Turkey
STATEMENT
BY
H.E. MR. BAKI ILKIN
HEAD OF DELEGATION,
AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TURKEY
TO THE UN
AT THE
HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE
FOURTEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
12 MAY 2006, NEW YORK
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
At the outset, 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 session of the Commission
on Sustainable Development.
Mr. Chairman, Turkey associates itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative of
Austria on behalf of the European Union. Hence, I will briefly touch upon a few points.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development was a benchmark event, placing sustainable
development at the forefront of the international agenda. In line with the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation commitments, important responsibility falls upon governments to reduce poverty
through providing their cit izens with basic services.
In this context, energy is critical for achieving three pillars of sustainable development ? namely,
economic growth, protection of environment and social welfare. Sustainable development can only be
achieved if a secure, uninterrupted, reliable and affordable energy supply is ensured. Energy is indeed
a strong tool in fight ing poverty.
Different dimensions of sustainable development and the themes that we are discussing are strongly
inter linked. Economic growth requires energy supply security but it is sustainable only if it does not
threaten the environment or social welfare. This is where we face major challenges.
The framework for a more sustainable energy future is not decided yet. In any case it should not be
static. It must be continuously redefined and rebalanced with revised forecasts, reassessment of
progress, identification of new bottle-necks and the development of new technical solutions and
technologies.
In this context, Governments need to develop policies to address the projected 60% increase in the
fossil-fuel based global energy demand over the next 30 years. They also need to develop new or
supplementary policies to reverse the upward trends in greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to fulfill its responsibilities, Turkey has been pursuing policies in the areas of energy
efficiency and environmentally sound technologies as well as industrial pollution control. To achieve
sustainable energy development and energy efficiency, the Turkish Government has been trying to
strengthen its efforts for development and use of safe technologies; promotion of R&D concerning
appropriate methodologies; public awareness-raising; and environmental impact assessment (EIA). In
line with this the energy sector is working to integrate environmental considerations in their projects.
In conclusion Mr. Chairman, I wish to underline that in order to accelerate and sustain progress in
these interlinked themes, we must address the issues of financial assistance, capacity building and
technology transfer at the international level. Even though each country has the primary responsibility
for its own sustainable development and poverty eradication policies, we sincerely believe that without
coordinated action at the global, regional and national level, we cannot find solutions to sustainable
development challenges.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
BY
H.E. MR. BAKI ILKIN
HEAD OF DELEGATION,
AMBASSADOR, PERMANENT REPRESENTATIVE OF TURKEY
TO THE UN
AT THE
HIGH-LEVEL SEGMENT OF THE
FOURTEENTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT
12 MAY 2006, NEW YORK
Mr. Chairman,
Excellencies,
Distinguished Delegates,
At the outset, 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 session of the Commission
on Sustainable Development.
Mr. Chairman, Turkey associates itself with the statement made by the distinguished representative of
Austria on behalf of the European Union. Hence, I will briefly touch upon a few points.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development was a benchmark event, placing sustainable
development at the forefront of the international agenda. In line with the Johannesburg Plan of
Implementation commitments, important responsibility falls upon governments to reduce poverty
through providing their cit izens with basic services.
In this context, energy is critical for achieving three pillars of sustainable development ? namely,
economic growth, protection of environment and social welfare. Sustainable development can only be
achieved if a secure, uninterrupted, reliable and affordable energy supply is ensured. Energy is indeed
a strong tool in fight ing poverty.
Different dimensions of sustainable development and the themes that we are discussing are strongly
inter linked. Economic growth requires energy supply security but it is sustainable only if it does not
threaten the environment or social welfare. This is where we face major challenges.
The framework for a more sustainable energy future is not decided yet. In any case it should not be
static. It must be continuously redefined and rebalanced with revised forecasts, reassessment of
progress, identification of new bottle-necks and the development of new technical solutions and
technologies.
In this context, Governments need to develop policies to address the projected 60% increase in the
fossil-fuel based global energy demand over the next 30 years. They also need to develop new or
supplementary policies to reverse the upward trends in greenhouse gas emissions.
In order to fulfill its responsibilities, Turkey has been pursuing policies in the areas of energy
efficiency and environmentally sound technologies as well as industrial pollution control. To achieve
sustainable energy development and energy efficiency, the Turkish Government has been trying to
strengthen its efforts for development and use of safe technologies; promotion of R&D concerning
appropriate methodologies; public awareness-raising; and environmental impact assessment (EIA). In
line with this the energy sector is working to integrate environmental considerations in their projects.
In conclusion Mr. Chairman, I wish to underline that in order to accelerate and sustain progress in
these interlinked themes, we must address the issues of financial assistance, capacity building and
technology transfer at the international level. Even though each country has the primary responsibility
for its own sustainable development and poverty eradication policies, we sincerely believe that without
coordinated action at the global, regional and national level, we cannot find solutions to sustainable
development challenges.
Thank you Mr. Chairman.
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