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Earth Negotiations Bulletin
Briefing Note
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 A Reporting Service for Environment and Development Negotiations


 

SUMMARY OF THE WORK OF THE SECOND COMMITTEE

Thursday, 19 December 2002

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Written by Richard Jordan and Pamela Chasek

Edited by Pamela Chasek, Ph.D. pam@iisd.org
Editor, Earth Negotiations Bulletin

Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI
kimo@iisd.org
Director, IISD Reporting Services

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I. GENERAL DEBATE

II. AGENDA ITEM 87: ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

A. Consideration of Proposals

87(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21

87(b) International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

87(c) Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind

87(d) Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa 

87(e) Environment and sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity

87(f) Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

III. AGENDA ITEM 92: INTEGRATED AND COORDINATED IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP TO THE OUTCOMES OF THE MAJOR UN CONFERENCES AND SUMMITS IN THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FIELDS 

A. Consideration of Proposals

Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields 

IV. AGENDA ITEM 93 HIGH-LEVEL INTERNATIONAL INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONSIDERATION OF FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT

A. Consideration of Proposals

High-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development

Ensuring effective secretariat support for sustained follow-up to the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development

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The Second Committee of the United Nations General Assembly met from 24 September through 11 December 2002. Chaired by Marco Suazo (Honduras), the Committee met on 24 September to approve its programme of work (A/C.2/57/L.1/Rev.1) and elected the following officers: Abdellah Benmellouk (Morocco) and Bruno van der Pluijm (Belgium) as Vice-Chairs, and Walid Al-Hadid (Jordan) as Rapporteur. The election of the remaining Vice-Chair was postponed until a later date and Jan Kára (Czech Republic) was elected at that time.

During this session, the committee's work focused on: macroeconomic policy questions (item 84); sectoral policy questions (item 85); sustainable development and international economic cooperation (item 86); environment and sustainable development (item 87) operational activities for development (item 88); and implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997-2006) (item 89). Other topics included: training and research (item 90); permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people (item 91); integrated and coordinated implementation and follow-up to the outcomes of the major UN conferences and summits in the economic and social fields (item 92); financing for development (item 93); globalization and interdependence (item 94); implementation of the outcome of the UN Conference of Human Settlements and the twenty-fifth session of the UN General Assembly (item 95) and the third UN Conference on the Least Developed Countries (item 96).

This report will focus on the disposition of Agenda Items 87, 92 and 93. For information on other issues considered by the Second Committee, see the report of the Second Committee (documents A/57/529- A/57/542). The resolutions were expected to be adopted by the General Assembly Plenary on Friday, 20 December 2002. Final resolution numbers were not yet available.

I. GENERAL DEBATE

The General Debate of the Second Committee of the 57th session of the General Assembly occurred 30 September – 2 October 2002.

The Chair's summary of the debate indicated that during the general debate, a total of 81 speakers took the floor. The backdrop of the Committee's work was the uncertainties in the world economy and growing political tensions. Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, made an introductory statement framing the concept of "new multilateralism", which had been ushered in by the UN global conferences of the 1990s, especially the most recent ones.

He laid down challenges for the Committee, which were the implementation and integrated follow-up of conferences and the related monitoring, review and operational activities. He said that despite the broad consensus achieved in many areas, there were still priority issues where further policy discussion was needed, including globalization, science and technology, and migration.

Dr. Joseph Stieglitz delivered a keynote address on lessons learned during the past year. He reaffirmed his conviction that globalization could be a positive force if managed well. He stressed the need for greater democracy in decision-making on global economic and financial matters and a balanced role of government in the economy and the importance of responding to the needs of economies in crisis. Improving transparency in financial markets and eliminating corruption were essential in managing risks and volatility associated with globalization. He stressed the role of the United Nations, as evidenced in Monterrey and the other global Conferences, to bring in all key stakeholders around the table on international economic policy-making processes.

The Chair's summary then was divided into five parts.

1. State of the world economy/globalization: Natural disasters have taken their toll on development. The crisis in Latin America has put democratic governance at stake and increased short-term assistance requirements for social needs, as a result of inadequate or inexistent social protection. Despite developing countries' efforts, huge challenges posed by economic imbalances remained, particularly for small-island, land-locked countries and economies in transition. Faster development is the surest way to greater global prosperity and poverty eradication, which in turn were essential for international peace and security.

Concrete progress in the Doha round of trade negotiations is essential. Accession of developing countries and countries with economies in transition to the World Trade Organization (WTO) has to be facilitated. Calls were made for a fully inclusive and equitable globalization process. The social costs of globalization require new rules for development cooperation, which place human development and capacity building at the center. The United Nations should encourage broader participation at all levels, including in regional and multilateral economic entities. New partnerships, not only among Governments, but also with all other stakeholders, are also essential.

2. World Summit on Sustainable Development: The unanimous view is that, having agreed on mandates and agendas, we now need to move to the implementation phase of the Johannesburg Summit and that its implementation would be the test of its success. The effective implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of action require an early elaboration of the programme of work of the Commission for Sustainable Development that will continue to address the issue of the means of implementation.

The Chair highlighted the need to finalize the World Solidarity Fund's modalities at the current General Assembly. Action is needed to implement the commitment to negotiate, within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity, an international regime to promote the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources.

The decision to use the GEF as a funding mechanism for the Convention to Combat Desertification was welcomed and should be implemented swiftly. The agreement on a comprehensive review in 2004 of the Barbados Programme of Action was welcomed and the UN and DESA were called to assist in the endeavor.

3. International Conference on Financing for Development: Monterrey has heralded a holistic discussion of development and poverty eradication as a central element on the global agenda and a strengthened relationship between the United Nations and the Bretton Woods Institutions (BWIs) and the WTO. It is important that the additional resources pledged at Monterrey be made available at the earliest.

The General Assembly should now finalize arrangements for the High-level Dialogue to effectively focus on the Conference implementation. The substantive follow-up mechanisms of the Conference should be commensurate with the long-term development requirements of developing countries. This year's annual spring dialogue between ECOSOC, the BWIs and the WTO put forward a number of concrete proposals as to the mechanisms for implementation of the outcome of Monterrey.

4. Integrated follow-up of conferences/reform in the economic-social area: Integrated and coordinated follow-up to UN conferences is a key challenge to ensure coherence and complementarity at all levels. The Millennium Declaration constitutes the overarching policy and implementation framework for the economic and social work of the UN; the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed goals provided concrete, measurable targets. Partnership with all stakeholders, including civil society and regional actors, is essential.

The Second Committee is a vital part of the current process of forging a new partnership for sustainable development and the challenge was how to assert its relevance in the process. Consensus at recent major Conferences stressed that financial, trade and development cooperation issues should not be considered in isolation. A holistic approach should be urgently adopted.

The Second Committee should reflect upon and propose practical ways of achieving the conference goals and outcomes. The focus should be on achieving policy coherence, including by strengthening coordination with BWIs and the WTO and the private sector, and supporting implementation efforts at country level on the basis of nationally owned development frameworks. The role of ECOSOC, including through the spring dialogue with the BWIs and the WTO, is essential in promoting an integrated and coordinated follow-up and in enhancing policy coherence and coordination among its subsidiary bodies and the UN system organizations.

To that end, UN funds and programmes should create adequate mechanisms and guidelines for the timely implementation of agreed commitments. Provision of sufficient and stable financial resources for operational activities for development was a precondition for these activities to effectively support Monterrey and Johannesburg commitments. The results of the work of ECOSOC on socioeconomic issues in post-conflict situations should be considered in the Second Committee. Follow-up conferences should be held on their substantive merits on a case-by-case basis and there should be no automaticity.

There could be a review and rethinking of the Committee's agenda and methods of work to enhance impact and efficiency. The Committee should try to pursue more holistic approaches to its own work and to consolidate agenda items, without affecting any member State's ability to bring issues before the United Nations.

5. New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) and countries in special situations: Strong support for NEPAD was reiterated as a comprehensive integrated policy for African efforts to achieve the MDGs. NEPAD reflects ownership by African countries and partnership of the international community with them. It also provides an example of how cooperation can be harnessed to pursue development and address regional challenges.

Capacity building, development assistance, debt relief, market access and other measures are imperative for the successful implementation of NEPAD. The international community should further strengthen its support. It was hoped that this General Assembly session would recommit to the development of Africa and lay the ground for a mechanism to follow-up on NEPAD implementation. TICAD III will be held in October 2003, hosted by Japan.

Full implementation of the programme of action for Least Developed Countries (LDCs) adopted at the Brussels Third UN Conference on LDCs was called for. It was suggested to establish links between the implementation of the programme of action and that of NEPAD, so as to build on synergies and support south-south cooperation. Support should also be extended to landlocked developing countries. The ministerial meeting in 2003 on transit transport will be an important opportunity to address the needs of these countries. The appointment of a High Representative for LDCs, Land Locked Developing Countries and SIDS was welcomed.

II. AGENDA ITEM 87: ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The Second Committee held a substantive debate on this agenda item on 21-22 October and 13-15 November 2002. Sub-items included:

(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21

(b) International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

(c) Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind

(d) Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa

(e) Convention on Biological Diversity

(f) Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.

Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, stated that the G-77 and China recognize the advances reflected in the different reports presented on sub-items (b), (d) and (f), as they underline, on the one hand the efforts by developing countries to fulfill the commitments made in the Conventions on Desertification and Biodiversity, as well as the implementation of the International Strategy for the Reduction of Natural Disasters and the Plan of Action for Small Island Developing Countries and on the other, reveal the need to meet commitments on official development assistance. What has been lacking is the due international cooperation, the transfer of technology and the needed financial resources to facilitate the implementation of these commitments.

Developing countries, due to diverse circumstances, are more vulnerable to natural disasters and to risks. The G-77 and China mentioned, by way of example of the magnitude of this problem, the El Niño phenomenon, as it is one of global reach with an impact on populations, as well as on the natural system. Other problems affecting developing countries are desertification and drought and the link to poverty, food security, migrations, political instability and conflict, making these serious obstacles to the efforts of developing countries to reach sustainable development.

Regarding the implementation of the Action Plan for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, the G-77 and China reiterated their call to support the Plan through sufficient financial resources, the transfer of ecologically safe technologies and capacity building.

87(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21

Denmark, on behalf of the EU, addressed Agenda Item 87(a), Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21. She stated that the General Assembly should confirm that sustainable development is a key element of the overarching framework for UN activities. Reporting on progress on sustainable development should be included in the current high-level dialogue on strengthening international cooperation for development, held every two years.

There is a need to increase the role of ECOSOC in overseeing system-wide coordination and the balanced integration of economic, social and environmental aspects of UN policies and programmes, aimed at promoting sustainable development. In this context, ECOSOC should explore ways, as already set out in the Monterrey Consensus, to improve coherence, coordination and cooperation with the BWIs an the WTO through ECOSOC's spring meetings with these institutions.

The General Assembly should request the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the implementation of the Johannesburg agreement on UN governance structures.

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) must be strengthened and she said we need to ensure the establishment of a credible and flexible follow-up mechanism on partnerships by the CSD. The EU agreed to seek a strengthening of the role of the UN economic commissions and other relevant regional bodies in furthering sustainable development.

Mexico, on behalf of the Group of Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (Bolivia, Brazil, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Mexico, Peru, the Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela), welcomed the commitment, included in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, to reduce significantly by 2010 the current loss of biological diversity, which will require the provision of new and additional financial and technical resources to developing countries. One of the main objectives of the Group is to seek the creation of an international regime to promote effectively and safeguard the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biodiversity and its components.

In this regard, he also welcomed the commitment, included in paragraph 42(o) of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, to negotiate within the framework of the Convention on Biological Diversity an international regime on the sharing of benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.

The United States stated that the expenses of conference services for treaty bodies such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) should be met by the respective parties to those treaties.

87(b) International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

Brazil said that the WSSD acknowledged the essential need to promote an integrated, multi-hazard, inclusive approach to address vulnerability, risk assessment and disaster management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery and agreed in a series of actions to be taken in this regard.

Indonesia underlined the critical role of effective regional, subregional and national strategies designed to prevent, reduce and mitigate the social and economic impact of natural disasters. He stressed the critical role of provision of predictable and stable financial resources together with other innovative ways of financing, as agreed in the various UN conferences and summits, particularly those of the Millennium Declaration, Monterrey and Johannesburg.

South Africa stated that with regard to traditional knowledge, that the WSSD agreed on the need to protect the rights of local communities. The protection of traditional knowledge and the rights of local communities is an ethical imperative that should be supported by all countries.

Salvano Briceno, Director, Inter-Agency Secretariat of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UN/ISDR), said that the ISDR was developing a number of agreements with regional and sub-regional institutions. The Inter-Agency Task Force on Disaster Reduction recently met to focus on the follow-up to the WSSD and planning the review of the 1994 Yokohama Strategy and Plan of Action, to be carried out in 2003 and 2004.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that the WMO maintains an active involvement in efforts and measures to undertake studies and issue regular updates on the El Nino phenomenon. WMO was instrumental in establishing an International Centre for the Study of the El Niño phenomenon in Guayaquil, Ecuador. As a cross-cutting issue, biodiversity transcends all UN work. WMO therefore welcomes the establishment of advisory bodies and mechanisms, like the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Access to Generate Resources and Benefit-sharing, which aim at accelerating the implementation process for the Biodiversity Convention.

The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) said that, as was emphasized in Johannesburg, the challenges of disaster management are so large and complex that the key to delivering effective and appropriate assistance and support to the most vulnerable is partnership. The IFRC is anxious to bring as many partners to the risk reduction table as possible, and during WSSD signed a cooperation agreement with the telecommunications firm Ericsson with this in mind. He said that the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation contains a substantial section dealing with the specific issues faced by SIDS. He noted, in particular, the emphasis on local communities and the need for comprehensive hazard and risk management, disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness; the dangers associated with climate change, the need to promote equitable access to health care and to fight communicable and non-communicable diseases, in particular HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, diabetes, malaria and dengue fever.

87(f) Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, Anwarul K. Chowdhury, stated that SIDS face formidable challenges regarding trade liberalization and globalization. They are at risk of remaining marginalized unless urgent measures are undertaken to accord special treatment to these countries in granting greater market access, ODA, debt relief and capacity building. He stressed that the UN and the multilateral financial and development institutions move with urgency to enhance the development prospects of these countries through supporting human and institutional capacity, technology transfer and export and industrial base diversification.

Barbados, on behalf of CARICOM, urged that the current efforts to build regional strategies that are aimed at fostering the involvement of national constituencies in the implementation of the Strategy on Disaster Reduction take into account the special circumstances of SIDS. In this regard, it will be necessary for risk and vulnerability reduction concerns to be mainstreamed into other relevant programme areas. She stated that in the 2004 review of the Barbados Programme that it will be necessary to consider the dynamic changes that have taken place in international economic affairs since April 1994 and the intervening HIV/AIDS pandemic and their impact on the capacity of SIDS to achieve their sustainable development objectives.

Fiji, as Chair of the Pacific Islands Forum Group, stated that following the WSSD, an inter-agency task force was created comprising regional experts from the Council of Regional Organizations of the Pacific to begin the work of translating the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation into an appropriate and implementable regional strategy. Ultimately, it is hoped to bring to fruition a coherent regional plan set within a medium-term development framework. The primary objective of this strategy will be to strengthen national capacities in key sustainable development programme areas, and strengthen the focus of interventions and thereby promote long-term development with an intergenerational equity.

New Zealand said that the outcome of Barbados +10 could reaffirm the commitments made in Barbados and most recently in Johannesburg in a concise political statement. There was no need to negotiate anything new. Partnership initiatives should be supported that were launched by SIDS and partners at WSSD.

UNIDO stated that in cooperation with the Climate Institute, it is currently in the process of elaborating a programme proposal for the Caribbean Islands of St. Lucia, Dominica and Grenada and would in a second phase look into cooperation possibilities in the Pacific.

87(d) Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa

Hama Arba Diallo, Executive Secretary of the Secretariat of the Convention to Combat Desertification, addressed Agenda Item 89(d), Implementation of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly in Africa. He stated that the GEF Assembly held in Beijing, China, in October, decided to declare the Facility's availability to serve as a financial mechanism of the UNCCD, should its Conference of the Parties so decide. Another important decision taken by the GEF Assembly is to open a full-fledged focal area on land degradation. From now on, the GEF will be more involved in providing financial resources to tackle the issue.

Namibia said that the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) welcomes the decision by the Secretariats of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity to establish a Joint Liaison Group in order to strengthen their coordination and to explore options for further cooperation. He welcomed their decision to create a common calendar of activities in this regard.

Israel said that a relatively new programme called International program for Arid Land Crops (IPALAC) was launched in March 1995 to help create "cybercommunities" of like-minded agricultural researchers from around the world, who once worked more or less in isolation, fighting desertification solely in their own individual countries. IPALAC's framework is structured using electronic communication that makes it possible to activate and link people on a far greater scale than ever before and to encourage participants to share knowledge continually through electronic channels.

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), said that as many as 75% of the extreme poor live in rural areas. Land, water and other natural resources play a central role in the livelihood strategies of these poor women and men. Thus, desertification is more than a threat to rural poverty alleviation. It is also a significant obstacle to achieving the MDGs and halving poverty overall by 2015. In addition to financing projects and programmes that tackle desertification, IFAD also supports UNCCD implementation as the agency that houses the Convention's Global Mechanism.

87(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21: Report of the World Summit on Sustainable Development

Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, expressed surprise for the characteristics of the publication of the Report on the World Summit on Sustainable Development, (A/CONF.199/20). The report contains stylistic errors and asked the Secretariat for clarification. He said that the G-77 and China reiterated their call to the achievement of a major coherence and coordination of policies within the work of all involved organs in the management of sustainable development to promote more integrated visions of the economic, social and environmental aspects.

It is required that the CSD work in a more efficient manner and comply with its role of policy guidance, with a realistic working programme, with objectives that can be accomplished on a balanced and integrated basis among the three pillars of sustainable development. An action-oriented UNEP is needed. A UNEP strengthened, within its mandate, to encourage and promote the activities of the environment sphere within the UN system. The efforts for the International Year of Freshwater 2003 will be the first practical opportunity to support and promote actions to advance towards the achievement of the MDG to reduce by half in 2015, the percentage of people that lack access to fresh water or that cannot afford it.

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme, said that our common denominator is increasingly clear, that we need to concentrate on concrete and measurable implementation. To realize the MDGs, we need action-oriented tools. In this regard, NEPAD provides an example of a new and stimulating development for Africa.

Another common denominator is that efforts to overcome poverty need functioning environmental services and a healthy environment and natural resource base is essential to development. Under UNEP's mandate for assessment and early warning, GEO3 was prepared as a contribution to Johannesburg, which provided policy makers with an authoritative assessment of the state of the environment and its implications for all aspects of sustainable development.

He said that UNEP is also, as agreed in Cartagena, developing methods for improved coordination among and effectiveness of the multitude of Multilateral Environmental Agreements in existence. The decision further calls for strengthening of the role and financial situation of the organization and in this regard UNEP has developed a proposal for an Indicative Scale of Assessments. The proposal will be tabled for discussion at the next GC/GMEF in February 2003 and envisages a pilot phase leading up to the 2004/2005 biennium.

South Africa, on behalf of the Southern African Development Community (SADC), said that the WSSD agreed that the CSD would continue to serve as the high-level forum with the UN for follow-up. Its focus should be on implementation. South Africa believes that the work of the CSD should continue to attract high-level participation. The work of the Commission should also link with follow-up processes at the regional level. The WSSD provides for the improvement of reporting processes. Multi-stakeholder participation would need to be enhanced. Linkages with the follow-up to the implementation of the MDGs and Monterrey are crucial. Better integration in the work of the CSD is also essential especially between the monitoring of targets and the availability of the means of implementation.

The United States stated that the CSD should move quickly to undertake the specific reforms called for in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, including: limiting negotiations in the sessions of the CSD to every two years; limiting the number of themes addressed at each session; and serving as a focal point for the discussion of partnerships that promote sustainable development, including sharing lessons learned, progress made and best practices.

China said that a follow-up mechanism of WSSD will be set up at an early date with the CSD at its core. She supported the idea that the CSD shall continue to serve as the major forum within the UN system for discussion and consideration of sustainable development. She favored convening an organizational session of the CSD in early 2003 to determine future methodologies and work plans for the CSD.

India said that the immediate task ahead is the structuring and re-invigorating of the work of the CSD in a manner that is in accordance with the mandate agreed at Johannesburg. He hoped that the inter-governmental consideration of the framework, criteria and scope for partnerships, which could not be undertaken in Johannesburg owing to time-constraints, will take place in the CSD.

Japan said that the WSSD Plan of Implementation recommends "the United Nations General Assembly to consider adopting a decade of education for sustainable development, starting in 2005" as proposed by Japan.

Kenya stated that Kenya possesses a considerable amount and variety of biological resources. As a member of the Group of Mega-Diverse Like-Minded Countries, his delegation was pleased with the decision reached at the Summit that addresses the three objectives of the convention on Biological Diversity, namely, the commitment to significantly reduce by 2010 the loss of biodiversity, provision of new and additional financial and technical resources to developing countries, and the decision to initiate negotiations of an international regime to promote and safeguard the fair and equitable sharing with the countries of origin of benefits arising out of utilization of biological resources.

Thailand highlighted time-bound targets, good governance at all levels for poverty eradication, capacity building, and the development of science and technology in developing countries. The WSSD process provides the opportunity for rededication to the principles agreed in the Rio Declaration.

The Republic of Korea said that his delegation would like to emphasize that partnership initiatives are not a substitute for government responsibilities and commitments to sustainable development, but are rather a means of bolstering and deepening the quality and quantity of sustainable development initiatives. His delegation wishes that a framework be developed to provide a monitoring process of the partnership initiatives and utilize the results in the forthcoming CSD and relevant meetings.

Indonesia said that the CSD should focus on its work in close collaboration with the other relevant regional and international organizations so as to monitor the implementation of all agreed programmes and activities in the field. It should also serve as the mechanism for policy deliberation, particularly on new and emerging issues related to the implementation of sustainable development. To ensure the effectiveness of the substantive session of the next CSD, it is critical to promote high-level participation as well as to identify innovative measures for ensuring its effective functioning in accordance with the agreement on the institutional framework on sustainable development.

Brazil stated that the definition of the work programme of the CSD should take into account the role and mandate of specific conventions that have the primary responsibility of dealing with issues regulated by international regimes. The mandate of the Commission is not at stake. Heads of State and Government agreed in Johannesburg that the CSD should remain the main UN forum for policy discussion on themes related to sustainable development and for monitoring implementation. Its major role should continue to be reviewing, evaluating progress and promoting the further implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. This includes, inter alia, actions with regard to the means of implementation. CSD must monitor and promote progress in this area of critical importance to enable developing countries to fulfill their part.

Canada said that given the breadth of the WSSD agenda, implementation will now become the responsibility of a wide range of specialized agencies and organizations, as well as ad hoc processes such as the Third World Water Forum in Kyoto next March.

WSSD follow-up should also be integrated with the follow-up to the Millennium Summit, Doha and Monterrey, and be consistent with the framework for UN reform.

New Zealand would like to see greater participation in the CSD by experts, discussing real-world sustainable development issues.

Iran said that there is a fundamental link among the ongoing discussion on UN reform, discussion on the integrated and coordinated follow-up of UN major conferences and the debate on the CSD programme of work. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation is the only framework for the work of the CSD. He would find it very hard to accept other proposals, which are not inter-governmentally agreed and limited in nature, to be considered as the elements for the program of work of the CSD. CSD negotiating and on-negotiating sessions need to work consistently, and he recommended setting two separate agendas for them. He considered emerging issues as the emerging challenges in the field of implementation that countries are faced with.

Norway said that the General Assembly, ECOSOC and its subsidiary machinery should play the primary roles in following up conference outcomes. Norway would like to see the CSD serving as a forum for dialogue on the links between the three dimensions of sustainable development.

Zambia said that for water to be made available for domestic and industrial use in abundance, that comprehensive strategies on water resource management must also be formulated. This is a very important area of development where international cooperation with development partners is required if we are to mitigate the effects of drought on food security.

Ukraine said that his delegation believed there is a need to establish an enhanced cooperation between the CSD and the UNEP and other UN organizations involved in sustainable development.

Switzerland said that his delegation considered it a priority to address vulnerability assessment and adaptation in developing countries; adaptation and climate impact management should be considered as an immediate response to the threats of climate change for which the unique remedy is mitigation.

The World Tourism Organization said that it has argued on many occasions that the strength and momentum of tourism should be more effectively harnessed in the fight against poverty and to preserve the world's natural and cultural heritage. He stated that at the WSSD, the World Tourism Organization and UNCTAD had launched a project under the acronym ST-EP, a new institutional mechanism for linking sustainable tourism and elimination of poverty within a framework for financing, research and practical projects.

The International Labor Organization (ILO) said that the Employment and Social Policy Committee of the ILO Governing Body will be looking at the importance of employment, decent work and the ILO's Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work and relevant ILO Standards for poverty eradication; the role of the ILO and its constituents in facilitating the transition to more sustainable consumption and production patterns, especially through the ILO's existing mechanisms and tools for social dialogue; and the importance of continuing the ILO's priority activities since Rio to enhance the capacity of its workers' and employers' organizations to deal directly with the challenges of sustainable development, especially at the national, sectoral and workplace levels.

The FAO welcomed the call by world leaders at the WSSD for NEPAD to play a critical role in eradicating poverty and creating an enabling environment to attain economic growth and development. FAO played a major role in assisting the NEPAD Secretariat in the area of agriculture, and helped prepare the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

UNIDO said that attention should be given to revising the task manager system so that its functioning could assist the CSD in shifting into an implementation mode while avoiding duplication with the work/machinery established for follow-up to the MDGs. This might require:

(a) shift focus from reporting and supporting normative discussions to implementation with greater emphasis on specific thematic areas and goals/objectives;

(b) support/complement the follow-up mechanisms launched by other UN Conferences held during the last decade;

(c) promote stronger linkage between the global intergovernmental deliberations and implementation measures at country level;

(d) promote flexible, innovative and inclusive approaches, based on the comparative advantage of different UN institutions and the level of engagement of non-UN actors;

(e) apply the Issue Management approach, wherever possible;

(f) promote overall integration of the three components of sustainable development.

These objectives could be achieved in a number of ways, including such as:

(a) a single designated agency providing the leadership focus for the other cooperating agencies;

(b) a group of agencies that have comparable levels of expertise in a specific area, working through a coordinating body;

(c) agencies establishing a joint agent that provides the overall focus and impetus for the actions to be taken on behalf of the co-sponsoring agencies;

(d) building on a "Issue Management" approach, limited-duration groups/teams comprising all relevant institutions, established to develop recommendations and proposals to address emerging challenges or to achieve agreed targets related to a specific issue;

(e) country-level operational models as designed by governments in collaboration with the UN system organizations.

The approaches outlined above are currently the object of discussions in an Ad Hoc working Group established by HLCP under the Chairmanship of the Assistant-Secretary-General for Policy Coordination of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).

IUCN stated that the WSSD has approved ambitious targets for water and sanitation and agreed to develop strategies to promote equitable access and adequate supplies. The International Year of Freshwater in 2003 must build on this, and further to already agreed targets, provide support to existing processes (such as the World Water Forum) and implementing partnerships (such as the Dialogue for Water, Food and Environment).

This Dialogue brings together the UN system, academia, technical NGOs, and civil society groups. The IUCN Water and Nature Initiative is another one of these partnerships of more than 80 governments and NGOs to make aware that only adequate ecosystem management can provide the quantity and quality of water necessary to meet the MDGs.

87(c) Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind

The Executive Secretary of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), Joke Waller-Hunter, addressed Agenda Item 87(c), Environment and sustainable development: Protection of the global climate for future generations of mankind. She said that the WSSD Plan of Implementation and the results of COP-8 in Delhi both point us to a direction of enhancing international cooperation in addressing the problem of climate change.

Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, said that they are firmly opposed to the discussion of new commitments for developing countries in the COP and reiterated its call to move ahead on adaptation measures, through the increase in financial and technical assistance for developing countries, particularly vulnerable to adverse effects of climate change.

Denmark, on behalf of the EU, said that the EU calls upon all countries to engage in a dialogue with a view to begin a process, after entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol, aiming at significantly cutting global emissions as well as broadening and enhancing participation in long-term global cooperation. The EU emphasizes, as stipulated in the Convention, that the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible cooperation by all countries, and their participation in an effective and appropriate international response, in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.

Mongolia attaches special significance to the implementation of the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction. With a view to strengthening the national capacity building and improving the disaster management system, he said his Government is taking steps for disaster mitigation in collaboration with UNDP and the Government of Luxembourg.

Samoa said that SIDS need to be assisted and enabled, through the right technology, information and capacity training to undertake urgently needed adaptation strategies. Communities in SIDS need to have access to adequate and predictable sources of financial assistance so that they can effectively undertake adaptation activities.

The Russian Federation has prepared a draft resolution for the current session of the UN General Assembly addressing a World Conference on Climate Change. Its thrust is clear, to encourage active and fruitful participation of UN member States, relevant organizations and agencies of the UN system, other international and national organizations, scientific and business circles, as well as civil society in the Moscow Forum, to promote further progress in overall climate change deliberations.

China said that the question of climate change should be considered and addressed from the perspective of sustainable development and in strict adherence to the principles set out in the Convention, including the principle of "common but differentiated responsibilities."

Tuvalu said that industrialized countries must urgently shoulder the responsibility, not only by assisting in availing easy access to adequate financial and technical resources for adaptation in SIDS like Tuvalu, particularly in capacity building and technology transfer. More importantly, they should also do so by committing to serious and urgent mitigation activities on greenhouse gas emissions.

India said that developing countries do not have adequate resources to meet their basic needs. Any measures sought to be imposed on developing countries for climate change mitigation will bring additional strain to our already fragile economies, and will adversely affect our effort to achieve higher GDP growth related to eradicate poverty speedily.

87(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21: Establishment of a World Solidarity Fund:

Mr. Johann Scholvinck, Director, Division for Social Policy and Development, DESA, highlighted key elements the Committee may wish to take into account when deciding on the establishment of a World Solidarity Fund. These elements, inter alia, are:

1. the fund will have the explicit aim of providing additional assistance to ensure the achievement of the 2015 target to halve extreme poverty and other MDGs;

2. the fund would be used at the local level to finance actions aimed at improving the living standards of impoverished communities;

3. the fund would operate as a trust fund managed by UNDP and would not duplicate existing operational programmes, and;

4. the fund would receive voluntary contributions in cash and kind from individual, foundations, organizations and private sector and would not divert the flow of funding allocated to ODA.

Brazil welcomed the decision taken at the WSSD to establish a World Solidarity Fund to eradicate poverty and to promote social and human development in the developing countries as a significant step in that direction.

A. Consideration of Proposals

87(a) Implementation of Agenda 21 and the Programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21

At the Committee's 37th meeting, on 18 November, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "World Summit on Sustainable Development" (A/C.2/57/L.38) (see document A/57/532/Add.1).

At the 44th meeting, on 11 December, the Vice-Chair of the Committee, Jan Kára (Czech Republic), introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.83), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.38. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.38 was withdrawn.

At the 38th meeting, on 20 November, Japan, on behalf of Andorra, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Gabon, Greece, Italy, Japan, Jordan, Lebanon, Luxembourg, the Marshall Islands, Nicaragua, Panama, the Sudan, Thailand and Uganda, introduced a draft resolution entitled "United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development" (A/C.2/57/L.45). Subsequently, Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Chile, the Dominican Republic, Egypt, Guatemala, Haiti, Indonesia, Israel, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, Mongolia and the Russian Federation joined in sponsoring the draft resolution (see document A/57/532/Add.1).

At the 42nd meeting, on 10 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.71), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.45. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.45 was withdrawn.

World Summit on Sustainable Development

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.83 (see document A/57/532/Add.1) endorses the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and decides to adopt sustainable development as a key element of the overarching framework for United Nations activities, in particular for achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including those contained in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, and to give overall political direction to the implementation of Agenda 21 and its review.

Governments and all relevant international and regional organizations, the Economic and Social Council, United Nations funds, programmes and regional economic commissions, specialized agencies, international financial institutions, the Global Environment Facility, as well as other intergovernmental organizations and major groups, are urged to take timely actions to ensure the effective follow-up and implementation of the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

The resolution requests ECOSOC to ensure that the Commission on Sustainable Development holds an organizational meeting of its next session in January 2003 and its session in April/May 2003. The Secretary-General is requested to prepare a report containing proposals on the modalities of the future work of the Commission, taking into account the decisions contained in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.71 (see document A/57/532/Add.1) proclaims the ten-year period beginning on 1 January 2005 the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development. UNESCO is designated as the lead agency for the promotion of the Decade of Education for Sustainable Development and is requested to develop a draft international implementation scheme.

87(b) International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

At the Committee's 20th meeting, on 30 October, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon" (A/C.2/57/L.16) (see document A/57/532/Add.2).

At the 40th meeting, on 4 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.54), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.16. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.16 was withdrawn.

Also, at the Committee's 20th meeting, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "International Strategy for Disaster Reduction" (A/C.2/57/L.21) (see document A/57/532/Add.2).

At the 42nd meeting, on 10 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.69), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.21. The new resolution was adopted and A/C.2/57/L.21 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

Also, at the Committee's 20th meeting, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft decision entitled "Natural disasters and vulnerability" (A/C.2/57/L.22) (see document A/57/532/Add.2).

At the 44th meeting, on 11 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft decision (A/C.2/57/L.75), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.22. The new decision was adopted and A/C.2/57/L.22 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

International cooperation to reduce the impact of the El Niño phenomenon

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.54 (see document A/57/532/Add.2) welcome the efforts undertaken by the Government of Ecuador, in cooperation with the World Meteorological Organization and the inter-agency secretariat for the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction, towards the establishment of the International Center for the Study of the El Niño Phenomenon at Guayaquil, Ecuador, and the announcement made regarding its opening in January 2003, and encourages all parties to continue their joint efforts for the development of the Centre.

The resolution calls on the UN system and the international community to support the establishment of the research Center at Guayaquil, and invites the international community to provide scientific, technical and financial assistance and cooperation for this purpose, as well as to strengthen, as appropriate, other centers devoted to the study of the El Niño phenomenon.

The Center, once established, is called on to strengthen its links, as appropriate, with national meteorological and hydrologic services of the Latin American region, the Permanent Commission for the South Pacific, the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research and the International Research Institute for Climate Prediction, as well as with other relevant regional and global organizations that study climate, such as the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, the African Centre of Meteorological Applications for Development, the Drought Monitoring Centre and the Asia-Pacific Network for Global Change Research, and other relevant centres as appropriate, in order to ensure the effective and efficient use of the available resources;

The Secretary-General, with the assistance of the Inter-Agency Task Force for Disaster Reduction, is invited to ensure that measures needed to address more effectively extreme meteorological and hydrologic events like the El Niño phenomenon are considered appropriately in the 2004 review of the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action.

International Strategy for Disaster Reduction

Draft Resolution A/C.2/57/L.69 (see document A/57/532/Add.2) welcomes the memorandum of understanding between the inter-agency secretariat for the Strategy and UNDP and encourages the secretariat to create similar synergies with other international organizations. The resolution requests the Secretary-General to provide, during its 58th session, specific proposals to member States for implementing relevant actions of the Plan of Implementation adopted at the WSSD.

The resolution also calls for the conclusion, during the 58th session, the review of the Yokohama Strategy for a Safer World: Guidelines for Natural Disaster Prevention, Preparedness and Mitigation and its Plan of Action. The Strategy's inter-agency secretariat is requested to coordinate and report on the Yokohama Strategy's progress, and the Secretary-General is requested to allocate adequate financial and administrative resources for the effective functioning of the inter-agency secretariat.

Natural disasters and vulnerability

Draft decision A/C.2/57/L.75 (see document A/57/532/Add.2) states that the General Assembly will consider the issue of natural disasters and vulnerability at its 58th session under the sub-item entitled "International Strategy for Disaster Reduction" of the agenda item entitled "Environment and sustainable development". The Secretary-General is requested to report to the General Assembly at its 58th session on the negative impacts of extreme weather events and associated natural disasters on vulnerable countries, in particular developing countries, in a separate section of his report on the International Strategy for Disaster Reduction.

87(c) Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind

At the Committee's 38th meeting, on 20 November, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind" (A/C.2/57/L.43) (see document A/57/532/Add.3).

At the 44th meeting, on 11 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.90), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.43. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.43 was withdrawn.

After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the United States Japan, Denmark (on behalf of the EU) and Canada (see document A/C.2/57/SR.44).

At the Committee's 38th meeting, on 20 November, the Russian Federation, on behalf of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Canada, the Czech Republic, Georgia, Iceland, India, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Romania, the Russian Federation, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Thailand, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, the United States, Uzbekistan and Yugoslavia, introduced a draft resolution entitled "World Climate Change Conference" (A/C.2/57/L.47). Subsequently, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Indonesia, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mongolia, the Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey and the United Kingdom joined in sponsoring the draft resolution (see document A/57/532/Add.3).

At the 44th meeting, on 11 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.91), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.47. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.47 was withdrawn.

After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by the China, the Russian Federation and Japan (see document A/C.2/57/SR.44).

Protection of global climate for present and future generations of mankind

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.90 (see document A/57/532/Add.3) calls on states to work together to achieve the objective of the UNFCCC and urges states that have not yet done so to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in a timely manner.

The resolution also: takes note of the Delhi Ministerial Declaration on Climate Change and Sustainable Development, adopted by UNFCCC COP-8; notes the ongoing work of the liaison group of the secretariats and officers of the relevant subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC, the UNCCD, and the CBD; and invites the COPs of the multilateral environmental conventions, when setting the dates of their meetings, to take into consideration the schedule of meetings of the General Assembly and the Commission on Sustainable Development so as to ensure the adequate representation of developing countries at those meetings.

World Climate Change Conference

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.91 (see document A/57/532/Add.3) welcomes the initiative of the Government of the Russian Federation to convene the World Climate Change Conference at Moscow from 29 September to 3 October 2003 as a forum for the exchange of views among the scientific community, governments, parliaments, international and national organizations, the private sector and other representatives of civil society and for facilitating the implementation of existing policies related to climate change.

The resolution also encourages member States and relevant organizations and bodies of the UN system, as well as other international and national organizations, parliaments, the scientific community, the private sector and other representatives of civil society, to participate actively in the Conference.

87(d) Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa

At the Committee's 29th meeting, on 30 October, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa" (A/C.2/57/L.17) (see document A/57/532/Add.4).

At the 44th meeting, on 11 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.89), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.17. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.17 was withdrawn.

After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by Venezuela (on behalf of the G-77 and China) and Canada (see A/C.2/57/SR.44).

Implementation of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, particularly in Africa

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.89 (see document A/57/532/Add.4) welcomes the decision taken by the Second Assembly of the Global Environment Facility that the Facility shall be available to serve as a financial mechanism of the UNCCD if the Conference of the Parties to the Convention should so decide, and in this regard notes with satisfaction that the GEF Assembly has requested the Council of the Facility to consider any such decision of the Conference of the Parties with a view to making the necessary arrangements.

The resolution also invites the Conference of the Parties at its sixth session, to be held at Havana in September 2003, responding to the call of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and the decision of the GEF Assembly, to consider making the Facility a financial mechanism of the Convention as a means of promoting the availability of financial mechanisms.

The resolution welcomes the successful and substantial third replenishment of the GEF Trust Fund and calls upon all countries and other entities in a position to do so to make additional contributions to the GEF.

The resolution also calls upon the international community to continue to contribute to the implementation of action programmes through, inter alia, the conclusion of partnership agreements as well as the bilateral and multilateral cooperation programmes that are available to implement the Convention, including contributions from non-governmental organizations and the private sector, and to support the efforts of the developing countries to implement the Convention. Parties are invited to pay their contributions required for the core budget of the Convention. 

The resolution also: notes the ongoing collaboration between the UNFCCC, UNCCD and CBD; invites UNDP to implement decision 2000/23 of 29 September 2000 of its Executive Board,7 pertaining to the cooperation between the secretariat of the Convention and UNDP, in order to mainstream activities to combat desertification at the national, subregional and regional levels; and calls upon Governments, and invites multilateral financial institutions, regional development banks, regional economic integration organizations and all other interested organizations, as well as non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to contribute generously to the General Fund, the Supplementary Fund and the Special Fund.

87(e) Environment and sustainable development: Convention on Biological Diversity

At the Committee's 20th meeting, on 30 October, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "Convention on Biological Diversity" (A/C.2/57/L.18) (see document A/57/532/Add.5).

At the 42nd meeting, on 10 December, Vice-Chair Jan Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.67), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.18. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.18 was withdrawn.

After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by Denmark (on behalf of the EU, Bulgaria, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia), the United States and Australia (see A/C.2/57/SR.42).

Convention on Biological Diversity

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.67 (see document A/57/532/Add.5) invites parties to the Convention to ratify or accede to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety as soon as possible. The resolution calls upon the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity to continue to work closely with the Global Environment Facility and other relevant institutions to help developing countries to build the required national capacities to prepare for the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

The resolution also welcomes the launching of the pilot phase of the Biosafety Clearing House, and calls for strengthened international support for developing countries to build their national capacities to interact with it and to benefit from its expeditious strengthening so that it becomes fully functional at the time of the entry into force of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety.

Finally, the resolution emphasizes the need for a substantial increase in financial and technical resources for the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety by developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and in this regard welcomes the successful and substantial third replenishment of the Global Environment Facility.

87(f) Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

At the Committee's 20th meeting, on 30 October, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States" (A/C.2/57/L.20) (see document A/57/532/Add.6).

At the 44nd meeting, on 11 December, Vice-Chair Kára introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.64), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.20. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.20 was withdrawn.

After the adoption of the draft resolution, statements were made by Norway, Samoa (on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States), Venezuela (on behalf of the G-77 and China) and Tuvalu (see A/C.2/57/SR.44). The Chair of the Committee then read out the following statement:

"Having now adopted the resolution on small island developing States, there are two related matters that I would like to draw to the attention of the Committee and ask that they bear in mind and convey to their capitals:

"(a) First, in paragraph 5 of the resolution, we have decided to convene an international meeting in 2004. I understand that conference services has advised that the calendar of conferences currently has a gap in the latter part of August and early part of September 2004 during which the international meeting could take place. I also understand that the Group of 77 and China would like the meeting to take place during that period and are concerned that the current opening in the calendar of conferences not be lost. There also appears to be a general desire by members to bring clarity to the issue of the timing of the meeting at the next available opportunity. In the meantime, I would ask the Secretariat to draw this matter to the attention of the Committee on Conferences;

"(b) Secondly, in paragraph 15 of the resolution, we have decided to establish a voluntary fund for the purpose of assisting small island developing States, and the least developed among them, in participating in the international meeting and its preparatory process. I understand that a similar fund was established for the 1994 Barbados Conference and that approximately $30,000 remains in that fund. I also understand that the Group of 77 and China would like to make use of those monies for the purpose of assisting small island developing States, and the least developed among them, to participate in the 2004 international meeting and its preparatory process. In order to do so, the Secretariat will need to obtain the agreement of all donors to the original 1994 fund. The Secretariat will shortly be writing to donor Governments to obtain their agreement."

The Committee also adopted a resolution entitled "Promoting an integrated management approach to the Caribbean Sea area in the context of sustainable development" (A/C.2/57/L.66) (see document A/57/532/Add.6)

Further implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.64 (see document A/57/532/Add.6) decides to convene an international meeting in 2004, which will include a high-level segment, to undertake a full and comprehensive review of the implementation of the Programme of Action, as called for in the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and welcomes the offer of the Government of Mauritius to host the international meeting.

The resolution further decides to convene regional preparatory meetings of small island developing States in the African, Caribbean and Pacific regions, as well as an interregional preparatory meeting for all small island developing States, to undertake the review of the Programme of Action at the national, subregional and regional levels and to identify and develop input for the above-mentioned review that is specific to small island developing States while maximizing coherence and complementarity with respect to other preparatory work.

The resolution also invites the Commission on Sustainable Development, at its eleventh session, to consider its role in the preparatory process for the comprehensive review of the Programme of Action.

The resolution requests the Secretary-General, pursuant to paragraph 8 of General Assembly resolution 56/198, to give further consideration to strengthening the Small Island Developing States Unit, inter alia, through the regularization of the current post of Interregional Adviser for Small Island Developing States at the earliest opportunity, thereby enabling the Unit to assist in the preparations for the comprehensive review of the Programme of Action.

A voluntary fund for the purpose of assisting small island developing States, including the least developed among them, to participate fully and effectively in the international meeting as well as in the various preparatory processes is established and Governments, intergovernmental organizations and the major groups accredited to the Commission on Sustainable Development are invited to contribute to the fund.

All relevant organizations are called upon to finalize, by 2004, the work on the vulnerability index, taking into account the particular circumstances and needs of small island developing States.

III. AGENDA ITEM 92: INTEGRATED AND COORDINATED IMPLEMENTATION AND FOLLOW-UP TO THE OUTCOMES OF THE MAJOR UN CONFERENCES AND SUMMITS IN THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL FIELDS

The Second Committee held a substantive debate on this agenda item on 31 October, 5 and 12 November, and 10 and 11 December 2002.

Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, said that the role of ECOSOC should be further enhanced to promote a coordinate follow-up to the outcomes of major conferences in the economic, social and related fields. Furthermore, the role of the General Assembly as the highest inter-governmental mechanism for the formulation and appraisal of policy on matters relating to the economic, social and related fields, should be further promoted to provide overall political direction as well as to serve as the monitoring mechanism to the integrated and coordinated implementation of Conference outcomes.

Having considered the need to ensure a better working method of the General Assembly in providing the overall political direction and taking into account the continuing work to revitalize and strengthen the UN in economic, social and related fields, we should resolve to make the UN a more effective instrument for pursuing the achievements of internationally agreed development goals. We should promote coherence, integrated and coordinated work of the General Assembly in the Plenary, Second and Third Committees with the objective of ensuring that the system is equipped to follow up effectively the integrated and coordinated approach to the implementation of UN conference outcomes.

To address the issue in a more comprehensive manner, taking into account the on-going deliberation of the reform process, he proposed the establishment of an open-ended working group under the auspices of the President of the General Assembly. The working group should commence its work as soon as possible so as to enable it to submit its report to be endorsed by the General Assembly before the end of the fifty-seventh session next year.

Denmark, on behalf of the EU, said that the challenge facing us today is to assert and ensure the relevance of the UN system, in particular for the Second and Third committees, ECOSOC, the General Assembly and the functional commissions. We are mindful of the need to make better use of the existing mechanisms of the UN system in the development field. By utilizing the existing structures and institutions, we should work hard to avoid any duplication of work. At the center of every process, resolution or other action, we should focus on support to enforce the actual implementation at field level.

The EU is ready to support the establishment of an ad hoc open-ended working group that will look into the matter. It is important that it be a working group with a concrete and time-bound mandate. The secretariat should, based on their ideas in relation to the reform of the UN, give input to the working group. The ad hoc open-ended working group would have to look, within the framework of the Millennium Declaration, at the way our work in the General Assembly, ECOSOC and the functional commissions as well as our dialogue with other stakeholders can be made relevant at each level in order to support achieving the MDGs. The EU underlined the important and necessary task to include the civil society, the private sector and other stakeholders as much as possible.

Croatia stated that the General Assembly should focus its attention to overall policy issues that emerge from the follow-up of major conferences and summits and ensure that they are linked with internationally agreed development goals. The overall guidance and coordination should be done by ECOSOC and its subsidiary bodies, which should continue to draw the attention of the General Assembly to obstacles and constraints as well as to new challenges identified by the reviews that affect progress towards conference goals.

ECOSOC will need to strengthen further its role and impact to meet the challenges and opportunities of globalization and sustainable development and to promote the effective implementation of development goals including those contained in major conferences and summits. Overlap and redundancy must be avoided.

The multi-year programme of functional commissions provides a suitable framework to assess progress in implementation of major UN conferences and summits. The Second Committee should consider strengthening its role in giving recommendations for implementation in economic and social fields and provide the General Assembly plenary a holistic approach and guidance to main issues in these areas.

The United States stated that when mandated, the functional commissions of ECOSOC should continue to have primary responsibility for the review and assessment of progress made in implementing UN conference document; however, their methods or work should take on a new focus:

(a) the functional commissions should be more interactive and should engage in more dialogue among all stakeholders, and should serve as forums for discussion of partnerships that promote implementation of the conference documents;

(b) the annual session should address a limited number of themes;

(c) the annual sessions should examine results achieved at national level, highlight progress made, best practices, and lessons learned, and they should foster new partnerships and identify tools or other initiatives that could accelerate implementation of the conference document;

(d) governments should be encouraged to send substantive experts who are knowledgeable in the particular areas under consideration, and who are prepared to share national experiences;

(e) members of civil society, especially NGOs with operational and field experience and the private sector, should participate in the annual meetings, in accordance with the relevant rules of procedure;

(f) we need to structure meetings so that we can hear from those doing the implementing; and

(g) negotiations on resolutions and other outcome documents should be limited to every three years.

ECOSOC should continue to review progress in the implementation of issues common to all conferences, such as poverty eradication and gender equality. ECOSOC should also assist in identifying cross-cutting themes and in prioritizing and coordinating the work of the functional commissions.

Tanzania stated that when ECOSOC reviews the work of its functional commissions, it should focus on cross-cutting issues and ensure that all functional commissions provide a substantive and focused contribution to overarching goals. He supported the Monterrey Consensus.

Norway said that it is the firm belief of her delegation that we should try to make more effective use of the existing structures with regard to follow-up and with regard to coordinating and implementing the outcomes of UN conferences. Norway believes that the General Assembly and ECOSOC and its subsidiary machinery should play the primary roles in following up on conference outcomes. We must make sure that there is full integration between the review and follow-up of the Millennium Summit and that of other conferences. In this connection we should emphasize the important function of the UN Development Group (UNDG) and that of the Global Millennium Campaign. We should also decide on the concrete role of ECOSOC and the dialogue with the BWIs in the follow-up process. We must ensure that the General Assembly's high-level dialogue becomes an important stepping stone in the process.

Indonesia emphasized that the continuing importance of strengthening further the coordinating role of ECOSOC in the work of its functional commissions and its subsidiary organs to implement the outcomes of UN conferences and summits. The General Assembly should provide the overall responsibility for political direction. We should strive to advance a more coherent, integrated and coordinated work of the General Assembly in the Plenary, Second and Third Committees. He proposed the establishment of an open-ended working group under the auspices of the President of the General Assembly, to commence work by January 2003, so as to allow us to be in a position to submit a report for the consideration of the General Assembly before the end of the 57th Session.

The working group should develop recommendations to ensure an integrated and coordinated follow-up to the UN conferences and summits. Such recommendations may address ways to promote the policy and programme coordination of the international institutions and to enhance greater policy coherence between the UN, its agencies, the BWIs and the WTO in achieving internationally agreed development goals.

It should resolve to improve coherence in the work of the Plenary, Second and Third Committees as well as to structure the agenda items of the work of the General Assembly in the economic, social and related fields and to promote a consolidated report of the Secretary-General. It should also seek to ensure complementarity with the on-going reform processes of the UN as a whole.

Japan stated that it is vital to make effective use of existing structure within the UN system. He recalled that ECOSOC is responsible for coordinating activities of other UN bodies in the economic and social fields and it is appropriate for ECOSOC to pursue a cross-cutting approach on the themes common to major UN conferences. He also said that it is appropriate for relevant subsidiary bodies and specialized agencies of the UN to follow-up constantly on technical matters specific to each UN conference. The General Assembly should give overall political direction. It is urgent to look into setting up an appropriate forum such as an ad hoc working group of the General Assembly to discuss this important subject thoroughly.

China stated that there are differences of view regarding how to carry out an integrated and coordinated implementation of the outcome of the major UN conferences. A discussion should consider the necessary division of labor and cooperation among various UN bodies in carrying out the follow-up so that it will implement the outcomes of the conferences in a more coordinated manner.

India stated that shared responsibility is not an exit strategy for national responsibility. The primary responsibility to provide for the well-being of citizens is that of national governments. Shared responsibility means that indicators to measure progress in achieving objectives should be applies to all members of the international community.

The task of reviewing conference implementation is of dual nature: on the one hand, it requires pursuing an integrated and coordinated approach in the context of common overarching conference goals and, on the other hand, maintaining the identity and integrity of every conference through a focused view to stimulate progress in the areas covered by the conferences. This task has, to some extent, been addressed by the Economic and Social Council and its functional commissions. We would now need to take a view on what more is required to be done.

Australia stated that we must make greater use of the existing UN structure and bodies, particularly ECOSOC and give greater opportunities to engage in non-combative, more productive discussions that identify barriers to implementation and ways to overcome such barriers, in a mutually agreeable manner. We note in this regard the decisions of the WSSD concerning the role and function of the CSD, particularly to limit negotiations to every second year.

Pakistan said that the follow-up and implementation of commitments and action plans must be integrated, balanced and coordinated. The Pakistani delegation circulated a Non-paper entitled "Follow-up and implementation of the economic and social policies, commitments and action plans". The paper envisages the establishment of an integrated, comprehensive and coordinated follow-up mechanism to review and monitor the implementation of the outcomes of the major international conferences in economic and social fields. Pakistan suggests that the major responsibility for the follow-up should rest with ECOSOC, which has a mandate under the UN Charter to promote coordination and coherence in the economic and social policies and programmes. Substantive reviews in various areas, such as trade and development, financing for development and sustainable development, could be conducted by Commissions or Committees operating under ECOSOC and the General Assembly. While the Commission on Sustainable Development could readily assume the responsibility for follow-up and implementation of Johannesburg and Agenda 21, we would need to create special bodies (Commissions) to follow-up on Monterrey and the Implementation of the "Development Agenda" of the Doha Trade Round.

The idea of rotating meetings between Geneva and New York in the case of the proposed Commission on Trade and Development is to enhance interactions between the UN and other stakeholders. The functional commission on trade and development will not encroach upon the mandate of UNCTAD but would rather reinforce UNCTAD's message. The UNCTAD Secretariat will service meetings of the commission when it meets in Geneva. The proposed commission would be guided, inter alia, by the decisions of the Trade and Development Board.

A. Consideration of Proposals

At the Committee's 26th meeting, on 5 November, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields."

At the 42nd meeting, on 10 December, the Chair of the Committee introduced a draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.70), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.28. The new draft resolution was adopted and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.28 was withdrawn.

The Committee also adopted a resolution entitled "World Food Summit: five years later" (A/C.2/57/L.81) (see document A/57/537).

Integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.70 (see document A/57/537) calls for the establishment of an open-ended ad hoc working group, chaired by the President, with two vice-chairs, which would produce concrete recommendations to ensure the integrated and coordinated follow-up of United Nations conferences and summits, thus contributing to the implementation of internationally agreed development goals.

The resolution also states that the working group will: submit proposals on how best to review implementation of the outcomes of conferences and summit; consider the work of the General Assembly and its Second and Third Committees relevant to the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of the major conferences and summits; and consider how to ensure that the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits are integrated in the programmes of work of the organs, organizations and bodies of the United Nations, and requests the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination and the United Nations Development Group to contribute to the reflection on integrated conference follow-up.

The resolution states that future decisions on follow-up to conferences whose ten-year anniversaries are imminent shall be kept pending subject to the decisions to be taken by the General Assembly on the report of the working group.

The working group will commence its substantive work during the fifty-seventh session of the General Assembly, no later than January 2003, and will submit its report before 27 June 2003, for consideration by the General Assembly and action before the close of the fifty-seventh session in 2003.

IV. AGENDA ITEM 93 HIGH-LEVEL INTERNATIONAL INTER-GOVERNMENTAL CONSIDERATION OF FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT

This agenda item was considered by the Committee on: 8, 14 and 20 November.

Denmark, on behalf of the EU, stated that in Monterrey, governments agreed to follow-up the Conference both at ECOSOC and the General Assembly. This summer, governments looked at ECOSOC, which will, inter alia, address coherence, coordination and cooperation. The EU suggests that the High-level dialogue on financing for development (Ffd) should focus on implementation of the Monterrey Consensus and related issues. He believed that sustainable development, bearing in mind the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, is an important element in this.

The main challenge in organizing the dialogue will be to ensure that it is complementary and mutually reinforcing with ECOSOC and that there is no duplication of work. Furthermore we have to ensure that the same rules of engagement, as were applied in Monterrey, are in place for our stakeholders, both from the World Bank, the IMF and the WTO and from the civil society and business sector. In our preparations we should ensure the involvement of our capitols, regional banks, UN regional commissions as well as UN funds and programmes, and in particular UNDP.

We believe that a real dialogue is needed in order to bring this process further and contribute fruitfully to maintaining the spirit of Monterrey. In order to have an animated and lively exchange of views that contribute to moving the Ffd process forward, we believe that the views expressed at the dialogue should be summarized by the President of the General Assembly.

Switzerland stated that as concerns the institutional follow-up of the Conference, it is Switzerland's opinion that this should be done within the context of existing institutions and their regular meetings. Switzerland encourages continued efforts to build bridges between development, financial and commercial institutions, but also those of civil society and the private sector, at the global, regional and national levels.

At the global level, high-level dialogue should take place biennially and over a period of two days, immediately preceding or following the IMF's and World Bank's fall meeting, in order to maximize synergy and optimize the presence of Ministers of Finance, of Commerce, of Foreign Affairs, of Cooperation, as well as directors of central banking institutions.

This high-level dialogue should be divided into two parts. The first would allow the organization of simultaneous, interactive roundtables, bringing together all concerned parties up to a maximum of 40 participants, by organizing four roundtables if necessary. These should concentrate on a retrospective analysis of the Monterrey Consensus' implementation particularly in the light of the MDGs. The second part of the high-level dialogue should give way to an interactive discussion on actions to take, based on the first day's conclusions.

At the regional level, the economic commissions, in cooperation with UN entities and in consultation with the BWIs and the WTO, should organize consultative meetings to address regional integration efforts, particularly in the context of harmonizing monetary, commercial, fiscal and financial sector policies.

At the national level, in developing countries and countries with economies in transition, the role of United Nations Resident Coordinators should be further highlighted. They should facilitate consultative meetings between all concerned parties, including civil society and the private sector, with a view to analyzing the coherence the Monterrey Consensus' various aspects of implementation within the context of national strategies for development. These experiences should ultimately provide substance for regional meetings.

Norway said that in the light of the positive results of the dialogue and cooperation between the UN and the financial institutions, one of the challenges in following up the Monterrey Conference will be continuation and further development of this cooperation at both the intergovernmental and the secretariat level. In these efforts, governments and multilateral organizations should continue to involve civil society and the business sector. We also regard it as crucial that the regional development banks and the UN Regional Commissions as well as UN funds and programmes be involved. This should be kept in mind in discussions concerning the organization of the high-level dialogue on Ffd.

The establishment of an ad hoc working group on integrated conference follow-up will be a fruitful means of achieving an integrated and coordinated follow-up. And we believe that the high-level dialogue also should be considered by that group. We need to take into consideration the follow-up activities of the World Bank and the IMF, which were considered at ministerial level by the Development Committee recently. The High Level Forum on Harmonization, which will be organized by the multilateral financial institutions in cooperation with the OECD and UNDP in Italy in February 2003, is an important follow-up to Monterrey. It should be considered a step in the efforts to improve the effectiveness of ODA and it might give important input to the high-level international inter-governmental consideration of Ffd to be organized by the UN next October.

Croatia said that according to the Monterrey Consensus, both the General Assembly and ECOSOC have an obligation to further the Ffd process. In the view of her delegation, the General Assembly as the chief deliberative and policy-making organ should focus its attention to overall policy issues. Furthermore, as the most representative, all-inclusive body of the UN, it is also well suited to serve as a forum for a high-level inter-governmental dialogue to find ways to enhance further cooperation on country level among ministries of finance, trade, foreign affairs and development cooperation. It can encourage concrete action plans, specify various performance benchmarks and indicators and include timeframes for implementation on regional and country levels.

ECOSOC should, as stated in its resolution E/2002/36, contribute to the implementation of the Monterrey Consensus by promoting coherence and integrated approach within the UN system. It should also ensure that commitments from Monterrey are fully taken into account as relevant for the operational work and country frameworks of UN system organizations, in accordance with national development objectives and priorities.

To this end, securing harmonization, coordination and coherence of the agendas and work programmes of the functional commissions dealing with the development process is essential. Therefore, it is also important to have involved all interested stakeholders, especially the BWIs and the WTO, but also continue to give opportunities to the private sector, NGOs and civil society in general.

The special high-level meeting of ECOSOC with the BWIs and the WTO can serve as a forum to continuing to build bridges between development finance and trade organizations and initiatives and to help translate the Monterrey Consensus into a pragmatic program of implementation, which can then provide substantive inputs to the biennial General Assembly high-level dialogue.

Saint Lucia, on behalf of CARICOM, said that the forum chosen for the follow-up to Monterrey should ensure equal participation for all Member States. CARICOM supported the position of the G-77 and China in the reconstitution of the High Level Dialogue in a manner consistent with the integrated approach of all issues and stakeholders representative of the Ffd process. CARICOM wishes however that the multi-stakeholder roundtables be interactive, addressing specific questions and issues with a view to making concrete recommendations, and not a repeat of read policy statements of the general debate. The issues should be representative of the holistic nature of the agenda and be determined in a transparent manner by Member States.

CARICOM proposed that the General Assembly establishes a Working Group of the High Level Dialogue with task forces to oversee the implementation of specific proposals in the Monterrey Consensus, with the following mandates:

(a) Formulate internationally agreed codes of conduct and rules to regulate international financial markets and to permit national policies to control short-term capital flows and improved information. In this regard, the proposed creation a World Financial Authority merits consideration, to oversee the international financial system in an integrated manner, including banking, insurance and securities. The work should include the design of a network of regional and sub-regional organizations to support the management of monetary and financial issues.

(b) Monitor Official Development Assistance contributions, the meeting of the UN target of 0.7% of DP, and disseminate disaggregated information on aid differentiating between tied and untied aid; aid promoting domestic export promotion rather than development assistance, technical cooperation grants reflecting payments for the services of donor country nationals and consultants, collaborated aid, reflecting the priorities of donor countries and not recipient countries.

(c) Establish an independent debt arbitration mechanism, involving creditors, debtors, as well as impartial experts to assess, adjudicate and pass judgment on debt reduction options. In that connection, an International Convention on Sovereign Debt Restructuring needs to be considered to incorporate the lessons learned over the last 20 years and to remove inconsistencies and to avoid ad hoc approaches that have been the hallmark of attempts to restructure debt burdens. In the interim, CARICOM maintains that, the consideration of the cancellation of the unsustainable debt of the highly indebted countries should be given high priority;

(d) Formulate an institutional framework with timetable commitments aimed at increasing the level of cooperation on tax matters, including the formulation of financial standards and codes based on the following elements: all countries have the right to participate, all countries that participate must be treated equally, and monitoring of international standards must be conducted through a process of mutual evaluation or peer review;

(e) Formulate proposals for the full and effective participation of developing countries in global economic decision-making, in the BWIs and the WTO;

(f) Formulate an intergovernmental framework for the conduct and monitoring of partnerships;

(g) Formulate proposals for addressing the declining terms of trade and instability of commodity prices, implementation issues of developing countries, phasing out of subsidies and other distorting barriers to trade, and making operational special and differential treatment.

The work of the task forces will inform the decisions of the High level Dialogue. Inputs from the institutional stakeholders, civil society and the private sector will be received at the annual ECOSOC Spring Meeting with the BWIs and the WTO and considered at the High Level Dialogue. The task forces will consult with all Member States through their regional groups in an open and transparent manner, and with all other relevant stakeholders of the process through hearings or panel discussions.

National and regional consultations should be held, involving all relevant ministries and stakeholders, on Ffd related issues and implementation of the Consensus. These should be held in preparation for the High level Dialogue and to inform a meaningful exchange at the interactive roundtables.

UNIDO said that the Ffd process directly addresses the pre-eminent issue of our time: globalization and its unevenly spread benefits. Various aspects of globalization – such as fair and open trading rules, cross-border flows of investment capital and information technology – could offer avenues towards eradicating poverty and bolstering prosperity in developing countries. So far, they have led to a more sever marginalization of large numbers of people and an entire continent.

UNIDO believes the Ffd follow-up process is about connecting developing countries to globalized trade and investment flows; and this can only be done by helping developing countries increase their productivity. UNIDO's contribution to Ffd has focused on developing the institutional infrastructure required for full participation in international trade and on promoting private sector equity capital flows into developing countries.

A. Consideration of Proposals

At the 34th meeting, on 14 November, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "High-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development" (A/C.2/57/L.36). At the 43rd meeting, on 11 December, the Chair of the Committee introduced a draft resolution entitled "High-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development" (A/C.2/57/L.80), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.36. 7. At the same meeting, the Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.80. In the light of the adoption of draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.80, draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.36 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

At the 38th meeting, on 20 November, Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77 and China, introduced a draft resolution entitled "Ensuring effective secretariat support for sustained follow-up to the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development" (A/C.2/57/L.44). At the 43rd meeting, on 11 December, the Chair of the Committee introduced a draft resolution entitled "Ensuring effective secretariat support for sustained follow-up to the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development" (A/C.2/57/L.62), which he submitted on the basis of informal consultations held on draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.44. At the same meeting, the Director of the Programme Planning and Budget Division of the Office of Programme Planning, Budget and Accounts introduced a statement of the programme budget implications of the draft resolution (A/C.2/57/L.74). The Committee adopted draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.62 and draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.44 was withdrawn by its sponsors.

High-level international intergovernmental consideration of financing for development

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.80 (see document A/57/538) calls for the integrated consideration of trade, finance, investment, technology transfer and development, and stresses the urgency of coherent action by the United Nations, the Bretton Woods Institutions, the World Trade Organization and governments to promote equitable and broad sharing of benefits of globalization, taking into account the needs of developing countries.

The General Assembly also encourages all governments to combat corruption, bribery, money-laundering, the transfer of illicitly acquired funds and assets and work for their return to the countries of origin. It also stresses the need for structural reforms to strengthen corporate governance, accounting and auditing. In addition, it would stress the importance of strong domestic institutions to promote business activities and financial stability for the achievement of growth and development, including through sound macroeconomic polities and those aimed at strengthening the regulatory systems of the corporate, financial and banking sectors.

The resolution encourages international financial institutions to continue taking into account social aspects and borrowing costs for developing countries. It underlines the need to ensure that the international financial institutions, including the IMF, have a suitable array of financial facilities and resources to respond in a timely and appropriate way to financial crisis or risk of contagion on developing countries or countries with transition economies.

Ensuring effective secretariat support for sustained follow-up to the outcome of the International Conference on Financing for Development

Draft resolution A/C.2/57/L.62 (see document A/57/538) requests that the Secretary-General create, as soon as possible, appropriate secretariat support for sustained follow-up within the United Nations, to Conference agreements and commitments. The new secretariat support structure should be integrated, cross-cutting and holistic, and serve as a focal point in the Secretariat for overall Conference follow-up.

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