Mr. Chair,Excellencies,Distinguished Delegates,Ladies and Gentleman,
It is a great pleasure to be back with the Group. Let me first warmly congratulate Algeria on assuming the chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China.
I would also like to thank Argentina as outgoing Chair. Working with Ambassador Arguello personally, and his team, has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me.
You have shown great cooperation and guidance in the past year, which saw serious development challenges as well as remarkable achievements.
I am absolutely confident that my colleagues and I will have the same mutually beneficial relations with the new Algerian Chair.
I also wish to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to the Group of 77 and China for your outstanding support to the development pillar of the United Nations. It is thanks to your leadership, and understanding from development partners, that the resources for development for the current biennium have been maintained. Thank you!
Excellencies,
As you know, the Rio+20 Conference will take place in June. As its Secretary-General, I would like to underscore that we are entering the critical five months before the Conference.
I have said this many times and will repeat again here: Rio+20 cannot be just another UN Conference. The urgency is such that we cannot afford it. It is a Conference of the future, but the implementation and action need to start now.
Last week, the co-chairs of the Rio+20 Bureau issued a zero draft of the outcome document. It is short: only 19 pages including Table of contents. It was sent to all Member States and is available on the Conference website.
The co-chairs requested that concrete amendments to Sections I and II, the Preamble and the section on Renewing Political Commitment, be submitted to the Secretariat by Monday, 23 January.
We are counting on you to send your amendments, so that we can embark on negotiations. Per the Bureau’s decision, these negotiations will take place starting from the afternoon of 26 January, following a day and half of general discussion.
We all know that the time available for negotiations is short. So we must be as efficient as we can.
Fortunately, the situation in the Trust Fund is better. Developing countries are needed at the negotiating table. Two weeks ago, I sent a letter asking for applications to support experts from capitals to come to the January meeting.
So this is where we are on process.
Dear colleagues,
Now let me say something about the substance.
On the zero draft, you must have noticed that the co-chairs drew heavily on the Compilation document in order to achieve a balanced draft. Deliberate efforts were made to reflect the different views and proposals of the many submissions.
Co-chairs and, we in the Secretariat, believe that this zero draft captures all the main ideas in a balanced manner. As you know, it is a draft for negotiation, not a negotiated draft. Therefore, we understand that it does not fully satisfy everyone. But at the same time, we do hope the Group can agree to take it as a basis for negotiations.
You, as Member States, will certainly negotiate a higher level of ambition and make it more actionable.
The draft contains a number of new processes and initiatives as suggested by submissions, which are meant to help advance sustainable development.
Let me draw your attention to just a few. The draft suggests:
In additon to the seven priority areas as suggested at the first intersessional, new initiatives are also proposed to strengthen corporate environmental and social responsibility. Also, to address pressing challenges with regard to land degradation and desertification, forests, biodiversity, climate change, chemicals and wastes, among other priority concerns.
In this regard, one issue that has been raised is how to ensure that the new initiatives for action complement and support the treaty objectives for those areas with legal instruments (such as climate change, biodiversity, desertification, chemicals and wastes).
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When world leaders gather in Rio this year, we need their political commitment more than ever before.
With the passage of time, the challenges we face only become more urgent. We all know that development gains have been made in the 20 years since the first Rio Conference. But we also know that many challenges still remain, and in many cases progress has been too slow.
Eradicating poverty, improving living standards and building socially just and inclusive societies still remain a major challenge. And the multiple crises – food, energy, climate, finance, employment – threaten to set back progress. At the same time, they also remind us that our problems are interconnected and must be tackled together.
Even as we strive to eradicate poverty and hunger, we face major stresses to our planet’s ecosystems from unsustainable consumption and production patterns.
This is a challenge for developed countries, but more so for developing countries.
Developing countries must, first of all, tackle the challenge of poverty and hunger. While doing so, they also must ensure that their economies grow. At the same time, they need to protect the environment and advance social development.
Developed countries no longer have this urgent need to address hunger and poverty. Accumulated wealth enables them to devote more resources to environmental protection. Developing countries, on the other hand, have to address, simultaneously, the triple economic, social and environmental challenges.
In Chinese, we refer to this triple challenge as “three mountains” - we say we must “remove the three mountains” that block our pathway to “sharing lasting prosperity”.
There is no doubt that developing countries – even while facing more difficulties and obstacles – need sustainable development more. Rio+20 is therefore more important for the future of developing countries.
So what do we need? We need a robust outcome from Rio+20 for all, particularly for developing countries. We need strong decisions on both themes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The zero draft also refers to proposals for measuring progress. It calls for an accountability framework, including a set of sustainable development goals with measurable indicators. I wish to emphasise that all these will have to be voluntary, taking into account specific national circumstances.
Whatever process is agreed at Rio, the outcome will provide a major building block for the post-2015 UN development agenda.
Let me share with you a few other issues that I think are very relevant to the negotiations.First, regarding the seven plus priority areas, will member States develop sustainable development goals specific to them?
If we are to be guided by the principle of common but differentiated responsiblities, we will need to develop targets and indicators that take into account specific national circumstances.
Second, on the framework for action and roadmap on the green economy, what should they encompass? What will the toolkits contain, since experiences from developed countries vary from the experieinces of developing countries? A related question is whether toolkits will be sectoral, covering specific sectors.
Third, on the proposed Sustainable Development Council, its proponents feel that we need the Council to address the weaknesses of the CSD, to harness political support and to expedite implementation. They feel that if these tasks are entrusted to ECOSOC, it is possible that sustainable development may be lost among the heavy agenda of ECOSOC.
How should we then address the need for complementarity between the Sustainable Development Council and ECOSOC?
Fourth, on means of implementation, we must recognize that many donors are facing a financial crisis and continue to announce austerity measures. However, the crisis will pass, and it is important to reaffirm the ODA commitments at Rio.
On technology, developed countries possess state-of-the-art technologies. They should undertake to disseminate and transfer these technoglogies, on mutally agreed terms, to developing countries. Developing countries may possess some mature technologies that can be shared with other developing countries, through enhanced south-south cooperation.
How can we then apply a differentiated approach to the negotiations on means of implementation? A related issue is whether means of implementation should be addressed individually in each section, or, collectively in a separate dedicated section.
On the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, how can we address the effort to enlarge the scope of common, and reduce the scope of differentiated, responsibilities?
In order to assist member States during the negotiations, I have already tasked my staff to look carefully intothese issues and to prepare appropriate information and replies to possible queries from member States.
Let us agree in Rio on as many issues as possible. Let us also agree in Rio to address our differences as soon as possible in the post-Rio follow-up process.
Excellencies,
Sustainable development is an everlasting process. As Conference Secretary-General, I have been urging member States to come to the negotiations with an open mind.
We have no choice but to share this one planet. And we must learn to live together, sustainably.
Sustainable development is the only future we share. Sustainable development should unify north and south, east and west. Of course, there will be differences of views and approaches, as national circumstances vary from country to country.
Rio+20 gives the international community the opportunity to chart a new path for international development.A strong Rio outcome promises greater equity in sharing the abundance of our planet’s resources: both within and across generations.
But in order to use this opportunity, we need strong political will and commitment from all Member States.
We, in the Secretariat, will do everything in our power to support you: your commitment… your ambition… and your action.
And we look to you to guide us.
Thank you.
It is a great pleasure to be back with the Group. Let me first warmly congratulate Algeria on assuming the chairmanship of the Group of 77 and China.
I would also like to thank Argentina as outgoing Chair. Working with Ambassador Arguello personally, and his team, has been one of the most rewarding experiences for me.
You have shown great cooperation and guidance in the past year, which saw serious development challenges as well as remarkable achievements.
I am absolutely confident that my colleagues and I will have the same mutually beneficial relations with the new Algerian Chair.
I also wish to take this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to the Group of 77 and China for your outstanding support to the development pillar of the United Nations. It is thanks to your leadership, and understanding from development partners, that the resources for development for the current biennium have been maintained. Thank you!
Excellencies,
As you know, the Rio+20 Conference will take place in June. As its Secretary-General, I would like to underscore that we are entering the critical five months before the Conference.
I have said this many times and will repeat again here: Rio+20 cannot be just another UN Conference. The urgency is such that we cannot afford it. It is a Conference of the future, but the implementation and action need to start now.
Last week, the co-chairs of the Rio+20 Bureau issued a zero draft of the outcome document. It is short: only 19 pages including Table of contents. It was sent to all Member States and is available on the Conference website.
The co-chairs requested that concrete amendments to Sections I and II, the Preamble and the section on Renewing Political Commitment, be submitted to the Secretariat by Monday, 23 January.
We are counting on you to send your amendments, so that we can embark on negotiations. Per the Bureau’s decision, these negotiations will take place starting from the afternoon of 26 January, following a day and half of general discussion.
We all know that the time available for negotiations is short. So we must be as efficient as we can.
Fortunately, the situation in the Trust Fund is better. Developing countries are needed at the negotiating table. Two weeks ago, I sent a letter asking for applications to support experts from capitals to come to the January meeting.
So this is where we are on process.
Dear colleagues,
Now let me say something about the substance.
On the zero draft, you must have noticed that the co-chairs drew heavily on the Compilation document in order to achieve a balanced draft. Deliberate efforts were made to reflect the different views and proposals of the many submissions.
Co-chairs and, we in the Secretariat, believe that this zero draft captures all the main ideas in a balanced manner. As you know, it is a draft for negotiation, not a negotiated draft. Therefore, we understand that it does not fully satisfy everyone. But at the same time, we do hope the Group can agree to take it as a basis for negotiations.
You, as Member States, will certainly negotiate a higher level of ambition and make it more actionable.
The draft contains a number of new processes and initiatives as suggested by submissions, which are meant to help advance sustainable development.
Let me draw your attention to just a few. The draft suggests:
- A framework for action on green economy, including a roadmap and a toolkit of good practices;
- An inclusive process to devise a set of global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that reflect an integrated and balanced treatment of the three dimensions of sustainable development;
- Establishing a 10-Year Framework of Programmes on sustainable consumption and production (SCP), based on the text elaborated during CSD-19;
- Transforming the CSD into a Sustainable Development Council that will serve as the authoritative, high-level body for consideration of matters relating to the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development.
- Strengthening means of implementation, including finance, science and technology, capacity-building and south-south cooperation;
- Voluntary indicators and measures to evaluate implementation.
In additon to the seven priority areas as suggested at the first intersessional, new initiatives are also proposed to strengthen corporate environmental and social responsibility. Also, to address pressing challenges with regard to land degradation and desertification, forests, biodiversity, climate change, chemicals and wastes, among other priority concerns.
In this regard, one issue that has been raised is how to ensure that the new initiatives for action complement and support the treaty objectives for those areas with legal instruments (such as climate change, biodiversity, desertification, chemicals and wastes).
Ladies and Gentlemen,
When world leaders gather in Rio this year, we need their political commitment more than ever before.
With the passage of time, the challenges we face only become more urgent. We all know that development gains have been made in the 20 years since the first Rio Conference. But we also know that many challenges still remain, and in many cases progress has been too slow.
Eradicating poverty, improving living standards and building socially just and inclusive societies still remain a major challenge. And the multiple crises – food, energy, climate, finance, employment – threaten to set back progress. At the same time, they also remind us that our problems are interconnected and must be tackled together.
Even as we strive to eradicate poverty and hunger, we face major stresses to our planet’s ecosystems from unsustainable consumption and production patterns.
This is a challenge for developed countries, but more so for developing countries.
Developing countries must, first of all, tackle the challenge of poverty and hunger. While doing so, they also must ensure that their economies grow. At the same time, they need to protect the environment and advance social development.
Developed countries no longer have this urgent need to address hunger and poverty. Accumulated wealth enables them to devote more resources to environmental protection. Developing countries, on the other hand, have to address, simultaneously, the triple economic, social and environmental challenges.
In Chinese, we refer to this triple challenge as “three mountains” - we say we must “remove the three mountains” that block our pathway to “sharing lasting prosperity”.
There is no doubt that developing countries – even while facing more difficulties and obstacles – need sustainable development more. Rio+20 is therefore more important for the future of developing countries.
So what do we need? We need a robust outcome from Rio+20 for all, particularly for developing countries. We need strong decisions on both themes.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The zero draft also refers to proposals for measuring progress. It calls for an accountability framework, including a set of sustainable development goals with measurable indicators. I wish to emphasise that all these will have to be voluntary, taking into account specific national circumstances.
Whatever process is agreed at Rio, the outcome will provide a major building block for the post-2015 UN development agenda.
Let me share with you a few other issues that I think are very relevant to the negotiations.First, regarding the seven plus priority areas, will member States develop sustainable development goals specific to them?
If we are to be guided by the principle of common but differentiated responsiblities, we will need to develop targets and indicators that take into account specific national circumstances.
Second, on the framework for action and roadmap on the green economy, what should they encompass? What will the toolkits contain, since experiences from developed countries vary from the experieinces of developing countries? A related question is whether toolkits will be sectoral, covering specific sectors.
Third, on the proposed Sustainable Development Council, its proponents feel that we need the Council to address the weaknesses of the CSD, to harness political support and to expedite implementation. They feel that if these tasks are entrusted to ECOSOC, it is possible that sustainable development may be lost among the heavy agenda of ECOSOC.
How should we then address the need for complementarity between the Sustainable Development Council and ECOSOC?
Fourth, on means of implementation, we must recognize that many donors are facing a financial crisis and continue to announce austerity measures. However, the crisis will pass, and it is important to reaffirm the ODA commitments at Rio.
On technology, developed countries possess state-of-the-art technologies. They should undertake to disseminate and transfer these technoglogies, on mutally agreed terms, to developing countries. Developing countries may possess some mature technologies that can be shared with other developing countries, through enhanced south-south cooperation.
How can we then apply a differentiated approach to the negotiations on means of implementation? A related issue is whether means of implementation should be addressed individually in each section, or, collectively in a separate dedicated section.
On the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities, how can we address the effort to enlarge the scope of common, and reduce the scope of differentiated, responsibilities?
In order to assist member States during the negotiations, I have already tasked my staff to look carefully intothese issues and to prepare appropriate information and replies to possible queries from member States.
Let us agree in Rio on as many issues as possible. Let us also agree in Rio to address our differences as soon as possible in the post-Rio follow-up process.
Excellencies,
Sustainable development is an everlasting process. As Conference Secretary-General, I have been urging member States to come to the negotiations with an open mind.
We have no choice but to share this one planet. And we must learn to live together, sustainably.
Sustainable development is the only future we share. Sustainable development should unify north and south, east and west. Of course, there will be differences of views and approaches, as national circumstances vary from country to country.
Rio+20 gives the international community the opportunity to chart a new path for international development.A strong Rio outcome promises greater equity in sharing the abundance of our planet’s resources: both within and across generations.
But in order to use this opportunity, we need strong political will and commitment from all Member States.
We, in the Secretariat, will do everything in our power to support you: your commitment… your ambition… and your action.
And we look to you to guide us.
Thank you.
File date:
Friday, January 20, 2012