Let’s build a new future -A roadmap presentationBy Jan-Gustav Strandenaes

In Larger Freedom

“We fundamentally depend on natural systems and resources for our existence and development. Our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated. (§57”)

Let me interpret that:

Without a healthy environment, talk of development, financial, fiscal and monetary sustainability, even social equity and justice become illusory phenomena, because without the environment, there will be no development. We have lived, live and will always live in a finite world with finite resources.

Nothing new,

Rachel Carson, said this in 1962, Silent Spring

UNEP said this in 1972 What is different now, is

that we have a global audience willing to listen to environmental issues

Disconnected reality

There is a disconnect between what we know, understand, are willing to accept and act on concerning the environment, and because of that, we constantly undermine the UN in its efforts to act on and for the environment.

The MDGs

The eight MDGs break down into 21 quantifiable targets that are measured by 60 indicators.

The 8 MDGs

Goal 1: Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger

Goal 2: Achieve universal primary education

Goal 3: Promote gender equality and empower women

Goal 4: Reduce child mortality

The MDGs

Goal 5: Improve maternal health

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases

Goal 7: Ensure environmental sustainability

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development

 

Rio plus 20

Green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication

Institutional framework for sustainable development

Rio plus 20

Renewed political commitment for sustainable development

Closing the implementation gaps

Addressing new and emerging challenges

MDG 7 – the unwanted cousin In most discussions on the MDGs, Goal 7 is almost always treated as the unwanted cousin, recognised but not accepted or respected, not really understood, and not integrated, at least not yet.

UNDP reporting on the MDGs, 2006. “While all countries report on at least

one global environmental indicator, MDG 7 reporting overall is weak. Only eight of the 158 countries report on all global indicators,”

“Environmental issues are not highly integrated into the MDG country reports outside of MDG 7 specifically. “

and this is where the environment drops out....

“In such a perspective, a major issue at stake is the pattern of economic growth and its relationship with social and environmental concerns.”

-- and the environment? “economic growth provides

resources that permit sustained improvements in human development, while better educated and healthier households in general, and the labour force in particular, prove to be key for sustained economic growth.” (UNECE 2006)

“Keeping the promise: a forward looking agreed action agenda to achieve the MDGs.”(2010) ‘

Accelerating Progress’ referencing all MDGs

“One of the difficulties in making progress towards the overall objective of Millennium Development Goal 7 is the lack of a framework or means of integrating different components of environmental sustainability.”

..more has not been enough So despite more targets and

indicators, the difficulties seem to be the same as five years ago and environmental sustainability has been reduced to an element of sustainable development.

Of overarching importance Fighting poverty, upholding the

principles of human rights and its covenants, the MEAs, the practical implications and positive outcomes of the MDGs, working to create a liveable world based on sustainable development, I hold all this to be of utmost importance.

A bi-polar world, or a multi-facetted one? Universal standards, norms and targets

based on this for all? Exceptions allowed and admitted To standards? Norms? Targets? Are the MDGs maintaining a bi-polar

world? Are the arrangements of the Kyoto

protocol with Annex A and Annex B countries reflecting the world as it is today? Or as it was in 1970?

The world of 2010 is complex, and in 2050?

UNEP, GEO 4 observes that “Interlinkages between drivers and pressures on the global environment make solutions complex today.”

An outdated understanding of reality?

The Secretary General’s report delivered in February this year also takes cognizance of the fact that the world has changed. Even though there is only one paragraph out of 121, it warrants mentioning:

An outdated understanding of reality? §63 “Although the primary focus of the

Millennium Development Goals is developing countries, where deprivation is most stark, deficits in human development are to be found in developed countries as well, especially among specific marginalized communities. Vulnerability, discrimination, social exclusion and gender disparities still persist in advanced countries and must not be overlooked.”

An outdated understanding of reality? Question: Is our understanding of the

world today, its problems and solutions in reality based on how we saw the world as it was back in the 1970s when aid was new and offered the world solutions it had never seen before, and we thought all what we did then, actually worked? In other words, are we walking around in 2010 with a totally outdated reality check?

What now?

Expand the targets and review the indicators?

And after 2015 – then what?

Environment and chemicals The issue of waste and chemicals, and

a related issue, called e-waste affects, to a much larger degree than has hitherto been known, the daily lives of people in slum areas. Fighting poverty and ensuring accessible and clean drinking water is closely related to the issue of chemicals and waste.

And adding these two elements to MDG 7 would make it much more relevant to all stakeholders.

Environment and health.UNEP and WHO

“Demonstrating linkages between health and environment”

Environment and health.UNEP and WHO Integration of environment

and health aspects is sorely lacking. For too long, policies regarding environment, health and economic development have been designed in parallel, not in concert.

NGOs, NSDS and MDG 7

160 NGOs in the UN ECE area, except North America, on issues related to National Sustainable Development Strategies. The following are some of the findings from these two, unfortunately rudimentary overviews we made:

NGOs, NSDS and MDG 7

Intergovernmental processes, such as the NSDS and MDG 7 have never been explained in such a way that they carry any relevance for the organisations or their work.

Whereas many of the participants had first class understanding of the problem areas they worked on, we felt that overarching knowledge was lacking on how the issues were solved or were tried to be solved by the authorities.

NGOs, NSDS and MDG 7

Whereas the participants in our workshops had an overall understanding of how their governments worked, they were suspicious as to how serious civil servants were when they had expressed a willingness to work with NGOs and other stakeholders in the field.

Because of this suspicion, it appeared NGOs had rarely responded to invitations to work with their own governments or representatives from intergovernmental institutions

NGOs, NSDS and MDG 7

Few if any knew about the UN processes such as CSD, or MGD 7 or what their respective governments thought about these processes

A few of the MEAs were known to NGOs, especially those that had relevance directly to the work these people were doing. We had experts on desertification problems, on wetlands, on species, on biology,

NGOs, NSDS and MDG 7

Translating their knowledge of the intergovernmental processes (such as the MEAs) into operating programmes in the field seemed to be difficult for the NGOs. In a number of cases it appeared that the authorities were more of a hindrance than help to NGOs.

Green Economy.

In one way, the concept of greening the economy needs to have a dominant position in goal 1 and 8.

But authority should be given to goal 7 in developing indicators and hence monitoring green economy. And to be consistent with this thinking UNEP should be mandated to be the lead agency in this matter.

Green Economy.

One small word of caution: Greening the economy is more than just making sure all businesses are producing based on renewable energy systems and according to life cycle theories and recycling their waste.

Green Economy.

Without a thorough systemic analysis, and subjecting all financial institutions to a greening system, investments, insurance, procurement systems and the IFIs, all we would accomplish would be to restart the present system with a green colour and exacerbating the flaws that brought us the financial melt-down in 2008.

Green Economy.

If we do not think differently this time,

we would just be greening the greed.

Environmental governance.Three quotes from UNEP’s GEO 4: Society has the capacity to make a

difference in the way the environment is used to underpin development and human well being.

International negotiations have stalled over equity and responsibility sharing

Effective policy responses are needed on all levels of governance

Strong Governance

Every successful and thriving society is based on a strong, respectful and good governance,

The reports I have referred to on the MDGs, including the latest one, imply the same thing.

A specific reference to governance needs to be had under Goal 7.

Rio plus 20

Two overarching themes on its agenda:

Green economy within the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication

Institutional Framework for sustainable development

Rio plus 20

The MDGs are specifically mentioned in the GA resolution text, and closing the implementation gap is one of the tasks for the conference.

The Rio plus 20: an excellent opportunity to frame the discussion on these issues as well as those of the MDGs.

Rio plus 20

Focus: If the Outcome of the Rio conference looks ahead thirty or forty years, and talks about what we can do, and not base our decisions in 2012 on an outdated reality check which by now is more than fifty years old, and use this thinking to upgrade work on the MDGs to such standards, only then can we look people in the eyes in 2015 and say, yes, we are on the way to success with the MDGs.

The intergovernmental system The intergovernmental system

is surprisingly open and accessible

The system is meaningful but not well understood

The system offers us opportunities we do not see

The system is underused, and often misused

Our focussed arenas:

first a reminder:Think globally

Focus nationallyAct locally

Our focussed arenas

Global civil servants National governments and national civil servants

Local governments Markets Decision-makers

Rio plus 20

THE ROAD-MAP TO RIO - September 2010 – until June 2012

An overview of the most Rio-relevant meetings and conferences (the list is by no means complete, and some dates and meetings will be subjected to change)

Rio plus 20

The first meeting of the Preparatory Committee for Rio Plus 20 was held from 16-18 May 2010 ,

November 1-4 (tentatively), Meeting of UN GA 2nd Committee, theme: Rio plus 20;

January, 10-11, UN Headquarters, New York, NY, USA, The first Intersessional meeting on the Rio plus 20 will take place;

Rio plus 20

March, 28 Feb – March 4, UN Headquarters, New York, NY, USA; CSD IPM – Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for CSD 19, preparing the policy document to be finalised at CSD 19 in May;

7-8 UN Headquarters, New York, NY, USA; The second meeting of the Preparatory Committee for the Rio plus 20 Conference will follow immediately after the conclusion of the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting for the nineteenth session of the Commission to discuss further the substantive themes of the Conference;

Rio plus 20

May, 2 – 13, CSD 19, UN Headquarters, New York, United States of America, This policy-year session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) will negotiate policy options related to the thematic cluster for the CSD 18-19 cycle: transport, chemicals, waste management, mining and the Ten-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns.

Rio plus 20

September, 21 – 23, Seventh “Environment for Europe” Ministerial Conference, Astana, KazakhstanThis Conference will consider two main themes: “the sustainable management of water and water-related ecosystems” and “greening the economy: mainstreaming the environment into economic development.” Focus: reduction of carbon emissions, energy efficiency, sustainable consumption and production, the reconfiguration of financing and infrastructure to better accommodate environmental considerations.

Rio plus 20

Asia, Asia Pacific, Europe, the Americas) November, 14-15-16, Rio plus 20,

The second Intersessional meeting will take place in New York, UN Headquarters.

 2012 March, 5,6,7, Rio+20, 3rd Intersessional (New York)

Rio plus 20

May 9,10, 11, Rio+20, Third prep-com,

May, 14,15,16, Rio+20 conference Rio De Janeiro, Brazil

A quote from the enlightenment:

The great enlightenment philosopher Immanuel Kant gave us all almost 250 years ago gave all a clarion call to follow:

A clarion call

“Sapere aude – Have courage to use

your own understanding”

And finally -

Thank you for your attention and interest

Says Jan-Gustav Strandenaes +47 470 18 337 Jg_str946@hotmail.com