ENB:03:05

CSD BRIEFING

On Thursday morning, the Chair of the Commission on Sustainable Development, Klaus T”pfer, reported on the work of the CSD. He highlighted the central points of the 14 decisions taken by the Commission at its second session in May 1994 on such issues as finance, transfer of environmentally sound technology, trade and environment, and changing production and consumption patterns. He then proceeded to list a number of ways in which the work of the Commission can be improved:

• Greater weight must be given to the political profile of the Commission.

• The intersessional period must be used intensively to implement the decisions of the second session and prepare for the third.

• The CSD will only be successful if it makes progress in the cross-sectoral issues of particular importance, namely finance, technology, trade and environment and consumption and production patterns.

• The next session of the CSD must be in a position to decide as clearly and concretely as possible what needs to be done in a global perspective in order to enhance the implementation of the Forest Principles and Chapter 11 of Agenda 21.

• National experiences must be incorporated into the work of the CSD.

• The development of indicators for sustainable development must be discussed at the next session.

• The CSD must continue to expand its contacts with other bodies inside and outside the UN system.

• All major groups must continue to be involved in the work of the CSD.