Economic and Social Council

 Distr. GENERAL
20 March 1998
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

Economic and Social Council

Commission on Sustainable Development

Sixth session

20 April-1 May 1998





         Report of the Inter-sessional Ad Hoc Working Group on

             Strategic Approaches to Freshwater Management





                     (New York, 23-27 February 1998)





Contents         



                                                   Paragraphs    Page



  I.  Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  1-3        2



 II.  Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  4-9        2



III.  Key issues and challenges  . . . . . . . . . . . 10-15       3



 IV.  Actions and means of implementation  . . . . . . 16-45       3



      A.  Information for decision-making. . . . . . . 19-23       4



      B.  Institutions, capacity-building and 

          participation  . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24-28       4



      C.  Technology transfer and research cooperation 29-35       5



      D.  Financial resources and mechanisms . . . . . 36-45       5



  V.  Follow-up and assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . 46-52       7



 VI.  Organizational matters . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53-62       8



      A.  Opening and duration of the session. . . . . 53-54       8



      B.  Attendance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   55        8



      C.  Election of officers . . . . . . . . . . . . 56-57       8



      D.  Agenda and organization of work. . . . . . . 58-59       8





      E.  Documentation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .   60        8



      F.  Adoption of the report of the Working Group  61-62       9



Annex.    List of participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .  10





        I.     Introduction





1.  The Inter-Sessional Ad Hoc Working Group on

Strategic Approaches to Freshwater Management met (New

York, 23-27 February 1998) in preparation for

consideration of the issue of freshwater management by the

Commission on Sustainable Development at its sixth session

(New York, 20 April - 1 May 1998). The discussions were

based on the recommendations and proposals for action

contained in two reports of the Secretary-General

(E/CN.17/1998/2 and Add. 1 and E/CN.17/1998/3) and in

the report of the Expert Group Meeting on Strategic

Approaches to Freshwater Management (Harare, Zimbabwe,

27-30 January 1998) (E/CN.17/1998/11). The discussions

also benefited from national presentations by the

Netherlands and the Russian Federation, describing their

efforts in achieving integrated freshwater development and

management.



2.  The participants noted the forthcoming Ministerial

Meeting on Water Resources and Sustainable Development

(Paris, France, 19-21 March 1998) which is expected to

provide additional opportunity for further consideration of

various aspects of strategic approaches to freshwater

management in preparation for the sixth session of the

Commission, in particular the need for improving

knowledge of water resources and water users; promoting

human resources and institutional capacity-building; and

identifying appropriate financial resources. Similarly, a

contribution to the sixth session of the Commission is

expected from an international forum, Global Water

Politics: Cooperation for Transboundary Water

Management (Bonn, Germany, 3-5 March 1998).



3.  The outcome of the Working Group meeting is not a

negotiated text, although its contents were thoroughly

discussed. In accordance with the expert nature of the

Working Group and the functions assigned to it, the report

focuses on key issues and conclusions and suggests elements

and policy options for further consideration and negotiation

during the sixth session of the Commission on Sustainable

Development.





       II.     Background





4.   Water resources are essential for satisfying basic

human needs, health and food production, the restoration

and maintenance of ecosystems, and for social and

economic development in general. Agriculture accounts for

the major part of global freshwater use. It is imperative that

water resources development, management and protection

should be planned in an integrated manner, taking into

account both short- and long-term needs.



5.   The priority to be accorded to the social dimension

of freshwater management is of fundamental importance.

This should be reflected in an integrated approach to

freshwater in order to be coherent with the objective of

achieving sustainable development that is truly people-centred.



6.   The objectives of sustainable development and the

links among its three components -- economic development,

social development and environmental protection -- were

clearly articulated in Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration.

The specific decisions and policy recommendations

concerning freshwater development, management and use

in chapter 18 of Agenda 21 and the identification of the

seven key programme areas contained in that chapter

continue to be a basis for action. 



7.   There is evidence of progress in improving some

aspects of freshwater resource management since 1992.

Marked improvements in water quality have occurred in a

number of river basins and groundwater aquifers where

pressures for action have been strong. However, while many

lessons have been learned, overall progress has been neither

sufficient nor comprehensive enough to reduce general

trends of increasing water shortages, deteriorating water

quality and growing stress on freshwater ecosystems. Water

need not become a limiting factor for sustainable

development and human welfare. A series of potential crises

can be averted if vigorous action is taken now towards an

integrated approach to freshwater resource development,

management and use.



8.   Competition for limited freshwater increasingly occurs

between agricultural, urban, industrial and environmental

uses. In adopting the Programme for the Further

Implementation of Agenda 21, 1/ in particular its paragraph

34, the General Assembly articulated the multiple dilemmas

and challenges associated with the management of

freshwater. They recognized, inter alia, the urgent need to

formulate and implement national policies of integrated

watershed management in a fully participatory manner

aimed at achieving and integrating economic, social and

environmental objectives of sustainable development. In

addition to agreeing to those strategic principles, the

General Assembly also recognized an urgent need to

strengthen international cooperation to support local and

national action, in particular in the fields of environment

and development, safe water supply and sanitation, food

security and agricultural production, and flood and drought

control, through efforts in areas such as information

exchange, capacity-building, technology transfer and

financing. 



9.   In accordance with the Programme for the Further

Implementation of Agenda 21, Governments called for a

dialogue under the aegis of the Commission on Sustainable

Development, beginning at its sixth session, aimed at

building a consensus on the necessary action and, in

particular, the means of implementation and tangible results,

in order to consider initiating a strategic approach for the

implementation of all aspects of the sustainable use of

freshwater for social and economic purposes, including,

inter alia, safe drinking water and sanitation, water for

irrigation, recycling, and wastewater management, and the

important role freshwater plays in natural ecosystems. That

intergovernmental process will be fully fruitful only if there

is a proven commitment by the international community to

the provision of new and additional financial resources for

the goals of the initiative.





       III.    Key issues and challenges





10.  The process called for in the Programme for the

Further Implementation of Agenda 21 should focus on

fostering and supporting national and international action

in those areas where goals and objectives have been

defined; identification of existing gaps and emerging issues;

building global consensus where further understanding is

required; and promoting greater coordination in approaches

by the United Nations and relevant international institutions,

particularly in support of national implementation policy

and development.



11.  Numerous gaps can be identified in the path towards

integrated water management which need to be addressed

by Governments with support from the international

community. Areas that require further attention include,

among others: awareness of the scope and function of

surface and groundwater resources; the need for human

resource development and participatory approaches, notably

including women; the role of ecosystems in the provision

of goods and services; balancing structural and non-structural 

approaches; explicit linkages with socio-economic development, 

including sound economic policies, for equitable and 

efficient freshwater allocation and use; improved sanitation 

and waste-water treatment; conserving the biological 

diversity of freshwater ecosystems; understanding hydrology 

and the capacity to assess the availability and variability 

of water resources; and the mobilization of domestic and 

international financial resources. Strategic and integrated 

actions are still needed in order to adapt to ever changing 

social and environmental circumstances and to address fundamental 

concerns for combating poverty, ensuring adequate provision of 

public health, food security and energy, and better to protect the

environment.



12.  International cooperation and action needs to address

effectively the above issues, building on existing consensus

for the successful implementation of integrated water

resource development and management.



13.  The implementation of integrated water development

and management strategies requires action at all levels.

However, most decisions and actions related to integrated

water management need to take place at the local and

national levels. Those actions should be closely related to

other areas of natural resource management, including land,

forestry and mountain development. Effective integrated

water resource management should incorporate approaches

dealing with river basins, catchments, watersheds and

ecosystems.



14.  There is need to ensure that local and national

management plans are in a position to bring about

productive and sustainable interactions between human

activities and the ecological functioning of freshwater

systems. There is also need to minimize impacts from

human activities on coastal areas, estuarine and marine

environments, and in mountainous areas, and to reduce

potential losses from droughts and floods, erosion,

desertification and natural disasters. Furthermore, pollution

prevention, sanitation and the treatment of waste water need

to be addressed.



15.  Riparian States are encouraged to cooperate on

matters related to international watercourses. This important

issue requires further consideration by the Commission and

in other relevant forums.





        IV.    Actions and means of implementation





16.  Governments are invited to intensify efforts to develop

local and national integrated water resource development

and management programmes and policies, as recommended

in Agenda 21. Governments at the appropriate level should

set and publish target dates for the adoption or updating of

local or national action programmes for implementing such

programmes. The implementation of local or national

programmes should form an important part of the local

Agenda 21 approach.



17.  In formulating and implementing integrated water

resource management policies and programmes, there is

need to take into account actions to implement relevant

conventions in force, in particular conventions on biological

diversity, desertification, climate change, and wetlands and

the Convention on International Trade in Endangered

Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES). In addition,

consideration should be given, as appropriate, to relevant

recommendations and/or programmes of action emanating

from a number of major international conferences and

events, including the Global Programme of Action for the

Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing

States, 2/ the Global Programme of Action for the Protection

of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, 3/ the

Mar del Plata Action Plan, 4/ the International Drinking

Water Supply and Sanitation Decade, 5/ the International

Conference on Water and the Environment: Development

Issues for the 21st Century (Dublin, 1992); 6/ the World

Summit for Social Development; 7/ the Fourth World

Conference on Women; 8/ the United Nations Conference on

Human Settlements (Habitat II); 9/ and the World Food

Summit. 10/  Furthermore, in formulating such policies,

Governments are called upon to address the need for

achieving universal access to water supply and sanitation,

with poverty eradication being one of the means, taking into

account, in particular, chapter 18 of Agenda 21, the Global

Consultation on Safe Water and Sanitation for the 1990s

(New Delhi, 1990) 11/ and the recommendations of the 1994

Noordwijk Action Programme on Drinking Water and

Environmental Sanitation. 12/



18.  The holding of the Expert Group Meeting on Strategic

Approaches to Freshwater Management and its report are

noted with appreciation. In formulating and implementing

policies and programmes, Governments are invited to

consider the key recommendations of the report.







         A.    Information for decision-making





19.  Governments are encouraged to establish and maintain

effective information and monitoring networks and further

promote the exchange and dissemination of information  

including related socio-economic and environmental data,

gender differentiated, where appropriate -- needed for policy

formulation, planning and investment decisions and

operational management of freshwater resources, and

encourage the harmonization of data collection at the

basin/aquifer level. Public access to this information should

be facilitated. This includes the need to improve the

understanding of hydrology (surface and groundwater) and

the function of ecosystems and to strengthen relevant

information systems better to foresee and manage resource

uncertainty. Such efforts on the part of developing

countries, particularly the least developed countries, require

support from the international community.



20.  Governments are encouraged to implement and

monitor national water-related indicators of progress in

achieving integrated water resource management, including

water quality and quantity objectives, taking into account

ongoing work of the Commission on Sustainable

Development on indicators of sustainable development. 



21.  In addition, in accordance with their policies,

priorities and resources, Governments may find it useful to

carry out national water quality and quantity inventories for

surface water and groundwater, including the identification

of gaps in regard of available information.



22.  Governments are invited to establish or strengthen

mechanisms for consultations on drought and flood

preparedness and early warning systems and mitigation

plans at the local and national levels. Governments are

encouraged to consider the establishment of systems -- 

which may take the form of emergency funds, where

appropriate -- to ensure that individuals and communities

can be compensated for the damage that they suffer from

such extreme events. At the international level, there is, in

particular, need to maintain support of these activities at the

conclusion of the International Decade on Natural Disaster

Reduction.



23.  The international community should support national

efforts in the areas outlined above. The United Nations

system is called upon to play a central role in the

development and coordination of relevant data and

information networks, strengthen regional and global

monitoring systems, carry out periodic global assessments

and analyses, and promote the broadest exchange and

dissemination of relevant information, in particular to

developing countries.





     B.  Institutions, capacity-building and participation





24.  Governments are urged to establish national

coordination mechanisms, as already envisaged in the Mar

del Plata Action Plan, providing for the involvement of all

relevant parts of government and public authorities, in the

formulation and implementation of integrated water

resource development and management plans and policies.

Such mechanisms should also provide for consultation with

major groups. This involves the participation of water users

and the public in planning, implementing, and evaluating

water projects. 



25.  Governments are invited to take the necessary steps

to establish legislative and regulatory frameworks -- and to

improve such frameworks where they exist -- to facilitate

integrated water resource management and strategies,

including both demand and supply management, taking into

account the need to improve capacity to apply and enforce

such frameworks. Each Government needs to define its

relevant functions and distinguish between those related to

standards, regulation-setting and control, on the one hand,

and the direct management and provision of services, on the

other. 



26.  In view of the complexity of implementing integrated

water resource development and management strategies,

Governments should strengthen institutional and human

capacities at the national and local levels. At the local level,

this could be done through local Agenda 21 processes,

where they exist. Effective water resource management and

protection requires appropriate tools for educating and

training water management staff and water users at all levels

and for ensuring that women and youth have equal access

to education and training programmes.



27.  Governments are encouraged to establish an enabling

environment to facilitate partnerships between public and

private sectors and non-governmental organizations, aiming

towards improved local capacity to protect water resources,

through significant outreach educational programmes and

improved public access to information. The pivotal role of

women should be reflected in institutional arrangements for

the development and management of water resources. There

is a need to strengthen the role of women, who should have

an equal voice with regard to water resource development

and management and the sharing of benefits.



28.  In support of national efforts in this field, the

international community, in particular the organizations of

the United Nations system, should strengthen capacity-building 

programmes, taking into account the special needs

of developing countries, in particular the least developed

countries and the specific circumstances of small island

developing States, in such areas as training, institutional

development and the participation of women.





    C.  Technology transfer and research cooperation





29.  Governments are encouraged to stimulate and remove

impediments to research and development cooperation,

together with the development of technologies for

sustainable water management and use, and to increase

efficiency, reduce pollution and promote sustainable

agriculture and food production systems. This involves the

adaptation and diffusion of new and innovative techniques

and technologies, both private and public, and the transfer

of technologies to developing countries, inter alia on

concessional terms, as mutually agreed, taking into account

the need to protect intellectual property rights. The use of

local and traditional technology and knowledge should be

promoted, and South/South cooperation should be

encouraged.



30.  Governments, industry and international organizations

should promote technology transfer and research

cooperation to foster sustainable agricultural practices

which promote efficient water use and prevent pollution of

surface water and groundwater. These technologies should

include the improvement of crops grown on marginal sites,

erosion control practices, and the adaptation of farming

systems. They should also improve water efficiency in both

irrigated and rain-fed areas and improve the adaptation and

productivity of drought-tolerant crop species. Farmer

participation in farm research, irrigation projects and

watershed management should be encouraged. Research

results and technologies should be available to both small

and large producers.



31.  In order to help increase the supplies of freshwater,

research cooperation and technology transfer to developing

countries are desirable in the areas of desalination, brackish

water treatment, waste-water treatment and desert dew

catchment and in the use of remote-sensing techniques and

other relevant modern technologies.



32.  Water management provides an opportunity for

technology cooperation projects involving partnerships

between the public and private sectors. Governments are

urged to promote innovative approaches.



33.  The Commission on Sustainable Development  should

call upon all relevant parties to develop and implement best

practices and appropriate technologies in the area of water

development and management. Codes of conduct, guidelines

and other voluntary agreements can enhance the positive

role that industry and agriculture can play and should cover

the activities of companies operating and investing outside

their home countries.



34.  Governments are encouraged to make the best use of

national, regional and international environmentally sound

technology centres. 



35.  Donor countries and international organizations are

urged to intensify their efforts to facilitate their transfer of

environmentally sound technologies, including publicly

owned technology; to accelerate their technical assistance

programmes to developing countries, aimed at facilitating

the choice and acquisition of appropriate technologies and

their transfer and diffusion; and to promote exchanges of

know-how. The United Nations system has an important role

to play as a clearing house in putting those in need of

assistance in contact with those able to provide it.





         D.    Financial resources and mechanisms





36.  As stated in the Programme for the Further

Implementation of Agenda 21, the intergovernmental

process on freshwater, under the aegis of the Commission,

will be fully fruitful only if there is a proven commitment

by the international community for the provision of new and

additional financial resources for its goals.



37.  New and additional financial resources for developing

countries, in particular the least developed countries, will

need to be mobilized for the development and management

of freshwater resources if the broader aims of sustainable

development are to be realized, particularly in relation to

poverty eradication. Existing resources currently allocated

to the freshwater sector should be used effectively, which

should help mobilize additional finance from all sources,

both public and private.



38.  Official development assistance should complement

and focus on programmes aimed at meeting basic human

needs, including freshwater development and management,

structural reform, protection of ecosystems, sustainable

management of resources, and promoting participation and

capacity-building. Donors, including multilateral donor

institutions, should be ready to continue, or even reinforce,

the support for programmes and projects in the water sector

which will reduce or eliminate poverty. In addition, donors

should persist in trying to meet international development

targets. Projects supported by donors need to be capable of

becoming financially self-sustaining once the initial

investment is complete. Donors should also consider

support for the freshwater sector in light of cross-sectoral

interests such as desertification and climate change.



39.  The private sector represents an important new source

of investment in the water sector. Local and national water

management systems should therefore be designed in ways

that encourage and support public/private partnerships. It

is important to ensure that water management systems are

organized so that they will be robust and, once established,

can support themselves. The introduction of enabling

financial framework conditions will be of paramount

importance, if private sector finance is to be mobilized.



40.  Governments are urged to strengthen consultative

mechanisms aimed at improving donor/recipient schemes

for the mobilization of financial resources in a well-targeted

and predictable manner, based on local and national

programmes of action, with a special focus on integrated

water resource management which recognizes the needs of

vulnerable groups and people living in poverty.



41.  All costs must be covered, whether by water users or

the public-sector budget, if the provision of water is to be

viable. Cost recovery needs to be gradually phased in by

water utilities or the public sector, taking into account the

specific conditions of each country. Subsidies for specific

groups, particularly people living in poverty, are required

in some countries. Governments could benefit from sharing

experience in this regard. 



42.  In the light of commitments on resources in relation

to water made at the World Summit for Social Development

and at the Fourth World Conference on Women, initiatives

should be undertaken to help identify and mobilize more

resources -- human, technical (know-how) and financial -- 

and take into account the 20/20 initiative in accordance with

national policies. Resources should be focused on local and

national programmes that are consistent with the key issues.

A fundamental aim must be to promote the generation of the

resources needed for proper water supply, sanitation and

water management systems and their efficient and effective

deployment. Governments are invited to allocate sufficient

public financial resources for the provision of water supply

and sanitation to meet basic human needs and for waste-water treatment. 



43.  Governments, when using economic instruments for

guiding the allocation of water, are urged to take into

account considerations of environmental requirements,

efficiency, transparency and equity, taking into particular

account the needs of vulnerable groups and people living

in poverty.



44.  International financial support will continue to be

important, particularly in helping to find ways of removing

constraints on the development of local and national water

management systems. Existing international financial

support arrangements should be reviewed, to see if they can

be made more effective in this task. Governments, with the

support of the international community, needs to promote

and examine the economic, social and environmental values

provided by ecosystems and the cost of their degradation.



45.  The international community could give consideration

to creating a financial mechanism to promote the efforts of

developing countries in the development, management,

distribution and use of water resources. Such a mechanism

could draw upon existing funds and be supported by

existing administrative arrangements. The discussion of this

proposal should include consideration of the following

challenges/issues:



                (a)     Promoting more effective donor coordination

and more effective and creative use of existing resources;



                (b)     Generation and allocation of new and additional

financial resources from all sources; 



                (c)     The inclusion of resources in the form of direct

grants and loans in concessional terms; 



                (d)     A quantified resources programme, in

accordance with the needs of developing countries; 



                (e)     Resources contributions by industrialized

countries and international financial institutions, including

regional institutions; 



                (f)     Formulation of financial strategies which include

possible partnerships with non-governmental organizations

and the private sector and the promotion of conditions for

increased private financial flows;



                (g)     The strengthening of consultative mechanisms

by Governments and the international community aimed at

making freshwater a development priority and at improving

dialogue between industrialized and developing countries

in a well targeted and predictable manner, based on national

actions and plans, with a special focus on integrated water

resource management that recognizes the needs of

vulnerable groups and people living in poverty. This could

include exploring the potential of new financial

arrangements.





               V.    Follow-up and assessment





46.  Governments are invited to report to the Commission

on Sustainable Development in the year 2002 on actions

they have undertaken towards the development and

implementation of national integrated water resource

development management policies. The Secretariat is

invited to continue collecting, analysing and disseminating

national information, promoting exchanges of such

information and developing relevant databases.



47.  To facilitate progress at the national level, interested

Governments and organizations are strongly encouraged to

organize, in support of the work of the Commission,

meetings and activities aimed at exchanges of experiences

and best practice on specific issues proposed by

Governments. Such meetings, inter alia, should promote

exchanges of information on local and national action

programmes and community-based efforts to implement the

provisions of Agenda 21 relevant to freshwater, especially

advances in integrated water resource and watershed

management.



48.  The Commission should give consideration to possible

specific modalities of an intergovernmental dialogue on

freshwater, to take place after its sixth session. The goal

would be to take stock of progress achieved at all levels and

give further guidance to various activities leading to a more

comprehensive review in the year 2002. Possible options

include:



                (a)     Addressing the issue of freshwater during one

of the ad hoc inter-sessional groups of the Commission

which will meet in 2000; 



                (b)     Consolidating the work and functions of the

Committee on Natural Resources into the Committee on

Sustainable Development so as to provide the capacity for

continuing intergovernmental dialogue on freshwater issues,

subject to the outcome of ongoing discussions in the context

of follow-up to General Assembly resolution 50/227 on the

reform of the Economic and Social Council's subsidiary

bodies;



                (c)     Organizing a special inter-sessional meeting in

the year 2000 to be funded through extrabudgetary

resources or sponsored by interested Governments. 



49.  The United Nations system, in support of the

intergovernmental dialogue in the Commission, acting

through the ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources, and

working in collaboration with international institutions

outside the system, is invited to elaborate, for consideration

by Governments through the Commission, in the year 2000,

an international implementation programme containing

action-oriented recommendations on ways and means to

enhance coordination within the United Nations system to

accelerate the implementation of chapter 18 of Agenda 21

which will outline ways and means to encourage

international support for national actions. Such

recommendations should: 



                (a)     Systematize various objectives identified for the

United Nations system in Agenda 21 and other relevant

international declarations and programmes of action; 



                (b)     Suggest on the basis of analysis of experience

gained in the United Nations system, ways and means to

enhance coordination in order to raise the effectiveness of

support to the implementation of objectives identified in

chapter 18 of Agenda 21;



                (c)     Suggest practical ways and actions to reach such

objectives through various services offered by international

institutions, in such areas as capacity-building,

infrastructure development, research, policy advice, etc.

This should include the implementation of recommendations

to the United Nations system contained in the present report

(see paras. 23, 28 and 35);



                (d)     Define effective division of responsibilities and

consider ways of increasing efficiency in programme

delivery, including the avoidance of unnecessary overlap

and duplication, and possibilities for joint programming;



                (e)     Explore the potential of basin-level

arrangements, where appropriate, drawing upon the

experience gained in existing regional programmes in the

United Nations system;



                (f)     Identify benchmarks and time-frames for

implementation, and necessary actors, both within and

outside the United Nations system; 



                (g)     Identify all possible sources of finance for

implementation. 



50.  The United Nations Environment Programme should,

in collaboration with other members of the ACC

Subcommittee on Freshwater, provide an effective

contribution to the work of the Commission on Sustainable

Development and the ACC through the provision of policy,

technical and scientific advice on environmental aspects of

the sustainable development of freshwater resources. The

potential of the Global Environment Monitoring System and

other relevant global monitoring networks should be fully

utilized.



51.  At the country level, the United Nations system  

through the United Nations Development Assistance

Framework, as appropriate, and the resident coordinator

system   must enhance coordinated efforts and programmes

in the area of freshwater. Better coordination is needed

between the work of United Nations agencies and bilateral

donors and international financial institutions. Possibilities

should be identified for joint projects and missions. 



52.  Finally, the organizations of the United Nations,

through the ACC Subcommittee on Water Resources, are

invited to develop a consolidated guidebook on integrated

water resources management, to replace existing sectoral

guidelines, and to submit the guidelines to the Commission

on Sustainable Development at its session in 2002.







        VI.    Organizational matters





         A.    Opening and duration of the session





53.  The Inter-Sessional Ad Hoc Working Group on

Strategic Approaches to Freshwater Management of the

Commission on Sustainable Development met in New York

from 23 to 27 February 1998, in accordance with Economic

and Social Council resolution 1997/63 of 25 July 1997. The

Working Group held 9 meetings (1st to 9th meetings).



54.  The meeting was opened by the temporary Chairman,

Ms. Marta Ine's Galindo (Colombia), Vice-Chairman of the

Commission on Sustainable Development.





         B.    Attendance





55.  The session was attended by representatives of 39

States members of the Commission on Sustainable

Development. Observers for other States Members of the

United Nations, the European Community and

representatives of organizations of the United Nations

system and observers for intergovernmental and non-governmental 

organizations also attended. (A list of participants is 

given in the annex below.)





         C.    Election of officers





56.  At the 1st meeting, on 23 February, the Working

Group elected by acclamation, H.E. Mr. Rogatien Biaou

(Benin) and Ms. JoAnne DiSano (Australia) as Co-Chairmen.



57.  At the same meeting, the Co-Chairmen made

introductory statements.





         D.    Agenda and organization of work





58.  At the 1st meeting, on 23 February, the Working

Group adopted its provisional agenda, contained in

document E/CN.17/ISWG.I/1998/1, 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.  Strategic approaches to freshwater management.



                4.  Other matters.



                5.  Adoption of the report of the Working Group.



59.  At the same meeting, the Working Group agreed to

invite the Convention on Wetlands of International

Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar

Convention) to attend the session of the Working Group as

an intergovernmental organization, with the status of

observer.





         E.    Documentation





60.  The Working Group had before it the following

documents:



                (a)     Report of the Secretary-General on strategic

approaches to freshwater management (E/CN.17/1998/2);



                (b)     Report of the Secretary-General on strategic

approaches to freshwater management, transmitting the

report of the Expert Group Meeting on Strategic

Approaches to Freshwater Management (Harare, 27-30

January 1998) (E/CN.17/1998/2/Add.1);



                (c)     Report of the Secretary-General on activities of

the organizations of the United Nations system in the field

of freshwater resources (E/CN.17/1998/2);



                (d)     Letter dated 11 February 1998 from the

Permanent Representative of Zimbabwe to the United

Nations addressed to the Secretary-General transmitting the

report of the Expert Group Meeting on Strategic

Approaches to Freshwater Management, held at Harare,

Zimbabwe, from 27 to 30 January 1998 (E/CN.17/1998/11);



                (e)     Note by the Secretariat on participation of

intergovernmental organizations in the work of the Inter-Sessional Ad Hoc

Working Group on Strategic Approaches to Freshwater Management

(E/CN.17/ISWG.I/1998/L.1);



                (f)     Report of the High-level Advisory Board on

Sustainable Development for the 1997 review of the Rio commitments

(E/CN.17/1997/17/Add.1).





       F.  Adoption of the report of the Working Group





61.  At the 9th meeting, on 27 February 1998, the Working

Group had before it the draft report

(E/CN.17/ISWG.I/1998/L.2), as well as an informal paper.



62.  At the same meeting, the Working Group took note

of the informal paper and adopted its report.





                            Notes



1/  Resolution S/19-2.



2/  See Report of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of

Small Island Developing States, Bridgetown, Barbados, 25 April-6 May 1994

(United Nations publication, Sales No. E.94.I.18 and Corr.1 and 2), chap. I,

resolution 1, annex II.



3/  See A/51/116, Annex II.



4/  See Report of the United Nations Water Conference, Mar del Plata, 14-25

March 1977 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.77.II.A.12), chap.I.



5/  See General Assembly resolution 35/18.



6/  See A/CONF.115/PC/112, annex II.



7/  See Report of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, 6-12

March 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.8).



8/  See Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15

September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13).



9/  See Report of the United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat

II), Istanbul, 3-14 June 1996.



10/  See Report of the World Food Summit, Rome, 13-17 November 1996 (WFS

96/REP), (Rome, 1997).



11/  See A/C.2/45/3.



12/  Adopted at the International Ministerial Conference on Drinking Water and

Environmental Sanitation, Noordwijk, Netherlands, 22-23 March 1994.  See

E/CN.17/1994/12.





                               Annex



                       List of participants





     Members



Australia: JoAnne DiSano, Ross Walker, Howard Bamsey, Malcolm Forbes, Richard

Bomford, Kerry Smith, Volker Aeuckens, Emma Ferguson, Kylie Oakes-Ati, Peter

Hoey, Amanda Hawkins



Bahamas: Maurice E. Moore, Sharon Brennen-Haylock, Sandra P. Carey, Allison P.

Christie



Bangladesh: Anwarul Karim Chowdhury, F.A. Shamim Ahmed,  Muhammad Ali Sorcar



Belgium: Alex Reyn, Jan Verschooten, Marc Gedopt, Remy Merckx, Joseph-Simon

Smitz, Hugo Brauwers, Johan Debar, Jan de Mulder



Benin: Fassaddi Adam Yacoubou, Rogatien Biaou, Samuel Amehou, Charles Borromee

Todjinou, Thomas D'Aquin Okoudjou, Thomas Guedegbe, Paul H. Houansou 



Bolivia: Alberto Salamanca, Estela Mendoza, Gustavo Claros



Brazil: Enio Cordeiro, Antonio Fernando Cruz de Mello, Eduardo Carvalho,

Carlos Alberto Michaelsen den Hartog, Julio Thadeu Silva Kettelbut



Bulgaria: Vladimir Sotirov, Zvetolyub Basmajiev



Burundi: Gamaliel Ndaruzaniye, Jean-Baptiste Hajayandi

               

Canada: Richard Ballhorn, Ken MaCartney, Brigita Gravitis-Beck, Denis

Chouinard, Yvan Jobin, Rene'e Sauve', Guy Rochon, Carol Smith-Wright, Veena

Halliwell, Andrew Kenyon, Kevin Wisener, David Malone, Barry Burciul,

James Riordan, Linda Dunn,  Janet Stephenson, Tim Hodges



Central African Republic:



China: Liu Zhiguang, Zhang Yue

               

Colombia: Julio Londono Paredes, Jairo Montoya Pedroza, Marta Ines Galindo,

Maria Andrea Alban



Djibouti:



Egypt: Nabil Elaraby, Hussein Ehsan El-Atfy, Adel Abdellatif, Mohamed Fattah



Ethiopia: Mohammed Duri, Berhanemeskel Nega, Meheret Getahoun, Bisrat Gidey K.

Mariam



Finland: Taisto Huimasalo, Risto Ranki, Asko Luukkainen, Antero Honkasalo,

Marit Huhta, Jorma Suvanto, Salla Korpela, Jukka Uosukainen, Hanelle Nyroos,

Marjo Nummelin 



France:



Gabon:



Germany: Gerhard Henze, Cornelia Quennet-Thielen, Wolfgang Runge, Rainald

Roesch, Knut Beyer, Karsten Sach, Hans-Joachim Kampe, Elfriede Bierbrauer,

Carola Schmidt, Peter Christmann, Jurgen Wenderoth, Claudia Warning, Wolfgang

Grabs, Bernd Schleich, Luiz Ramalho, Frank Schulte



Ghana:



Guyana: S.R. Insanally, G. Talbot, K. Simon



Hungary:



India:



Indonesia: Arizal Effendi, Mochammad Slamet Hidayat, Bagas Hapsoro, Sidharto

Reza Suryo-di-Puro



Iran (Islamic Republic of): Bagher Asadi, Mohammad Reza Hadji Karim Djabbari,

Esmail Tekyeh Sadat



Ireland: Dympna Hayes, Damien Boyle



Japan: Wataru Nishigahiro, Hideki Ito, Yasufumi Enomura, Masahiko Tanoi,

Hidefumi Kurasaka, Hirotsugu Ikeda, Akikazu Adachi, Takemasa Minemoto,

Nobumasa Nakashima, Kiyofumi Kobayashi, Yutaka Yoshino



Mexico: Manuel Tello, Cesar Herrera Toleda, Gerardo Lozano, Roberto Cabral,

Francisco Giner, Ramon Benitez, Veronique Deli, Sandra Pina, Ulises Canchola,

Mirella Areyzaga, Bertha Elena De Buen, Ruben Barocio Ramirez



Mozambique:



Netherlands: Pieter Verbeek, Maarten de Hoog, Ron Lander, Vincent van den

Bergen, Albert van der Beesen, Gerard Broseliske, Daniel Pietermaat, Jeroen

Steeghs, Herman Verheij, Karin Wester, Linda Docter



Niger:



Pakistan:



Panama: Judith M. Cardoze     



Papua New Guinea: Utula U. Samana, Jimmy U. Ovia, Adam V. Delaney



Peru: Marcela Lopez Bravo de Ruiz, Italo Acha



Philippines:



Poland: Wojciech Ponikiewski, Jacek Jaskiewicz



Russian Federation: Nikolai V. Tchoulkov, Georgy Voloviki, Vassili Nebenzie,

Aleksandr Pankin, Dmitry Maksimitchev, Sergei Fedotov



Saudi Arabia: Ali Bahaitham, Ahmed ElDahry



Senegal:



Slovakia:



Spain: Inocencio F. Arias, Arturo Laclaustra, Amparo Rambla, Francisco Rabena,

Marta Betanzos, Manuel Varela



Sudan: Elfatih Erwa, Mubarak Ramtalla, Daffa-Alla 

Alhag Ali Osman, Omer Dahab Fadol Mohamed, Tarig Ali Bakhit,

Mohamed Mustafa M. Ahmed



Sweden: Michael Odevall, Hans Lundborg, Per Tegner, Anders Berntell, Mats

Ekenger, Sofie Nordstrom, Per Augustsson, Pia Lovkvist, Ingvar Andersson



Switzerland: Daniel Hartmann, Livia Leu-Agosti



Thailand: Charivat Santaputra, Prasert Tapaneeyangkul, Manop Mekprayoonthong,

Arunrung Phothong



Ukraine: Volodymyr M. Reshetnyak 



United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland:

Sheila McCabe, Peter Gooderham, Ian Symons, Alan Simcock, Scott Ghagan,

Alistair Wray, Richard Dewdney, Michael Massey, David Dunn, Robert Baldi,

Alasdair Wardhaugh, Peter Dearden, David Townsend, Chris Tompkins



United States of America: Mark G. Hambley, Betty King, Adela Backiel, Donald

Brown, Ann Carey, James Freud, Donald Burgess Laird, Deborah Linde, John

Matuszak, Wendy McConnel, Lynette J. Poulton, Seth Winnick, Kirk Barrett,

William Breed, Ronald Hoffer, Timothy Kasten, Gerry Delli Priscoli, Jane

Siegel, Sandra Smithey, E. Zell Steever, Gail Karlsson, Norine Kennedy, Thomas

Rogers



Venezuela: Oscar de Rojas, Evelyn Horowitz, Lui's Fernando Pe'rez-Segnini,

Judith Musso-Quintero



Zimbabwe: Machivenyika T. Mapuranga, Alfred Mutiwazuka, Sibokile Mtetwa





          States Members of the United Nations

          represented by observers



Algeria, Argentina, Austria, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Chile, Co^te d'Ivoire,

Denmark, Ecuador, Greece, Guatemala, Haiti, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Lithuania,

Malawi, Malta, Monaco, Morocco, Namibia, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay,

Portugal, Republic of Korea, Romania, Slovenia, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia,

Turkey, Uruguay, Yemen





          Entities represented by observers



European Community     





               Specialized agencies and related organizations

                                   

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, United Nations

Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, World Health Organization,

United Nations Industrial Development Organization





               Intergovernmental organizations



Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Convention on Wetlands

of International Importance, especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar

Convention)





               Non-governmental organizations



General consultative status with the Economic and Social Council: 

Franciscans International, International Chamber of Commerce, International

Confederation of Free Trade Unions, World Wide Fund for Nature International



Roster or accredited to the Commission on Sustainable Development: 

Alliance to End Childhood Lead Poisoning, Alliance of Northern Peoples for

Environment and Development, Association of the Bar of the City of New

York, Earth Council, Friends of the Earth, Institute for Agriculture and Trade

Policy, International Institute for Sustainable Development, Netherlands

Committee for IUCN, The Other Economic Summit, United Nations Environment and

Development - UK Committee, Women's Environment and Development Organization,

World Sustainable Agriculture Association, Zero

Date last posted: 8 December 1999 15:15:30
Comments and suggestions: DESA/DSD