NEWSLETTER

Special WSSD Issue

The UN Commission for Sustainable Development CSD
The World Summit on Sustainable Development WSSD
Coming Events:

PrepCom III-----25 March - 5 April 2002 at UN HQ in New York
PrepCom IV -----27 May - 7 June 2002 in Bali, Indonesia
Summit at Johannesburg----- from 26 August to 4 September 2002

The PrepCom Stations on the Road to Johannesburg - Looking at Energy - reported by Pincas Jawetz

The PrepCom II meeting was preceded by two days of brainstorming with the participation of government delegates in a private capacity, some UN agencies and NGOs. The papers in front of the Commission for Sustainable Development was http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/prep2final_paper from the Chairman, the report http://www.johannesburgsummit.org of the Secretary General about Implementing Agenda 21 and the general CSD paper on energy http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd10/ecn172001-pc20.pdf.

As points were made by government speakers as private individuals they had no difficulty in expressing that time has come to say clearly that ENERGY is a subject in its own right to be discussed at the WSSD in Johannesburg. Further on, it was said that ODA can not carry alone the burden of Development and that methods of furthering investment are needed. The holy cow of transfer of technology, which does not explain how the transferor can benefit from that, should rather change to a call for facilitating Technology Sharing in order to move from rhetoric to practice. There were plenty of comments that Development must be Sustainable and that Sustainable Energy must fuel Sustainable Development with emphasis on efficiency and conservation when it comes to conventional fossil fuels and the introduction of renewable sources of energy wherever possible. There was even a call for UNDP to be changed to UNSDP (UN Sustainable Development Program) with a clear new Mandate. Also the Regional Commissions should change to Regional Commissions for Sustainable Development.

The concept of Free Trade stood denuded as fingers were pointed at trade distorting subsidies and the non- inclusion of externalities in cost calculations. On the other hand, presentations pointed out that eco-tourism is a result of actions taken following the Rio meeting and that while in Johannesburg we will be able to visit some communities that are Sustainable Communities. There were calls to emphasize Oceans and the Small Islands Developing States and that the SIDS should get similar attention like Africa. Three Ps were defined as Political Will, Practical Steps, and Partnerships - these are the must in everything we do. Much more was said at this unusually frank meeting. The Chairman, Professor Emil Salim from Indonesia, summarized the meeting and indeed, when the actual PrepCom started on January 28, the new CSD document was much improved - it even had Energy as a separate subject - the, for a short while, conspicuous - Cluster E.

We will not go here into detail of how the delegations spoke now, when the speakers did indeed express their government positions rather then their private views, but I will only give credits again to the chairman who insisted that at PrepCom II there will not result a negotiated document but rather a CHAIRMAN'S PAPER that will be the basis for negotiations at PrepCom III which will occur in New York March 25 - April 5. In order to avoid long floor fights, this became a non-meeting discussing a non-paper which had non-clusters. The Chairman, at the end of the event on February 8, released four documents: (1) a Chairman's Paper which in its final version will form the basis for negotiations at the next PrepCom. (2) a Summary of the Multi-Stakeholder's dialogue - that is where representatives of the so called UN defined, nine Major Groups spoke - the women, youth, indigenous people, local authorities, trade unions, business and industry and the so called NGOs which means all those left out and indeed caring for the common good. (3) Proposals for Partnership Initiatives to strengthen the implementation of Agenda 21 and (4) a Chairman's Summary reflecting the discussion. We will look here only at the CHAIRMAN'S PAPER as all other documents are from now on only background documents. The document has lost the Energy cluster heading, but it still includes many energy topics dispersed in the various surviving Clusters.

Cluster I Introduction - calls for "Good Governance within each country and at the international level" - this was attacked by those fearing that their sovereignty for doing the wrong things is criticized.

Cluster II Poverty Eradication -mentions "decentralized energy systems to provide by 2015 energy services to half of the two billion people who currently have no access to modern energy services".

Cluster III Changing Unsustainable Patterns of Consumption and Production - asks for

• a four-fold increase in energy and resource efficiency in developed countries by 2012
• the elimination of the environmentally harmful and trade-distorting subsidies that encourage unsustainable consumption and production patterns
• the internalization of external costs through fiscal instruments and market mechanisms
• industry certification such as ISO 14000 for environmental management
• the development and dissemination of renewable energy technologies to increase the share of renewables in energy production and consumption and the acceleration of the development, diffusion and use of energy-efficient technologies
• the diversification of the energy supply, by developing cleaner, more efficient fossil fuel technologies,, innovative technologies and increase the share of new renewable energy sources at least 5% of total energy use by 2010 in all countries and by encouraging the use of natural gas, especially for urban and industrial areas, and the elimination of gas flaring, by intensifying regional and international cooperation
• policies to reduce market distortions in the energy sector, including restructuring taxation and phasing out harmful subsidies
• the implementation of transportation strategies to improve urban air quality and public health, including through environmentally friendly vehicles and cleaner fuels.

It also mentions the promotion of cooperation between oil consuming and producing countries to reduce supply and demand instabilities on international markets, and assist developing countries that are highly dependent on the export and consumption of fossil fuels in diversifying their economies.

Cluster IV - Protecting and Managing the Natural Resource Base of Economic and Social Development asks for "the implementation of the conventions of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)" relating to the enhancement of marine safety and the prevention of marine pollution and finalize and implement the IMO conventions relating to pollution from ships, such as ballast water, harmful anti-foulants and waste dumping at sea, not asking specifically for double hull and compartments in the structure of tankers, but there are IMO rules regarding a double-hull configuration that need strengthening. It calls for the entry into force of the Kyoto Protocol in 2002 and calls for assistance to developing countries with the Marrakech Ministerial Declaration, supports climate research programs and global climate observing systems, building scientific capacities and networks. It calls also for regional and sub-regional cooperation on trans-boundary air pollution and acid rain.

Cluster V deals with the World Trade Organization and the Globalising World.

Cluster VI - Health and Sustainable Development calls for the "phasing out of lead in gasoline, reduction of sulfur and benzene in fuels, and reduction of volatile particles in vehicle exhausts, including cleaner fuels, to reduce health impacts, particularly in children." What this paragraph did not include is the recommendation to use biofuel-ethanol - in this particular case, ethanol is the best available replacement for lead in high octane gasoline,but seemingly it was still too early to achieve petroleum-non-petroleum fuel mixtures for health reasons. The document also does not mention bio-diesel that was suggested.

Cluster VII - Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) asks to "accelerate establishing a global SUSTAINABLE ENERGY PROGRAMME by 2004 through the UN system, that can ensure that adequate, affordable and environmentally safe energy, including renewable energy, is available to promote the sustainable development of SIDS, including through the UN system to assist and support SIDS. It is indeed a favorable sign that the SIDS Ambassadors prevailed in obtaining their own "cluster" - as the clear first casualties of Global Warming - they deserve to be heard.

Cluster VIII - Sustainable Development Initiatives for Africa calls for "global initiatives to achieve access by 2005 to affordable and diversified energy sources for AFRICA - especially in rural areas."

Cluster IX - Means of Implementation and Cluster X are dealing with Governance at the National, Regional and International levels, have nothing specific to report here, especially for cluster X which was not even readied for discussion by the last meeting. All the above was open for criticism from delegations - and the question still open is - what will the final document to be presented at the start of PrepCom III really look like. As it is a CHAIRMAN'S PAPER non-negotiated, but written by a very inclusive chairman, he may yet tone down some of what was said above because of criticism he received from many delegations.

Sunday, February 10, the Commission for Social Development - which is only a "two-pillar" entity (a Social pillar and an Economic Development pillar) as opposed to the CSD which has an additional third pillar - the Environment pillar, had their pre-meetings symposium. When I asked, why in effect does one need the Social Development organization at the UN when the Sustainable Development paradigm actually incorporates their concerns - I was told by their Director that the other group has mainly the concern of the Environment at heart. This is clearly not the case as we know from Rio that it is the other two pillars, besides the Environment, that were brought in because it was clear that the Environment concerns alone will not bring about the needed changes in our life-stiles while allowing also for the Development process to continue.

When starting with POVERTY ERADICATION as Cluster I, this shows that we recognize that pollution is a main cause for poverty, that there is a basic human right to a clean environment and that Sustainable Energy is the way to achieve progress in the Development process.