Belgium
BELGIUM
COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
12th SESSION
STATEMENT
BY
Mr. JEF TAVERNIER
FLEMISH MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT,
AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION
NEW YORK, 29 APRIL 2004
1
Mr. Chair, colleagues,
In Belgium it is generally accepted that water is a public good and access to water a basic
human right. We consider policy autonomy in water management as central and it must not be
undermined by global liberalisation or conditionalities imposed by the multilateral financial
institutions and donors . We see that a lot of initiatives are being taken to meet the MDG's .
Several UN-organisations contribute to that. On the other hand, we wonder if the many coordinating
initiatives will be sufficient to fully meet the goals . We feel that nations and
regions in industrialised countries should put specific goals for themselves in a strengthened
bottom up approach, and that the top-down and bottom-up approach should converge . This of
course must be worked out in the framework of sustainable development . In Belgium, we are
in the second four-years cycle of our federal strategy on sustainable development, while other
initiatives are taken on the regional levels . There is a need to put further steps to enhance this
coherence, and therefore first steps are being made in view of a national strategy that has to
integrate goals on sustainable development of the federal and regional levels. This would
allow Belgium to meet the 2005 goal of Johannesburg regarding national strategies . Flanders
is also active in promoting these initiatives within the Network of RegionalGovernments for
Sustainable Development, which was launched in Johannesburg and was presented as a CSDpartnership
yesterday .
In reflecting on how we could contribute to the achievements for water and sanitation, while
involving our own population we came to the following ideas in the Flemish region :
In our small but densely populated region in Europe, a lot of different actors work in the field
of water. A considerable know-how and expertise on the supply of drinking water, sanitation
and integrated water resource management has been developed . Through enhanced cooperation
stakeholders can make a considerable contribution to the realisation of the
international goals .
The Flemish "Partnership Water for Development" which has been launched on World Water
Day 2004 establishes a reinforced collaboration of all Flemish actors in the field of water and
international cooperation . Involved actors are the Flemish government, drinking water
companies, private companies, the academic world, local governments and NGO 's.
Through the Partnership, Flanders, with its six million inhabitants aims at reaching the clear
goal of helping an equivalent of six million people in developing countries to obtain safe
drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2015. To fulfil international commitments
worldwide, Flanders urges other states and regions to aim for a similar one-on-one
relationship . Lots of small pieces make a great one. In this way a contribution can be given by
nations, regions and even city-to-city co-operation in sustainable development to the so well
known ambitious goals for drinking water and sanitation, while the overall co-ordination to
reach those goals from the top can be fulfilled by the United nations, on condition that the
coherence is ensured between the existing initiatives
So, let us, nation to nation, region to region, city to city apply this one-to-one relationship and
draw up the pieces of the complicated, but oh so challenging puzzle that we hope to finish by
2015. And we would welcome the very needed and efficient co-ordination of the United
Nations organisations involved .
I thank you.
COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
12th SESSION
STATEMENT
BY
Mr. JEF TAVERNIER
FLEMISH MINISTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT,
AGRICULTURE AND DEVELOPMENT CO-OPERATION
NEW YORK, 29 APRIL 2004
1
Mr. Chair, colleagues,
In Belgium it is generally accepted that water is a public good and access to water a basic
human right. We consider policy autonomy in water management as central and it must not be
undermined by global liberalisation or conditionalities imposed by the multilateral financial
institutions and donors . We see that a lot of initiatives are being taken to meet the MDG's .
Several UN-organisations contribute to that. On the other hand, we wonder if the many coordinating
initiatives will be sufficient to fully meet the goals . We feel that nations and
regions in industrialised countries should put specific goals for themselves in a strengthened
bottom up approach, and that the top-down and bottom-up approach should converge . This of
course must be worked out in the framework of sustainable development . In Belgium, we are
in the second four-years cycle of our federal strategy on sustainable development, while other
initiatives are taken on the regional levels . There is a need to put further steps to enhance this
coherence, and therefore first steps are being made in view of a national strategy that has to
integrate goals on sustainable development of the federal and regional levels. This would
allow Belgium to meet the 2005 goal of Johannesburg regarding national strategies . Flanders
is also active in promoting these initiatives within the Network of RegionalGovernments for
Sustainable Development, which was launched in Johannesburg and was presented as a CSDpartnership
yesterday .
In reflecting on how we could contribute to the achievements for water and sanitation, while
involving our own population we came to the following ideas in the Flemish region :
In our small but densely populated region in Europe, a lot of different actors work in the field
of water. A considerable know-how and expertise on the supply of drinking water, sanitation
and integrated water resource management has been developed . Through enhanced cooperation
stakeholders can make a considerable contribution to the realisation of the
international goals .
The Flemish "Partnership Water for Development" which has been launched on World Water
Day 2004 establishes a reinforced collaboration of all Flemish actors in the field of water and
international cooperation . Involved actors are the Flemish government, drinking water
companies, private companies, the academic world, local governments and NGO 's.
Through the Partnership, Flanders, with its six million inhabitants aims at reaching the clear
goal of helping an equivalent of six million people in developing countries to obtain safe
drinking water and adequate sanitation by 2015. To fulfil international commitments
worldwide, Flanders urges other states and regions to aim for a similar one-on-one
relationship . Lots of small pieces make a great one. In this way a contribution can be given by
nations, regions and even city-to-city co-operation in sustainable development to the so well
known ambitious goals for drinking water and sanitation, while the overall co-ordination to
reach those goals from the top can be fulfilled by the United nations, on condition that the
coherence is ensured between the existing initiatives
So, let us, nation to nation, region to region, city to city apply this one-to-one relationship and
draw up the pieces of the complicated, but oh so challenging puzzle that we hope to finish by
2015. And we would welcome the very needed and efficient co-ordination of the United
Nations organisations involved .
I thank you.
Stakeholders