Economic and Social Council

 Distr. GENERAL
4 June 1993
ORIGINAL: ENGLISH

Commission on Sustainable Development
First session
14-25 June 1993
Item 10 of the provisional agenda*

              CONSIDERATION OF THE OUTCOME OF THE DISCUSSION ON THE
              ABOVE ITEMS, AS WELL AS OF URGENT AND MAJOR EMERGING
              ISSUES, AT THE HIGH-LEVEL MEETING OF THE FIRST SESSION
                                 OF THE COMMISSION

                          Report of the Secretary-General

                                     CONTENTS

                                                              Paragraphs

INTRODUCTION ...............................................    1 - 3

  I.  CRITICAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY ................    4 - 13

 II.  NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION AND DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURES   14 - 18

III.  FINANCIAL RESOURCES ..................................   19 - 22

 IV.  TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER ..................................   23 - 26

  V.  UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION .................     27

 VI.  OTHER ISSUES .........................................     28

__________

     *    E/CN.17/1993/4.

                                   INTRODUCTION

1.   The first substantive meeting of the Commission on Sustainable
Development is taking place exactly one year after the conclusion of the
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) at Rio de
Janeiro on 14 June 1992.  The primary focus of the follow-up to UNCED during
the past year has been on the establishment of the Commission on Sustainable
Development; the High-level Advisory Board; the Inter-agency Committee on
Sustainable Development; and secretariat support arrangements.  At the
national level, many Governments are establishing mechanisms to ensure
coordination and commitment in the follow-up process.

2.   Taking into account the agenda for the first session and the need to
provide clear policy directions for the future work of the Commission,
discussions at the high-level meeting could focus on the following themes:

     (a)  Critical dimensions of sustainability;

     (b)  National implementation and decision-making structures;

     (c)  Financial resources;

     (d)  Technology transfer;

     (e)  United Nations system implementation.

3.   The Commission has before it reports on the issue of finance
(E/CN.17/1993/11) and technology transfer (E/CN.17/1993/10), which outline
recommendations and issues for discussion.  The Commission also has before
it a report on follow-up activities in the United Nations system
(E/CN.10/1993/8), which contains the text of a Statement to the Commission
by the Administrative Committee on Coordination (ACC).  In addition, this
report places before the high-level meeting certain issues for discussion
relating to national implementation and to the critical dimensions of
sustainability that need to guide the work of the Commission.

                     I.  CRITICAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY

4.   The transition to sustainability will depend crucially on an
international economy that supports key environment and development goals,
effective steps against poverty (particularly in developing countries),
changes in consumption patterns and measures to ensure compatibility between
demographic dynamics and sustainability.  These areas for action are dealt
with in chapters 2-5 of Agenda 21. 1/  The high-level meeting of the first
session of the Commission may wish to focus on certain specific areas
requiring international action.

5.   With regard to the international economy, much of the content of
Agenda 21 is under discussion in other forums.  The high-level meeting may
wish to discuss the extent to which sustainability considerations are being
taken into account in ongoing discussions on:

     (a)  Trade policies in the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and
elsewhere;

     (b)  Structural adjustment policies;

     (c)  Macroeconomic adjustments in developed and developing countries.

6.   There are certain other areas of action in which the high-level meeting
may wish to consider more specific initiatives.  The first of these is the
link between trade and environment policies.  Agenda 21 suggests that GATT,
the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and other
relevant international and regional economic institutions should be asked to
examine certain principles in order to develop an environment/trade and
development agenda.  The high-level meeting may wish to consider whether
specific processes for intergovernmental discussions are required for
developing further the principles enumerated on this subject in Agenda 21
(see para. 2.22 of Agenda 21).

7.   Agenda 21 also deals with international commodity trade and trade
diversification.  The transition to sustainability in many developing
countries that are dependent on a few key commodity exports will rely on
effective progress in this area.  The high-level meeting may wish to
consider the specific initiatives that may be required for international
commodity agreements, compensatory financing mechanisms, technical
assistance and market access measures to promote diversification (see
para. 2.16 of Agenda 21).

8.   The links between poverty and environmental stress are recognized in
Agenda 21 and the objective of providing all persons with an opportunity to
earn a sustainable livelihood underlies chapter 3 as well as many other
programme areas, notably those dealing with sustainable agriculture and
rural development (chap. 14) and the management of fragile ecosystems
(chaps. 12 and 13).  An orientation in favour of the poor is also implicit
in other programme areas dealing with health, education, human settlement,
drinking water, sanitation etc.

9.   In terms of action at the international level, Agenda 21 asks the
United Nations system to make poverty alleviation a major priority and,
inter alia, to:

     (a)  Assist countries, when requested, in formulating appropriate
programmes;

     (b)  Promote technical cooperation and information exchange;

     (c)  Strengthen the coordination of action relating to poverty
eradication;

     (d)  Establish a focal point for information exchange and the
formulation and implementation of replicable pilot projects;

     (e)  Give high priority to the review of progress make in eradicating
poverty (para. 3.10 of Agenda 21).

10.  Poverty alleviation and related issues are discussed at the
intergovernmental level in the General Assembly, in the Committee on Poverty
of UNCTAD and in intergovernmental discussions on such matters as the
International Development Strategy and the New Agenda for the Development of
Africa.  Poverty alleviation will be a major theme of the forthcoming World
Summit on Social Development, to be held in Copenhagen, 6-12 March 1995. 
The high-level meeting may wish to consider how consideration of this issue
in the Commission could best add value to existing processes.  It may also
wish to consider the specific arrangements for coordination, information
exchange and monitoring that would be appropriate.

11.  The transition to sustainability will require changes in consumption
patterns, particularly in the industrialized countries.  This is recognized
in chapter 4 of Agenda 21.  The theme of changing consumption patterns is
also implicit in other programme areas dealing with energy, transportation
and wastes.  With regard to national action, Agenda 21 draws attention to:

     (a)  Encouraging greater efficiency in the use of energy and resources;

     (b)  Minimizing the generation of wastes;

     (c)  Assisting individuals and households to make environmentally sound
purchasing decisions;

     (d)  Exercising leadership through government purchasing;

     (e)  Moving towards environmentally sound pricing;

     (f)  Reinforcing values that support sustainable consumption (para. 4.22
of Agenda 21).

12.  Consumption patterns are not the subject of intergovernmental
discussion at present, although specific areas of consumption are discussed
in some contexts.  Hence, the high-level meeting may wish to consider more
specific processes to give practical expression to the recommendation in
Agenda 21 that reviewing the role and impact of unsustainable production and
consumption patterns and lifestyles and their relation to sustainable
development should be given high priority (para. 4.13 of Agenda 21).

13.  The issue of population is dealt with in chapter 5 of Agenda 21. 
Population programmes are also dealt with in the discussion on poverty and
the role of women.  Demographic dynamics and population policies are
discussed in other intergovernmental forums, such as the Population
Commission; the Governing Council of the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP) in the context of the United Nations Population Fund; and
the Preparatory Committee for the International Conference on Population and
Development, to be held in Cairo, 5-13 September 1994.  The high-level
meeting may wish to discuss how best discussions in the Commission on this
subject can add value to existing processes specifically dedicated to this
purpose.

            II.  NATIONAL IMPLEMENTATION AND DECISION-MAKING STRUCTURES

14.  Agenda 21 consists of approximately 2,500 activities spread over
115 programme areas.  The majority of these are addressed to Governments for
implementation at the national level.  Agenda 21 recognizes that its
successful implementation is first and foremost the responsibility of
Governments (para. 1.3 of Agenda 21).  It recommends that Governments should
adopt a national strategy for sustainable development based on, inter alia,
the implementation of decisions taken at the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development, particularly in respect of Agenda 21 (para. 8.7
of Agenda 21).  In the discussion on national implementation, Agenda 21
recommends that:

     (a)  States could consider the preparation of national reports
(para. 38.38 of Agenda 21);

     (b)  States may wish to consider setting up a national coordination
structure responsible for the follow-up of Agenda 21 (para. 38.40 of
Agenda 21).

15.  Given the range of activities covered in Agenda 21, the national
implementation of its recommendations will involve virtually every
economic/development department.  Moreover, effective implementation will
require the active support of many groups outside the Government.  Hence,
the coordination structures suggested in Agenda 21 will have to be broad-
based enough to include all relevant participants.

16.  The manner in which this can be done will vary from country to country. 
It could take the form of an independent commission in the office of the
chief executive, an interdepartmental coordinating group, a specific mandate
for the national planning body, a national coordinating committee involving
national and provincial administrations etc.  The manner in which non-
governmental organizations are brought into the process could also vary, as
could the role of local authorities and parliamentary processes.  The
high-level meeting may wish to exchange views on this matter as well as the
role of national coordination bodies in relation to the work of the
Commission on Sustainable Development and of other intergovernmental bodies
in which programmatic initiatives linked to Agenda 21 will be discussed.

17.  An area of action that is closely linked to the national coordination
of Agenda 21 implementation is dealt with in chapter 8 of Agenda 21, which
contains four programme areas:

     (a)  Integrating environment and development at the policy, planning and
management levels;

     (b)  Providing an effective legal and regulatory framework;

     (c)  Making effective use of economic instruments and market and other
initiatives;

     (d)  Establishing systems to integrate environmental and economic
accounting.

18.  Effective implementation of Agenda 21 requires coordination processes
not only for monitoring but also for catalyzing specific changes that will
secure the integration of environment and development in the processes that
determine economic/development policy and in sectoral decision-making
structures.  The high-level meeting may wish to exchange views and consider
the need for a mechanism for the systematic exchange of ideas and
information on this matter.

                             III.  FINANCIAL RESOURCES

19.  Although there have been a number of positive developments in the
funding of Agenda 21, the general response so far observed to UNCED
recommendations on funding has not been encouraging.  The high-level meeting
may wish to discuss how the Commission on Sustainable Development can assist
in mobilizing the resources required for the implementation of Agenda 21.

20.  The Commission has a number of functions which involve the review and
monitoring of information provided by Governments, intergovernmental
organizations and non-governmental organizations on the implementation of
Agenda 21, the provision of funding for that purpose, and progress towards
the target of 0.7 per cent of the gross national product of developed
countries being allocated for official development assistance (ODA).  The
high-level meeting may wish to consider the modalities and format for
providing information to the Commission, as well as the need to redesign
data-classification schemes to make it possible to assess the flow of
development finance for specific Agenda 21 clusters.

21.  Agreed assessments of availability, need and related policy matters in
relation to the financial requirements of the different parts of Agenda 21
could help to guide further discussions of the Commission and provide a
suitable and common basis for further action by bilateral and multilateral
funding organizations.  They would provide a basis for the Commission on
Sustainable Development to discuss the replenishment of specific facilities,
set priorities for aid programmes and monitor financial matters.  Specific
pledges and commitments would continue to be made in the discussions between
funding organizations and individual recipients.

22.  One possibility that could be considered is the establishment of a
series of ad hoc groups of professional experts named partly by countries,
partly by international financial institutions and partly by concerned
specialized agencies.  The high-level meeting may wish to consider the
establishment of this or another appropriate mechanism to make such agreed
assessments.

                             IV.  TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

23.  The need to develop information networks which link national,
subregional, regional and international systems is specifically identified
in chapter 34 and other chapters of Agenda 21.  Indeed, the need for
improved information and data-processing systems is evident in most chapters
of Agenda 21 and may need to be addressed on a cross-sectoral basis.  At
present, several information systems and networks are in the process of
being created.  While decentralized systems may reach more users than a
single centralized system, there is a need for better coordination among
systems and for standardization of data collection and retrieval.  The high-
level meeting may wish to review the current situation and recommend
modalities for coordination and standardization among various information
systems related to the transfer of environmentally sound technologies,
cooperation and capacity-building.

24.  In the area of technology assessment, increasing attention needs to be
placed on building and strengthening national capacities which link
assessment to decision-making.  Emphasis is also needed on coordinating the
many different technology assessment activities within the United Nations
system; providing information on similar activities being undertaken by
national Governments, non-governmental organizations and the private sector;
and standardizing methodologies for assessment.  The high-level meeting may
wish to consider the need for a focal point for technology assessment within
the United Nations system that could both serve as a clearing-house for
information and referrals and oversee work on methodologies and their
standardization.

25.  Support and promotion of access to the transfer of technology is
directly related to commitments made as part of international agreements and
conventions on the environment.  These commitments are closely related to
commitments on financing.  The high-level meeting may wish to consider how
best to monitor the implementation of such commitments.

26.  Technology transfer involves a variety of non-governmental entities,
including transnational corporations.  The high-level meeting of the
Commission may wish to consider the modalities for its interaction with
these organizations and its relationship with relevant intergovernmental
bodies, such as the Commission on Transnational Corporations, that deal with
this issue.

                     V.  UNITED NATIONS SYSTEM IMPLEMENTATION

27.  With regard to the follow-up of Agenda 21 in the United Nations system,
the high-level meeting may wish to consider the issues raised in the ACC
Statement to the Commission on Sustainable Development.

                                 VI.  OTHER ISSUES

28.  In addition to the issues raised above, the high-level meeting may wish
to consider specific initiatives in some of the areas dealt with in
Agenda 21 in order to give practical expression to the principles of
partnership between countries and between Governments and non-governmental
organizations that underlie Agenda 21.

                                       Notes

     1/   Report of the United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development, Rio de Janeiro, 3-14 June 1992, vol. I, Resolutions Adopted by
the Conference (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.93.I.8),
resolution 1, annex II.

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Date last posted: 1 December 1999 12:20:30
Comments and suggestions: DESA/DSD