Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
Allow me to congratulate you Mr. Chairman, and the members of the Bureau for the excellent work you have
done in preparing and organizing this important policy session of the Commission on Sustainable
Development.
Mr. Chairman,
The themes that we have been discussing at this policy session are closely interlinked. Addressing these
issues in an integrated manner can provide an opportunity to utilize cleaner and more energy-efficient
industrial technologies as well as addressing the cross-cutting issues such as poverty eradication, health and
gender equality. We sincerely hope that the outcome of this session would contribute to the achievement of
the Millennium Development Goals and to the promotion of sustainable development at the global level.
We believe that energy is vital for achieving three pillars of sustainable development (namely economic
growth, protection of environment and social welfare). Turkey, which has introduced the sustainable
development concept into its national planning processes since 1990?s, believes that the most important issue
is to integrate these 3 pillars of sustainable development into sectoral policies and to ensure internal coherence
among them.
Sustainable development can only be achieved if a secure, uninterrupted, reliable and affordable energy
supply is ensured. It becomes more evident that cooperation in the field of energy has a positive effect on
international security. Turkey, with its geo-political location between energy rich regions and the energydemanding
world markets, will continue to play its role in enhancing global security of energy supplies as an
energy hub and a transit country.
Mr. Chairman,
Turkey also believes that development and wide-spread adoption of cleaner, efficient and renewable energy
technologies help to reduce air pollution and to mitigate the effects of climate change. In line with our JPOI
(Johannesburg Plan of Implementation) commitments, we have enacted necessary legislation in the area of
renewable energy. We have been implementing policies in order to increase energy efficiency and the share of
renewables, particularly hydro, geothermal, wind and solar in the energy mix.
Turkey is also advocating the use of cleaner energy sources for sustainable development. In this context, we attach importance to cleaner fuels and switching from traditional biomass fuels. Use of cleaner and improved
technologies for national energy resources is also very important to improve air quality, particularly in urban
areas. In line with this policy, we have also established an International Center for Hydrogen Energy (ICHET)
in Ýstanbul, in collaboration with UNIDO. It serves as a center of excellence on hydrogen energy technologies
related R&D. Turkey has made a commitment of 40 million US Dollars for this project. The Center has been
implementing a number of pilot projects in various developing countries.
Mr. Chairman,
I would like to conclude by emphasizing that the challenges that we face are huge. What we need is global
action. We must act together. We must give priority to the challenges of the most vulnerable countries,
namely SIDS (Small Island Developing States) and LDCs (Least Developed Countries). We must increase
our efforts in addressing the sustainable development challenges relating to all the issues under consideration
through supporting the effort of the developing countries, particularly in the areas of capacity building and
financial assistance.
Thank you Mr. Chairman
