The Economic and Social Council today discussed economic and environmental questions, including sustainable development, statistics, human settlements, environment, population and development, public administration and development, international cooperation in tax matters, United Nations Forum on Forests, Assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions, and cartography and adopted a series of decisions and resolutions, including, among others, a text which established a Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.

The resolution on the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management said that its functions and objectives would be: to provide a forum for coordination and dialogue among Member States and between Member States and relevant international organizations and to propose workplans and guidelines with a view to promoting common principles, policies, methods, mechanisms and standards for the interoperability and interchangeability of geospatial data and services. The Committee would also provide a platform for the development of effective strategies on how to build and strengthen national capacity concerning geospatial information, especially in developing countries, and, in this regard, to assist interested countries in developing the full potential of geospatial information and the underlying technology.

On other issues, the Council took note of the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its nineteenth session, and approved the provisional agenda for the twentieth session of the Commission. Concerning the Statistical Commission, the Council decided that the forty-third session of the Commission should be held in New York from 28 February to 2 March 2012 and approved the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-third session of the Commission.

The Council took note of the Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twenty-sixth session. It also took note of the report of the Commission on Population and Development on its forty-fourth session and approved the provisional agenda for the forty-fifth session of the Commission.

Concerning the United Nations Forum on Forests, the Council took note of the Ministerial Declaration of the High-Level Segment of the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests and decided to transmit it to the General Assembly for its endorsement, as a contribution of the Forum to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in May 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It also welcomed and accepted the generous offer of the Government of Turkey to host the tenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests in 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey, from 8 to 19 April 2013. It also took note of the report of the United Nations Forum on Forests on its ninth session and approved the provisional agenda for the tenth session of the Forum.

The Council took note of the report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on its twenty-sixth session and decided that the twenty-seventh session of the Group of Experts should be held in New York on 6 and 17 August 2012, and approved the provisional agenda for the session. Concerning the Committee for Development Policy, the Council requested the Committee to monitor the development progress of countries graduating from the list of least developed countries and to include its findings in its annual report to the Economic and Social Council and decided to hold, within existing resources, more frequent interactions with the Committee for Development Policy and invited the Chair and, as necessary, other members of the Committee to meet with the Council.

On human settlements, the Council requested the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the question of convening in 2016 a third United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development (Habitat III), in collaboration with the Governing Council of UN-Habitat for consideration by the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session.

In regard to the Committee of Experts on Public Administration, the Council requested the Secretariat to continue to enhance, within existing resources, its support for capacity building in the public sector, including in human resource development, promoting participatory governance institutions with a view to making public administration more open, transparent, accountable and responsive to citizens in all countries, and use case studies, as appropriate, in capacity-building and training activities, and assess the impact of these case studies. The Council also adopted a text deciding that the eleventh session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration would be held at United Nations Headquarters from 16 to 20 April 2012 and approved the provisional agenda.

Concerning the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, the Council decided to hold a one-day meeting in 2012 in conjunction with the special high-level meeting of the Council with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to consider international cooperation in tax matters, including institutional arrangements to promote such cooperation. It also adopted a text in which it decided that the seventh session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters would be held in Geneva from 24 to 28 October 2011 and approved the draft agenda.

With regards to the Work of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and the Work of the Committee regarding the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, the Council requested the Committee to study the possibilities of improving the implementation of the Model Regulations on the transport of dangerous goods in all countries for the purposes of ensuring a high level of safety and eliminating technical barriers to international trade, including through the further harmonization of international agreements or conventions governing the international transport of dangerous goods.

Maldives on behalf of the Group of small island developing States, Argentina on behalf of the G77 and China, and Slovakia introduced draft decisions and resolutions.

Turkey and Argentina on behalf of the G77 and China delivered statements.

At the beginning of the day, statements introducing the reports which were considered on economic and environmental questions were made.

Nikhil Seth, Director of the Office of the Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on global geospatial information management, said building infrastructure for the gathering, validation, compilation and dissemination of geospatial information was as important to countries as the building of roads and telecommunications networks and there was a need to create a platform to promote cooperation and generate comprehensive and comparable cross-border information. The Council would have before it the adoption of a draft resolution entitled “Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.” The establishment of this platform would, hopefully, build national capacity on geospatial information, especially in developing countries.

Cecilia Martinez, Director, UN-Habitat, New York, presenting the report of the Secretary-General on the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda, said that a unique phenomenon of urban population increase and rapid urbanization was taking place, particularly in developing countries. It was necessary to cooperate in preparing countries and cities for these challenges in order to develop national urban policies, urban legal frameworks, planned city enlargements and urban energy and mobility plans as well as to strengthen the financial capacity of countries and cities to improve the living conditions of the close to one billion urban dwellers currently living in slums.

Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry, Chief of the Global Policy Branch, Division for Sustainable Development, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the integrated analysis of the United Nations support of small island developing States, said the review looked at how United Nations system entities had mainstreamed support for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. It also examined how issues relevant to small island developing States were dealt with at the global, regional and country levels. Finally, it covered the issue of the coordination of support provided to small island States by the United Nations system.

Munyaradzi Chenje, Head of the Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs Office, United Nations Environment Programme, New York, presenting the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme, said that the decisions of the twenty-sixth session of the Governing Council were key to shaping, scripting and sharpening the issues being considered for the Rio+20 conference. This represented a real opportunity to mature and to evolve the sustainable development landscape from a twentieth century potential threats to meet a twenty-first century of real and tangible challenges, economic, environmental and social

Oliver Kerrella, Chief of the Transport and Infrastructure Development Section, Economic Commission for Europe, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the work of the Committee of Exports on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, said that the secretariat had published the sixteenth revised edition of recommendations on the handling of dangerous goods, the fifth edition of the report on the transport and labeling of chemicals and other related publications.

Argentina, Poland, Maldives, China, Russian Federation, Ukraine, Belarus, Mexico, United Kingdom, Cuba and Republic of Korea made statements in the general discussion after the introduction of the reports.

Also today, Argentina, on behalf of the G77 and China, introduced a draft resolution on the economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan. The Council was expected to take action on the draft resolution on Thursday, 28 July.

Draft resolutions E/2011/L.20, E/2011/L.13 and E/2011/L.15 were withdrawn by their sponsors.

ECOSOC will reconvene at 10 a.m. on Thursday, 28 July 2011 to resume its General Segment and consider social and human rights questions.



Economic and environmental questions: Sustainable development; Statistics; Human settlements; Environment; Population and development; Public administration and development; International cooperation in tax matters; United Nations Forum on Forests; Assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions; and Cartography

Documentation

The Council has before it the Report of the Statistical Commission on its forty-second session (E/2011/24), which details the events of the session held from 22 to 25 February 2011.

The Report of the Commission on Population and Development on its forty-fourth session (E/2011/25) details actions that took place at the session held in April 2010 and April 2011.

The Report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its nineteenth session (E/2011/29) details the events of the session held in May 2010 and May 2011.

The Report of the Committee on Development Policy on its thirteenth session (E/2011/33) details the events of the session held from 21 to 25 March 2011.

The Corrigendum (E/2011/33/Corr.1) notes that for paragraph 4 the text in the corrigendum should be substituted for the existing text.

The Report of the United Nations Forum on Forests on its ninth session (E/2011/42) details activities and events undertaken by the Forum in 2009, 2010 and 2011.

The Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on its tenth session (E/2011/44) contains the summary and recommendations of the tenth session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration, held at United Nations Headquarters from 4 to 8 April 2011.

The Report of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters on its sixth session (E/2010/45) contains the conclusions and recommendations of the sixth session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, held at the United Nations Office at Geneva from 18 to 22 October 2010.

The Report of the Secretary-General on strengthening of institutional arrangements to promote international cooperation in tax matters, including the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (E/2011/76) examines a range of issues related to the strengthening of institutional arrangements to promote international cooperation in tax matters.

The Report of the Secretary-General on global geospatial information management (E/2011/89) is based on a process of extensive consultation with geospatial information experts from Member States of all regions. The importance of geospatial information in addressing humanitarian, peace and security, environmental and development challenges is stressed and the establishment of a global mechanism to discuss critical issues on geospatial information management is suggested. The urgent need for better coordination facilitated by the United Nations is addressed and specific recommendations are made on the way forward, including the creation of a Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.

(E/2011/91) IS UNDER EMBARGO
The Report of the Secretary-General on the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda (E/2011/106) begins by highlighting key decisions taken by the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) at its twenty-third session. It then describes the activities undertaken by UN-Habitat, including the nature of cooperation involved, in the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda at the global, regional, national and thematic levels. Key issues raised in main UN-Habitat publications during the reporting period are also highlighted. The report concludes with four recommendations: the first calling for an early decision by Governments on the convening, in 2016, of a third United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development; the second calling for support by Governments and United Nations agencies for the resolution on global and national strategies and frameworks for improving the lives of slum-dwellers beyond the Millennium Development Goals target, adopted by the Governing Council of UN-Habitat at its twenty-third session; the third requesting Governments to include sustainable urban development and the role of cities and local authorities in their contributions to the preparatory process for and deliberations at the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; and the fourth requesting the Economic and Social Council to include sustainable urbanization, urban poverty reduction and slum upgrading as a cross-cutting issue in the preparations for and follow-up to the outcome of relevant summits and major international conferences.

The Report of the Secretary-General on the review of United Nations support for small island developing nations (E/2011/110) notes that the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (the Barbados Programme of Action) and the Mauritius Strategy of Implementation for the Further Implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States have both underscored the importance of the support of the United Nations system to advance efforts towards sustainable development in small island developing States. Collectively, relevant United Nations agencies are committed to provide normative, analytical and capacity-building support to small island developing States to enhance international recognition of their special case and to help strengthen their resilience against multiple challenges.

The Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on the work of its twenty-sixth session (E/2011/119) describes the activities of the session and presents the major findings of the Group of Experts, focusing primarily on the importance of its work in supporting United Nations Conferences on the Standardization of Geographical Names and the essential assistance it continues to afford Member States in the geographical information field and related cartographic areas.

The Council has before it the Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twenty-sixth session (21-24 February 2011) (A/66/25 and A/66/25/Corr.1)

Introduction of Reports

NIKHIL SETH, Director of the Office of the Economic and Social Council Support and Coordination, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, said the Report of the Secretary-General on Global Geospatial Information Management was prepared at the request of the Statistical Commission and the Regional Cartographic Conference for Asia and the Pacific. The report drew from extensive consultations with geospatial information experts. There were two key drivers for looking at the issue of geospatial information: the rapid technological advances in geospatial information and related technologies put this type of information at the fingertips of a broad audience worldwide; and the increasing importance of geospatial information and related technologies in addressing many of the humanitarian, peace and security, environmental, and development challenges facing the world. Building infrastructure for the gathering, validation, compilation and dissemination of geospatial information was as important to countries as the building of roads and telecommunications networks. The Secretary-General therefore concluded that there was a need to create a platform to bring countries together to cooperate with and learn from each other. Moreover, many of the policy challenges mentioned were of a cross-border nature, requiring thus comprehensive and comparable cross-border information.

There was a need to promote collaboration on the development of regional and global spatial data infrastructure standards. At this point in time there were no global multilateral or intergovernmental mechanisms that could play an important leadership role in setting the agenda for the development of global geospatial information and promoting its use to address key global challenges. The Secretary-General, in his report, proposed that the United Nations take the lead role and serve as the coordinating entity of the global geospatial information community. It was suggested that the creation of a technical advisory body under the auspices of the Economic and Social Council would lead to an improved development of geospatial information as well as to ensure better integration with statistical information, in order to support policy decision making at the global, regional and national levels. The Council would have before it the adoption of a draft resolution entitled “Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management.” It was very encouraging that the Council had responded to the recommendations contained in the Secretary-General’s report to establish the Committee of Experts. The establishment of this platform would, hopefully, build national capacity on geospatial information, especially in developing countries.

CECILIA MARTINEZ DE LA MACORRA, Director, UNHABITAT, New York, introducing the report of the Secretary-General, said that a unique phenomenon of urban population increase and rapid urbanization was taking place, particularly in developing countries. These issues compelled all to rethink the urban agenda. A resurgent growth of interest in the public sector took on urban planning and development and its significant role in the prevention and response to natural and human-made disasters and their impacts on cities. It was necessary to cooperate in preparing countries and cities for these challenges in order to develop national urban policies, urban legal frameworks, planned city enlargements and urban energy and mobility plans as well as to strengthen the financial capacity of countries and cities to improve the living conditions of the close to one billion urban dwellers currently living in slums. At the regional level UN-Habitat continued to support ministerial conferences on housing and urban development in Africa, Asia Pacific and in Latin America and the Caribbean. The report provided details on the coordinated implementation of major thematic activities. In its efforts to bridge the knowledge gaps and raise awareness about global human settlement conditions and trends, UN-Habitat continued working with many partners, in particularly urban researchers and professional institutions.

How cities and towns were planned affected not just the health and well being of their inhabitants, but also the global environment and prospects for sustainable development. It was necessary to build a political commitment to accommodate the rapid increase of urban populations, to prevent the emergence of slums, to face climate change and to fight urban poverty and inequality. The report concluded with four recommendations: a decision on the convening in 2016 of a Third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development; strong support by all governments and the United Nations agencies for UN-Habitat Governing Council resolution 23/9 on global and national strategies and frameworks for improving the lives of slums dwellers; inclusion by governments of sustainable urban development and the role of cities and local authorities in their contributions to the preparatory process and deliberations at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development; and the inclusion by the Council of sustainable urbanization, urban poverty reduction and slum upgrading as cross cutting issues in the preparations and follow up to the outcome of relevant summits and conferences, including the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

MUHAMMED ALSAN CHAUDHRY, Chief of the Global Policy Branch, Division for Sustainable Development, presented the report of the Secretary-
General entitled “Integrated analysis of United Nations system support to small island developing States.” The review presented in the report attempted to answer three questions. First, it looked at how United Nations system entities had mainstreamed support for the implementation of the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius Strategy. Second, it examined how issues relevant to small island developing States were dealt with at the global, regional and country levels. Lastly, the report covered the issue of how support provided to small island states by the United Nations system was coordinated in relation to their normative capacity-building and analytical work. On the whole, United Nations entities achieved reasonable compliance to the extent their respective mandates permitted. The report acknowledged that progress had been constrained due to a lack of availability of sufficient resources, while in some cases the strictness of mandates was noted as a constraint.

The report called for strengthened coordination and coherence of support provided to small island developing States by the United Nations. In the area of institutional support, there was no ideal mechanism, but setting up a dedicated focal point within every United Nations entity dealing with issues relevant to small island developing States could play an important role in delivering effective support. In the area of knowledge management, websites dedicated to specific issues of concern to small island developing States should be strengthened. The capacity-building support provided by United Nations agencies had been steadily increasing in terms of both quantity and quality. As needs of small island developing States became better articulated, capacity-building support had become more targeted. It was encouraging to note that small island developing States had been participating more actively now in the inter-governmental processes with due support of United Nations funds and programmes. This had been seen as a positive step forward in ensuring that the priorities and concerns of these States were adequately reflected in global and regional decisions. The overall conclusion of the report was that the United Nations system had provided small island developing States with a wide range of targeted support in the implementation of the Mauritius Strategy. There was, however, room for improvement and enhancement in the delivery of coordinated and coherent programmes.

MUNYARADZI CHENJE, Head of the Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs Office, United Nations Environment Programme, New York, introducing the report of the United Nations Environment Programme Governing Council, said that the Governing Council had addressed the issue of environmental education and adopted a relevant strategy. The session of the Governing Council was held at a time when the international community was preparing for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development and focused on green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for sustainable development. The Governing Council adopted a total of 17 decisions, including the United Nations Environment Programme biennial programme of work and the budget for the biennium 2012-2013, including on international environmental governance, assessment of environmental change, chemical and wastes management, intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and ecosystems, sustainable consumption and production and enhanced coordination across the United Nations system including the environment management group. Also many of the decisions had provisions contributing to the Rio+20 process. In outlining the sustainable development challenges facing the world today, rapidly reaching the real risks of tipping points and irreversible changes to ecosystems and life support services, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and United Nations Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner said that the decisions of the twenty-sixth session of the Governing Council were key to shaping, scripting and sharpening the issues being considered for the Rio+20 conference. This represented a real opportunity to mature and to evolve the sustainable development landscape from a twentieth century potential threats to meet a twenty-first century of real and tangible challenges, economic, environmental and social.

OLIVIER KERELLA, Chief of the Transport and Infrastructure Development Section, Economic Commission for Europe, said the report first outlined draft resolution E/2011/L.22. In the draft resolution, the Council was asked to approve the programme of work of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, request governments and international organizations to implement new regulations adopted in 2010 and provide the Committee with information about the implementation of recommendations. The next part of the report related to the implementation of Economic and Social Council resolution 2019, and covered what happened since the adoption of the resolution in 2009. The secretariat had published the sixteenth revised edition of recommendations on the handling of dangerous goods, the fifth edition of the report on the transport and labeling of chemicals and other related publications. These were among the best sellers of the organization.

With regard to the implementation of recommendations, the International Maritime Organization now had the force of maritime transport law, as was true for the International Civil Aviation Organization, which had required application of these recommendations for air transport since January 2011. This also applied to agreements on international transport of dangerous goods by road and rail. The United Nations regulations had the force of law since 2011. A number of countries applied these regulations for domestic transport. As for the globally harmonized systems for classification and labelling of chemicals, a number of countries had incorporated this system into national systems. A number of countries were in the process of modifying or establishing national laws for implementing these systems. Private sector initiatives were also underway, with the help of the United Nations Environment Programme, to adopt these guidelines. Cooperation with and support for developing countries were also being provided. Regarding the work of the two sub-committees, 20 experts took part in the consultations, as did Member States and civil society working on the transport and labelling of dangerous goods. The programme of work for the years to come, 2011-2012, was outlined in the report. The issue of containers and transport vessels under fumigation had been raised, which had resulted in accidents in ports when these containers or transport were opened. Certain workers had been poisoned. The Committee asked the Council to take note of the recommendations and apply the recommendations related to these types of fumigated containers.

Discussion

NATALIA HANDRUJOVICZ (Argentina), speaking on behalf of the G77 and China, said that progress in sustainable development should be matched by economic and social progress. The priority problems of poverty, hunger and underdevelopment should remain the centre of attention. It was therefore important to enable the Commission on Sustainable Development, according to its mandate, to serve as an effective forum for ensuring the implementation of commitments and to promote the integration of the pillars of sustainable development, economic and social development and environmental protection. The G77 and China supported that the means of implementation be on the line of the principles of the Rio declaration, Agenda 21, and the Johannesburg declaration and plan of action to continue to be the relevant reference for the sustainable development agenda. The Council should serve as a catalyst for greater support by the international community for the continuing efforts of developing countries to integrate sustainable development into economic policy and planning. As a functional commission of the Council, the Commission on Sustainable Development was mandated to promote further implementation of the Agenda 21 and to identify constraints in implementation and to make recommendations to overcome these constraints. Closing the implementation gap must be accorded the highest priority. The G77 and China urged development partners to take the steps necessary to ensure that longstanding commitments were fulfilled and to make greater use of the potential of the Council to advance greater action in the implementation of Agenda 21 in an integrated and coordinated manner.

REMIGIUSZ A. HENCZEL (Poland), speaking on behalf of the European Union, said that Rio+20 could mark the start of a profound world-wide transition towards a green economy that considered social, environmental and economic pillars of sustainable development. It could also kick off the needed reform of sustainable development governance, a major step of global governance reforms. A green economy roadmap could be one of the major outcomes of this process and help all countries to accelerate their own transition towards the green economy. Such a roadmap could also clarify which steps were needed at national and international levels. Better governance structures were necessary to achieve sustainable development, eradicate poverty and help support the transition to the green economy. The European Union felt that a balanced and interconnected approach was necessary.

Concerning small island developing countries the European Union reaffirmed its commitment to the implementation of the Mauritius strategy and was pleased with the political declaration adopted at the high level review meeting on the implementation of the Mauritius strategy in September 2010. The international year of forests and the ninth session of the United Nations Forum of Forests had been successful in stressing their importance. The Ministerial Declaration adopted during the Forum was a good basis for collective work in the months and years to come. The European Union was disappointed with the failure of the nineteenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. Regarding climate change, the European Union welcomed the results of the Cancun Climate Conference which proved that multilateralism could deliver. It was necessary to continue the negotiations so that the next conference in Durban could fully operationalize the agreements. Concerning desertification, the European Union supported the initiative to organize a high-level meeting on desertification, land degradation and drought in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication that was scheduled to take place in September 2011. This event would be an important contribution to the tenth conference of the parties to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

IRUTHISHAM ADAM (Maldives) said the report of the Secretary-General entitled “Integrated analysis of United Nations system support to small island developing States” responded to the Economic and Social Council resolution 2010/34 asking the Secretary-General to propose ways in which United Nations’ support for small island developing States could be made more targeted, cost-efficient, measurable and effective. Report E/2011/110 built on a growing body of work which suggested that there was significant room for improvement in terms of international support for small island developing States. This was a criticism of the system, a system which required significant reform. The report made clear that there were many resources mobilized to support small island developing States. It also made clear that many Untied Nations bodies had mechanisms to ensure their work benefited small island developing States. However, this analysis missed the point. The report showed the current system of United Nations support built on mainstreaming. The Maldives believed that mainstreaming and better coordination alone would never address shortcomings in international support. The Maldives inquired what unique and particular vulnerabilities and development needs were common to small island developing States and what international support measures were needed. The Maldives also asked what were the most suitable institutional arrangements for delivering and monitoring the effects of the necessary international support measures.

WANG QUN (China) said the realization of sustainable development was a serious task facing countries around the world. Member States and the United Nations had worked to implement the Rio Declaration and the Durban Plan of Action. The deteriorating trend of global environment had not shown any sign of reversal, while socio-economic development was still hampered by climate change, food security, the financial and economic crises and other issues. The Commission on Sustainable Development was the only United Nations body that addressed environmental issues in a comprehensive manner. The 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development would be an important event after the 1992 Rio Conference. The Conference would provide an important opportunity for establishing a blueprint for sustainable development. The situation as a whole did not allow for optimism. Significant convergences existed regarding the two themes of the conference. Outcomes of the conference should strictly adhere to Rio Declaration guidelines. It was necessary to enhance and renew political commitments. The principle of sustainable development, promoting the coordination of economic, social and environmental development towards to the goal of sustainable development, should guide action. Pluralism and inclusiveness should also guide the conference, by acknowledging specific national situations. Special attention should be paid to developing countries and their special needs and thus the principle of consensus should also steer the outcomes of the conference.

IGOR N. SHCHERBAK (Russian Federation) said the Russian Federation hoped to see a strengthened Commission on Sustainable Development and expressed concern with the fact that in its last session the Commission failed to articulate political recommendations. The Russian Federation was prepared to actively participate in discussions on a green economy, including the preparation and development of common approaches; and to ensure implementation of international targets for assistance to small island developing States. The meeting on the Barbados programme of action should not go beyond the limits of the Mauritius strategy and should focus on practical implementation. Sustainable urbanization was an important component of socio-economic development and it provided an important link between the agendas of poverty reduction and environmental issues. These factors needed to be considered in the programmes and basic actions in support of States to address developing challenges. The United Nations Environment Programme played an important role in contributing to States’ sustainable use of natural resources, including economies in transition. It was necessary to carry out a study on the contribution of the green economy, sustainable development and poverty eradication. The Forum on Forests showed that it continued to be the leading platform for facilitating cooperation and ensuring sustainable forest management. The Russian Federation urged the United Nations Environment Programme to contribute to the preparation of the Rio+20 meeting. It welcomed the decision of the Council to establish a Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management and the use of a harmonized system for labeling for transportation of dangerous goods.

DENYS YEHOROV (Ukraine) reiterated the importance of the role of the Commission on Sustainable Development as the main body within the United Nations to achieve sustainable development goals, and review and coordinate the implementation of the Agenda for the twenty-first century and the Johannesburg plan of implementation. Ongoing preparations for the Rio+20 conference would ensure the effectiveness of the meeting and Ukraine commended the work of United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe which aimed at setting the stage. Ukraine welcomed the research on potential ways of green economy implementation mechanisms and foresight of their advantages preferences commission by the United Nations Environment Programme and the United Nations Development Programme in a number of countries. Ukraine was interested in continued action of the flexible mechanisms of the Kyoto Protocol for the next reporting period, and the development of carbon markets that would promote investment in developing countries. Implementation of a green investment scheme based on funding projects aimed at reducing anthropogenous emissions of greenhouse gases, transparency and sustainable development would enable the spread of environmentally sound technologies.

ANDREI POPOV (Belarus) said, regarding sustainable development, Belarus expressed its concern that the meeting of the Commission on Sustainable Development did not produce a final document. It was necessary to resolve the problems related to sustainable development. The comprehensive issue of energy supply was a problem for middle income and developing countries. A global analysis of energy and energy technologies was required, and establishing rapid and effective cooperation in this area should be a priority. Belarus supported the proposal for the establishment of a group to develop renewable energies for developing countries. Belarus also stressed the importance for training and supporting specialists in this area and cooperation for elaborating national strategies and improving legislation in this field. Regarding sanctions, Belarus did not accept the use of unilateral sanctions and condemned the practice. The practice of applying economic pressure adversely impacted the pursuit of the Millennium Development Goals and was of an anti-humanitarian nature.

CARLOS SIBILLE (Peru) said regarding the adoption of resolution E/2011/25, the delegation of Peru would consider the resolution in terms of its constitution and its obligations under international treaties. Abortion was punished under the penal code in Peru. Peru considered the best way to evade abortion was with education on sexual and reproductive health which permitted people to act in an informed and responsible manner.

VICTORIA ROMERO (Mexico) recognized the experience and contribution of UN-Habitat in contributing to policy development and tools for decision making. Mexico supported the contribution of the programme in areas such as support to urban systems in rural areas, urban structures including transportation, land use and distribution of equipment, and the revision and consolidation of legal and normative frameworks, among others. Mexico recognized the importance granted to actions oriented to fighting urban poverty and social exclusion through the promotion of rights, especially of women, youth and other vulnerable groups. The Council should concede importance to monitoring the habitat agenda in order to keep track of progress made in the fulfillment of the Johannesburg plan of action and the Millennium Development Goals related to access to clean water, sanitation and improvement of living conditions in slums. Mexico noted that the decision was in consonance with the Millennium Development Goal 7 concerning sustainable development.

AARON HOLTZ (United Kingdom), concerning the establishment of a Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, said that the United Kingdom did not take lightly the creation of new bodies within the United Nations system but believed that this new committee would play an important role in the coordination of activities in the field of geospatial information and in the sharing of best practices among Member States and key stakeholders. The United Kingdom was pleased that Members States reached consensus on the fact that the new committee would be established administered and organized within existing resources.

JUAN ANTONIO QUINTANILLA (Cuba) said so far there had been two prepcoms and other sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development which had not shown any substantive progress. Cuba was witness to the actions of developed countries to impose the green economy as a substitute concept for sustainable development. Cuba did not accept these concessions. Currently, there was an inter-governmental preparatory process in the lead up to Rio + 20 where negotiations were being conducted on the substance of the conference and related matters. Expressions of disappointment were heard because there had been no agreement on a final outcome document. This was a product of the lack of political will on the part of developed countries. This led to the abandonment of the principles of the 1992 Rio Declaration, Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Declaration. Cuba said the international community was at an important juncture in the agenda of sustainable development. The key documents of sustainable development were the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Declaration. Cuba remained committed to the full implementation of these documents.

KANG YONG-KOO (Republic of Korea) said the Republic of Korea welcomed the resolution regarding the establishment of the Committee of Experts on Geospatial Information Management. The appropriate use of this information could contribute to a number of agendas, including humanitarian, environmental and development. The Republic of Korea hoped to participate in the consensus with other countries in adopting the resolution. The Republic of Korea expressed its gratitude to Peru for facilitating the development of the resolution and to all Member States that had participated in the negotiations for their flexibility.



Action on Resolutions

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/29) on the Provisional agenda for the twentieth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development, in which the Economic and Social Council approves the provisional agenda for the twentieth session of the Commission.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/29) on the Adoption of the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its nineteenth session, in which the Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its nineteenth session.

IRUTHISHAM ADAM (Maldives), introducing draft resolution L.52 on behalf of the Group of small island developing States, said the draft resolution built on the 2009 and 2010 resolutions of the same name – Review of United Nations support for small island developing States - which asked the Committee for Development Policy and the Secretary-General to conduct a review of the effectiveness of the United Nations support for small island developing States. The Commission for Development Policy report suggested important ways in which United Nations support could be made more coherent, targeted and results-oriented. Resolution 66/2 recognized some shortcomings in United Nations support for small island developing States and began the process of reform and improvement. In the resolution before the Economic and Social Council, the Council would ask the Commission for Development Policy to build on its important report of 2009 and give its own independent views and perspectives on what improved and additional measures could be needed to more effectively address the unique and particular vulnerabilities of small island developing States. The Group of small island developing States had conducted four rounds of open informal consultations as well as many bilateral meetings and had tried to be as flexible as possible on the draft text in order to address the concerns of all delegations. The Group of small island developing States hoped the Council would move to adopt the draft resolution by consensus.

Action on the draft resolution was postponed to the afternoon meeting.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/24) on the Report of the Statistical Commission on its forty-second session and provisional agenda and dates for the forty-third session of the Commission, in which the Economic and Social Council decides that the forty-third session of the Commission shall be held in New York from 28 February to 2 March 2012 and approves the provisional agenda and documentation for the forty-third session of the Commission.

MARCELO SUAREZ SALVIA (Argentina), introducing the draft resolution on human settlements on behalf of the G77 and China, said the G77 and China hoped that increased financing would allow for a broader participation of developing countries in the meetings of the Governing Council of United Nations Environment Programme and the Global Forum. The G77 and China hoped that the resolution would be adopted by consensus.

Action on the draft resolution was postponed to the afternoon meeting.

The Council took note of the Report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twenty-sixth session (A/66/25 and A/66/25/Corr.1).

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/25) on the Report of the Commission on Population and Development on its forty-fourth session and provisional agenda for its forty-fifth session, in which the Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the Commission on Population and Development on its forty-fourth session and approves the provisional agenda for the forty-fifth session of the Commission.

MARCELO SUAREZ SALVIA (Argentina), introducing the resolution entitled “Committee of Experts on International cooperation in Tax Matters” on behalf of the G77 and China, underlined the importance of granting special attention to the needs of developing countries and countries in transition. It was important to recognize the responsibility of States concerning tax matters. The G77 and China also noted the importance of international assistance and cooperation for addressing tax matters. The draft resolution took note of the report of the Secretary-General on institutional arrangement for cooperation in tax matters. Finally, the G77 and China’s proposal for the creation of an intergovernmental subsidiary body to work on international cooperation on tax matters was noted.

Action on the draft resolution was postponed to the afternoon meeting.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/42) on the Ministerial declaration of the high-level segment of the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests on the occasion of the launch of the International Year of Forests, in which the Economic and Social Council takes note of the ministerial declaration of the high-level segment of the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests and decides to transmit it to the General Assembly for its endorsement, as a contribution of the Forum to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, to be held in May 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

JURI SEILENTHAL, Acting Vice-President of the Economic and Social Council, made oral amendments to draft decision II of E/2011/42.

The Council adopted, without a vote, as orally revised, a decision contained in report (E/2011/42) on the Dates and venue for the tenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests, in which the Economic and Social Council welcomes and accepts the generous offer of the Government of Turkey to host the tenth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests in 2013 in Istanbul, Turkey, the dates to be held from 1 to 12 April 2013.

ALTAY ALTINORS (Turkey) thanked delegations for choosing Turkey as the host of the next Global Forum on Forests. Turkey would endeavor to make it a success and reiterated its appreciation for their trust.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/42) on the Report of the United Nations Forum on Forests on its ninth session and provisional agenda for its tenth session, in which the Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the United Nations Forum on Forests on its ninth session and approves the provisional agenda for the tenth session of the Forum.

The Council adopted, without a vote, a decision contained in report (E/2011/119) on the Report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on its twenty-sixth session, and the provisional agenda and dates for the twenty-seventh session, and the dates for the Tenth United Nations Conference on the Standardization of Geographical Names, in which the Economic and Social Council takes note of the report of the United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names on its twenty-sixth session and decides that the twenty-seventh session of the Group of Experts shall be held in New York on 6 and 17 August 2012, and approves the provisional agenda for the session.

MARCELO SUAREZ SALVIA (Argentina), introducing the draft resolution L.15 on “Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management” on behalf of the G77 and China, said that the resolution recalled important initiatives at the United Nations and other fora, and underlined the importance of integrating spatial information and other data. The resolution also recalled the importance of the United Nations on this issue and took note of the report of the Secretary-General; noted the importance of cooperation and decided to establish a committee of experts on global geospatial information management, for which terms of reference were provided.

Action on the resolution was postponed to the afternoon meeting.

MARCELO SUAREZ SALVIA (Argentina), introducing draft resolution E/2011/L.47 on behalf of the G77 and China, said guided by the principles of the United Nations Charter and affirming the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territories by force, the Group of 77 and China expressed concern about the persistence of the difficult economic and social situation of the Palestinian people, including Jerusalem and stressed the need to preserve the territorial integrity of all of the Occupied Palestinian Territory, to guarantee the freedom of movement of persons and goods and to respect the human rights of the Palestinian people. The draft resolution stressed the need to preserve and develop Palestinian national institutions and infrastructure for the provision of vital public services to the Palestinian civilian population and to contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights, including economic and social rights. Commending the important work done by the United Nations, the specialized agencies and the donor community in support of the Palestinian people in line with their national development and state-building plan, Argentina re-emphasized the need for international assistance to support Palestinian development efforts in the economic and social fields and called on the international donor community to deliver the financial assistance pledges made to the Palestinian Authority. Argentina urgently called for the full and speedy implementation of the agreements reached for international support to reactivate and complete the peace process from the point where it had stopped, emphasizing the necessity to respect all agreements, pledges and commitments reached during the previous stage of the peace talks.
Action on this resolution was postponed to Thursday, 28 July in the afternoon.

IVANA KASAROVA (Slovakia) said Slovakia was pleased to cooperate with Malaysia and thanked delegations for their participation in informal consultations. The text indicated the Council’s decision to hold, within existing resources, more frequent interactions with the Committee on Development Policy by inviting the Committee Chair and other members to discuss and exchange views on themes addressed by the Council at its High-level Segment. These exchanges would broaden and deepen the use of the expertise available in the Committee on Sustainable Development and would contribute to further strengthen the work of the Council. The resolution further requested the Committee to examine and make recommendations on the theme of the 2013 Annual Ministerial Review and to monitor the development progress of countries graduating from the category of least developed countries. The resolution reiterated its recommendation to the General Assembly to take note of the Committee’s recommendation that Equatorial Guinea be graduated from the list of least developed countries.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.34) on the Report of the Committee for Development Policy on its thirteenth session, in which the Council requests the Committee to monitor the development progress of countries graduating from the list of least developed countries and to include its findings in its annual report to the Economic and Social Council and decides to hold, within existing resources, more frequent interactions with the Committee for Development Policy and invites the Chair and, as necessary, other members of the Committee to meet with the Council.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.48) on Human Settlements, in which the Council encouraged the inclusion, where appropriate, of sustainable urbanization, including urban poverty reduction, slum-upgrading, the role of local authorities, as well as urban resilience to natural disasters and the impact of climate change, as a cross-cutting issue in the preparations for and follow-up to the outcomes of relevant summits and major international conferences, including the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development to be held in 2012; takes note of the report of the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat) on a third United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development, prepared in accordance with General Assembly resolution 64/207 of 21 December 2009 and 65/165 of 20 December 2010, requesting the Secretary-General to prepare a report on the question of convening in 2016 a third United Nations conference on housing and sustainable urban development (Habitat III), in collaboration with the Governing Council of UN-Habitat for consideration by the Assembly at its sixty-sixth session, and welcomes UN-Habitat Governing Council resolution 23/8 inviting the General Assembly to deliberate at its sixty-sixth session on the question of convening, in 2016, a third United Nations Conference on housing and sustainable urban development (Habitat III); invites Governments and regional and local authorities, in accordance with national legislation, to enumerate the population living in slums in their countries, regions and urban areas and, on that basis, to set, with the support of the international community, voluntary and realistic national, regional and local targets to be attained by 2020, with regard to improving significantly the lives of slum-dwellers, in line with resolution 23/9, entitled “Global and national strategies and frameworks for improving the lives of slum dwellers beyond the Millennium Development Goals target”, adopted by the Governing Council of UN-Habitat at its twenty-third session; decides to transmit the report of the Secretary-General on the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda to the General Assembly for consideration at its sixty-sixth session; invites countries in a position to do so and relevant organizations to provide voluntary funding for promoting the participation of developing countries in the meetings of the Governing Council of UN-Habitat and the World Urban Forum, as well as other relevant conferences on sustainable urbanization; and requests the Secretary-General to submit a report on the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda for consideration by the Economic and Social Council at its substantive session of 2012.

The Council withdrew resolution E/2011/L.20.

NATALIA HANDRUJOVICZ (Argentina), speaking on behalf of the Group of 77 and China, said the G77 and China welcomed the adoption by consensus of the resolution on Human Settlements. The growing importance and urgent need to focus on and address challenges of urbanization had never been greater as it was now. With the increase in the number of people living in urban areas, growth of slums and slum dwellers was accelerating. The challenge of sustainable human settlements and adequate shelter for all required urgent attention. It was, therefore, imperative for the international community to support the implementation of the habitat agenda as it focused on critical aspects of human livelihoods, basic needs and poverty eradication. Simultaneously, Argentina believed that the international community should give due attention to the continuing challenge of human settlements, including the provision of the necessary means of implementation, through improved quality and quantity of official development assistance, transfer of technology, capacity building, enhanced market access, increased foreign direct investments to the developing countries and resolving their external debt problems.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.23) on the Report of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration on its tenth session, in which the Council requests the Secretariat to continue to enhance, within existing resources, its support for capacity building in the public sector, including in human resource development, promoting participatory governance institutions with a view to making public administration more open, transparent, accountable and responsive to citizens in all countries, and use case studies, as appropriate, in capacity-building and training activities, and assess the impact of these case studies; to continue to assist in analysis, policy options and capacity-building, including for post-conflict countries, particularly on their governance capacities for development; and to continue to provide countries in post-disaster situations with policy advice, capacity-building actions, and tools for engaging citizens, civil society organizations and the private sector in recovery and reconstruction efforts, deepening public accountability and preventing corruption.

The Council adopted, without a vote, decision (E/2011/L.24) on the Venue and dates of and provisional agenda for the eleventh session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration, in which the Council decides that the eleventh session of the Committee of Experts on Public Administration will be held at United Nations Headquarters from 16 to 20 April 2012 and approves the provisional agenda.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.26) on the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, in which the Council requests the Secretary-General to submit to the Economic and Social Council a report on the role and work of the Committee in promoting international cooperation in tax matters, including further options on strengthening the work of the Committee and its cooperation with concerned multilateral bodies and relevant regional and sub-regional organizations; and decides to hold a one-day meeting in 2012 in conjunction with the special high-level meeting of the Council with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development to consider international cooperation in tax matters, including institutional arrangements to promote such cooperation.

The Council withdrew E/2011/L.13.

MARCELO SUAREZ SALVIA (Argentina), speaking on behalf of the G77 and China, welcomed the adoption of the resolution on the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters. Despite the commitment made in the Monterrey Consensus and reaffirmed at the international conference on financing for development at Doha, the G77 and China, while not entirely happy with the current process on the issue, welcomed this constructive step and anticipated a result oriented outcome to this resolution. Strengthening international cooperation in tax matters through the institutional arrangements at the international level should ensure that the international community supported national efforts to enhance domestic public resources, while taking into account the need to enhance the fiscal capacity and policy space of developing countries. There must be a transparent, impartial and multilateral approach for monitoring and assessing compliance with international standards on the part of all jurisdictions, onshore and offshore. While each country was responsible for its tax system, it was important to have mechanisms to support national efforts geared at efficient tax administrations and policies through international cooperation and participation at the multilateral level. While some delegations may argue that there were dialogue and tangible actions taking place at the international level, notably at the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development through the Global Forum on Tax, it was important to note that the United Nations was the only true global forum and that these other processes were devoid of a development agenda. Argentina urged Member States to consider the conversion of the United Nations Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters into an intergovernmental subsidiary body of the Council.

The Council adopted, without a vote, decision (E/2011/L.42) on the Dates and draft agenda for the seventh session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters, in which the Council decides that the seventh session of the Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters will be held in Geneva from 24 to 28 October 2011 and approves draft agenda.

The Council adopted resolution (E/2011/L.53) on the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management in which the Council takes note of the report of the Secretary-General on global geospatial information management and the recommendations contained therein; recognizes the need to promote international cooperation in the field of global geospatial information; decides in this regard to establish the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management, in accordance with the terms of reference contained in the annex to the present resolution, to be established and administered within existing resources and organized accordingly, and requests the Committee to present to the Economic and Social Council in 2016 a comprehensive review of all aspects of its work and operations, in order to allow Member States to assess its effectiveness; encourages Member States to hold regular high-level, multi-stakeholder discussions on global geospatial information, including through the convening of global forums, with a view to promoting a comprehensive dialogue with all relevant actors and bodies; and emphasizes the importance of promoting national, regional and global efforts to foster the exchange of knowledge and expertise, to assist developing countries in building and strengthening national capacities in this field.

In the annex of the resolution, the Council provides the terms of reference of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management. The objectives and functions of the Committee of Experts on Global Geospatial Information Management will be: to provide a forum for coordination and dialogue among Member States and between Member States and relevant international organizations; to propose workplans and guidelines with a view to promoting common principles, policies, methods, mechanisms and standards for the interoperability and interchangeability of geospatial data and services; to provide a platform for the development of effective strategies on how to build and strengthen national capacity concerning geospatial information, especially in developing countries, and, in this regard, to assist interested countries in developing the full potential of geospatial information and the underlying technology; to compile and disseminate best practices and experiences of national, regional and international bodies on geospatial information; and in performing its functions, the Committee should build upon and make use of the existing work of other forums and mechanisms in the related field. The Annex also contains information on membership, composition and terms of office, reporting procedure, frequency of meetings, Secretariat and meeting documentation.

The Council withdrew resolution E/2011/L.15.

MARCELO SUAREZ SALVIA (Argentina), speaking on behalf of the G77 and China, welcomed the adoption by consensus of the resolution E/2011/L.53. The resolution recalled important initiatives in the United Nations and other fora and recognized the importance of integrating cartographic and statistical information, as well as spatial data, with a view to fostering location-based geospatial information, applications and services. In deciding to establish the Committee on Global Geospatial Information Management, the Council was taking an important step to strengthen international cooperation in this field. It would provide a forum for coordination and dialogue among member states and other relevant international organizations. The Committee would provide an effective platform for developing effective strategies on how to build and strengthen national capacities and would play a major role in assisting developing countries to build and strengthen national capacities by providing a forum for exchange of views and information, including with regards to international cooperation. The G77 and China looked forward to working with other groups and delegations within the Committee to ensure that the new subsidiary body of the Council would fulfill its ambitious mandate.

The Council adopted, without a vote, resolution (E/2011/L.22) on the Work of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and the Work of the Committee regarding the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals, in which the Council requests the Committee to study the possibilities of improving the implementation of the Model Regulations on the transport of dangerous goods in all countries for the purposes of ensuring a high level of safety and eliminating technical barriers to international trade, including through the further harmonization of international agreements or conventions governing the international transport of dangerous goods; and encourages Governments, the regional commissions, United Nations programmes, the specialized agencies and other relevant international organizations and non-governmental organizations, in particular those representing industry, to strengthen their support for the implementation of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals by providing financial contributions and/or technical assistance for capacity-building activities in developing countries and countries with economies in transition.


For use of the information media; not an official record

ECOSOC11/026E