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The World Summit on Sustainable Development
Third Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-III)
New York, 25 March - 5 April 2002
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Thursday, 28 March

Working Group II met in the morning to finish discussions on Means of Implementation. In the afternoon, delegates met in Plenary to hear statements from, inter alia, Canadian Environment Minister David Anderson, UNEP Governing Council President, Jan Pronk, Special Envoy to the Secretary General for the WSSD. Chair Salim said that a compilation text of the Chairman's Paper would be available online on Sunday evening. Following Plenary, Working Group III continued discussion on sustainable development governance and the group on Partnerships continued its debate.

Working Group II:
Means of Implementation - Science and Education
The Czech Republic highlighted the importance of the interface between science and policy and called for enhancing the role of scientific assessments in policymaking. On education, he stressed the necessity of enhancing the education of teachers.
 

The Japanese delegation with PrepCom Vice-Chair Kiyotaka Akasaka (center).
Japan called for strengthening cooperation and coordination among global observing systems and research programmes, and proposed a new paragraph on developing further measures based on a series of conferences on environmental education. He called for decade of education for sustainable development starting from 2005.
 
The Holy See called for a new paragraph addressing lifelong education programmes to end illiteracy and eradicate poverty.
  
Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77/China, called for a new paragraph stating that universities and training institutes play a key role in informed decision making. He also called for ensuring that primary education be universal by 2015, and that high costs of university education in developed countries be reduced for developing countries.
Co-chairs Ihab Gamaleldin (Egypt) and Richard Ballhorn (Canada) with PrepCom Chair Emil Salim
  
Spain, for the EU, encouraged dialogue among different disciplines, and among scientists and politicians. He supported the idea of universal primary education by 2015, said education was an integral part of sustainable development programmes.
 
Canada called for promoting gender equality and empowerment of women and girls, through education at all levels and eliminating gender disparity.
 

Switzerland called for a paragraph stating that where there is a lack of full scientific certainty, precautionary measures should be taken. He also called for integrating biodiversity and conservation measures into education programmes.

 

The FAO called for promoting education not just for poverty reduction, but for food security as well. On decisionmaking, she called for gender mainstreaming and integrated global observation strategies.


Working Group II:
Means of Implementation - Capacity Building
Poland stressed capacity building at the local level.
 
Norway said poverty reduction strategy papers should encourage developing countries to take environmental aspects into consideration.
Chair Salim with Chair Gamaleldin
 
The EU called for absorbing and adapting technical, scientific and technological knowledge.
 
The G-77/China called for a new paragraph reflecting the idea of supporting national efforts aimed at facilitating research, training high level staff and developing expertise to strengthen capacity building in developing countries. He also said partnerships should be "established" rather than "promoted." 

Working Group II:
Means of Implementation - Information for Decisionmaking
The Committee on Earth Observation Satellites supported the use of satellite technology for mapping and geographic information.
 
The US proposed two new paragraphs, one encouraging and promoting the use of satellite technology applications, and another encouraging countries and international organizations to develop systems for information exchange.
Mexico emphasized the important of socio-economic indicators in measuring progress.
  
G-77/China highlighted the creation and use of national level indicators for sustainable development. He also spoke on the importance of exchange of experiences and the possible negative impacts of the use of information.
 
The EU stated that information is the basis of decision-making and action, and suggested a paragraph on public access to information. He emphasized statistics and the use of indicators, especially for evaluating gender participation.

 

 

Afternoon Plenary

David Anderson, Minister of the Environment of Canada and Chair of the UNEP Governing Council, reported on the outcomes of the Third Global Ministerial Forum, held in Cartagena, Colombia in February 2002. He noted the decisions taken on international chemical management, civil society participation, guidelines on compliance of MEAs, and the strengthening of international environmental governance. The Ministers concluded that the global environment has been further degraded, in many cases because of increasing human population pressures. He said that governments must tackle the root causes of this degradation, many of which stem from broader socio and econmic change. He emphasized that the challenge of WSSD will be to embrace this sense of interconnectedness and take responsibility for it. He said Ministers felt that four areas merits further attention: assessment and early warning; cultural and biological diversity and ethics of sustainable development; health, environment and poverty; and effective governance. Ministers agreed: that UNEP/GMEF should be used to promote international cooperation in the field of environment; to address the overall financial situation of UNEP; to develop an intergovernmental strategic plan for technology support and capacity building to developing countries; to improve the coordination and effectiveness of MEAs; and to strengthen the UN inter-agency Environmental Management Group.
 
Jan Pronk, Secretary General's Special Envoy to the WSSD, presented three findings from his contacts with in capital with ministers and heads of government. First, he related the wish was that WSSD should concentrate on a programme of action to further implement Agenda 21 and to meet the Millennium Development Goals. He stated that no new goals or theories should be developed, emphasis needed to be placed solely on deliverables. Second, noting the relative success of the Monterrey conference on financing for development, where the long-term decrease in ODA was finally reversed, he outlined several steps which must be taken with regards to the newly pledged resources, including that they must catalyze more resources, particularly from the private sector; and that a structure must be created to ensure that these resources are used for the implementation of the programme of action to be agreed upon at WSSD. He noted that monitoring is more of a political action than a statistical one. Third, there was an emerging consensus that despite all the excitement surrounding Type-II outcomes, these cannot substitute Type-I outcomes: a global programme of action.
 
Zéphirin Diablé, UNDP Associate Administrator, outlined the Capacity 2015 Platform. He noted that UNDP is the only UN body to work on integration of economic, social and environmental challenges. He hoped that the G-77/China, in particular, would support the Capacity Development Platform proposal as it is geared towards real ownership. He said it aims to assist communities to assess problems from and face the challenges of globalization. He said the platform, inter alia, is demand driven, with local actors defining needs; promotes linkages among international, national and local levels; addresses the role of knowledge and networks; addresses short-term poverty concerns; and gives value to indigenous knowledge.
  
Herbert Acquay, Land and Water Resources, GEF, provided a summary of the results of the GEF roundtable on forests, held on March 11, 2002, which brought together eminent forest and development experts from around the world. He said the roundtable called for urgent action to reverse trend of deforestation, and highlighted critical issues for the future: establishment of institutions to deal with the complexity and unpredictability of forest systems, with the capacity to manage forests across jurisdictions; knowledge generation and assessment, including breaking down the digital divide; financial arrangements, including the development of new financial mechanisms; and strengthening engagement of the private sector. d
 
 
Chair Salim outlined the state of progress in the three Working Groups, and said that the new Chairman's compilation text would be available on Sunday evening, on the PrepCom-III website. He noted that delegates' "creativity and enthusiasm" has resulted in the previous version's 21 pages ballooning to over 150 pages of submissions and proposals. He wished everyone an enjoyable long weekend, adding that they be returning on Monday ready for a week of hard work.
  
As Chair Salim was about to adjourn the Plenary, the G-77/China requested the floor, and the Chair called all delegates to remain for one more minute.

Partnerships
South Africa expressed concerned with the plethora of partnerships being proposed. She emphasized linking the partnerships within the framework of a policy that has been agreed to. She said she would like to hear more about the breakdown of different segments of society participating in the proposed partnerships. She supported the statement of the youth.

Co-Chair Kara opened the session with some general thought on the debate on partnerships thus far. He noted that there was a demand for clarification on the scope and definition of Type-II outcomes. He reiterated the fact that despite the close interrelation between Type-I and Type-II outcomes, the former could not substitute the latter. He said that Type-I was to be the guidance, whereas Type-II were to be its implementation. He noted several areas of focus of partnerships, such as water, energy, rural development, food security, health, forests, training and education, and mountains. He said that he would present a Chair's report to Plenary at the end of next week.

 
A representative of the Youth Caucus cautioned against partnerships that may perpetuate inequalities. She called for continuing dialogue on what partnerships will look like, and expressed concern that "youth washing," or consulting with youth in a token capacity would occur. 

Miscellaneous Photos
Delegates collecting literature outside of Conference Room One.

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