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Permanent Mission
of the Russian Federation
to the United Nations
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STATEMENT
by the Representative of the . Delegation of the Russian Federation
to the Twelfth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
April 19, 2004
Mr. Chairman,
The Russian Delegation believes that the main purpose of the current stage of
international co-operation in the field of sustainable development is to focus the efforts of the
international community on a consistent and comprehensive implementation of the decisions of
the World Summit on Sustainable development in Johannesburg (WSSD) while taking into
account, in a balanced manner, the specificities of countries and groups of countries and ensuring
the harmonisation of the pace of the realisation of the outcomes of WSSD in all the regions of the
world . The new modalities of work of the Commission on Sustainable development agreed to at
CSD-11 and the Multiyear Programme of work provide a sort of "road map" for successful
progress in this direction and deployment of smooth and result-oriented work .
We believe that the work of this session of CSD should be organised in such a way as to
enable us to analyse the first practical results of the implementation of the WSSD outcomes on
the basis of the information on water, sanitation, and human settlements contained in the
Secretary-General's reports, and achieve consensus on the problems that remain to be resolved .
The assessment that will be carried out during the session should enable a deeper understanding
of the obstacles on the way to the implementation of the WSSD outcomes, and contribute to the
elaboration of effective policy decisions to remove them during the forthcoming "Policy Session"
of the CSD.
In implementing the WSSD decisions, it is important to focus on the national and regional
dimensions . We appreciate the regional fora that took place in the framework of the preparations
for CSD-12 . We think that on the basis on their outcomes, it will be possible to find adequate
solutions to synchronise the pace of implementation of the WSSD decisions in the field of water,
sanitation, and human settlements in different regions, and ensure that the implementation work
takes into account the regional specificities . It would be useful to use more actively in UN bodies
the experts and specialists capable of evaluating the effectiveness of the initiatives that are being
put forward in the regional and subregional context, and contributing to their optimal coordination
with countries' national efforts .
Another important aspect is comprehensive consideration, in the framework of the
analysis in the fields of water, sanitation, and human settlements, of the economic, environmental
and social dimensions, and their contribution to the achievement of the Millennium Development
Goals .
While considering the problems of water and sanitation, it is important to keep in mind
that to achieve the Johannesburg goals and objectives in this field, it important to work towards
practical implementation at all levels of the concept of integrated water resources management
taking into account environmental and social factors . Of great importance for long-term work in
the field of water is the decision to proclaim 2005-2015 as a UN "Water for Life" Decade
adopted by the 58` h session of the UN General Assembly . This decision strengthens the
institutional framework of the international co-operation to take concrete measures to implement
the decisions of international fora on water and sanitation .
We also attach great importance to comprehensive implementation of the WSSD
outcomes on human settlements . The solution of the housing problem is relevant for our country
too because of the growing necessity to address acute housing issues in the Russian Federation
and providing the citizens with adequate housing . We believe that in addressing the issues of
human settlements, it is necessary to aim for comprehensive solutions without limiting this theme
to the provision of housing to the,poorest populations, and ensure a wider inclusion of such
aspects as the development of modern infrastructure of human settlements, solution to the
problems of waste management, implementation of targeted economic mechanisms to provide
incentives to the middle class and poorer sections of the population to participate in investments
in housing construction programmes . Within this theme, it is also necessary to pay due attention
to the questions of optimisation of the process of urbanisation, ensuring a better co-ordination of
implementation activities with countries' priorities in the field of sustainable development of
hu;aan settlements, implementation of the principles of sustainable development of cities taking
into account the scientifically justified factor of their ecological capacity .
These are our general approaches to the themes proposed for consideration in the current
cycle of the work of CSD. During the forthcoming panel sessions we intend to provide more
detailed information on our national experiences in the fields of water, sanitation, and human
settlements .
Thank you .
