EU Presidency Statement - Meeting of the CSD

Mr. Chairperson,

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and the acceding countries Cyprus, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia. The associated countries Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey declare that they align themselves with this statement.


Let me first thank you, Mr. Chairperson, for the outstanding preparatory work which has been carried out by the Bureau and the Secretariat under your auspices and which enabled us to prepare ourselves for this High Level meeting in a way as to promise a positive result of our endeavours.

I would also like to extend the warmest thanks of the European Union and its member states to the Secretary General for his very useful report, which will facilitate our deliberations and hopefully lead us to our goal.

Mr. Chairperson, we have entered the post Johannesburg era and thus we have reached a new stage. We have come to a point where major changes at the work of the CSD will be called for, both in its methods as well as in the nature of its outcomes. In other words, we are about to see a new CSD emanating as a result of our work here. Therefore, our task should be to establish the framework, in which this new work will be carried out with the least possible difficulties, in a focussed and task oriented way, establishing the "who would be doing what and how", thus creating a CSD that ensures effective implementation of the JPOI and Agenda 21.

Mr. Chairperson, the EU believes that we should address all issues of CSD, in an integrated manner, taking into account the 3 dimensions of sustainable development. Focus should be on the targets and objectives agreed upon at Johannesburg as well as the achievement of the Millenium Development Goals. The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and Agenda 21 should form the basis of the work programme. We should avoid overlapping with work done by other bodies and should focus on those areas where the CSD can bring most added value.

The EU welcomes the proposal of a new two-year work-cycle (Implementation Review /Policy year), and the increased attention on implementation at the regional level. However, there is scope to simplify the proposed structure of the two-year work cycle and to clarify the proposed timing of meetings. CSD should give due consideration to the question of how to ensure continuity to the work of the Bureaux throughout the two year cycle.

The EU believes that the work programme should ideally be flexible enough to address emerging issues and deal with changing trends. On the selection of issues, therefore, the EU considers option 3 as most feasible, as it combines predictability and flexibility. Consideration should also be given to the timing of specific issues in the Work Programme, taking into account the timing of other relevant international meetings and conferences. In line with what I have already mentioned, the EU prefers adopting a longer-term work programme, consisting of 4-6 cycles (8-12 years). The EU proposes to have three issues in each cycle, one of which could be left open for political guidance at the end of the policy year of the preceding cycle.

The work programme should cover the main themes of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, including the overarching objectives (poverty eradication, changing unsustainable consumption and production patterns and sustainable management of natural resources) as well as corporate social and environmental responsibility. The themes water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity constitute an important albeit not exclusive basis for the CSD work programme. Special emphasis should be given to water and energy, as the UN-arrangements on these areas are either too scattered or even lacking.

Each theme of the CSD work programme would have to be addressed in an integrated manner doing justice to the three dimensions of sustainable development. Furthermore, each cycle should address the relation between the respective themes and the overarching objecties and cross-cutting issues such as Poverty eradication, Sustainable production and consumption, Sustainable management of natural resources, Means of implementation (including financing, capacity-building, transfer of technology, indicators and impact assessments, science and education), Gender equality, Governance, Globalisation and Health. The integrated approach would also mean that links between themes (i.e. energy and industry, oceans and maritime transportation, water and agriculture) are properly addressed.

Good monitoring and adequate indicators and reporting mechanisms are essential to keep track of the progress in implementation of Agenda 21 and JPOI, as well as the implementation of National Strategies for Sustainable Development. Maximum use should be made of existing reporting systems. Informal peer reviews, on a voluntary basis, of NSSDs could be envisaged in the framework of CSD.

The concept of a matrix listing issues and their inter-linkages is a useful starting point but CSD will need to address both sectoral and cross-cutting issues; and the integrative approach to themes, one of the main achievements of Johannesburg, should be maintained.

Mr. Chairperson, the EU believes CSD should remain a high-level policy forum on sustainable development, where increased and active participation of Ministers is important. Ministerial participation in the high level segments of the Policy sessions is essential for keeping the high profile of CSD. Review Sessions could, as appropriate, accommodate other forms of Ministerial involvement (e.g. roundtables). The input and active participation of Ministers of all relevant fields of sustainable development is essential for the new CSD.

The EU welcomes the emphasis put in the Secretary General's report on increased involvement at regional level in implementation of the mandate of the JPOI, including the organisation of the Regional Implementation Forums at the regions by the UN Regional Commissions prior to consideration of issues in each cycle at the global level. This could lead to a more active participation in the work of the CSD by the local, national and regional experiences and lessons learned.


Mr Chairperson, the EU, believes that advantage should be taken of existing regional or sub-regional structures and initiatives, since they offer a platform for specifying global issues to regional and sub-regional particularities and for taking appropriate steps in the regions to implement the JPOI. CSD could benefit from added value of the UN regional bodies and agencies with great experience deriving from established cooperation schemes and mechanisms already established at the regional level.


Overlapping activities between UN agencies and programmes should be avoided. Synergies should be explored and enhanced, where possible. CSD Bureau should continue to work closely with ECOSOC Bureau and the Bureaux of other functional commissions to further develop ongoing lines of communication and innovative methods of coordination. CSD also needs better cooperation with other UN Agencies and Programmes, which have important programmes for following up WSSD, including UNDP, UNEP, HABITAT, UNIDO, UNCTAD, and UNESCO, as well as with UN Regional Commissions.

Coherence in the follow-up to Johannesburg, Monterrey and other major UN conferences is crucial, and the work and future recommendations of the AHWG on this issue should be taken into account in this respect. We cannot forget our commitments on sustainable development when we discuss trade in Cancun and the follow-up of Monterrey in the UN General Assembly.

The division of labour in the UN system in the follow-up to Johannesburg and the new role of task managers should be clarified.

Civil society, including NGO's, should be actively involved in the whole work-cycle of CSD, both implementation/review and policy sessions. The CSD should request ECOSOC to ensure the fast track accreditation of those NGO's that participated in the Johannesburg Summit but do not have consultative status with ECOSOC. Interaction between Ministers and High-level representatives of major groups during the High-level segment should be enhanced.

The role of the scientific community as well as the role of educational community is important. The role of the business sector should also be reinforced, following the positive results obtained in Johannesburg through the Partnership Initiatives.

A better balance in representation of major groups from "North" and the "South" in the CSD is needed.

The engagement of all major groups should also be supported, allowing their active participation in the process of monitoring and assessment, including at the ministerial roundtables and their valuable contributions should be reflected in the outcomes of the CSD.

The EU believes that partnerships are a valuable tool that WSSD has put at our disposal. They are unique in being specifically linked in the Summit outcomes and form now an important part of its follow-up. They were one of the key innovations of the Summit.

The Union also believes and has repeatedly underlined that partnerships are complementary and are not to be seen as replacing or substituting the efforts and commitments made by governments in achieving the goals and targets of JPOI and the MDGs.

The EU supports the Bali Guidelines, which helped shape the conceptual basis for partnerships. The EU agrees that there should be review of partnerships, relevant to the themes dealt with in the respective cycle.

CSD has an important role to play in monitoring what partnerships are delivering and assessing what makes for a successful outcome, providing a focal point for information exchange and dissemination of best practice.

To assist with this and to help CSD keep track of implementation on the ground it will be important to develop an efficient, transparent, flexible and voluntary reporting and monitoring system, emphasising outputs rather than processes.

Mr Chairperson,

In a relatively sort statement like the one I have just made, all facets of the EU positions could not be included. Therefore, with your permission, we will be distributing not only the text of this statement, but also the EU positions on the modalities of work, the work programme, the participation and the partnerships.

Mr Chairperson,

The Secretary General had rightly stated in his report that the decisions to be made at CSD 11 will require thoughtful preparation, creative thinking and broad consultations among all interested parties. The European Union has noted with great satisfaction that all sides have acted in this spirit during the preparatory phase, giving proof of their will to conclude this session of CSD successfully. The EU is committed to being held accountable on its own progress. We, the European Union, are determined to continue sparing no efforts and to strive in a spirit of creative, constructive and flexible thinking in order to provide the Commission on Sustainable Development with the tools necessary to respond to the new demands that emerged from the Johannesburg Summit. If Sustainable Development is to be achieved, which is the vision of us all, this is the time and the place to tackle the task.

Thank you, Mr. Chairperson.

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