Turkey
The Republic of Turkey
Ministry of Environment
and Forestry
STATEMENT
by
H .E . Mr. Osman PEPE
Minister for Environment and Forestry
of
the Republic of Turkey
At the Twelfth Session of the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development
29 April 2004
New York
MR. CHAIRMAN,
EXCELLENCIES,
DISTINGUISHED REPRESENTATIVES,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN MY STATEMENT EXPRESSING MY SINCERE
GRATITUDE TO ADDRESS SUCH A DISTINGUISHED AUDIANCE ON THE
OCCASION OF CSD 12 MEETING AT WHICH WATER, SANITATION AND
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS ISSUES ARE BEING DISCUSSED .
MR. CHAIRMAN,
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY STORAGE
SYSTEMS ARE INDISPENSIBLE FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES . DAMS, OTHER
WATER STORAGE FACILITIES AND IRRIGATION NETWORKS PLAY A CRUCIAL
ROLE ESPECIALLY IN ARID AND SEMI ARID REGIONS . MUT TI-PURPOSE
WATER INFRASTRUCTURES IN MANY COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN FULFILLING A
VITAL ROLE IN PROVIDING SAFE DRINKING WATER, WATER FOR
SANITATION AND AGRICULTURE .
IN RECENT DECADES TURKEY HAS MADE GREAT PROGRESSES IN WATER
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR IRRIGATION, POWER GENERATION, FLOOD
CONTROL, AND OTHER PURPOSES . THE CREATION OF DAMS AND
RESERVOIRS HAS ENABLED TURKEY TO SAVE THE WATER FROM ITS BRIEF
SEASONS OF RAINFALL TO USE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR DRINKING,
SANITATION, FOOD AND ENERGY.
TURKEY, LIKE MANY COUNTRIES TODAY, FACES CHALLENGES IN
EFFICIENTLY DEVELOPING AND MANAGING ITS WATER RESOURCES WHILE
WORKING TO MAINTAIN WATER QUALITY AND PROTECT THE
ENVIRONMENT. IN ADDITION TO THESE CHALLENGES, TURKEY WILL NEED
TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ITS WATER RESOURCES FOR ITS ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ITS GROWING
AND MODERNIZING POPULATION. WE BELIEVE THAT, INFRASTRUCTURES
DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND WATER FOR
SANITATION ARE CRUCIAL FOR SATISFYING BASIC HUMAN NEEDS AND FOR
THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY.
TURKEY GIVES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO REACH THE TARGETS AGREED IN
THE JOHANNESBURG IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WITH REGARDS TO ACCESS
TO BASIC SANITATION SERVICES. WITH A RANGE OF INVESTMENTS THAT
HAVE BEEN MADE FOR WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE
IN THE PAST 15 YEARS, WE PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR 90 % OF
OUR POPULATION .
1
MR. CHAIRMAN,
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT PROGRESS REGARDING HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS. TURKEY IS MAKING ALL POSSIBLE EFFORTS TO INTEGRATE
OUTCOMES OF THE 1996 HABITAT AGENDA AND THE ISTANBUL
DECLARATION IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.
IN THE FRAMEWORK OF OUR GOVERNMENT'S EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN,
WE AIM TO TRANSFORM SLUM DWELLERS TO CLEAN AND SANITARY
URBAN AREAS BY CONSTRUCTING ABOUT 100 .000 RESIDENCES IN MANY
LARGE CITIES OF TURKEY.
ANOTHER INITIATIVE IS THE AGRO-VILLAGE IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT
THROUGH WHICH WE WILL BE REDUCING IMMIGRATION TO URBAN AREAS
BY PROVIDING A SANITARY AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT IN RURAL AREAS.
WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT, WE WILL BE PROVIDING AS MUCH AS
7.000 FAMILIES WITH CLEAN AND SANITARY RESIDENCES . FURTHERMORE,
WE WILL BE CONSTRUCTING 100 .000 RESIDENCES FOR THE URBAN POOR .
MR CHAIRMAN,
DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANTS,
TO CONCLUDE, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT, WE PLACE EXTREME
IMPORTANCE TO PROVIDING ADEQUATE ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING
WATER AND WATER FOR DOMESTIC USE FOR OUR GROWING POPULATION
IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS SO AS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF
THE TURKISH PEOPLE. MY GOVERNMENT BELIEVES IN THE IMPORTANCE OF
ESTABLISHING REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS TO ATTAIN THE GOALS OF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. THUS, WE BELIEVE THAT NATIONAL
EFFORTS WILL NOT SUFFICE WITHOUT COORDINATED ACTION AT THE
GLOBAL AND REGIONAL LEVELS . FOR THIS REASON, I WOULD LIKE TO
HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION OF REGIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR DEVELOPING AND
LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES .
THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN
Ministry of Environment
and Forestry
STATEMENT
by
H .E . Mr. Osman PEPE
Minister for Environment and Forestry
of
the Republic of Turkey
At the Twelfth Session of the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development
29 April 2004
New York
MR. CHAIRMAN,
EXCELLENCIES,
DISTINGUISHED REPRESENTATIVES,
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,
I WOULD LIKE TO BEGIN MY STATEMENT EXPRESSING MY SINCERE
GRATITUDE TO ADDRESS SUCH A DISTINGUISHED AUDIANCE ON THE
OCCASION OF CSD 12 MEETING AT WHICH WATER, SANITATION AND
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS ISSUES ARE BEING DISCUSSED .
MR. CHAIRMAN,
WATER RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS, ESPECIALLY STORAGE
SYSTEMS ARE INDISPENSIBLE FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES . DAMS, OTHER
WATER STORAGE FACILITIES AND IRRIGATION NETWORKS PLAY A CRUCIAL
ROLE ESPECIALLY IN ARID AND SEMI ARID REGIONS . MUT TI-PURPOSE
WATER INFRASTRUCTURES IN MANY COUNTRIES HAVE BEEN FULFILLING A
VITAL ROLE IN PROVIDING SAFE DRINKING WATER, WATER FOR
SANITATION AND AGRICULTURE .
IN RECENT DECADES TURKEY HAS MADE GREAT PROGRESSES IN WATER
RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT FOR IRRIGATION, POWER GENERATION, FLOOD
CONTROL, AND OTHER PURPOSES . THE CREATION OF DAMS AND
RESERVOIRS HAS ENABLED TURKEY TO SAVE THE WATER FROM ITS BRIEF
SEASONS OF RAINFALL TO USE THROUGHOUT THE YEAR FOR DRINKING,
SANITATION, FOOD AND ENERGY.
TURKEY, LIKE MANY COUNTRIES TODAY, FACES CHALLENGES IN
EFFICIENTLY DEVELOPING AND MANAGING ITS WATER RESOURCES WHILE
WORKING TO MAINTAIN WATER QUALITY AND PROTECT THE
ENVIRONMENT. IN ADDITION TO THESE CHALLENGES, TURKEY WILL NEED
TO CONTINUE TO DEVELOP ITS WATER RESOURCES FOR ITS ECONOMIC AND
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT AS WELL AS TO MEET THE NEEDS OF ITS GROWING
AND MODERNIZING POPULATION. WE BELIEVE THAT, INFRASTRUCTURES
DESIGNED TO PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER AND WATER FOR
SANITATION ARE CRUCIAL FOR SATISFYING BASIC HUMAN NEEDS AND FOR
THE ERADICATION OF POVERTY.
TURKEY GIVES GREAT IMPORTANCE TO REACH THE TARGETS AGREED IN
THE JOHANNESBURG IMPLEMENTATION PLAN WITH REGARDS TO ACCESS
TO BASIC SANITATION SERVICES. WITH A RANGE OF INVESTMENTS THAT
HAVE BEEN MADE FOR WATER SUPPLY AND SANITATION INFRASTRUCTURE
IN THE PAST 15 YEARS, WE PROVIDE SAFE DRINKING WATER FOR 90 % OF
OUR POPULATION .
1
MR. CHAIRMAN,
I WOULD NOW LIKE TO HIGHLIGHT PROGRESS REGARDING HUMAN
SETTLEMENTS. TURKEY IS MAKING ALL POSSIBLE EFFORTS TO INTEGRATE
OUTCOMES OF THE 1996 HABITAT AGENDA AND THE ISTANBUL
DECLARATION IN ORDER TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABLE HUMAN SETTLEMENTS.
IN THE FRAMEWORK OF OUR GOVERNMENT'S EMERGENCY ACTION PLAN,
WE AIM TO TRANSFORM SLUM DWELLERS TO CLEAN AND SANITARY
URBAN AREAS BY CONSTRUCTING ABOUT 100 .000 RESIDENCES IN MANY
LARGE CITIES OF TURKEY.
ANOTHER INITIATIVE IS THE AGRO-VILLAGE IMPLEMENTATION PROJECT
THROUGH WHICH WE WILL BE REDUCING IMMIGRATION TO URBAN AREAS
BY PROVIDING A SANITARY AND CLEAN ENVIRONMENT IN RURAL AREAS.
WITHIN THE SCOPE OF THIS PROJECT, WE WILL BE PROVIDING AS MUCH AS
7.000 FAMILIES WITH CLEAN AND SANITARY RESIDENCES . FURTHERMORE,
WE WILL BE CONSTRUCTING 100 .000 RESIDENCES FOR THE URBAN POOR .
MR CHAIRMAN,
DISTINGUISHED PARTICIPANTS,
TO CONCLUDE, I WOULD LIKE TO POINT OUT THAT, WE PLACE EXTREME
IMPORTANCE TO PROVIDING ADEQUATE ACCESS TO SAFE DRINKING
WATER AND WATER FOR DOMESTIC USE FOR OUR GROWING POPULATION
IN URBAN AND RURAL AREAS SO AS TO IMPROVE THE QUALITY OF LIFE OF
THE TURKISH PEOPLE. MY GOVERNMENT BELIEVES IN THE IMPORTANCE OF
ESTABLISHING REGIONAL PARTNERSHIPS TO ATTAIN THE GOALS OF
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT. THUS, WE BELIEVE THAT NATIONAL
EFFORTS WILL NOT SUFFICE WITHOUT COORDINATED ACTION AT THE
GLOBAL AND REGIONAL LEVELS . FOR THIS REASON, I WOULD LIKE TO
HIGHLIGHT THE IMPORTANCE OF FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION OF REGIONAL
AND INTERNATIONAL FINANCIAL ORGANIZATIONS FOR DEVELOPING AND
LESS DEVELOPED COUNTRIES .
THANK YOU MR. CHAIRMAN
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