| United Nations | E/CN.17/1997/13 |
Economic and Social Council
Distr. GENERAL
17 March 1997
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH
COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Fifth session
7-25 April 1997
Report of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-Sessional Working Group
of the Commission on Sustainable Development
(New York, 24 February-7 March 1997)
CONTENTS
Page
INTRODUCTION ........................................................... 3
I. PROPOSED OUTCOME OF THE SPECIAL SESSION .......................... 4
A. Statement of commitment ...................................... 4
B. Assessment of progress made since the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development .................... 4
C. Implementation in areas requiring urgent action .............. 7
1. Integration of economic, social and environmental
objectives ............................................... 7
2. Sectors and issues ....................................... 12
3. Means of implementation .................................. 19
D. International institutional arrangements ..................... 24
1. Greater coherence in various intergovernmental
organizations and processes .............................. 25
2. Role of relevant organizations and institutions of the
United Nations system .................................... 25
3. Future role and programme of work of the Commission on
Sustainable Development .................................. 26
4. Methods of work of the Commission on Sustainable
Development .............................................. 27
II. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP ...................... 29
III. ORGANIZATIONAL AND OTHER MATTERS ................................. 30
A. Opening and duration of the session .......................... 30
B. Attendance ................................................... 30
C. Election ..................................................... 30
D. Agenda and organization of work .............................. 30
E. Documentation ................................................ 31
Annex. List of participants ........................................... 36
INTRODUCTION
1. In accordance with the mandate given by the General Assembly and
reconfirmed by the Commission on Sustainable Development at its fourth
session, the Commission convened a meeting of its Ad Hoc Inter-Sessional
Working Group in New York from 24 February to 7 March 1997 to assist the
Commission at its fifth session in the preparations for the nineteenth special
session of the Assembly, to be held in June 1997 in accordance with Assembly
resolutions 50/113 and 51/181 for the purpose of an overall review and
appraisal of the implementation of Agenda 21. 1/
2. Section I of the present report, entitled "Proposed outcome of the
special session" is a compilation of the main proposals made and concerns
expressed by participants at the meeting regarding the key issues that should
be addressed in preparation for the special session. The proposed outcome was
prepared by the Co-Chairmen of the Working Group on the basis of detailed
discussions at the meeting; it is not a negotiated text.
3. It was agreed that the proposed outcome would be further studied by all
delegations and groups, including in their capitals, during the period between
the conclusion of the Working Group meeting and the opening of the fifth
session of the Commission and would serve as the starting point for further
discussion at the high-level segment of the Commission.
I. PROPOSED OUTCOME OF THE SPECIAL SESSION
A. Statement of commitment
1. This could take the form of either a preamble to a consolidated text or
a self-standing concise declaration, with other parts attached as annexes or
otherwise referred to. The statement, inter alia, should:
(a) Be politically attractive and forward looking, and should provide a
clear focus;
(b) Reaffirm the final outcome of the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development (UNCED) as the foundation and long-term policy
framework for sustainable development;
(c) Highlight the main achievements reached since UNCED at the
international, national and institutional levels, and the significant
contributions made by the major groups;
(d) Address the vicious circle of poverty, lack of capacity and lack of
resources in developing countries, and emphasize the importance of global
partnership and international cooperation for supporting efforts to achieve
sustainable development;
(e) Reiterate the need for changing consumption and production patterns;
(f) Place strong emphasis on implementation and commitments.
B. Assessment of progress made since the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development
2. The five years that have elapsed since UNCED have been characterized by
the accelerated globalization of interactions among countries in the areas of
world trade, foreign direct investment and capital markets. Some developing
countries have been able to take advantage of that trend, attracting large
inflows of external private capital and experiencing significant export-led
growth and acceleration of growth in per capita gross domestic product (GDP).
Many other countries, however, have not been able to do so; as a result, they
have generally experienced stagnating or falling per capita GDP through 1995.
While continuing their efforts to achieve sustainable development and to
attract new investments, such countries remain heavily dependent on a
declining volume of official development assistance (ODA) for the
capacity-building and infrastructure development required to provide basic
needs and more effective participation in the globalizing world economy.
3. Although economic growth - reinforced by globalization - has allowed
some countries to reduce the proportion of people in poverty, marginalization
has increased for others; too many countries have seen economic conditions
worsen, and the total number of people in the world living in poverty has
increased. Income inequality has increased both among and within countries,
unemployment has worsened in many countries, and the gap between the least
developed countries and other countries has grown rapidly in recent years. On
a more positive note, population growth rates have been declining globally,
largely as a result of expanded basic education and health care. That trend
is expected to lead to a stable world population in the middle of the twenty-
first century. There has also been progress in social services, with
expanding access to education, declining infant mortality and increasing life
expectancy in most countries. However, many people, particularly in the least
developed countries, still do not have access to basic social services or to
clean water and sanitation. Reducing current inequities in the distribution of
wealth and access to resources, both within and among countries, is among the
most serious challenges facing humankind.
4. Five years after UNCED, the state of global environment has continued to
deteriorate, as noted in the Global Environment Outlook of the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP), 2/ and significant environmental problems remain
deeply embedded in the socio-economic fabric of nations in all regions. Some
progress has been made in terms of institutional development, international
consensus-building, public participation and private-sector actions, and as a
result a number of countries have succeeded in curbing pollution and slowing
the rate of resource degradation. Overall, however, trends are worsening.
Emissions of many pollutants, in particular toxic substances, greenhouse gases
and waste volumes, are continuing to increase in the industrialized countries,
and their wasteful production and consumption patterns remain fundamentally
unchanged. Many countries undergoing rapid economic growth and urbanization
are also experiencing increasing levels of air and water pollution, with
accumulating impacts on human health. Acid rain and transboundary air
pollution, once considered a problem only in the industrialized world, are
increasingly becoming a problem in many developing regions. In many poorer
regions of the world, persistent poverty is contributing to accelerated
degradation of productive natural resources and desertification has spread.
Inadequate and unsafe water supplies are affecting an increasing number of
people worldwide, aggravating problems of ill health and food insecurity among
the poor. Conditions in natural habitats and fragile ecosystems are still
deteriorating in all regions of the world, resulting in diminishing biological
diversity. At the global level, renewable resources, in particular
freshwater, forests, topsoil and marine fish stocks, continue to be used at
rates beyond their natural rates of regeneration, a situation which is clearly
unsustainable.
5. Trends in consumption and production patterns continue to deplete
non-renewable resources, despite some improvement in material and energy
efficiency. As a result, increasing levels of pollution threaten to exceed
the capacity of the global environment to absorb them, increasing the
potential obstacles to economic and social development in developing
countries.
6. Since UNCED, extensive efforts have been made by Governments to
integrate environment and development concerns into decision-making by
elaborating new policies and strategies for sustainable development or by
adapting existing policies and plans. As many as 150 countries have
established national-level commissions or coordinating mechanisms designed to
develop an integrated approach to sustainable development.
7. The major groups have demonstrated what can be achieved by taking
committed action, sharing resources and building consensus, reflecting
grass-roots concern and involvement. The efforts of local authorities are
making Agenda 21 a reality at the local level through the implementation of
local Agenda 21 programmes. Educational institutions and the media have
increased public awareness and discussion of the relations between environment
and development in all countries. Hundreds of small and large businesses have
made "green business" a new operating mode. Workers and trade unions have
established partnerships with employers and communities to encourage
sustainable development in the workplace. Indigenous peoples have played an
increasing role in addressing issues affecting their interests. Young people
and women around the world have played a prominent role in galvanizing
communities to recognize their responsibilities to future generations.
8. Among the achievements that have been made since UNCED are the entry
into force of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
(A/AC.237/18 (Part II)/Add.1 and Corr.1, annex I), the Convention on
Biological Diversity 3/ and the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification in those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or
Desertification, particularly in Africa (A/49/84/Add.2, annex, appendix II);
the conclusion of an agreement on straddling and migratory fish stocks (see
A/50/550, p. 10); the adoption of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable
Development of Small Island Developing States; 4/ and the elaboration of the
Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land-based Activities (A/51/166, annex II). Implementation of those important
commitments at the global level and of others adopted before UNCED, however,
still remains to be carried out, and in many cases further strengthening of
their provisions is required. The establishment, funding and replenishment of
the Global Environment Facility (GEF) was a major achievement, but funding is
still not sufficient to fully meet its objectives.
9. Progress has been made in incorporating the principles contained in the
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 5/ including the principle of
common but differentiated responsibilities, in a variety of international and
national legal instruments.
10. A number of recent United Nations conferences have advanced
international commitment to addressing the social and economic aspects of
sustainable development, such as the eradication of poverty, social
integration, population and gender issues, education, trade, growth and
development, human settlements and food security, thus contributing to the
achievement of the long-term goals and objectives of sustainability.
11. The Commission on Sustainable Development, which was established to
review progress achieved in the implementation of Agenda 21, forward global
dialogue and foster partnerships for sustainable development, has catalysed
new action and commitments among a wide variety of partners within and outside
the United Nations system. Its Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Panel on Forests has
made a significant contribution to the advancement of the world forest agenda.
12. However, much remains to be done to activate the means of implementation
set out in Agenda 21, in particular in the areas of finance and technology
transfer.
13. Most developed countries have still not reached the United Nations
target, reaffirmed at UNCED, of committing 0.7 per cent of their gross
national product (GNP) to official development assistance (ODA), nor the
agreed United Nations target of committing 0.15 per cent of GNP as ODA to the
least developed countries. On average, ODA as a percentage of GNP has
declined in the post-UNCED period from 0.34 per cent in 1992 to 0.27 per cent
in 1995.
14. In many developing countries, the debt situation remains a major
constraint to sustainable development. While the debt situation of many
middle-income countries has improved, enabling them to re-enter international
capital markets, many heavily indebted poor countries continue to face
unsustainable external debt burdens. The recent World Bank/International
Monetary Fund (IMF) Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative could help to
address that issue with the cooperation of creditor countries. Further
efforts by the international community will also be necessary to reduce debt
as an impediment to sustainable development.
15. Similarly, technology transfer and technology-related investment from
public and private sources in developed countries directed to developing
countries has not reached the levels anticipated in Agenda 21. Although
increased private flows have led to investments in industry and technology in
some developing countries and economies in transition, many other developing
countries have been left behind, slowing the process of technological change
in those countries and limiting their ability to meet their commitments under
Agenda 21 and other international agreements. The commitment made by
developed countries to foster the transfer of technology has not been
fulfilled as agreed in Agenda 21.
C. Implementation in areas requiring urgent action
16. Agenda 21 and the principles contained in the Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development established a comprehensive global approach to the
achievement of sustainable development, recognizing the principle of common
but differentiated responsibilities and the importance of international
cooperation. That approach is as relevant and as urgently needed as ever. It
is clear from the assessment above that although progress has been made in
some areas, a major new effort will be required to achieve the goals
established at UNCED. The proposals set out below outline strategies for
accelerating progress towards sustainable development. Sections 1, 2 and 3
are equally important, and they must be considered and implemented in a
balanced and integrated way.
1. Integration of economic, social and environmental objectives
17. Economic growth is an essential precondition of sustainable development,
especially in developing countries. Sustainable development cannot be
achieved without greater integration at the policy-making and operational
levels. Economic sectors, such as industry, agriculture, energy, transport
and tourism, must take responsibility for the impacts of their activities on
human well-being and the physical environment. As demonstrated above, the
need for integration is particularly urgent in the areas of energy and
transport because of the adverse effects that developments in those sectors
can have on human health and ecosystems; in the areas of agriculture and water
use, where inadequate land-use planning, poor water management and
inappropriate technology can result in the degradation of natural resources
and human impoverishment; and in the area of management of marine resources,
where competitive overexploitation can damage the resource base, food supplies
and the livelihood of fishing communities, as well as the environment.
Sustainable development strategies are important mechanisms for enhancing and
linking national capacity so as to integrate priorities in social, economic
and environmental policies. In the context of good governance, properly
constructed strategies can enhance prospects for economic growth and
employment and at the same time protect the environment. All sectors of
society should be involved in their development and implementation, as
follows:
(a) By the year 2002, national strategies for sustainable development
should be adopted in all countries, with assistance provided, where needed,
through international cooperation, taking into account the special needs of
least developed countries. Countries which already have national strategies
should continue their efforts to enhance and effectively implement them.
Assessment of progress achieved and exchange of experience among Governments
should be promoted. Local Agenda 21 programmes should also be actively
encouraged;
(b) A broad package of policy instruments, including regulation,
economic instruments, information, and voluntary partnerships between
Governments and non-governmental actors, will be necessary to ensure that
integrated approaches are effective and cost-efficient;
(c) Transparent and participatory processes will also be required to
ensure the complementarity of economic, environmental and social objectives.
In addition to the major groups identified in Agenda 21, other social actors
and groups, such as the elderly, the media, educators, the financial community
and parliaments, should be acknowledged and included in the decision-making
process;
(d) The full participation of women in political, economic, cultural and
other activities is essential, both as a central objective of sustainable
development and to ensure that the skills and experience of women are fully
used in decision-making at all levels.
Eradicating poverty
18. The eradication of poverty is one of the fundamental goals of the
international community and the entire United Nations system. In the long
term, the eradication of poverty will depend on the full integration of people
living in poverty into economic, social and political life. Policies to
combat poverty, in particular policies for providing basic social services and
food security, promote such integration, and broader socio-economic
development is effective as well since enhancing the productive capacity of
poor people increases both their well-being and that of their communities and
societies, and facilitates their participation in resource conservation and
environmental protection. Full implementation of the Programme of Action of
the World Summit for Social Development 6/ is essential, with the
participation of non-governmental organizations, women's groups and community
organizations. Priority actions include:
(a) Improving access to sustainable livelihoods, entrepreneurial
opportunities and productive resources, including land, water, credit,
technical and administrative training, and appropriate technology, with
particular efforts to reach the rural poor and the urban informal sector;
(b) Providing universal access to basic social services, including basic
education, health care, nutrition, clean water and sanitation;
(c) Progressive development, in accordance with the financial and
administrative capacities of each society, of social protection systems to
support those who cannot support themselves, either temporarily or
permanently;
(d) Addressing the disproportionate impact of poverty on women, in
particular by removing legislative, policy, administrative and customary
barriers to women's equal access to productive resources and services,
including access to and control over land and other forms of property, credit,
inheritance, education, information, health care and technology. Full
implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action (A/CONF.177/20 and Add.1,
resolution 1, annex II) is essential.
Changing consumption and production patterns
19. Unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, particularly in
the industrialized countries, are identified in Agenda 21 as the major cause
of continued deterioration of the global environment. Similar patterns are
emerging in the higher income groups in some developing countries. Policy-
making should take place at both the international and national levels, in
accordance with the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities,
applying the polluter pays principle, encouraging producer responsibility and
adopting a sectoral approach, where relevant. The promotion of
eco-efficiency, cost internalization and product policies are key strategies
for making consumption and production patterns more sustainable. Actions in
that area should focus on:
(a) Promoting measures to internalize environmental costs and benefits
in the price of goods and services, particularly with a view to encouraging
the use of environmentally preferable products and commodities, and moving
towards pricing natural resources in a way that fully reflects economic
scarcity;
(b) Developing core indicators to monitor critical trends in consumption
and production patterns;
(c) Identification of best practices through evaluations of policy
measures, especially in developed countries, with respect to their
environmental effectiveness, efficiency and implications for social equity,
and dissemination of the results of such evaluations;
(d) Taking account of the linkages between urbanization, the
environmental and developmental effects of consumption and production patterns
in cities, thus promoting more sustainable patterns of urbanization;
(e) Adopting international and national targets or action programmes for
energy and material efficiency, with timetables for their implementation,
thereby stimulating the continued implementation of eco-efficiency measures in
both the private and public sectors. In that context, establishing goals to
improve energy and material efficiency, such as those advocated in "factor 10"
7/ or similar policy approaches, deserves attention;
(f) Encouraging Governments to take the lead in changing consumption
patterns by improving their own environmental performance with timetabled,
action-oriented policies on procurement, the management of public facilities
and the further integration of environmental concerns into national policy-
making;
(g) Harnessing the role of media, advertising and marketing in shaping
consumption patterns, and to that end encouraging the use of eco-labelling;
(h) In promoting measures favouring eco-efficiency, developed countries
should pay special attention to the needs of developing countries, in
particular encouraging positive impact, and avoiding negative impacts on
export opportunities and market access for those countries;
(i) Encouraging the creation of educational programmes to promote
sustainable consumption and production patterns.
Making trade, environment and sustainable development mutually supportive
20. In order to accelerate economic growth and poverty eradication there is
a need to establish macroeconomic conditions in both developed and developing
countries that favour the development of instruments and structures enabling
all countries to benefit from globalization. Cooperation and other support
for capacity-building in trade, environment and development should be
strengthened through renewed system-wide efforts in the United Nations, the
World Trade Organization (WTO) and the Bretton Woods institutions. There
should be a balanced and integrated approach to trade and sustainable
development, based on a combination of trade liberalization, economic
development and environmental protection. To that end, trade liberalization
should be accompanied by environmental and resource management policies in
order to realize its full potential contribution to improved environmental
protection and the promotion of sustainable development through more efficient
allocation and use of resources. The multilateral trading system should have
the capacity to further integrate environmental considerations and enhance its
contribution to sustainable development, without undermining its open,
equitable and non-discriminatory character. International cooperation is
needed and unilateralism should be avoided. The following actions are
required:
(a) Timely and full implementation of the results of the Uruguay Round
of multilateral trade negotiations, 8/ and full use of the Comprehensive and
Integrated WTO Plan of Action for the Least Developed Countries; 9/
(b) There is a continuing need to promote an open, non-discriminatory
and equitable multilateral trading system, as well as the rapid accession of
developing countries, while mitigating possible adverse economic effects on
certain developing countries that might arise from the implementation of
certain aspects of the Uruguay Round agreements;
(c) Further work is needed to ensure that the implementation of
environmental measures does not result in disguised or unnecessary
restrictions on trade, particularly any adverse effects on existing market
access opportunities of developing countries. There is also a need to strive
for complementarity between globalization promoted by trade liberalization and
the environmental, social and sustainable development goals of UNCED and other
recent United Nations conferences;
(d) Further analysis of environmental effects of international transport
of goods is warranted;
(e) National Governments and private bodies should explore such concepts
as mutual recognition and equivalency in the context of eco-labelling, taking
into account differing environmental and developmental conditions across
countries;
(f) Positive measures, including enhanced market access for products of
export interest to developing countries, should be promoted. The generalized
system of preferences could be used to provide incentives for sustainable
production;
(g) Further action should also focus on such issues as: (i) the role of
positive measures in multilateral environmental agreements; (ii) the special
conditions and needs of small and medium-sized enterprises in the trade and
environment interface; (iii) trade and environment issues at the regional
level, including in the context of regional economic and trade agreements; and
(iv) environment and sustainable development issues in the context of domestic
and foreign direct investment, including in the context of the Agreement on
Trade-Related Investment Measures. 10/
Population
21. The current decline in population growth rates must be further promoted
through national and international policies that promote economic development,
poverty reduction, the further expansion of basic education, with equal access
for girls and women, and health care, including family and maternal health
care. Priority actions required to reduce pressures from population growth
and meet the needs of growing urban and rural populations include the full
implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development, 11/ with international assistance for
implementation in developing countries.
Health
22. The goals of sustainable development cannot be achieved when a high
proportion of the population is afflicted with debilitating illnesses. An
overriding goal for the future is to implement the Health for All programme 12/
and to enable all people, particularly the world's poor, to achieve a higher
level of health and well-being, and to improve their economic productivity and
social potential. Protecting children from environmental health threats is
particularly urgent since children are more susceptible than adults to those
threats. Top priority should be attached to efforts on the part of countries
and international organizations to eradicate the major infectious diseases,
particularly malaria, which is on the increase, and to the improvement and
expansion of basic health and sanitation services and the provision of safe
drinking water. Strategies for local and indoor air pollution should be
developed, bearing in mind their serious impacts on human health. A clear
linkage between health and environment needs to be established. Health issues
should be fully integrated into national and subnational sustainable
development plans, and should be incorporated into project and programme
development as a component of environmental impact assessments.
Sustainable human settlements
23. Approximately half the world's population already lives in urban
settlements, and by early in the next century the majority - more than
5 billion people - will be urban residents. Urban problems are concerns
common to both developed and developing countries, although urbanization is
occurring most rapidly in developing countries, leading to increased social
and environmental stresses. Urgent action is needed to implement fully the
commitments made at the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II) (see A/CONF.165/14, chap. I, resolution 1) and in Agenda 21.
Technology transfer, capacity-building and private-public partnerships to
improve the provision and management of urban infrastructure and social
services should be accelerated to achieve more sustainable cities.
2. Sectors and issues
24. The present section identifies a number of specific areas that are of
widespread concern since failure to reverse current trends in those areas,
notably in resource degradation, will have potentially disastrous effects on
social and economic development, particularly in developing countries.
Freshwater
25. Water resources are essential for satisfying basic human needs, health
and food production, and the preservation of ecosystems, as well as for
economic and social development in general. There is growing concern at the
increasing stress on water supplies caused by unsustainable use patterns,
affecting both water quality and quantity, and the widespread lack of access
to safe water supply and suitable sanitation in many developing countries.
This calls for the highest priority to be given to the serious freshwater
problems facing many regions, especially in the developing world. There is an
urgent need to:
(a) Assign high priority, in accordance with specific national needs and
conditions, to the formulation and implementation of policies and programmes
for integrated watershed management, including issues related to pollution and
waste, the interrelationship between water and mountains, forests, upstream
and downstream users, biodiversity and the preservation of aquatic ecosystems,
and land degradation and desertification;
(b) Strengthen regional and international cooperation for technological
transfer and the financing of integrated water resources programmes and
projects, in particular those designed to increase access to safe water supply
and sanitation;
(c) Manage water resource development and use in ways that provide for
the participation of local communities and women in particular;
(d) Provide an enabling environment that encourages investments from
public and private sources to improve water supply and sanitation services,
especially in fast-growing urban areas, as well as in poor rural communities;
(e) Recognize water as an economic good, taking into account the
satisfaction of basic human needs, global food security and poverty
alleviation. Gradual implementation of pricing policies that are geared
towards cost recovery and an equitable and efficient allocation of water will
be necessary to manage the sustainable development of scarce water resources
and generate financial resources for investment in new water supply and
treatment facilities;
(f) Strengthen the capability of Governments and international
institutions to manage information, including scientific, social and
environmental data, in order to facilitate the integrated management of water
resources, and foster regional and international cooperation for information
dissemination and exchange;
(g) Strengthen international cooperation for the integrated development
of water resources in developing countries through such initiatives as the
Global Water Partnership;
(h) Make progress on multilateral agreements among riparian countries
for the harmonious development of international watercourses;
(i) Foster an intergovernmental dialogue, under the aegis of the
Commission, aimed at building a consensus on issues related to the sustainable
management and use of water resources at the national, regional and
international levels.
Oceans
26. Some progress has been achieved on various aspects of the protection of
oceans. To address the need for improving global decision-making in the
marine environment, periodic intergovernmental reviews will be undertaken by
the Commission on Sustainable Development of all aspects of the marine
environment and its related issues, for which the overall legal framework is
provided by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, 13/ as agreed
by the Commission at its fourth session in its decision 4/15. In that
context, there is an urgent need for:
(a) An integrated, comprehensive approach to the implementation and
monitoring of existing legal instruments and mechanisms, based on more
effective coordination of policies and actions at the national, subregional,
regional and international levels, and on international cooperation;
(b) Urgent implementation, at the international, regional and national
levels, of relevant agreements, instruments and decisions dealing with oceans
and seas. 14/ Despite the large number of such agreements, major problems
persist in some areas of ocean management. The continuing decline of many
marine fish stocks and rising coastal pollution levels indicate the need for
concerted action;
(c) Governments to consider the establishment of measurable objectives,
including the phasing-out of subsidies, where appropriate, to eliminate or
reduce excess fishing fleet capacity at the global, regional and national
levels;
(d) In the context of the International Year of the Ocean, 1998, which
was proclaimed by the General Assembly in its resolution 49/131, Governments
should take action, individually and through their participation in the
Commission, UNEP and its Regional Seas Programme, the Intergovernmental
Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations (FAO), to improve the quality and quantity of scientific
data related to oceans, and to enhance public awareness of oceans as a finite
economic and ecological asset that must be preserved and protected. In
particular, the Global Ocean Observing System should be fully implemented, and
the Joint Group of Experts on the Scientific Aspects of Marine Environmental
Protection should be supported. Greater international cooperation is required
to assist developing countries, in particular small island developing States,
to operationalize data networks and clearing houses for information-sharing on
oceans.
Forests
27. The report of the Commission's Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Panel on Forests
on its fourth and final session (E/CN.17/1997/12) includes a number of options
that will be considered by the Commission at its fifth session.
Energy
28. Energy plays a key role in achieving the economic, social and
environmental objectives of sustainable development, and access to reliable
and cost-effective supplies of energy is essential. However, the current
patterns of production, distribution and use of energy are not consistent with
the pursuit of sustainable development. Therefore, there is an urgent need
for:
(a) International cooperation for the provision of adequate energy
services to unserved populations, using modern renewable energy sources where
that is the best option;
(b) All countries to develop comprehensive energy policies that include
the economic, social and environmental aspects of production, distribution and
use, and to promote more sustainable patterns of energy production and
consumption;
(c) Countries to systematically increase the use of modern renewable
energy sources and cleaner fossil fuel technologies in order to improve
efficiency in energy production, distribution and use;
(d) Concerted efforts to increase investment and research and
development in renewable energy technologies at the international and national
levels on the part of the energy sector and institutions and Governments;
(e) Governments and the private sector to move towards energy pricing
that reflects full economic and environmental costs, as well as social
benefits, including consideration of the elimination of environmentally
damaging subsidies for energy production and consumption, especially for
fossil and nuclear energy, within 10 years, while taking into account specific
conditions of countries;
(f) Development of a common strategy as a reference framework for better
coordination of energy-related activities within the United Nations system.
Transport
29. Over the next 20 years, transportation is expected to be the major
driving force behind growing world demand for energy, particularly oil. The
transport sector is the largest end-user of energy in developed countries and
the fastest growing one in most developing countries. Current levels and
patterns of fossil energy use for transport have particularly damaging impacts
on the global atmosphere, as well as on local air quality and human health.
There is an urgent need for:
(a) Promotion of integrated transport policies that consider alternative
approaches to meeting commercial and private mobility needs and improve
performance in the transport sector, at the national, regional and global
levels, with international cooperation to support the development of more
sustainable patterns of transport;
(b) Integration of land use and urban, peri-urban and rural transport
planning, taking into account the need to preserve ecosystems;
(c) Use of a broad spectrum of policy instruments to improve energy
efficiency and efficiency standards in transportation and related sectors;
(d) Promotion of guidelines for environmentally friendly transport,
targets for reducing vehicle emissions of carbon monoxide, particulate matter
and volatile organic compounds, and the phasing-out of lead additives in motor
gasoline within the next 10 years;
(e) Partnerships at the national level, involving Governments, local
authorities, non-governmental organizations and the private sector, for
strengthening transport infrastructures and developing innovative mass
transport schemes.
Atmosphere
30. So far, very little progress has been made in reducing greenhouse gas
(GHG) emissions. There is a need to reinforce the United Nations Framework
Convention on Climate Change with additional agreements to limit GHG
emissions. It is most important that the third meeting of the Conference of
Parties to the Convention, to be held at Kyoto, Japan, later in 1997, adopt a
legally binding protocol or other legal instrument that fully encompasses the
remit of the Berlin Mandate. 15/ The Conference of Parties should call upon
the industrialized world to endorse a substantial reduction target for GHGs
from 1990 levels by the year 2005, and to agree on coordinated measures to
ensure the target's implementation.
31. The recent successful conclusion of the replenishment negotiations of
the Montreal Protocol Multilateral Fund is welcomed. Future replenishments
should also be adequate to ensure timely implementation of the Montreal
Protocol. 16/ There is also a need to implement effective measures against the
illegal trade in ozone-depleting substances. Rising levels of transboundary
air pollution should be countered through the further development of regional
agreements and conventions to reduce emission levels.
Chemicals and wastes
32. Substantial progress has been made with the implementation of the Basel
17/ and Bamako Conventions 18/ and the establishment of the Intergovernmental
Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS) and the Inter-organizational Programme for the
Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC). Further action at the international
level includes recent decisions of the UNEP Governing Council and of IFCS at
its second session to prepare for the expeditious conclusion of conventions on
prior informed consent and persistent organic pollutants (POPs), bearing in
mind the need for a comprehensive approach to the control of such pollutants,
including necessary international mechanisms to assist developing countries
and economies in transition in implementing such conventions. There is also a
need for IFCS, IOMC and relevant United Nations and national agencies to
develop criteria for identifying any chemicals in addition to the 12 specified
POPs that could be included in a POPs convention. It is necessary to conclude
a protocol on liability and compensation under the Basel Convention. Storage,
transportation, transboundary movements and disposal of radio-active wastes
must be guided by the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development. Increased regional cooperation is required to improve the
management of radioactive wastes; storage of radioactive wastes in countries
or territories without internationally accepted safe storage facilities should
be prevented.
Land and sustainable agriculture
33. Land loss and degradation threatens the livelihood of millions of people
and future food security, with implications for water resources and the
conservation of biodiversity. There is an urgent need to define ways to
combat or reverse the worldwide acceleration of soil degradation, and to
integrate land and watershed management, taking into account the needs of
populations living in mountain ecosystems. The international community has
recognized the need for an integrated approach to land-use management that
involves all stakeholders, at local as well as national levels, including
women, small-scale food producers, indigenous peoples and community-level
non-governmental organizations. The eradication of poverty remains essential
to improving food security and providing adequate nutrition for the more than
800 million undernourished people in the world, located mainly in developing
countries. Comprehensive rural policies are required to improve access to
land, combat poverty, create employment and reduce rural emigration. To meet
those objectives, Governments should attach high priority to implementing the
commitments of the Rome Declaration on World Food Security and World Food
Summit Plan of Action, adopted at the World Food Summit (Rome, 13-17 November
1996), especially the call for a minimum target of halving the number of
undernourished people in the world by the year 2015.
Desertification and drought
34. Governments are urged to ratify, accede to and implement as soon as
possible the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in those
Countries Experiencing Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa,
which entered into force on 26 December 1996, and to support the first meeting
of the Conference of Parties to the Convention, which will be held in Rome in
September 1997. The international community should also support the global
mechanism so as to ensure adequate financial resources for advancing the
implementation of the Convention and its annexes.
Biodiversity
35. Identifying values of biodiversity and integrating those values into
national decision-making poses a challenge for economists and decision makers.
It is of critical importance that Governments and the international community
fully implement the commitments of the Convention on Biodiversity. Special
attention should be given to the Leipzig Declaration on Plant Genetic
Resources (see FAO/CL.111/17) and its plan of action, which focuses on the
conservation and sustainable use of agro-biodiversity. More attention must be
given to the equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of
genetic resources, including access to genetic resources and transfer of
technologies. Governments should also respect, preserve and maintain
knowledge of innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities
embodying traditional lifestyles, and should encourage equitable sharing of
the benefits arising from indigenous peoples' traditional knowledge so that
they are properly rewarded. A biosafety protocol under the Convention on
Biological Diversity should be rapidly concluded. In the meantime, countries
should adhere to and implement the UNEP International Technical Guidelines for
Safety in Biotechnology (UNEP(092.1)/UN3).
Sustainable tourism
36. The tourism sector is now the world's largest industry and the fastest
growing economic sector. Tourism is a major employer and contributor to
national and local economies. Tourism, like other sectors, uses resources and
generates wastes, and creates environmental, cultural and social costs and
benefits in the process. One particular concern is the degradation of
biodiversity and fragile eco-systems, such as coral reefs, mountains, coastal
areas and wetlands. To achieve sustainable tourism, it is essential to
strengthen integrated policy development, nationally and internationally,
using physical planning, impact assessment, and economic, social, and
regulatory instruments. Policy development and implementation should take
place in cooperation with all stakeholders, especially the private sector and
local communities, including indigenous peoples. The Commission should
develop an action-oriented international programme of work on sustainable
tourism, to be defined in cooperation with the World Tourism Organization, the
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), UNEP and other
relevant organizations, and in support of related work in the context of the
implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity. The sustainable
development of tourism is of particular importance for small island developing
States. International cooperation is needed to facilitate tourism development
in small island developing States, including the development and marketing of
eco-tourism, bearing in mind the importance of the conservation policies
required to secure long-term benefits from development in this sector in the
context of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small
Island Developing States.
Small island developing States
37. The international community reaffirms its commitment to the
implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States. The Commission on Sustainable Development
carried out a mid-term review of selected programme areas of the Programme of
Action at its fourth session, in 1996; a full review is scheduled for 1999.
(The Commission should make adequate provision at its fifth session for the
full review, in accordance with the provisions of the Programme of Action.)
38. Considerable efforts are being made at the national and regional levels
to implement the Programme of Action. Those efforts need to be supplemented
by effective financial support from the international community. External
assistance for the building of requisite infrastructure and national capacity-
building, including human and institutional capacity, and for facilitating
access to information on sustainable development practices and the transfer of
environmentally sound technologies is crucial for small island developing
States to effectively attain the goals of the Programme of Action. To assist
national capacity-building, the small island developing States information
network and small island developing States technical assistance programme
should be operationalized as soon as possible, with the support of existing
regional and subregional institutions.
Natural disasters
39. Natural disasters have disproportionate consequences for developing
countries, in particular small island developing States. Programmes for
sustainable development should give higher priority to implementation of the
commitments made at the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction
(Yokohama, Japan, 23-27 May 1994) (see A/CONF.172/9 and Add.1). There is a
particular need for the promotion and facilitation of the transfer of
early-warning technologies to developing countries and countries with
economies in transition that are prone to natural disasters.
3. Means of implementation
Financial resources and mechanisms
40. Financial resources and mechanisms play a key role in the implementation
of Agenda 21. Urgent and renewed efforts are essential to ensure that all
sources of funding - international and domestic as well as private and public
- contribute to sustainable development.
41. The commitments made at UNCED to provide new and additional resources to
developing countries remain a key element for supporting their efforts to
achieve sustainable development. In view of the need to ensure effective
implementation of Agenda 21, there is an urgent need to fulfil all financial
commitments of Agenda 21, especially those contained in chapter 33. Developed
countries should therefore reaffirm their commitments, including the
achievement of the United Nations target of 0.7 per cent of GNP, as soon as
possible, and in particular should reverse the recent downward trend in the
ratio of ODA to GNP. It is essential to consider strategies for restoring
donor support to aid programmes and revitalizing the commitments that donors
made at UNCED. Some countries already meet or exceed the 0.7 per cent agreed
target. As a minimum, donor countries with declining ODA should return to
1992 shares of GNP within five years. Other countries in a position to do so
should also be encouraged to provide ODA support.
42. Official financial flows to developing countries remain an essential
element of the partnership embodied in Agenda 21. ODA plays a significant
role in capacity-building, infrastructure, combating poverty and environmental
protection in developing countries, and a crucial role in the least developed
countries.
43. Official financial flows can also play an important catalytic role in
supporting policy reforms, promoting institutional development and leveraging
private investment, and cannot be replaced by private flows.
44. Private foreign capital is a major engine of economic growth in a large
number of developing countries. Enhancing its contribution to sustainable
development depends mainly on the support of sound and predictable domestic
policies, including policies that internalize environmental costs. Therefore,
at both the national and international levels, further work should be
undertaken on the design of appropriate policies for attracting private
foreign capital, in particular foreign direct investment (FDI), reducing its
volatility, and enhancing its contribution to sustainable development, for
example by promoting innovative schemes, such as co-financing and "green"
credit lines and investment funds.
45. GEF needs further expansion and development. In the first instance, the
satisfactory replenishment of GEF resources, for example through a doubling,
deserves high priority; further consideration could then be given to the
expansion of the scope and coverage of GEF beyond its existing mandate.
46. Further studies should be undertaken on foreign private flows to
developing countries, including studies of an appropriate policy environment
for attracting FDI and a means for host countries to maximize the positive
impacts of FDI on sustainable development by strengthening social policies and
environmental policies and regulations.
47. To resolve the remaining debt problems of the highly indebted poorest
countries, creditor and debtor countries and international financial
institutions should continue their efforts to find effective, comprehensive,
durable and development-oriented solutions, including such measures as debt
reduction, debt swaps, debt cancellation, and increased grants and
concessional flows. The joint World Bank/International Monetary Fund (IMF)
Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative is a step in the right direction,
and effective and flexible implementation of the Initiative promises to reduce
debt as an impediment to sustainable development.
48. Since financing for Agenda 21 in all countries will come mainly from
their own public and private sectors, policies aimed at mobilizing domestic
financial resources are crucial. Apart from the importance of the support
provided by international cooperation, sustainable development must rely on
domestic efforts. Policies for promoting domestic resources mobilization
should include macroeconomic and structural reforms, public expenditure
reforms, the promotion of environmental taxes and charges, a review of
existing subsidy policies, and financial sector development to promote
personal saving and access to credit, taking into account the characteristics
and capabilities of individual countries. The expanded use of environmental
taxes and user charges is particularly attractive because such mechanisms
generate win-win possibilities by shifting consumer and producer behaviour in
more sustainable directions, at the same time as generating financial
resources that can be used for sustainable development or reducing taxes
elsewhere.
49. There is a need for making existing subsidies more transparent in order
to increase awareness of their actual economic, social and environmental
impact and to reform them. Further national and international research in
that area should be promoted in order to assist Governments in identifying and
reducing subsidies that have trade-distorting and environmentally damaging
impacts. In general, subsidy reductions should take full account of the
specific conditions of individual countries, and should consider potentially
regressive impacts. In addition, it would be desirable to use international
cooperation and coordination to promote a concerted national reduction of
subsidies where these have important implications for competitiveness.
50. In order to reduce the barriers to an expanded use of economic
instruments, Governments and international organizations should collect and
share information on the use of economic instruments, and should introduce
pilot schemes. When introducing economic instruments that raise the cost of
economic activities for households and small and medium-sized enterprises
(SMEs), Governments should consider gradual phase-ins, public education
programmes and targeted technical assistance as strategies for reducing
distributional impacts.
51. A number of innovative financial mechanisms are currently under
discussion in international and national forums. In view of the widespread
interest in them, appropriate organizations, including the World Bank and IMF,
are invited to conduct forward-looking studies into concerted action on such
mechanisms so that they can be taken up at meetings of the Commission and
other relevant intergovernmental bodies.
Transfer of environmentally sound technologies
52. There is an urgent need for developing countries to acquire greater
access to environmentally sound technology if they are to meet the obligations
agreed at UNCED and in the relevant international conventions. Hence, renewed
commitment is needed from developed countries to promote, facilitate and
finance, as appropriate, the access to and the transfer of environmentally
sound technologies (ESTs) and corresponding know-how, in particular to
developing countries, on favourable terms, including on concessional and
preferential terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account the need to
protect intellectual property rights as well as the special needs of
developing countries for the implementation of Agenda 21.
53. Technology transfer and the development of the human and institutional
capacity to adapt, absorb and diffuse technologies, as well as to generate
technical knowledge and innovations, are part of the same process and must be
given equal importance. Although technology transfer is usually a business-
to-business transaction, Governments have a particular responsibility to
develop the institutional and human capacities that form the basis for
effective technology transfer.
54. Much of the most advanced environmentally sound technology is developed
and held by the private sector. Creation of an enabling environment, on the
part of both developed and developing countries, including supportive economic
and fiscal measures, as well as a practical system of environmental
regulations and compliance mechanisms, can help to stimulate private-sector
investment in and transfer of environmentally sound technology to developing
countries. New ways of financial intermediation for the financing of ESTs,
such as "green credit lines", should be examined. The links between FDI, ODA
and technology transfer should be explored in greater depth. Further efforts
could be made by Governments of developed countries to acquire privately owned
technology in order to transfer it on concessional terms to developing
countries, especially least developed countries.
55. A proportion of technology is owned by public institutions or results
from publicly funded research and development activities. The Government's
control over the technological knowledge produced in publicly funded research
and development institutions opens up a potential for the generation of
publicly owned technologies that could be made accessible to developing
countries, and could be an important means for Governments to catalyse private
sector technology transfer. Proposals for further study of those technologies
to meet developing country needs are to be welcomed.
56. Governments should play a key role in establishing public-private
partnerships, within and between developed and developing countries and
economies in transition. Such partnerships are essential for linking the
advantages of the private sector - access to finance and technology,
managerial efficiency, entrepreneurial experiences and engineering expertise -
with the capacity of Governments to create a policy environment that is
conducive to technology-related private-sector investments and long-term
sustainable development objectives.
57. Governments have an important role to play in bringing together
companies from developed and developing countries and economies in transition
so that they can create sustainable and mutually beneficial business linkages.
Incentives should be given to stimulate the building of joint ventures between
SMEs in developed and developing countries and economies in transition.
58. Governments of developing countries should take appropriate measures to
strengthen South-South cooperation for technology transfer and capacity-
building. Such measures could include the networking of existing national
information systems and sources on ESTs, and the networking of national
cleaner production centres, as well as the establishment of sector-specific
regional centres for technology transfer and capacity-building. Donor
countries and international organizations should further assist developing
countries in those efforts.
59. There is a need to enhance exploitation of the potential of global
electronic information and telecommunication networks that would enable
countries to choose among the available technological options that are most
appropriate to their needs.
Capacity-building
60. Renewed commitment and support from the international community is
essential to support national efforts for capacity-building in developing
countries and economies in transition.
61. The Capacity 21 Programme of the United Nations Development Programme
(UNDP) should be further strengthened. It should give priority attention to
building capacity for the elaboration of sustainable development strategies
based on participatory approaches.
62. Capacity-building efforts should pay particular attention to the needs
of women in order to ensure that their skills and experience are fully used in
decision-making at all levels. The special needs of indigenous peoples must
be recognized. International financial institutions should enhance their
funding of capacity-building for sustainable development in developing
countries and countries with economies in transition. Special attention
should also be given to strengthening the ability of developing countries to
absorb and generate technologies. The role of the private sector in capacity-
building should be further promoted and enhanced. South-South cooperation in
capacity-building should be further supported through "triangular" cooperative
arrangements.
Science
63. Public and private investment in science, education and training, and in
research and development should be increased significantly at the national
level.
64. International consensus-building is facilitated by the availability of
authoritative scientific evidence. There is a need for further scientific
cooperation, especially among different academic disciplines, in order to
verify and strengthen scientific evidence for environmental change.
65. Increasing efforts to build and strengthen scientific and technological
capacity in developing countries is an extremely important objective.
Multilateral and bilateral donor agencies and Governments, as well as specific
funding mechanisms, such as GEF, should enhance significantly their support to
developing countries in that regard.
Education and awareness
66. Education increases human welfare, and is a decisive factor in enabling
people to become productive and responsible members of a sustainable society.
A fundamental prerequisite for sustainable development is an adequately
financed and effective educational system at all levels, particularly at the
primary and secondary levels, including lifelong education, accessible to all,
that augments both human capacity and well-being. Priority should be given to
women's and girls' education since it also plays a critical role in improving
family health, nutrition and income. Education should also be seen as a means
of empowering youth and other vulnerable and marginalized groups, including
those in the rural areas. Even in nations with strong education systems,
there is a need to reorient education, awareness and training to increase
widespread public understanding and support for sustainable development.
Education for a sustainable future should engage a wide spectrum of
institutions and sectors to address the concepts and issues of sustainable
development, as embodied throughout Agenda 21 and further emphasized in the
Commission's work programme on the subject adopted in 1996; the concept of
education for a sustainable future will be further developed by the United
Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, in cooperation with
others.
International legal instruments and the Rio Declaration on Environment and
Development
67. The implementation and application of the principles contained in the
Rio Declaration on Environment and Development should be the subject of
regular assessment and reporting.
68. Access to information, public participation and the right to complaint
are hallmarks of environmental democracy; there should be wider access to
relevant court systems to pursue environmental justice.
69. Implementation of and compliance with international treaties in the
field of sustainable development needs further improvement. Secure, sustained
and predictable financial support, sufficient institutional capacity and human
resources, and adequate access to technology may promote the implementation of
international legal instruments. Full implementation of international
commitments can eliminate potential sources of conflict, and the development
of cooperative, non-judicial and transparent mechanisms for implementation
should be pursued.
Information and tools to measure progress
70. The further development of cost-effective tools to collect and
disseminate information for decision makers at all levels, through
strengthened data collection, compilation and analysis, is urgently needed.
71. The Commission's work programme on indicators for sustainable
development should result in an adequate set of indicators, including a
limited number of aggregated indicators, to be used at the national level by
the year 2000. Indicators should play an important role in monitoring
progress towards sustainable development and in facilitating national
reporting, as appropriate.
72. National reports provided on the implementation of Agenda 21 have proven
to be a valuable means of sharing information at the international and
regional levels, and even more importantly, of providing a focus for the
coordination of issues related to sustainable development within individual
countries. National reporting should continue, and should reflect all aspects
of Agenda 21, including domestic action and international commitments. The
reporting system could be complemented by peer reviews organized at the
regional level.
[To be added in the course of the fifth session of the Commission:
action regarding the streamlining of national reporting.]
D. International institutional arrangements 19/
73. The achievement of sustainable development requires continued support
from international institutions. The institutional framework outlined in
chapter 38 of Agenda 21 and determined by the General Assembly in its
resolution 47/191, including the specific functions and roles of various
organs, programmes and organizations within and outside the United Nations
system, will continue to be fully relevant in the period after the special
session. Within that framework, achievement of the goals and objectives set
out below would be particularly important.
1. Greater coherence in various intergovernmental
organizations and processes
74. Given the increasing number of decision-making bodies concerned with the
various aspects of sustainable development, including international
conventions, there is an ever greater need for better policy coordination at
the intergovernmental level to ensure consistent and coherent positions of
Governments in such processes, as well as enhanced collaboration among their
secretariats. The Economic and Social Council should play a strengthened role
in that area, bearing in mind its function of coordinating the activities of
the United Nations system in the economic and social fields.
75. It is necessary to strengthen the ACC Inter-Agency Committee on
Sustainable Development and its system of task managers, with a view to
further enhancing intersectoral cooperation and policy coordination at the
national, regional and international levels for the implementation of Agenda
21 and for the promotion of a coordinated and integrated follow-up to the
major United Nations conferences in the area of sustainable development.
76. Appropriate and effective arrangements should be established in order to
better support regional and subregional organizations, including the regional
commissions, bearing in mind the role that such bodies play in the achievement
of the sustainable development objectives agreed at the international level.
2. Role of relevant organizations and institutions of the
United Nations system
77. All organizations and programmes of the United Nations system, in their
further individual and joint efforts to implement Agenda 21 and in cooperation
with national Governments, should give more emphasis to action at the country
level, should ensure greater support to community-driven initiatives and
should promote more active involvement of major groups.
78. The role of UNEP and its Governing Council, as the principal United
Nations body in the field of environment, should be further enhanced, in
conformity with the Nairobi Declaration on the Role and Mandate of UNEP, 20/
with a view to enabling UNEP to serve as the leading environmental authority
that sets the global environmental agenda, promotes the coherent
implementation of the environmental dimension of sustainable development
within the United Nations system, and acts as an authoritative advocate for
the global environment. The role of UNEP in the further development of
international environmental law, including the development of inter-linkages
among existing environmental conventions, should be strengthened. A
revitalized UNEP should be supported by adequate funding. UNEP should
continue providing effective support to the Commission in the form of
scientific, technical and policy information and advice on the environment.
79. UNDP should strengthen its contribution to sustainable development and
the implementation of Agenda 21 given its role at the national and local
levels, particularly in the area of promoting capacity-building in cooperation
with other organizations.
80. UNCTAD should continue to play a key role in the implementation of
Agenda 21 through the integrated examination of linkages among trade,
investment, technology, finance and sustainable development.
81. The WTO Committee on Trade and Environment, UNCTAD and UNEP should
advance their coordinated work on trade and environment, building upon their
accomplishments to date and involving other appropriate international and
regional organizations in their cooperation and coordination. UNCTAD and UNEP
should play a major role in both analysis and action-oriented efforts to
promote the integration of trade, environment and development. The Commission
has an important role to play in the process of widening the trade and
environment debate to include an integrated consideration of all factors
relevant for achieving sustainable development.
82. The contribution and commitment to sustainable development of
international financial institutions should be further strengthened. The
World Bank has a significant role to play, bearing in mind its expertise and
the overall volume of resources that it commands. Governments should consider
approving the twelfth International Development Association (IDA)
replenishment at a level at least comparable to the tenth IDA replenishment.
Negotiations for the replenishment of GEF will have special importance for its
future work, as well as a direct impact on the availability of new and
additional grant and concessional funding for sustainable development with
global benefits at the global, regional and national levels.
3. Future role and programme of work of the Commission
on Sustainable Development
83. The Commission on Sustainable Development will continue to provide a
central forum for reviewing further progress in the implementation of Agenda
21 and other commitments made at UNCED; for conducting policy debate and
consensus-building on sustainable development; and for catalysing action and
long-term commitment to sustainable development at all levels. The Commission
should perform its functions in coordination with other subsidiary bodies of
the Economic and Social Council that contribute to the achievement of the
specific economic and social goals of sustainable development.
84. The Commission, in carrying out its functions - outlined in General
Assembly 47/191 - should focus on issues that are crucial to achieving the
goals of sustainable development; should involve the promotion of policies
that integrate economic, social and environmental dimensions of
sustainability; and should provide for integrated consideration of linkages,
both among sectors and between sectoral and cross-sectoral aspects of Agenda
21.
85. In the light of the above, it is recommended that the Economic and
Social Council decide on the multi-year programme of work of the Commission
for the period 1998-2002 (text to be added in an annex after further
discussion during the fifth session of the Commission; for the proposals of
the Secretary-General on this issue, see E/CN.178/1997/2).
4. Methods of work of the Commission on Sustainable Development
86. Based on the experience gained in the period 1993-1997, the Commission,
under the guidance of the Economic and Social Council, should:
(a) Strive to attract greater involvement in its work of ministers and
high-level national policy makers responsible for specific economic sectors,
who, in particular, are encouraged to participate in the high-level segments
of the Commission together with the ministers and policy makers responsible
for environment and development. The high-level segments of the Commission
should become more interactive, and should focus on the priority issues being
considered at a particular session;
(b) Continue to provide a forum for the exchange of national experience
in the area of sustainable development. In that context, the Commission
should consider more effective modalities for reviewing progress in the
implementation of commitments made in Agenda 21, with an appropriate emphasis
on means of implementation;
(c) Develop a better regional focus. The Commission should monitor the
growing number of regional initiatives and regional collaborations for
sustainable development, and should link its work more closely to such
developments;
(d) Establish closer interaction with international financial
institutions, GEF and WTO, which in turn are invited to take full account of
the results of policy deliberations in the Commission in their own work
programmes and activities;
(e) Continue to explore more effective and systematic ways to involve
the representatives of major groups in its work, including the business
community, with a view to enhancing their contribution and accountability in
the implementation of Agenda 21, thus demonstrating the value of their
participation more widely;
(f) Organize the implementation of its next multi-year programme of work
in the most effective and productive way. Preparation for consideration of
issues by the Commission can take the form of ad hoc inter-sessional working
groups or arrangements similar to that of its Intergovernmental Panel on
Forests. It should be borne in mind that government-hosted inter-sessional
expert meetings have proven to be effective;
(g) Consider the functioning of the High-level Advisory Board on
Sustainable Development with a view to promoting more direct interaction
between the Commission and the Board, and to enhancing the contribution of the
Board to the deliberations of the Commission.
87. The functioning of the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy
and on Energy for Development and the Committee on Natural Resources should be
more closely integrated with the work programme of the Commission.
88. Arrangements for the election of the Bureau should be changed in order
to allow the same Bureau to provide guidance for the preparation for and lead
work during the annual sessions of the Commission. The Commission would
benefit greatly from such a change, and the Economic and Social Council is
invited to examine the possibility of taking the necessary action in that
regard.
89. The next comprehensive review of progress achieved in the implementation
of Agenda 21 will take place in the year 2002.
II. ADOPTION OF THE REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUP
1. At the 17th meeting, on 7 March 1997, the Working Group had before it
the draft report (E/CN.17/1997/WG/L.1), as well as an informal paper.
2. At the same meeting, the representative of the Netherlands, on behalf of
the European Union, requested that the following statement be included in the
report:
"The final outcome of the special session will hopefully set out a
series of commitments, and some of those commitments will concern areas
in which powers have been transferred to the European Community (EC) by
its member States. In order for the totality of any such commitments to
be covered, therefore, EC has to be able to subscribe to the said
commitments as well as its member States. EC has subscribed to an
implemented Agenda 21, and EC therefore wishes to assume its full
commitments in the review and appraisal of UNCED at the special session.
At UNCED, the solution devised to allow EC to subscribe to Agenda 21 was
to insert a footnote in the preamble of Agenda 21 assimilating EC to
Governments within its areas of competence. That solution was also used
for the Habitat Agenda. It is suggested that the same solution be used
for the final outcome of the special session.
This arrangement does not in any way change the status of EC, which
will be an observer at the special session. It only enables it to
subsequently fulfil the commitments reached at the special session."
3. Also at the same meeting, the Working Group took note of the informal
paper and adopted its report.
III. ORGANIZATIONAL AND OTHER MATTERS
A. Opening and duration of the session
1. The Ad Hoc Open-ended Inter-Sessional Working Group of the Commission on
Sustainable Development met in New York from 24 February to 7 March 1997, in
accordance with General Assembly resolution 50/113. The Working Group held
17 meetings (1st to 17th meetings).
2. The meeting was opened by the temporary Chairman, Mr. Paul de Jongh
(Netherlands), Vice-Chairman of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
3. The Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable
Development of the United Nations Secretariat made an introductory statement.
4. The Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme made
a statement.
B. Attendance
5. The session was attended by representatives of 53 States members of the
Commission on Sustainable Development. Observers for other States Members of
the United Nations, the European Community and one non-member State,
representatives of organizations of the United Nations system, and observers
for intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations also attended. The
list of participants is contained in the annex.
C. Election
6. At the 1st meeting, on 24 February 1997, the Working Group elected, by
acclamation, H.E. Mr. Celso Luiz Nunes Amorim (Brazil) and Mr. Derek Osborn
(United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland) as Co-Chairmen.
7. Also at the same meeting, the Co-Chairmen made introductory statements.
D. Agenda and organization of work
8. At the 1st meeting, on 24 February 1997, the Working Group adopted its
provisional agenda, contained in document E/CN.17/1997/WG/1, and approved its
organization of work. The agenda read as follows:
1. Election of officers.
2. Adoption of the agenda and other organizational matters.
3. Preparations for the special session of the General Assembly for the
purpose of an overall review and appraisal of the implementation of
Agenda 21.
4. Other matters.
5. Adoption of the report of the Working Group.
E. Documentation
9. The Working Group had before it the following documents:
(a) Report of the Secretary-General on overall progress achieved since
the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (E/CN.17/1997/2);
(b) Report of the Secretary-General on international cooperation to
accelerate sustainable development in developing countries and related
domestic policies (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.1);
(c) Report of the Secretary-General on combating poverty
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.2);
(d) Report of the Secretary-General on changing consumption patterns
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.3);
(e) Report of the Secretary-General on demographic dynamics and
sustainability (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.4);
(f) Report of the Secretary-General on protecting and promoting human
health (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.5);
(g) Report of the Secretary-General on promoting sustainable human
settlement development (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.6);
(h) Report of the Secretary-General on integrating environment and
development in decision-making (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.7);
(i) Report of the Secretary-General on protection of the atmosphere
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.8);
(j) Report of the Secretary-General on an integrated approach to the
planning and management of land resources (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.9);
(k) Report of the Secretary-General on managing fragile ecosystems:
combating desertification and drought (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.11);
(l) Report of the Secretary-General on managing fragile ecosystems:
sustainable mountain development (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.12);
(m) Report of the Secretary-General on promoting sustainable
agriculture and rural development (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.13);
(n) Report of the Secretary-General on conservation of biological
diversity (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.14);
(o) Report of the Secretary-General on environmentally sound management
of biotechnology (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.15);
(p) Report of the Secretary-General on protection of the oceans, all
kinds of seas, including enclosed and semi-enclosed seas, and coastal areas
and the protection, rational use and development of their living resources
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.16);
(q) Report of the Secretary-General entitled "Protection of the quality
and supply of freshwater resources: application of integrated approaches to
the development, management and use of water resources"
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.17);
(r) Report of the Secretary-General on environmentally sound management
of toxic chemicals, including prevention of illegal international traffic in
toxic and dangerous products (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.18);
(s) Report of the Secretary-General on environmentally sound management
of hazardous wastes, including prevention of illegal international traffic in
hazardous wastes (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.19);
(t) Report of the Secretary-General on environmentally sound management
of solid wastes and sewage-related issues (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.20);
(u) Report of the Secretary-General on safe and environmentally sound
management of radioactive wastes (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.21);
(v) Report of the Secretary-General on the role and contribution of
major groups (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.22);
(w) Report of the Secretary-General on financial resources and
mechanisms (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.23);
(x) Report of the Secretary-General on the transfer of environmentally
sound technologies, cooperation and capacity-building (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.24);
(y) Report of the Secretary-General on science for sustainable
development (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.25);
(z) Report of the Secretary-General on promoting education, public
awareness and training (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.26);
(aa) Report of the Secretary-General on national mechanisms and
international cooperation for capacity-building in developing countries
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.27);
(bb) Report of the Secretary-General on international institutional
arrangements (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.28);
(cc) Report of the Secretary-General on international legal instruments
and mechanisms (E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.29);
(dd) Report of the Secretary-General on information for decision-making
(E/CN.17/1997/2/Add.30);
(ee) Report of the Secretary-General entitled "Global change and
sustainable development: critical trends" (E/CN.17/1997/3 and Corr.1);
(ff) Report of the Secretary-General on an inventory of ongoing energy-
related programmes and activities of entities within the United Nations
system, on coordination of such activities and on arrangements needed to
foster the linkage between energy and sustainable development within the
system (E/CN.17/1997/7);
(gg) Report of the Secretary-General entitled "Rio Declaration on
Environment and Development: application and implementation"
(E/CN.17/1997/2/8);
(hh) Report of the Secretary-General on a comprehensive assessment of
the freshwater resources of the world (E/CN.17/1997/2/9);
(ii) Report of the Secretary-General on implementation of the Programme
of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States
(E/CN.17/1997/2/14);
(jj) Letter dated 29 January 1997 from the Permanent Representative of
Austria to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General, transmitting
the report of an expert workshop on fostering the linkage between energy and
sustainable development within international institutions, held at Vienna from
22 to 24 January 1997 (E/CN.17/1997/2/16).
(kk) Note verbale dated 18 February 1997 from the Permanent
Representative of the Netherlands to the United Nations addressed to the
Secretary-General, transmitting the Chairman's summary of the Fourth Expert
Group Meeting on Financial Issues of Agenda 21, held at the headquarters of
the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at Santiago from 8
to 10 January 1997 (E/CN.17/1997/18);
(ll) Letter dated 18 February 1997 from the Permanent Representatives
of Brazil and Norway to the United Nations addressed to the Secretary-General,
transmitting the conclusions of a symposium on sustainable production and
consumption patterns and policies, held at Brasilia from 25 to 28 November
1996 (E/CN.17/1997/19).
Notes
1/ Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by
the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8 and
Corrigendum), resolution 1, annex II.
2/ Oxford University Press, 1997.
3/ See United Nations Environment Programme, Convention on Biological
Diversity (Environmental Law and Institution Programme Activity Centre),
June 1992.
4/ Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of
Small Island Developing States, Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 June 1994
(United Nations publication, Sales No. 94.I.18 and Corrigendum), chap. I,
resolution 1, annex II.
5/ Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, ..., annex I.
6/ Refers to a proposal by an informal group of concerned international
environment and development experts to improve energy and resource efficiency
by a factor of 10.
7/ Report of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen,
6-12 March 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.8), chap. I,
resolution 1, annex II.
8/ See The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade
Negotiations: The Legal Texts (Geneva, GATT secretariat, 1994).
9/ Adopted by the WTO Ministerial Meeting at Singapore, December 1996.
10/ See The Results of the Uruguay Round of Multilateral Trade
Negotiations ..., p. 163.
11/ Report of the International Conference on Population and
Development, Cairo, 5-13 September 1994 (United Nations publications, Sales
No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.
12/ See Report of the International Conference on Primary Health Care,
Alma-Ata, Kazakstan, 6-12 September 1978 (Geneva, WHO, 1978).
13/ United Nations publication, Sales No. E.83.V.5.
14/ The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (see footnote 13
above); the Agreement relating to the Implementation of Part XI of the
Convention; the Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the
Convention relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish
Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks (see A/50/550, p. 10); the Agreement
to Promote Compliance with International Conservation and Management Measures
by Vessels Fishing in the High Seas; the FAO Code of Conduct for Responsible
Fisheries; the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine
Environment from Land-based Activities (A/51/116, annex II); the Programme of
Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States; the
International Coral Reef Initiative; the Rome Consensus on World Fisheries of
the 1995 FAO Ministerial Meeting on Fisheries; the Jakarta Mandate on the
Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine and Coastal Biological Diversity;
the Kyoto Declaration and Plan of Action on the Sustainable Contribution of
Fisheries to Food Security; the International Whaling Commission's Moratorium
on Commercial Whaling; various international agreements on the conservation of
small cetaceans; General Assembly resolutions 51/34, 51/35, 51/36 and 51/189;
and relevant decisions made at the nineteenth session of the Governing Council
of the United Nations Environment Programme.
15/ Berlin Mandate: Review of the adequacy of article 4,
paragraph 2 (a) and (b) of the Convention, including proposals related to a
protocol and decisions on follow-up (FCCC/CP/1995/7/Add.1, decision 1/CP.1).
16/ Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer,
International Legal Materials, vol. 26, No. 6 (November 1987), p. 1550.
17/ Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of
Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (UNEP/WG/190/4)(forthcoming United Nations
publication, Treaty Series, vol. 1673, No. 28911).
18/ Bamako Convention on the Ban of the Import into Africa of All Forms
of Hazardous Wastes and the Control of Their Transboundary Movements within
Africa, International Legal Materials, vol. 30, No. 3 (May 1991), p. 775, and
vol. 31, No. 1 (January 1992), p. 164.
19/ The question of international institutional arrangements in the area
of sustainable development should be seen in the overall framework of the
ongoing United Nations reform process.
20/ See UNEP Governing Council decision 19/1 of 7 February 1997.
Annex
LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
Members
Antigua and Barbuda Mr. John W. Ashe, Dornella M. Seth
Australia Howard Bamsey, Margaret Clarke, Richard Rowe,
Alan March, Geoffrey Tooth, Laurie Hodgeman,
Mark Gray
Bahamas
Bangladesh Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, Muhammad Ali Sorcar,
Hamidur Rashid
Belgium Alex Reyn, Marc Gedopt, Nadine Gouzee,
Hugo Brauwers, Jan de Mulder, Ulrik Lenaerts
Benin Fassassi A. Yacoubou, Edouard Aho-Glele,
Rogatien Biaou, Houssou Paul Houansou
Bolivia Ramiro Ortega Landa, Jorge Rivera, Raul
Espana, Maria Estela Mendoza, Alejandro F.
Mercado
Brazil Celso Luis Nunes Amorim, Sergio Abreu e Lima
Florencio, Enio Cordeiro, Antonio Fernando
Cruz de Mello
Bulgaria Raiko Raichev, Zvetolyub Basmajiev
Burundi
Canada
Central African Republic
China
Colombia
Djibouti
Egypt Mostafa Tolba, Adel M. Abdellatif, Amany
Fahmy, Salah Hafez
Ethiopia
Finland Birgitta Stenius-Mladenov, David Johansson,
Taisto Huimasalo, Vuokko Heikkinen,
Sauli Rouhinen, Marit Huhta, Jukka Uosukainen,
Anneli Sund, Risto Timonen, Taru Jussila,
Matri Soinne
France
Gabon Parfait Onanga-Anyanga, Andre Jules Madingou,
Guy-Marcel Eboumy
Germany Gerhard Henze, Hendrik Vygen, Wolfgang Runge,
Bernd Wulffen, Rainald Roesch, Knut Beyer,
Christa Ratte, Elfriede Bierbrauer,
Jurgen Wenderoth, Peter Christmann,
Michael Leibrandt
Ghana
Guyana Samuel R. Insanally, George Talbot, Koreen
Simon
Hungary Istvan Nathon, Casba Nemes, Andras Lakatos,
Jozsef Feiler
India
Indonesia
Iran (Islamic Republic of)
Ireland
Japan Hiroyasu Kobayashi, Masaharu Fugitomi,
Hiroyuki Eguchi, Kazuhiko Takemoto,
Hiroyasu Yamamoto, Takashi Kageyama,
Sumito Yasuoka, Hiroko Omori, Shinichi
Naganuma, Yutaka Yoshino
Mexico Enrique Provencio, Roberto Cabral, Damaso
Luna, Gerardo Lozano, Ricardo Hernandez,
Margarita Paras, Ulises Canchola, Luisa
Montes, Veronique Deli
Mozambique
Netherlands J. G. S. T. M. van Hellenberg Hubar,
Arjan Hamburger, Hans van Zijst, Hans
Hoogeveen, Ron Lander, Daniel Pietermaat,
Herman Verhey, Jeroen Steeghs, Margot de Jong,
Ardi Braken, Karin Wester
Niger Adam Maiga Zakariaou
Pakistan
Panama Jorge E. Illueca, Ruth Decerega, Hernan
Tejeira, Judith Cardoze
Papua New Guinea
Peru Fernando Guillen, Marcela Lopez de Ruiz,
Mariano Castro, Carlos Chirinos, Italo Acha
Philippines Felipe Mabilangan, Libran N. Cabactulan,
Cecilia B. Rebong, Maria Lourdes Lagarde,
Glenn F. Corpin
Poland Joanna Wronecka, Marek Sobiecki, Andrzej
Dworzak
Russian Federation N. V. Chulkov, A. M. Gudima, V. A. Nebenzia,
A. A. Pankin, A. V. Davidenko
Saudi Arabia
Senegal
Slovakia Pavel Toma, Milan Dubcek
Spain Carlos Westendorp, Arturo Laclaustra,
Amparo Rambia, Francisco Rabena, Marta
Betanzos
Sudan Hamid Ali Eltinay
Sweden Bo Kjellen, Michael Odevall, Hans Lundborg,
Stellan Kronvall, Per Enarsson, Karin Sjolin,
Ulf Svensson
Switzerland Monika Linn Locher, Remigi Winzap, Urs Herren,
Juliette Voinov, Raymond Clemencon,
Livia Leu Agosti
Thailand Manop Mekprayoonthong, Apichai Chvajarernpun,
Orapin Wongchumpit, Apinya Silpyisuth,
Arunrung Phothong
Ukraine
United Kingdom of Great Sir John Weston, Stephen Gomersall,
Britain and Northern Derek Osborn, Sheila McCabe, Alan Simcock,
Ireland Brian Oliver, Chris Tompkins, Peter Deardon,
Michael Massey, Donald Maclaren,
Peter Gooderham, Victoria Harris, Jill Barrett
United States of America Rafe Pomerance, Michael Metelits,
John McGuinness, Seth Winnick, George
Herrfurth, Maureen Walker, Donald Brown, David
Hales, Wendy McConnel, Jeremy Hagger, Franklin
Moore, Evan Bloom
Venezuela Oscar de Rojas, Isabel Bacalao-Romer,
Amadeo Volpe, Luis Fernando Perez Segnini,
Maria Antonieta Febres-Cordero, Judith Musso
Q, Lisett Hernandez
Zimbabwe
States Members of the United Nations represented by observers
Algeria, Andorra, Argentina, Armenia, Austria, Barbados, Belarus,
Botswana, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Chile, Costa Rica, Cuba, Cyprus, Czech
Republic, Denmark, Ecuador, Fiji, Georgia, Greece, Haiti, Iceland, Israel,
Italy, Kazakstan, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Madagascar,
Malawi, Malaysia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Morocco, Namibia, New
Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Paraguay, Republic of Korea, Romania, Saint Lucia,
Samoa, Slovenia, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Swaziland, Syrian Arab Republic, the
former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey,
Turkmenistan, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Zaire
Non-member States represented by observers
Holy See
United Nations
United Nations Development Programme, United Nations Environment
Programme, Economic Commission for Africa, Economic Commission for Europe
Specialized agencies
International Labour Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization of
the United Nations, United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, World Health Organization, International Monetary Fund, World
Meteorological Organization, United Nations Industrial Development
Organization, International Atomic Energy Agency, World Trade Organization
Intergovernmental organizations
Agence de coope'ration culturelle et technique, Organisation for
Economic Cooperation and Development, Organization of African Unity
Non-governmental organizations
General consultative status Franciscans International, Humane Society of the
with the Economic and United States, International Chamber of
Social Council Commerce, International Confederation of Free
Trade Unions (ICFTU), International Movement ATD
Fourth World, World Federation of United Nations
Associations (WFUNA), World Wide Fund for Nature
International
Special consultative Baha'i' International Community, Global Education
status Associates, Greenpeace International,
International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs,
Information Habitat: Where Information Lives,
International Association against Torture, World
Federalist Movement, World Safety Organization
Roster or accredited to the American Planning Association, Association of
Commission on Sustainable the Bar of the City of New York, Campaign for
Development the Earth Foundation, Commonweal, Cordillera
Women's Education and Resource Center, Inc.,
Canadian Pulp and Paper Association, Center for
Respect of Life and Environment, Deutscher
Naturschutzring (DNR), Earth Council, Friends of
the Earth (FOE), Green Earth Organization, Hunger
Project, The, Institute for Transportation and
Development Policy, Instituto del Tercer Mundo
(Third World Institute), International Institute
for Sustainable Development, International Right
to Life Federation, International Federation Terre
des Hommes, International Union for Conservation
of Nature and Natural Resources, Japan Fisheries
Association, Metropolitan Solar Energy, PanAfrican
Islamic Society for Agro-Cultural Development, Red
De Ecologi'a Social (REDES), SERVAS International,
United Nations Association - Canada, United
Nations Association of Sweden in Stockholm, United
Nations Association of America, UNED-UK/United
Nations Environment and Development - United
Kingdom Committee, World Information Transfer,
World Sustainable Agriculture Association
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