STATEMENT BY ON BEHALF OF THE G-77 AND CHINA BY MR. FAISAL AL-ATHBA, PERMANENT MISSION OF THE STATE OF QATAR TO THE UNITED NATIONS, ON AGENDA ITEM 85: SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, AT THE SECOND COMMITTEE OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY (New York, 19 October 2004)

Mr. Chairman,

In September 2002 at the World Summit on Sustainable Development the international community agreed on the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation as a blueprint for the accelerated implementation of sustainable development. The WSSD was held against the backdrop of increasing poverty in many parts of the world and a persistent inability of the international community to meet the objectives set out in Agenda 21 as agreed at the Rio Summit in 1992.

The G77 and China remains committed to the full implementation of the targets and goals agreed in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The last two years since Johannesburg have shown the enormous efforts that developing countries are undertaking to meet these goals. While national efforts are important, given the limited resources and lack of capacity in many developing countries, it is imperative that their efforts be complemented by concrete support from our development partners.

Mr Chairman,

The G77 welcomes the work of the Commission on Sustainable Development in its 12 th Session “ The Review Year ” in which it provided an in-depth analysis of the gaps and constraints impeding the implementation of the commitments made in the Johannesburg Summit. CSD12 showed us all that while developing countries are making progress in the implementation of the goals and targets set out in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation they still face major constraints and obstacles.

The discussions showed that the lack of the means of implementation, namely financial resources, technology transfer and inadequate capacities, remain the major constraints hindering developing countries from meeting their goals. Despite all the efforts of developing countries the international community has so far not managed to fulfill its own commitments.

We also note with concern that while progress is being made in some parts of the world African countries are still largely lagging behind with implementation. We urge the international community to increase its support for African countries to enable them to implement their sustainable development programmes.

Mr Chairman,

The Group of 77 and China looks forward to the discussions that will take place during the 13 th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD13). CSD13, through a negotiated outcome, should achieve a global commitment for the expedition of implementation in the thematic cluster of water, sanitation and human settlements. It should result in practical outcomes that are in line with the decisions of CSD 11 (eleven). At CSD 11 (eleven) we agreed that the second year of the implementation cycle should take policy decisions on practical measures and options to expedite implementation in the selected thematic cluster. It was also stressed that both the review and policy year should mobilize further action from all actors to overcome the obstacles and constraints to implementation. It is these considerations that will inform the approach of our Group in the preparations for CSD13.

The regional meetings that were convened in preparation for CSD12 provided positive contributions to the work of the Commission. We believe, however, that there is still scope for the strengthening of the regional processes. The Group of 77 will urge that support be provided for developing countries to participate in the regional meetings during the future cycles of work of the CSD.

Mr Chairman,

The G77 and China welcomes the participation of major groups in this process in accordance with the set of criteria and guidelines adopted at the 11 th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development. We note, though, that the representation of major groups from developing countries at CSD12 was very low. We would like to see an increased representation of major groups from developing countries in future CSD meetings. We urge the Secretariat and development partners to provide the necessary support in this regard.

The majority of the partnerships launched so far have not managed to mobilize adequate resources for implementation. Furthermore they still attract most of their funding from governments and have also not managed to achieve balance. Greater involvement in the partnerships by other actors, including the private sector, is therefore necessary to also ensure that partnerships do not divert resources for development. They should also be broadened to cover sectors such as desertification. We also wish to reiterate our understanding that partnerships will remain a complement and not a substitute for commitments undertaken by governments.

The Group of 77 and China will continue to make every effort to achieve the objectives set out in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. In this respect we urge our development partners to also increase their efforts in support of developing countries. The provision of the means of implementation should be enhanced through the provision of new and additional financial resources, technology transfer on concessional, non-commercial and preferential terms, and improvement of capacity building.

Mr Chairman

The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation called for the expeditious implementation of the decisions on international environmental governance. We welcome the ongoing work for the elaboration, under the auspices of UNEP, of an Intergovernmental Strategic Plan for Technology Support and Capacity Building. Capacity building is a critical element in the efforts of developing countries to implement their environmental goals. A comprehensive strategic approach to capacity building will therefore enhance these efforts. It is our conviction that the implementation of the Strategic Plan will require new and additional resources if it is to make a difference. This will also require new funding mechanisms. The G77 will therefore strive for an agreement on these additional resources during the next meeting of the High-Level Open Ended Working Group to be held in Bali, Indonesia in December 2004. We urge our development partners to support this approach.

Mr Chairman