European Union
1
Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States
by
Istvan TEPLAN
Senior Adviser to the State Secretary for the Environment
Republic of Hungary
Second Preparatory Committee
of the
2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
("Rio + 20")
Objective of the Conference
United Nations
New York
7 March 2011
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
2
UNCSD 2012 Prep Com 2
(New York, 7-8 March 2012)
Objective of the Conference
- Draft Statement by the European Union and its Member States1 -
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its
Member States.
in order to make “sustainable development” happen, we have to be
prepared to make major changes: we need to step up, spark innovation
and lead by action. The sustainable development agenda is the growth
agenda for the twenty-first century, as stated recently by the UN
Secretary General.
In our view, at UNCSD 2012 we need to reach political consensus on
how to ensure that, in 2050, the 9 billion inhabitants of the Planet will
live in decent social, ecological and economic conditions. To be up to
this challenge, a transition towards a green economy, considered in the
context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, is
imperative. The transition to a green economy should enable countries
to achieve economic growth, helping them to realize their national
development objectives, while acknowledging that the resources of the
planet are finite and that growth needs to respect the carrying capacity
of ecosystems and social and equity needs. This should be a renewed
commitment to sustainable development and poverty eradication and a basis
1 Only the text in bold was read out during the plenary
3
for renewed efforts by governments, international organizations and major
groups to implement this commitment.
The main question is how these two themes of the Conference can help
us to accelerate progress on the three dimensions of sustainable
development. An integrated approach to these themes will take us
closer to a solution.
The political commitment and will of the international community
compared to 1992 should not only be measured by the number of
adopted legal instruments and political declarations, but also by their
effective implementation. The reviews undertaken every two years by the
CSD as a global platform for sustainable development suggest that a number of
pressing challenges such as poverty, social development or environmental
degradation have not been fully addressed yet, although some progress has
been made worldwide.
Many recent events have demonstrated that the goal of poverty
eradication cannot be achieved without the sustainable management
and use of natural resources, as the poor in particular depend heavily on
those as base for their livelihoods. Thus, the fulfillment of the MDGs is
strongly linked to green economy policies, which contribute to
inclusive and equitable growth. The solution to the challenges posed by the
MDGs is a comprehensive one, where economic, environmental and social goals
are strongly interdependent.
As stressed by many delegates at Prep Com 1, as well as at the
intersessional meeting held last January, the transition to a green
economy is also a key driver to complementary social objectives such
as the creation of additional decent jobs and the equitable sharing of
economic benefits.
4
In this respect, I would like to underline that social empowerment is a
key factor of well-being of any society; furthermore, the role of
education for sustainable development at all levels must be enhanced.
The EU and its Member States consider sustainable development as an
overarching and long-term goal, based on democracy, equality, respect
for human rights and the rule of law, as well as on good governance,
gender equality and solidarity. All this must be enhanced through a better
integration of the social and environmental requirements in the economic
development process, as well as through a stronger institutional framework for
sustainable development.
A new and strengthened architecture of sustainable development
governance should include the strengthening of its environmental
pillar.
The transition towards a new, environmentally and socially sustainable
economic system is recognized as the best answer to the global crises
of the last years. It requires the introduction of advanced policy
measures for sustainable development while also adopting public policies
able to tackle the recent economic downturn and at the same time to
provide opportunities for sustainable growth and poverty eradication.
UNCSD 2012 should be the occasion to take action on the major cross
cutting issues: water, energy and food security should be higher on the
agenda. We need to protect our environment to safeguard ecosystems
services, food security and access to water. The expansion of access to clean
energy in developing countries is another primary vehicle for poverty
eradication. There is a call for investment in energy efficiency and renewable
5
energy for all countries, and the UN Secretary General has announced that
2012 will be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
UNCSD 2012 also constitutes an opportunity to promote partnerships
and engage stakeholders. Partnerships can provide strong and very
concrete actions and they can be a useful instrument for engaging the
private sector, foundations, civil society, academia and other
stakeholders for enhanced implementation. We should support all efforts
made to implement the visions of sustainability, and hope to see the UNCSD
2012 provide a stage for showcasing strong and very concrete actions and
thereby supplementing and support the intergovernmental negotiation process.
To sum up, I would like to underline what the EU and its Member
States wish to see as outcomes of UNCSD 2012:
1. On Green economy, a global commitment accompanied by a
roadmap defining concrete steps at the international and national
level, as well as a best practice guide of actions, instruments,
indicators, case studies and policies;
2. On Institutional framework for sustainable development, the
transformation of UNEP into a UN specialized agency for the
environment, as part of a strengthened and renewed sustainable
development governance.
Finally, Mr Chair, the EU and its Member States wish to maintain a high
level of ambition for the UNCSD 2012 and are strongly committed to
this common endeavour to make this Conference a milestone for the
21st Century.
Thank you.
Statement on behalf of the European Union and its Member States
by
Istvan TEPLAN
Senior Adviser to the State Secretary for the Environment
Republic of Hungary
Second Preparatory Committee
of the
2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
("Rio + 20")
Objective of the Conference
United Nations
New York
7 March 2011
CHECK AGAINST DELIVERY
2
UNCSD 2012 Prep Com 2
(New York, 7-8 March 2012)
Objective of the Conference
- Draft Statement by the European Union and its Member States1 -
Mr. Chairman,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its
Member States.
in order to make “sustainable development” happen, we have to be
prepared to make major changes: we need to step up, spark innovation
and lead by action. The sustainable development agenda is the growth
agenda for the twenty-first century, as stated recently by the UN
Secretary General.
In our view, at UNCSD 2012 we need to reach political consensus on
how to ensure that, in 2050, the 9 billion inhabitants of the Planet will
live in decent social, ecological and economic conditions. To be up to
this challenge, a transition towards a green economy, considered in the
context of sustainable development and poverty eradication, is
imperative. The transition to a green economy should enable countries
to achieve economic growth, helping them to realize their national
development objectives, while acknowledging that the resources of the
planet are finite and that growth needs to respect the carrying capacity
of ecosystems and social and equity needs. This should be a renewed
commitment to sustainable development and poverty eradication and a basis
1 Only the text in bold was read out during the plenary
3
for renewed efforts by governments, international organizations and major
groups to implement this commitment.
The main question is how these two themes of the Conference can help
us to accelerate progress on the three dimensions of sustainable
development. An integrated approach to these themes will take us
closer to a solution.
The political commitment and will of the international community
compared to 1992 should not only be measured by the number of
adopted legal instruments and political declarations, but also by their
effective implementation. The reviews undertaken every two years by the
CSD as a global platform for sustainable development suggest that a number of
pressing challenges such as poverty, social development or environmental
degradation have not been fully addressed yet, although some progress has
been made worldwide.
Many recent events have demonstrated that the goal of poverty
eradication cannot be achieved without the sustainable management
and use of natural resources, as the poor in particular depend heavily on
those as base for their livelihoods. Thus, the fulfillment of the MDGs is
strongly linked to green economy policies, which contribute to
inclusive and equitable growth. The solution to the challenges posed by the
MDGs is a comprehensive one, where economic, environmental and social goals
are strongly interdependent.
As stressed by many delegates at Prep Com 1, as well as at the
intersessional meeting held last January, the transition to a green
economy is also a key driver to complementary social objectives such
as the creation of additional decent jobs and the equitable sharing of
economic benefits.
4
In this respect, I would like to underline that social empowerment is a
key factor of well-being of any society; furthermore, the role of
education for sustainable development at all levels must be enhanced.
The EU and its Member States consider sustainable development as an
overarching and long-term goal, based on democracy, equality, respect
for human rights and the rule of law, as well as on good governance,
gender equality and solidarity. All this must be enhanced through a better
integration of the social and environmental requirements in the economic
development process, as well as through a stronger institutional framework for
sustainable development.
A new and strengthened architecture of sustainable development
governance should include the strengthening of its environmental
pillar.
The transition towards a new, environmentally and socially sustainable
economic system is recognized as the best answer to the global crises
of the last years. It requires the introduction of advanced policy
measures for sustainable development while also adopting public policies
able to tackle the recent economic downturn and at the same time to
provide opportunities for sustainable growth and poverty eradication.
UNCSD 2012 should be the occasion to take action on the major cross
cutting issues: water, energy and food security should be higher on the
agenda. We need to protect our environment to safeguard ecosystems
services, food security and access to water. The expansion of access to clean
energy in developing countries is another primary vehicle for poverty
eradication. There is a call for investment in energy efficiency and renewable
5
energy for all countries, and the UN Secretary General has announced that
2012 will be the International Year of Sustainable Energy for All.
UNCSD 2012 also constitutes an opportunity to promote partnerships
and engage stakeholders. Partnerships can provide strong and very
concrete actions and they can be a useful instrument for engaging the
private sector, foundations, civil society, academia and other
stakeholders for enhanced implementation. We should support all efforts
made to implement the visions of sustainability, and hope to see the UNCSD
2012 provide a stage for showcasing strong and very concrete actions and
thereby supplementing and support the intergovernmental negotiation process.
To sum up, I would like to underline what the EU and its Member
States wish to see as outcomes of UNCSD 2012:
1. On Green economy, a global commitment accompanied by a
roadmap defining concrete steps at the international and national
level, as well as a best practice guide of actions, instruments,
indicators, case studies and policies;
2. On Institutional framework for sustainable development, the
transformation of UNEP into a UN specialized agency for the
environment, as part of a strengthened and renewed sustainable
development governance.
Finally, Mr Chair, the EU and its Member States wish to maintain a high
level of ambition for the UNCSD 2012 and are strongly committed to
this common endeavour to make this Conference a milestone for the
21st Century.
Thank you.
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