NGLS Roundup 88, January 2002

Preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held from 26 August to 4 September in Johannesburg (South Africa), will bring together United Nations Member States, non-governmental organizations, business and other Major Groups to focus on actions to achieve sustainable development and to strengthen the implementation of Agenda 21, adopted at the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil). The Summit will take account of new emerging global trends and strive to build commitment at the highest levels of government and society for action to achieve sustainable development.

In preparation for the WSSD, the United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan issued a 63-page report, Implementing Agenda 21, (E/CN.17/2002/PC.2/7) which presents recent major economic, social and environmental trends, and assesses progress made in the implementation of Agenda 21. The report ends with a set of suggestions for the international community to redirect its efforts to move the sustainable development agenda forward.

modest progress

The report reveals that attempts to promote human development and to reverse environmental degradation have, in general, not been effective. “Some progress has been made in adopting measures to protect the environment. But the state of the world’s environment is still fragile and conservation measures are far from satisfactory,” the report notes. A lack of resources and political will, a fragmented and uncoordinated approach to sustainable development, and continued wasteful patterns of production and consumption combined have thwarted efforts to implement sustainable development. The world has also changed since UNCED, with recent trends such as globalization, the information and communications revolution, and the spread of HIV/AIDS all posing new challenges to the international community.

implementation of agenda 21

The report assesses progress made in the implementation of Agenda 21 under three broad themes: combating poverty and promoting sustainable livelihoods; sustainable consumption and production; and protecting the integrity of life-support ecosystems.

Combating Poverty and Promoting Sustainable Livelihoods

The report highlights the links between sustainable development and rural and urban poverty, agriculture, demographic dynamics, health and education. During the 1990s progress was made in health care, child and maternal mortality, hunger reduction, access to education and access to safe water and sanitation. However, not as much progress was made in reducing poverty globally. The report states that people in poverty have been disproportionately affected by environmental degradation, resource depletion, natural disasters and disease. The struggle against poverty is the shared responsibility of all, the report argues and refers to the Millennium Declaration in which world leaders committed themselves to a number of poverty-related goals. These included to halve, by the year 2015, the proportion of the world’s people whose income is less than one dollar a day and to halve the proportion of people who are unable to reach or to afford safe drinking water. As a practical approach to combat poverty and promote sustainable livelihoods, the report suggests connecting the sustainability agenda with the goals endorsed by world leaders at the United Nations conferences of the 1990s and the Millennium Summit.

Sustainable Consumption and Production

As more natural resources are being consumed and more pollution is being generated, the report points out that sustainable development cannot be achieved without major changes in the production and consumption patterns of industrial societies. Putting into practice a number of new approaches such as cleaner production, pollution prevention, eco-efficiency and integrated product policies has been slow and the results limited, the report argues. However, more countries have been implementing economic instruments such as environmental taxes and charges to make consumption and production patterns more sustainable. Increased consumer awareness and concern for sustainable development has also led to a growing market for “green” and “fair trade” products. Environmental and social product standards as well as eco-label certifications have helped consumers make informed choices but, the report points out, they also present challenges for smaller producers, especially in developing countries. The report calls for efforts to ensure that product standards do not constitute unnecessary barriers to trade and to assist developing country exporters in meeting international market requirements.

According to the report, renewable energy use remains low despite national policies in many countries to promote their use. Efficiency gains made as a result of new technologies that reduce air pollution as well as improvements in industrial production and transportation have also been offset by the increase in the volume of production and consumption.

Protecting the Integrity of Life-Supporting Ecosystems

According to the report, in many countries the existing systems of land tenure and land-use planning do not promote sustainable land use. Since UNCED, many governments have adopted policies to promote integrated land management but the pace of progress has been slow. Little progress has also been made towards reducing deforestation in developing countries in tropical regions, which have experienced a net loss of 4% of the forest area between 1990 and 2000.

A large number of legal and voluntary agreements have been elaborated in recent years regarding marine pollution, but problems remain in the implementation of these agreements and in addressing emerging issues. In spite of attention given to responsible fisheries development and management, as a result of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other agreements, the report stresses that there is considerable room for improvement in their coverage and enforcement at global, regional, subregional and national levels.

The international community has made some progress in promoting efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the report notes. Emissions of ozone-depleting substances and their abundance in the lower atmosphere has peaked and are now slowly declining. In urban areas emissions from transport, energy and industrial sectors have caused increased air pollution and serious health impacts, especially in countries that are undergoing rapid industrialization.

During the past four decades there has been an exponential increase in human and material losses due to natural disasters, the report points out, stating that the reasons behind this increase can be found in population pressure and settlement in high-risk areas, deforestation of watersheds, desertification and climate change. Many Small Island Developing States are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters. Even though a number of initiatives have been set up on the national and regional levels, further policies and measures are needed to mitigate the consequences of natural disasters. These would include early warning systems, better preparedness and preventive measures. 

plan of action to strengthen agenda 21

To strengthen the implementation processes of Agenda 21 the report suggests that they be connected with the processes set for the implementation of commitments made in other UN conferences. To focus efforts on achievable results, the report suggests a ten-point plan of action, which according to the Summit Secretary-General Nitin Desai is “an attempt to see what actions could realistically be taken at the local, national, regional and global levels to strengthen sustainable development”:

—Making globalization work for sustainable development. The report calls for the elimination of trade-distorting subsidies and improved access of products and services from developing countries to the markets of developed countries, particularly in the areas of agriculture and textiles.

—Eradicating poverty and improving livelihoods in rural and urban areas. Efforts must be made, the report says, to improve the conditions and the opportunities for the poor, through actions  such as land tenure, sustainable livelihoods, credit, education, agricultural improvements, and efforts to minimize waste and encourage recycling.

—Changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, including by increasing energy efficiency four-fold over the next two to three decades, enhancing corporate responsibility, and providing incentives for cleaner production.

—Improving health through safe and affordable access to freshwater, a reduction in lead in gasoline, and improved indoor air quality.

—Providing access to energy and improving energy efficiency by developing and using more renewable and energy efficient technologies and changing unsustainable energy consumption patterns.

—Managing ecosystems and biodiversity on a sustainable basis, addressing the problems of over-fishing, unsustainable forestry practices, and land-based marine pollution.

—Improving freshwater supply management and arranging more equitable distribution of water resources.

—Providing financial resources, through increases in official development assistance and private investment, and by the transfer and sharing of environmentally sound technologies.

—Supporting sustainable development in Africa through new and extensive programmes in order to build institutions and systems that address hunger, health and environmental protection and resource management.

—Strengthening international governance for sustainable development to promote an integrated global approach rather than the present compartmentalized approach. 

outcomes of regional preparatory meetings

From September-November 2001, five regional intergovernmental meetings were held in preparation for the Summit to assess the main regional achievements and constraints in implementing Agenda 21 and new initiatives and commitments within the regions to overcome constraints and foster further progress. The following areas emerged from the meetings in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West Asia as issues of common concern:

—Implementation of the UNCED principles, particularly the implementation of polluter-pays principle and the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities.

—Globalization and the need to develop ways and means of making globalization work for sustainable development and to make it equitable, sustainable and inclusive.

—Poverty eradication—the regional meetings called for the Summit to contribute towards the realization of the Millennium Declaration goal of halving poverty by 2015. The Summit should also promote better understanding of linkages between environment, poverty, trade and human security.

—The need for measures to encourage sustainable production and consumption, with a focus on increasing energy efficiency.

—The need for the development of specific initiatives in areas such as fresh water and sanitation, oceans and seas, coastal zones, mountains, land use, forests, biodiversity, desertification, minerals and metals. 

—The promotion of sustainable agriculture and rural development and the doubling of agricultural production in Africa within the next five years.

—Global access to energy and the launching of special initiatives for promoting the share of renewable and affordable energy.

—Access to water and sanitation services and measures to promote integrated water management.

—Sustainable human settlements and the need for initiatives on effective urban planning and management. 

—Strengthening of health services as part of the overall poverty reduction and sustainable development strategies.

—Human development, especially education, training, employment, gender mainstreaming and youth development.

—Financing of Sustainable Development and the mobilization of all sources of finance. The regional meetings called for developed countries to meet the target of 0.7% of gross national product (GNP) as official development assistance (ODA) as soon as possible and for the cancellation of debt of the poorest countries. The regional meetings also called for the International Conference on Financing for Development (ICFFD) to identify innovative sources of financing.

—Greater market access to developing countries’ products, particularly in the areas of agriculture and textiles; elimination of market distorting subsidies and export support measures; and reduction of environmentally damaging subsidies.

—The establishment of effective means of facilitating transfer of technology, and measures to promote capacity building.

—Improvement of the institutional framework for sustainable development at the national, regional and international levels. 

—Need for further efforts in developing sustainable development strategies and policies, effective participation, as well as development of measures for monitoring progress towards sustainable development.

human rights, environment and sustainable development

In the context of preparations for WSSD, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) jointly organized in Geneva on 16 January 2002 an Expert Seminar on Human Rights and the Environment, which included participation of Member States and NGOs. The meeting was organized in pursuance of Decision 2001/111 of the UN Commission on Human Rights to review and assess progress achieved since the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in promoting and protecting human rights in relation to environmental questions and in the framework of Agenda 21.

At the opening of the seminar, High Commissioner for Human Rights Mary Robinson said that “the many links between the enjoyment of human rights and the protection of the environment have been recognized for decades. As far back as 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment declared that: ‘[M]an's environment, the natural and the man-made, are essential to his well-being and to the enjoyment of basic human rights—even the right to life itself.'” Since then, Ms. Robinson added, “the specific impact of environmental factors on the promotion and protection of human rights has been illustrated progressively and ever more clearly: the effect of pollution on individuals' right to health; the consequences of soil degradation on the right to food; the right of individuals to be informed of the environmental conditions surrounding them and their families.” These and many other issues, she said, are now commonplace before national and regional courts, and before UN treaty bodies.

At the meeting, UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer insisted that “the importance of this seminar, which takes place during the crucial preparatory stage of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, cannot be underestimated. In my view, this seminar should be seen as an opportunity that enables us to examine the application of a human rights approach to advance the implementation of the United Nations' environment and sustainable development agendas. I hope the conclusions of this seminar will provide new insights to policy-makers at the Summit in seeking to enhance the environmental and human rights dimension in implementation of Agenda 21.”

The Seminar was preceded by a two-day meeting of experts who reviewed progress made since UNCED at the national and international levels. The experts noted the broad recognition that poverty is at the centre of a number of human rights violations and is at the same time a major obstacle to achieving sustainable development and environmental protection. A rights-based approach, they said, can enhance the impact of policies and programmes at the national and international levels.

Discussion on human rights and environment covered both procedural rights and substantive rights. In relation to procedural matters, the experts noted that broad recognition of the linkage between human rights and the environment since UNCED has come through the development of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration. States and international organizations, they said, are increasingly recognizing the rights of access to information, public participation and access to justice. An example of such progress was the recent entry into force of the 1998 Aarhus Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE). In relation to substantive matters, the experts noted that a growing body of case law from many national jurisdictions is clarifying the linkages between human rights and the environment, in particular by:

—recognizing the right to a healthy environment as a fundamental human right;

—allowing litigation based on this right, and facilitating its enforceability in domestic law by broadening provisions on rights of standing (the rights of individuals and groups to bring cases before judicial bodies); and

—acknowledging that other human rights recognized in domestic legal systems can be violated as a result of environmental degradation.

The experts proposed, among other things, that OHCHR and UNEP seek to ensure that human rights and the environment is fully addressed at the upcoming WSSD and that appropriate steps are taken at the Summit to promote and protect human rights and the environment following the Summit.

At the January 16 seminar, government and NGO participants had before them the conclusions of the expert meeting. A number of developed and developing country representatives stressed the importance of making the link between human rights and environmental protection, notably as a means of protecting the civil and political rights of environmental activists and improving the enforcement of legal provisions related to the environment. With reference to the conclusions of the expert meeting, a number of participants commented that the “social and economic pillars” of sustainable development (in addition to the “environmental pillar”) should have been given more emphasis. Some developing country representatives also said that the principles of international cooperation and common and differentiated responsibilities were not reflected in the text. It was noted, however, that making the link between human rights and the environment should not be seen as a case of a “Northern agenda” imposed on the South. Of the 70 or so national constitutions that contain provisions on the right to a healthy environment, it was emphasized, almost all are in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

A representative of the Northern Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED) presented the outcome of a skills-share meeting held on 1 December in London, organized in cooperation with the UK-based NGO Capacity Global. The declaration that emerged from the meeting entitled “Towards Environmental and Human Rights” will serve as a basis for campaigns in the build-up to WSSD. The declaration reaffirms that “the right to a safe and healthy environment and a right to an adequate standard of living free from poverty are fundamental human rights reflected in many international agreements.” The text reaffirms “the primacy of human rights prerogatives over commercial and financial interests” and notes with concern that “a major obstacle to effective governance is the lack of coherence between national ministries (such as financial and environmental ministries) and their respective representation in multilateral bodies.” It calls on governments assembling at WSSD, among others to:

—Pursue the legal definition and interpretation of substantive environmental human rights and develop respective binding global instruments;

—Promote synergies between human rights and environmental provisions through improved cooperation between UNEP and OHCHR and other relevant bodies, with a view to develop effective and transparent procedures to monitor and report on the compliance with established international environment and human rights obligations, and develop effective means for access to justice and redress; and

—Apply the UN Charter and human rights provisions related to the duty of international cooperation in the protection and promotion of all human rights to hold the governments of major industrialized countries and the governing bodies of international trade and financial institutions accountable for breaches in human rights obligations resulting from their economic policy and rule-making decisions or omissions.

At its 58th session on 18 March-26 April 2002, the Commission on Human Rights will review the outcome of the 16 January expert seminar and decide on a formal contribution to the WSSD preparatory process. In the meantime, a number of developing and developed country delegates said they would bring some of the ideas and suggestions heard during the seminar to the WSSD preparatory process in New York.

Contact

Zehra Aydin-Sipos

Major Groups Programme Coordinator

Division for Sustainable Development

Department for Economic and Social Affairs

2 United Nations Plaza, DC2-22nd Floor

New York NY 10017, USA

telephone +1-212/963 8811

fax +1-212/963 4260

e-mail <aydin@un.org>

website (www.johannesburgsummit.org)

James Heenan

Human Rights Officer

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights  (OHCHR)

Palais des Nations

CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland,

telephone +41-22/917 9179

fax +41-22/917 9010

e-mail <jheenan.hchr@unog.ch>

website (www.unhchr.ch)

Hossein Fadaei,

Head, Inter-Agency Liaison Office

UNEP Regional Office for Europe

15 chemin des Anémones

CH-1219 Chatelaine (Geneva), Switzerland

telephone +41-22/917 8628

e-mail <hossein.fadaei@unep.ch>

Kirsten Kossen

Programmes Officer

Northern Alliance for Sustainability (ANPED)

PO Box 59030

1040 KA Amsterdam, The Netherlands

telephone +31-20/475 1742

fax +31-20/475 1743

e-mail <anped@anped.org>

website (www.anped.org)

Yves Lador

Permanent representation to the UN in Geneva

Earthjustice Legal Defence Fund

PO Box 100

CH-1211 Geneva 28, Switzerland

e-mail <yves.lador@codap.org>

website (www.earthjustice.org)

For a flowchart of preparatory work on the outcomes of WSSD in Acrobat Reader, click here.

This edition of NGLS Roundup was prepared by the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS). The NGLS Roundup is produced for NGOs and others interested in the institutions, policies and activities of the UN system and is not an official record.