Chairman, Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Thank you very much for inviting the German Minister for the Environment, Prof. Dr Klaus Töpfer in his capacity as Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development to the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Forests. Minister Töpfer greatly welcomed the opportunity to attend this important meeting on forests. However, his commitments as top politician in Germany in the final stage of the German Federal Election Campaign - the election will take place next Sunday - made it impossible to come to Ottawa this week. He has asked me to speak to you on his behalf. I am honored to do so.
The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) with its 53 Member States plays a key role in the global follow up to the Rio Conference. The CSD figures as the crucial political motor in this process.
Forests will be one of the significant issues in next year's CSD session. The preparation of the forest issue for 1995 is a complex task requiring diligent and balanced steps. We have to be aware of the multi-faceted character of the forest issue which touches on areas such as biodiversity, climate change, indigenous people, trade, production and consumption patterns. We have to take into our consideration, that main reasons for deforestation are based outside the forestry sector, which requires adequate responses. According to the decisions taken at the CSD session in May this year, the CSD process, with regard to the forest issue, will consist of two main pillars:
1. the meeting of the newly established Ad-hoc intersessional group on sectoral issues that will take place from 27 February to 3 March 1995;
2. the CSD plenary in April next year.
In No. 17 of the "Chairman's Summary" of the High Level Meeting of the last CSD session the Chairman is mandated to initiate effective ways to enhance coordination and complementarity in the preparatory work for the meeting of the Ad hoc group and CSD plenary.
The Chairman will build on various forest-related meetings planned as part of a number of country initiatives and enhance transparency and coordination including with the institutional mechanism within the UN system.
To achieve a successful outcome, the next session of the CSD will have to be in a position to decide as clearly and concretely as possible on what needs to be done in a global perspective in order to enhance the implementation of Chapter 11 of Agenda 21 and the Forest Principles at Rio. Let me remind you of the task given to CSD by Agenda 21, Chapter 11.12 (e):
To consider "on the basis of the implementation of these principles...the need for and the feasibility of all kinds of appropriate internationally agreed arrangements to promote international cooperation on forest management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests...".
In order to achieve a wide reaching global consensus on all crucial issues in the preparation of the next CSD session, the Chairman is planning the following:
- Given the concerns that some Latin American countries have raised during the 2nd CSD session, Minister Töpfer intends to travel to the Amazon region later this year.
- In order to build upon the ongoing forest initiatives and processes and to ensure complementarity and coordination in the intersessional work for the next CSD session, the CSD-Chairman will invite key international experts (including inter alia, representatives of FAO) to a meeting in Bonn.
- He very much appreciates the offer for a close cooperation with FAO and agreed to meet Secretary General Diouf as soon as possible. His discussions with Secretary General Diouf will comprise FAO's role as task manager in the preparation of the 3rd CSD session, including FAO's ministerial conference on forests in March next year.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
This meeting of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Forests following the meeting which we had in Kuala Lampur in April this year will have to play an important role in this process. This initiative together with the Indo-British workshop in Delhi in July and the on-going discussions on criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management ("Helsinki process", "Montreal process") build cornerstones for further discussions on the forest issue in the ad hoc working group on cross-sectoral issues.
I would like to extend the gratitude of the CSD-Chairman to the personalities and governments, that have initiated, organized, and funded these activities.
Let me also appreciate the substantial contributions that Non-Governmental Organisations have made already to the process. We firmly count on their future cooperation.
I would like to invite you to give your comments and views on how to promote the forest discussion during the intersessional period up to next year's CSD session.
Possible questions which could be raised in this context are the following:
- What do you see as possible elements of the CSD decision on forests at its 3rd Session in April next year in following up on Agenda 21, Chapter 11 and the Declaration on Forest Principles?
- What is your understanding of the options we have in further promoting the protection and sustainable management of forests worldwide?
- Should the CSD recommend negotiations on a forest convention, on protocol(s) to the biodiversity and/or the climate convention?
- Should the CSD recommend the development of national, of regional action programs for the further implementation of the Rio decisions?
- How can we promote consensus?
Your thoughts and your ideas, in particular your concrete recommendations, would help the CSD-Chairman to fulfill his role in preparing for a successful session of the CSD with
further reaching decisions on this crucial issue of management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of forests. They would therefore be highly appreciated.
Thank you.