prices and urban migration. It recommends that Governments increase investment and funding for
sustainable development in the world's mountain regions and encourages States to ensure that
policies and programmes are in place to respond comprehensively to soaring food prices and related
challenges for mountain communities, which are often the hardest hit.
The Secretary-General's report titled promotion of new and renewable sources of energy (document
A/64/277) provides a global overview of new and renewable sources energy, concluding that they
play a crucial role in reducing greenhouse gasses, ensuring energy security and achieving
sustainable development. The report states that there is still an urgent need to improve access to
reliable, affordable, socially acceptable and environmentally sound energy, especially in poor and
peri-urban areas. While the share of energy from new and renewable sources has increased
significantly in recent years, the total share from those sources remains far below their potential,
and there is an urgent need to tap new and renewable energy sources.
According to the report, a global feed-in tariff programme could be a possible future international
policy tool, but any policy needs to stimulate investment and sustained financing. A global "Green
new deal", comprising national "green" stimulus packages in developed and developing countries,
among other things, could be a promising way towards a sustainable future. The report also
highlights the urgent need for a binding international agreement by year's end to significantly
reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address climate change, and stresses the need for a paradigm
shift.
Opening Statement
SHA ZUKANG, Under-Secretary General for Economic and Social Affairs, said that only an
integrated approach would ensure progress at a time when global unemployment was at an all-time
high, more people were being pushed into poverty and food scarcity getting worse. Hunger and
extreme poverty remained a reality for many in the developing world and a "global landscape of
inequality" still characterized world affairs, he said, noting that climate change compounded those
challenges and much would be at stake at the upcoming Climate Conference in Copenhagen.
Addressing those challenges required a substantial investment, he said, emphasizing that the world
could not afford to let the economic crisis impede the fight against climate change, the effects of
which were expensive and detrimental to development goals. Member States should pay more
attention to disaster-risk reduction as the world's ecosystems were under heightened pressure and an
unprecedented biodiversity loss had already taken place. The convergence of these crises demanded
a collective response and the challenge for countries was to move towards more sustainable patterns
of consumption and production. Calling on the developed countries to help the developing world
through the transfer of technology and knowledge and by supporting green investments, he said the
international community shared the responsibility to create solutions that would preserve the
environment while encouraging economic growth.
Introduction of Reports
MARGARETA WAHLSTROM, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the
Implementation of the Hyogo Framework for Actions and Assistant Secretary-General for Disaster
Risk Reduction, introduced the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of the
International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (document A/64/280), saying its key message was that
despite encouraging progress in implementing some aspects of the Hyogo Framework, expedited,
scaled up action was needed in all priority areas to reduce significantly the impact of disasters by
the 2015 target date.
She said the report noted the substantial global increase in disaster risk due to deficient urban and
local governance, livelihood vulnerability in rural areas and declining ecosystems. The growing
exposure to risk was outstripping the current ability to reduce vulnerability. To date, only 57
countries had set up national platforms and 120 had designated official focal points to implement
and monitor progress in implementing the Hyogo Framework. The convening of the second session
of the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction was a notable step for enhancing information-
sharing, coordination and monitoring of progress among stakeholders, but investment in disaster
risk reduction was far from satisfactory, she concluded.
LUC GNACADJA, Executive Secretary, United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification,
introduced the Secretary-General's report on the implementation of General Assembly resolution
63/218 and of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (document A/64/202),
saying that the Conference of States Parties to the Convention, held in September and October, had
adopted 36 decisions. Among them were decisions on mechanisms to facilitate regional
coordination to implement the Convention; reshaping the operations of the Committee on Science
and Technology to set up a global authority on science and technology pertaining to desertification,
land degradation and drought; and on adopting a minimum set of impact indicators aimed at setting
targets to effectively halt and reverse desertification and land degradation while mitigating the
effects of drought. The report made several recommendations, including on the need for timely and
effectively implementation of the Convention.
Mr. GNACADJA, speaking on behalf of Yvo De Boer, Executive Secretary, United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, went on to say that the outcome of the 2008 Poznan
Conference was a clear and important milestone on the road to Copenhagen, and that success at the
upcoming Climate Conference hinged on getting industrialized countries to agree on individual
emission reduction targets as well as enabling developing countries to take appropriate mitigation
actions, among other things. Only four days of real negotiation time remained before Copenhagen
and it was critically important to focus on realistic but ambitious goals appropriate to the scale of
the problem.
TARIQ BANURI, Director, Division for Social Development, introduced the Secretary-General's
reports on the implementation of Agenda 21 (document A/64/275); agricultural technology for
development (document A/64/258); the International Year of Sanitation, 2008 (document
A/64/169); implementation of the Mauritius Strategy for the Further Implementation of the
Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
(document A/64/278); and on the promotion of new and renewable sources of energy (document
A/64/277).
Summarizing the five reports in the context of a new policy landscape, he described problems and
activities in terms of sustainable development, noting that there was a growing recognition of
ecological limits as well as the social necessity of equity. Sustainable development was a bridge
between environmental and development issues, connecting North and South as well as the private
and public sectors, he said.
LILA RATSIFANDRIHAMANANA, Director, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Liaison
Office, introduced the Secretary-General's report on sustainable mountain development (document
A/64/222), describing mountains as fragile ecosystems and early indicators of climate change. Most
of the impoverished and food insecure people in the world, who had been pushed further into
despair because of the food crisis, lived in mountainous regions, she said. However, despite
increased recognition of mountain issues, significant restraints remained to alleviating poverty,
averting environmental degradation and achieving the Millennium Goals in mountain areas. The
pressures of industry, transport, mining, agriculture and global climate change were threatening
fragile mountain ecosystems.
The report showed that much of the substantive work that would make a real difference in the lives
of mountain people would be done by countries themselves, she said, noting that in recent years,
there had been a steady increase of activities and initiatives as well as support from the international
community. In 2009, for example, Kyrgyzstan had adopted a new law that had radically changed
the country's pasture management system by transferring responsibility to local users. Since the
publication of the last report on the subject, significant progress had been made, though much
remained to be done. Higher levels of funding and investment were needed, as were enhanced
coordination and collaboration among States, particularly in the context of climate change, food
price hikes and urban migration.
HABIB EL-HABR, Director and Regional Representative, United Nations Environment
Programme (UNEP) Regional Office for West Asia, introduced the Secretary-General's report on
the oil slick on Lebanese shores (document A/64/259), saying it complemented information in
previous reports on the findings of the Secretary-General's Inter-Agency Team deployed to
Lebanon and provided updates on four key areas: the oil spill's impact on livelihoods and on
Lebanon's economy; progress made in compensating Lebanon for the oil spill; cleaning up and
rehabilitating the affected area; and setting up the Eastern Mediterranean Oil Spill Restoration Trust
Fund.
He said two new studies had been made. The general bio-monitoring survey conducted in the Palm
Island Nature Reserve with financing by the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation and
Development, revealed that the oil spill had caused some sea birds to die and that some affected
gulls and cormorants had been cleaned and released. A survey conducted in November and
December by a Greek environmental engineering consultancy firm, and financed by the Canadian
International Development Agency, revealed that 12 sites along the Lebanese shoreline from Tyre
to the northern border, still needed to be cleaned.
He said the report noted that many sites were still stained by the oil spill, but weathering and natural
effects would ease the staining. The issue of responsibility and compensation to Lebanon and Syria
had yet to be resolved. The spill was not covered by any of the international oil-spill compensation
funds, and thus merited special attention. Towards that end, the Secretary-General was finalizing
the mechanism under which the Restoration Trust Fund would operate.
JUANITA CASTANO, Director, United Nations Environment Programme New York Office,
introduced the report of the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Forum held in Nairobi in
February, noting that participants had tackled how to deal with the challenges of the past year and a
half. They had discussed the transition towards a "green economy", which –- as defined by UNEP --
described an economic system that acknowledged the importance of healthy ecosystems as the
backbone of economic and social well-being. The Governing Council had also adopted a number of
resolutions to assess and address the effects of environmental change.
TADANORI INOMATA, Joint Inspection Unit, introduced the Unit's report (document A/64/83 –
E/2009/83), saying it contained a management review of environmental governance within the
United Nations in addition to 12 recommendations. He said the current framework of international
environmental governance was weakened by institutional fragmentation and specialization, and by
the absence of an integrated approach to environmental issues and sustainable development. The
Unit recommended that the General Assembly establish a clear understanding of the division of
labour among development agencies, UNEP and the Multilateral Environmental Agreements
(MEAs).
KENNETH HERMAN, United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB)
Secretariat, introduced the comments of the Secretary-General and CEB members (document
A/64/83/Add.1) on the report of the Joint Inspection Unit, saying it provided an independent and
comprehensive review. Its findings and recommendations added to the growing momentum for
practical ways to improve environmental governance. While CEB members generally supported the
spirit of many of the recommendations, they noted that the challenges lay in the details.
The CEB members noted that the report and its recommendations could have benefited from wider
consultation and reflection, including on possible ways forward, he said. It could have been
strengthened by taking more fully into account the range of General Assembly and Economic and
Social Council resolutions and documentation as well as the work of the Commission on
Sustainable Development, among other United Nations bodies involved in sustainable development.
The report presented a good historical overview of developments in the multilateral environmental
agreement environment, in addition to reasons for creating bodies like the Environment
Management Group, but it did not sufficiently reflect the dynamics of important ongoing processes
and debates, including at the UNEP Governing Council and the Assembly.
Statements
NADIA OSMAN (Sudan), speaking on behalf of the "Group of 77" developing countries and China,
said the economic crisis still reverberated in the developing countries, cancelling out hard-won
gains and sending millions more people into poverty. With respect to the implementation of Agenda
21, the Group of 77 had adopted decisions regarding agriculture, rural development, drought and
desertification, among other things. Concerning the Mauritius Strategy, she reiterated the need for
the allocation of appropriate resources to the Small Island Developing States Unit.
Turning to the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, she voiced support for the Strategy and
its mandate to promote public awareness and commitment, expand networks and partnerships, and
improve knowledge about the causes of disasters and the risk-reduction options. The Group of 77
called for the further development of early warning systems and reiterated that climate change
debates should take place in the context of sustainable development. On implementation of the
Climate Change Convention, the Group of 77 called on the international community to increase
substantially its allocation of resources to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) in order to help
the efforts of developing countries to combat desertification and reclaim degraded land.
Noting that the General Assembly had declared 2010 the International Year of Biodiversity, she
urged the relevant Working Group to complete its work on the fair and equitable sharing of genetic
resources as soon as possible. The development of new and renewable energy sources was also
critical, and the Group of 77 supported the transfer of technology from developed to developing
countries. In conclusion, she said stressed the importance of both financial and technical assistance
in order for UNEP to succeed.
JAKOB STROM (Sweden), speaking on behalf of the European Union, emphasized that there was
no alternative to a successful outcome in Copenhagen, noting that the imminent threat of global
warming and the opportunities within reach at the upcoming Conference highlighted the relevance
of the Committee's work. Climate change was the most urgent issue on the Committee's agenda, and
the European Union was determined to work with partners to reverse the loss of biodiversity,
safeguard ecosystem services, promote sustainable land and water management, all while stepping
up efforts to eradicate poverty.
Voicing support for the 2012 High-level Event on Sustainable Development, he said he looked
forward to forthcoming discussions on developing the agenda for that event. He also called on
Member States to take national action to implement and monitor the important conclusions reached
at the seventeenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. To address climate
change, the European Union called for a legally binding agreement from 1 January 2013 that would
build on the Kyoto Protocol and incorporate all its essential elements. A deal on financing, based on
a gradual but significant increase in public and private funds, was needed in Copenhagen to help
developing countries implement ambitious mitigation and adaptation strategies.
"The European Union is ready to take its fair share of the global effort by setting an ambitious
mitigation target, allowing for offsets and providing its fair share of public support," he said. The
European Union supported operationalizing the Adaptation Fund, progress in discussions to set up
mechanisms to reduce deforestation and degradation, promote conservation, and enhance forest
carbon stocks in developing countries. The international community must take the necessary action
to limit global warming to below 2˚ Celsius, he said, emphasizing that global greenhouse gases
must peak no later than 2020 and be reduced by at least half by 2050 compared with 1990 levels.
Access to modern energy was critical, yet unattainable for 1.6 billion people and the decline in
investments in energy during 2009 had exacerbated the problems of the poor, he said. That called
for a new deal to promote clean technology and the most effective use of energy. The International
Energy Agency projected that the share of primary world energy from renewables would remain at
13 per cent between 2005 and 2030, but the potential for renewables was much greater. Time-bound
national and regional targets for increasing energy efficiency, and access to affordable energy, were
essential for achieving the Millennium Development Goals. The European Union was deeply
concerned about the ongoing, unprecedented human-induced depletion of species, ecosystems and
genes. Vigorous efforts were needed to reverse that trend, and to support implementation of the
Convention on Biological Diversity.
BUDI BOWOLEKSONO (Indonesia), speaking on behalf of the Association of South-East Asian
Nations (ASEAN), said that, while many benefits had been gained from the implementation of
Agenda 21, the hurdles ahead were formidable and required a global paradigm shift. Already, "we
are beginning to see the merging of what were once considered incompatible goals of the
environmental agenda with economic growth", he said, noting that the proposed 2012 Sustainable
Development Summit presented an opportunity to build political momentum for a strengthened
international institutional structure for environmental and developmental governance.
He said the Rio Conventions offered a jumping off point for green development and the end of the
year would test the international community's commitment to combat climate change. The
ingredients for success were on the table. The International Year of Biodiversity in 2010 and the
International Year of Forests in 2011 complemented the broader goals of poverty eradication. The
energy crisis had highlighted the need to promote and develop new and renewable sources of
energy.
Turning to the Millennium Development Goals, he said many countries in the ASEAN region had
suffered extreme weather events, which had halted development. Improved cooperation among
relevant stakeholders was crucial in terms of getting timely responses, and early-warning networks
provided a critical method to avoid the worst consequences of disasters. Finally, he noted that the
international community would be doing its part to create a better world. "By reinvigorating our
commitment to the new green development paradigm, we will give this earth to our grandchildren
the way it was given to us, so we may be remembered as those who were responsible, not those that
were cursed for selfishness by the generations to come."
JANINE COYE FELSON (Belize), speaking on behalf of Caribbean Community (CARICOM),
described climate change as a fundamental challenge to the sustainable development of the region's
States, with a cost that had been estimated at 11.3 per cent of their combined gross domestic
product. That figure could reach 14 per cent by 2025, rising to 39 per cent by 2050, 45 per cent by
2075 and 63 per cent by 2100.
She said regional Heads of Government had met in July to specify targets for medium- and longer-
term stabilization of greenhouse gases and outline a strategy to address sustainable adaptation and
mitigation, which they had endorsed. However, "the effectiveness of our response to climate change
will ultimately depend on the sum of all our actions", she warned, urging Member States to work
towards a successful outcome at the upcoming Climate Conference in Copenhagen.
Turning to new and renewable energy sources, she said the region depended largely on imported
petroleum –- a dependency that made it highly susceptible to energy price volatility and which was
detrimental to the environment. The CARICOM countries had developed a regional strategy to
increase the use of renewable energy, but the success of such programmes depended on a strong
international framework.
BENITO JIMENEZ SAUMA (Mexico), speaking on behalf of the Rio Group, said challenges
remained to the true achievement of sustainable development based on the three development
pillars: economic, social and environmental. Brazil's proposal to hold a Rio+20 Summit had
important political merit as it could lead to tangible results. Next year, the international community
should reach the goal of reducing the rate of biodiversity loss based on the Convention on
Biological Diversity and its Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. To achieve that goal by 2015, the
international community must strengthen efforts at all levels, increase international cooperation, and
develop concrete proposals. In that context, the Rio group highlighted decision IX/20 adopted by
the Conference of the Parties to the Convention regarding options for cooperation to create marine-
protected areas outside national jurisdictions.
Turning to desertification, he said it affected 25 per cent of the Latin American and Caribbean
territory, or 5 million square kilometres. Soil degradation was a serious problem in the region and
was linked to climate change. Desertification would exacerbate the vulnerability of communities
living in those areas, especially indigenous communities that, in the short term, would suffer the
loss natural resources and food security while facing increasing poverty and migration. The Rio
Group supported the work of the Desertification Convention and efforts to apply its Regional
Implementation Annex for Latin America and the Caribbean. That would allow the region to
continue to implement measures and programmes on soil recovery for agriculture; land for
production; techniques to avoid water scarcity in risk zones; and access to financial mechanisms for
the provision of resources to mitigate and reverse desertification.
While the region had contributed very little to climate change, it suffered disproportionately from
its impact, particularly poor communities lacking the resources or technology for adaptation, he said.
Developed countries must make a sincere compromise in line with their historic responsibility to the
Climate Change Convention and its Kyoto Protocol by committing themselves to ambitious
emission cuts and to financing adaptation, technology transfer, international cooperation and
capacity-building in developing countries. The annual loss of lives and resources due to disasters
was another cause of concern, he said, noting that, according to the Centre for Research on the
Epidemiology of Disasters, disasters in Latin America and the Caribbean had cost nearly $47 billion
between 2000 and mid-2009, affecting 46.6 million people and leaving 18,000 dead. The Rio Group
called for strong cooperation in establishing early-warning systems, contingency plans and
adaptation strategies, which could help better manage disasters, save lives and minimize risk.
JEEM LIPPWE (Federated States of Micronesia), speaking on behalf of Pacific small island
developing States, said sustainable development was a critical topic, especially because the region
was particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. Implementation of the Mauritius
Strategy had been inadequate. While small-island countries were grateful for the support they had
received, limited technical, financial and human resources precluded full implementation of the
Strategy. "We need assistance that delivers real outcomes for our people, rather than the hollow
pledges of the past," he stressed.
Reminding delegates that the emission cuts sought were based on the scientific evidence of what
was needed, he said that if other Member States accepted a lesser deal in Copenhagen, they would
be asking people in small-island States to agree to severe food production losses caused by heavy
rainfalls, erosion and saltwater intrusion into agricultural areas. "The outcome of Copenhagen will
determine the quality of our future, and for some of us, if we even have a future. Our survival is not
negotiable," he emphasized.
In the Pacific, a number of renewable energy sources were available and projects had been pursued
to improve their uses, he said. In general, the importance of renewable energy could hardly be
overstated, and many Pacific islands had made commitments to increase its use, even though the
region's contribution to greenhouse gas emissions was negligible. Appropriate help in the realms of
financing and assistance was critical.
MANI PRASAD BHATTARAI (Nepal), speaking on behalf of the Least Developed Countries, said
sustainable development in that category of countries would require sincere implementation of all
agreed international commitments, particularly the Brussels Programme of Action. The upcoming
Fourth Conference of the Least Developed Countries, to be held in Turkey in 2011, should be taken
as an opportunity to strengthen the global partnership for sustainable development in the least
developed countries. It should be well prepared and successfully concluded through active
engagement by partners, the United Nations, multilateral agencies and the least developed countries.
Developed countries must take concrete steps to increase financial aid to developing countries,
reduce or cancel their debt, curb trade protectionism, open markets, transfer technology and help
build capacity in those countries.
Extreme poverty in least developed countries was a major obstacle to sustainable development and
must be addressed, he emphasized, adding that the 2010 review of the Millennium Development
Goals should aim to further galvanize support for sustainable development in the least developed
countries. An increased international partnership for investment in sustainable and long-term
agricultural development was essential for achieving food security, as was greater market access for
agricultural products from least developed countries and stable commodity prices.
He said that least developed countries, many of which were Small Island developing States, needed
a sustainable framework within which to address the adaptation and financial requirements of
coping with the negative impact of climate change for which they were least responsible. Increased
availability of resources and technology for adaptation and broad participation by least developed
countries in clean development mechanisms should be part of the sustainable development agenda
and negotiations in any climate change deal. "The post-Kyoto climate change agreement must not
accept compromises on the sustainable development objectives of the least developed countries," he
warned.
MOTLATSI RAMAFOLE (Lesotho), speaking on behalf of the Southern African Development
Community (SADC), said the contribution of mountains to development could not be
overemphasized. They were home to 10 per cent of the world's population, and were frequently
considered "water towers" because they contained most of the world's river sources. Mountains
contributed to almost 30 per cent of global run-off and supplied water for domestic purposes,
agriculture and industrial use as well as power generation. However, mountain ecosystems were
very fragile, and every day, climate change, environmental degradation, exploitative mining and
unsound agricultural practices depleted the richness of their biological heritage. Natural and human
activities exposed mountains and their inhabitants to the socio-economic ills of development,
notably poverty, unemployment, human displacement, poor health and land degradation.
Targeted multisectoral interventions were needed to ensure conservation of mountain ecosystems
and to maximize the benefits from sustainable use of mountain resources, he said. They included
promotion of integrated watershed development programmes through the effective participation of
local people in preventing further ecological disturbances, and an integrated approach to
conservation of the natural resource base: land, water, plants animals and human resources. They
also included creation of early-warning systems and disaster-response teams and promotion of
alternative livelihood opportunities, particularly through development of employment schemes
aimed at increasing the productive base.
Institutional support was needed to tackle the challenges of improving agricultural production and
productivity on a sustained basis, he said. While mountain regions shared many problems, the
solutions to them were often specific to particular micro-niches, even within the same area. For
example, grains, horticulture and the cultivation of specialized plants for medicinal purposes
required careful selection in order to ensure their sustainability. Those practices required field-based
scientific knowledge and the development of human-resource capacity.
MUYAMBO SIPANGULE (Zambia), speaking on behalf of the African Group, said the region's
countries were committed to responding effectively, through the New Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD), to the challenges of the economic, financial and food crises threatening to
reverse decades of reforms geared towards making Africa more attractive to private capital and
towards attaining the Millennium Development Goals. Furthermore, Africa's development must be
aligned with each country's priorities, particularly in coordination with the Comprehensive Africa
Agriculture Development Programme. In addition, the Commission on Sustainable Development
must be strengthened and emphasize actions supporting the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
Expressing support for convening the "Rio+20" Conference in 2012 to review implementation of
Agenda 21, he noted the increasing vulnerability of small island developing States, saying the
African Group placed a high priority on implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and
the Mauritius Strategy. The Group called on developed countries to honour their commitments to
increase financial and technical support to the developing world. The African Group also
emphasized the need for the international community to support implementation of the Hyogo
Framework for Action 2005-2015, aimed at building the resilience of nations and communities to
disaster.
He said the African Common Position (2008) had identified an urgent need for enhanced human,
institutional and systematic capacity-building initiatives for climate change mitigation and the
provision of adequate and predictable financial and technical assistance for adaptation projects. It
had also proposed the idea of partnerships premised on the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities. The Secretary-General's initiative on Climate Change 2009 should contribute to
promoting a united response to that issue, and ongoing negotiations to promote a global consensus
on climate change should contribute to a successful conclusion to the forthcoming Conference in
Copenhagen. He stressed that the climate problem could only be solved in the context of Africa's
development needs.
Africa was severely affected by desertification and land degradation, with some countries losing
more than 50 per cent of their territory, he said, calling for adequate and predictable resources and
the redoubling of efforts to implement the Climate Change Convention. Regarding the Convention
on Biological Diversity, it was vital to achieve a significant reduction in the current rate of
biodiversity loss by 2010, in keeping with the commitments made at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development. Negotiations on the international regime on access and benefit-sharing
must be completed within the established time frame. Biodiversity conservation could not be
achieved without sustainable use and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from
genetic resources.
He said UNEP could provide leadership in articulating, facilitating and supporting a response to
current environmental challenges, putting the special needs of developing countries in perspective.
In relation to the medium-term strategy, he emphasized the importance of implementing the Bali
Strategic Plan for Capacity Building and Technology Transfer and the need for development
partners to provide the necessary resources to that end. UNEP's resources must also be increased to
address its mandate efficiently, he said, calling on the Organization to increase the Programme's
allocations from the regular budget and urging donors to increase their voluntary contributions. In
conclusion, he said that increasing the global share of renewable energy sources, and increasing
their contribution to the total energy supply, was an urgent imperative.
CLAUDIA BLUM (Colombia) noted the grave challenges facing the world such as dependence on
scarce natural resources, environmental degradation and the lack of capacity to assimilate and
counter those consequences. Climate change most clearly summed up those challenges and there
was a need to produce timely, comprehensive solutions based on shared but differentiated
responsibilities.
She said that for her country, the fight against climate change was a national priority. Colombia had
suffered the highest rate of natural disasters in Latin America over the last 30 years. The natural
disasters of 2008 had affected more than 1 million people and damaged the productive sector. State
investment in natural disaster prevention and management since 2005 had exceeded $1.8 billion.
Colombia had 28 islands with more than 100,000 inhabitants, a long coastline, mountain
ecosystems as well as the world's second largest biodiversity reserve.
Colombia's average emissions per capita were lower than the Latin American average, which in turn
was lower than the world average, she said. The country was a net producer of oxygen and a small
contributor of carbon dioxide. It had worked to protect more than 578,000 square kilometres of
rainforest, and its "Family Forest Guards" programme involved more than 90,000 rural families in a
collective endeavour to protect forests and monitor their ecosystems. More than $340 million had
been invested in that programme, which was supervised by the United Nations.
Incentives for emission reduction and reversing the spread of deforestation and degradation should
be reflected appropriately in a climate change regime, she said. The General Assembly should be
clear about sending an encouraging message that reaffirmed the need for a comprehensive, just and
ambitious agreement in Copenhagen. She stressed the need for a legally binding regime for access
to genetic resources in order to combat bio-piracy and protect the biodiversity heritage of countries
like Colombia.
JAMES DONOVAN (United States) said climate change was a crisis requiring a global solution
and meeting the challenge was a top priority of President Obama. The United States had taken
historic action at home, including a clean energy investment of more than $80 billion in its
economic stimulus package and new vehicle efficiency standards. The President was also working
with Congress to advance comprehensive climate and energy legislation. Legislation that had
passed through the House of Representatives would reduce carbon emissions by 17 per cent from
2005 levels by 2020 and 83 per cent by 2050. Similar legislation was moving through the Senate.
The United States was committed to reaching a strong international agreement to combat climate
change and put the world on a path to a clean energy future. Its delegates to the Climate Change
Convention were working hard to find consensus.
He said his country was also actively creating policies to advance energy and climate change
security and would promote economic recovery efforts, accelerate job creation and drive clean
energy manufacturing. Among other actions, the United States had committed more than $80 billion
for clean energy investment domestically, and was working internationally to promote new and
renewable sources of energy. The 2008 Washington International Renewable Energy Conference
built on the 2004 Bonn and the 2005 Beijing Conferences in bringing together world leaders in the
field of renewable energy from Governments, international organizations, non-governmental
organizations and the private sector. The United States had also become a signatory to the newly-
launched International Renewable Energy Agency in 2009.
The work of the Commission on Sustainable Development continued to be a success story for the
United Nations, he continued. In the years since the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development, the Commission had refined itself into a body focused on enabling concrete results
on the ground. There had been substantial discussion of a possible "Rio+20" conference on
sustainable development, and while the United States welcomed continued work towards
sustainable development and discussion on that particular topic, it continued to have questions on
the necessity of such a conference. There were already a large number of agreements governing
ongoing sustainable development efforts and it was necessary to ensure that another meeting did not
detract valuable attention from those priorities. It was also necessary to consider whether a high-
level meeting was the most effective use of limited resources. Above all, the United States
advocated continuing progress towards existing commitments and spending resources on actions
that produced results directly.
LIU YUYIN (China), associating himself with the Group of 77, said that in order to tackle the
unprecedented threats to progress on sustainable development, developed countries should honour
their commitments to increase assistance and transfer environmentally-friendly technology to
developing countries. For that purpose, monitoring and facilitation mechanisms should be set up,
the Commission on Sustainable Development should be strengthened and the effectiveness of the
whole United Nations system should be enhanced. Because developing countries must build up
their ability to follow their own best course of sustainable development, China supported Brazil's
convening of a summit in 2012 to review implementation of Agenda 21. China was involved in an
"all out effort" to develop itself in a people-centred, comprehensive, balanced and sustainable
manner.
He said the small island developing States in particular should be helped to meet their particular
development challenges, with the United Nations playing the lead role in partnerships towards that
end. China pledged its continuing efforts to strengthen international cooperation under the
Mauritius Strategy, and, in addition, called for enhanced cooperation on realizing the Hyogo
Framework, stressing the importance of the principles of "humanity, neutrality and fairness" in
disaster relief, post-disaster development and disaster-reduction capacity-building. In respect of
climate change, he pointed out that his country was faced with the multiple challenges of economic
development while also laying great emphasis on sustainability and national action against climate
change. China was ready to continue to work with others in that effort. To maintain momentum in
the fight against desertification, developed countries must honour their commitments under the
related Convention, and in order to foster sustainable energy security, dialogue must be
strengthened and commitments to the universal utilization of renewable energy fulfilled.
TARIQ AL-FAYEZ (Saudi Arabia) said his country was working efficiently to secure the
increasing global need for energy through expansion of production capacity by encouraging private
and public investments. It had pursued industrial development while protecting the environment
through by improving the use of fossil fuels, among other things. Developing energy-efficient
technologies would be key in confronting environment problems, including climate change. The
international community must therefore adopt appropriate actions to address climate change, in
accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities between developed and
developing countries, as set forth in the Climate Change Convention.
Discussions during the current session should not be limited to underlining challenges and obstacles,
but should also include the best ways to improve implementation, he said. United Nations agencies
and programmes should play a key role in implementation, which would be impossible unless those
programmes reflected the priorities identified by the recipient Governments, whereby the agencies
should avoid duplication and overlap. Saudi Arabia hoped the outcome of the Committee's
deliberations would include the adoption of practical policies that could overcome obstacles to
sustainable development.
SI SOON BENG (Singapore), describing the Secretary-General's report on implementation of the
Mauritius Strategy as timely, said that despite some advances, the challenges faced by small island
developing States had become more intractable in the last few years. To attain sustainable
development, there was an urgent need for the international community to scale up support in terms
of both technology and capacity-building. Singapore was committed to sharing its experience and
knowledge.
He said that his country, a relatively low-lying, densely populated island in the tropics, was also at
risk from climate-change fallout and already suffered from a scarcity of water, challenges that made
environmental planning necessary. Water scarcity had driven Singapore to develop an integrated
approach, which had not only met long-term water-demand needs but had also added resilience
against the uncertainties of climate change. This year, Singapore had detailed key environment
goals and initiatives in its sustainable development blueprint titled "A Lively and Liveable
Singapore: Strategies for Sustainable Growth". One initiative was to reduce per capita water
consumption and another was to make recycling more prevalent.
ANTHONY ANDANJE (Kenya) said that social, economic and environmental problems presented
a need to review current policies and that, given the numerous challenges facing the world,
comprehensive sustainable development offered a way forward. With respect to disaster risk
reduction, Kenya had put in place a national mechanism to complement regional and international
strategies. However, Kenya's limited resources posed a serious threat to implementation of the
Hyogo Framework for Action. Climate change already affected the country in real and noticeable
ways. After a long drought, many areas now faced severe flooding that threatened lives, property
and infrastructure.
Praising efforts by the Climate Change Convention, he called upon Member States to augment
those efforts by providing financial support, building capacity and transferring technology to those
in need. With respect to protecting biodiversity, the objective of significantly reducing the current
rate of loss by 2010 was a noble goal towards which all countries should work. Concerning
international environment governance, he said the current system -– characterized by a multiplicity
of multilateral agreements -– was costly, ineffective and inadequate, and expressed hope that
discussions would help change that.
MOHAMMED BELAOURA (Algeria) said that implementing the sustainable development
objectives adopted at the World Summit on Sustainable Development was a major challenge that
would grow in the next few years. Despite notable progress and efforts to strengthen cooperation
and the technical assistance capacity of the United Nations system, the world's most vulnerable
people still faced poverty, malnutrition, natural disasters and pandemics. Urgent action was needed,
given the current economic crisis, to achieve sustainable development and ensure that achievement
of the Millennium Development Goals by 2015 was not compromised. There was a need for a
comprehensive approach, with the broad participation of all stakeholders, he said, noting that the
May session of the Commission on Sustainable Development had given practical guidelines for
implementing Agenda 21.
He his country had made efforts to improve its vegetable base and noted that desertification had
affected 32 million hectares of land. In 2006, the Government had launched a programme to
classify different protected areas, preserve soils and combat desertification. There was a need for
better coordination among the five subregions in terms of technology and knowledge transfer.
Algeria supported greater resources for the Convention against Desertification to implement certain
African projects and the 2008-2018 strategic plan.
Algeria had been one of the first countries to ratify the Climate Change Convention, he said. It had
adopted a ground-breaking law, which classified climate change as a hazard facing everyone. It had
started programmes to produce renewable and clean energies. For example, the country was using
solar energy for food production to 20 villages, building a hybrid 150-megawatt solar power station
in Hassi R'mel, and a 10-megawatt ethanol farm in Tindouf. Algeria considered land planning an
integral part of combating climate change and protecting desert areas and ecosystems, promoting
the development of high plateau regions, and managing waste.
KHAGEN DAS (India) said he supported the proposed 2012 Rio+20 event in Brazil to review
progress on implementing the sustainable development agenda. Also, next year's five-year review
of the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy should lead to concrete actions in turning
international attention to the special challenges that climate change posed to small island
developing States and the increasing devastation of natural disasters. India had contributed to the
development efforts of small island States in the spirit of South-South solidarity and would continue
to do so in areas such as capacity-building, disaster preparedness, adaptation and enhancing
resilience. However, efforts by fellow developing countries could not replace the fulfilment of
commitments by the developed world.
He said his country was significantly affected by climate change and had a major interest in
ensuring a substantive and constructive outcome in Copenhagen. India would be "part of the
solution" even though it had not caused the problem. In fact, the country's per capita emissions of
around one ton of carbon dioxide a year was only a quarter of the global average and half that of
developing countries as a whole. And despite the fact that India's per capita emissions would never
exceed the average per capita emission of developed countries as it pursued development objectives,
voluntary mitigation and adaptation measures had been implemented, many with time-bound goals.
The National Action Plan on Climate Change was focused on action in areas such as solar and other
renewable energies, clean coal technologies, energy efficiency, green building codes and large scale
reforestation, he said. Ensuring affordable access to energy was a key element of India's poverty
eradication strategy, and promoting renewable energy was an important part of that effort. The
Intellectual Property Rights regime must be revisited to ensure that rewards for innovators in green
technologies were balanced with the needs of humankind. The active promotion of collaborative
research and development activities and technology transfer must be supported by public funding.
In closing, he said his country had jointly organized, with the Department of Economic and Social
Affairs, a high-level conference in Delhi on climate change in relation to technology development
and transfer on 22 and 23 October. In 2010, New Delhi would host the Fourth International
Renewable Energy Conference on the theme of upscaling and mainstreaming renewables for energy
security and climate change. Finally, India welcomed the establishment of the International
Renewable Energy Agency, with interim headquarters in Abu Dhabi.
JIMENA LEIVA ROESCH (Guatemala), expressing her country's increasing concern that an
agreement at the upcoming Climate Conference in Copenhagen was out of reach, suggested that the
traditional method of decision-making must change. Especially because climate change presented a
novel kind of problem with wide-ranging consequences, it was important for Governments to
realize that the old perspective that only considered narrow national interests was outmoded.
Discussions should focus instead on how countries better to integrate sustainable consumption and
production patterns. Regional implementation meetings to take place this fall were a unique
opportunity to learn about experiences in that regard and the hurdles ahead. It was essential that
policy decisions be practical, action-oriented and well-funded, she said.
KAIRE MBUENDE (Namibia) said Agenda 21 and subsequent conferences on sustainable
development had been useful in highlighting the message that "socio-economic development and
the protection of the environment are two sides of the same coin", which should be pursued
concurrently. There was a growing recognition that development could only be sustainable if all
three pillars –- economic, social and environmental -– were considered equally. However, the lack
of resources in Namibia and elsewhere challenged implementation targets, a problem compounded
by the global economic crisis.
He said his country, which was used to dealing with frequent and persistent droughts, had
developed a sound disaster risk preparedness strategy, but the floods of the past two years presented
a new type of intense weather event brought about by climate change, and one to which it was
difficult for Namibia to respond. Consequently, he appealed to the international community to
support capacity-building in the field of disaster risk reduction. Given their historical responsibility,
developed countries ought to take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions but,
disappointingly, they had not yet done so. The gap between what world leaders had said in New
York during the September Summit on Climate Change and what their negotiators advocated posed
a threat to the attainment of meaningful results at the upcoming Climate Conference in Copenhagen.
GONZALO GUILLEN (Peru), noting that his country suffered dramatically from global warming,
said it was necessary to have binding commitments on technology transfer and cooperation funds
for development projects. Given the urgent need to confront climate change, Peru supported binding
international commitments for countries of origin. Hopefully countries would seal a strong, binding
deal in Copenhagen in which developed countries would commit to reducing greenhouse gas
emissions by 40 per cent by 2020 and 95 per cent by 2050 over the 1990 level of emissions.
He said his country had committed in Bangkok to a range of measures to combat climate change. It
had begun an ambitious forestry conservation project to reduce net deforestation to zero. Peru's
emissions represented just 4 per cent of global emissions. He reiterated support for the proposal to
set up a world fund for adaptation and mitigation measures based on a 0.5 per cent tax on every
barrel of oil extracted. Peru also supported the creation of adaptation and mitigation programmes, to
be financed by the Global Fund for the Environment or the World Bank, to focus on disaster
reduction and protection of economic and biodiversity infrastructure.
The international threat not receiving sufficient attention was drug trafficking, which had a direct
impact on environmental degradation, he said. One hectare of coca produced 7.4 kilogrammes of
coca annually and 74,000 grammes of cocaine. For every gramme of cocaine consumed, 4 square
metres of forest were cut down. Coca crops were often grown in areas with important levels of
biodiversity, and coca farmers used 10 times more agrochemicals than farmers growing legal crops.
More than 2.2 million hectares of land had been cut down to produce coca in the last 25 years.
There was an urgent need for joint responses to stem drug trafficking, and cooperation among all
international stakeholders. The struggle against drug trafficking must take centre stage on the
international agenda.
T.D. HART (Nigeria) said that although Member States had agreed to confront the effects of
climate change, that effort had been characterized by more talk than action. In Nigeria, the severe
consequences of climate change had halted sustainable development in the country, which had seen
unprecedented rainfall in the south and attendant flooding and soil erosion elsewhere. Accelerated
desertification and high temperatures had reduced the volume of water, thus impacting land
productivity in terms of agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries, among other things.
Nevertheless, Nigeria was committed to the principle of sustainable development and had
developed a seven-point development agenda to improve infrastructure, develop agriculture and
water resources, he said. Increasing normality in the oil- and gas-rich Niger Delta had made it
possible to implement the Niger Delta Master Plan to protect and conserve the region's biodiversity
resources. In conclusion, he said the urgent need to realize sustainable development goals imposed a
tremendous responsibility on everyone. Nigeria called for a deliberate public awareness campaign
on the nature and impact of environmental challenges.
EDUARDO MEÑEZ (Philippines) said the world was living through a period of great challenges
that underscored the need for multilateralism vis-à-vis the benefits and costs of globalization, which
were spread unevenly and inequitably. The international financial architecture must be reviewed so
that it would support sustainable development, and the problems that some countries encountered in
terms of implementation must be addressed by all.
With regard to climate change, he said that, with his country having experienced a number of large
typhoons and another apparently on its way, it was important to realize the International Strategy
for Disaster Reduction. Equally important was a focus on the upcoming Climate Conference in
Copenhagen. The Philippines hoped for a meaningful outcome to the negotiations. Energy was
another area of concern where sustainable development and climate change came together with
significant implications for the health of the planet. The Philippines called for greater energy
efficiency and conservation.
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