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David
Anderson, Minister of the Environment of Canada and Chair of the
UNEP Governing Council, reported on the outcomes of the
Third Global Ministerial Forum, held in Cartagena, Colombia in February
2002. He noted the decisions taken on international chemical management,
civil society participation, guidelines on compliance of MEAs, and
the strengthening of international environmental governance. The
Ministers concluded that the global environment has been further
degraded, in many cases because of increasing human population pressures.
He said that governments must tackle the root causes of this degradation,
many of which stem from broader socio and econmic change. He emphasized
that the challenge of WSSD will be to embrace this sense of interconnectedness
and take responsibility for it. He said Ministers felt that four
areas merits further attention: assessment and early warning; cultural
and biological diversity and ethics of sustainable development;
health, environment and poverty; and effective governance. Ministers
agreed: that UNEP/GMEF should be used to promote international cooperation
in the field of environment; to address the overall financial situation
of UNEP; to develop an intergovernmental strategic plan for technology
support and capacity building to developing countries; to improve
the coordination and effectiveness of MEAs; and to strengthen the
UN inter-agency Environmental Management Group. |
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Jan
Pronk, Secretary General's Special Envoy to the WSSD,
presented three findings from his contacts with in capital with
ministers and heads of government. First, he related the wish
was that WSSD should concentrate on a programme of action to further
implement Agenda 21 and to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
He stated that no new goals or theories should be developed, emphasis
needed to be placed solely on deliverables. Second, noting the
relative success of the Monterrey conference on financing for
development, where the long-term decrease in ODA was finally reversed,
he outlined several steps which must be taken with regards to
the newly pledged resources, including that they must catalyze
more resources, particularly from the private sector; and that
a structure must be created to ensure that these resources are
used for the implementation of the programme of action to be agreed
upon at WSSD. He noted that monitoring is more of a political
action than a statistical one. Third, there was an emerging consensus
that despite all the excitement surrounding Type-II outcomes,
these cannot substitute Type-I outcomes: a global programme of
action.
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Zéphirin
Diablé, UNDP Associate Administrator, outlined
the Capacity 2015 Platform. He noted that UNDP is the only UN body
to work on integration of economic, social and environmental challenges.
He hoped that the G-77/China, in particular, would support the Capacity
Development Platform proposal as it is geared towards real ownership.
He said it aims to assist communities to assess problems from and
face the challenges of globalization. He said the platform, inter
alia, is demand driven, with local actors defining needs; promotes
linkages among international, national and local levels; addresses
the role of knowledge and networks; addresses short-term poverty
concerns; and gives value to indigenous knowledge. |
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Herbert
Acquay, Land and Water Resources, GEF, provided a summary
of the results of the GEF roundtable on forests, held on March
11, 2002, which brought together eminent forest and development
experts from around the world. He said the roundtable called for
urgent action to reverse trend of deforestation, and highlighted
critical issues for the future: establishment of institutions
to deal with the complexity and unpredictability of forest systems,
with the capacity to manage forests across jurisdictions; knowledge
generation and assessment, including breaking down the digital
divide; financial arrangements, including the development of new
financial mechanisms; and strengthening engagement of the private
sector. d
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Chair
Salim outlined the state of progress in the three Working
Groups, and said that the new Chairman's compilation text would
be available on Sunday evening, on the PrepCom-III
website. He noted that delegates' "creativity and enthusiasm"
has resulted in the previous version's 21 pages ballooning to over
150 pages of submissions and proposals. He wished everyone an enjoyable
long weekend, adding that they be returning on Monday ready for
a week of hard work.
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As Chair
Salim was about to adjourn the Plenary, the G-77/China requested
the floor, and the Chair called all delegates to remain for one
more minute. |
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