THE FUTURE WE WANT
I. Our
Common Vision
1. We, the heads of State and Government and high level representatives,
having met at Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20-22 June 2012, with full
participation of civil society,
renew our commitment to sustainable development, and to ensure the promotion of economically, socially and environmentally
sustainable future for our planet and for present and future generations. [Agreed
ad ref]
2. We recognize that a
central challenge for sustainable development is to eradicate poverty, taking
into account the need for a balanced approach
towards sustainable development. We reaffirm the need to promote integrated and
sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems that supports, inter alia, economic, social and human
development while facilitating ecosystem conservation, regeneration and
restoration, and resilience in the
face of new and emerging challenges.
3. We reaffirm that eradicating
poverty remains the greatest global challenge facing the world today and that,
together with changing unsustainable patterns of production and consumption and
protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social
development, poverty eradication is an overarching objective of, and essential
requirement for, sustainable development. We are committed to free humanity
from extreme poverty and hunger as a matter of urgency.
4. We reaffirm our commitment to
making every effort to accelerate the achievement of the internationally agreed
development goals, including the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.
5. We recognize that people are
at the center of sustainable development and in this regard, we strive for a
world which is just, equitable and inclusive, and we commit to work together to
promote sustained economic growth and development, social equity and
environmental sustainability, and thereby to benefit all. [Agreed ad ref]
6. We reaffirm that we continue to be guided by
the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and with full
respect for the international law and its principles.
7. We also reaffirm the importance of freedom,
peace and security, respect for all human rights, including the right to
development and the right to adequate food, the rule of law, gender equality
and the overall commitment to just and democratic societies for development.
8. We reaffirm the importance of the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights, as well as other international instruments
relating to human rights and international law. We emphasize the responsibilities
of all states, in conformity with the Charter, to respect human rights and
fundamental freedoms for all, without distinction of any kind to race, colour,
sex, language or religion, political or other opinion, national or social
origin, property, birth or other status.
9. We acknowledge that good governance and the
rule of law, at the national and international levels, as well as an enabling
environment for investments are essential for sustainable development,
including sustained and inclusive economic growth, and the eradication of
poverty and hunger. We reaffirm that to achieve our goals of sustainable
development, we need institutions at all levels that are effective,
transparent, accountable and democratic.
10. We reaffirm our commitment to
strengthening international cooperation and addressing the persistent
challenges related to sustainable development for all, in particular developing
countries, taking into account the need for enhancing gender equality and equal
opportunities for all and the protection, survival and development of children.
We also reaffirm that economic stability and sustained economic growth,
promotion of social equity, and protection of the environment are important for
eradicating poverty and improving human well-being.
11. We renew our commitment to
sustainable development, assessing the progress to date and the remaining gaps
in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable
development and addressing new and emerging challenges. We express our
determination to address herein and to take appropriate urgent action on the
themes of the Conference, namely a green economy in the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication, and the institutional framework for
sustainable development.
12. We recognize that sustainable development is
fundamentally a question of people’s opportunities to influence their lives and
future, participate in decision making and voice their concerns. Sustainable
development requires a joint effort and a concrete and urgent action of us all.
It can only be achieved with a broad alliance of people, governments, civil
society and private sector, all working together to secure the future we want
for present and future generations.
II. Renewing
Political Commitment
A. Reaffirming Rio principles and past action
plans
13. We reaffirm the Stockholm Declaration of the United Nations
Conference on the Human Environment adopted at Stockholm on 16 June 1972.
14. We also reaffirm that all the Principles contained in the Rio
Declaration on Environment and Development, will continue to guide the
international community in the achievement of sustainable development and the
future we want and will serve as the basis for cooperation, coherence and
implementation of agreed commitments, including in this outcome.
15. We reaffirm our commitment to fully implement
the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, the Programme
for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Declaration on
Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on
Sustainable Development, the Barbados Programme of Action and the Mauritius
Strategy for Implementation. We also reaffirm our commitment to the full
implementation of the Istanbul Programme of Action for Least Developed
Countries, the Almaty Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries,
the Political declaration on Africa’s development needs, and the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development, as well as our commitments in the outcomes
of all the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social
and related fields, including the UN Millennium Declaration and the 2005 World
Summit outcome, the Monterrey Consensus and the Doha Declaration on Financing
for Development, and the outcome document of the High-Level Plenary Meeting of
the UN General Assembly on the MDGs.
16. We recognize the importance of the three Rio Conventions to
advancing sustainable development and in this regard we urge all parties to
fully implement their commitments under the United Nations Framework Convention
on Climate Change, in accordance with the principle of common but
differentiated responsibilities, the Convention on Biological Diversity and the
United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification, to take effective and
concrete actions and measures at all levels, and to enhance international
cooperation.
17. We reaffirm our commitment to reinvigorate political will and
international commitment to move the sustainable development agenda forward,
and to raise the level of commitment by the international community to
implement sustainable development, including through the achievement of the
internationally agreed development goals including the Millennium Development
Goals. We therefore agree to concrete measures that accelerate implementation
of sustainable development commitments.
B. Advancing Integration, Implementation, and Coherence: Assessing the
progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes
of the major summits on sustainable development and addressing new and emerging
challenges
18. We
recognize that the twenty years since the Earth Summit in 1992 have seen
progress, including in sustainable development and poverty eradication. We also
recognize the need to accelerate progress in closing development gaps between
developed and developing countries, and to create new opportunities through
economic growth and diversification, to collectively address the issue of
sustainable development. We recognize the need to make progress in implementing
previous commitments. To this end, we underscore the continued need for an
enabling economic environment, strengthened international cooperation,
particularly in the areas of finance, debt, trade, and technology transfer as mutually
agreed, and innovation and entrepreneurship, capacity building, and the full
and effective participation of all countries in global decision making.
19. We acknowledge that since 1992
there have been areas of insufficient progress and setbacks in the integration
of the three dimensions of sustainable development, aggravated by multiple financial, economic,
food and energy crises, which have threatened the ability of all countries, in
particular developing countries, to achieve sustainable development.
20. We are deeply concerned
that one in five people on this planet, or over one billion people, still live
in extreme poverty, and that one in seven or 14% is undernourished, while
pandemics and epidemics remain omnipresent threats. We acknowledge that with
the world’s population projected to exceed nine billion by 2050, we need to
increase our efforts to achieve sustainable development and in particular, the
eradication of poverty and hunger.
21. We recognize examples of progress in sustainable
development at regional, national, sub-national and local levels. We note that efforts to achieve sustainable development have been
reflected in regional, national and sub-national policies and plans, and that
governments have strengthened their commitment to sustainable development since
the adoption of Agenda 21 through legislation and institutions, and the
development and implementation of international, regional and sub-regional
agreements and commitments. [Agreed ad
ref]
22. We are concerned that despite efforts by
Governments and other stakeholders in all countries, there remain major
challenges to sustainable development and greater efforts are essential to
achieve sustainable development, including the need for greater coherence among
social, environmental and economic policies and implementation modalities in
support of sustainable development. Therefore, we resolve to proactively
address the remaining barriers and gaps in the implementation of
internationally agreed commitments.
23. We reaffirm the importance of supporting
developing countries in their efforts to promote empowerment of the poor, marginalized groups and people in vulnerable
situations, including removing barriers to opportunity and enhancing productive
capacity, developing sustainable agriculture, and promoting full and
productive employment and decent work for all, complemented by effective social
policies, with a view to achieving the internationally agreed development
goals, including the MDGs.
24. We express deep concern about the continuing
high levels of unemployment and underemployment, particularly among young
people, and note the need for sustainable development strategies to proactively
address youth employment and stress the need for the development of a global strategy
on youth employment.
[14.
ter We reaffirm the need to take further effective measures to remove
obstacles to the realization of the right of peoples to self-determination, in
particular peoples living under colonial and foreign occupation, which continue
to adversely affect their economic and social development as well as their
environment and are incompatible with the dignity and worth of the human person
and must be combated and eliminated. People under foreign occupation must be
protected in accordance with the provisions of international humanitarian law.
–G77; Canada, US delete; EU, Turkey reserves]
[14. quat We also reaffirm that in accordance with
the Declaration on the Principles of International Law concerning Friendly
Relations and Cooperation among States in accordance with the Charter of the
United Nations, this shall not be construed as authorizing or encouraging any
action which would dismember or impair, totally or in part, the territorial
integrity or political unity of sovereign and independent States conducting
themselves in compliance with the principle of equal rights and
self-determination of peoples and thus possessed of a Government representing
the whole people belonging to the territory without distinction of any kind.
–G77; US, Canada delete; EU, Turkey reserves]
25. We recognize that many people, especially the
poor, depend directly on ecosystems for their livelihoods, their economic,
social and physical well-being, and their cultural heritage. For this reason,
it is essential to generate decent jobs and incomes that decrease disparities
in standards of living to better meet
people’s needs and promote sustainable livelihoods and practices and the
sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystems. [Agreed ad ref]
26. We emphasize that sustainable development must be
inclusive and people-centered, benefiting and involving all people, including
youth and children. We recognize that gender equality
and women’s empowerment are important for sustainable development and our
common future. In this regard, we reaffirm our commitments to the Cairo
Programme of Action, the Beijing Declaration and the Beijing Platform for
Action to ensure women’s equal rights, access and opportunities for
participation and leadership in the economy, society and political decision
making.
27. We recognize that each
country faces specific challenges to achieve sustainable development and we
underscore the special challenges facing the most vulnerable countries and in
particular African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing
countries, small island developing States and middle-income countries.
Countries in situations of conflict also need special attention.
28. We reaffirm our commitment to take urgent and
concrete action to address the vulnerability of small island developing states
(SIDS), including through the sustained implementation of the Mauritius
Strategy and BPOA, and underscore the urgency of finding additional solutions
to the major challenges facing small island developing States in a concerted
manner so as to support them in sustaining momentum realized in implementing
the BPoA and MSI and achieving sustainable development.
29. We reaffirm that the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least
Developed Countries for the Decade 2011-2020 outlines LDCs’ priorities for
sustainable development and defines a framework for renewed and strengthened
global partnership to implement them.
We commit to assist LDCs with the implementation of the IPOA as well as their
efforts to achieve sustainable development. [Agreed ad ref]
30. We recognize that more attention should be given to Africa and the
implementation of previously agreed commitments related to its development
needs that were made at major UN Summits and Conferences. We note that while
aid to Africa has increased in recent years, it still lags behind commitments
that were previously made. We underscore the key priority for the international
community of supporting Africa’s sustainable development efforts. In this
regard, we recognize the urgency to fully implement the internationally agreed
commitments related to Africa’s development needs, particularly those contained
in the United Nations Millennium Declaration, the Declaration on the New
Partnership for Africa’s Development, the Monterrey Consensus of the
International Conference on Financing for Development, the Plan of
Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Johannesburg
Plan of Implementation) and the 2005 World Summit Outcome as well as the 2008
Political Declaration on Africa’s development needs.
31. We recognize the serious
constraints to achieve sustainable development in all its three dimensions in
landlocked developing countries. In this regard, we reaffirm our commitment to
address special development needs and the challenges faced by landlocked and
transit developing countries through the full and effective implementation of
the Almaty Programme of Action as contained in the Declaration on the mid-term
review.
32. We recognize the progress
made by middle-income countries in improving the well-being of their people, as
well as the specific development challenges they face and the need to
adequately support their efforts to eradicate poverty, reduce
inequalities, and achieve their development goals, including the MDGs, and to achieve sustainable development in a comprehensive manner
integrating the economic, social and environmental dimensions.
33. We recognize that the
planet Earth and its ecosystem are our home and that Mother Earth is a common
expression in a number of countries and regions. We are convinced that in order
to achieve a just balance among the economic, social and environment needs of
present and future generations, it is necessary to promote harmony with nature.
34. We call for holistic and integrated approaches
to sustainable development which will guide humanity to live in harmony with
nature and lead to efforts to restore the health and integrity of the Earth's
ecosystem. [Agreed ad ref]
35. We acknowledge the natural and cultural
diversity of the world and recognize that all cultures and civilizations can
contribute to sustainable development. [Agreed ad ref]
C. Engaging major groups and other
stakeholders [Agreed ad ref]
36. We reaffirm the key role of all levels of government
and legislative bodies in promoting sustainable development. We further
acknowledge efforts and progress made at the local and sub-national levels, and
recognize the important role that such authorities and communities can play in
implementing sustainable development, including by engaging citizens and
stakeholders, and providing them with relevant information, as appropriate, on
the three dimensions of sustainable development. We further acknowledge the
need to include decision makers at all levels into planning and implementation
of sustainable development policies.
37. We underscore
that broad public participation and access to information and judicial and
administrative proceedings are essential to the promotion of sustainable
development. Sustainable development requires the meaningful involvement and
active participation of all Major Groups – women, children and youth,
indigenous peoples, non-governmental organisations, local authorities, workers
and trade unions, business and industry, the scientific and technological
community, and farmers – and other relevant stakeholders, including regional,
national and sub-national parliaments and judiciaries, voluntary associations
and foundations, migrants as well as older persons and persons with disabilities.
In this regard, we agree to work more closely with Major Groups and other
stakeholders and encourage their active participation in decision making,
planning and implementation of policies and programmes for sustainable
development at all levels including through the contribution of their specific
views, knowledge and practical know-how.
38. We acknowledge the role of civil society and
the importance of enabling all members of civil society to be actively engaged
in sustainable development. We recognize that improved participation of civil
society depends upon strengthening access to information and building civil
society capacity. We recognize that information and communication technology
(ICT) is making it easier for Governments to share information with the public
and for the public to hold decision makers accountable. In this regard, it is
essential to work towards improved access to ICT, especially broadband networks
and services, and bridge the digital divide.
39. We underscore that women have a vital role to
play in achieving sustainable development. We recognize the leadership role of
women and we resolve to promote gender equality and women’s empowerment and to
ensure their full and effective participation in sustainable development
policies, programmes and decision-making at all levels. [Agreed ad ref]
40. We acknowledge the implementation of
sustainable development will depend on active engagement of both the public and
private sectors. We recognise that the active participation of the private
sector can contribute to the achievement of sustainable development, including
through the important tool of public-private partnerships. We support
regulatory and policy frameworks that enable business and industry to advance
sustainable development initiatives in accordance with national legislation and
objectives, taking into account the importance of applying standards of
corporate social responsibility and accountability.
41. We acknowledge the importance of corporate sustainability reporting
and, encourage public and private companies, where appropriate, including all
listed and large public companies to integrate sustainability information into
their reporting cycle, building on the experience of already existing national
and international reporting frameworks. We recognize the need for global best
practices on sustainability reporting.
42. We recognize the important contribution of the
scientific and technological community to sustainable development. We are
committed to working more closely with academia and the scientific and
technological community in all countries, in particular in developing
countries, to strengthen the science-policy interface as well as to foster
sharing of knowledge and information and international research collaboration.
43. We stress the
importance of the participation of indigenous peoples in the achievement of
sustainable development. We also recognize the importance of the UN Declaration
on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in the context of global, regional, national,
and sub-national implementation of sustainable development strategies. [Agreed ad ref]
44. We stress the importance of the active
participation of young people in decision making processes as the issues we are
addressing have a deep impact on present and future generations, and as the
contribution of children and youth is vital to the achievement of sustainable
development. We also recognize the need to promote intergenerational dialogue
and solidarity by recognizing their views.
45. We stress the importance of the participation
of workers and trade unions to the promotion of sustainable development. As the
representatives of working people, trade unions are important partners in
facilitating the achievement of sustainable development in particular the
social dimension. Information, education and training on sustainability at all
levels, including in the workplace, are key to strengthening workers’ and trade
unions’ capacity to support sustainable development.
46. We recognize
that farmers, including small-scale farmers and fishers, pastoralists and
foresters, can make important contributions to sustainable development if
production activities are environmentally sound, enhance food security and the
livelihood of the poor, and invigorate production and sustained economic
growth.
47. We note the valuable contributions of
non-governmental organisations in promoting sustainable development through
their well-established and diverse experience, expertise and capacity,
especially in the area of analysis, sharing of information, promotion of
dialogue and support of implementation of sustainable development.
48. We acknowledge the central role of the United
Nations, as well as the important contributions of other relevant international
organizations in advancing the sustainable development agenda, encouraging and
facilitating close cooperation among states, as well as between states and
other stakeholders, and mobilizing resources for sustainable development.
49. We commit ourselves to invigorating the global
partnership for sustainable development that we launched in Rio in 1992. We
recognize the need to impart new momentum to our cooperative pursuit of
sustainable development, and commit to work together with Major Groups and
other stakeholders in addressing implementation gaps.
III. Green
Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication
50. We recognize that there are
different approaches, visions, models and tools available to each country, in
accordance with its national circumstances and priorities, to achieve our
overarching goals to eradicate poverty and achieve the three dimensions of sustainable
development in an integrated manner. In this regard, we consider a green
economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication as a valuable tool for achieving sustainable development and we
acknowledge that it can provide options for policy making but is not a rigid
set of rules. We emphasize that it should contribute to eradicating poverty as
well as sustained economic growth, enhancing social inclusion, improving human
welfare and creating new opportunities for employment and decent work for all, while
maintaining the healthy functioning of the Earth’s ecosystems.
51. We affirm that the development
and implementation of policies for a green economy in the context of
sustainable development and poverty eradication should be guided by and in
accordance with all the Rio principles, Agenda 21 and the JPOI, and contribute
towards achieving relevant internationally
agreed development goals including the MDGs, recognizing national capabilities
and priorities.
52. We affirm that green economy
policies in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication
should:
(a)
respect each country’s national sovereignty and right to
development, as well as its national circumstances, objectives and priorities
with regard to the three dimensions of sustainable development;
(b)
be supported by an
enabling environment and well-functioning institutions at all levels with a leading
role for governments and with the participation of all relevant
stakeholders;
(c)
promote sustained and inclusive economic growth, foster innovation
and provide opportunities, benefits and empowerment for all, while taking into
account the needs of developing countries, particularly those in special
situations;
(d)
strengthen international cooperation, mobilize the efforts of all countries and
means of implementation from all sources, and avoid unwarranted
conditionalities on ODA and finance;
(e)
avoid creating trade measures that constitute a means of arbitrary
or unjustifiable discrimination or a disguised restriction on international
trade;
(f)
contribute to closing technology gaps between developed and
developing countries and reduce the technological dependence of developing
countries;
(g) enhance the welfare of indigenous peoples and their
communities and other local communities, recognizing and supporting their
identity, culture and interests and avoid endangering their cultural heritage
and traditional knowledge;
(h) enhance the welfare of women, children, youth, people
with disabilities, small and subsistence farmers, fishers and those working in
small and medium enterprises, and support the livelihoods and development of
people in vulnerable situations;
(i)
promote pro-poor productive activities in developing countries;
(j)
acknowledge that countries’ priorities, based on national circumstances,
include, inter-alia, eradicating poverty, education, health, food, water and
energy for the basic well being of people;
(k) preserve and promote community practices and non-market
approaches that have demonstrated to be useful in eradicating poverty and
protecting the environment;
(l)
address the concern about inequalities between and within countries
and the related concentration of income and wealth.
53. We view the implementation of
green economy policies in the context of sustainable development and poverty
eradication as a common undertaking, and recognize that each country can choose
an appropriate path towards a fair and inclusive future in accordance with
national sustainable development plans, strategies and priorities, while taking
into account that activities within
their jurisdiction or control do not cause damage to the environment of other
States or of areas beyond the limits of national jurisdiction.
54. We acknowledge that green economy in the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication should
strive to enhance our ability to manage natural resources sustainably
and with lower environmental impacts,
increase resource use efficiency and
reduce waste, promote the conservation, management and sustainable use of
biodiversity and ecosystem services, and promote sustainable consumption and
production patterns towards the achievement of sustainable development.
55. We urge all countries as
appropriate, to implement green
economy policies in the context of sustainable development and poverty
eradication that have the potential
to drive sustainable growth and innovation and the creation of green jobs and decent
work, particularly for women and youth
and people in vulnerable situations. We
note the importance of ensuring that workers are equipped with the necessary
skills, including through education and capacity building, and are provided
with the necessary social and health protections. In this regard, we encourage
business and industry to contribute, as appropriate. We also encourage
governments to improve knowledge and statistical capacity on job trends,
developments and constraints and integrate relevant data into national statistics.
56. We call for the integration of social and
environmental costs in all decision making and policy making and acknowledge
that it will be important to take into account the effectiveness, opportunities
and challenges of green economy in the context of sustainable development and
poverty eradication, as well as its environmental, social and economic
benefits, costs and risks, using the best available scientific data and
analysis. We acknowledge that a mix of regulatory measures, voluntary approaches
and market-based mechanisms can promote inclusive green economy and reaffirm
that a framework of social policies at all levels is vital to promoting
sustainable development.
57. We
acknowledge that partnerships, networking at all levels and experience sharing
can help countries to learn from one another in identifying appropriate green
economy policies to promote sustainable development and poverty eradication. We
note the positive experiences in some countries, including in developing
countries, in adopting green economy policies that promote sustainable
development and poverty eradication through an inclusive approach and welcome
the voluntary exchange of experiences as well as capacity building in the different
areas of sustainable development.
58. We
recognize the power of communications technologies, including connection
technologies and innovative applications to promote knowledge exchange and
capacity building for a green economy in the context of sustainable development
and poverty eradication. These technologies and applications build capacity,
enable the sharing of experiences and knowledge in the different areas of
sustainable development, foster transparency and accountability by governments,
and encourage and stimulate broader participation from a variety of
stakeholders in producing and utilizing the open, accurate and credible data
required for sound, scientifically-based policy making.
59. We
encourage all countries to design and implement policies related to a green
economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. We
support the creation of a capacity development scheme involving UN agencies,
multilateral and bilateral donors and the private sector to provide country
specific advice, in accordance with national circumstances and priorities, and
assist developing countries in accessing available funds and technologies. We
support utilizing international platforms and partnerships that enable
interested countries and major groups to share policy options and best practices,
provide country-specific advice, and assist developing countries, upon request,
in accessing available funds and technologies. In this regard, we acknowledge
the ongoing efforts to create and launch platforms such as the Green Growth
Knowledge Platform, and we encourage relevant institutions, the UN system and
stakeholders to join in this effort on a voluntary basis. We further
acknowledge that the capacity development scheme and these platforms should
take fully into account the priority needs of developing countries, be
demand-driven and accountable, voluntary, established on mutually agreed terms,
respect national differences and priorities, and include:
a)
toolboxes of good practices in applying green economy policies in
the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication at all levels;
b)
sets of models or good examples of inclusive green economy
strategies;
c)
voluntary mechanisms to promote development of, and access to,
shared databases under mutually agreed terms, that countries, civil society and
the private sector can use to assess and evaluate progress;
d)
sets of methodologies for policy evaluation and of relevant indicators
to measure progress; and
e)
directories to facilitate access to technical assistance, training,
finance, technology and capacity building for countries that request assistance.
60. We
invite all countries to consult in their decision-making processes with
relevant major groups and national legislatures, as appropriate, on matters
related to a green economy in the context of sustainable development and
poverty eradication, and invite the voluntary sharing of experiences and
expertise in this regard including in the appropriate institutional framework
for sustainable development as described in Section IV below.
61. We
underscore the importance of governments taking a leadership role in developing
policies and strategies through an inclusive and transparent process. We also
take note of the efforts of those countries, including developing countries, that
have already initiated processes to prepare national green economy strategies
and policies.
62. We
invite all countries and other relevant stakeholders, including the UN Regional
Commissions, UN organizations and bodies, other relevant intergovernmental and
regional organizations, International Financial Institutions and major groups
involved in sustainable development, according to their respective mandates, to
work together to support developing countries, upon request, in the development
of strategies and policies to achieve a green economy in the context of
sustainable development and poverty eradication, in particular in the Least
Developed Countries.
63. We
invite business and industry to consult with relevant stakeholders in a
transparent manner to take a green economy approach to achieving results
including greening their supply chains in achieving the goals of their
sustainability strategies.
64. We
encourage existing and new partnerships, in particular public-private
partnerships, to mobilize significant financing from the private sector,
complementing public financing. In this regard, governments should support
initiatives for promoting the contribution of the private sector.
65. We
recognize the critical role of technology as well as the importance of promoting
innovation and urge governments, as appropriate, to create enabling frameworks
that foster and promote investment in technology and provide incentives for
R&D and innovation to support green economy in the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication.
66. We
recognise the efforts of developing countries in implementing green economy
policies in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication
should be supported through the provision of means of implementation, including
financial, technical and technological assistance, such as the transfer of
environmentally-sound technology as mutually agreed, as well as capacity
building.
67. We
recognise the importance of gathering all relevant economic, social and
environmental information and data and of making the information available to
the public and policy makers for the achievement of green economy in the
context of sustainable development and poverty eradication. In this regard,
support should be provided to developing countries to enable them to assess
their progress and enhance the effectiveness of their national policies and
programs.
IV. Institutional
framework for sustainable development
A. Strengthening the three dimensions of sustainable development
68. We underscore the importance of a strengthened institutional
framework for sustainable development which responds coherently and effectively
to current and future challenges and efficiently bridges gaps in the
implementation of the sustainable development agenda. The institutional
framework for sustainable development should integrate the three dimensions of
sustainable development in a balanced manner by strengthening coherence,
coordination, review, avoiding duplication of efforts and monitoring the
progress in implementing sustainable development. We also reaffirm that the
framework should be inclusive, transparent and effective and that it should
find common solutions related to global challenges to sustainable development. [Agreed ad ref, G77 check]
69. We recognize that effective governance at local, sub-national,
national, regional and global levels representing the voices and interests of
all is critical for advancing sustainable development. The strengthening and
reform of the institutional framework should not be an end in itself, but a
means to achieve sustainable development. We recognize that the institutional
framework for sustainable development at the international level should build
on Agenda 21, and JPOI and its objectives on the institutional framework for
sustainable development, and take into account national priorities. We
therefore resolve to strengthen the institutional framework for sustainable
development, which will, inter alia:
(a)
Promote the balanced
integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development.
(b)
Be based on an action- and
result-oriented approach giving due regard to all relevant cross-cutting
issues.
(c)
Underscore the importance of
interlinkages among key issues and challenges and the need for a systematic
approach to them at all relevant levels.
(d)
Emphasize the importance of
broadening and strengthening the participation of all countries including developing
countries in decision-making of the UN System and the governance structures of
the IFIs and financial mechanisms of MEAs.
(e)
Engage high level political
leaders, provide policy guidance, as well as identify specific actions to
promote effective implementation of sustainable development, including through
voluntary sharing of experiences and lessons learned.
(f)
Strengthen the science-policy
interface through inclusive, evidence-based and transparent scientific
assessments, as well as access to reliable, relevant and timely data in areas
related to the three dimensions of sustainable development, building on
existing mechanisms, as appropriate; in this regard, strengthen participation
of all countries in international sustainable development processes and
capacity building especially for developing countries, including in conducting
their own monitoring and assessments. [Agreed
ad ref; G77 to revert]
(g)
Enhance the participation,
effective engagement of civil society and other relevant stakeholders, as
appropriate, and in this regard promote transparency and broad public
participation and partnerships to implement sustainable development.
(h)
Enhance and strengthen
monitoring and review on progress made in the implementation of sustainable
development commitments contained in Agenda 21, the JPOI, and other relevant outcomes
of UN conferences and summits;
(i)
Enhance coherence, reduce
fragmentation and overlap and increase effectiveness and efficiency, while
reinforcing coordination and cooperation.
B. Strengthening intergovernmental
arrangements for sustainable development
70. We acknowledge the vital importance of an inclusive, transparent,
reformed and strengthened, and effective multilateral system in order to better
address the urgent global challenges of sustainable development today,
recognizing the universality and central role of the United Nations, and
reaffirming our commitment to promote and strengthen the effectiveness and
efficiency of the United Nations system.
71. We underscore the need to promote cooperative efforts to better
integrate the three dimensions of sustainable development both within and
outside the United Nations system, including through exchange of information
among the agencies, funds and programmes of the UN System, and also with the
international financial institutions and other relevant organizations such as
the World Trade Organization, within their respective mandates while ensuring
appropriate accountability to Member States.
72. We emphasize the need for an improved and more effective
institutional framework for sustainable development that should: be guided by
the specific functions required and mandates involved; address the shortcomings
of the current system; take into account all relevant implications; promote
synergies and coherence; seek to avoid duplication and eliminate unnecessary
overlaps within the UN system; and, reduce administrative burdens, and build on
existing arrangements. [Agreed ad ref]
73. We reaffirm the role and authority of the General Assembly on
global matters of concern to the international community, as set out in the
Charter.
74. We further reaffirm the central position of the General Assembly
as the chief deliberative, policy-making and representative organ of the United
Nations. In this regard, we call for the General Assembly to further integrate
sustainable development as a key element of the overarching framework for
United Nations activities and adequately address sustainable development in its
agenda setting, including through periodic high-level dialogues.
Economic and Social Council
75. We reaffirm that the Economic and Social Council is a principal
body for policy review, policy dialogue and recommendations on issues of
economic and social development and for the follow-up to the Millennium
Development Goals and a central mechanism for the coordination of the United
Nations system and supervision of the Council’s subsidiary bodies, in
particular its functional commissions, and for promoting the implementation of
Agenda 21 by strengthening system-wide coherence and coordination. We also
reaffirm the major role the Council plays in the overall coordination of funds,
programmes and specialized agencies, ensuring coherence among them and avoiding
duplication of mandates and activities. [Agreed
ad ref]
76. We further reaffirm the need to continue strengthening of
ECOSOC as a principal organ in the integrated and coordinated follow-up of the
outcomes of all major UN Conferences and summits in the economic, social and
related fields, and recognize its role for achieving a balanced integration and
implementation of the three dimensions of sustainable development, within its
mandate.
High level political forum
77. We decide to establish an intergovernmental high level
political forum with universal membership, building on existing relevant
structures or bodies including the Commission on Sustainable Development. The
high level political forum shall follow up on the implementation of the
sustainable development commitments contained in Agenda 21, JPOI, BPOA, MSI,
the outcome of this Conference, and other relevant outcomes of major UN summits
and Conferences
78. The high level political forum shall provide political guidance
and enhance the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development
at all levels, promote system-wide participation and coordination, including of
MEAs, UN Agencies funds and programmes, as well as other relevant multilateral
financial and trade institutions, as appropriate and in accordance with their
respective mandates. The high level forum shall review progress in the
implementation of sustainable development commitments; promote the sharing of
best practices and experiences relating to the implementation of sustainable
development; promote more intensive participation Major Groups and other
relevant stakeholders; and strengthen the science-policy-interface. The high
level forum shall have a focused, dynamic and action-oriented agenda, ensuring
the appropriate consideration of new and emerging sustainable development
challenges.
79. We decide to launch a universal, intergovernmental and
open-ended negotiation process under the General Assembly to define the high
level forum’s form, level of participation, terms of reference, organizational
aspects, and its relationship with the General Assembly and ECOSOC, with the
aim of convening the first meeting of the high level forum during the 68th
session of the General Assembly.
Note: The Co-Chairs have retained
unchanged paragraphs 49 alt to 49 alt ter of the compilation text as at 4
May.
[Sustainable Development Council]
[[Sustainable
Development Council – Japan, Mexico delete]
49 alt. We resolve to transform the CSD into a
Sustainable Development Council that will serve as the authoritative,
high-level body for consideration of matters relating to the integration of
the three dimensions of sustainable development
[49 alt. We
resolve to [transform / replace – Norway]
the CSD [into / by – Norway] a
Sustainable Development Council that will [report directly to the General Assembly and – Norway] serve as
the authoritative, high-level body [subsidiary
to the General Assembly – Liechtenstein] for consideration of [matters
relating to the integration of the three dimensions of – Liechtenstein
delete] sustainable development [,
while avoiding duplication of the tasks carried out by the ECOSOC. – Norway,
Republic of Korea] [on a regular basis throughout the year – Liechtenstein.]
[,ensuring the full involvement of relevant UN agencies and bodies as well as
the IFIs, and endowed with, inter alia, a review mechanism of countries’
sustainable development performances-EU]– G77 bracket; Japan, Mexico delete]
49 alt.
bis The work of the Council
should be based on fundamental documents on sustainable development such as
Agenda 21, the Rio principles and related outcomes. The Council should, inter
alia, fully carry out the functions and mandates of the Commission for
Sustainable Development. It would be guided by the need to promote
integration of the three pillars of sustainable development, promote
effective implementation at all levels and promote effective institutional
coherence. It should help in enhancing the involvement of all stakeholders,
particularly major groups, in the follow-up of Rio+20.
[49 alt. bis The
work of the Council should be based on fundamental documents on sustainable
development such as Agenda 21, the Rio principles [, the JPoI-EU] and related outcomes. [The Council should, inter
alia, [fully carry out the
functions and mandates of the Commission for Sustainable Development-EU
delete] / address emerging issues and
review progress on sustainable development – Norway]. [It would be guided
by the need to promote integration of the three pillars of sustainable
development, [address emerging issues
and review sustainability progress, with meetings held on a regular basis
throughout the year and – Switzerland] promote effective implementation
at all levels and promote effective institutional coherence [basing its work on a strong
science-policy interface. Building on and strengthening those CSD working
methods worth preserving, it-EU, Serbia] [, including building the stronger links between its program of work and
the activities of the relevant regional bodies and national councils for
sustainable development. – Montenegro, Serbia; RoK move to para 61] [within
the UN system. The Council should address emerging issues and review
sustainability progress and The Council would develop a peer review mechanism
that would encourage states, in a constructive spirit, to explain their
policies, to share experiences and lessons learned, and to fulfil their
commitments. – Switzerland] [It should aim at high-level political attendance
from all three dimensions of sustainable development and be mandated to make
decisions and assess progress according to national commitments. – Norway] It
should [also – Switzerland] [engage relevant international
institutions and – Norway] help [in – Republic of Korea delete]
[enhancing/ensuring – EU] the involvement of all stakeholders, particularly
major groups, [by endowing civil
society representatives an enhanced participation status – EU] in the
follow-up of Rio+20. – G77 bracket; Japan, Mexico delete]
[49 alt bis alt. The
work of the Council should be based on fundamental documents on sustainable
development such as Agenda 21, the Rio principles and related outcomes. The
Council should fully carry out the functions and mandates of the Commission
for Sustainable Development. It would be guided by the need to promote
integration of the three pillars of sustainable development, review
implementation, progress, and policy development on sustainable development
at all levels, and to further promote dialogue, partnerships, and meaningful
participation of all stakeholders, in particular governments and major groups
and international or regional forums and organizations dealing with matters
of global concern. The Council should also be mandated to:
a) Support governments at all levels in moving
towards a green economy and in developing and implementing their own
sustainable development policies;
b) Address emerging issues, including
developing policy recommendations and initiating responses;
d) Promote effective implementation of
sustainable development, including through accountability and monitoring
mechanisms such as a periodic review;
e) Prepare through joint effort
with the heads of relevant international organizations, including relevant
United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, the private
sector and other relevant stakeholders, a regular global sustainable
development outlook report that brings together information and assessments
currently dispersed across institutions, and analyses them in an integrated
way; - Liechtenstein]
[Pre 49 alt ter The work of the Council should not create
institutional overlaps, but rather promote effective coordination and
coherence within the UN system. – Liechtenstein]
[Pre 49 alt ter bis A
key task for the Council should be to ensure effective implementation,
accountability and exchange of experiences through a periodic review of
national performance. – Norway]
49
alt ter. We request the President of the General Assembly to conduct
open, transparent and inclusive negotiations, with the aim of establishing
the mandate, modalities, functions, size, composition, membership, working
methods and procedures of the Council and report on the outcome before the
end of the 67th session of the General Assembly.
[49 alt ter We request [the President of the
General Assembly to conduct open, transparent and inclusive negotiations,
with the aim of establishing the mandate, modalities, functions, size,
composition, membership, working methods and procedures of the Council and
report on the outcome / the
Secretary-General to develop proposals to give effect to these reforms for
consideration by the General Assembly –EU] before the end of the 67th
session of the General Assembly. – G77 bracket; Japan, Mexico delete]
|
80. We agree to further consider the establishment or appointment
of a High-level Representative for Sustainable Development and Future
Generations, possibly to be located within an existing office as the high-level
voice called upon to promote an integrated and coherent approach to sustainable
development through continuous dialogue with policy-makers, the UN system and
civil society.
C. Environmental pillar
81. We reaffirm the need to strengthen international environmental
governance within the context of the institutional framework for sustainable
development, in order to promote a balanced integration of the economic, social
and environmental dimensions of sustainable development.
82. We are committed to strengthening the role of the United
Nations Environment Programme that promotes the coherent implementation of the
environmental dimension of sustainable development. We reaffirm resolution 2997
(XXVII) of 15 December 1972 which established UNEP and other relevant
resolutions that reinforce its mandate, as well as the 1997 Nairobi and 2000
Malmö Ministerial Declarations. In this regard, strengthening UNEP should have
the following aims and objectives:
(a)
Establish universal
membership in the Governing Council of UNEP, as well as other measures to
strengthen its governance and accountability to Member States;
(b)
Serve as an authoritative
advocate for the global environment.
(c)
Have secure, stable,
adequate and predictable financial contributions to fulfil its mandate;
(d)
Have the authority to adequately
fulfil its coordination mandate within the UN System;
(e)
Undertake efforts to enhance
synergies among multilateral environmental agreements, where feasible and
appropriate;
(f)
Promote the science-policy
interface, building on existing international instruments, assessments, panels
and information networks;
(g)
Disseminate environmental
information and raise awareness on critical environmental issues;
(h)
Provide capacity building to
countries support and facilitate access to technology;
(i)
Be based in Nairobi and have
a strengthened regional presence in order to assist improved implementation at
the national level, working closely with other relevant entities of the UN
system.
83 alt 1. We invite the General Assembly to strengthen UNEP by
giving effect to the above measures, by the end of the 67th session.
83 alt 2. We resolve to establish a UN specialized agency for the
environment, operating on an equal footing with other UN specialized agencies.
In this regard, we decide to establish an Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee
to prepare the statute for such a specialized agency, for consideration by the
General Assembly before the end of its 67th session.
84. We recognize the significant contributions to sustainable
development made by the multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). We acknowledge the work already undertaken to
enhance synergies among the three Conventions in the chemicals and waste
cluster (the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions). We encourage parties
to MEAs to consider further measures, in these and other clusters, as
appropriate, to promote policy coherence at all relevant levels, improve
efficiency, reduce unnecessary overlap and duplication, and enhance
coordination and cooperation among MEAs, including the three Rio Conventions as
well as with the UN system in the field.
85. We stress the need for the continuation of a regular review of
the state of the Earth and in this regard, we welcome such initiatives as the
Global Environmental Outlook process aimed at bringing together information and
assessments to support informed decision making.
D. IFIs and UN operational
activities
86. We recognize that sustainable development should be given due
consideration by the IFIs, and the United Nations Conference on Trade and
Development (UNCTAD) and other relevant entities, in accordance with their
respective existing mandates. In this regard, we invite them to further enhance
mainstreaming of sustainable development in their respective mandates,
programs, strategies and decision-making processes, in support of all countries
in particular developing countries’ efforts in the achievement of sustainable
development. [Agreed ad ref]
87. We reaffirm the need to continue to broaden and strengthen the
participation of developing countries in international economic decision-making
and norm-setting, take note of recent important decisions on reform of the
governance structures, quotas and voting rights of the Bretton Woods
institutions, better reflecting current realities and enhancing the voice and
participation of developing countries, and reaffirms the need to continue the
reform of the governance of those institutions in order to deliver more
effective, credible, accountable and legitimate institutions.
88. We call for the further mainstreaming of the three dimensions
of sustainable development throughout the UN System, and request the
Secretary-General to report to the GA through ECOSOC on the progress made in
this regard. We also call for and recognize the importance of the strengthening
of policy coordination within key UN Secretariat structures so as to ensure
system-wide coherence in support of sustainable development, while ensuring
accountability to Member States.
89. We call on the governing bodies of the funds, programmes and
specialized agencies of the UN development system to consider appropriate
measures for integrating the social, economic and environmental dimensions
across the UN System’s operational activities. We also emphasize that
increasing the financial contributions to the United Nations development system
is key to achieving the internationally agreed development goals, including the
Millennium Development Goals, and in this regard we recognize the mutually
reinforcing links among increased effectiveness, efficiency and coherence of
the United Nations development system, achieving concrete results in assisting
developing countries in eradicating poverty and achieving sustained economic
growth and sustainable development. In this context, we note the importance of
the quadrennial comprehensive policy review (QCPR).
90. We emphasise the need to strengthen operational activities for
development of the UN system in the field that are well aligned with national
sustainable development priorities of developing countries. In this regard, we
emphasize that the fundamental principles of UN operational activities set
forth in the relevant UN GA resolutions provide the overarching framework for
all matters pertaining to the UN development assistance operations in the
field. We recognize the importance of strengthening UN system coordination, and
in this regard welcome the independent evaluation of the “Delivering as one”
initiative.
91. We call on the UN system to set an example of sustainability
management in its facilities and operations, building on existing efforts and
within existing resources.
E. Regional, national,
sub-national, local [Agreed ad ref]
92. We acknowledge the importance of the
regional dimension of sustainable development. Regional frameworks can
complement and facilitate effective translation of global policies into
concrete action at national level. [Agreed
ad ref]
93. We encourage regional, national,
sub-national and local authorities as appropriate to develop and utilize
sustainable development strategies as key instruments for guiding
decision-making and implementation of sustainable development at all levels. We
recognize that integrated social, economic, and environmental data and
information is important to decision-making processes and should be based on
effective national monitoring and assessment capacity at the appropriate
levels.
94. We emphasize that regional and
sub-regional organizations, including the UN regional commissions and their
sub-regional offices, have a significant role to play in promoting a balanced
integration of the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable
development in their respective regions. We underscore the need to support
these institutions, including through the UN system, in the effective
operationalization and implementation of sustainable development, and to
facilitate institutional coherence and harmonization of relevant development
policies, plans and programmes. In this regard, we urge these institutions to
prioritize sustainable development through, inter alia, more efficient and
effective capacity building, development and implementation of regional
agreements and arrangements as appropriate, and exchange of information, best
practices, and lessons learnt. We also welcome regional and cross-regional
initiatives for sustainable development. We furthermore recognize the need to
ensure effective linkage among global, regional, sub-regional and national
processes to advance sustainable development. We encourage the enhancement of
the UN regional commissions and their sub-regional offices in their respective
capacities to support member states in implementing sustainable development. [Agreed ad ref]
95. We underline the need for more
coherent and integrated planning and decision-making at the national,
sub-national and local levels as appropriate and, to this end, we call on
countries to strengthen national, sub-national and/or local institutions or
relevant multi-stakeholder bodies and
processes, as appropriate, dealing with sustainable development, including to coordinate
on matters of sustainable development and to enable effective integration of
the three dimensions of sustainable development.
96. We welcome regional and
cross-regional initiatives for sustainable development, such as the Green
Bridge Partnership which is voluntary and open for participation of all
partners.
97. We underscore the need to ensure
long-term political commitment to sustainable development taking into account
national circumstances and priorities and, in this regard, we encourage all
countries to undertake the necessary actions to enact effective legislation
that enables sustainable development.
V. Framework for action and follow-up
A. Thematic areas and cross-sectoral issues
Chapeau 1. We recognize that
in order to achieve the objective of the Conference, namely to secure renewed
political commitment for sustainable development, as well as to address the
themes of a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty
eradication and the institutional framework for sustainable development, we
need to overcome remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the
major summits on sustainable development and seize new opportunities. We
therefore resolve to focus on achieving progress in the implementation of global
commitments and to address new and emerging challenges through the actions
enumerated below in this framework for action, in accordance with the Rio
principles and supported as appropriate through provision of means of
implementation. We recognize that goals, targets and indicators, including
where appropriate gender-sensitive indicators, are valuable in measuring and
accelerating progress. We further note that progress with implementation of the
actions stipulated below can be enhanced by voluntarily sharing information, knowledge and
experience.
Poverty eradication
Poverty 1. We recognize
that, three years from the 2015 target date of the MDGs, while there has been
progress in reducing poverty in some regions, this progress has been uneven and
the number of people living in poverty in some countries continues to increase,
with women and children constituting the majority of the most affected groups,
especially in the least developed countries and particularly in Africa.
Poverty 2. We recognize that sustained, inclusive and equitable
economic growth in developing countries is a key requirement for eradicating
poverty and hunger and achieving the MDGs. In this regard, we emphasize that
national efforts of developing countries should be complemented by an enabling
environment aimed at expanding the development opportunities of developing
countries. We also emphasize the need to accord the highest priority to poverty
eradication within the United Nations development agenda, addressing the root
causes and challenges of poverty through integrated, coordinated and coherent
strategies at all levels.
Poverty 3. We recognize that promoting universal access to social
services can make an important contribution to consolidating and achieving
development gains. Social protection systems that address and reduce inequality
and social exclusion are essential for eradicating poverty and advancing the
achievement of the Millennium Development Goals. In this regard, we strongly
encourage initiatives at all levels aimed at providing social protection for
all people.
Sustainable agriculture,
food security and nutrition
Food 1. We reaffirm the right of everyone to have access to safe,
sufficient and nutritious food, consistent with the right to adequate food and
the fundamental right of everyone to be free from hunger. We acknowledge that food
security has become a pressing global challenge and, in this regard, we further reaffirm our commitment to promoting global food
security and access to adequate, safe and nutritious food for present and
future generations. We call upon the international community and the United
Nations to support States in their efforts to ensure national food production,
in accordance with national food security strategies.
Food 2. We recognize that a majority of the world’s
poor live in rural areas, and that rural communities play an important role in
the economic development of many countries. We emphasize the need to revitalize
the agricultural and rural development sectors in developing countries in an
economically, socially and environmentally sustainable manner, in order to
increase agricultural productivity, improve livelihoods of rural communities,
promote economic growth and achieve food security. In this context, we note the
importance of sustainable fisheries and aquaculture to food security.
Food 3. We agree to address the needs of rural communities through,
inter alia, promoting access to credit and other financial services, markets,
and secure land tenure, in particular for women, indigenous peoples and those
living in vulnerable situations. We agree to promote rural women’s equal access
to productive resources, including land, as well as to markets, technologies,
finance, education and training, health care and social services. We also agree to work for increasing access to safe drinking water
and sanitation; increasing access to modern sources of energy; promoting
sustainable practices in the agricultural sector; and increasing investments in
sustainable rural development programmes.
[New EU para: We therefore agree
to the following target: By 2020 achieve an increase of access of small-holder
farmers, especially women in rural areas, to agricultural land, markets and
finance, training, capacity-building, knowledge and innovative practices. –EU; G77, US, Canada, Australia, Japan reserves
position.]
Food 4. We stress the need to sustainably increase
agricultural production and productivity, including by enhancing international
support mechanisms particularly for the developing countries, with a view to:
increasing public and private investment in agriculture and rural development,
particularly for sustainable farming and land management; expanding access to well-functioning markets, credit
and finance, including microcredit and microfinance; promoting transfer of
agricultural technologies, including for efficient irrigation, reuse of treated
waste water, water harvesting and
storage; developing strong agricultural cooperatives; investing in
infrastructure, storage capacities and related technologies to reduce
post-harvest losses; and strengthening urban-rural linkages.
[New EU para: We
agree to the following targets: (1) By 2020, increase public and private
investment in sustainable agriculture and agri-food chains and ensure that sustainable
agriculture and agro-forestry systems are fully integrated into relevant
national and sectoral strategies; (2) By 2030, significantly reduce
post-harvest losses and the amount of edible food waste throughout the food
cycle. –EU; Australia, G77, Switzerland
reserves position; RoK supports para but would like more concrete language.]
Food 5. We reaffirm the necessity to promote sustainable
agriculture and food production, including crops, livestock, forestry,
fisheries and aquaculture, in order to enhance food security, eradicate poverty
and hunger, and support the conservation and sustainable use of natural
resources. We recognize that a range of technologies, techniques and improved
practices are needed to make agriculture more resource-efficient and
sustainable. We also recognize the need to maintain natural ecological
processes that support food production systems. In this regard, we call upon
all States to prioritize an approach to sustainable and resource-efficient
agricultural production based on science and its integration with traditional
knowledge as appropriate, with the aim to increase the productivity and
resilience of agriculture to climate change and natural disasters as well as to
reduce pollution associated with agriculture. In this regard, particular
attention should be given to supporting small agricultural producers and
vulnerable populations. We underline the importance of advancing research and
development in sustainable agricultural technologies, with particular emphasis
on those adapted and affordable to small agricultural producers.
[New para: By
2020 achieve an increase of global agricultural productivity, based on
sustainable agriculture, with a view to achieving food security and protecting
and maintaining biodiversity and ecosystems services. – EU]
Food 6. We stress the need to enhance sustainable livestock production
systems, including through improving pasture land and irrigation schemes in
line with national rules and regulations, enhanced sustainable water management
systems, and efforts to eradicate and prevent the spread of animal diseases,
recognizing that the livelihoods of farmers including pastoralists and the
health of livestock are intertwined.
Food 7. We also stress the
crucial role of healthy marine ecosystems, sustainable fisheries, and
sustainable aquaculture for food security and nutrition, and in providing for
the livelihoods of millions of people.
Food 8. We underline the importance of supporting and advancing research and
innovation in improving and diversifying crop varieties and seed systems, as
well as supporting the establishment of sustainable agricultural systems and
management practices. We stress the need to promote conservation and
sustainable use of genetic resources for food and agriculture and in this
regard we recognize the role of traditional seed supply systems of indigenous
peoples, local communities and smallholder and family farmers in contributing
to food security and the conservation of biodiversity.
Food 9. We support the work of the
Committee on Food Security (CFS), and we call on countries to implement the CFS
Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries
and Forests in the Context of National Food Security and to support the CFS
process on Principles for Responsible Agricultural Investment (PRAI).
Food 10. We underline the
instrumental role of agricultural technology, agricultural research and
technology transfer as mutually agreed, as well as the sharing of knowledge and
practices, in furthering sustainable development, and support strengthening
investments in agricultural and food-related research, innovation, extension,
and education, including through the Consultative Group on International
Agricultural Research. We support initiatives at all levels that improve access
to information, technical knowledge and know-how, that empower farmers and
fishers to choose among diverse methods of promoting agriculture and using
appropriate environmentally sound technologies.
Food 11. We stress the need to
address the root causes of excessive food price volatility, including its
structural causes, at all levels, and the need to manage the risks linked to
high and excessively volatile prices in agriculture commodities and their
consequences for global food security and nutrition, as well as for smallholder
farmers and poor urban dwellers. We recognize the need to support a
comprehensive and coordinated response to address the multiple and complex
causes of the global food crisis, including the adoption of political,
economic, social, financial and technical solutions in the short, medium and
long terms by national Governments and the international community, including
for mitigating the impact of high and excessively volatile food prices on
developing countries.
Food 12. We support initiatives to
improve market efficiencies, including the provision of timely, reliable,
disaggregated and accurate data and information on agricultural markets to
support the achievement of food security, and in this regard we welcome the
Agricultural Market Information System (AMIS).
Food 13. We stress that a universal, rules-based,
open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system will promote
agriculture and rural development in developing countries and contribute to
world food security. We call upon Member States and the World Trade
Organization to take measures to promote trade policies that would be capable
of promoting further trade in agriculture products, identifying the obstacles
to trade which have the most serious impact on the world’s poor and
contributing to supporting small-scale and marginalized producers in developing
countries.
Water
Water 1. We reaffirm our commitments regarding the human right to
safe and clean drinking water and sanitation as essential for the full
enjoyment of life. We commit to the progressive realization of universal access
to safe and clean drinking water and basic sanitation, with a particular
emphasis on people living in vulnerable situations. In this regard, we reaffirm
our commitment to increase access to safe and clean drinking water and basic
sanitation in accordance with national legislation and consistent with our goal
to halve, by 2015, the proportion of people without access to safe drinking
water and basic sanitation. We also highlight our commitment to the 2005-2015
International Decade for Action “Water for Life.”
[New EU para: By 2030 achieve
universal, sustainable and equitable access to safe and clean drinking water
and basic sanitation as necessary for poverty eradication and to protect human
health, as well as improve the well-being, particularly for the most
vulnerable. –EU; RoK to consider]
Water 2. We recognize that water is at the core of sustainable
development as it is closely linked to a number of key global challenges. In
this regard, we reaffirm the commitments made in the JPOI and the Millennium
Declaration regarding the development of Integrated Water Resources Management
(IWRM) and Water Efficiency Plans, ensuring sustainable water use through integrated
water resource management and increased resource efficiency. In this regard, we
support the efforts of developing countries towards efficient and
sustainable water resources management, in response to their national
development priorities including by ensuring mobilization of resources, both
public and private to achieve this objective.
Water 3. We further highlight the critical importance of water and
sanitation within the context of the three dimensions of sustainable
development, including for poverty and hunger eradication, gender equality and
women’s empowerment, public health, agriculture and food security, rural
development, production of energy, as well as for the protection of
biodiversity and ecosystems. We therefore reiterate the importance of
integrating water in development and all relevant sectoral policies.
Water 4. We commit to adopt measures, in accordance with national
legislation and planning frameworks, to reduce water pollution from households,
industrial and agricultural sources, reduce water loss, increase water
efficiency and wastewater treatment, promote the use of treated wastewater as a
resource, as well as other non-conventional water resources, such as
desalinated water, when appropriate.
[New EU
para: We agree to the following target: (1) Improve and secure status of
water quality and water-related ecosystems with the aim to reduce water-borne
diseases, eradicate poverty and promote environmental protection. (2)
Significantly reduce water pollution including by hazardous chemicals from
households, industrial and agricultural sources, significantly improve
wastewater collection and treatment and the reuse of water, including the use
of wastewater as a resource, particularly in expanding urban areas. –EU; G77, New Zealand, US, Canada, Japan,
Australia reserves; RoK to consider]
[New EU para : By 2030, significantly improve water
efficiency globally, particularly with regard to water use in buildings, supply
systems, agricultural and industrial processes and energy production, through
the use of indicators and the development of water efficiency plans, adapting
to local circumstances and including sustainable approaches to supply and
demand, with the aim of significantly decreasing the percentage of river basins
that are water-stressed [as well as increasing the number of coordinated water
utilization in transboundary basins-Switzerland].-EU;
Canada, G77, Japan, Australia, US
reserves; RoK to consider]
Water 5. We recognise the importance of inclusive basin-based cooperation
at national, transboundary and international levels, as appropriate, for water
resource management, and of reducing institutional fragmentation. In this
regard, we welcome the General Assembly Resolution A/RES/65/154 designating 2013 as the International Year of Water Cooperation. We recognize that capacity development and
the exchange of experiences, best practices and lessons learned contribute to
successful, long-term development in the water sector.
[New EU para : By
2030, significantly improve the implementation of integrated water resource
management at local, national and transboundary levels to maintain and achieve
good water status and protect ecosystems and natural resources. –EU; US
reserves]
Energy
Energy 1. We recognize the critical role that energy plays in the development process, as access to sustainable
modern energy services contributes to poverty eradication, saves lives,
improves health and helps provide basic human needs. We stress that these
services are essential to social inclusion and gender equality, and that energy
is also a key input to production. We support efforts to allow access to these
services by 1.4 billion people worldwide who are currently without these
services. We recognize that access to these services is a prerequisite for
achieving sustainable development.
Energy 2. We emphasize the need to address the challenge of access
to and affordability of sustainable modern energy services for all, in
particular for the poor who are unable to afford these services even when they
are available. We emphasize the need to take further action to improve this
situation, including by mobilizing adequate financial resources, to provide
these services in a reliable, affordable, economically viable, and socially and
environmentally acceptable manner in developing countries.
Energy 3. We reaffirm support for the implementation of national
and sub-national policies and strategies, based on individual national
circumstances and development aspirations, using an appropriate energy mix to
meet developmental needs, including through increased use of renewable energy
sources and other low-emission technologies, the more efficient use of energy,
greater reliance on advanced energy technologies, including cleaner fossil fuel
technologies, and the sustainable use of traditional energy resources. We
commit to promoting sustainable modern energy services for all through national
and sub-national efforts, inter alia, on electrification and dissemination of
sustainable cooking and heating solutions, including through collaborative
actions to share best practices and adopt policies, as appropriate. We urge
governments to create enabling environments that facilitate public and private
sector investment in relevant and needed cleaner energy technologies.
Energy 4. We also recognize the importance of cleaner and
energy-efficient technologies in addressing climate change and in achieving the
objective of limiting the global average temperature increase. We also
recognize the need for energy efficiency measures in urban planning, buildings,
and transportation, and in the production of goods and services and in the
design of products. We also recognize the importance of
promoting incentives in favour of, and removing disincentives to, energy
efficiency and the diversification of the energy mix, including promoting
technology research and development in developing countries.
Energy 5. We note with appreciation the Secretary General’s
“Sustainable Energy for All” initiative and its aspirational goals of ensuring
universal access to modern energy services by 2030; doubling the global rate of
improvement in energy efficiency by 2030; and doubling the share of renewable
energy in the global energy mix by 2030. We recognize the importance of the
mobilization and timely delivery of domestic and international financial
resources to achieve these results. We encourage voluntary follow-up efforts to
coordinate and to catalyse public-private partnerships and to track progress
towards its three goals and, in this regard, we encourage States and relevant
stakeholders, including the private sector, to conduct, as appropriate,
collaborative international research and capacity development.
Energy 6. We recognize the
need to consider, as appropriate, reforms that would lead to the
rationalisation and phasing out over the medium term of environmentally or
economically harmful subsidies, including energy subsidies such as for fossil
fuels, that inhibit sustainable development, taking fully into account the
specific conditions and different levels of development of individual
countries, and in a manner that protects the poor and eases the transition for
the affected vulnerable communities.
Sustainable tourism
Tourism 1. We emphasize that well designed and managed tourism can
make a significant contribution to the three dimensions of sustainable
development, has close linkages to other sectors, and can create decent jobs
and generate trade opportunities. We recognize the need to support sustainable
tourism activities and relevant capacity building that promote environmental
awareness, conserve and protect the environment, respect wildlife, flora,
biodiversity and ecosystems and cultural diversity, and improve the welfare and
livelihoods of local communities by supporting their local economies and the
human and natural environment as a whole. We call for enhanced support for
sustainable tourism activities and relevant capacity building in developing
countries in order to contribute to the achievement of sustainable development.
[Agreed ad ref – Canada may wish to
revisit]
Tourism 2. We encourage the
promotion of investment in sustainable tourism, including eco-tourism and
cultural tourism, which may include creating small- and medium-sized
enterprises and facilitating access to finance, including through microcredit
initiatives for the poor, indigenous peoples and local communities in areas
with high eco-tourism potential. In this regard, we underline the importance of
establishing, where necessary, appropriate guidelines and regulations in
accordance with national priorities and legislation for promoting and
supporting sustainable tourism. [agreed
ad ref]
Sustainable transport
Transport 1. We note that transportation and mobility are central
to sustainable development. Sustainable transportation can enhance economic
growth as well as regional access. Sustainable transport achieves better
integration of the economy while respecting the environment by reducing
pollution and emissions. We recognize the importance of the efficient movement
of people and goods and access by all the population to environmentally sound,
safe and affordable transportation as a means to improve social equity, health,
resilience of cities, urban-rural linkages and productivity of rural areas. In this regard, we take into account road safety as a part of our
efforts to achieve sustainable development.
Transport 2. We support the development of sustainable transport
systems, including energy efficient multi-modal transport systems, notably
public mass transportation systems, clean fuels and vehicles, as well as
improved transportation systems in rural areas. We recognize the need to
promote an integrated approach to policy-making at the national, regional and
local levels for transport services and systems to promote sustainable
development. We also recognize that the interests and concerns of [landlocked
and transit developing countries need to be taken into account while
establishing transit transport systems.
Sustainable cities and human settlements
Cities 1. We
recognize that, if planned and developed soundly including through integrated
planning and management approaches, cities can promote economically productive,
socially cohesive, and environmentally sustainable societies. In this regard, we
recognize the need for a holistic approach to urban development and human
settlements that provides for affordable housing and infrastructure and
prioritizes slum upgrading and urban regeneration. We commit to work towards
improving the quality of human settlements, including the living and working
conditions of both urban and rural dwellers in the context of poverty
eradication so that all people have access to basic services, housing and
mobility. We also recognize the need for conservation as appropriate of the
natural and cultural heritage of human settlements, the revitalization of
historic districts, and the rehabilitation of city centres.
Cities 2. We commit to promote an integrated
approach to planning and building sustainable cities and urban settlements,
including support and empowerment of local authorities and enhanced
participation of urban residents, including the poor, in decision making. We
also commit to promote sustainable development policies that support inclusive
housing and social services; a safe and healthy living environment for all,
particularly for children, youth, and women; affordable and sustainable
transport and energy; safe and clean drinking water and sanitation; healthy air
quality; and improved land-use planning. We support environmentally sustainable
urbanization, including the development of resilient, energy-efficient and
water-efficient buildings and infrastructure. We further support sustainable
management of waste through the application of the 3Rs (reduce, reuse and
recycle), and we underline the importance of fully considering disaster risk
reduction, resilience and climate risks in urban planning. We recognize the
efforts of cities to balance development with rural regions. We are convinced
that building sustainable cities with resilient and energy-efficient
infrastructure and technology can facilitate and encourage sustainable
behaviour and lifestyles.
Cities 3. We emphasize the importance of increasing
the number of metropolitan regions, cities and towns that are implementing
policies for sustainable urban planning and design in order to respond
effectively to the expected growth of urban populations in coming decades. We
note that sustainable urban planning benefits from the involvement of multiple
stakeholders as well as from full use of information and gender-disaggregated
data including on demographic trends, income distribution and informal
settlements. We recognize the important role of municipal governments in
setting a vision for sustainable cities, from the initiation of city planning
through to revitalization of older cities and neighborhoods, including by
adopting energy efficiency programmes in building management and developing
sustainable transport systems.
Cities 4. We recognize that partnerships among
cities and communities play an important role in promoting sustainable
development. In this regard, we stress the need to strengthen cooperation
mechanisms or platforms, partnership arrangements and other implementation
tools for sustainable urbanization with active involvement of the relevant UN
entities including UN-HABITAT. Such cooperation mechanisms and arrangements may
foster mobilization of resources from all sources, public and private,
voluntary knowledge sharing and technology transfer, and capacity building for
sustainable cities.
Health and population
Health 1. We recognize that health is a precondition for, an
outcome of, and an indicator of all three dimensions of sustainable
development. We understand the goals of sustainable development can only be
achieved in the absence of a high prevalence of debilitating communicable and
non-communicable diseases, and where populations reach a state of physical,
mental and social well-being. We are convinced that action on the social and
environmental determinants of health, both for vulnerable groups and the entire
population, is important to create inclusive, equitable, economically
productive and healthy societies. We recognize that reducing air, water and
chemical pollution, leads to positive effects on health. We call for the full
realization of the right to the highest attainable standard of health.
Health 2. We also recognize that universal health coverage is
fundamental to enhancing health, social cohesion and sustainable human and
economic development. We pledge to strengthen health systems towards the
provision of equitable universal coverage. We call for the involvement of all
relevant actors for coordinated multi-sectoral action to address urgently the
health needs of the world’s population.
Health 3. We emphasize that HIV and AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis,
influenza, polio and other communicable diseases remain serious global
concerns, and we commit to redoubling efforts to achieve universal access to
HIV prevention, treatment, care and support, as well as to renewing and
strengthening the fight against malaria, tuberculosis, and neglected tropical
diseases. (agreed ad ref)
Health 4. We acknowledge that
the global burden and threat of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) constitutes
one of the major challenges for sustainable development in the twenty-first
century. We commit to strengthen health systems toward the provision of
equitable, universal coverage and promote affordable access to prevention,
treatment, care and support related to NCDs, especially cancer, cardiovascular
diseases, chronic pulmonary diseases and diabetes. We also commit to establish
or strengthen multi-sectoral national policies for the prevention and control
of non-communicable diseases, with a focus on key risk factors.
Health 5. We reaffirm the right
to use, to the full, the provisions contained in the agreement on Trade-Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, the Doha Declaration on the Agreement
on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights and Public Health, the
decision of the World Trade Organization General Council of 30th August 2003 on
the implementation of paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS
agreement and public health, and, when formal acceptance procedures are
completed, the amendment to article 31 of the agreement, which provides
flexibilities for the protection of public health, and, in particular, to
promote access to medicines for all, and encourage the provision of assistance
to developing countries in this regard. We also call for a broad and timely
acceptance of the amendment to the article 31 of the Agreement on Trade-Related
Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, as proposed by the World Trade
Organization General Council in its decision of 6 December 2005.
Health 6. We call for further collaboration and cooperation at
national and international levels to strengthen health systems through
increased health financing, improved training of the health work force,
improved distribution and access to essential and affordable medicines,
vaccines and medical technologies, and through improving health infrastructure.
We support the World Health Organization as the directing and coordinating
authority on global health.
Health 7. We commit to systematically consider population trends
and projections in our national, rural and urban development strategies and
policies. Through forward-looking planning, we can seize the opportunities and
address the challenges associated with demographic change.
Health 8. We remain committed to the full implementation of the
Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and
Development, the key actions for further implementation of the Programme of
Action and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, and intend to pay special
attention to gender equality and women’s empowerment, and sexual and
reproductive health.
Health 9. We commit to reduce maternal and child mortality, and to
improve the health of women, adolescents and children. We reaffirm our
commitment to gender equality and to protect the human rights of women, men and
adolescents to have control over and decide freely and responsibly on matters
related to their sexuality, including sexual and reproductive health, free from
coercion, discrimination and violence. We will work actively to ensure that
health systems provide the necessary information and health services addressing
the sexual and reproductive needs of women and their reproductive rights,
including ensuring universal access to safe, effective, affordable and
acceptable modern methods of family planning, as this is essential for women’s
health and human rights and advancing gender equality.
Promoting
green jobs, full and productive employment, decent work for all, and social
protection
Jobs 1. We recognize that poverty
eradication, full and productive employment and decent work for all, and social
integration are interrelated and mutually reinforcing, and that an enabling
environment to promote these needs to be created at all levels.
Jobs 2. We are concerned about labour
market conditions and widespread deficits of available decent work
opportunities, especially for young women and men. We urge all governments to
address the global challenge of youth employment by developing and implementing
strategies and policies that provide young people everywhere access to decent
and productive work as, over the coming decades, hundreds of millions of decent
jobs, including green jobs, will need to be created to be able ensure
sustainable and inclusive development and reduce poverty.
Jobs 3.
We recognize the importance of job creation by investing in and developing
environmentally-sound, cost-effective and efficient economic and social
infrastructure and productive capacities for sustainable development and
sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth. We call on countries to
enhance infrastructure investment for sustainable development and we encourage
the international financial institutions to support developing countries,
particularly the least developed countries, in this regard.
Jobs 4.
We emphasize the need to enhance employment and income opportunities for all,
especially for women and men living in poverty and, in this regard, we support
national efforts to provide new job opportunities to the poor in both rural and
urban areas, including support to small and medium enterprises.
Jobs 5.
We recognize that workers should have access to education, skills, healthcare,
social security, fundamental rights at work, social and legal protections,
including occupational safety and health, and opportunities. Governments, trade
unions and workers, and employers all have a role to play in promoting decent
work for all, including green jobs, and all should help youth gain access to
needed skills and employment opportunities including in new and emerging
sectors. Women and men should have equal access to opportunities to acquire job
skills as well as to worker protections. We recognize the importance of
programmes to help workers adjust to changing labour market conditions.
Jobs 6.
We also recognize that informal unpaid work, performed mostly by women,
contributes substantially to human wellbeing and sustainable development. In
this regard, we agree to take measures to ensure safe and decent working
conditions and access to social protection and education.
Jobs 7.
We recognize that opportunities for the greening of existing jobs and job
creation can be availed through, inter alia, public and private investments in
scientific and technological innovation, public works in restoring,
regenerating and conserving natural resources and ecosystems, and social and
community services. We are encouraged by government initiatives to create jobs
for poor people in restoring and managing natural resources and ecosystems, and
we encourage the private sector to contribute to decent work and green job
creation for both women and men, and particularly for the youth, including
through partnerships with small and medium enterprises as well as cooperatives.
In this regard, we acknowledge the importance of efforts to promote the
exchange of information and knowledge on green jobs and related skills and to
facilitate the integration of relevant data into national economic and
employment policies.
Jobs 8.
We decide to launch an intergovernmental process under the UN General Assembly
to negotiate a global strategy on employment in order to address the high
levels of unemployment and under-employment, in particular among youth.
Jobs 9.
We stress the need to provide social protection to all members of society,
fostering growth, resilience, social justice and cohesion, including those who
are not employed in the formal economy and migrants. In this regard, we
strongly encourage national and local initiatives aimed at providing social
protection floors for all citizens. We call for a global dialogue on best
practices for social protection programmes that takes into account the three
dimensions of sustainable development.
Jobs 10.
We acknowledge the important nexus between international migration and
development and in this regard we call upon States to promote and protect the
human rights and fundamental freedoms of all migrants, regardless of their
migration status, especially those of women and children, taking into account
their economic and social circumstances. We further recognize the importance of
renewing the political will to act cooperatively and constructively in
addressing international migration and to address international migration
through international, regional or bilateral cooperation and dialogue.
Oceans and seas
Oceans 1. We recognize that oceans, seas
and coastal areas form an integrated and essential component of the Earth’s
ecosystem and are critical to sustaining it and that international law, as
reflected in UNCLOS, provides the legal framework for the conservation and the
sustainable use of the oceans and their resources. Unsustainable use of the
oceans and their resources puts at risk the ability of oceans to continue to
provide food, other economic, social and environmental benefits to humankind.
We therefore commit to protect and restore the health of oceans and marine
ecosystems, enabling their conservation and sustainable use for present and
future generations, especially for poverty eradication.
[New EU para: The necessary
measures are developed and implemented with the objective that by 2020 marine
ecosystems are clean, healthy, productive and resilient, marine biodiversity is
maintained, and habitats, in particular coral reefs, and species are protected
and on track to being restored.]
Oceans 2. We encourage States to ratify
or accede to and implement the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea
of 1982 and to implement chapter 17 of Agenda 21.
Oceans 3. We recognize the importance of
building the capacity of developing countries to be able to benefit from the
sustainable use of the oceans and seas and their resources and, in this regard,
we emphasize the need for cooperation in marine scientific research to
implement the relevant provisions of UNCLOS and the outcomes of the major
summits on sustainable development, as well as for the transfer of technology
taking into account the IOC Guidelines for the transfer of marine technology.
We also support the strengthening of the ability of relevant international, regional
and sub-regional organizations to build national and local capacity in marine
science and in sustainable management of human activities affecting oceans and
their resources.
Oceans 4. We stress the importance of
the conservation and sustainable use of the oceans and seas and of their
resources for sustainable development, including through the contributions to
poverty eradication, sustainable economic growth, food security, creation of
sustainable livelihoods and decent work, while at the same time protecting
biodiversity and the marine environment.
Oceans 5. We support the Regular Process
for Global Reporting and Assessment of the State of the Marine Environment,
including socio-economic aspects, established under the United Nations General
Assembly, and look forward to the completion of its first global integrated
assessment of the state of the marine environment by 2014 and its subsequent
consideration by the UNGA. We encourage consideration of assessment findings in
the formulation of national, regional and global oceans policies.
Oceans 6. We recognize the
importance of the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological
diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction. We note the establishment by
the UN General Assembly of an Ad Hoc Open-ended Informal Working Group to study
issues relating to the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological
diversity beyond areas of national jurisdiction. We look forward to its recommendations to the GA to
make progress on ways to fulfil its mandate provided for in para 167 of GA
Resolution 66/231 with a view to ensuring that the legal framework for the
conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond
national jurisdiction effectively addresses those issues by identifying gaps
and ways forward, including through the implementation of existing instruments
and the possible development of a multilateral agreement under the United
Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Oceans 7. We reaffirm the importance of
establishing Marine Protected Areas consistent with international law and based
on best available scientific information as a method for conservation of
biological diversity and sustainable use of its components, noting the CBD COP
10 decision X/2. that by 2020, at least 17 per cent of terrestrial and inland
water and 10% of coastal and marine areas, especially areas of particular
importance for biodiversity and ecosystem services, are to be conserved through
effectively and equitably managed, ecologically representative and
well-connected systems of protected areas and other effective area-based
conservation measures.
Oceans 8. We note with concern that
oceans and their biological diversity and ecological health are negatively
affected by land-based and marine pollution from a number of sources, including
shipping, anthropogenic marine debris and waste such as plastic litter. We call
for effective implementation of the relevant conventions adopted in the
framework of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) on the protection of
the marine environment from pollution, and of the relevant instruments on the
protection of the marine environment from land based pollution, including the
Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the
Marine Environment from Land-based Activities.
Oceans 9. We call on countries to reduce
the incidence and impact of pollution on marine ecosystems, including through:
(a) addressing the sources of marine debris
and threats to the marine environment such as persistent organic pollutants,
mercury and nitrogen-based compounds, including through public-private
partnerships as relevant;
(b) mobilizing resources for investment in
treatment of waste and waste water;
(c) promoting capacity-building and
technology transfer as mutually agreed. in order to support the above actions;
(d) collecting scientific data on marine
litter, in order to establish reference levels and concrete measures for its
reduction with the aim of achieving significant reductions to prevent harm to
the coastal and marine environment.
[New EU para:
By 2015 collect the scientific data available on marine litter in order to
establish reference levels and concrete measures for its reduction by 2020 with
the aim of achieving significant reductions by 2025 compared to 2012 to prevent
harm to coastal and marine environment.]
Oceans 10. We commit to ensure that, in
accordance with the precautionary principle, ocean fertilization activities do
not take place until there is an adequate scientific basis on which to justify
such activities, including assessing associated risks. We affirm that, given
the present state of knowledge, ocean fertilization activities other than
legitimate scientific research should not be allowed. We welcome the work of
the Convention on Biological Diversity in this respect.
Oceans 11. We call for support to
initiatives that address ocean acidification and, in this regard, we reiterate
the need to work collectively to prevent further ocean acidification as well as
enhance the resilience of ocean ecosystems, and to support marine scientific
research and monitoring of ecosystems particularly vulnerable to ocean
acidification, including through an international observing network for ocean
acidification.
Oceans 12. We also note that sea level rise and coastal erosion are
serious threats for many coastal regions and islands and, in this regard, we
call on the international community to enhance its efforts to address these
challenges, particularly in developing countries.
Oceans 13. We re-commit to maintaining
or restoring depleted fish stocks to levels that can produce maximum
sustainable yield and further commit to implementing science-based management
plans to rebuild stocks by 2015, including by reducing or suspending fishing
catch and effort for all stocks being over-fished or at risk of being
over-fished, and by eliminating destructive as well as harmful fishing
practices and addressing the introduction of alien invasive species, consistent
with the precautionary approach. We also call for enhanced action, in particular,
environmental impact assessments to protect vulnerable marine ecosystem from
the impacts of bottom fishing, taking into account the competent international
organizations.
Oceans 14. We invite States to ratify or
accede to and implement the 1995 Agreement on the Conservation and Management
of Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, as well as to implement the
Code of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries and the FAO International Plans of
Action and technical guidelines.
Oceans 15. We acknowledge that illegal,
unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing deprives many countries of a crucial
natural resource and remains a persistent threat to their sustainable
development. We recommit to eliminate IUU fishing as advanced in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI), and
to prevent and combat these practices including through the following: developing and implementing national and
regional action plans to combat illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU)
fishing; eliminating fisheries subsidies that lead to
over-capacity; implementing—in accordance with international law—effective and
coordinated measures by port States, flag States, and the States of nationality
of the beneficial owners and others who support or engage in IUU fishing, by
identifying vessels engaged in IUU fishing and by depriving offenders of the
benefits accruing from IUU fishing; as well as cooperating with developing
countries to systematically identify needs and build capacity, including
support for monitoring, control, surveillance, compliance and enforcement
systems.
[New EU para:
By 2020 illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing is eliminated through the
effective implementation of existing and future international instruments.]
Oceans 16. We urge States that have not
yet done so to ratify, accept, approve, or accede to the FAO Agreement on Port
State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and
Unregulated fishing.
Oceans 17. We recognize the need to
improve transparency and accountability in fisheries management by regional
fisheries management organizations (RFMOs) and, while recognizing the efforts
already made by some RFMOs in undertaking independent performance reviews,
we recommend that they be expanded and augmented, as appropriate, and
encourage implementation of the recommendations of such reviews.
Oceans 18. We reiterate our commitment
to conclude multilateral disciplines on fisheries subsidies which give effect
to the WTO Doha Development Agenda and the Hong Kong Ministerial mandates to strengthen
disciplines on subsidies in the fisheries sector, including through the
prohibition of certain forms of fisheries subsidies that contribute to
overcapacity and over-fishing, taking into account the importance of this
sector to developing countries. We
encourage states to further improve the transparency and reporting of existing
fisheries subsidies programmes. Given the global status of fisheries resources,
as an interim step, we agree not to introduce new subsidies nor to extend or
enhance existing subsidies that contribute to overfishing and over-capacity.
Oceans 19. We urge the identification
and mainstreaming of strategies by 2014 that further assist developing
countries, in particular the least developed countries and small island
developing States, in developing their national capacity to conserve,
sustainably manage and realize the benefits of sustainable fisheries, including
through improved market access for fish products from developing countries.
Oceans 20. We commit to ensure access to
fisheries and improved access to markets by subsistence, small-scale and
artisanal fishers and women fish workers, as well as indigenous peoples and
their communities and other local communities in developing countries, in
particular in small island developing States.
Oceans 21. We also recognize the
significant economic, social and environmental contributions of coral reefs, in
particular to islands and other coastal States, as well as the significant
vulnerability of coral reefs to impacts including from climate change, ocean
acidification, overfishing, destructive fishing practices and pollution. We
support international cooperation with a view to conserving coral reef
ecosystems and realizing the social, economic and environmental benefits of
coral reefs as well as facilitating technical collaboration and voluntary
information sharing.
Small
Island Developing States (agreed ad ref)
SIDS 1. We
reaffirm that Small Island Developing States (SIDS) remain a special case for
sustainable development in view of their unique and particular vulnerabilities,
including their small size, remoteness, narrow resource and export base, and
exposure to global environmental challenges and external economic shocks,
including to a large range of impacts from climate change and potentially more
frequent and intense natural disasters.
We note with concern that the outcome of the Mauritius Strategy Review
(MSI+5) concluded that SIDS have made less progress than most other groupings,
or even regressed, in economic terms, especially in terms of poverty reduction
and debt sustainability. Climate change and sea-level rise continue to pose a
threat to the survival and viability of SIDS as well as their efforts to
achieve sustainable development. We also remain concerned that, while SIDS have
progressed in the areas of gender, health, education and the environment, their
overall progress towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals has been
uneven.
SIDS 2. We call for continued
and enhanced efforts to assist SIDS in implementing the Barbados Programme of
Action (BPOA) and MSI. We also call for a strengthening of the United Nations
System support to SIDS in keeping with the multiple ongoing and emerging
challenges faced by SIDS in achieving sustainable development.
SIDS 3. We call for the
convening of the Third International Conference for the Sustainable Development
of Small Island Developing States in 2014 to address new strategies in
overcoming the vulnerabilities of SIDS.
Disaster risk reduction
Disaster
risk reduction 1. We reaffirm our commitment to the Hyogo Framework for Action
2005-2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters and
call for States, the UN system, International Financial Institutions, regional
and international organizations, and civil society to accelerate implementation
of the framework and the achievement of its goals. We call for disaster risk
reduction and building of resilience to natural and man-made disasters to be
addressed with a renewed sense of urgency in the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication, and to be integrated into policies, plans
and programmes at all levels and placed within the post-2015 development
framework. We urge governments at all levels as well as relevant regional and
international organizations to commit to adequate, timely and predictable
resources to reduce disaster risk and to enhance resilience of cities and
communities to disasters.
Disaster
risk reduction 2. We emphasize the importance of early warning systems as part of
effective disaster risk reduction at all levels, and in this regard encourage
Member States to integrate such systems into their national disaster risk
reduction strategies and plans. We recognize the importance of comprehensive
hazard and risk assessments, including forecasting activities, hazard and risk
maps as well as monitoring of long term changes, and encourage countries in a
position to do so to undertake such assessments in a timely manner.
Disaster
risk reduction 3. We stress the importance of stronger inter-linkages among
disaster risk reduction, early recovery and long-term development planning, and
call for more coordinated and comprehensive strategies that integrate disaster
risk reduction and climate change adaptation considerations into public and
private investment, decision making and planning of humanitarian and
development actions in order to reduce risk, increase resilience and provide a
smoother transition between relief, recovery and development.
Disaster
risk reduction 4. We call for improved coordination and enhanced cooperation at
and among all levels and among all relevant stakeholders in disaster
prevention, response and recovery. We call for all relevant stakeholders,
including Governments, international and regional organizations and civil
society, to take appropriate and effective measures to reduce risk exposures
for the protection of people, infrastructure and other national assets from the
impact of disasters in line with the Hyogo Framework for Action and any post-HFA
Framework, including through strengthened coordination and cooperation related
to population displacement and access to food, water, sanitation and shelter,
and through improved knowledge and information sharing based on reliable
geospatial information.
Climate change (agreed ad ref)
Climate 1. We
reiterate that countries should protect the climate system for the benefit of
present and future generations of humankind. We reaffirm that climate change is
one of the greatest challenges of our time, and we express profound alarm that
emissions of greenhouse gases continue to rise globally. We are deeply
concerned that all countries, particularly developing countries, especially
LDCs, SIDS and Africa, are vulnerable to the adverse impacts of climate change,
and are already experiencing increased impacts including persistent drought and
extreme weather events, sea level rise, coastal erosion and ocean
acidification, further threatening food security and efforts to eradicate
poverty, advance gender equality and achieve sustainable development.
Climate 2. We
underscore that combating climate change requires urgent action and the widest
possible cooperation of all countries, in accordance with the principle of
common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. In this
regard, we express our commitment to an effective and appropriate international
response. We stress that a significant gap in mitigation efforts remains to be
closed in order to hold the increase in global mean temperature below 2 degrees
Celsius above pre-industrial level. We welcome the outcomes of COP-17/CMP 7
achieved at Durban, and will intensify our efforts towards the timely
implementation of all the decisions adopted at those meetings.
Climate 3. We
recognize the importance of mobilizing predictable funding from a variety of
sources, public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including innovative
sources of finance, to support nationally appropriate mitigation actions and
adaptation measures, technology transfer and capacity-building in developing
countries. In this regard, we welcome the designation and launching of the
Green Climate Fund at COP-17/CMP-7 as an operating entity of the financial
mechanism of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. We also
encourage developed countries to make financial contributions for the
expeditious operationalization of the Green Climate Fund.
Climate 4. We
highlight the need to better understand and address cross-cutting issues and
interlinkages, including those among water, energy, food, health, ecosystems
and climate change. In this regard, we welcome initiatives and partnerships
aimed at achieving synergies and minimizing conflicts among policy objectives,
including through the utilization of science-based climate monitoring and
information.
Forests (agreed ad ref)
Forests 1. We highlight the
social, economic and environmental benefits of forests to people and the
contributions of sustainable forest management to the themes and objective of
the Conference. We support cross-sectoral and cross-institutional policies
promoting sustainable forest management. We reaffirm that the wide range of
services that forest ecosystems provide creates opportunities to address many
of the most pressing sustainable development challenges. We support global
policy frameworks such as the "Non-legally Binding Instrument on all Types
of Forests (NLBI)" that promote the sustainable management of forests, and
reforestation and afforestation and all efforts that effectively slow, halt and
reverse deforestation and forest degradation. We call for the full
implementation of the NLBI and the achievement of its four global objectives.
We also call for increased efforts to tackle the drivers of deforestation and
forest degradation including through robust and transparent forest governance,
national level forest law enforcement, secure land tenure within member States,
combating illegal logging and associated trade, voluntary certification
measures and a significant expansion of the global certified forest area, and
the possibility of using effective national mechanisms such as regulatory and
market instruments in accordance with national legislation. We encourage the
use of appropriate science-based monitoring tools to track and understand better
the drivers of forest degradation and deforestation. We aim at halting global
forest cover loss by 2030 at the latest.
Forests 2. We call for commitments
made in the Ministerial Declaration of the high-level segment of the ninth
session of the United Nations Forum on Forests on the occasion of the launch of
the International Year of Forests to be honoured.
Forests 3. We urge the provision
of financial resources from all sources to achieve the sustainable management
of all types of forests, inter alia strengthening and improving access to
funds. In this regard, we take note of on-going efforts to develop forest
management-related finance mechanisms such as those under REDD+. We also
emphasize the importance of capacity-building as well as of technology innovation
and transfer as mutually agreed in achieving sustainable forest management.
Forests 4. We commit to working
with the governing bodies of member organizations of the Collaborative
Partnership on Forests, in particular the three Rio Conventions, to integrate,
as appropriate, the sustainable management of all types of forests into their
strategies and programmes and promote coherence and synergies as related to
forests.
Biodiversity
Biodiversity 1. We reaffirm the intrinsic value of biological diversity,
as well as the ecological, genetic, social, economic, scientific, educational,
cultural, recreational and aesthetic values of biological diversity and its
critical role in sustainable development. We recognize the severity of global
biodiversity loss and emphasize that global biodiversity loss and degradation
of ecosystem services undermine global development, affecting food security and
nutrition, access to water, health of the rural poor and of people worldwide,
including present and future generations. We recognize that traditional
knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous peoples and local
communities make an important contribution to the conservation and sustainable
use of biodiversity. We recognize that traditional knowledge of indigenous
peoples and local communities is most directly dependent on biodiversity and
ecosystem services and thus most immediately affected by their loss and
degradation.
Biodiversity 2. We reiterate our
commitment to the achievement of the three objectives of the Convention on
Biological Diversity and call for urgent actions that effectively slow, halt
and reverse the loss of biodiversity. In this context, we affirm the importance
of implementing the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and its Aichi Biodiversity
Targets adopted at the 10th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the
Convention.
[New EU para: We therefore agree to the following target:
Take effective and urgent action to halt the loss of
biodiversity in order to ensure that by 2020 all Aichi biodiversity targets are
reached and ecosystems are resilient and continue to provide essential
services, thereby securing the planet's variety of life, and contributing to
human well-being, and poverty eradication.]
Biodiversity 3. We note the adoption
of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and
Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from Their Utilization, and we invite
parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to sign, ratify or accede to
the Protocol, so as to ensure its entry into force at the earliest possible
opportunity. We acknowledge the role of access and benefit-sharing of genetic
resources in contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biological
diversity, poverty eradication and environmental sustainability.
Biodiversity
4. We welcome the Strategy for Resource Mobilization in support of the
achievement of the Convention on Biological Diversity's three objectives,
including the commitment to substantially enhance the level of financial resources
from all sources in support of biodiversity, in particular for developing
countries.
Biodiversity 5. We support
mainstreaming the consideration of the socio-economic impacts and benefits of
the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and its components, as
well as ecosystems, into relevant programmes and policies at all levels, in
accordance with national legislation, circumstances and priorities. We
encourage investments, through appropriate incentives and policies, which
support the conservation and sustainable use of biological diversity and
ecosystems, consistent and in harmony with the Convention and other relevant
international obligations.
Biodiversity 6. We agree to
promote cooperation, partnerships and information exchange, and in this
context, we welcome the United Nations Decade on Biodiversity 2011-2020 for the
purpose of encouraging active involvement of all stakeholders in the
conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, as well as the fair and
equitable sharing of benefits arising from its utilization. We also welcome the
establishment of international partnerships related to conservation and
sustainable use of biodiversity as well as innovative approaches and mechanisms
to mobilize financing for this purpose.
Biodiversity 7. We stress the
importance of developing the necessary legislative, administrative or policy
measures, as appropriate, to implement the rights of countries of origin of
genetic resources or countries providing genetic resources, as defined in the Convention
on Biological Diversity, particularly developing countries, to participate in
the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources and associated
traditional knowledge as well as any subsequent application and commercial
utilization of products derived from such resources through the fair and
equitable sharing of benefits.
Biodiversity 8. We recognize the
important role of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora), an international agreement that stands at the
intersection between trade, environment and development and that is meant to
promote the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity with tangible
benefits for local people as well as the environment. We recognize the economic,
social and environmental impacts of illicit trafficking in wildlife as a
transnational organized crime where firm and strengthened action needs to be
taken on both the supply and demand sides. In this regard, we emphasize the
importance of effective international cooperation among relevant multilateral
environmental agreements and international organizations. We further stress the
importance of basing the listing of species and other measures on best
available scientific advice.
Biodiversity 9. We welcome the
establishment of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity
and Ecosystem Services, and call for an early commencement of its work.
Desertification,
land degradation and drought
Desertification 1. We recognize the
economic and social significance of land including soil, particularly its
contribution to sustainable economic growth, sustainable agriculture and food
security, gender equality, women’s empowerment and poverty eradication. We
stress that desertification, land degradation, and drought are challenges of a
global dimension and continue to pose serious challenges to the sustainable
development of developing countries, including LDCs and LLDCs, and have
particularly affected Africa. In this regard, we re-commit under the United
Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) to take action nationally,
regionally and internationally, to monitor global land degradation and restore
degraded lands, in particular arable lands in the aforementioned groups of
countries.
[New EU para. We therefore agree to the
following goal and target:
Goal: Restore land and soil
quality to good conditions and manage land, forest, and soil resources
sustainably ensuring that food production can meet the growing demand, and
ensure that, in line with the CBD's Strategic Plan vision, biodiversity is
valued, conserved, restored, integrated in sectoral policies and decision
making processes and wisely used and that ecosystem services are valued and
maintained.
Target: Arrive at a zero net rate of land and soil
degradation within an internationally agreed timeframe.]
Desertification 2. We emphasize that a
coordinated global approach is needed to ensure that land is used, managed and
restored in a sustainable manner. In this regard, we resolve to support and
strengthen the implementation of the UNCCD and its 10-Year Strategic Plan and
Framework (2008-2018) to reverse and prevent desertification, land degradation
and drought with a view to addressing their causes as well as the poverty
resulting from land degradation. We note the importance of mitigating the
effects of desertification, land degradation and drought, including by
preserving and developing oases, restoring degraded lands, and improving the
livelihoods of vulnerable people. We
also recognize the need to work towards a target of zero net land degradation
within an internationally agreed timeframe.
Desertification 3. We stress the importance
of the further development and implementation of scientifically based, sound
and socially inclusive methods for monitoring and assessing the extent of
desertification, land degradation and drought, as well as the importance of
efforts underway to promote scientific research and strengthen the scientific
base of activities to address desertification and drought under the UNCCD. In
this respect, we take note of the decision of the COP10 of the UNCCD to
establish an ad hoc Working Group, taking into account regional balance, to
discuss specific options for the provision of scientific advice to Parties to the
UNCCD.
Desertification 4. We reiterate the need
for cooperation through sharing of climate and weather information, forecasting
and early warning systems related to desertification, land degradation and
drought, as well as to dust storms and sandstorms, at the global, regional and
sub-regional levels. In this regard, we invite States and relevant
organizations to cooperate in the sharing of related information, forecasting
and early warning systems.
Desertification 5. We encourage and
recognize the importance of partnerships and initiatives for sustainable land
management and the safeguarding of soil and land resources, such as the Global
Soil Partnership (GSP) and the Changwon Initiative. We urge their close
alignment in support of the 10-Year Strategic Plan of the UNCCD. We recognize
the need to strengthen the link with existing science/policy interface bodies.
We also encourage capacity building, extension training programmes, and
scientific studies and initiatives aimed at deepening understanding and raising
wider awareness of the economic, social and environmental benefits of
sustainable land management policies and practices.
Mountains
(agreed ad ref)
Mountains 1. We recognize that the benefits derived from
mountain regions are essential for sustainable development. Mountain ecosystems
play a crucial role in providing water resources to a large portion of the
world’s population; fragile mountain ecosystems are particularly vulnerable to
the adverse impacts of climate change, deforestation and forest degradation,
land use change, land degradation, and natural disasters; and mountain glaciers
around the world are retreating and getting thinner with increasing impacts on
the environment and human well-being.
Mountains
2. We further recognize that mountains are often home to communities, including
indigenous peoples, who have developed sustainable uses of their resources and
who are often marginalized. We stress that continued effort will be required to
address poverty, food security and nutrition, social exclusion and
environmental degradation in these areas, and invite States to strengthen
cooperative action with effective involvement of all relevant stakeholders, by
establishing new or strengthening existing regional arrangements and centers of
competence for sustainable mountain development.
Mountains 3. We call for greater efforts toward the conservation of mountain
ecosystems, including their biodiversity. We encourage States to adopt a
long-term vision and holistic approaches, including through incorporating
mountain-specific policies into national sustainable development strategies
which could include, inter alia, poverty reduction plans and programmes in
mountain areas, particularly in developing countries.
Chemicals
and waste (agreed ad ref)
Chemicals 1. We recognize that sound
management of chemicals is crucial for the protection of human health and the
environment. We reaffirm our aim to achieve by 2020 sound management of
chemicals throughout their life cycle and of hazardous waste in ways that lead
to the minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the
environment, as set out in the JPOI. We also reaffirm our commitment to an
approach for the sound management of chemicals and waste at all levels that
responds in an effective, efficient, coherent and coordinated manner to new and
emerging issues and challenges, and encourage further progress across countries
and regions in order to fill the gaps in implementation.
[New EU para. We therefore agree to the
following target:
By 2020 ensure the sound management of chemicals throughout their life
cycle, so that chemicals are used and produced in ways that lead to the
minimisation of significant adverse effects on human health and the environment
with a particular emphasis on protecting vulnerable groups.]
Chemicals 2. We call for strengthening the
Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM) through
effective implementation and better use of its potential. We encourage SAICM to
enhance cooperation and coordination with other relevant global and regional UN
entities, as well as with multilateral environmental agreements dealing with
chemicals and waste, to facilitate implementation of policies.
Chemicals 3. We are deeply concerned that
many countries, in particular least developed countries, lack the capacity for
sound management of chemicals throughout their life cycle and their safe
disposal. Additional efforts are needed to enhance work towards strengthening
capacities, including through partnerships, technical assistance and improved
governance structures. We encourage countries and organizations which have made
progress toward achieving the goal of sound management of chemicals by 2020 to
assist other countries by sharing knowledge, experience and best practices.
Chemicals 4. We commend the increased
coordination and cooperation among chemicals and waste conventions, namely the
Basel Convention, the Rotterdam Convention and the Stockholm Convention, and
encourage further coordination and cooperation among them. We take note of the
potentially important role of the Basel Convention regional and coordinating
centers and the Stockholm Convention regional and sub-regional centers.
Chemicals 5. We commend existing and call for continued,
new and innovative public-private partnerships among industry, governments,
academia and other non-governmental stakeholders aiming to enhance the capacity
and technology for environmentally sound chemicals and waste management,
including for waste prevention.
Chemicals 6. We recognize the importance of
adopting a life-cycle approach and of further development and implementation of
policies for resource efficiency, including the application of the 3Rs (reduce,
reuse, recycle) and environmentally sound waste management. We call for the
development and enforcement of comprehensive national and local waste
management policies and strategies.
Chemicals 7. We note with concern the challenges of solid
wastes, such as electronic waste and plastics, in the land and marine
environment, which should be addressed inter alia through life-cycle thinking,
appropriate programmes and environmentally sound technologies for material and
energy recovery. We recognize the need to build local capacity particularly in
developing countries to address the flow of e-waste as well as the need to
promote waste minimization, reuse and recycling in all countries.
Chemicals 8. We urge the international
community to take all possible measures to prevent the unsound management of
hazardous wastes and their illegal dumping, particularly in countries where the
capacity to deal with these wastes is limited, in a manner consistent with
obligations under relevant international instruments such as the Basel
Convention.
Chemicals 9. We recognize the importance of
science-based assessment of the risks posed by chemicals to human beings and
the environment, and of reducing human exposure to hazardous chemicals. We
recognize the need to develop environmentally sound and safer alternatives to
hazardous chemicals in products and processes through, inter alia, life-cycle
assessment, public information and extended producer responsibility, and we
encourage cooperation among countries in this regard.
Chemicals 10. We note the ongoing
negotiating process on a global legally binding instrument on mercury and call
for a successful outcome of the negotiations.
Chemicals 11. We recognize that the
phase-out of ozone depleting substances (ODS) is resulting in rapid increase in
the use and release of high global warming potential hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs)
to the environment from ODS substitutes. We support discussion on a gradual
phase-down in the consumption and production of HFCs under the Montreal
Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
Chemicals 12. We encourage countries to utilize scientific
knowledge effectively in order to promote cooperation on transboundary air
pollution at all levels.
Sustainable Consumption and Production (agreed ad ref)
SCP 1. We
reaffirm that sustainable consumption and production (SCP) is one of the
overarching objectives of sustainable development, and recognize that
fundamental changes in the way societies consume and produce are indispensable.
We acknowledge the wide disparities in consumption levels and patterns between
rich and poor and between developed and developing countries. In this regard,
all countries should promote sustainable consumption and production patterns,
with developed countries taking the lead and with all countries benefiting and
learning from that experience so as to move all our societies nearer to a
sustainable future for all. We also recognize the need for focused strategies
to meet the basic needs of the poorest segments of society.
SCP 2. We appeal to all States, relevant
international organizations, the private sector and all major groups to enhance
their efforts to achieve sustainable changes in consumption and production
patterns while creating new economic opportunities and decent work, and
securing good living standards and protection of vulnerable groups.
SCP 3. We call for an end to wasteful and
unsustainable practices in the use and extraction of natural resources. We
intend to improve resource efficiency in relevant economic sectors through
accelerated and scaled-up implementation of best practices and techniques and
we commit to further develop international cooperation in this regard,
including enhanced capacity building and technical assistance to developing
countries.
SCP 4. We encourage the integration of
social and environmental costs in prices and measures of economic activities to
inform choices of consumers and producers to help move towards sustainable
patterns of production and consumption.
SCP 5. We encourage the widespread adoption
of sustainable procurement, in both the public and private sectors, based on
robust criteria and reliable tools within priority sectors and consistent with
WTO rules.
SCP 6. We promote the commitment of
organizations, corporations and institutions to social and environmental
responsibility, inter alia, by encouraging transparency, reporting, and the
development and use of international standards, guidelines and best practices
as appropriate.
SCP 7. In order to make sustainable choices
more easily available, affordable and attractive to consumers, we commit to
promote in consultation with all concerned stakeholders open, transparent,
balanced, science-based and multilateral processes for developing product
standards and other mechanisms that fully reflect the impact of production and
consumption, in accordance with the best available technology. We will work
with the private sector to ensure that labeling and advertising is accurate and
trustworthy so as to provide consumers with the necessary information to make
informed choices.
SCP 8. We agree to adopt the 10-Year
Framework of Programmes (10YFP) on sustainable consumption and production
(SCP), appended to this Declaration. Furthermore, we encourage contributions to
the 10YFP trust fund intended to support developing countries in promoting
sustainable consumption and production.
[New EU para. We therefore
agree to the following goal and targets:
Goal: Change unsustainable
production and consumption patterns and promote sustainable management of
natural resources over their life-cycle and eventually reach an absolute
decoupling of economic growth from natural resource use with the aim that
current and future generations, in particular people in poverty, can meet their
needs.
Target: Significantly improve
global resource efficiency, measured by the ratio of GDP to Domestic Material
Consumption or other internationally agreed relevant indicators on key natural
resources.
Target: Increase prevention,
reuse, recycling and energy recovery from waste and reduce landfill and the
amount of waste generated, so that by 2030 the majority of waste globally is
managed as a resource. By 2030 the level of landfilling should be significantly
reduced.]
Mining
Mining 1. We acknowledge that minerals and
metals are important for the world economy and modern societies. We note that
mining industries are important to all countries with mineral resources, in
particular developing countries. We also note that, when managed, regulated and
taxed properly, mining offers the opportunity to catalyze broad-based economic
development, reduce poverty and assist countries in meeting internationally
agreed development goals, including the MDGs. We acknowledge that countries
have the sovereign right to develop their mineral resources according to their
national priorities and further acknowledge that mining activities should
maximize social and economic benefits as well as effectively addressing
negative environmental and social impacts, in line with the Rio principles. In
this regard, we recognize that governments need strong capacities to develop,
manage, and regulate their mining industries in the interests of sustainable
development.
Mining 2. We call on countries
with a mining sector to strengthen their legal and regulatory frameworks and
policies and practices for the mining sector that deliver economic and social
benefits and include effective safeguards that reduce social and environmental
impacts as well as conserve biodiversity and ecosystem services. We further
call on governments and the mining sector to commit to the continuous
improvement of accountability and transparency, taking account of best
practices in public financial management and revenue and contract transparency,
and to explore new mechanisms to prevent conflict minerals from entering
legitimate supply chains.
Education (agreed ad ref)
Education 1. We reaffirm our commitment to
achieving universal access to primary education, and we furthermore affirm that
full and equal access by all people to quality education is an essential
condition for poverty eradication, gender equality and human development, for
the attainment of the internationally agreed development goals including the
Millennium Development Goals, as well as for the full participation of both
women and men in political, economic and social life. In this regard, we stress
the need for ensuring equal access to education for vulnerable groups,
including persons with disabilities.
Education 2. We recognize that the younger
generations are the custodians of the future, as well as the need for better
quality and access beyond primary education. We therefore resolve to improve
the capacity of our education systems to prepare people to pursue sustainable
development, including through enhanced teacher training, the development of
curricula around sustainability, and more effective use of information and
communication technologies to enhance learning outcomes. We call for enhanced
cooperation among schools, communities and authorities in efforts to promote
access to quality education at all levels.
Education 3. We emphasize the importance of
greater international cooperation related to promoting universal access to
primary education and Education for Sustainable Development. We resolve to
promote education for sustainable development and to integrate sustainable development
more actively into education beyond the United Nations Decade of Education for
Sustainable Development (2005-2014). We encourage international educational
exchanges and partnerships to help achieve global education goals. We call for
the creation of fellowships and scholarships in key disciplines and
cross-disciplinary and integrated approaches relevant to sustainable
development.
Education 4. We urge educational
institutions to become models of best practice and to enlist the active
participation of all students, teachers and other staff in setting an example
of sustainability on their campuses. We encourage educational institutions to
teach sustainable development as an integrated component across disciplines.
Education 5. We underscore the importance of supporting educational
institutions to carry out research and innovation in the field of education for
sustainable development and to develop quality and innovative programmes, including
professional and vocational training and lifelong learning, geared to bridging
skills gaps for advancing national sustainable development objectives.
Gender equality and women’s empowerment
Gender 1. We reaffirm women’s vital role in sustainable
development, and decide to accelerate the implementation of the international
community’s commitment to the full and equal participation and leadership of
women in all areas of development, as agreed in the Convention on the
Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) as well as
Agenda 21, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the Millennium
Declaration.
Gender 2. We recognize that,
although progress on gender equality has been made in some areas, the potential
of women to engage in, and contribute to, sustainable development as leaders,
participants and agents has not been fully realised due to persistent social,
economic, and political inequalities. We support prioritizing measures to
promote gender equality and women’s empowerment in all spheres of our
societies, including the removal of barriers to their full participation in
decision-making and management at all levels.
Gender 3. We resolve to unlock
women’s potential as drivers of sustainable development, including through the
repeal of discriminatory laws and removal of formal barriers, ensuring equal
access to justice and legal support, the reform of institutions to ensure
competence and capacity for gender mainstreaming and the development and
adoption of innovative and special measures to address informal and harmful practices
that act as barriers preventing gender equality. In this regard, we reiterate
the importance of creating an enabling environment for improving the situation
of rural women and girls, including indigenous women.
Gender 4. We agree to encourage the use of gender
sensitive indicators and sex disaggregated data in monitoring frameworks in
order to deliver on the promise of sustainable development for all.
Gender 5. We are committed to
women’s equal rights and opportunities in political and economic decision-making
and resource allocation and to remove any barriers that prevent women from
being full participants in the economy. We resolve to ensure full and equal
access of women to productive resources through the equal right to own property
and equal right to inherit in accordance with national legislation, and equal
access to credit, financial and extension services along the entire value
chain. We call for action to ensure the equal access of women and girls to
education, basic services, economic opportunities and health care, including
addressing the sexual and reproductive needs of women and their reproductive
rights, and ensuring universal access to safe, effective, affordable and
acceptable modern methods of family planning. In this regard, we reaffirm our
commitment to fully implement the Programme of Action of the International
Conference on Population and Development and the key actions for the further
implementation of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on
Population and Development.
Gender 6. We support the work of the UN system,
including UN Women, in promoting and achieving gender equality and women’s
empowerment in all aspects of life, including with respect to the linkages
between gender equality and women’s empowerment and the promotion of
sustainable development. We support UN Women leading, coordinating and
promoting the accountability of the UN system in this regard.
Gender 7. We invite donors,
international organizations including the UN System organizations, IFIs,
regional banks, major groups and the private sector, to integrate fully gender
equality considerations and commitments, and to ensure the participation of
women and effective gender mainstreaming in their decision making, programme
planning, budgeting, implementation, monitoring and reporting.
B. Sustainable Development Goals and Measuring Progress beyond GDP
SDG 1. We underscore that
the MDGs are a useful tool in focusing achievement of specific development
gains as part of a broad development vision and framework for the
development activities of the United Nations, for national priority setting and
for mobilisation of stakeholders and resources towards common goals. We
therefore remain firmly committed to their full and timely achievement. [agreed ad ref]
SDG 2. We recognize that
the development of goals could also be useful for pursuing focused and coherent
action on sustainable development. In this regard, and building on the
Millennium Development Goals, we agree to develop a set of global sustainable
development goals (SDGs) that address and incorporate all three dimensions of
sustainable development and their interlinkages. These goals should be
incorporated in the United Nations Development Agenda beyond 2015, thus
contributing to the achievement of sustainable development and serving as a
driver for implementation and mainstreaming of sustainable development in the
United Nations system as a whole.
SDG 3. We propose that the
goals should build upon the Millennium Declaration, respect the UN Charter and
principles of international law, be consistent with the Rio principles and
contribute to advance the implementation of Agenda 21 and JPOI, including
poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and
production, and protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic
and social development.
SDG 4. We also propose that any SDGs should be
action-oriented, concise and readily communicable, limited in number,
aspirational, and universally applicable to all countries while taking into
account different national realities, capacities and development priorities.
Implementation should be government-driven with involvement of all relevant
stakeholders.
SDG 5. We also recognize that the goals should
address and be focused on priority areas for the achievement of sustainable
development including, inter alia, energy, water, food security, oceans and
sustainable consumption and production as well as cross-cutting issues like
equity and social inclusion, rule of law and good governance, gender equality
and women’s empowerment.
SDG 6. We reiterate our
request to the Secretary-General to make recommendations in his annual reports
for further steps to realize the United Nations Development Agenda beyond 2015.
We further request the Secretary-General to integrate the three dimensions of
sustainable development in the United Nations Development Agenda beyond 2015
and establish a coordinated process with a view to establishing a set of
coherent global goals in 2015. This process should be a country-driven process
guided by the General Assembly and be inclusive, transparent, open to
participation of all relevant stakeholders, including the UN System, and draw
on relevant expert advice and science based evidence. We also propose that any
SDGs be agreed by the UN General Assembly.
SDG 7. We underline that
progress towards the SDGs should be measured by an agreed and appropriate set
of indicators and assessed on the basis of specific targets that could be
differentiated depending on countries’ levels of development and national
specificities.
SDG 8. We
recognize that there is a need for an integrated and scientifically-credible
global sustainable development report, to support the decision making process
at appropriate levels and assist countries in identifying policy options and
achieving the agreed SDGs. Such an outlook could draw upon and synthesize the
elements of existing outlooks produced by various UN and other international
institutions, depending on theme, and should foster closer collaboration among
them. In this regard, we call on the
Secretary-General of the United Nations to make proposals for such a report to
the UNGA for the subsequent consideration by member States.
SDG 9. We recognize the limitations of GDP as a
measure of well-being and sustainable development. As a complement to GDP, we
resolve to further develop science-based and rigorous methods of measuring
sustainable development, natural wealth and social well-being, including the
identification of appropriate indicators for measuring progress. We further
recognize the need to test and refine these methods so as to be able to use
them effectively in our national decision making systems to better inform
policy decisions. In this regard, we recognize the need for appropriate
technical support to developing countries to develop the capacity and
information to undertake these efforts. We request the Secretary-General to
coordinate the further development of such methods with existing efforts and
preparation of such indicators in consultation with the UN System and all other
relevant organisations, having regard to the UN system of economic and
environmental accounts.
VI. Means of implementation (agreed ad ref)
MOI 1. We reaffirm that national
ownership and leadership are indispensable in the development process. There is
no one size fits all. We reiterate that each country has primary responsibility
for its own economic and social development and that the role of national
policies, domestic resources and development strategies cannot be
overemphasized. At the same time, domestic economies are now interwoven with
the global economic system and, therefore, an effective use of trade and
investment opportunities can help countries to fight poverty. Development
efforts at the national level need to be supported by an enabling national and
international environment that complements national actions and strategies.
MOI 2. We acknowledge that good
governance and the rule of law at the national and international levels are
essential for sustained, inclusive and equitable economic growth, sustainable
development and the eradication of poverty and hunger.
MOI 3. We reaffirm that the means
of implementation identified in Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further
Implementation of Agenda 21, JPOI, the Monterrey Consensus of the International
Conference on Financing for Development and the Doha Declaration on Financing
for Development are indispensable for achieving full and effective translation
of sustainable development commitments into tangible sustainable development
outcomes: finance, technology development and transfer as mutually agreed,
capacity building, and trade.
MOI 4. We welcome the ongoing efforts to strengthen
and support South-South cooperation and triangular cooperation. We stress that
South-South cooperation is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to,
North-South cooperation. We also stress that triangular cooperation should be
further utilized as an effective modality for development cooperation.
A. Finance
(agreed ad ref)
Finance 1. We call on all
countries to prioritize sustainable development in the allocation of resources
in line with national priorities and needs, and we recognize the crucial
importance of increases in the provision of financing from all sources for
sustainable development for all countries, in particular developing countries.
We recognize the importance of international, regional and national financial
mechanisms including those accessible to sub-national and local authorities to
implement sustainable development programmes and call for their strengthening
and implementation. We further recognize a role that new partnerships and
promising innovative sources of development finance can play in financing
sustainable development and encourage their use, as appropriate, alongside the
traditional means of implementation.
Finance 2. We recognize that the
fulfilment of all official development assistance commitments is crucial,
including the commitments by many developed countries to achieve the target of
0.7 per cent of gross national product for official development assistance to
developing countries by 2015, as well as a target of 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of
gross national product for official development assistance to least developed
countries. To reach their agreed timetables, donor countries should take all
necessary and appropriate measures to raise the rate of aid disbursements to
meet their existing commitments. We urge those developed countries that have
not yet done so to make additional concrete efforts towards the target of 0.7
per cent of gross national product for official development assistance to
developing countries, including the specific target of 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of
gross national product for official development assistance to least developed
countries in line with their commitments.
Finance 3. We welcome increasing efforts to improve the
quality of ODA and to increase its development impact. The Economic and Social
Council Development Cooperation Forum, along with initiatives such as the
High-level Forums on Aid Effectiveness, which produced the 2003 Rome
Declaration on Aid Effectiveness, 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness,
the 2008 Accra Agenda for Action, and 2011 Busan Partnership for Effective
Development Co-operation make important contributions to the efforts of those
countries which have committed to them, including through the adoption of the
fundamental principles of national ownership, alignment, harmonization and
managing for results. Continued building on these initiatives, including
through more inclusive and broad-based participation, will contribute to
enhancing national ownership and making aid delivery more effective and
efficient and lead to improved outcomes. We also recognize the need to improve
development effectiveness, increase programme-based approaches, use country
systems for activities managed by the public sector, reduce transaction costs
and improve mutual accountability and transparency and, in this regard, we call
upon all donors to untie aid to the maximum extent. We will make development
more effective and predictable by providing developing countries with regular
and timely, indicative information on planned support in the medium term. We
recognize the importance of efforts by developing countries to strengthen
leadership of their own development, national institutions, systems and
capacity to ensure the best results of effective development by engaging with
parliaments and citizens in shaping those policies and deepening engagement
with civil society organizations. We should also bear in mind that there is no
one-size-fits-all formula that will guarantee development effectiveness. The
specific situation of each country needs to be fully considered.
Finance 4. We urge the provision
of financial resources, including through dedicated credit facilities within
the IFIs, for the promotion of sustainable development and poverty eradication
in developing countries, in particular the LDCs.
Finance 5. We recognize that
greater coherence and coordination among the various funding mechanisms and
initiatives related to sustainable development is crucial. We reiterate the
importance of ensuring that developing countries have steady and predictable
access to adequate financing from all sources to promote sustainable
development.
Finance 6. We recognize that
ongoing serious global financial and economic challenges carry the possibility
of undoing years of hard work and gains made in relation to the debt of
developing countries. The situation demands the implementation of existing and
any future bold and encompassing initiatives and mechanisms to resolve the
current debt problems of developing countries, particularly for Africa and the
least developed countries, in an effective and equitable manner, including
through debt cancellation. We will intensify our efforts to prevent debt crises
by enhancing international financial mechanisms for crisis prevention and
resolution, in cooperation with the private sector, and by finding solutions
that are transparent and agreeable to all. We acknowledge the need to continue
to address all relevant issues regarding external debt problems, including
through the United Nations, and we will consider ways to explore enhanced
approaches of sovereign debt restructuring mechanisms based on existing
frameworks and principles, with broad creditors’ and debtors’ participation and
ensuring comparable burden-sharing among creditors, with an important role for
the Bretton Woods institutions.
Finance 7. We stress the need for
adequate funding for the operational activities of the United Nations
development system as well as the need to make funding more predictable,
effective and efficient as part of wider efforts to mobilize new, additional
and predictable resources to achieve the objectives that we have set forth in
this declaration. We reaffirm, in this context, the importance of
accountability, transparency and improved results-based management and further
harmonized results-based reporting on the work of the United Nations funds and
programmes and the specialized agencies.
Finance 8. We welcome the
important reform processes that the Global Environment Facility (GEF) has
carried out during recent years and we call for its further strengthening, with
regularity in funding flows and reform of governance processes, and encourage
the GEF to take additional steps to make resources more accessible to meet
country needs for the national implementation of their international
environmental commitments. We support further simplification of procedures and
assistance to developing countries, in particular in assisting the least
developed countries and SIDS in accessing resources from the GEF, and enhanced
coordination with other instruments and programmes focusing on environmentally
sustainable development.
Finance 9. We stress that fighting
corruption at both the national and international levels is a priority and that
corruption is a serious barrier to effective resource mobilization and
allocation and diverts resources away from activities that are vital for
poverty eradication, the fight against hunger and sustainable development. We
are determined to take urgent and decisive steps to continue to combat
corruption in all of its manifestations.
Finance 10. We consider that
innovative financing mechanisms can make a positive contribution in assisting
developing countries to mobilize additional resources for financing for
development on a voluntary basis. Such financing should supplement and not be a
substitute for traditional sources of financing. While recognizing the
considerable progress in innovative sources of financing for development, we
call for scaling-up of present initiatives, where appropriate.
Finance 11. We recognize that a
dynamic, inclusive well-functioning, socially and environmentally responsible
private sector is a valuable instrument for generating economic growth and
reducing poverty and promoting sustainable development. In order to foster
private-sector development, we shall continue to pursue appropriate national
policy and regulatory frameworks in a manner consistent with national laws to
encourage public and private initiatives, including at the local level, to
foster a dynamic and well-functioning business sector, and to facilitates
entrepreneurship and innovation including among women, the poor and the
vulnerable. We will work to improve income growth and distribution, inter alia
through raising productivity, empowering women and protecting labour rights,
and taxation. We recognize that the appropriate role of Government in relation
to the promotion and regulation of the private sector will vary from country to
country depending on national circumstances.
B.
Technology development and transfer
Technology 1. We stress the
importance of access by all countries to environmentally sound technologies,
know-how and expertise, and the importance of cooperative action on the
development and transfer of these technologies. We agree to explore modalities
for enhanced access to environmentally sound technologies by developing
countries, while providing incentives and removing disincentives to innovators,
including innovators in developing countries, in order to promote research and
development.
Technology 2. We underline the
need for enabling environments for the development, adaptation, and
dissemination of sustainable technologies. In this context, we underscore the
role of foreign direct investment and international trade in the transfer of
some environmentally sound technologies. We support strengthening international
cooperation to promote investment in science, innovation, and technology for
sustainable development.
Technology 3. We recognize the
importance of strengthened national, scientific and technological capacities.
Developing countries should be enabled to develop their own new and
environmentally sound technologies with the support of the international
community. To this end, we support building science and technology capacity,
including through collaboration among research institutions, universities, the
private sector, governments, non-governmental organizations, and scientists of
developing and developed countries.
Technology 4. We note that
consideration must be given to the role of patent protection and intellectual
property rights along with an examination of their impact on the access to and
transfer of environmentally sound technology, in particular to developing
countries, as well as to further exploring efficiently the concept of assured
access for developing countries to environmentally sound technology in its
relation to proprietary rights with a view to developing effective responses to
the needs of developing countries in this area.
Technology 5. We request the
competent fora in the UN system to identify options for an appropriate mechanism
to facilitate clean technology dissemination to developing countries,
consistent with existing patent protection systems and invite the
Secretary-General to report to UNGA67 on the options. In this regard, we note
that the UNFCCC technology mechanism, as agreed in Cancun and Durban, and in
particular the ongoing implementation of the new global Climate Technology
Center and Network, is a highly relevant model for facilitating the development
and transfer of sustainable technologies to address the technological needs of
developing countries.
Technology 6. We recognize the
importance of space-technology-based data and reliable geospatial information
for sustainable development policy-making, programming and project operations.
In this context, we recognize the efforts of the International Steering
Committee for Global Mapping, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems,
and the Eye on Earth platform. We recognize the need to support developing
countries in their efforts to collect environmental data.
Technology 7. We agree to explore
the possibility to establish a global fund for voluntary contributions by
States, civil society and the private sector, to facilitate transfer of
environmentally sound technologies.
Technology 8. We welcome the
efforts by governments and stakeholders to undertake basic and applied research
that contributes to sustainable development and encourage greater links and
cooperation to advance these efforts. We agree to enhance international
collaborative research to address global challenges by developing solutions
that are accessible to developing countries, particularly LDCs, including on
environmentally sound technologies. We acknowledge the work of existing centres
for technology transfer, and encourage the establishment and networking of such
centres in developing countries. We also encourage the world’s technology
leaders, both public and private, to increase their participation as partners
in technology parks and innovation centres worldwide.
Technology 9. We recognize the importance of strengthening
international, regional and national capacities in technology assessment and
where necessary regulatory regimes, especially in view of the rapid development
and possible deployment of new technologies that may also have unintended
negative impacts, in particular on biodiversity and health, or other unforeseen
consequences.
Technology 10. We recognize the
need to facilitate informed policy decision-making on sustainable development
issues and in this regard to strengthen the science-policy interface.
Technology
11. We resolve, as part of our global commitment to sustainable development, to
bridge the technology gap between developed and developing countries. In this
regard, we encourage concrete actions, including through the establishment of
an international mechanism supported by stable, adequate and predictable
funding, to facilitate transfer of technology as mutually agreed and strengthen
national capacities of all countries, in particular developing countries in the
area of science and technology. We further resolve to support existing
international centres for technology transfer that facilitate the match between
supply and demand for technologies and their appropriate adaptation processes
in developing countries. We further resolve to request relevant UN agencies in
particular WIPO, UNEP and UNIDO to identify options for a facilitation
mechanism that promotes the dissemination of clean technologies while bearing
in mind the consistency with international patent protection system and
relevant regulations.
C. Capacity building
Capacity 1. We
emphasize the need for enhanced capacity building for sustainable development
and, in this regard, we call for strengthening technical cooperation including
North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation. We reiterate the
importance of human resource development, including training, exchange of
experiences and expertise, knowledge transfer and technical assistance for
capacity-building, which involves strengthening institutional capacity,
including planning, management and monitoring capacities.
Capacity 2. We call for the
continued and focused implementation of the UNEP Bali Strategic Plan for
Technology Support and Capacity Building.
Capacity 3. We encourage the
participation and representation of men and women scientists and researchers
from developing countries in processes related to global environmental and
sustainable development assessment and monitoring, with the purpose of
enhancing national capabilities and the quality of research for decision- and
policy-making processes.
Capacity 4. We invite all relevant
agencies of the United Nations system and other relevant international
organizations to support developing countries and, in particular, least
developed countries in capacity-building for developing resource-efficient and
inclusive economies, including through:
(a)
Sharing sustainable practices in various economic sectors;
(b)
Disseminating various tools for compiling or undertaking natural
resources inventories and assessments and developing sustainable resource
management systems;
(c)
Enhancing capacity to integrate disaster risk reduction and
resilience into development plans;
(d)
Supporting South-South and triangular cooperation for the
transition to a resource efficient economy; and
(e)
Promoting public-private partnerships.
Capacity 5. We urge all countries
to increase financial, technological, and capacity-building support to
developing countries for undertaking effective adaptation strategies as a
priority, in view of their vulnerability to the adverse impacts of climate
change, land degradation, drought, desertification, and natural disasters.
D. Trade (agreed ad ref)
Trade 1. We reaffirm that
international trade is an engine for inclusive and sustained growth and
development. We further reaffirm that a universal, rules-based, open,
non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system, as well as
meaningful trade liberalization that includes addressing non-tariff measures
where they may act as unnecessary trade barriers, can substantially stimulate
development worldwide, benefiting all countries at all stages of development.
Trade 2. We reaffirm the
importance of increasing market access for developing countries' products and
services, and in this regard we emphasize the need to resist protectionist
tendencies and to rectify any trade-distorting measures already taken that are
inconsistent with World Trade Organization rules, recognizing the right of
countries to fully utilize their flexibilities consistent with their World Trade
Organization commitments and obligations. In this regard, we call on the World
Trade Organization in cooperation with the United Nations Conference on Trade
and Development and other relevant institutions to monitor all forms of
protectionism and assess their impact, particularly on developing countries.
Trade 3. We urge the members of
the WTO to redouble their efforts to achieve an ambitious, balanced, and
development-oriented conclusion to the Doha Development Agenda taking into
account the central importance of the development dimension in every aspect of
the Doha Development Agenda work programme and its commitment to making the
development dimension a meaningful reality. We further call for the full
implementation of the 2005 WTO Hong Kong Ministerial Declaration.
Trade 4. We emphasize that all WTO
Members have an interest in ensuring very swift progress in the multilateral
trade negotiations to facilitate outcomes, while respecting the principles of
transparency and inclusiveness. We underscore the importance of ensuring the
meaningful and full participation of developing countries, especially the least
developed countries, in multilateral trade negotiations. In particular,
developing countries need assistance in order to participate effectively in the
WTO work programme and negotiation process through the enhanced cooperation of
all relevant stakeholders.
Trade 5. We reaffirm that there is
an ongoing need for the international economic and financial institutions and
regional organizations in accordance with their mandates to work together,
especially through trade capacity building and facilitation, to ensure that
developing countries, particularly the least developed countries, are able to
benefit from the advantages of the multilateral trade system and their
integration into global markets. Achieving the positive impact of trade
liberalization on developing countries will also depend to a significant extent
on international support for appropriate action and strategies at the national
level for the expansion of productive capacities, the development of human
resources and basic infrastructure, the absorption of technology and the
implementation of adequate social safety nets.
Trade 6. We recognize the need to
mobilize adequate and predictable funding for Aid for Trade, including through
the Enhanced Integrated Framework for Trade-related Technical Assistance to
Least Developed Countries. We also recognize the need for additional measures
to support the supply and export capacities of developing countries, in
particular the LDCs.
Trade 7. We request relevant
international and regional organizations to strengthen support for trade
facilitation and capacity building activities aimed at assisting developing
countries, particularly the LDCs, in identifying and seizing new trade-related
opportunities related to sustainable development and poverty eradication, with
particular attention given to enabling women entrepreneurs and SMEs to
participate in, and benefit from local, subregional, regional and global supply
chains and markets.
Trade 8. We acknowledge the need
to continue WTO negotiations on liberalization of trade in environmental goods
and services which should enhance the mutual supportiveness of trade,
environment and development.
Trade 9. We commit to take action,
where appropriate, to phase out subsidies that are market distorting and
inhibit sustainable development, taking into the account the specific
conditions and different levels of development of individual countries. We
affirm the need for accompanying targeted measures to protect the poor and
vulnerable groups.
E.
Registry of commitments
Registry 1. We welcome the
commitments voluntarily entered into at Rio +20 and throughout 2012 by all
stakeholders and networks of stakeholders to implement concrete policies,
plans, programs, projects and actions to promote sustainable development and
poverty reduction, including through a green economy approach. We invite the Secretary-General to compile these
commitments in an internet-based registry. The registry should make information
about the commitments fully transparent and accessible to the public, to
provide an accountability framework, and it should encourage periodic updates
on the implementation of commitments.