European Union
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Intervention by Stavros Dimas
Commissioner for Environment
European Commission
at
CSD 13
High Level Panel discussion
Meeting the Millennium Development Goals related to water,
sanitation and human settlements targets
New York, April 20, 2005
Check against delivery
*** EUROPEAN UNION
*
* Delegation of the European Commission
*
* to the United Nations
*
*
***
Thank you for this most interesting and challenging presentation. Let me try and react to
some of the points made.
The debates here at CSD 13, and those that are taking place in the run up to the
Millennium Review Summit, have shown that MDGs cannot be taken in isolation and
that a sustainably managed environment is not a luxury for the rich to enjoy, but the
very basis for the livelihoods of the poorest.
MDG 7 on environmental sustainability is one of the MDGs were progress has been the
slowest.
Yet, it is crucial to meet MDG 7 if we want to meet the other MDGs: ?
Addressing hunger and poverty cannot happen if water is not sustainably
used in agriculture and land degradation addressed ?
Child mortality won't go down and women's health won't improve
without access to safe water sources ?
Gender equality will remain a dream if women and young girls need to
dedicate hours each day to get water from far away sources ?
Lack of sanitation in schools will continue to deter girls from attending. ?
The poorest will continue to suffer most from the deterioration of our
ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend.
Jeffrey Sachs has been arguing that the MDGs can be met in 2015. MDG 7 can also be
met. (see background)
We know how. The work done under both the Finance Working Group of the EU Water
Initiative, the Millennium Project and by the World Panel of Financing Water for All,
has shown that the present level of funding is not sufficient for meeting the
investment needs to comply with the MDGs and WSSD targets for access to
drinking
water
and
basic
sanitation.
New, innovative and flexible mechanisms are urgently required to use the maximum
leverage effect of ODA and attract more resources from a large range of stakeholders.
The EU is contributing to the MDGs, and MDG 7 in particular.
?
First, we are on the way to meeting our official development assistance (ODA)
targets.? In the EU our original commitments on the way to Monterrey,
concerning ODA volume, coordination of policies and harmonisation of
procedures, untying of aid, Trade Related Assistance and debt relief
could be reached in 2006. ? The European Commission thinks it might therefore be timely to
consider new concrete commitments for the time thereafter, and we have
put on the table a number of proposals in order to step up EU efforts.
They include
∎ the need to renew our commitments on official development
assistance (ODA) with a possible new interim target for increased
ODA volumes in the EU by 2010 as a major step towards the
UN-target of 0.7 % of Gross National Income (GNI) for ODA by
2015. ? Developing our thinking on innovative finance sources, with the
objective to mobilise additional and stable sources of finance. We
are for instance considering a UK proposal to "Front Load"
pledged aid increases through the International Finance Facility
(IFF) as well as a range of proposals for international taxation
contained in the French "Landau Report" and the work of the
? "Lula Group". ways to address the remaining debt problems of low income
countries. The EU is well on track in its support to the
implementation of the extended HIPC (Highly indebted poor
countries) initiative, and is fully delivering on its commitments.
Most Member States are committed to go beyond. We are now
looking at how to develop forward looking strategies to :help
indebted countries. ?
a re-definition of the EU commitment on global public goods
which of course include protection of the global environment. ?
better coordination and harmonisation of aid through a credible
implementation of the recently agreed EU framework and
concrete steps forward on complementarity in the aid delivery. ?
Strengthening the International Finance System.
?
These are ideas currently being discussed. But we have already done a lot.
? The European Union and the 25 EU Member States provide collectively
acroouunntdrie?s1..4C bolillelicotniv ealnyn tuhae lElyu troo pweaante Ur nainodn issa nthietaltaiornge isnt dpervoevliodpeirn ogf
development assistance and the largest donor in water and sanitation.
? Through its bilateral co-operation, the European Commission is
implementing for example rural hydraulic programmes aiming at:
improving access to drinkable water in the rural sector and reinforcing
national policies in the water sector. Concretely, these programmes are
translated at the ground level, by small infrastructures investments and
institutional support to reinforce national administrations.
? The European Union Water Initiative is an expression of the collective
will of the European Union to work in an innovative manner to focus on
water and sanitation. The EU Water initiative's pioneering partnership
approach aims at bringing together EU institutions and Member States,
developing country government agencies, civil society, financial
institutions, as well as the expertise and investment potential of the
private sector.
? The EU has also been innovative in finding new ways to deliver its
assistance. The ACP EU Water Facility is a fund that will create the
conditions to attract funding from sources other than official
development assistance (ODA) and it will bring funding to the local
level, working directly with those most affected by shortages of water
and the absence of sanitation.
? Let me add a point on the quick wins suggested in the Millennium Project Report:
they will not work unless they are sustainable. Their economic, social and
environmental consequences must be carefully studied.
? Our next big appointment with the MDGs is at the Millennium Review Summit
this year. CSD 13 has the responsibility to bring to it the following clear and strong
messages that sustainable development is the way out of the poverty trap, and that
the management of our natural resources stands on the road to peace and security.
The UN of the 21 St century will need to able to deal with this specific challenge in
its organisation, policies and governing system.
Intervention by Stavros Dimas
Commissioner for Environment
European Commission
at
CSD 13
High Level Panel discussion
Meeting the Millennium Development Goals related to water,
sanitation and human settlements targets
New York, April 20, 2005
Check against delivery
*** EUROPEAN UNION
*
* Delegation of the European Commission
*
* to the United Nations
*
*
***
Thank you for this most interesting and challenging presentation. Let me try and react to
some of the points made.
The debates here at CSD 13, and those that are taking place in the run up to the
Millennium Review Summit, have shown that MDGs cannot be taken in isolation and
that a sustainably managed environment is not a luxury for the rich to enjoy, but the
very basis for the livelihoods of the poorest.
MDG 7 on environmental sustainability is one of the MDGs were progress has been the
slowest.
Yet, it is crucial to meet MDG 7 if we want to meet the other MDGs: ?
Addressing hunger and poverty cannot happen if water is not sustainably
used in agriculture and land degradation addressed ?
Child mortality won't go down and women's health won't improve
without access to safe water sources ?
Gender equality will remain a dream if women and young girls need to
dedicate hours each day to get water from far away sources ?
Lack of sanitation in schools will continue to deter girls from attending. ?
The poorest will continue to suffer most from the deterioration of our
ecosystems on which their livelihoods depend.
Jeffrey Sachs has been arguing that the MDGs can be met in 2015. MDG 7 can also be
met. (see background)
We know how. The work done under both the Finance Working Group of the EU Water
Initiative, the Millennium Project and by the World Panel of Financing Water for All,
has shown that the present level of funding is not sufficient for meeting the
investment needs to comply with the MDGs and WSSD targets for access to
drinking
water
and
basic
sanitation.
New, innovative and flexible mechanisms are urgently required to use the maximum
leverage effect of ODA and attract more resources from a large range of stakeholders.
The EU is contributing to the MDGs, and MDG 7 in particular.
?
First, we are on the way to meeting our official development assistance (ODA)
targets.? In the EU our original commitments on the way to Monterrey,
concerning ODA volume, coordination of policies and harmonisation of
procedures, untying of aid, Trade Related Assistance and debt relief
could be reached in 2006. ? The European Commission thinks it might therefore be timely to
consider new concrete commitments for the time thereafter, and we have
put on the table a number of proposals in order to step up EU efforts.
They include
∎ the need to renew our commitments on official development
assistance (ODA) with a possible new interim target for increased
ODA volumes in the EU by 2010 as a major step towards the
UN-target of 0.7 % of Gross National Income (GNI) for ODA by
2015. ? Developing our thinking on innovative finance sources, with the
objective to mobilise additional and stable sources of finance. We
are for instance considering a UK proposal to "Front Load"
pledged aid increases through the International Finance Facility
(IFF) as well as a range of proposals for international taxation
contained in the French "Landau Report" and the work of the
? "Lula Group". ways to address the remaining debt problems of low income
countries. The EU is well on track in its support to the
implementation of the extended HIPC (Highly indebted poor
countries) initiative, and is fully delivering on its commitments.
Most Member States are committed to go beyond. We are now
looking at how to develop forward looking strategies to :help
indebted countries. ?
a re-definition of the EU commitment on global public goods
which of course include protection of the global environment. ?
better coordination and harmonisation of aid through a credible
implementation of the recently agreed EU framework and
concrete steps forward on complementarity in the aid delivery. ?
Strengthening the International Finance System.
?
These are ideas currently being discussed. But we have already done a lot.
? The European Union and the 25 EU Member States provide collectively
acroouunntdrie?s1..4C bolillelicotniv ealnyn tuhae lElyu troo pweaante Ur nainodn issa nthietaltaiornge isnt dpervoevliodpeirn ogf
development assistance and the largest donor in water and sanitation.
? Through its bilateral co-operation, the European Commission is
implementing for example rural hydraulic programmes aiming at:
improving access to drinkable water in the rural sector and reinforcing
national policies in the water sector. Concretely, these programmes are
translated at the ground level, by small infrastructures investments and
institutional support to reinforce national administrations.
? The European Union Water Initiative is an expression of the collective
will of the European Union to work in an innovative manner to focus on
water and sanitation. The EU Water initiative's pioneering partnership
approach aims at bringing together EU institutions and Member States,
developing country government agencies, civil society, financial
institutions, as well as the expertise and investment potential of the
private sector.
? The EU has also been innovative in finding new ways to deliver its
assistance. The ACP EU Water Facility is a fund that will create the
conditions to attract funding from sources other than official
development assistance (ODA) and it will bring funding to the local
level, working directly with those most affected by shortages of water
and the absence of sanitation.
? Let me add a point on the quick wins suggested in the Millennium Project Report:
they will not work unless they are sustainable. Their economic, social and
environmental consequences must be carefully studied.
? Our next big appointment with the MDGs is at the Millennium Review Summit
this year. CSD 13 has the responsibility to bring to it the following clear and strong
messages that sustainable development is the way out of the poverty trap, and that
the management of our natural resources stands on the road to peace and security.
The UN of the 21 St century will need to able to deal with this specific challenge in
its organisation, policies and governing system.
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