The Economic and Social Council this morning took up economic and environmental questions, discussing sustainable development; statistics; human settlements; environment; population and development; international cooperation in tax matters; United Nations Forum on Forests; assistance to third States affected by the application of sanctions; cartography; and transport of dangerous goods, under which it heard the presentation of a number of reports and then held a general discussion on them.

Nikhil Seth, Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development, said the promotion of rural development was essential to reducing poverty and for promoting better standards of living for much of the world's population and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The report highlighted the importance of rural development and the impact of the recent financial and economic crisis on it, as this would deepen the degree of deprivation of the existing poor in many of the developing countries, and further compound the difficulties already experienced due to the food and energy crises and the impact of climate change. A special focus on rural development in the planning for economic recovery was therefore vitally important.

Patrick Guillaumont, Member of the Committee for Development Policy, introducing the report of the Committee for Development Policy on its eleventh session, said the first substantive section of the report dealt with international cooperation for health, in particular, the importance of tackling inequalities. The second substantive issue addressed in the report focused on the implications of the current global financial crisis for developing countries. The Committee reiterated its call for enhanced compensatory finance to deal with the consequences of trade and financial shocks affecting developing countries. The third substantive section of the report summarized the Committee’s discussions on climate change and development. The fourth substantive section of the report summarized the outcome of the Committee’s triennial review of the list of least developed countries.

Axumite Gebre-Egziabher, Director of the United Nations Habitat New York Office, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda, said the report provided the highlights of the follow-up to the decisions of the twenty-first session of the Governing Council of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), including progress in the implementation of the medium-term strategic and institutional plan for 2008-2013, and coordinated implementation with organizations and agencies within the United Nations system, inter-Governmental and international organizations outside the United Nations system, and other Habitat Agenda partners, and concluded with some pointers for the future. Urbanization was taking place at an unprecedented scale and pace in the developing countries. The scale and pace of this irreversible transition posed considerable challenges, the first of which was that the battle for attaining the Millennium Development Goals was in cities.

Munyaradzi Chenje, Head of Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs of the United Nations Environment Programme, introducing the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twenty-fifth session, said at its second plenary meeting, the Council/Forum began its consideration of emerging policy issues, in the form of ministerial consultations, focusing on the themes of globalization and the environment, and international environmental governance. The high-level segment looked ahead to forthcoming events where multiple challenges and opportunities would be addressed, such as the seventeenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. It was noted that grounding the reform process in the context of sustainable development provided opportunities to develop an environmental governance system that incorporated the three pillars of sustainable development: economic growth, social development and environmental protection.

Tadanori Inomata, Joint Inspection Unit, presenting the findings of the report of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) on the management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system, said in the follow-up to the 2005 World Summit, the General Assembly launched an informal consultative process on the institutional framework of the environmental activities of the United Nations. The JIU decided to undertake a management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system in its 2006 annual programme of work. The review revealed several lacunae in the current framework of international environmental governance, including that it was weakened by institutional fragmentation and specialisation, and the lack of a holistic approach to environmental issues and sustainable development. Many of the recommendations contained in the JIU report, if properly implemented by the Executive Heads, would assist Member States in strengthening environmental governance within the system.

Marta Leichner-Boyce, Chief Executive Board Secretariat, briefly introducing the Board comments on the Joint Inspection Unit report, said CEB members welcomed the comprehensive JIU report which provided an independent review and analysis of environmental governance arrangements across the UN system. CEB members supported many of the recommendations, at the same time they indicated some concerns regarding the modalities suggested for their implementation and noted that several required additional consideration. When commenting on the report, CEB members stressed their deep involvement in multilateral environmental agreement implementation and emphasized the need for overall capacity development at the country level in the field of environmental sustainability as a prerequisite for ensuring enhanced implementation of the agreements.

Olivier Kervella, Secretary of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification of Labelling of Chemicals, said the Committee itself only met once a year to endorse the work of the Sub-Committees and adopt the programme of work. The report was divided into four parts: the first contained a draft resolution which the Committee recommended to the Council; the second the report of the application of resolution 2007/6; the third the report of the Committee 2007-2008; and the fourth the programme of work for 2009-2010. Although international judicial instruments were aligned with the United Nations standard, there were still differences and obstacles remaining at the international level. The Council should ask international organizations and Governments to provide information on these rules which deviated from the United Nations standard.

In the general discussion under these agenda items, speakers said partnerships among stakeholders were vital for rural development and in protecting local resources. The United Nations should foster partnerships focusing on sharing knowledge and expertise that furthered the development of these communities. It should also encourage the partnership on United Nations sustainable development that affected rural development. Now the world wanted to plant trees where they had been removed at one point, changing ideas about rural development plans. The international community had to decide what the long term plan was. The issue of the wetlands in Iraq and efforts to rebuild them were also of interest to several speakers. The food crisis had shown that the current global food and agricultural economy needed to be reformed; reforms must ensure growth with equity founded on sustainable agricultural practices, with food security as the top priority, with a particular focus on increasing production while keeping a firm eye on environmental protection.

Speaking in the general discussion were the United States, Iraq, Saint Lucia, Samoa, China, Indonesia, Argentina, Russian Federation, Belarus, Japan, Iran, the United Nations educational, Scientific and cultural Organization, Switzerland, and Brazil.

This afternoon the Council will meet at 3 p.m. and continue its general discussion on these issues, and is scheduled to hear introductions of and to adopt a range of decisions contained in reports before the Council, as well as resolutions.

Reports on Economic and Environmental Questions

The Economic and Social Council has before it a report of the Secretary-General on United Nations Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development (E/2009/72), which notes that the Economic and Social Council, in its 2003 ministerial declaration, highlighted the importance of promoting partnerships among stakeholders in support of the aims of rural development. In response, and in pursuance of Council resolutions 2004/49 and 2005/42, the United Nations Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development was launched as an ad hoc initiative of the Council to help further these aims, with Madagascar and the Dominican Republic serving as the first two pilot countries for the Alliance. The first report of the Alliance (E/2007/61) was considered by the Council at its substantive session of 2007. The present report provides updated information on the activities undertaken in the first two pilot countries since the previous report and provides examples of activities carried out by stakeholders in support of rural development in the two new pilot countries.

There is also a report on the eleventh session of the Committee on Development Policy (E/2009/33), which contains the main findings and recommendations of the eleventh session of the Committee for Development Policy, held at United Nations Headquarters from 9 to 13 March 2009. The Committee addressed the following themes: international cooperation on global public health and, in particular, the importance of tackling inequalities; the global financial turmoil and its impact on developing countries; climate change and development; and, the triennial review of the list of the least developed countries. The report also contains several matters for the attention of the Council.

The Council also has before it the report of the Secretary-General on Coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda (E/2009/80), which highlights major developments in the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda during 2008 and the first half of 2009. It underlines the raising of awareness on the part of the international community of the issues and challenges associated with rapid urbanization, including their consequences for the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals. This heightened awareness has led to an increase in the scope and depth of responses to these issues at the global, regional and country levels. The conclusion of the report is that the emerging but robust response by Governments and Habitat Agenda partners to the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda and related Millennium Development Goals is a strong indication of the increasing internalization of the urban agenda by the world community. This realization calls for an equally robust decision by the Economic and Social Council to adopt and promote sustainable urbanization as a cross-cutting issue for more effective follow-up action within the existing social, economic and environmental pillars of sustainable development. In the light of the convergence of the global and local environmental agendas and the critical role and contribution of cities in mitigating and adapting to the effects of climate change, the report also calls for the convening of a third United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development in 2016.

There is also a note by the Secretary-General containing the Report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system (E/2009/83), which notes that the current framework of international environmental governance is weakened by institutional fragmentation and specialization and the lack of a holistic approach to environmental issues and sustainable development. The duplication and fragmentation of the work of United Nations system organizations stem principally from a blurred distinction in their work programmes between environmental protection and sustainable development and the absence of a single strategic planning framework. Environmental governance will be enhanced if the General Assembly establishes a clear division of labour among developmental agencies, UNEP and the mainstream environmental agreements outlining their respective areas and types of normative and operational capacity-building activities for environmental protection and sustainable development. Inter-agency bodies have failed to establish an information-sharing mechanism on the myriad of environment-related projects implemented by United Nations agencies and other organizations. Results-based management has yet to be introduced system-wide. The Secretary-General, as Chairman of the Chief Executives Board for Coordination, should encourage the development of joint programmes and projects by these agencies and organizations through the establishment of a joint system-wide planning framework based on results-based management and backed by an inventory of environmental initiatives and actors which will serve as a tool for prior consultations on harmonization of programmes and prioritization of the use of resources within the United Nations system.

There is also a note by the Secretary-General on an addendum to the Report of the Joint Inspection Unit on Management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system (E/2009/83/Add.1), which focuses on weaknesses in international environmental governance that stem from institutional fragmentation and the lack of a holistic approach to environmental issues and sustainable development. Recommendations made are intended, as stated in the objective of the report, to strengthen the governance of and programmatic and administrative support for multilateral environmental agreements by United Nations organizations by identifying measures to promote enhanced coordination, coherence and synergies between the agreements and the United Nations system, thus increasing the contribution of the United Nations system towards a more integrated approach to international environmental governance and management at national, regional and international levels. The present report sets out the views of United Nations system organizations on the recommendations provided in the Joint Inspection Unit report. The views of the system have been consolidated on the basis of inputs provided by member organizations of the United Nations System Chief Executives Board for Coordination.

The Council also has before it the report of the Secretary-General on Work of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (E/2009/55), which concerns 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 during the biennium 2007-2008 and the implementation of Economic and Social Council resolution 2007/6. The Committee also adopted amendments to the Globally Harmonized System that concern mainly classification criteria for some physical hazards, hazards to the environment, hazards to health (chronic toxicity and respiratory and skin sensitizers) and hazards to the ozone layer. It completed the validation of the protocol on transformation/dissolution of metals and metal components in aqueous media. It issued a new set of combined hazard statements as well as guidance on the procedure of allocation of hazard statements and on the labelling of small packaging. The Committee adopted a programme of work for the biennium 2009-2010; sessions for the Subcommittee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, for the Subcommittee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals and for the Committee have been planned for the period 2009-2010 in accordance with Economic and Social Council resolution 1999/65. The Committee is recommending a draft resolution on its work for adoption by the Economic and Social Council.

The Council had before the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development, contained in (E/2009/29), which notes matters calling for action by the Economic and Social Council or brought to its attention; draft decisions recommended by the Commission for adoption by the Council; dates of the meetings of the Commission on Sustainable Development during its 2010/2011 cycle; adoption of the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development on its seventeenth session and provisional agenda for the eighteenth session of the Commission.

The Council had before the report of the United Nations Forum on Forests, contained in (E/2009/42), which notes draft decisions for adoption by the Council on dates and venue for the ninth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests; and on the report of the United Nations Forum on Forests on its eighth session and provisional agenda for its ninth session; a resolution brought to the attention of the Council on forests in a changing environment, enhanced cooperation and cross-sectoral policy and programme coordination, regional and sub-regional inputs; decisions brought to the attention of the Council on accreditation of an intergovernmental organization to the United Nations Forum on Forests, and on the review process of the eighth session of the United Nations Forum on Forests. The report also notes achieving the four global objectives on forests and implementing the non legally binding instrument on all types of forests; regional and sub-regional inputs; forest in a changing environment: forests and climate change; reversing the loss of forest cover, preventing forest degradation in all types of forests and combating desertification, including in low forest cover countries; and forests and biodiversity conservation, including protected areas; means of implementation for sustainable forest management: applying means of implementation, including financial resources, capacity-building and the transfer of environmentally sound technology; decision on a voluntary global financial mechanism, a portfolio approach and a forest financing framework; multi-stakeholder dialogue; enhanced cooperation and policy and programme coordination, including the provision of further guidance to the collaborative partnership on forests; and the chairman’s summary of the multi-stakeholder dialogue.

The Council had before the report of the Commission on Sustainable Development, contained in (E/2009/24), which highlights a draft decision for adoption by the Council on report of the Statistical Commission on its fortieth session and provisional agenda and dates for the forty-first session of the Commission; decisions brought to the attention of the Council on the programme review: climate change and official statistics; agricultural statistics; energy statistics; environmental-economic accounting; national accounts; social statistics; health statistics; education statistics; employment statistics; gender statistics; international Comparison Programme; regional statistical development in Asia and the Pacific; development indicators; programme questions: United Nations Statistics Division; documents considered by the Statistical Commission at its fortieth session; follow-up to Economic and Social Council policy decisions; programme questions (United Nations Statistics Division); provisional agenda and dates for the forty-first session of the Commission; and the report of the Commission on its fortieth session.


Economic and Environmental Questions

Nikhil Seth, Director of the Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the United Nations Public-Private Alliance for Rural Development (E/2009/72), said the report was prepared in response to Council resolution 2007/35, in which the Secretary-General was requested to report to the Council at this session on the implementation of the work of the Alliance. The promotion of rural development was essential to reducing poverty and for promoting better standards of living for much of the world's population and meeting the Millennium Development Goals. The report highlighted activities in support of sustainable rural development in the four pilot countries, Madagascar, the Dominican Republic, Angola and Ethiopia, particularly through the promotion of public-private partnerships focusing on sharing knowledge and expertise for furthering national-led efforts in these countries. The report highlighted the importance of rural development and the impact of the recent financial and economic crisis on it, as this would deepen the degree of deprivation of the existing poor in many of the developing countries, and further compound the difficulties already experienced due to the food and energy crises and the impact of climate change. A special focus on rural development in the planning for economic recovery was therefore vitally important.

The international community should pay special attention to the implications of the crisis for rural populations, and implement specific measures to address them. Of critical importance was the need for sufficient additional resources to be targeted towards rural and agricultural development policies and to address the challenge of food insecurity. There was a need to replicate, adapt and scale up initiatives which had proven to be successful in the areas of rural development. Efforts should be made by the United Nations system to further strengthen global advocacy, including through the sharing of information. The fact that women made up the substantial majority of the agricultural workforce in developing countries gave crucial importance to the role of women in accelerating sustainable rural development.

PATRICK GUILLAUMONT, Member of the Committee for Development Policy, introducing the report of the Committee for Development Policy, said the first substantive section of the report deals with international cooperation for health, in particular, the importance of tackling inequalities. The second substantive issue addressed in the report focuses on the implications of the current global financial crisis for developing countries. The Committee reiterated its call for enhanced compensatory finance to deal with the consequences of trade and financial shocks affecting developing countries. This should be made accessible without restrictive policy conditions. The third substantive section of the report summarized the Committee’s discussions on climate change and development. The recommendations focused in particular on financing requirements of developing countries for making the necessary investments towards mitigation and adaptation. In their view, the current financial architecture for addressing climate change was becoming increasingly complex. Mr. Guillaumont underscored that the proliferation of an increasing number of largely uncoordinated climate funds did not seem to be a very productive way forward.

The fourth substantive section of the report summarized the outcome of the Committee’s triennial review of the list of least developed countries. As in the past, the Committee reviewed the current least developed countries’ as well as those identified by the World Bank as low-income countries. Mr. Guillaumont noted that in making its recommendation to the Council, the Committee applied three criteria to identify least developed countries: gross national income per capita and two indicators of structural handicaps to growth and development. The two other criteria referred to the level of human development of a country, measured by the Human Asset Index, and its vulnerability to exogenous economic shocks, measured by the Economic Vulnerability Index. The Committee advised in line with General Assembly resolution 59/209 that the Council reiterate the importance for development partners to implement concrete measures in support of countries’ transition strategies for ensuring a durable graduation.

Axumite Gebre-Egziabher, Director of the United Nations Habitat New York Office, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the coordinated implementation of the Habitat Agenda (E/2009/80), said the report provided the highlights of the follow-up to the decisions of the twenty-first session of the Governing Council of the UN Human Settlements Programme (United Nations-Habitat), including progress in the implementation of the medium-term strategic and institutional plan for 2008-2013, and coordinated implementation with organizations and agencies within the United Nations system, inter-Governmental and international organizations outside the United Nations system, and other Habitat Agenda partners, and concluded with some pointers for the future. Urbanization was taking place at an unprecedented scale and pace in the developing countries. The scale and pace of this irreversible transition posed considerable challenges, the first of which was that the battle for attaining the Millennium Development Goals was in cities. Unless very large amounts of investments were made in housing and urban development over the next two decades, the majority of the developing countries growing urban population would not escape the trap of urban poverty, deplorable housing conditions, poor health, poor nutrition, and low productivity.

The second challenge was the need to mainstream the urban agenda. The Cities and Climate Change Initiative built on the comparative advantages of UN-Habitat in working with urban local authorities, and its expertise in urban planning and management to support the efforts of all spheres of Government in reducing the ecological footprint of cities while improving their safety and resilience to the effects of climate change. At the root of the current financial crisis had been a practice of primary mortgage lending that paid little attention to sound procedures for loan origination and administration. Efforts to enable access to housing finance for low-income segments of society faced strong scepticism by policy makers and the business community. This attitude, and the effects on the domestic banking sector in developing countries may hinder the efforts of UN-Habitat and other actors to advocate and develop models at the global level for low-income housing finance and infrastructure. Member States needed to assess the effectiveness of their respective policies in the areas of pro-poor housing and urban development, and the need to integrate affordable housing and housing finance as a key means of attaining internationally-agreed development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals.

MUNYARADZI CHENJE, Head of Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs, United Nations Environment Programme, New York Office, introducing the report of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme on its twenty-fifth session, as contained in document (A/64/25), said at its second plenary meeting, the Council/Forum began its consideration of emerging policy issues, in the form of ministerial consultations, focusing on the themes of globalization and the environment, and international environmental governance. The high-level segment looked ahead to forthcoming events where multiple challenges and opportunities would be addressed, such as the seventeenth session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The Ministers also reflected on the preceding 12 months, during which time the world had witnessed the emergence of multiple global crises related to food, energy, freshwater and finance. They discussed the additional complexity resulting from climate change, which they observed was exacerbating the impact of the other global crises, including through the significant impact on the world’s oceans.

It was noted that grounding the reform process in the context of sustainable development provided opportunities to develop an environmental governance system that incorporated the three pillars of sustainable development: economic growth, social development and environmental protection. The Council adopted a total of 17 decisions, noted Mr. Chenje, where among other things, the Governing Council reaffirmed its commitment to continue the discussion on international environmental governance with a view of adopting a General Assembly resolution on advancing and determining specific actions towards greater coherence and efficacy of the international environmental institutional framework; and also called on Governments to demonstrate strong leadership individually and collectively and to implement effective policy responses, including, where appropriate, economic instruments and market mechanisms to regulate and manage the environment, ecosystems, and their services, and to continue to cooperate within the framework of multilateral processes that aimed to reverse environmental degradation. Mr. Chenje concluded by saying that the report provided the details of these decisions and others, and also highlighted the major issues which were discussed by the ministers and other stakeholders.

Tadanori Inomata, Inspector in the Joint Inspection Unit, presenting the findings of the report of the Joint Inspection Unit on the management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system (E/2009/83), said in the follow-up to the 2005 World Summit, the General Assembly launched an informal consultative process on the institutional framework of the environmental activities of the United Nations. The Joint Inspection Unit decided to undertake a management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system in its 2006 annual programme of work. The Report was submitted to the United Nations system agencies in December 2008, and contained twelve recommendations, among which four were directly addressed to inter-Governmental bodies such as the United Nations General Assembly and the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum. The review revealed several lacunae in the current framework of international environmental governance, including that it was weakened by institutional fragmentation and specialisation, and the lack of a holistic approach to environmental issues and sustainable development.

The Joint Inspection Unit recommended that the General Assembly establish a clear understanding on the division of labour among development agencies, UNEP and the mainstream environmental agreements. At present, there was no single strategic-planning framework enhancing the entire United Nations system. The General Assembly should consider upgrading the United Nations Strategic Framework and the UNEP Medium-Term Strategy to system-wide instruments in order to allow the integration of the strategic goals of environment-related organizations into a single governance framework for sustainable development and environment. Many of the recommendations contained in the Joint Inspection Unit report, if properly implemented by the Executive Heads, would assist Member States in strengthening environmental governance within the system. The Council should urge the Secretary-General and the Executive Heads of the United Nations organizations concerned to submit a report on their implementation of the Joint Inspection Unit recommendations addressed to and agreed by them as well as appropriate inputs to the General Assembly to facilitate consideration of those recommendations addressed to the Assembly at its forth-coming sessions, through the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum, and ECOSOC.

MARTA LEICHNER-BOYCE, Representative of the Chief Executives Board (CEB) Secretariat, introducing the comments of the United Nations (UN) system organizations on the recommendations provided in the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) report, as contained in document (A/64/83/Add.1-E/2009/83/Add. 1), said CEB members welcomed the comprehensive JIU report which provided an independent review and analysis of environmental governances arrangements across the UN system. CEB members supported many of the recommendations, at the same time they indicated some concerns regarding the modalities suggested for their implementation and noted that several required additional consideration. When commenting on the report, CEB members stressed their deep involvement in multilateral environmental agreement implementation and emphasized the need for overall capacity development at the country level in the field of environmental sustainability as a prerequisite for ensuring enhanced implementation of the agreements. Organizations pointed to the need for the UN system to embark on a discussion as to how a system-wide policy orientation, a system-wide strategy and ultimately a results-based planning framework for the environmental component of sustainable development could be established in an inclusive way, ensuring ownership/buy-in by national Governments, UN system entities and all other relevant national and international stakeholders.

CEB members pointed out that, while the JIU report presented a good historical overview of developments in the multilateral environmental agreement environment and the reasons for the establishment of bodies like the Environment Management Group, the report did not sufficiently reflect the dynamic importance of ongoing processes and debates, including at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Governing Council and the UN General Assembly, which had subsequently taken place. Agencies noted in particular that the UNEP Governing Council, at its twenty-fifth regular session, established a consultative process to present a set of options for improving international environmental governance to the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum at its eleventh special session, with a view to provide input to the UN General Assembly.

OLIVIER KERVELLA, Secretary of the Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods of the UNECE, introducing the report of the Secretary-General on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonised System of Classification of Labelling of Chemicals (E/2009/55) said the two sub-committees met twice a year. The Committee itself only met once a year to endorse the work of the Sub-Committees and adopt the programme of work. The report was divided into four parts: the first contained a draft resolution which the Committee recommended to the Council; the second the report of the application of resolution 2007/6; the third the report of the Committee 2007-2008; and the fourth the programme of work for 2009-2010. With regards to the application of resolution 2007/6, the Secretary-General had published the fifteenth revised edition of recommendations for the transport of dangerous goods. With regards to the transport of dangerous goods, the recommendations contained in these publications were being integrated into the different judicial instruments on international transport of dangerous goods, and into national regulations of many countries.

On the general harmonised system of labelling, all countries were encouraged to implement this as soon as possible to be universal in 2008. Not all countries had done so, but substantial progress had been made, and it was already operational in international transport. The work of the Committee and its two sub-Committees during 2007-2008 had led to the adoption of many amendments and new provisions to be included in the model regulations and the handbook on the transport of dangerous goods. The Council should recommend to the Secretary-General that he circulate these amendments. Although international judicial instruments were aligned with the United Nations standard, there were still differences and obstacles remaining at the international level. The Council should ask international organizations and Governments to provide information on these rules which deviated from the United Nations standard.

General Discussion on Economic and Environmental Questions

JOHN SAMMIS (United States) said with regard to sustainable development, the United States greatly valued the discussions of the Commission on Sustainable Development. The outcome of the Commission on Sustainable Development’s seventeenth session gave good policy guidance to the United Nations and its partners on agriculture, land, desertification and Africa, among others. It reflected technical and policy recommendations for UN Member States, including attention to rural and sustainable development. However, it was regrettable that the report was not available which made it difficult for Member States to assess its findings. Partnerships among stakeholders were vital for rural development and in protecting local resources. The United States encouraged the United Nations to foster partnerships focusing on sharing knowledge and expertise that furthered the development of these communities; and also encouraged the United Nations to encourage the partnership on UN sustainable development that affected rural development.

With regard to the rehabilitation of the marshes in the southern regions of Iraq, the United States said that Iraq’s southern marshlands would soon become that country’s first national park. Reclamation of the marshlands was underway, and while they may never be restored to their full former glory, the United States was proud to join Iraq and other partners in efforts to ensure that the marshes, their inhabitants, and their unique culture prosper for the long term. In 2001, the United Nations Environmental Programme called a systematic attempt by Saddam Hussein’s regime to drain the marshes and displaced its dwellers, “one of the world’s greatest environmental disasters”. The United States supported Iraq’s programme to restore the marshlands through a $4 million USAID programme from 2004 to 2006.

ABDUL KARIM SHWAIKH (Iraq) said water was the secret to survival - without it, man died. The world was confronted today with many serious challenges: climate change, water shortage, desertification and drought. Iraq was a victim of these challenges, and could not confront it without the help of neighbours, partners, and specialised agencies including the Council. Much of the hydraulic resources of Iraq were concentrated in the basins of the Euphrates and the Tigris, rivers which came from neighbouring countries. This water was used largely by the agricultural industry, a very important industry for Iraq. The decline of the water levels of the Tigris and Euphrates had halved the arable land in Iraq. Along with the international food crisis, this was very grave. The decline in the water in the marshlands had had similarly negative impacts on the environment and biodiversity, including rare birds. The zone was very beautiful, but was also the place of survival for tens of thousands of families whose origin went back to the Sumerian period. This area had known a humanitarian and environmental disaster due to the stupid policies imposed by the previous regime. The new Government had given priority to rehabilitation of the marshlands.

DONATUS ST. AIMEE (Saint Lucia) said the report of the Joint Inspection Unit was interesting and they did a lot of good work. The difficulties associated with management, collaboration and coordination was pointed out by the Chief Executives Board, as they best understood the mandates. It was very interesting this morning. Saint Lucia wanted to link sustainable development, human settlements, population and the environment, as in reality agriculture, water resources management and forestry were activities that gave them what they wanted – sustainable development. They impacted the environment and therefore should not be looked at separately. What did they want to do with global development? Now the world wanted to plant trees where they had been removed at one point, changing ideas about rural development plans. The international community had to decide what the long term plan was. On population and development, when the population increased you had to build more houses, and so on, it was necessary to look at needs in terms of a synergic coordination effort. On the question of forestry, a lot of the time attention was given to those who had a lot of forests and did not look to those with a little bit of forests, which had to be looked at more intensely, in order to develop reforestation plans for those that were in most need.

ALIIOAIGA FETURI ELISAIA (Samoa) said the Committee for Development Policy in its report to the Council noted the continued positive development progress of Samoa, and reiterated the importance for Samoa of developing a smooth transition strategy with the support of its development partners. The Committee concluded that Samoa remained economically vulnerable, but there was no noticeable deterioration in its relative vulnerability as indicated. This should be comforting news, but was hardly so when it was ranked fifth most economically vulnerable in 2009. Samoa was taking every possible measure to ensure that it would be ready to graduate from the least developed countries group and to be able to sustain this new status. Of importance to the Government was that it had contributed as best it could to the debate on the graduation criteria. Samoa was grateful to the Committee for its decision to be flexible and not use the graduation criteria mechanically, especially in borderline cases. It would have been helpful if the Committee review had commented on how Samoa's efforts were being affected by the financial crisis, if any, and whether as a consequence of this, Samoa was still on target to achieve "durable graduation" as scheduled in December 2010. It had now been established that Samoa had yet to establish a consultative mechanism in cooperation with its bilateral and multilateral development and trading partners and with the support of the United Nations system to facilitate a transition strategy to adjust to the phasing out of the advantages of least developed countries membership and to identify actions to mitigate against such eventuality. Samoa was not asking for special favours - it was merely bidding for extra time.

GAO MINGBO (China) said the realization of sustainable development was a major and urgent task for many countries. International cooperation in sustainable development was deepening, despite the fact that environmental degradation was not being reversed. Various Governments who were affected had to come up with or design strategic, comprehensive plans, which should focus on economic, legal and administrative levels, mobilizing society and establishing partnerships. As the global economic and financial crises were spreading, many countries, especially developing countries, were experiencing difficulties in dealing with the impact of climate change. The United Nations should make this issue a key focus and come up with ways to assist countries in need of expertise and knowledge to deal with its effects. This was the key year for the implementation of the Bali Roadmap. Many countries should take an approach of shared and differentiated responsibilities at the Copenhagen Conference. China actively combated climate change. It had designed programmes with targets to deal with climate change, and had created a “white paper” outlining initiatives, plans and objectives to deal with climate change. China had also put forward a position paper to the Copenhagen Conference with concrete effective measures. China was convinced of its firm and resolute actions.

JORRIE ANDREAN (Indonesia) said given the present circumstances, the seventeenth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development took a positive and constructive route by adopting a policy-oriented document which highlighted the urgency of appropriate national and international action and greater cooperation. The outcome of the session correlated closely with ECOSOC's deliberations in the previous year that drew attention, in particular, to the urgent need to address the global food crisis and to the crucial role of support for agriculture and rural development. Both recognised the need to reverse the widespread trends of declining agricultural productivity and incomes, which was prompting a paradigm shift to realise a truly sustainable green revolution. The food crisis had shown that the current global food and agricultural economy needed to be reformed; reforms must ensure growth with equity founded on sustainable agricultural practices, with food security as the top priority, with a particular focus on increasing production while keeping a firm eye on environmental protection. Successful reforms and revitalisation of the agricultural sector and rural development in developing countries depended on a set of inter-related factors. National efforts should be matched with adequate means for implementation - a commitment by the international community, donors and the United Nations system to develop mechanisms to stimulate private sector investments in developing countries would be helpful. There was a need to strengthen national and international policy support for the transfer of technology and knowledge.

GONZALO JORDAN (Argentina) said with regard to the issue of genetically modified organisms and the model regulations, it was Argentina’s view that genetically modified organisms were not inherently dangerous goods and that any material presenting a toxicity or infectious risk identified from an appropriate risk and or safety assessment in a case-by-case basis would be appropriately regulated by existing chapters of the Model Regulations, irrespective of the technology that had been used for its development. The Class 9 regulatory regime was not appropriate given that genetically modified organisms, as such, did not present a risk in transport and, in Argentina’s view, UN 3245 should be removed from the Model Regulations.

ALEXANDER PANKIN (Russian Federation) said the final document of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development had been adopted by consensus. The report contained a number of political and practical considerations to bring world agricultural production to a sustainable level. In its future work, the Commission should achieve an adequate account of socio-economic features to provide a balanced approach to questions that were part of the thematic cycles of the work of the Commission. The restoration of marshlands in Southern Iraq was important, but it would not be a good idea to consider this issue on the agenda of the Economic and Social Council on a permanent basis - specialised sessions on country-specific situations should be held in subsidiary bodies that dealt with such matters. The report of the Statistical Committee was interesting, in particular with regards to the role of official statistics on climate change, which should be kept to the collection of data, analysis and consequences. The results of the governing council of the United Nations Environmental Programme were positive, and it should be strengthened as a key body strengthening environmental activities in the United Nations system.

VITALY KNIAZEV (Belarus) welcomed the participants at the last session of the Commission on Sustainable Development in New York who had been able to reach an agreement on a final document. Sustainable economic development was linked to the development of sustainable energy in their view. Belarus had set up a mechanism to ensure access to all countries to advanced forms of technology. The delegation of Belarus called for a more efficient system of coordination of international action for the protection of natural resources. The exchange of national experiences and technologies was in their view an effective means for inter-State coordination for environmental activities. Belarus participated in many global and national environmental conventions. They ensured the gradual reduction of ozone depleting substances. Belarus’ agreement in the Kyoto Protocol had stipulated a reduction of 8 per cent of green house gases, which was envisaged for the period 2008-2012.

KAZUYA OTSUKA (Japan) said Japan had long emphasised the importance of system-wide coherence within the United Nations, and such coherence was just as important in the environmental field. Consequently, Japan believed it would be useful to review the manner in which the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), which is charged with comprehensive responsibility for environmental issues within the United Nations system, functioned. The relationship between UNEP and other United Nations agencies in the areas of development and humanitarian assistance should be looked at, for example, within the social and economic fields. Through this review process, the international community should strive to achieve the maximum benefit from the limited human and financial resources at the disposal of the United Nations. With regards to the report of the Joint Inspection Unit, this was important, containing useful recommendations for the United Nations Secretary-General. The report was full of useful ideas and recommendations that would contribute to the discussions. In this regard, all Member States, relevant organizations and the Secretariat should give due consideration to the report in future work.

AHMAD RAJABI (Iran) said with regard to rehabilitation of marshes in Iraq, there was concern regarding the destruction of the marshlands. The situation and importance of the marshlands had to do with their geographical location, social and historical significance, migratory birds, endangered species, as well as the myriad ecosystem of the Persian Gulf. Iran supported the rehabilitation of these marshlands. The main issue was the dominant drought experienced in the last decade. All stakeholders in the region had to share water and ensure adequate supply of water to the marshlands. New data collection was needed on the marshlands, as the last statistics was dated in 2003; focusing on using water in wetlands, wide use of marshlands, and the impacts of drought on the destruction of marshlands. Iran welcomed support from any interested partners in this regard. In addition, draining policies and the building of dams were also of great concern to the future of the marshlands. These actions impacted millions of people both in Iraq and southern Iran. Furthermore, he stressed that drought was the most important factor in the drying out of the wetlands and marshlands.

LUIS TIBURCIO, of United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), said education was integral to sustainable development, in particular through the promotion of knowledge, skills and values, such as respect for the dignity and human rights of all people, respect for the needs of future generations, respect and care for the environment, respect for equity in socio-economic development, and respect for cultural diversity. With regards to the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development, UNESCO had performed its leadership role by catalysing and coordinating actions as well as by providing technical support to Governments and other partners. At the same time, UNESCO acted as an implementer of the Decade through concrete programmatic activities at global, regional and national levels. In order to assist the international community in mainstreaming culture into national sustainable development policies, UNESCO carried out capacity-building workshops aimed at translating principles of cultural diversity and intercultural dialogue into national policy options and concrete initiatives. In the framework of the 1972 World Heritage Convention, sustainable development was taken into account through changes to the Operational Guidelines for the implementation of the Convention: the protection and conservation of the natural and cultural heritage were a significant contribution to sustainable development.

BARBARA GONZENBACH (Switzerland) said with regard to the comments on the presentation of the Joint Inspection Unit (JIU) report, Switzerland commended the JIU for its choice to undertake a management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system. The topic was very pertinent given the ongoing environmental degradation, which threatened future development progress, human well-being and life on the planet. This environmental degradation was partly the result of the shortcomings of the current governance structures. The strengthening of international environmental governance was therefore an issue of high priority for the Swiss Government. The JIU report contained a number of interesting and concrete proposals and recommendations addressed to different parts of the UN system, such as for example the idea of establishing an environmental strategy for the whole UN system. Switzerland considered it important that there was a substantive discussion and follow-up to the recommendations contained in the report. The consultative group on international environmental governance provided an opportunity to further consider the report and its recommendations.

GUILHERME PATRIOTA (Brazil) said the issue of greatest concern to Brazil in this particular session was the issue that was raised in the report by the Joint Inspection Unit, namely the management review of environmental governance within the United Nations system. From Brazil's perspective, the Commission on Sustainable Development remained the main body for follow-up to the outcomes of the major United Nations Conferences on sustainable development. The role of the Commission was particularly important in preparing for holding a high-level meeting in 2012 on sustainable development. Brazil welcomed the timely and constructive engagement of all States in supporting this conference and ensuring its success. Brazil could not overstate the importance it gave to the issue of environmental governance, and this was one of the big issues that ECOSOC should consider. Brazil had also mentioned the issue of the current financial and economic crises. The environment and environmental governance was a very important issue for all parts of the United Nations system, including the Joint Inspection Unit, the Secretary-General, and the Chief Executives Board, showing how cross-cutting the issue was. The time was too short to discuss these issues during the substantive session, and the Council could strive for greater improvement in this respect.

For use of the information media; not an official record

ECOSOC09035E