ENB:05:55
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HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT
CSD Chair Rumen Gechev suggested that delegates discuss the role of the private sector in sustainable development, and that the CSD focus on implementing sustainable development in economic sectors, such as agriculture and forestry. Nitin Desai, Under Secretary- General of the DPCSD, said that a real challenge is bringing sustainability into decisions made by finance ministries. Mohamed El-Ashry, Chair of the GEF, noted that, in 1997, the GEF assembly will review its operations and policies. Negotiations on the next replenishment also will begin.
ZIMBABWE: Chen Chimutengwende, Minister of Environment and Tourism, supported a dialogue regarding the role of international trade in the promotion of sustainable development, and noted that the question of resources polarizes debates.
EU: Paolo Barbatta, Minister of Environment and Public Works, Italy, said that the mandate for the Special Session should be to maintain the CSD as a strategic forum for policy dialogue and coordination.
POLAND: Stanislaw Zelichowski, Minister of the Conservation of Nature, Natural Resources and Forests, proposed that the Special Session discuss national reports, strengthening institutional processes, education and technology transfer.
BOLIVIA: Moises Jarmusz-Levy, Minister of Sustainable Development, noted national activities, including giving decision making authority to the people. He called for practical decisions and commitment at the highest level.
REPUBLIC of KOREA: Jong-Taeck Chung, Minister of Environment, noted national efforts to become a model environmental nation in the 21st century, and called attention to the transboundary air pollution situation in Northeast Asia.
RUSSIAN FEDERATION: Victor Danilov-Danilyan, Minister for Environmental Protection, called for working out flexible sustainable development indicators before the 1997 Special Session.
AUSTRIA: Martin Bartenstein, Federal Minister for Environment, Youth and Family Affairs, said that Austria attributes high priority to the role that international law should play in an integrated approach to environment and development.
IRAN: Hadi Manafi, Vice-President, identified issues the Special Session should address, including: provision of financial resources and EST transfer; the eradication of poverty; internal migration and refugees; and the impacts of violence and aggression.
FRANCE: Corinne Lepage, Minister of Environment, stated that the process of Rio should not be allowed to slip into a comfortable regime. The CSD should be a place where we challenge our ideas.
COLOMBIA: Jose Mogelan, Minister of Environment, stressed the need to find constructive ways to relate trade to sustainable development.
NETHERLANDS: D.K.J. Tommel, State Secretary for Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, recommended that the CSD establish a special task force to formulate recommendations and guidelines for sustainable industrial development.
HUNGARY: Katalin Szili, Vice-Chair of the Hungarian CSD, stated that they are integrating environmental considerations into all relevant sectoral policies.
PHILIPPINES: Cielito Habito, Secretary of Socio-Economic Planning, stated that they have developed a multi-stakeholder council, and proposed establishing an intergovernmental task force on the transfer and exchange of ESTs.
INTERNATIONAL COLLECTIVE IN SUPPORT OF FISHWORKERS: Sebastian Mathew, speaking on behalf of 25 NGOs, urged governments to ensure that artisanal fisheries and dependent coastal communities are not adversely affected by aquaculture development or operations.
CHINA: Qin Huasun, Permanent Representative of China to the UN, stated that the Special Session should push for an early fulfillment of the commitments made at UNCED.
GERMANY: Angela Merkel, Federal Minister for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, called for recognition that environmental security contributes to stability and peace, and for reinforcing the partnership initiated in Rio at the highest political level.
CANADA: Sergio Marchi, Minister for Environment, asked how the CSD’s work could be strengthened and whether the CSD is sustainable. He proposed a youth co-Chair at CSD-5 and a UN-sponsored award for local level initiatives, called “New Futures 21.”
FINLAND: Sirkka Hautojarvi, Secretary-General, Ministry of Environment, called for the Special Session to: assess successes and failures; agree on future political priorities and a new five-year work programme; and strengthen public visibility of the CSD and participation of major groups.
GHANA: Christina Amoako-Nuama, Minister for Environment, Science and Technology, noted that a fundamental component of Ghana’s approach to environmental management is establishing inter-sectoral bodies to promote implementation in various economic sectors.
ICELAND: Gudmundur Bjarnason, Minister for the Environment, suggested that the Special Session identify a few issues of major international concern, such as consumption patterns and the relationship between sustainable development and the eradication of poverty.
THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITY: Ritt Bjerregaard, Commissioner for the Environment, Nuclear Safety and Civil Protection, noted the importance of the Second Assessment Report of the IPCC, called on the CSD to raise international awareness regarding unsustainable use of the sea, and identified EC activities regarding SIDS, aid and trade.