IISD @ CSD-19, 2-13 May 2011, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Daily Reports/Summary
IISD Reporting Services (IISD RS) has produced web coverage, daily reports, and a summary and analysis from the meeting. To download our report click below in the HTML or PDF icons.

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Curtain Raiser

13 May & Summary

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16 May

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16 May

Nineteenth Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-19)

2-13 May 2011 | UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America

Highlights for Friday, 13 May, and Saturday, 14 May

8:52 am After adjourning and reconvening again to discuss the possibility of a resumed session, CSD 19 closed at 8:52 am Saturday morning, having failed to agree on a resumed session or an agreed outcome.

7:18 am Plenary reconvenes and debates a possible resumed CSD session.

5:10 am Plenary resumed at 4:12 am. Parties reiterated their positions and plenary was suspended again at 4:47 am to continue consultations to attempt resolution of impasses on language on foreign occupation and MOI, among others. At 5:10 am the plenary remained in suspension.

3:42 am Plenary resumed at 2:52 am and Chair Borbély proposed adoption of the Chair's text prepared under his authority. The G-77/China opposed adoption as is and made proposals for numerous changes to the text and the League of Arab States opposed adoption without reference to the rights of peoples living under foreign occupation. The US, EU and Japan supported adoption of the Chair's text. At 3:36 am, the plenary was suspended for further consultation.

2:07 am A new Chair's text was circulated via the "e-room" at 12:30 am, Saturday morning, and hard-copies followed shortly. However, as of 2:07 am, several negotiating groups remained in consultations and there was no indication when plenary would reconvene.

12:10 am The plenary remained suspended as of midnight, with no indication of when they might reconvene.

10:27 pm The plenary remained suspended as of 10:27 pm, with no indication of when they might reconvene.

On Friday, CSD 19 convened in the morning for a Ministerial Dialogue on moving towards sustainable development: expectations from Rio+20. Negotiations continued during the morning and through lunch under Working Groups 1 and 2 on means of implementation, transport, chemicals and waste management, in order to resolve outstanding issues in the text. In the afternoon, CSD 19 convened in plenary at 4:12 pm to address remaining procedural issues on the agenda and the first plenary of CSD 20 opened to elect members of its Bureau. As negotiations on means of implementation, chemicals and waste management had not yet concluded, the plenary suspended at 4:26 pm, pending resolution of outstanding issues. As of 6:00 pm, plenary had still not reconvened.

UN Under-Secretary-General Sha Zakang, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and CSD Chair László Borbély, during the interactive dialogue

ENB SUMMARY AND ANALYSIS: The Earth Negotiations Bulletin Summary and Analysis of the meeting is available in HTML and PDF format.

Friday evening and Saturday morning Plenery sessions and consultations

A view of the dais during the closing plenary

CSD Chair László Borbély implores delegates to accept the text

CSD Chair László Borbély with Tariq Banuri, Director, Division for Sustainable Development

Delegates review the chair's proposed text online in the e-room

....and in hard copy

Raul Pinedo, Panama, reviewing the text

Switzerland and the EU reviewing the text

The US delegation reviews the text

Canada reviews the text

Stephan Contius, Germany, consulting with CSD Chair László Borbély and his staff

G-77/China members consulting

Silvia Merega, Argentina, speaking for the G-77/China, expresses concern over certain aspects of the Chair's text

African delegates consulting

Delegates from Bolivia and the Arab Group

Sylvia Merega, Argentina and Chair of the G-77/China, and Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil, Egypt, consulting

Mohamed Issa Abushahab and Omar Shehadeh, United Arab Emirates

G-77/China members consulting

Delegates from Canada and Australia

Dan Reifsnyder, US, with CSD Chair László Borbély

Sylvia Merega, Argentina and Chair of the G-77/China, consulting with CSD Chair László Borbély

..... and consulting with the EU

CSD Chair László Borbély consulting in the early morning hours

Ministerial Dialogue: Moving Towards Sustainable Development: expectations from Rio+20

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and CSD Chair László Borbély

Silvia Merega, Argentina, speaking for the G-77/China

Luiz Alberto Figueiredo Machado, Brazil

Zheng Wanton, Vice Chairman, National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference

Dessima Williams, Grenada, speaking for the Alliance of Small Island States

Carlos Castaño Uribe, Vice-Minister for the Environment, Colombia

Franz Perrez, Ambassador for the Environment, Switzerland

A view of the room during the dialogue

France intervenes

Ghana intervenes during in the Ministerial Dialogue

A view of the room during the morning dialogue session

Carlos Marentes, La Via Campesina

Annabella Rosenberg, Workers and Trade Unions

UNIDO intervenes during the ministerial dialogue

Negotiations continued throughout the day and into the evening

Baya Bensmail, Algeria, G-77/China coordinator on Means of Implementation

CSD 19 Chair László Borbély urging delegates to reach consensus on Means of Implementation (CSD Vice-Chair Abdelghani Merabet is seated on the left)

US delegates looking at the waste text on the overhead screen

Negotiators for the Chemicals group meeting in the corridors

CSD Vice-Chair Andrew Goledzinowski

The EU, US, Canada and Australia in the waste management group

Sergei Kononuchenko, Russian Federation, and Tariq Banuri, Director, Division for Sustainable Development

Henry Tachie-Menson, Ghana (right), coordinator for the G-77/China on waste management expresses frustration

The EU delegation responsible for negotiating the text on waste management

G-77/China members with the CSD Chair's representative dicussing the waste management text

Kenza Kaouakib-Robinson, CSD Secretariat, and Henry Tachie-Menson, Ghana

Straight Talk
Ministerial interactive dialogue on “strengthening major groups participation in implementation”

Stephan Contius, Germany, during the Straight Talk session with Major Groups

Tariq Banuri, Director, Division for Sustainable Development, Sha Zakang, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, CSD Chair László Borbély, and Aslam Chaudhry, CSD Secretariat, during the Straight Talk session

First meeting of CSD 20

Mazhit Turmagambetov, Vice-Minister for Environmental Protection, Kazakhstan, was elected Chair of CSD 20

Tariq Banuri with CSD 20 Chair Mazhit Turmagambetov,

Side Event: The Future of Sustainable Lifestyles: Visions and Pathways

A view of the dais during the side event, which was organized by the Swedish Ministry of Environment

Side event participants met in smaller groups to discuss different aspects of how to achieve a sustainable lifestyle

Side Event: Strengthening the partnership mechanism –South-South Cooperation

A view of the dais during this side event, which was organized by the Planet Earth Institute

Antonio Lima, Ambassador of Cape Verde to the UN (center)

Miscellaneous Photos

Kimo Goree, Director of IISD Reporting Services, and Dr. Wolfgang Burhenne, Member of the IUCN CEL Steering Committee

Mootaz Ahmadein Khalil, Egypt, and Farrukh Khan, Pakistan

Zouleykha N'Dao, Mauritania