ENB@PrepCom-III: 3 April (day 7)

Wednesday, 3 April

Delegates met in Working Groups I and II throughout the day and into the evening. Working Group I discussed energy, transport, waste and chemicals. Working Group II discussed, inter alia, means of implementation, including science and education and technology transfer. The Partnerships Group also considered a guidelines document distributed by the Co-Chairs. Photo: The Partnerships Group.

Working Group I: Energy; and Transport

Spain, on behalf of the EU, raises his flag from the back of the room

The EU, inter alia, stressed the importance of including a reference to education to increase awareness of the different sources of energy.

On transport, the EU suggested, inter alia, deleting a Swiss proposal on promoting taxation of all bunker fuels. Japan said it was premature to discuss this issue.

Delegates from Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela and Brazil.

The G-77/China opposed a separate chapter on energy, noting that the issue is cross-sectoral. He also said that there was no need to discuss what was already debated at CSD-9.

Uzbekistan supported including regional aspects of transport and supported the G-77/China proposal to address financial and technical assistance.

Above: Delegates from Barbados and Antigua and Barbuda

On energy, the US supported referencing CSD-9 decisions noting that they were very carefully and recently negotiated. He said this was not the appropriate time to reopen the debates.

Co-Chairs Maria Viotti (Brazil) and Kiyotaka Akasaka (Japan).
Co-Chair Akasaka opened the session noting the need to sort out the different elements and proposals related to energy. He suggested establishing open-ended informal informal consultations with interested delegates to address the relevant paragraphs under consideration. He also requested delegates with issue expertise and those involved in CSD-9 discussions on energy to participate in the informals in order to facilitate discussions.

On transport, Hungary highlighted the importance of regional approaches, and opposed deleting a proposal on promoting taxation of bunker fuels.

On energy, Hungary agreed that the CSD-9 outcomes on energy were important, and also noted relevant discussions at Rio+5 and in 1992 during discussion of Chapter 9.

Switzerland said the polluter pays principle is the most important principle regarding transport, and said it should be included in the text.

The Russian Federation said that the CSD-9 decisions should form the basis of negotiations but said that the new proposals being put forward should not be overlooked.

Working Group II:
Means of Implementation - technology transfer

< Everton Vargas, of Brazil

During the afternoon session, several developed countries said they were unable to accept the language on transfer of technology, stating that governments cannot force the private sector to give up their patents and other intellectual property rights. The US proposed insertions specifying that only technologies in the public domain could be the object of proposed transfers.

Venezuela, on behalf of the G-77/China, said that the proposed language on public-sector technologies amounts to a step backwards with regards to language agreed to at UNCED.

Norway said that while it is legitimate to call for promotional mechanisms in developed countries to facilitate transfer of technologies, it was impossible to ask governments to instruct the private sector to transfer technologies. He suggested calling for a regulatory framework to ensure that what is transferred is environmentally sound. Co-chair Gamaleldin then reminded delegates of language in Agenda 21 on measures for the support and promotion of transfer of technologies.

Brazil said there was no progress to report in the field of technology transfer since UNCED. She suggested setting a modest goal for WSSD of establishing a mechanism for the transfer of public-domain technologies.

Switzerland said that favorable conditions for technology transfer were required, and that one such condition was the protection of intellectual property rights. Without taking into account the interests of the private sector as a key player, he feared that private concerns would have little incentive to engage in transfers. Co-chair Gamaleldin reminded delegates of the passage in Agenda 21 that calls for the purchase on commercial terms of patents for transfer on non-commercial terms to developing countries as part of development assistance.

Partnerships

Co-Chairs of the Partnership Group Jan Kara (Czech Republic) Diane Quarless (Jamaica).

The room was packed for the afternoon partnerships meeting

Business Action for Sustainable Development said partnerships should address all 3 pillars of sustainability; be measurable and transparent; and be replicable. He noted that a number of interested organizations have gotten together to discuss good governance and sustainable development governance and considered access, accountability and regulatory frameworks. He stressed that initiatives should reflect Type I outcomes.

Development Alternatives for Women in a New Era (DAWN) said NGOs need to be sure that business community partners have sustainable development objectives and are working in good faith. She stressed that governments need to ratify the relevant protocols.

During the session on partnerships, delegates commented on a paper prepared by the Co-Chairs on Further Guidance for Partnerships/Initiatives to be elaborated as part of the WSSD preparations. The paper included the following guidelines: voluntary nature; complementarity; participatory approach; new/value added initiatives; integrative approach; international relevance; level of commitment; and accountability.

Rémi Parmentier, Greenpeace International, said the hierarchy of the elements should be reconsidered. He noted a contradiction between accountability and voluntary guidelines. He also suggested putting complementarity be put on top of the list.

The US addressed the idea of monitoring internally, highlighting the role that the CSD could play after the summit and how the CSD might be used as the vehicle to facilitate further partnerships. She stressed identifying lessons learned, and successful replication. She called for continuing dialogue on rural development, agriculture and food security.

South Africa said partnerships should be self initiated, rather than voluntary, and stressed that they be linked to Type I outcomes. He noted that South Africa had developed a non-paper on sustainable development, and urged that sustainable development should not be voluntary but rather a commitment. He called for a clear selection mechanism and criteria. In a subsequent intervention, he said the donor-recipient rhetoric was locked in a paradigm that does not speak to sustainable development. He stressed: replicability; looking at global target initiatives, such as global vaccine programs; a series of publicized events, not just discreet launches.

A representative o f the SARD-Land Partnership Initiative said the aim of the initiative is to promote new integrated approaches to sustainable agriculture, resource management and rural development by improving access to resources, promoting good practices for SARD and ensuring fairer conditions for employment in agriculture. Based on replication and expansion of best practices.

Working Group II: Health and sustainable development

Right: Greenpeace during a side event discussing the way forward towards Bali: (left to right) Marcelo Furtado, Greenpeace Brazil, Athena Ronquillo-Ballesteros, Greenpeace Southeast Asia, Remi Parmentier, Greenpeace International, and Miriam Mayet, Greenpeace South Africa.