NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS ON WATER SUPPLIES MINERAL EXTRACTION, OTHER ISSUES

16 May 1996

Press Release
NR/226

NATURAL RESOURCES COMMITTEE MAKES RECOMMENDATIONS ON WATER SUPPLIES MINERAL EXTRACTION, OTHER ISSUES

19960516 Action by Economic and Social Council Sought; Session Ends with Approval of Subjects for Review at Committee's 1998 Gathering

The Economic and Social Council was recommended to urge governments to consider establishing pilot projects aimed at averting water crises in endangered river basins and regions, under the terms of a draft resolution adopted this afternoon by the Committee on Natural Resources. In the area of minerals, the Council would also endorse the need for a geochemical database, a global knowledge base and authoritative assessment and dissemination of information on technological progress related to the sustainable extraction and use of minerals.

The draft resolutions were contained in the final report of the 24- member Committee, which it approved as orally revised without a vote, thus, completing the work of its third session.

In order to develop a geochemical database, the Committee recommended that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) cooperate with national agencies. In addition, it recommended that the United Nations Secretariat consult with the FAO, regional commissions and the international mining industry to consider requirements for the global knowledge base on mineral-resource potential.

By the terms of the Committee's proposed draft resolution on integrated water-resources development and management, the Council would urge the United Nations system, other concerned organizations and the international community at large to give priority attention to providing governments with technical and financial support in their efforts to deal with serious water-related stresses. The Economic and Social Council would also recommend that governments assign the highest priority to the formulation and implementation of policies to, among other things, balance the water needs of food production with those of other uses and protect groundwater from overutilization and pollution.

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The draft resolution on water resources would also have the Council recommend the adoption of measures to improve the efficient use of water resources in the context of sustainable production and consumption patterns. It would also have the Council recommend that governments, with the international community's assistance, take appropriate measures to improve the financing, operation and maintenance of water-resources projects and to improve their institutional, legal and technical capabilities in the area of water resources.

By the terms of the resolutions the Committee adopted in the field of minerals, it brought to the attention of the Council several matters. It requested the Secretary-General to provide overview reports for its fourth session and asked for timely information on decisions and actions within the United Nations system in the inter-sessional period. It urged Member States to put in place appropriate regulatory arrangements to formalize small-scale mining. It also urged them to allow appropriate interaction with, and assistance from, international financing institutions and multinational mining companies.

The Committee decided that developing the mineral resources of developing countries and economies in transition should be the principal focus of its inter-sessional activities and of the agenda of its fourth session. It also noted the need for innovative privatization of mineral assets.

In the area of water resources, the report also urged immediate action in three areas. National socio-economic development strategies must be integrated with water-related biophysical constraints, with particular emphasis on food security. There must be increased emphasis on using demand management to promote more efficient consumption and production patterns, and more efficient mechanisms for allocating water among different uses. And an intersectoral approach to land-use and water-resources management should be promoted.

Also this afternoon, the Committee decided to reduce the length of its next session, in 1998, by two working days to eight. It approved the provisional agenda for that session which, reflecting the concerns of the current session, includes items on issues related to spatial planning of land (including mineral and water resources); the authoritative technological assessment of progress towards sustainable production patterns in the extraction and utilization of minerals; the global land-monitoring programme; and the global knowledge base on mineral-resource potential.

During its current session, which began on 6 May, the Committee held four plenary meetings and five meetings of its working groups on minerals and water resources. At the first meeting, the Director of the Division of Environment Management and Social Development made a statement on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General for Development Support and Management Services. The Director of the Division for Sustainable Development spoke on behalf of the Under-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Sustainable Development.

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In later plenary meetings, experts stressed that, given the United Nations lack of funds, the Committee should focus on agencies and groups which had funding available. In that regard, the need for increasing the effectiveness and coordination of regional commissions was discussed. One expert, saying that the regional commissions' activities seemed overly focused on training and workshops, called for a real change in development on the ground. Another expert expressed concern at the non-representation of some regional commissions at the meeting. Other experts urged the Committee to concentrate on a few important issues rather than dealing with a broad range. The Committee was also briefed by representatives of United Nations specialized agencies and regional commissions.

In his closing statement today, Neculai Pavlovschi, expert from Romania and Committee Chairman, thanked those who had helped the Committee do its work, given the present conditions at the United Nations, including the Organization's financial constraints. The effectiveness of the inter- sessional meetings being arranged by the United Nations Department of Development Support and Management Services had been revealed in the convergence of opinions among the experts and other representatives attending the session.

Also in closing, Beatrice Labonne, Director of the Division for Environment Management and Social Development in the Department of Development Support and Management Services, praised the Committee's work, saying that among other things she was pleased by the merging of the concerns of the water-resources and minerals experts. She hoped that this convergence would continue during discussions of land-use issues during the fourth session.

Committee Work Programme

The Committee on Natural Resources met this afternoon to consider the adoption of the report of its third session. The draft report has three sections. One (E/C.7/1996/L.2) deals with the Committee's organization of work during this, its third session. The other two deal with mineral and water-resources issues. They propose two draft resolutions to be recommended to the Economic and Social Council for adoption.

The section of the draft report dealing with minerals (document E/C.7/1996/L.2/Add.1) proposes a draft resolution by which the Council would endorse the need for a top-level body on mining and materials, as well as the need for a geo-chemical database and a global knowledge base. The proposed top-level body on mining and materials would report on progress towards the sustainable extraction and use of mineral resources. In order to develop a geo-chemical database, the draft report would have the Committee recommend that the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) cooperate with national agencies. In addition, the Committee would recommend that the United Nations Secretariat consult with the FAO, regional commissions and the international mining industry to consider requirements for a global knowledge base on mineral-resource potential.

By the terms of the other resolutions in the field of minerals, the Committee would bring several matters to the attention of the Council. It would request the Secretary-General to provide overview reports for its fourth session and would ask for timely information on decisions and actions within the United Nations system in the inter-sessional period. It would urge Member States to put in place appropriate regulatory arrangements to formalize small- scale mining. In addition, it would urge them to allow appropriate interaction with, and assistance from, international financing institutions and multi-national mining companies.

The Committee would also decide that developing the mineral resources of developing countries and economies in transition should be the principal focus of its inter-sessional activities and of the agenda of its fourth session. The Committee would encourage cooperation between international research and funding agencies and host countries in preparing and implementing environment impact-assessment and management plans. It would encourage the development of the role of the United Nations system as the focal point for collection and dissemination of information on a continuing basis. It would note the need for innovative privatization of mineral assets.

The section of the draft report dealing with water resources (document E/C.7/1996/L.2/Add.2) proposes a draft resolution by which the Council would urge governments, with the support of the United Nations system and other

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concerned organizations, to consider establishing pilot projects aimed at averting water crises in endangered river basins and regions. The Committee's draft resolution on integrated water-resources development and management would also have the Council urge the United Nations system, other concerned organizations and the international community at large to give priority attention to providing governments with technical and financial support in their efforts to deal with serious water-related stresses. And the draft resolution would have the Economic and Social Council recommend that governments assign the highest priority to the formulation and implementation of policies to: manage water resources in large cities and towns; balance the water needs of food production with those of other uses; accelerate significantly the rate of progress in the provision of water-supply and sanitation, particularly for the urban and rural poor; control pollution from land-based sources, sewage and effluents; and protect groundwater from over- utilization and pollution.

Further, the draft resolution on water resources would have the Council recommend the adoption of measures to improve the efficient use of water resources in the context of sustainable production and consumption patterns, and the growing importance of world trade. It would also have the Council recommend that governments, with the international community's assistance, take appropriate measures in two areas: to improve the financing, operation and maintenance of water-resources projects at both the national and regional levels; and to improve their institutional, legal and technical capabilities in the area of water resources. The latter could include the strengthening and, where necessary, the establishment of regional organizations.

Apart from the draft resolution, the draft report would have the Committee urge immediate action in three areas. It states that national socio-economic development strategies must be integrated with water-related biophysical constraints, with particular emphasis on food security. Also the Committee would urge increased emphasis on using demand management to promote more efficient consumption and production patterns, and more efficient mechanisms for allocating water among different uses. An intersectoral approach to land-use and water-resources management should be promoted, the draft report adds.

About two thirds of the population living in low-income countries are already facing conditions of water-resource vulnerability, stress and scarcity, the draft report states. What has often been referred to as a global water crisis now increasingly appears to be a series of worsening regional or local crises with global implications.

Managing the increasing water-scarcity problem will need to combine concern for economic efficiency with concern for social equity, the draft report continues. Wherever scarcity is a result of inefficient water use,

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demand management and change in crop production patterns should provide solutions. Wherever countries are already using more water than is environmentally sustainable, fundamental changes in production and consumption patterns would be required. The efficient management and use of rainwater and soil moisture is essential in drought-prone areas.

The draft report expresses concern about current trends regarding the decentralization and privatization of the delivery of water services. In some countries, the legal framework being proposed would allow the sale of water rights, which could result in monopolies and hoarding of water rights. If water markets are to be implemented, they should fit into the wider scope of national socio-economic policies and should respect environmental requirements.

Approval of Draft Resolutions, Decisions

The Committee approved the provisional agenda for its fourth session. Some of the agenda items specified that United Nations agencies would provide oral reports to the Committee. There was some discussion as to the difference between oral reports, with which the speaker normally provides a text, and written ones, which must also be officially translated and printed. It was agreed that because of the financial implications of requiring written reports, the provisional agenda would only stipulate that, at the minimum, the agencies provide oral reports.

The Committee adopted the organizational section of its report as orally revised.

The section of the report of the Committee dealing with mineral resources was adopted as orally revised after several interventions. In particular, an additional preambular paragraph, expressing appreciation of the ad hoc expert group meeting on strategic issues concerning transboundary water resources, was added to the Committee's resolution on the activities of the United Nations system in the field of water and mineral resources and inter- agency cooperation. An operative paragraph was added to the Committee's resolution on environmental protection and restoration issues arising from mineral industry activities. It requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Committee at its fourth session a report on the development and application of state-of-the-art technologies for utilization/reprocessing of mineral-industry wastes.

The heading of the Committee's resolution on Top-level Scientific and Technical Body on Mining and Materials was revised to read: Authoritative Technological Assessment of Progress towards Sustainable Extraction and Utilization of Minerals. Extensive oral revisions were made to this resolution. One of its operative paragraphs, which endorsed the need for a

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top-level body on mining and materials, was revised so that, instead, it endorsed the need for authoritative assessment and dissemination of information on technological progress.

The Committee adopted the section of its report on water resources as orally revised. In particular, instead of proposing to the Economic and Social Council that it recommend that governments adopt measures to improve the efficient use of water resources, the Committee decided to propose to the Council that it recommend that governments consider adopting such measures.

Committee Membership

The Committee on Natural Resources is composed of 24 government- nominated experts from different Member States. The experts serve in their personal capacities for four-year terms.

The following fourteen members attended the current session: Patrick Maselino Chipungu (Zambia), Denis A. Davis (Canada), Vladislav M. Dolgopolov (Russian Federation), Malin Falkenmark (Sweden), Mohammad Nawaz Khan (Pakistan), Godfrey L.S. Leshange (United Republic of Tanzania), José Manuel Mejía Angel (Colombia), Thomas P.Z. Mpofu (Zimbabwe), Dossou Barthélémy Otchoun (Benin), Hendrik Martinus Oudshoorn (Netherlands), Neculai Pavlovschi (Romania), R.W. Roye Rutland (Australia), Natarayan Suryanarayanan (India) and Zhang Hai-Lun (China).

Also attending the meeting were representatives of the Czech Republic, Syria, Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA). The following United Nations bodies, related organizations and specialized agencies were also represented: the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), International Labour Organisation (ILO) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO).

Neculai Pavlovschi, expert from Romania, served as Chairman. The Vice- Chairmen were R.W. Roye Rutland of Australia and Hendrik Martinus Oudshoorn of the Netherlands. Mohammad Nawaz Khan served as Rapporteur. The Committee decided that a third Vice-Chairman would not be elected for the third session.

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