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CHAIR'S SUMMARY OF THE HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT:

T”pfer then read out his summary of the High-Level Segment, where he noted the points raised by the ministers:

The importance of a high political profile of the Commission;

Greater cooperation with governing bodies of international organizations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the GATT/WTO, and major groups;

Initial action taken in many countries to follow-up UNCED;

The entry into force of the two Conventions signed in Rio, the finalization of the convention on combatting desertification, and the adoption of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States;

Much more needs to be done both nationally and internationally to translate the commitments of Rio into reality;

The overall financing of Agenda 21 and sustainable development falls significantly short of expectations and requirements;

Additional efforts are essential in the area of transfer of environmentally sound technologies, cooperation and capacity building;

Trade liberalization and measures to make trade and environment mutually supportive are essential to achieving sustainable development;

Additional measures need to be taken to change contemporary patterns of consumption and production that are detrimental to sustainable development;

Relevant bodies should seek legally binding status of the Prior Informed Consent Procedure;

The importance of continuous exchange of information on practical experience gained by countries, organizations and major groups;

Support for the ongoing work on the elaboration of realistic and understandable sustainable development indicators that can supplement national reporting;

The need to ensure synergy between the work of the Commission and the preparations for major upcoming international conferences;

Support for the meetings hosted by governments and organizations to address issues on the CSD's agenda;

The need for effective intersessional work to prepare for the next session of the Commission;

Enhanced coordination and complementarity in the preparatory work on forests;

The need for a dialogue-oriented approach, including the use of panels; and

The need to explore possibilities to elect the Chair and the Bureau at a more appropriate time.

A number of delegates reacted to the Chair's summary. Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador and Peru thought that the summary paragraph on forests did not reflect the fact that the CSD should be the central body for the discussion of all aspects of implementing Agenda 21 on this issue. Barbados, Algeria, on behalf of the G-77, and Australia thought that insufficient reference was made to the Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States. Others, including India, Greece on behalf of the EU, Malaysia, the US and Norway, supported the Chair's summary. T”pfer responded that additional language will be added on the small islands conference. With regard to the concerns expressed by the Parties to the Amazon Treaty, T”pfer maintained that his text was balanced. With that comment, the summary was adopted.

The final item on the agenda was the adoption of the report of the Commission on its second session. T”pfer closed the meeting by thanking all delegates and NGOs for their work and invited everyone to do their utmost at the national level to prove that the Spirit of Rio is alive.

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