Brazil
Thank you Mr Chairman
Brazil associates itself to the statement made by Singapore on behalf of the G-
77/China.
We thank the panelists of yesterday's and today's sessions for their informative and
inspiring presentations. Mr. Mattar's presentation yesterday echoed a comment
Brazil had made on Tuesday that "a fundamental change in mindsets is required" -
in this case, to change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production - also
echoed in the call of Dr. Jones-Crabtree today. Brazil is committed to this change.
National experiences range from programs for increasing energy efficiency, our
firm attachment to using renewable energy sources; sustainability criteria for
government procurement; and many other actions at the national and local level
and by civil society and businesses.
However, efforts in developing countries such as mine will not suffice to reduce
unsustainability if developed countries do not take meaningful actions, according
to Chapter III, para. 14 of JPOI, which establishes the differentiation in the
approach to SCP, reaffirming the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities.
This leads me to my first question: How can we improve the understanding of the
differences between consumption linked to eradicating poverty and promoting
social inclusion in developing countries from the over-consumption that
characterizes developed countries?
On tools for promoting SCP: In the international sphere, it is important to recall
that the call on all countries to use life-cycle analysis or eco-efficiency approaches
are qualified. The JPOI highlights the voluntary nature of life-cycle analysis and
the undue economic and social costs it might have in developing countries.
Yesterday, Mr. Spratt's presentation showed us how "food miles" labelling would
actually badly inform consumers. Such ill-conceived measures would have serious
impacts for the livelihoods of producers in developing countries, which already
compete in a very unequal international trade environment. On this point, I would
like to associate my delegation fully to the points made by Argentina.
This leads to my second question: How can we ensure that voluntary approaches,
such as life-cycle analsyes, eco-efficiency and eco-labelling, do not lead to traderestrictive
measures, couched in so-called environmental concerns, that would
negatively impact sustainable development in developing countries?
Lastly, a brief note on the discussions related to the concept of a "green economy"
and SCP: we look forward to debating in the preparatory process of the 2012 UN
Conference on Sust. Dev. how a "green economy" can assist us in eradicating
poverty and promoting sustainable development.
Brazil associates itself to the statement made by Singapore on behalf of the G-
77/China.
We thank the panelists of yesterday's and today's sessions for their informative and
inspiring presentations. Mr. Mattar's presentation yesterday echoed a comment
Brazil had made on Tuesday that "a fundamental change in mindsets is required" -
in this case, to change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production - also
echoed in the call of Dr. Jones-Crabtree today. Brazil is committed to this change.
National experiences range from programs for increasing energy efficiency, our
firm attachment to using renewable energy sources; sustainability criteria for
government procurement; and many other actions at the national and local level
and by civil society and businesses.
However, efforts in developing countries such as mine will not suffice to reduce
unsustainability if developed countries do not take meaningful actions, according
to Chapter III, para. 14 of JPOI, which establishes the differentiation in the
approach to SCP, reaffirming the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities.
This leads me to my first question: How can we improve the understanding of the
differences between consumption linked to eradicating poverty and promoting
social inclusion in developing countries from the over-consumption that
characterizes developed countries?
On tools for promoting SCP: In the international sphere, it is important to recall
that the call on all countries to use life-cycle analysis or eco-efficiency approaches
are qualified. The JPOI highlights the voluntary nature of life-cycle analysis and
the undue economic and social costs it might have in developing countries.
Yesterday, Mr. Spratt's presentation showed us how "food miles" labelling would
actually badly inform consumers. Such ill-conceived measures would have serious
impacts for the livelihoods of producers in developing countries, which already
compete in a very unequal international trade environment. On this point, I would
like to associate my delegation fully to the points made by Argentina.
This leads to my second question: How can we ensure that voluntary approaches,
such as life-cycle analsyes, eco-efficiency and eco-labelling, do not lead to traderestrictive
measures, couched in so-called environmental concerns, that would
negatively impact sustainable development in developing countries?
Lastly, a brief note on the discussions related to the concept of a "green economy"
and SCP: we look forward to debating in the preparatory process of the 2012 UN
Conference on Sust. Dev. how a "green economy" can assist us in eradicating
poverty and promoting sustainable development.
Stakeholders