Highlights for Friday, 2 March 2007

IPM CONCLUDES WITH DISTRIBUTION OF CHAIR’S REVISED TEXT

The Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM) for the fifteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-15) took place from 26 February to 2 March 2007, at UN headquarters in New York. The IPM’s role was to provide a forum to discuss policy options and possible actions to enable the implementation of measures and policies concerning energy for sustainable development, industrial development, air pollution/atmosphere and climate change – the thematic issues under consideration during the CSD-14/CSD-15 two-year “implementation cycle.”

Building on CSD-14, which conducted a “review” of these issues, CSD-15 will be a “policy session” and will focus on expediting implementation of commitments in these four thematic areas. The IPM conducted broad-based discussions to help identify relevant policy options and actions. Throughout the week, delegates met in plenary to consider policy options for the four themes, as well as inter-linkages and cross-cutting issues. There was also a session on small island developing states. These deliberations were reflected in a preliminary draft Chair’s negotiating document, which was distributed towards the end of the meeting. Participants provided initial feedback on this text, which was revised and presented at the conclusion of the meeting. The document was developed with the expectation that it could form the basis for further discussions and negotiations during CSD-15, scheduled to meet from 30 April to 11 May 2007, in New York. More information