STATEMENT ON BEHALF OF THE GROUP OF 77 AND CHINA BY MISS CHERRYL GORDON, COUNSELLOR, PERMANENT MISSION OF JAMAICA TO THE UNITED NATIONS, TO THE GENERAL SEGMENT OF THE ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COUNCIL ON AGENDA ITEM 13 (a): ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS - SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (New York, 20 July 2005)

Thank You, Mr. Chairman.

I will be making two interventions under this ‘cluster’ of agenda items on sub-items (a) and (d).

STATEMENT ON AGENDA ITEM 13 (a): ECONOMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL QUESTIONS – SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the Group of 77 and China on agenda item 13, sub-item (a), concerning Sustainable Development.

Permit me, first of all, to thank the representatives of the Secretariat for introducing the various reports under this sub-item.

The international community and the United Nations family, in particular, can be proud of the sheer number of commitments, goals and targets to which we have agreed in the area of sustainable development. We can all agree also that the implementation of these agreements is now what the international community should be focused upon, with the ultimate goal being the eradication of hunger and poverty and the ensuring of a prosperous yet balanced world for future generations.

This brings me to a well-known position of the Group of 77 and China: that sustainable development cannot be achieved without the provision of the means of implementation. These include ODA as well as technology transfer and access to environmentally-sound technologies. It is precisely for this reason, Mr. Chairman, that we have insisted on addressing the question of the means of implementation as a cross-cutting issue in every cycle of the Commission on Sustainable Development – the CSD.

Mr. Chairman,

The members of the Group of 77 and China reiterate the important role of the CSD as the high-level forum for follow-up to the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI). We will continue to emphasise that the future work of the CSD must have as its basic framework, the comprehensive volume of commitments constituted by the Rio Declaration, Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the three ‘ Rio conventions’. In this connection, the Group wishes to highlight the strong emphasis contained in the JPOI of commitments to multilateralism and the need for a more focused, practical approach for the implementation of Agenda 21, through reinforced support from the international community and the provision of the requisite means of implementation.

We also recall that, at the time of adoption of its long-term programme of work, it was felt that this would place the CSD in a position to fulfil its key role and function within the United Nations system and to serve as a forum for the consideration of issues related to the integration of the three pillars of sustainable development.

Mr. Chairman,

We have only recently concluded the first in the planned thematic cycles of the CSD’s long-term programme of work, and we are at a juncture where we can assess the outcome of that first cycle, including lessons learned and the implications for future cycles of the Commission.

The G-77 and China urges all to take detailed stock of the outcomes of the Commission’s thirteenth session, with a view to guiding our work in future sessions.

For our part, we look forward to participating actively in future discussions on the work of the CSD and sustainable development in general, as we seek to retain focus on the eradication of poverty as an indispensable requirement of sustainable development in developing countries.

I thank you, Mr. Chairman, and this concludes my intervention on this particular sub-item .