EU Presidency Statement - Sustainable Development and UN Habitat

STATEMENT BY THE UNITED KINGDOM ON BEHALF OF THE EUROPEAN UNION ON AGENDA ITEM 52 and 53: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND UN HABITAT, SECOND COMMITTEE, 60th SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS GENERAL ASSEMBLY, New York

UNGA 60: SECOND COMMITTEE: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND UN HABITAT (ITEMS 52 AND 53)

Statement of the European Union

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union. The Acceding Countries Bulgaria and Romania, the Candidate Countries Turkey and Croatia*, the Countries of the Stabilisation and Association Process and potential candidates Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Serbia and Montenegro, EFTA country Liechtenstein, member of the European Economic Area, as well as Ukraine and the Republic of Moldova, align themselves with this declaration.

Mr President,

As the Second Committee begins its annual debate on sustainable development, it is timely for us to recall the significance of what the UN Millennium Review Summit agreed on this subject. The Summit outcome reaffirms that sustainable development, in its economic, social and environmental aspects, is a key element of the overarching framework of UN activities. The outcome reaffirms our commitment to the global partnership for development as set out in the Millennium Declaration and the Millennium Development Goals, the Monterrey Consensus and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation on sustainable development. It underlines that good governance is essential to sustainable development. And, regarding system-wide coherence, the outcome agrees that measures are needed to ensure that horizontal policy themes, such as sustainable development, are taken into account in decision-making throughout the UN. In addition, of course, the outcome included important provisions on a range of sustainable development and environmental issues, including climate change, desertification, sustainable consumption and production, chemicals management, water and sanitation, biodiversity and GEF replenishment.

The European Union is strongly committed to working with international partners to ensure effective implementation of these commitments at all levels. Clearly, the UN General Assembly is not the only forum that needs to address these issues, but it is a very important one, in that it provides guidelines for all major stakeholders, and sends a clear message regarding our intention to follow up on the decisions taken by our leaders in September. The Second Committee can, for example, usefully build upon the outcomes of the UN Summit and the 13th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development on priority policies and actions on water, sanitation and human settlements. It will wish also to look forward to the 14th session of the CSD, focusing on energy for sustainable development, sustainable industrial development, air/atmosphere pollution and climate change, as well as inter-linkages between them.

I should like to take this opportunity to comment on some individual elements of the sustainable development agenda before us.

Mr President,

On the environmental aspect of sustainable development, the EU underlines the significance of the report of the UNEP Governing Council 23rd session. That meeting agreed decisions on UNEP's budget and work programme for 2006-2007, as well as on important issues including chemicals management, poverty and environment, gender equality and international environmental governance, with endorsement of the Bali Strategic Plan on Technology Support and Capacity Building.

The EU welcomes agreement at the UN Summit on the exploration of a more coherent institutional framework for environmental activities in the UN system, including a more integrated structure building on existing institutions. Similarly, the EU supports the establishment of a process to carry out this work, in the context of current efforts to strengthen the UN. The EU itself supports transforming the UN Environment Programme into a UN specialised agency or UNEO, based in Nairobi with a strengthened mandate and stable, adequate and predictable financing.

The EU Water Initiative and the EU Water Facility launched at WSSD remain the framework for EU efforts to promote more sustainable global use of available water and finite water resources. And the foundation on which to build efforts towards meeting the Millennium Development Goals and the WSSD targets for drinking water and sanitation, within the context of an integrated approach to water resources management. The EU focus is on reinforcing political commitment to action in the field of water; promoting improved water governance by strengthening capacity-building and awareness; improving the efficiency and effectiveness of water management through multi-stakeholder dialogue and co-operation; and improving co-ordination on water management issues at the regional, sub-regional and transboundary level by using the integrated water resources management approach on the basin scale. The EU Water Initiative acts as a catalyst for additional financing through the development of flexible and innovative funding mechanisms to attract new partners, as, for example, is the case with the ACP- EU Water Facility. We remain committed to assisting developing countries' efforts to prepare integrated water resources management plans as part of their national development strategies.

The Small Island Developing States: the European Union and its member states have a long history of co-operation with Small Island Developing States, which makes us acutely aware of the special environmental and developmental challenges that SIDS face. Coming in the aftermath of the devastating Asian tsunami, the Mauritius International Meeting last January was a clear reminder of these challenges. But it also provided the international community with an opportunity to take concrete steps to tackle a range of issues relevant to SIDS, such as climate change, natural disasters, environmental degradation, HIV/AIDS, market access and changes to traditional exports. The EU believes that the Mauritius Declaration and Mauritius Strategy provide a substantial and valuable blueprint for future international support for and collaboration with SIDS. We are pleased to be working with partners to implement the Mauritius outcomes, and to ensure further progress in combatting the particular vulnerabilities of Small Island Developing States under all three of the sustainable development pillars.

Mr President,

At the World Conference on Disaster Reduction in Japan in January this year, member states underlined, through the Hyogo Framework for Action, their renewed commitment to reducing disaster risk. The challenge ahead is to transform this commitment into action in developing countries where it is needed most. We must do more to reduce the burden of disasters on the poor and most vulnerable. We also need to focus on preventive rather than reactive measures by, inter alia, taking into account likely consequences of climate change and the need for adaptation. We fully support establishment of a world-wide early warning system for all natural hazards, as called for by the UN Summit in September, and look forward in this regard to the Third International Conference on Early Warning to be held under UN auspices in Bonn next March.

At a meeting in London last month, the EU discussed how to improve co-ordination of its efforts on disaster reduction by exploring options for achieving better global financing for disaster risk reduction; supporting the planned reform of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction and the UN's capacity to support developing country governments in this agenda; and looking to work with the World Bank, regional Development Banks and developing country governments on analysis of how disaster risk issues might be better incorporated into the Poverty Reduction Strategy process. The EU is committed to contributing to an increased international effort in disaster risk reduction.

The forthcoming UN climate change conference in Montreal marks the historic entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol and the adoption of the Marrakech Accords. The EU emphasises the importance of fully operationalising the Kyoto Protocol and meeting its targets as an essential first step towards addressing the serious and urgent challenge of climate change. The European Community and the Member States of the EU have put in place comprehensive measures to deliver on our Kyoto Protocol targets, including through the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, with links to the Clean Development Mechanism and Joint Implementation. In addition, the EU is strongly committed to initiating a process amongst all Parties to the UNFCCC to explore how further to implement this Convention to achieve its ultimate objective by developing a post-2012 arrangement. This would build on experiences to date in tackling climate change, including inter alia market-based instruments, broadening participation in line with common but differentiated responsibilities, advancing development goals in a sustainable manner, building a global carbon market with more inclusive participation, exploiting the full potential of existing technologies and exploring new ones, as well as tackling adaptation.

At WSSD, world leaders committed to diversifying energy supply by developing advanced, cleaner, more efficient, affordable and cost-effective energy technologies, and substantially increasing the global share of renewable energy sources. They also undertook to work together at all levels to improve access to reliable and affordable energy services for sustainable development, to facilitate achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. With soaring energy demand and rising energy prices, these goals are more important than ever. Whilst there has been some progress since Johannesburg in developing renewable sources of energy and improving energy efficiency, much more needs to be done if we are to meet these commitments. In particular, the mainstreaming of sustainable energy solutions within global energy policy - to contribute to achievement of our climate change objectives, increased energy security, sustainable economic growth and increased access to energy for the billions who currently lack it.

In this regard, at the Millennium Review Summit, leaders committed to taking further action to promote innovation, clean energy and energy efficiency and conservation; improve policy, regulatory and financing frameworks; and accelerate the deployment of cleaner technologies. Also to enhance private investment, transfer of technologies and capacity building to developing countries, as called for in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, taking into account their own energy needs and priorities, bearing in mind that access to modern energy services facilitates the eradication of poverty and achievement of the MDGs. The EU looks forward to making tangible progress towards fulfilling these commitments, in particular through the energy focus of the current CSD cycle. We continue to support the Johannesburg Renewable Energy Coalition and look forward to discussion with partners at the forthcoming Beijing International Renewable Energy Conference, which we believe will make a positive contribution to efforts to move towards a low carbon-emitting global economy. The EU remains committed to improving access to affordable, reliable and sustainable energy services. The EU Energy Initiative, also launched at WSSD, provides a framework for EU efforts to raise political awareness and attract new resources to this sector. The recently approved ACP-EU Energy Facility will catalyse additional investment in delivery of rural energy services, will contribute to better management in the energy sector, and will facilitate investment in cross-border interconnections.

The EU continues to regard the UN Convention to Combat Desertification as an integral element to achieving sustainable global development, as set out in Agenda 21 and the JPOI. The EU also continues to view the UNCCD as a key instrument for highlighting the linkages between poverty and land degradation, and looks forward to the International Year of Deserts and Desertification in 2006 as a useful opportunity to raise global awareness of these issues, in the context of ongoing international efforts to address poverty. As the Convention enters its second decade, the Parties and the Convention bodies need to work better together to refresh our collective vision of the evolving role of UNCCD in supporting all affected parties to achieve concrete, measurable and sustainable results - and to focus increasingly on implementation and delivery.

Mr President,

The Millennium Ecosystem Assessment published earlier this year highlighted the importance of biodiversity in supporting human well-being. It also highlighted the critical rate at which we are losing biodiversity, the consequences of which should not be underestimated, given biodiversity's critical role in regulating climate and water flows and providing food, fuel, medicine and fresh water. At WSSD, leaders committed themselves to a significant reduction in the rate of loss of biodiversity by 2010. That deadline is only five years away and yet we continue to lose biodiversity at an unsustainable rate, and it is even more threatened by the prospect of climate change. Urgent effort is needed, therefore, to ensure implementation of commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and other international agreements. In particular, we need to do more to mainstream biodiversity into sectoral policies and into poverty reduction strategies. We also need to make tangible progress in negotiating an international regime on access and benefit sharing. Further, if we are to meet our Johannesburg commitments on marine biodiversity, we need to take urgent action against immediate threats on biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Protected Areas are one of the cornerstones for implementing our international commitments to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity: we need to continue our efforts to ensure effectively managed, ecologically representative systems of protected areas and coherent and functional ecological networks.

Mr President,

The EU believes that UN-Habitat has an important role to play in assisting member states to monitor and achieve MDG target 11 on slum dwellers, and the targets on water and sanitation. We also welcome its global mandate to promote socially and environmentally sustainable human settlements, towns and cities. UN-Habitat has achieved considerable successes since it was upgraded to programme status in 2002. However, as highlighted by the recent OIOS report, further improvements are needed in the areas of strategic planning, management and resource mobilisation. These will lead UN-Habitat to successful completion of the transition to programme status. The EU believes that the development of a Medium-Term Strategic and Institutional Plan, as called for by the Governing Council of UN-Habitat in April 2005, can help build a more focused, effective organisation. We underline the importance of restoring the centrality of the two Global Campaigns as the driving and organising framework for all UN-Habitat activities.

The EU would like to take this opportunity to congratulate UN-Habitat on the appointment of Mrs Inga Bjork-Klevby as its new Deputy Executive Director.

Thank you.


* Croatia continues to be part of the Stabilisation and Association Process

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• EU Commission-UN HABITAT agreement on promoting sustainable towns  (16/2/2006)
• Déclaration de la Présidence de l'Union européenne - Commission sur le développement durable (CSD 13) (ECOSOC) (11/4/2005)
• EU sustainable development strategy (22/3/2005)
• EC sets positive agenda for the 2005 review of the Sustainable Development Strategy (9/2/2005)
• Déclaration de la Présidence de l'Union européenne - Réunion internationale pour le développement durable des petits États insulaires en développement (13/1/2005)