DELIBERATIONS OF CSD SHOULD
BE RESULT ORIENTED: SHRI BAALU
Shri T.R. Baalu,
Minister of Environment & Forests has called upon the participants
of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
to focus on implementation of issues that integrate economic,
social and environmental components of sustainable development
in an equitable manner. Addressing the 11th Session
of U.N. Commission on sustainable development at New York the
Minister said that a critical requirement for a successful CSD
process is to be seen in terms of combining predictability with
adequate flexibility. The time is ripe now for the deliberations
to focus on operational questions and make CSD result-oriented,
Shri Baalu said.
The Minister pointed
out that the three most important challenges facing the current
session were prioritisation of the issues to be considered by
CSD, development of organic linkages between such issues with
different sectors and implementation schedule for such issues.
The advantage with CSD is that it could analyse various issues
in an integrated manner and take a holistic view than taking a
rather limited sectoral approach.
The World Summit
of Sustainable Development had identified that actions for sustainable
development had to be taken at all levels - from local to national,
and regional to international. It is important that CSD finds
ways and means to work at the international level to achieve goals
enshrined in Agenda 21 and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
The national implementation is best left to be monitored by the
respective national governments. As far as monitoring of regional
implementation of sustainable development is concerned the Five
UN Regional Commissions may have to play an increasing role in
their respective regions. CSD may continue to monitor implementation
of sustainable development activities at the global level. In
order to enhance its effectiveness, CSD should also be able to
leverage financial and technical resources wherever there is a
shortfall in achieving various targets and goals, he said.
The new look CSD
must be task and action-oriented with a greater and more meaningful
role for Ministers and different stakeholders such as international
and financial institutions and major groups. The resolutions of
the forum in the past could not be implemented fully in the past
decade due to lack of financial and technical resources and adequate
institutional support, the Minister said and called for concerted
action for meeting the challenge of poverty facing the nations.
He also pointed out the need for evolving a well-defined criteria
and guidelines for selection, implementation and monitoring of
partnership for the welfare of the masses.
