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Republic of Korea |
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Let me begin by
commending the Secretary-General for his reports under agenda item
97(a), in particular, the report on the effective preparations for the
10-year review of progress achieved in the implementation of Agenda 21
and the programme for the further implementation of Agenda 21. I also
commend the IACSD for its substantive work in this regard. Since the land mark
event of the Rio Summit in 1992, the annual sessions of the CSD have
been held to assess the progress made in the implementation of the
Agenda 21. The forthcoming 10-year review Conference to be held in 2002
presents enonI1ous challenges to all of Us, since the commitments made
ten years ago have fallen short of our expectations despite overall
achievements in various fields. In this regard, I finI1ly believe that
the Rio+ 10 should serve as a valuable opportunity to reinvigorate the
spirit and the commitments of the UNCED. Following the
discussions and recommendations of the 81h CSD, the 551h Session of the
General Assembly is charged with the important task of deciding on the
agenda, major themes, timing and venue of the 2002 event together with
issues relating to the preparatory process. In our view, the
agenda and themes of the event should be focused, action-oriented and
forward-looking in order to ensure a meaningful outcome and to place
emphasis on the political significance of the event. The agenda may
comprise such sectoral issues as water; energy, which is not extensively
dealt with in certain environmental conventions, and cross- sectoral
issues such as financial resources and the transfer of technology
including ICT. With regard to the
theme of the event, we would like to suggest the "global
partnership to promote sustainable development in the era of
globalisation." I generally agree
with the time frame of the preparatory process as outlined by the report
of the Secretary General and the need for input from the national and
regional process. However, I am concerned about the time constraints for
holding substantive sessions, since the first substantive session is not
to be held until early 2002 according to the preliminary schedule. In
this regard, I would like to propose the Committee to consider holding
the first substantive session later 2001. I also attach great importance
to the organizational session to be held sometime next year. Unless the
session can provide concrete guidelines for the final event and
preparatory process, national and regional preparation in the latter
half of next year may not produce satisfactory outcomes. The Republic of Korea sincerely hopes that the venue of the Rio+ 10 will be decided on as soon as possible for all of us to prepare for the event in an adequate manner. Therefore, I call for the countries concerned to work closely to find an amicable resolution. Finally, Mr. Chairman, the Republic of Korea is considering to make a contribution to the "Rio+ 10 trust fund" to help developing countries participate in the event, once the trust fund is established. |