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Special Session of the General Assembly to Review and Appraise the Implementation of Agenda 21

Late Breaking News from Earth Summit +5

Updated 23 June 1997

 The 19th Special Session of the General Assembly opened Monday morning amid tight security as hoards of media, NGOs, government delegates and 22 Heads of State or Government and their entourages descended upon the East side of Manhattan. While national and international news reported on the importance of the meeting and the failures to implement Agenda 21 over the past five years, the New York City local news reported on the traffic jams caused by the Special Session

In the General Assembly Plenary Hall, Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso and US Vice President Al Gore opened the Special Session by calling on delegates to renew the partnership formed in Rio and urged participants to use it wisely. After introductory statements by General Assembly President Amb. Razali Ismail (Malaysia), UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan and CSD-5 Chair Dr. Mostafa Tolba (Egypt), the Plenary heard speeches from 22 Heads of State and Government and 14 other government leaders.

In the afternoon, the Ad Hoc Committee of the Whole held its first meeting in Conference Room 3 and proceeded to hear statements from 11 representatives of international organizations who were unable to get on the speakers' list in the Plenary.

Meanwhile, an informal group, chaired by John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda), considered cross-sectoral issues in the draft outcome of the Special Session. Delegates managed to discuss two paragraphs in the section on "International legal instruments and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development" and one paragraph in the section on "Information and Tools to Measure Progress." When informal consultations on cross-sectoral issues continue on Tuesday, along with consultations on the Draft Political Statement, it is hoped that there will be some progress to report.

Tuesday's issue of the Earth Negotiations Bulletin summarizes Monday's meeting. You can also download the Earth Negotiations Bulletin in either text or PDF format.