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ENB:05:82 [Next] . [Previous] . [Contents]

PROPOSED DRAFT POLITICAL STATEMENT

The draft statement for Heads of State and Government and other Heads of Delegation attending the Special Session expresses deep concern that the overall outlook for sustainable development is not much better today than it was in 1992, especially in the least developed countries (LLDCs). The accelerating pace of globalization, poverty and the growing gap between developed and developing countries are stressed, and UNCED commitments are reaffirmed.

The statement contains commitments to: move from words to deeds; promote international cooperation and work at the national level; ensure good governance and human rights; support empowerment and full participation of major groups, in particular, women; change patterns of production and consumption based on cultural, moral and environmental ethics; reduce by half the numbers living in absolute poverty by the year 2015; support the establishment of achievable time-bound goals and targets within the next five and ten years for moving towards sustainable development; expeditiously conclude ongoing international environmental negotiations, e.g., climate change; mobilize domestic resources for sustainable development; provide support from developed countries for developing countries and countries with economies in transition using adequate financial resources from all sources; reaffirm the target of 0.7% of GNP for ODA; work to ensure that investment, including domestic and foreign direct investment, contributes to sustainable development; provide assistance of developed countries to facilitate EST transfers; integrate sustainable development within the framework of the WTO and the multilateral trading system; and promote the CSD as a main UN forum for ensuring full integration of economic and social development considerations with those of environmental protection.

The Statement ends with the call: “Time is of the essence. We need every hand to reverse the deterioration trend” and a commitment to ensure that the public at large feels ownership of the outcome of the Special Session.