Chance for seat on environs panel
By Faridah begum
BANGI, Tues. — Malaysia stands a good chance of being elected to the Commission for Sustainable Development which will convene in three weeks, Malaysia’s permanent representative to the United Nations, Tan Sri Razali Ismail said today.
He said Malaysia played a prominent role in enhancing the position of South countries in preparations leading to the Earth summit and in the actual event held in Rio_de Janeiro last June.
"Malaysia has done a commendable job in activating interest in conserving the environment at all levels. There is a good chance for us to claim membership to the commission," he said.
Razali was giving a public lecture on After the Earth summit: Follow-up by the United Nations at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. The talk, organised by UKM, was attended by 200 academicians and environmentalists.
The commission will have 53 elected members from the 179-member United Nations, he explained. It will be a functional arm of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
Razali said this commission was one of the tangible resolutions made at the Earth Summit which he admitted did not see many good proposals going through.
Once the members have been elected, the commission will look into national reports on the implementation of environmental programmers in the 179 countries. The UN members will have to submit a report on national programmes for the commission to review and make recommendations where possible.
"It is time for us to criticize any action which we find is not accountable and also for others to do the same," he said.
He said the most important task awaiting members of the commission is to ensure there are adequate funds from UN members to implement Agenda 21 which was presented at the Earth summit.
Agenda 21 is the blueprint for an environment and development plan of action, outlining a broad programme of activities to be undertaken by world governments.
The activities include financial resources, technology transfer, poverty, health, population, toxic waste, the atmosphere and desertification.
"Right now, we have an official development aid of $55 billion which is only half of what we actually need to implement Agenda 21 annually," he said.
However, he said that the superpowers of the world will be of no help as they too are "finance-hungry."
Razali said one of the commission’s main objectives is to highlight the unequal economic structure between developing and industrialized countries.
He said the commission would have to particularly look into discussing issues collectively as in the current set-up "the North had a tendency to veer topics into isolation."
He said industrialized countries always view topics in their individual contexts. They will never discuss economics with social implications or with the is. sue of human rights, he added.
"This is very disadvantageous for countries in the South. Besides the commission will re-establish the North-South dialogue which has ceased for the past 45 years," said Razali.
He added that while political commitment was necessary to ensure environmental issues were primary concerns in any country the main players "that will make things really happen are the people".
Source : New Straits Times January 6 1993
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