Distinguished Chair, Distinguished Delegates,
I have the honour to speak on behalf of the EU and its 27 Member States.
Let me begin by congratulating the CSD19 Chair, his Excellency László Borbély, on the
outstanding work he has done to make CSD 19 discussions more interactive involving all
stakeholders in our discussions.
The EU and its Member States have always supported the strong participation of Major
groups and Stakeholders in the work of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
We are convinced that it is one of the main added values of the CSD, showing a good
example of the implementation of Principle 10 of the Rio declaration also to other
international institutions and bodies. In implementing the decisions of CSD-19 we need all
stakeholders to play an active role: governments, UN Agencies, Funds and Programs, regional
groups and institutions, international financial ins titutions and major groups.
Facilitating the implementation of CSD decisions on the ground contributes also to
strengthening the role of CSD through making its operation more effective. In this regard, the
EU and its Member States have maintained a fruitful and open dialogue with partners, which
has proved to be very useful in establishing efficient cooperation patterns as well as in
improving sustainable development policies.
The EU and its Member States are committed to take on our responsibilities in the
implementation process and to continue cooperation with all partners and stakeholders in
implementing CSD decisions. This will be done through actions at the national and the EU
levels, but also in international cooperation in line with the principles of the Paris Declaration
on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action.
As the world?s biggest donor, providing around 60 per cent of the world's overall Official
Development Assistance (ODA), the EU and its Member States are committed to eradicating
poverty in the context of sustainable development, including the achievement of the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). This is the overarching objective of our
development policy, as expressed in our European Consensus on Development. Ensuring
environmental sustainability is not only one of the MDGs , but also a cross -cutting issue that is
being further mainstreamed in all our external assistance programs and policies.
The 19th session of the CSD offered us an excellent opportunity to address the issues of this
cycle in the context of the international sustainable development agenda and to advance an
integrated approach to tackling these issues ? for example stressing the linkages between
chemicals and waste management (including mining waste) policies, the need for looking at
synergies of the various international processes related to chemicals, the importance of the
life-cycle approach and resource and energy efficiency, with a particular attention to the
transport and mining sector.
In our view, one issue that requires particular attention is the 10-Year Framework of Programs
on SCP. We believe that the adoption of the 10 YFP on SCP constitutes an essential
encouragement and inspiration from the CSD to the UN Conference on Sustainable
Development to be held in June 2012 in Rio and that the implementation of the 10 YFP on
SCP will contribute to create a more sustainable and resource-efficient future for all.
Thank you.
