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Highlights
from Wednesday, 25 April
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| Photo:
Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt
during morning negotiations on an enabling environment |
Delegates
continued discussing draft decisions in three Drafting Groups. Drafting
Group I meet in an afternoon session to consider energy issues.
Drafting Group II met in morning and afternoon sessions to address
revised draft decisions on transport and on atmosphere, and Drafting
Group III met in a morning session to continue a first reading of
the draft decision on international cooperation for an enabling
environment, and in an evening session to begin the first reading
of the revised draft decision on information for decision making.
Regarding nuclear energy technologies, Chair Alison Drayton proposed
establishing a contact group, chaired by Gustavo Ainchil (Argentina),
with delegates from the energy and transport drafting groups, which
will begin work on Thursday.
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| Photo:
Felix Dodds, UNED-Forum |
In
the Corridors: The North-South NGO network operating under the
umbrella of the CSD NGO Steering Committee ended its decade-long
relationship yesterday, following a withdrawal of the Northern caucus,
and with it the issues caucuses on corporate accounting, production
and consumption and institutional affairs. The Women's caucus was
considering its future involvement on Wednesday evening. While the
Southern caucus has indicated it will continue working on CSD issues
along the same lines it had previously, the Northern caucus hopes
to transform into an open-ended coalition. Some NGO participants
indicated that the break-up stemmed from a lack of trust, differences
in working style among the members and, as one participant noted,
obstacles to "injecting new life" into the process. Some observers
lamented that the breakup was unfortunate, coming so soon after
concerted efforts to consolidate institutional arrangements on the
eve of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
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Mon 16
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Tue 17
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Wed 18
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Thu 19
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Fri 20
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Mon 23
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Tue 24
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Wed 25
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Thu 26
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Fri 27
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Mon 30
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Tue 01
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Wed 02
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Drafting Group on
International Cooperation for an Enabling Environment
Iran,
speaking for the G-77/China
Two
new G-77/China proposals on the need to resolve the debt of middle-income
developing countries and to transfer finances and environmentally
sustainable technologies relating to the implementation of national
sustainable development programmes and strategies remain bracketed.
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Iran, Saudi Arabia and Egypt
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Alison
Drayton (Guyana), chair of the Drafting Group
on an Enabling Environment, speaks with the
delegate from Australia.
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The delegates from Cameroon
(left) and Botswana, reading the ENB (right)
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Participants
agreed to work on the basis of Japan's proposal based on
a CSD-8 draft decision on the issue of trade liberalization.
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However, the European
Union objected to a G-77/China proposal to add references
to trade-distorting subsidies and disguised trade barriers as examples
of trade barriers, stating that the two measures are conceptually
different and that trade subsidies are not a form of trade barrier.
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Drafting Group on
Transport and Atmosphere
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CSD
Chair Bedrich Moldan with CSD Vice-Chair David Stuart speaks with
a a delegate |
Russia,
the US and Japan consulting
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On recommendations at the national level, the
European Union, supported by Switzerland
(right) and opposed by the G-77/China, Canada and Australia,
proposed that text on air quality management include specific reference
to quality standards and emission limits. |
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Chair
David Stuart speaking with members of the G-77/China
Regarding
a reference to indoor air pollution, the G-77/China proposed
deleting text on using "short term plans" in urban areas.
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Canada
stated that some proposed text relates more to habitat than
atmosphere. He questioned the need for text on converting to non-ozone
depleting substances or alternative technologies with the lowest
contribution to global warming. Canada. JAPAN and the US said
other bodies have greater competence to address these issues,
while Switzerland said it was appropriate for the CSD to take
a position.
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Chair
Alison Drayton
The
Group completed a second reading of the negotiating text. Delegates
agreed on text encouraging governments to develop "domestic programmes"
on renewable energies. On advanced fossil fuel technologies, there
was no agreement on whether to increase the "proportionate" or
"relative" use of lower carbon fuels, or promote carbon dioxide
emission reductions. Text on indicators in the rural energy situation,
and on energy and transport issues, remains bracketed.
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| Saudi
Arabia and Iran; The EU, opposed by Antigua and Barbuda and Saudi
Arabia, proposed text on strengthening the coordination of existing
UN bodies, which was bracketed. |
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The
EU deliberate on the text
On
areas for international cooperation, delegates approved, inter
alia, the EU's reference to bilateral and multilateral
development cooperation programmes, and text on promoting "affordable
and energy efficient advanced" technologies.
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The
US
John
Ashe, Antigua and Barbuda, called
for reference to promoting opportunities for women through credit
facilities.
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Co-Chairs
of the Energy Expert Group Irene
Freudenschuss Reichl (Austria) and Mohammad
Reza Salamat
(Iran)
listen to the negotiations on energy
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Egypt
(left) discusses the text with Argentina
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Consulting
with the conference room officers |
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Iran
with CSD Vice-Chair Alison Drayton
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| Iran
and Nigeria (left) and Mohammad
Reza Salamat (Iran) with John Ashe (Antigua and Barbuda) |
Side Event: Air
Pollution from Transportation: Causes, Strategies and Actions
Organized
by the Global
Initiative on Transport Emissions (GITE) Program of UNDESA and
the World Bank
Gerhard
Minckhoff, retired Principal Transport Specialist with the World Bank,
outlined the World Bank's Urban Transport Strategy. Comprehensive study
showed that increasing motorization, pollution, traffic congestion, population
growth, and conventional urban transport planning results in human costs
of about ¾ of a million deaths worldwide every year. Solutions include
managing air quality, managing traffic, transport demand and placing more
emphasis on the role of public transportation. Success stories include
case studies in Zurich, Curitiba, Bogota and other cities where municipal
government supported sustainable transport strategies. Visit: www.worldbank.org/transport
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Masami
Kojima, Senior Energy and Environment Specialist, World Bank gave
an indepth overview of environmental impacts of conventional transport
inefficiencies in developed and developing countries. She noted
studies at the Bank which confirmed that proper vehicle maintenance
and use of proper oil lubricants could drastically increase fuel
efficiency, and that targetted policies regarding fuel pricing,
coordinate with traffic management and public education, would provide
win-win results for environmental and resource sustainability.
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Roger
Gorham, Environmental Protection Agency, and Gerhard Minckhoff,
Principal Transport Specialist, World Bank
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Book Signing: Where
on Earth are We Going?
By
Maurice Strong, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General
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