03/05/2011
Warning of the consequences of unsustainable
consumption and production on the world's
ecosystems, a senior United Nations official
yesterday (May 2) urged Member States to
agree on a plan to promote a more efficient
and safer use of the Earth's resources.
"We need to change
our consumption and production patterns
so that our economies proceed on sustainable
paths, and so that we are able to address
key global challenges like climate change,
water and other resource scarcities, and
environmental degradation", Sha Zukang,
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and
Social Affairs, said at the opening of the
19th session of the UN Commission on Sustainable
Development.
At its annual session
at UN Headquarters in New York, the Commission
will consider policies to promote sustainable
consumption and production, improve the
safety of chemical usage, and enhance waste
management, transport and mining practices.
"Globally, unsustainable
consumption and production threatens to
exceed the carrying capacity of life support
systems", Mr. Sha told the 53-member
body.
"This imbalance
is obvious - whether measured by greenhouse
gas concentrations, by the number of endangered
species, by rates of deforestation, or by
decreases in fish stocks."
All eyes are on the
Commission to launch an ambitious framework
this year to support countries and other
actors move towards sustainable consumption
and production, Mr. Sha said, adding that
such an initiative would send the right
message and generate positive momentum towards
a successful outcome at next year's UN Conference
on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil.
He noted that a 10-year
Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption
and Production (10YFP on SCP) would promote
development that is within the carrying
capacity of ecosystems and contribute to
progress on the three pillars of sustainable
development - social, economic and environmental.
"We must respond
to calls for an ambitious, feasible and
actionable 10YFP on SCP", he stated.
"The 10-year framework must support
countries and all stakeholders in scaling
up successful initiatives, addressing new
and emerging challenges, sharing knowledge
widely, accessing technical expertise, forging
partnerships and mobilizing financial resources."
He added that sustainable
consumption and production need to be mainstreamed
into the thinking of all stakeholders and
into the decision-making of governments
and other organizations, including the UN
system.
"Much more can
and must be done across the globe to pursue
inclusive and environmentally sound economic
growth. We must accelerate our efforts to
advance sustainable development and to meet
our commitments to future generations",
said Mr. Sha, who also serves as the Secretary-General
of the conference set to take place in Rio
de Janeiro next June.
He also noted that it
is important that the Commission's session
deliver concrete, actionable decisions to
ensure access to affordable transport, especially
for the rural poor; sound management of
chemicals and waste; and an enabling environment
for sustainable mining.
Close to 1,000 representatives
from governments, non-governmental organizations
(NGOs) and other parts of civil society
are attending the Commission's two-week
meeting, which will be the last session
before Rio+20.
The conference will
mark the 20th anniversary of the adoption
of Agenda 21, the blueprint for sustainable
development that was agreed to at the 1992
Earth Summit in Rio.
Source: UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
+ More
UN meeting on Sustainable
Development making vital progress, chairman
says
10/05/2011
Participants at the United Nations Commission
on Sustainable Development have made important
progress on key issues such as mining, transport
and waste management and a successful outcome
is within reach, the commission's chairman
said yesterday (May 9).
László
Borbély, Romania's Minister for Environment
and Forests, told journalists that a draft
outcome document should be ready in time
for the commission's high-level segment,
which starts on Wednesday (May 11).
"There are many
competing ideas that countries still have
to iron out", he said. "I think
most important, however, is that there is
a good negotiating atmosphere that can help
us reach a successful outcome."
Government ministers
from about 50 countries are expected to
attend the high-level segment, which is
designed to give impetus to preparations
for the Fourth UN Conference on Sustainable
Development, or Rio+20, which will be held
in the Brazilian city in June 2012.
Mr. Borbély said
five main issues were still under consideration
by delegates to the commission, which began
on May 2 and is expected to wrap up this
Friday - mining, sustainable consumption
and development, transport, chemical use
and waste management.
"Of genuine concern
to all countries are the measures that each
country must undertake, and the resources
that will be available to developing countries
to realistically implement progressive solutions
based on the commission's decisions."
Sha Zukang, Under-Secretary-General
for Economic and Social Affairs, stressed
that the commission is trying to find "concrete
ways" to use the world's existing resources
more efficiently.
"We want to produce
and consume more, but with fewer resources",
he said. "The goal is to make our limited
natural resources go farther and support
more people... particularly the more than
one billion poor of the world."
Source: UN News Centre at http://www.un.org/news
