Statement on International Environmental Governance

7th Special Session of UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum Cartagena, 13-15 February

Statement on International Environmental Governance

by
the Norwegian Minister of the Environment, Mr. Børge Brende

Mr. President,

We have met quite frequently to discuss International Environmental Governance over the last year and I think we can easily agree that this is the most important meeting in the IEG process. Now we have to deliver, and I hope we will take substantial steps forward.

Mr. President,

Environmental goods and services are under threat although they are critical for sustaining social and economic development. The role of forests in soil conservation and watercatchment is but one of many examples. The environmental pillar should therefore not be seen as a competitor to the development pillars. The stronger it is and the better it links up with the development processes, the sounder is the basis for social and economic development. A greatly strengthened IEG is therefore a major contribution to the debate on International Governance for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.

In this respect a key challenge for this meeting is to look at how environment can contribute to addressing the major development challenges such as poverty, health, security and food production. Environment cannot be seen in isolation, but only in close connection with social and economic development.

Reduction of poverty is a pre-condition for sustainable development.Negative economic growth and poverty is closely linked to ill health and environmental degradation. The vicious circle between ill health and poverty and environment should be broken. Unclean water and poor sanitation kill over 12 million people each year. Air pollution kills nearly 3 million more, about 90 per cent of them in the developing world.

When we entered into the new millennium the world’s leaders agreed "to spare no effort to free all of humanity—and, above all, future generations—from the threat of living on a planet irredeemably spoiled by human activities and whose resources would no longer be sufficient to meet their needs". Now we have to ask ourselves how we together can better strive towards achieving the Millennium Declaration Goals. Our Task as environment ministers is to ensure the environmental contribution to these challenges.

An effective international system for sustainable governance can make a major contribution.

The Monterrey consensus document gives valuable guidance for how to move forward in the economical and social sectors. In the area of international environmental governance we have a head start. We, Ministers of the Environment, have a golden opportunity to show the way by example and results to other sectors.

The UN, and UNEP in particular, will be vital for the successful outcome of IEG. I would like to see UNEP develop into a strong institution and GC/GMEF as an overarching policymaking platform with dynamic interaction with civil society. I would like to see the establishment of fair and predictable financing mechanisms for UNEP reflecting its role as the world authority on environment.

I am saddened to learn that consultations on establishing an enhanced financial mechanism for UNEP have not been particularly successful. This should not be acceptable to us, the Ministers. It is my hope that our joint influence can contribute to concrete results in informal consultations today and tomorrow.

Norway has put forward suggestions on how to ensure a strengthened UNEP within its existing mandate. We need solid scientific information to build our political decisions upon. Science may bring to light unexpected consequences of the increasing human impacts on nature and biological processes. Species are being lost at a scale of 100 to 1000 times higher than the natural expected loss. Invasive species are the second leading cause of biodiversity loss after habitat destruction. The possible effects that chemicals can have on ecosystems and human health need more research.

Only when people fully realize what is happening and what is at stake can we begin to reverse the destruction. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has shown that science can be a partner in politics, providing the basis for sound decisions and effective action in policy-making. Time has come to utilize the experience gained in the IPCC to go beyond Climate Change and to establish also an Intergovernmental Panel for Assessing Global Environmental Change to mobilise national and international scientific expertise to provide the basis for political decisions.

In response to the alarming rate of environmental problems we have signed a series of environmental conventions – but we are not fulfilling our commitments. Therefore we need an Intergovernmental Strategic Plan of Action for Implementation Support in order to follow-up our common but differentiated responsibilities. It will be particularly difficult for developing countries to implement environmental commitments unless they are strongly supported by the international community.

Overall, environmental questions need to get a higher international profile and I believe that a High Commissioner for the Environment could help achieving this. This role would in one respect be similar to that of the High Commissioner for Refugees; someone who can cut across bureaucratic and political boundaries when necessary.

It is time for action. Better not wait until tomorrow to do what can be done today. I am therefore pleased to see that our proposals for strengthening intergovernmental cooperation in the field of scientific assessments, implementation support reflected in the President’s Paper. These are actions that can be initiated by GC/GMEF already at this meeting. We need to identify concrete, practical and workable solutions for strengthening IEG.

Finally,In the past year substantial efforts have been devoted to discussing the basis of the report of the President. During these three days in Cartagena we are to decide whether all this effort will benefit the environment. Are we to accept a step backwards? At the very best standstill? Let’s take responsibility and be true to the spirit of the building blocks and the evolutionary approach. In nature, evolution happens not only through small steps, but sometimes also through great leaps. We can make sure that the IEG process will result in a major evolutionary leap here in Cartagena.

Thank you for your attention.