UNITED NATIONS
2nd MEETING OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE OF
THE UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT 2012
New York, 7 - 8 March 2011
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Session 3: Theme 2 of the Conference
Institutional framework for sustainable development
Tuesday, 8th of March 2011
Statement of Italy
Delivered by Mr. Paolo Soprano – Director for Sustainable Development
Ministry of Environment, Land and Sea
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
Italy fully aligns itself with the statement made by Hungary on behalf of the
European Union and its Member States.
I would relate to your questions, and particularly to questions 1, 5, 6 and 7.
Allow me to thank the Presidency of the 26th session of the UNEP Governing Council
for transmitting UNEP Decision on International Environmental Governance (IEG) to
this 2nd meeting of the UNCSD 2012 Preparatory Committee. In 2009 Italy, together
with Kenya , was co-chaired the Ministerial consultations on International
Environmental Governance. From there on, we have kept looking at the IEG process
with continuous political interest. We also would like to take this opportunity to
congratulate with the current co-chairs, Kenya and Finland, for their hard work.
We join previous speaker to welcome UNEP Governing Council decision and we
therefore believe that this Preparatory Committee should endorse the invitation
therein, according to which PrepCom2 is asked to build on the Nairobi-Helsinki
Outcome in its discussions on the Institutional Framework for Sustainable
Development.
There is no time here to go over the complex and long history regarding the debates
on international environmental governance and institutional framework for
sustainable development, nor to explore in more details the five options contained
both in the Nairobi-Helsinki Outcome and in the SG Report to PrepCom2. We wish
however to highlight our general views.
These debates have in the last decades gone side by side but have not established
any link. We believe that now is time to do so. We are strongly convinced that IEG
and IFSD are mutually reinforcing and that the strengthening of the IEG through the
transformation of UNEP in a Specialized Agency is the first necessary step towards
greater sustainability across sectors at institutional level and on the ground. The
environmental specialized agency will be another tool for combating poverty since it
will support the fight against the environmental causes of it.
Sustainable development idea was originated from the need to balance, include and
mainstream different set of values under one single encompassing umbrella.
However, in the UN system, while the social and economic pillar are strong the
environment is still relatively weak, in spite of the fact that much progress has been
made. The increasing number of MEAs, the extent of national and international
political attention around the globe, the increasing role that national courts are
playing testify both the contribution of environment to sustainable development as
well as a fragmented approach in need for leadership and guidance. We believe that
much work still remains to be done to address the weaknesses of the environmental
pillar at institutional level as one of the major gap and obstacles to achieve
sustainable development.
Sustainable development is not, and should not be, a matter of trade-offs. As
several UN Reports, including the last UNEP Report on Green Economy, have
pointed out sustainable development tells the story of opportunities for a long term
and equitable growth. National Sustainable Development Strategies have
demonstrated the difficulties but also the possibility to go in this direction. It is on
this basis that we believe that IEG and IFSD are mutually supportive and also that
the two themes of the conference are strongly interlinked as one can serve the
purpose of the other.
Mr. co-Chair, let me say in concluding that in the months leading up to the Second
Intersessional Italy is looking forward to engage constructively in a substantive
discussion on Rio deliverables on this theme.
Thank you.
