GA/EF/2927

SITUATION OF SMALL ISLAND DEVELOPING STATES FOCUS OF SECOND COMMITTEE DISCUSSION ON ENVIRONMENT AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The international community did not seem to fully appreciate the devastating impact of environmental deterioration on small island States, the representative of Maldives told the Second Committee (Economic and Financial) as it met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of environment and sustainable development.

He said that when the Barbados Programme of Action had been agreed to by the international community, small island developing States (SIDS) had been elated because the Programme promised them support in achieving sustainable development. Unfortunately, most developed countries continued to ignore the critical needs of such States. Development assistance had seen a painful decline at a time when such assistance was most needed. Maldives, along with other small island States, would continue its efforts to promote sustainable development, but those efforts would not bear fruit without genuine international action.

Speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the representative of Barbados said that globalization and economic change had accelerated and were becoming one of the most severe challenges confronting Caribbean SIDS. The decline in official development assistance and annual threats of devastation from natural disasters compounded the problem. In light of the peculiar environmental and economic challenges to SIDS, the international community must move with urgency to strengthen the sustainable development prospects of this uniquely fragile and structurally weak group of countries.

The representative of Samoa, speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States, said that inadequate attention to the environment had led to serious and substantial impacts on communities the world over. Means must be available to take account of the special vulnerabilities of SIDS. The international community must work much more concertedly to build on the efforts of the States themselves and to develop and support their long-term prospects.

Another matter of particular importance to the Alliance was the issue of climate change. Their delegations would strive above all else to maintain the environmental integrity of the Kyoto Protocol and to secure the strong implementation of the existing commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Japan's representative affirmed the importance of assisting developing countries in their efforts to combat climate change. The entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol by 2002 was a basic tenet of Japan's climate policy. In order for all countries to be able to ratify the Protocol, it was necessary to reach agreement on concrete rules at the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Climate Change, which would be convened in November.

Also this afternoon, although there were no speakers on the subject, the Committee took up programme planning in order to consider the relevant chapters of the medium-term plan for the period 2002/2005.

Statements were also made this afternoon by the representatives of Myanmar, Tunisia, Hungary and Argentina.

The Committee will meet again on Monday, October 23, at 10 a.m. to take up its consideration of sectoral policy questions.

Committee Work Programme

The Second Committee (Economic and Financial) met this afternoon to conclude its consideration of environment and sustainable development. (For background, please see Press Release GA/EF/2924 issued on Thursday, 19 October).

As part of its consideration of programme planning, the Committee was also expected to discuss the relevant chapters of the medium-term plan for the period 2002-2005. It had before it a letter dated 19 September from the Chairman of the Fifth Committee to the Chairman of the Second Committee (document A/C.2/55/5). Annexed to the letter is a memorandum dated 31 August from the Secretary of the Fifth Committee to the Secretary of the Second Committee, requesting that Second Committee transmit to the Fifth Committee by 25 October the results of its deliberations on the review of the relevant programmes of the proposed medium-term plan for the period 2002-2005.

Also before the Committee were the report of the Committee for Programme and Coordination on the first part of its fortieth session (5 June-1 July 2000) (document A/55/16) and the proposed medium-term plan for the period 2002-2005 (document A/55/6).

HUSSAIN SHIHAB (Maldives) said that his country had stressed the importance of the timely implementation of the outcome of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, especially Agenda 21. His delegation was profoundly disappointed that little progress had been made in that direction. When the Barbados Programme of Action had been agreed to by the international community, the small island developing states (SIDS) had been elated because it promised them support in achieving sustainable development. Unfortunately, most developed countries continued to ignore SIDS' critical needs. Development assistance had seen a painful decline at a time when such assistance was most needed.

The international community could no longer ignore the devastation and widespread damage caused to national economies and ecosystems by such climatic phenomenon as El Ni�o, he said. The international community did not seem to comprehend, nor fully appreciate, the devastating impact of environmental deterioration on SIDS, which were the most seriously affected. His delegation was delighted that the Millennium Declaration had called upon the international community to expedite the early ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. The Maldives remained hopeful that the Protocol would come into force by the year 2002. The Maldives, along with other SIDS, would continue its efforts to promote sustainable development, but those efforts would not bear fruit without genuine international action.

NYUNT SWE (Myanmar) welcomed the adoption of the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity. As a party to the Convention, Myanmar attached great importance to preservation of its diverse flora and fauna. Myanmar had about 7000 species of plants, over 1000 species of birds, more than 300 species of mammals and more than 400 species of reptiles and amphibians. The Cartagena Protocol provided an opportunity for many developing countries to have access to information and technology, which greatly contributed to the implementation of Agenda 21. For that reason, Myanmar was giving serious consideration to signing the Protocol.

Desertification was now affecting some 1 billion people and damaging 30 per cent of the earth's total surface area. That situation was growing worse. If the international community did not act today, desertification would reach crisis proportions and would become the major global crisis of the twenty-first century. In that regard, Myanmar highly valued the activities of the global mechanism in promoting activities that would enable it to have the necessary financial resources for the implementation of the Convention. He truly believed that national actions complimented by international cooperation would contribute to the preservation of the environment for generations to come.

TUILOMA NERONI SLADE (Samoa), speaking on behalf of the Alliance of Small Island States (AOSIS), said that inadequate attention to the environment had led to serious and substantial impacts on communities the world over. The genius of Agenda 21 lay in its very simplicity. It had pointed the world community to the need for integrated action. There could not be any question that economic and social development and environmental protection were all inextricably tied together. The Alliance countries joined together in saying that Rio+10 could not be a mere stock-taking, but must engage in practical and progressive implementation of Agenda 21. They also supported the Secretary-General's proposal that the preparatory process begin at the tenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

There was recognition from within the Alliance that the traditional means of development and trade support would have to be changed, he said. There had to be the means available to take account of the special vulnerabilities of SIDS. The international community must work much more concertedly to build on the efforts of the SIDS themselves and to develop and support their long-term prospects. Another matter of particular importance to the Alliance was the issue of climate change. Their delegations would strive above all else to maintain the environmental integrity of the Kyoto Protocol and to secure the strong implementation of the existing commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

KOICHIRO SEKI (Japan) said that the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol by 2002 was a basic tenet of Japan's climate policy. In order for all countries to be able to ratify the Protocol, agreement on concrete rules for the Kyoto mechanism, compliance, and carbon "sinks" must be reached at the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which would be convened in November. In that connection, he affirmed the importance of assisting developing countries in their efforts to combat climate change. At the Sixth Meeting, decisions should be taken which lead to effective ways to assist developing countries. For the Sixth Meeting to be successful, he stressed the importance of mutual concessions and the spirit of "learning by doing".

What was necessary now was to get the Protocol up and running, he said. In line with developments in international negotiations, Japan continued to make its best efforts to establish a domestic policy framework, which would enable it to achieve the target prescribed in the Protocol, namely, a 6 per cent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions during the first commitment period.

DONNA FORDE (Barbados), speaking on behalf of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), said that in April 1994 more than 100 governments had convened in Barbados for the first global conference on sustainable development for SIDS. It had been held to spearhead efforts to integrate sustainable development into national, regional and international policy options. The SIDS were justly proud that their efforts had generated positive results. On the other hand, the partnership component of the Barbados Programme of Action had fallen short of expectations. The CARICOM States were grateful to those donor countries and agencies that had come forward to support some of the projects and urged all of its partners to revisit the commitments made in Barbados.

Since Barbados, globalization and economic changes had accelerated and were becoming one of the most severe challenges confronting Caribbean SIDS. This was accompanied by a decline in official development assistance and annual threats of devastation from natural disasters. In light of the peculiar environmental and economic challenges to SIDS, it was necessary for the United Nations system, the multilateral lending agencies and the international community to move with urgency to strengthen the sustainable development prospects of this uniquely fragile and structurally weak group of countries. The SIDS countries required longer and more flexible transition arrangements, assistance to strengthen human capacity and support for their efforts to meet their development needs.

SLAHEDDINE GLENZA (Tunisia) said that his country attached great importance to the implementation of the Convention to Combat Desertification, especially in Africa. The fight against desertification and mitigating the effects of drought were vital to agriculture. So far, 169 States had ratified or acceded to the Convention, which showed the increasing commitment of the international community to combating desertification.

Developed countries should increase their support to countries to implement the Convention, he said. Efforts to fight desertification were crucial. Unlike the other Conventions adopted at Rio, the Desertification Convention did not enjoy financing from the Global Environmental Facility. The Desertification Convention should be regarded on an equal footing with the other conventions adopted at and since Rio.

Developed countries should mobilize additional financial resources and facilitate the transfer of environmentally sound technology, he said. Sustainable development was a fundamental human right and Tunisia gave constant attention to environmental issues. Tunisia was committed to environmental protection and sustainable development, in accordance with the principles of Agenda 21.

One of the problems confronting the international community was water management, he added. That more than 1 billion people did not have access to clean drinking water was a matter of great concern. The international community must raise public awareness for the present water crisis. SANDOR MOZES (Hungary) said that safeguarding the environment was a fundamental task for governments. Facing up to ecological hazards and establishing a preventive management system were integral parts of a sound environmental policy. By definition, the risks to the environment could not be tackled within a national framework, and joint decisions and actions were needed by the countries concerned. A regional environmental initiative launched by Hungary in June aimed to create institutional arrangements to help eliminate factors jeopardizing the security of the environment.

Within the Central and Eastern European region, water and air pollution were the prime threats to human health and the ecosystems of the countries in the region, he said. The protection of the environment, stopping its degradation, and its restoration went well beyond purely ecological considerations. It was an undertaking directly tied to the political, economic and social future of those countries. Undoubtedly, he added, the prospects of accession to the European Union acted as a catalyst in the field of environmental protection, by making sure that the necessary legislation was in place and implemented.

GUSTAVO AINCHIL (Argentina) said that his country acknowledged the difficulties in implementing the Convention on Biological Diversity due to the numerous objectives contained therein. He stressed the important work of the intergovernmental committee of the Cartagena Protocol for the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Protocol. For that meeting to be successful, it would have to achieve concrete measures for the effective implementation of the pilot phase of the biosafety clearing-house mechanism. The sustainable use of biodiversity, facilitating access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable distribution of the benefits derived from their use, would require greater political will from the developed countries.

With regard to access to genetic resources in the area of agriculture, he said he supported the implementation of a multilateral access system, such as the one currently being negotiated in the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). At the same time, Argentina's support for that process did not mean that it agreed with the slow speed with which developed countries were implementing the procedures for facilitating access to other genetic resources. He asked those countries that had the most technology for the conservation of biodiversity to ratify the Protocol as soon as possible.

ALI A. BAHAITHAM (Saudi Arabia) informed the Committee that his country would like to join as a co-sponsor to the draft resolution on the permanent sovereignty of the Palestinian people over their natural resources, which was introduced this morning.

Committee Chairman Alexandru Niculescu (Romania) informed the Committee that the following countries had joined as co-sponsors to the draft resolution on the integration of economies in transition into the world economy, which was introduced yesterday -- Austria, Canada, Fiji, France, Hungary, Italy, Malta, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

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