Slovakia
v SLOVAKIA
STATEMENT
by
H. E. Mr. LaszloMIKL0S
Check against delivery
Minister of Environment
of the Slovak Republic
to the 13th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
HIGH - LEVEL SEGMENT
New York, 20 April 2005
Permanent Mission of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations
801 Second Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 Phone: (212) 286-8880, Fax: (212) 286-8419
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, the Slovak Republic as one of the new member states of the European Union would
like to thank the Chairman, the Secretariat of the CSD and the Bureau for their excellent work.
We fully associate ourselves with the statement delivered by the Representative of Luxembourg
on behalf of the European Union. My delegation wishes to add several brief observations and
comments in the national capacity.
In line with the efforts to successfully carry out the Millennium Development Goals, Slovakia
strongly agrees with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan and his
recent Report entitled "In Larger Freedom: towards Development, Security and Human Rights
for All" that each country has primary responsibility for its own development - strengthening
governance, combating corruption and putting in place policies and investments to drive privatesector-
led growth, as well as maximize domestic resources available to fund national
development strategies. Also, we very much welcome the right and proper emphasis that the
Secretary-General in his report has placed on the three great purposes and pillars of the work of
the United Nations, those being Security, Development and Human Rights. My country itself,
through its recent experience from the social and economic transformation processes, is a clear
example of the fact that major progress in one of the three pillars can only be achieved if
substantive steps are taken in the other two as well. Also, of particular relevance, as we ourselves
may testify, is the Secretary-General's argument about the crucial importance of the rule of law,
which is the necessary prerequisite for sustainable reforms and key advancement in all three
pillars.
By adopting effective measures in those areas, Slovakia, has gradually moved from a recipient of
development assistance in the early 1990's into the present situation of an emerging donor
country now providing its official development assistance to about 14 partner countries in the
Balkans, in Asia and in Africa. We have been supporting those countries' institutional capacities,
infrastructure, living environment conditions and sharing our own experience from the ongoing
economic and social system transformation. In this regard and also in the context of its
candidacy for a non permanent seat in the UN Security Council in 2006-2007, Slovakia deems
its responsibility to continue with such efforts and expand them, where possible and appropriate.
Slovakia strongly supports the outcome of the CSD 12 and considers the CSD 13 a great
opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
and targets on water identified in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). Our new
way of working can bring about tangible change by solving problems in an integrated way
reflecting the 3 pillars of sustainable development.
An important tool for achievement of CSD goals is the Integrated Water Resource Management
(IWRM, which has to include not only water issues but also vessel into which water is flowing -
the whole river basin. IWRM should be implemented throughout agricultural management, forest
and landscape management. These requirements of proper IWRM need to develop a
comprehensive planning process in the field of river basin management including stepping up
efforts to develop national drinking water supply and sanitation strategies.
2
Although Slovakia has had experience in the field of the river basins water management planning
for more than fourteen years, our effort must be focused on new demands that will ensure
sustainable development of water resources with respect to sustainability of ecosystems. The
IWRM at the basin level is at the centre of the implementation process of the Water Framework
Directive and the EU Water Initiative.
The IWRM plans and strategies should allow the development of basin managements plans,
including transboundary water resource management. The territory of Slovakia belongs to the
Danube river basin, the largest river basin in Europe. Slovakia is one of 13 counties that are
sharing this river basin, and is actively involved in the processes coordinated by the International
Commission for the Protection of the Danube River and focused on the preparation of the Danube
River Basin Management Plan by the year 2009.
Drinking water supply and sanitation should be an important part of IWRM aiming at creating
an enabling social and economic environment for the involvement of all actors, public and
private, at all levels addressing regulatory and institutional reform, capacity building, technology
support and finances to provide access to safe and sustainable sanitation for everyone in urban
and rural areas. Although the primary responsibility for providing access to water and sanitation
services rests with local and national public authorities, it is essential to involve a broader range
of stakeholders.
In Slovakia, the number ofpeople living in houses connected to public sewerage represents 56%
of the total population and the number of people supplied with water through public water lines
reached 85% -of the total population. Our effort in Slovakia is to ensure appropriate sanitation and
drinking water supply. With these aims we are preparing strategies focused on construction of
sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants as well as construction of public drinking
water supply systems.
Public Authorities responsible for service delivery should implement appropriate policies at all
levels to assure the provision of access to drinking water and sanitation for all and to implement
sustainable pricing with appropriate tariff structures that promote responsible use of water
resources and that ensure water is affordable.
The actions concerning inter-linkages and crosscutting issues are the key to enhance synergies
and to manage jointly water, sanitation and human settlements, which is essential to ensure a
truly efficient and sustainable result of our efforts. Any isolated action on one theme, even though
beneficial, is likely to have only short-term, and less efficient or less sustainable, effects. The
cross-sectoral aspects of development are the basis of sustainable development per se. In our
view, the implementation of crosscutting issues of the JPOI needs to be addressed as such in the
outcome of CSD 13.
Achievement of goals in water, sanitation and human settlements should be implemented
through promoting sustainable settlement structures containing macro-level decisions such as
land use master plans and transportation system plans, which will take into account the social,
economic and environmental interactions of urban and rural areas.
In order to keep track of progress in meeting the targets and the delivery on the MDGs and JPoI
commitments we consider the strengthening of monitoring, reporting and assessment mechanisms
at the national, regional and global levels essential for assessing progress, identifying constraints,
bottlenecks, emerging issues, opportunities and threats, and for providing policy guidance on
appropriate action.
The disastrous flood events of the past ten years have caused numerous human casualties and the
material damage reached unprecedented dimensions. The opinion, widespread especially among
Europeans well by the 1990s, that such natural disasters were manageable at a reasonable
expense, now began to look questionable. More than anything else, the extreme and devastating
floods were instrumental in triggering a process of rethinking fundamental attitudes: from
dominating nature to coexistence with the floods. The Government of the Slovak Republic
approved a report on proposed system precautions for protection against floods and financing the
consequences caused by floods - the ?Flood Protection Programme of the SR until the Year
2010".
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me express my wishes for a fruitful and constructive discussion during
our upcoming sessions.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
STATEMENT
by
H. E. Mr. LaszloMIKL0S
Check against delivery
Minister of Environment
of the Slovak Republic
to the 13th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
HIGH - LEVEL SEGMENT
New York, 20 April 2005
Permanent Mission of the Slovak Republic to the United Nations
801 Second Avenue, 12th Floor, New York, N.Y. 10017 Phone: (212) 286-8880, Fax: (212) 286-8419
Mr. Chairman, Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, the Slovak Republic as one of the new member states of the European Union would
like to thank the Chairman, the Secretariat of the CSD and the Bureau for their excellent work.
We fully associate ourselves with the statement delivered by the Representative of Luxembourg
on behalf of the European Union. My delegation wishes to add several brief observations and
comments in the national capacity.
In line with the efforts to successfully carry out the Millennium Development Goals, Slovakia
strongly agrees with the Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Kofi Annan and his
recent Report entitled "In Larger Freedom: towards Development, Security and Human Rights
for All" that each country has primary responsibility for its own development - strengthening
governance, combating corruption and putting in place policies and investments to drive privatesector-
led growth, as well as maximize domestic resources available to fund national
development strategies. Also, we very much welcome the right and proper emphasis that the
Secretary-General in his report has placed on the three great purposes and pillars of the work of
the United Nations, those being Security, Development and Human Rights. My country itself,
through its recent experience from the social and economic transformation processes, is a clear
example of the fact that major progress in one of the three pillars can only be achieved if
substantive steps are taken in the other two as well. Also, of particular relevance, as we ourselves
may testify, is the Secretary-General's argument about the crucial importance of the rule of law,
which is the necessary prerequisite for sustainable reforms and key advancement in all three
pillars.
By adopting effective measures in those areas, Slovakia, has gradually moved from a recipient of
development assistance in the early 1990's into the present situation of an emerging donor
country now providing its official development assistance to about 14 partner countries in the
Balkans, in Asia and in Africa. We have been supporting those countries' institutional capacities,
infrastructure, living environment conditions and sharing our own experience from the ongoing
economic and social system transformation. In this regard and also in the context of its
candidacy for a non permanent seat in the UN Security Council in 2006-2007, Slovakia deems
its responsibility to continue with such efforts and expand them, where possible and appropriate.
Slovakia strongly supports the outcome of the CSD 12 and considers the CSD 13 a great
opportunity to accelerate the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
and targets on water identified in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). Our new
way of working can bring about tangible change by solving problems in an integrated way
reflecting the 3 pillars of sustainable development.
An important tool for achievement of CSD goals is the Integrated Water Resource Management
(IWRM, which has to include not only water issues but also vessel into which water is flowing -
the whole river basin. IWRM should be implemented throughout agricultural management, forest
and landscape management. These requirements of proper IWRM need to develop a
comprehensive planning process in the field of river basin management including stepping up
efforts to develop national drinking water supply and sanitation strategies.
2
Although Slovakia has had experience in the field of the river basins water management planning
for more than fourteen years, our effort must be focused on new demands that will ensure
sustainable development of water resources with respect to sustainability of ecosystems. The
IWRM at the basin level is at the centre of the implementation process of the Water Framework
Directive and the EU Water Initiative.
The IWRM plans and strategies should allow the development of basin managements plans,
including transboundary water resource management. The territory of Slovakia belongs to the
Danube river basin, the largest river basin in Europe. Slovakia is one of 13 counties that are
sharing this river basin, and is actively involved in the processes coordinated by the International
Commission for the Protection of the Danube River and focused on the preparation of the Danube
River Basin Management Plan by the year 2009.
Drinking water supply and sanitation should be an important part of IWRM aiming at creating
an enabling social and economic environment for the involvement of all actors, public and
private, at all levels addressing regulatory and institutional reform, capacity building, technology
support and finances to provide access to safe and sustainable sanitation for everyone in urban
and rural areas. Although the primary responsibility for providing access to water and sanitation
services rests with local and national public authorities, it is essential to involve a broader range
of stakeholders.
In Slovakia, the number ofpeople living in houses connected to public sewerage represents 56%
of the total population and the number of people supplied with water through public water lines
reached 85% -of the total population. Our effort in Slovakia is to ensure appropriate sanitation and
drinking water supply. With these aims we are preparing strategies focused on construction of
sewerage systems and wastewater treatment plants as well as construction of public drinking
water supply systems.
Public Authorities responsible for service delivery should implement appropriate policies at all
levels to assure the provision of access to drinking water and sanitation for all and to implement
sustainable pricing with appropriate tariff structures that promote responsible use of water
resources and that ensure water is affordable.
The actions concerning inter-linkages and crosscutting issues are the key to enhance synergies
and to manage jointly water, sanitation and human settlements, which is essential to ensure a
truly efficient and sustainable result of our efforts. Any isolated action on one theme, even though
beneficial, is likely to have only short-term, and less efficient or less sustainable, effects. The
cross-sectoral aspects of development are the basis of sustainable development per se. In our
view, the implementation of crosscutting issues of the JPOI needs to be addressed as such in the
outcome of CSD 13.
Achievement of goals in water, sanitation and human settlements should be implemented
through promoting sustainable settlement structures containing macro-level decisions such as
land use master plans and transportation system plans, which will take into account the social,
economic and environmental interactions of urban and rural areas.
In order to keep track of progress in meeting the targets and the delivery on the MDGs and JPoI
commitments we consider the strengthening of monitoring, reporting and assessment mechanisms
at the national, regional and global levels essential for assessing progress, identifying constraints,
bottlenecks, emerging issues, opportunities and threats, and for providing policy guidance on
appropriate action.
The disastrous flood events of the past ten years have caused numerous human casualties and the
material damage reached unprecedented dimensions. The opinion, widespread especially among
Europeans well by the 1990s, that such natural disasters were manageable at a reasonable
expense, now began to look questionable. More than anything else, the extreme and devastating
floods were instrumental in triggering a process of rethinking fundamental attitudes: from
dominating nature to coexistence with the floods. The Government of the Slovak Republic
approved a report on proposed system precautions for protection against floods and financing the
consequences caused by floods - the ?Flood Protection Programme of the SR until the Year
2010".
Ladies and Gentlemen, let me express my wishes for a fruitful and constructive discussion during
our upcoming sessions.
Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
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