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...towards Rio plus 20, via Bali
Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Haring Woods Studio senior consultant, participated in the UN environment conference hosted by the Indonesian government in the island resort of Bali from February 20 to 26. He spent active days at the conference, attending meetings, observing negotiations, chairing sessions and carrying out two workshops.
Every meeting and sub-meeting, break out groups and so-called ‘friends of the chair’ groups at these UN conferences file their report to the conference secretariat, which again compose the reports of the meetings. At the end of a long conference, there is an abundance of written material available. Amid reading these reports, attending political discussions and carrying out bilateral lobby-efforts, Jan-Gustav gave us the following impressions for the conference.
The Nusa Dua Declaration
Nusa Dua – two islands in Balinese, has given name to a Ministerial Declaration on environmental issues, a document carrying more political significance than is discerned at first reading. The UN meeting of environment ministers, held in the Indonesian island resort of Bali, at Nusa Dua, from February 22 to 26, was the first global meeting of the UN after the Copenhagen climate debacle. And perhaps contrary to what many may be inclined to think, this meeting and its outcome is an expression of a continued and positive dedication to solve global environmental problems, including issues related to global warming and climate change. The President of Indonesia and his minister of Environment, hosts to the conference, struck an optimistic tone in their welcome addresses, an optimism largely reflected in the final outcome documents.
60 environment Ministers agree
But let not an optimistic tone belie the seriousness of the issues dealt with at the conference. Delegates from more than 130 countries participated in formulating the Nusa Dua declaration and 60 Ministers of Environment gave weight to the content: Said the Ministers in the declaration: “We are deeply concerned that our planet is confronted by climate change and other environmental and developmental crises. Current environmental challenges depend on global partnerships for solutions and represent opportunities for individuals, local communities and business and for international cooperation”.
Perhaps not a sexy agenda, still it is important
The conference, the United Nations Environment Programme’s Global Ministerial Forum, is held biannually, and the first one took place exactly ten years ago in Malmoe, Sweden. At first sight, the agenda items for this conference may not be termed sexy by the casual observer: International Environmental Governance and sustainable development”; The green economy; Biodiversity and Ecosystems; and synergies between the three conventions on chemicals- the Stockholm, Basel and Rotterdam conventions.
Would you believe, 2010 is the international year of biodiversity
2010 has been declared the International year of Biodiversity. In its own way the UN simply declares that: “Biodiversity conservation and sustainable use with equitable sharing of benefits derived from its natural services are the basis of human well-being. Vital signs for biodiversity are plummeting and the related ecosystems services seriously undermined. Biodiversity benefits are being threatened by development choices that ignore the full value of these natural services to us all and particularly the poorest. Reversing this negative trend is not only possible, but essential to human well-being.” In other words – if we continue to drive development without regard to our nature, we end up with absolutely nothing in the end.
Later this year the UN will meet in Japan to discuss the convention on biodiversity. Trying his best to be proactive, and definitely put Copenhagen in the past, a delegate said in one of the plenary sessions, somewhat exasperated: “This year has to be about doing something.” “Today’s environment is tomorrow’s economy”, said another. Both statements found their way into the president’s outcome report.
‘Greening greed’ or a new economic system
The green economy issue was another theme given much attention. The UN debates are often free of direct blaming and shaming. But without explicitly spelling out the names of the stock exchanges, many were those who pointed an angry finger to the mogul’s of Wall Street for having caused the recent economic crisis sending millions of people into poverty. The green economy discussion is only just starting, and to many it appears so far as a superficial discussion. Civil society is always represented at UN meetings, and people from this community clearly stated that a critical systemic discussion would also be needed. And unless the entire financial system is brought into the discussion, finance and investment institutions, the stock exchanges, insurance companies, the banks etc., a green economy discussion may be just an effort resulting in ‘greening the greed’.
Realising the fragility and importance of the discussion , the outcome report states: “Economic arguments for a green economy is important, but human society’s basic value systems, including the sense of justice and contributions to the Millennium Development Goals have also to be introduced into the green economy concept. Education and awareness-raising to stimulate demand for a green economy, based on local values, traditions, and codes of ethics are indispensable for motivating urgent actions before natural resources are exhausted.”
One planet, one responsibility
The UN General Assembly decided on December 24 last year to organise an international conference on sustainable development at the highest political level in 2012, a Rio plus 20 Conference as it has been called. Neither UNEP, the environment organisation of the UN was directly referred to in the UN decision, nor was there an explicit reference to environmental issues as such. Many feared that UNEP as well as environmental issues might be overlooked or sidelined at the upcoming Rio plus 20 Conference. Having a Nusa Dua declaration directly dealing with these issues was of political importance to the environment ministers and to UNEP itself. Said the Ministers: “The Rio + 20 Conference could provide an excellent opportunity and framework for changing the current environmental governance system.” One way of interpreting such a statement is to bring compliance into the picture, but also to a larger extent involve people and community based groups into the process. As such, this statement opens the way for any Place on Earth project, a project developed by the Haring Woods Studio.
The executive director of UNEP, Mr. Achim Steiner closed the meeting by saying: “The environment ministers have found their collective voice after Copenhagen.” He alluded to the motto of the conference which had been ‘One planet, one responsibility’ indicating at first it might have sounded almost like a cliché, still it should demonstrate to all that we are indeed in the same boat. He gave the final plenary the impression that optimism has regained an upper hand, an impression largely agreed to by all the delegates I spoke to.
Epilogue
I took a taxi from the conference centre back to my hotel. Traffic moved slowly, except for motorcycles, handled with uncanny dexterity by Balinese often driving at breakneck speed on either side of the road and cars. My taxi driver uttered something I translated into a local curse. “Irritatingly slow?” I offered sympathy as well as consolation. The driver eyed me for a little while in the mirror, and acquiesced. “Too many taxis and too few tourists”, he said, “we have eight taxi companies, and not a good tourist season.” “Perhaps you should have taxi-motorcycles” I said. “There are many of them around here.” My driver looked at me again and said:”There are five million people in Bali, and we have five million motorcycles.” And I thought – motorcycles are often a worse polluter than cars. I wonder how they will adapt to stricter emission standards.
Bali, February 2010
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