Norway
CSD 14
Statement by the Norwegian Delegation
4 May 2006
Industrial development and sustainable natural resource management
Thank you Mr. Chair,
My Delegation agrees with what has been said by the EU and other speakers about the
need to change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production and that the
developed countries have to take the lead in achieving this shift. We acknowledge the
important work within the Marrakech Process in which Norway will continue to take
active part. We agree that capacity building plays an important role in promoting
sustainable industrial development.
Mr. Chair ? As very few delegates have referred to the carrying capacity of ecosystems I
would like to draw your attention to the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment -
?Living Byond our Means? as I find it highly relevant for our discussion this afternoon.
The conclusion of this report is a stark warning: Human activity is putting such strain on
the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planets ecosystems to sustain future
generations can no longer be taken for granted.
The reports puts it very clearly ? ?Protection of these assets can no longer be seen as an
optional extra, to be considered once more pressing concerns such as economic growth or
national security have been dealt with.?
Mr. Weizsaecher underscored in this presentation we need a strong state to deal with the
tension between environmental protection and industrial development. Norway believes
that good governance is vital for countries seeking to secure energy access, to promote
inudstrial development, and to prevent air pollution and climate change. Good
governance is also about taking the carrying capacity og ecosystems into account when
developing industry.
One way of integrating ecosystem aspects into industrial development is to take the value
of the nature into account and correct the historic bias against natural resources when it
comes to weighing the costs and benefits of particular economic choices. By placing a
more correct price on the ecosystem services, the price for alternative solutions becomes
relatively cheaper and more likely to appear desirable to public or private investors.
Integrated management plans are another approach to ensure that economic activities are
developed within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. To illustrate this I would like to
share with you an example from the Norwegian waters in the Barents Sea in the High
North.
The Norwegian Government approved recently the Integrated Management Plan for the
Barents Sea. This is a framework for balancing commercial activities related to fishing,
sea transportation and the petroleum industry within the concept of sustainable
development. The Management Plan will enable Norwegian authorities to consider the
impact of the different economic activities in an inter-related manner, whereas until now
they have been administered more separately.
The Plan asses the needs for action to avoid undesirable impacts caused by different
economic activities and, where necessary, recommend cost effective cross-sector
initiatives. In this way the plan will contribute to ensuring the quality of the environment
and also by providing firm guidelines for economic activity in the region.
Mr. Chair, in responding to your request of including Corporate Social Responsibility in
our discussion Norway believes that the CSD 14/15 offers a offers a good opportunity to
promote corporate social responsibility. As pointed out in the Secretary General?s report
to CSD-14, capacity building in this field is crucial in poor countries that are unable to
monitor and enforce environmental and social standards, and for small firms that lack the
capacity to upgrade their own management systems.
Experience has shown that important achievements in this field can be made through
processes that include corporations, governments and civil society. One such multistakeholder
initiative is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which
promotes transparency in revenue streams from extractive industries. We and other
stakeholders in this initiative believe that transparency can have a catalytic effect in
improving revenue management in resource-rich countries.
The EITI is gaining ground with more than twenty countries that have committed
themselves to its principles and criteria. Norway would like these criteria to be accepted
as international best practice. The consolidation of the EITI criteria as an emerging global
norm is the main objective of the third EITI plenary conference to be held in Norway on
16 and 17 October this year.
Thank you!
Statement by the Norwegian Delegation
4 May 2006
Industrial development and sustainable natural resource management
Thank you Mr. Chair,
My Delegation agrees with what has been said by the EU and other speakers about the
need to change unsustainable patterns of consumption and production and that the
developed countries have to take the lead in achieving this shift. We acknowledge the
important work within the Marrakech Process in which Norway will continue to take
active part. We agree that capacity building plays an important role in promoting
sustainable industrial development.
Mr. Chair ? As very few delegates have referred to the carrying capacity of ecosystems I
would like to draw your attention to the UN Millennium Ecosystem Assessment -
?Living Byond our Means? as I find it highly relevant for our discussion this afternoon.
The conclusion of this report is a stark warning: Human activity is putting such strain on
the natural functions of Earth that the ability of the planets ecosystems to sustain future
generations can no longer be taken for granted.
The reports puts it very clearly ? ?Protection of these assets can no longer be seen as an
optional extra, to be considered once more pressing concerns such as economic growth or
national security have been dealt with.?
Mr. Weizsaecher underscored in this presentation we need a strong state to deal with the
tension between environmental protection and industrial development. Norway believes
that good governance is vital for countries seeking to secure energy access, to promote
inudstrial development, and to prevent air pollution and climate change. Good
governance is also about taking the carrying capacity og ecosystems into account when
developing industry.
One way of integrating ecosystem aspects into industrial development is to take the value
of the nature into account and correct the historic bias against natural resources when it
comes to weighing the costs and benefits of particular economic choices. By placing a
more correct price on the ecosystem services, the price for alternative solutions becomes
relatively cheaper and more likely to appear desirable to public or private investors.
Integrated management plans are another approach to ensure that economic activities are
developed within the carrying capacity of the ecosystem. To illustrate this I would like to
share with you an example from the Norwegian waters in the Barents Sea in the High
North.
The Norwegian Government approved recently the Integrated Management Plan for the
Barents Sea. This is a framework for balancing commercial activities related to fishing,
sea transportation and the petroleum industry within the concept of sustainable
development. The Management Plan will enable Norwegian authorities to consider the
impact of the different economic activities in an inter-related manner, whereas until now
they have been administered more separately.
The Plan asses the needs for action to avoid undesirable impacts caused by different
economic activities and, where necessary, recommend cost effective cross-sector
initiatives. In this way the plan will contribute to ensuring the quality of the environment
and also by providing firm guidelines for economic activity in the region.
Mr. Chair, in responding to your request of including Corporate Social Responsibility in
our discussion Norway believes that the CSD 14/15 offers a offers a good opportunity to
promote corporate social responsibility. As pointed out in the Secretary General?s report
to CSD-14, capacity building in this field is crucial in poor countries that are unable to
monitor and enforce environmental and social standards, and for small firms that lack the
capacity to upgrade their own management systems.
Experience has shown that important achievements in this field can be made through
processes that include corporations, governments and civil society. One such multistakeholder
initiative is the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), which
promotes transparency in revenue streams from extractive industries. We and other
stakeholders in this initiative believe that transparency can have a catalytic effect in
improving revenue management in resource-rich countries.
The EITI is gaining ground with more than twenty countries that have committed
themselves to its principles and criteria. Norway would like these criteria to be accepted
as international best practice. The consolidation of the EITI criteria as an emerging global
norm is the main objective of the third EITI plenary conference to be held in Norway on
16 and 17 October this year.
Thank you!
Stakeholders