Commissioner Dimas visits US to discuss climate change and sustainable development

European Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas will attend the annual session of the UN's Sustainable Development Commission (CSD) in New York next week. He will also meet with senior American officials in Washington to discuss action on climate change, and co-operation between the EU and the US on other environmental topics. During the 13th CSD session in New York, representatives of the world's governments are expected to agree on concrete measures to improve global access to clean drinking water and sanitation, and the housing situation of people living in cities, especially slums. The CSD session is following up on the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD).

"Both climate change and sustainable development are top priorities," said Commissioner Dimas. Equally important is that we achieve sustainable development and provide all the people in the world with decent living conditions. The current CSD session is a crucial event for us: we need to agree on new measures so we can live up to our Johannesburg commitments and reach the Millennium Development Goals."

Climate change

Commissioner Dimas Environment Minister, Lucien Lux from Luxembourg, holder of the EU Presidency, and Lord Whitty, representing the upcoming UK Presidency, will travel to Washington. The aim of the visit is to discuss action on climate change and environmental issues of common interest for EU-US co-operation. The EU representatives will meet State Department officials, Senators and representatives from the US Environmental Protection Agency as well as from NGOs.

UN Commission on Sustainable Development

In New York, the Commission delegation will participate in the ministerial segment of the CSD. The 13th CSD session (11-22 April) is the first policy-setting session since the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg. It will in particular address actions necessary to reach the goals and targets on water, sanitation and human settlements agreed in Johannesburg and at the UN's Millennium Summit in 2000. The EU representatives will present key initiatives to implement these goals, such as the EU Water Initiative, which promotes a new approach to resolving global water problems, and the EU Water Facility for African, Caribbean and Pacific countries supported by funding of the amount $ 250 million. Worldwide, the EU is the biggest donor in the water field, providing € 1.4 billion annually.

Furthermore, the CSD should provide substantial input into the UN Millennium Review Summit in September. If the UN is to succeed in eradicating poverty and promoting peace and security, the Johannesburg goals need to be accomplished. The EU will have a leading role to play towards the achievement of these goals

The WSSD targets and Millennium Development Goals for water, sanitation and human settlements are, amongst others, to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water and the proportion of people without access to basic sanitation; by 2020, to achieve a significant improvement of the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers; by 2005, to ensure as a precondition that all countries have integrated water resource management and water efficiency plans.

More information about climate change can be found at:
http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/environment/climat/home_en.htm

Further information about the 13th CSD session is available at:
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd13/csd13.htm

Barbara Helfferich: 02/29.82010 or 0496/583829
Lone Mikkelsen: 02/29.60567
Christopher Matthews (in New York): 1 (212) 371-3804

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• Speech by Commissioner Dimas on Climate Change Challenge (19/4/2005)
• Speech by Commissioner Dimas on 'Sustainable Development in the Commission's policy agenda' (15/4/2005)
• Speech by President Barroso on 'Sustainable development - a strategy to do more and better' (15/4/2005)