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CSD 17/IPM on Agriculture, Rural development, Land, Drought, Desertification, and
Africa, New York, 23 ? 27 February 2009
Intervention on Interlinkages and cross-cutting issues held by
Daniel Ziegerer on 27 February 2009 behalf of the Swiss Delegation
Thank you Madam Chair,
We welcome this opportunity to address cross-cutting issues and inter-linkages
among the main topics on our agenda. As we have tried to already deal with some of
these issues in our previous interventions, we would like to highlight just a few important
aspects.
Sustainable consumption and production patterns: Water
Sustainable consumption and production patterns are central to any strategy for moving
towards sustainable development. In the context of our discussions, this means
that we should give special attention to the issue of water. Switzerland is convinced
that it is crucial to apply Integrated Water Resources Management strategies which
take into account the particularities of the catchment area and which carefully balance
the competing needs of domestic use, agricultural production, industrial use
and also the environment itself.
We believe that three types of measures need to be prioritised : Firstly research, secondly
capacity building, and thirdly infrastructure. This means that we need to undertake
more research for example on species that are resistant to droughts. We also
need to improve our capacities and extension services to manage our soils in a sustainable
manner. Furthermore, we need to improve our water infrastructures with a
view to reducing losses.
Genetic resources
Genetic resources are another important cross-cutting subject. A sustainable agriculture
depends on the availability of genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing
of the benefits arising from their use. The challenge remains to mobilise the necessary
public and private resources for implementing the respective multilateral instruments.
In this regard, the Global Crop Diversity Trust is an innovative example.
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High-level event on sustainable development
Lastly, Madam Chair, I would like to briefly address the issue of a possible Rio+20 or
Stockholm+40 conference. In the UN General Assembly resolution on the implementation
of Agenda 21 agreed upon last December, member states were invited to express
their views on the possibility of convening a high-level event on sustainable
development. We very much welcome this opportunity, because it will help my Government
and others to advance our thinking on this important issue. At the same
time, we would like to invite all of us and also the Bureau and the secretariat to think
about ways to make use of the upcoming CSD session in May to continue this discussions
in an inclusive and transparent manner.
Madam Chair, there would be many more important cross-cutting issues and interlinkages
to be addressed such as climate change or gender or some of the issues
raised in this morning?s presentations, but since our time is limited, I will leave it at
this for the time being.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
