Daily report for 9 September 1993

INFORMAL CONSULTATIONS

The PrepCom convened in informal session Thursday morning tocontinue discussing the "Basic Elements for an Action Programme forthe Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States." OnWednesday night, delegates completed a second reading of thesectoral chapters (1-9). The Chair, Amb. Penelope Wensley,therefore proposed that the Committee begin discussion on Chapters10-14 and then move on to Chapter 15 and the preamble.

X. NATIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY: Thischapter, dealing mainly with the integration of environmentalconsiderations into national decision making processes anddevelopment planning, was widely acceptable in its draft form.However, there was discussion on the need to encourage publicparticipation in such planning in the Basis for Action. Delegatesrepeated a number of proposals that they had made last week andthat had not been incorporated into the revised version of thedocument. These included capacity building for SIDS to ratify andimplement treaties.

XI. REGIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND TECHNICAL COOPERATION: Thischapter, which addresses the need for improved coordination amongregional bodies, programmes and strategies as well as the need tobuild the capacity of SIDS with regard to environmental law, metwith little debate. The only substantive change to the Basis forAction section was to specify that "both UN andnon-UN regional organizations can play a key role to facilitateefficient and effective assistance" to SIDS. Within the section onregional action, a new item was proposed: "Encourage, whereappropriate, the harmonization of environmental legislation andpolicies between small island developing States." This proposal wasbracketed as it was pointed out that SIDS are trying to move awayfrom harmonization.

XII. TRANSPORT AND COMMUNICATION: The Basis for Actionestablished the importance of transportation and communication aslifelines for SIDS between themselves and with the rest of theworld. Most comments were reiterations of points made during thefirst reading last week and that had failed to be incorporated inthe revised version. The comments on the Basis for Action weremainly to clarify the different issues covered there. Once againthere was debate on the issue of insurance coverage, specificallythe increased costs of premiums due to the distance and remotenessof many SIDS. Amendments to the Programme of Action were minor andcosmetic in nature.

XIII. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY: This chapter focusses on theneed for better access to new technologies and adequate training,while ensuring the integration of contemporary and traditionalknowledge and technology. Most of the amendments made to the fourparagraphs in the Basis for Action section were easily accepted byall parties. It was pointed out that paragraph 57, which addressesimported technologies, lacked clarity and the authors said thatthey would review this paragraph and provide a new formulation. Theonly paragraph in the Programme of Action that led to anydiscussion was under the section on international action and read"encourage development within the international community includingthe UN system, particularly through relevant activities of theCommission on Science and Technology for Development and theCommission for Sustainable Development, of appropriateprogrammes..." Some delegates felt that the CSD is more importantthan the Commission on Science and Technology and should be listedfirst. Apparently the issue was more sensitive than first thoughtand it was agreed that this paragraph needed further discussion.

XIV. HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT: When informal discussionscontinued in the afternoon, Chapter 14 was at the top of theagenda. In the Basis for Action section, two delegations proposeda new paragraph that placed human beings at the center ofsustainable development. The two proposed paragraphs were of asimilar nature and the text that was agreed on reads as follows:"Human beings are at the center of development and thus significantattention must be given to projects which will enhance the qualityof human life in small island developing States. Projects should beundertaken not only with a view to the contribution thatindividuals, groups, communities and nations can make towardssustainable development, but, more importantly, how these projectswill ultimately affect the well-being of those living in smallisland developing States."

A proposal was made in paragraph 59 in the Basis for Action tochange reference to "inadequate family planning services" to"insufficient responsible planning of family size." This textremained bracketed as it was not acceptable to all.

In the section on national action, policies and measures, a numberof amendments were proposed. The only one that did not meet withimmediate acceptance was a proposal to replace the phrase "thedevelopment of comprehensive population policies" with "thedevelopment of comprehensive demographic policies." It was arguedthat this change was consistent with language in Agenda 21 and theRio Declaration. Not all delegates could agree to this change andthe text was bracketed.

After the delegates completed the first round of negotiations onChapters 1-14, the Chair then allowed the Chair of AOSIS/G-77 tointroduce compromise text on issues that had been bracketed onWednesday night and Thursday morning. The EC then took the floor tointroduce two new points on which he had received late instruction.These included a suggestion to make specific reference to the WorldCoast Conference, which will be held in the Netherlands in November1993, and the role it may play in supporting SIDS to combatsea-level rise, as well as a proposal to delete mention ofdouble-hulled tankers. The Chair then adjourned the session at 5:30pm for one hour to allow groups to consult once more on Chapter 15and the preamble.

PREAMBLE: When the informal session resumed, the Chaircalled for a first reading of the preamble. It was understood thatthis was only the first round of comments from non-G-77 delegationsand the representative of AOSIS/G-77 was unable to respond to allthe comments before consulting with his group. A number ofdisagreements emerged during the course of this discussion. Many ofthe contentious issues mirrored those that had arisen earlier inthe negotiations.

On the structure, some delegates felt that the text was too longand that some of the issues belonged in the Programme of Actionrather than in the preamble, as is customary in internationalnegotiations. In particular, references made in the preamble to thesubsequent chapters met with some opposition on the part of thosewho had previously advocated reorganizing the chapters to placeemphasis on the cross-sectoral ones.

Some delegates called for a more balanced preamble, while theauthors saw it as a means to present all the difficulties andconstraints to the sustainable development of SIDS. These so-called"negative aspects" were highlighted in the document and it wasargued that they should be counter-balanced by "positive" elementssuch as the opportunities and natural resources that SIDS can drawupon. In that respect, debate illustrated divergent views on thevery purpose of this Conference. For SIDS, the "negative" languagein the preamble is a clear reflection of their dire situation.Balancing the preamble is not as important as conveying the senseof urgency dictated by the situation. No agreement was reached onthis point.

The paragraph on financial aspects was another source ofdisagreement. A number of delegates did not think that finance andreference to Chapter 33 of Agenda 21 belonged in the preamble,instead arguing that reference should be made to Agenda 21 as awhole and the responsibilities of all actors in its implementation.The authors insisted on retaining this paragraph and, therefore, itwas bracketed, along with a large part of the remainder of thetext.

In view of these differences, the Chair concluded that it was clearthat a thorough second reading was called for and she invited allparties to examine the document and the comments that were madewith great care so that a compromise could be reached.

XV. IMPLEMENTATION, MONITORING AND REVIEW: The discussionbegan with some general comments that reiterated points made inearlier reactions to this chapter, specifically that the balancebetween the three points of the triangular approach are out ofbalance. The chapter deals with national, regional andinternational implementation, the latter being divided intosections on finance, trade, technology transfer, environmentallegislation and training, institutional arrangements and avulnerability index.

Substantial amendments were suggested by two delegations to thenational implementation section, reflecting the sub-sections of theinternational implementation section. Detailed comments were alsomade in the regional implementation section to clarify the roles ofUN Regional Commissions and the many other UN and non-UN bodiesworking at the regional levels.

In the chapeau to the finance section, the discussion centeredaround whether to restate Chapter 33 of Agenda 21 in its entirety,a task that proved impossible in Rio and on subsequent occasions,or to merely refer to it. One key donor country then went on tostate that it was unable to comment in detail on the financesection, and placed the bulk of the text in brackets. Alternativetext was then suggested that was much more general and referredonly to the supplementary role of international financial andtechnical assistance in supporting the sustainable development ofSIDS.

On trade, the main issue was one of clarification as to the natureof the study requested by AOSIS/G-77 on the impact of internationaltrade agreements on SIDS. On the transfer of environmentally soundtechnology the same key donor country called for reference to theneed to protect international property rights. Other amendmentsadded references to technical know-how, and the need for technologytransfer on "friendly" terms.

The discussion on this chapter continued.

THINGS TO LOOK FOR TODAY

There are a number of outstanding issues that must be resolvedbefore the PrepCom adjourns today. The Committee will probably meetin informal session this morning to continue discussions on theProgramme of Action for the sustainable development of small islanddeveloping States. Part of the text remains bracketed in Chapters1-14 as well as in the preamble. Substantive work still needs to bedone on Chapter 15 on implementation, monitoring and review. It ishighly unlikely that the Committee will be able to remove allbrackets today, as a number of contentious issues, especially onimplementation, still need to be discussed. The structure of theProgramme of Action must be addressed as well. There appears tohave been little progress on resolving the clear differences here,despite informal consultations that continued in the margins onThursday. The issue has yet to be brought back to the Committee forformal (or even informal) discussion.

The Chair will have to convene a formal meeting of the Plenarylater in the day to adopt the provisional agenda of the Conference,address the matter of pre-Conference consultations, and adopt thereport of the PrepCom. While Barbados itself will take the lead indrafting the "Barbados Declaration," there should be somediscussion of its basic nature today.

One of the major issues yet to be resolved is how things shouldproceed from here. Much work has yet to be done on the Programme ofAction despite the large areas of agreement already reached.Although some delegates believe that this work can be completed inBarbados during extended pre-Conference consultations and at theConference itself, other delegates are still pushing for a secondsession of the PrepCom. If there is to be a second PrepCom session,the delegates will need to formally request it of the GeneralAssembly and the decision to do so will have to be taken today.

The Chair has made provisions for an evening session so it could beanother late night.