ENB:05:26
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INTEGRATING ENVIRONMENT AND DEVELOPMENT IN DECISION-MAKING
Maurice Strong reported on the Earth Council"s meeting of Inter- American Sustainable Development Councils, which was sponsored by the Earth Council and held from 10-11 October 1994, in San Jose, Costa Rica. Governmental and non-governmental representatives from 25 countries attended. Participants agreed that they must be agents of change in implementing Agenda 21. The Earth Council will be holding similar meetings in Asia, Africa and Europe. Strong added that this is a good example of how cooperation among the various actors can make a contribution towards the goals of Rio and be a new instrument for enhancing cooperation at the regional and global levels.
Bolivia announced that it will convene a meeting in 1996 covering sustainable development in the Americas. The meeting will evaluate progress made since the 1994 Summit for the Americas and the 1992 Earth Summit.
HIGH-LEVEL ADVISORY BOARD ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The Secretary-General"s High-Level Advisory Board on Sustainable Development met in New York the week of 17 October 1994. The High Level Advisory Board was created in July 1993 to act as an independent body of advisers to the Secretary-General and through him to the UN System. The board met in September 1993 and March 1994 and submitted a report to the second session of the CSD. In October the Advisory Board held its third session and focused on the following topics: sustainable food security; trade and environment; capacity building; and forging alliances between the UN system, governments and other actors (NGOs, science and industry) in the field of sustainable development. During its meeting, the Advisory Board met with the CSD Bureau, UNDP Administrator Gus Speth, Paul Kennedy, who is working on the reform of UN System, and UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros- Ghali. The Advisory Board does not intend to produce a comprehensive review but rather a critical analysis of issues related to sustainable development.
MED 21 CONFERENCE: Ministers from 16 Mediterranean States, along with representatives from UNDP, UNEP and other intergovernmental organizations and NGOs met in Tunis on 1 November 1994 to underline their commitment to sustainable development and address the innumerable threats facing the Mediterranean ecosystem. The Ministers adopted the Tunis Declaration on Sustainable Development in the Mediterranean, which expresses their commitment to work together in the future. The Ministers also adopted an "Agenda 21 for the Mediterranean," a resolution that establishes a Commission on Sustainable Development for the Mediterranean and a resolution establishing a protection mechanism for the coastline.