The achievement of sustainable development requires continued support from international
institutions. The institutional framework outlined in chapter 38 of Agenda 21 and determined by the
General Assembly in its resolution 47/191 and other relevant resolutions, including the specific
functions and roles of various organs, organizations and programmes within and outside the United
Nations system, will continue to be fully relevant in the period after the special session of the
General Assembly. In the light of the ongoing discussions on reform within the United Nations,
international institutional arrangements in the area of sustainable development are intended to
contribute to the goal of strengthening the entire United Nations system. In this context, the
strengthening of the institutions for sustainable development, as well as the achievement of the
goals and objectives set out below would be particularly important.
Given the increasing number of decision-making bodies concerned with various aspects
of
sustainable development, including international conventions, there is an ever greater need for
better policy coordination at the intergovernmental level, as well as for continued and more
concerted efforts to enhance collaboration among the secretariats of those decision-making bodies.
Under the guidance of the General Assembly, the Economic and Social Council should play a
strengthened role in coordinating the activities of the United Nations system in the economic,
social and related fields.
The conferences of the parties to conventions signed at the Rio Conference or as a
result of it, as
well as other conventions related to sustainable development, should cooperate in exploring ways
and means of collaborating in their work to advance the effective implementation of the conventions.
There is also a need for environmental conventions to continue to pursue sustainable development
objectives consistent with their provisions and be fully responsive to Agenda 21. To this end, inter
alia, the conferences of the parties or governing bodies of the conventions signed at the Rio
Conference, or as a result of it and of other relevant conventions and agreements should, if
appropriate, give consideration to the co-location of secretariats, to improving the scheduling of
meetings, to integrating national reporting requirements, to improving the balance between
sessions of the conferences of the parties and sessions of their subsidiary bodies, and to
encouraging and facilitating the participation of Governments in those sessions, at an appropriate
level.
Institutional arrangements for the convention secretariats should provide effective
support and
efficient services, while ensuring that in order for them to be efficient, at their respective locations,
appropriate autonomy is necessary. At the international and national levels there is a need for, inter
alia, better scientific assessment of ecological linkages between the conventions; identification of
programmes that have multiple benefits; and enhanced public awareness-raising for the
conventions. Such tasks should be undertaken by UNEP in accordance with the relevant decisions
of its Governing Council and in full cooperation with the conferences of the parties to and governing
bodies of relevant conventions. Efforts of convention secretariats, in response to requests from the
respective conferences of the parties, to explore, where appropriate, modalities for suitable liaison
arrangements in Geneva and/or New York for the purpose of enhancing linkages with delegations
and organizations at those United Nations centres are welcomed and fully supported. 120.lt is
necessary to strengthen the ACC Inter-Agency Committee on Sustainable Development and its
system of task managers, with a view to further enhancing system-wide intersectoral cooperation
and coordination for the implementation of Agenda 21 and for the promotion of coordinated follow-up
to the major United Nations conferences in the area of sustainable development. 121.The
Commission on Sustainable Development should promote increased regional implementation of
Agenda 21 in cooperation with relevant regional and subregional organizations and the United
Nations regional commissions, in accordance with the results of their priority-setting efforts, with
a
view to enhancing the role such bodies play in the achievement of sustainable development
objectives agreed at the international level. The regional commissions could provide appropriate
support, consistent with their work programmes, to regional meetings of experts related to the
implementation of Agenda 21.
1n order to facilitate the national implementation of Agenda 21, all organizations
and programmes
of the United Nations system, within their respective areas of expertise and mandates, should
strengthen, individually and jointly, the support for national efforts to implement Agenda 21 and
make their efforts and actions consistent with national plans, policies and priorities of member
States. Coordination of United Nations activities at the field level should be further enhanced
through the resident coordinator system in full consultation with national Governments.
The role of UNEP, as the principal United Nations body in the field of environment,
should be further
enhanced. Taking into account its catalytic role, and in conformity with Agenda 21 and the Nairobi
Declaration on the Role and Mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme, adopted on 7
February 1997,29 UNEP is to be the leading global environmental authority that sets the global
environmental agenda, promotes the coherent implementation of the environmental dimension of
sustainable development within the United Nations system, and serves as an authoritative advocate
for the global environment. In this context, the Governing Council decision of 4 April 1997 on
governance and other related Governing Council decisions are relevant. The role of UNEP in the
further development of international environmental law should be strengthened, including the
development of coherent interlinkages among relevant environmental conventions in cooperation
with their respective conferences of the parties or governing bodies. In performing its functions
related to the conventions signed at the Rio Conference or as a result of it and other relevant
conventions, UNEP should strive to promote the effective implementation of those conventions in a
manner consistent with the provisions of the conventions and the decisions of the conferences of
the parties.
UNEP, in the performance of its role, should focus on environmental issues, taking
into account the
development perspective. A revitalized UNEP should be supported by adequate, stable and
predictable funding. UNEP should continue providing effective support to the Commission on
Sustainable Development, inter alia, in the form of scientific, technical and policy information,
analysis and advice on global environmental issues.
UNDP should continue to strengthen its contribution to programmes in sustainable development
and the implementation of Agenda 21 at all levels particularly in the area of promoting capacity-
building (including through its Capacity 21 programme) in cooperation with other organizations, as
well as in the field of poverty eradication.
UNCTAD, in accordance with General Assembly resolution 51/167 and relevant decisions
of the
Trade and Development Board on the work programme, should continue to play a key role in the
implementation of Agenda 21 through the integrated examination of linkages among trade,
investment, technology, finance and sustainable development.
The WTO Committee on Trade and Environment, UNCTAD and UNEP should advance their
coordinated work on trade and environment, involving other appropriate international and regional
organizations in their cooperation and coordination. In coordination with WTO, UNCTAD and UNEP
should continue to support efforts to promote the integration of trade, environment and
development. The Commission on Sustainable Development should continue to play its important
role in the deliberations on trade and environment to facilitate the integrated consideration of all
factors relevant for achieving sustainable development.
Implementation of the commitment of the international financial institutions to sustainable
development should continue to be strengthened. The World Bank has a significant role to play,
bearing in mind its expertise and the overall volume of resources that it commands.
Operationalization of the global mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat
Desertification in Those Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly
in Africa is also essential.
The Commission on Sustainable Development, within its mandate, as specified in General
Assembly resolution 47/191, will continue to provide a central forum for reviewing progress and for
urging further implementation of Agenda 21 and other commitments made at UNCED or as a result
of it, for conducting high- level policy debate aimed at consensus- building on sustainable
development and for catalyzing action and long-term commitment to sustainable development at all
levels. It should continue to undertake these tasks in complementing and providing interlinkages to
the work of other United Nations organs, organizations and bodies acting in the field of sustainable
development. The Commission has a role to play in assessing the challenges of globalization as
they relate to sustainable development. The Commission should perform its functions in
coordination with other subsidiary bodies of the Economic and Social Council and other related
organizations and institutions, including making recommendations, within its mandate, to the
Economic and Social Council, bearing in mind the interrelated outcomes of recent United Nations
conferences.
The Commission should focus on issues that are crucial to achieving the goals of sustainable
development. It should promote policies that integrate economic, social and environmental
dimensions of sustainability and should provide for integrated consideration of linkages, both
among sectors and between sectoral and cross-sectoral aspects of Agenda 21. In this connection,
the Commission should carry out its work in such a manner as to avoid unnecessary duplication
and repetition of work undertaken by other relevant forums.
1n the light of the above, it is recommended that the Commission on Sustainable Development
adopt the multi-year programme of work for the period 1998-2002 contained in the annex below.
(1) Based on the experience gained during the period 1993-1997, the Commission, under
the
guidance of the Economic and Social Council, should:
(a) Make concerted
efforts to attract greater involvement in its work of ministers and high-
level national policy makers responsible for specific economic and social sectors, who, in
particular, are encouraged to participate in the annual high-level segments of the
Commission together with the ministers and policy makers responsible for environment and
development. The high- level segments of the Commission should become more interactive,
and should focus on the priority issues being considered at a particular session. The
Bureau of the Commission should conduct timely and open-ended consultations with the
view to improving the organization of the work of the high-level segments;
(b) Continue to
provide a forum for the exchange of national experience and best practices
in the area of sustainable development, including through voluntary national communications
or reports. Consideration should be given to the results of ongoing work aimed at
streamlining requests for national information and reporting and the results of the "pilot
phase" on indicators of sustainable development. In this context, the Commission should
consider more effective modalities for the further implementation of commitments made in
Agenda 21, with an appropriate emphasis on means of implementation. Countries may wish
to submit to the Commission, on a voluntary basis, information regarding their efforts to
incorporate the relevant recommendations of other United Nations conferences in national
sustainable development strategies;
(c) The Commission
should take into account regional developments related to the
implementation of the outcomes of UNCED. It should provide a forum for the exchange of
experience on regional and subregional initiatives and regional collaboration for sustainable
development. This could include the promotion of the voluntary regional exchange of national
experience in the implementation of Agenda 21 and, inter alia, the possible development of
modalities for reviews by and among those countries that voluntarily agree to do so, within
regions. In this context, the Commission should encourage the availability of funding for the
implementation of initiatives related to such reviews;
(d) Establish closer
interaction with international financial, development and trade
institutions, as well as with other relevant bodies within and outside the United Nations
system, including the World Bank, GEF, UNDI^ WTO, UNCTAD and UNE? which, in turn,
are invited to take full account of the results of policy deliberations in the Commission and
to integrate them in their own work programmes and activities;
(e) Strengthen its
interaction with representatives of major groups including through greater
and better use of focused dialogue sessions and round tables. These groups are important
resources in operationalizing, managing and promoting sustainable development and
contribute to the implementation of Agenda 21. The major groups are encouraged to adopt
arrangements for coordination and interaction in providing inputs to the Commission. Taking
into account the Commission's programme of work, this could include inputs from: (i) The
scientific community and research institutions on greater understanding of the interactions
between human activity and natural ecosystems and on how to manage global systems
sustainably;
(ii) Women, children and youth, indigenous people and their communities, non-governmental
organizations, local authorities, workers and their trade unions and farmers on the elaboration,
promotion and sharing of effective strategies, policies, practices and processes to promote
sustainable development;
(iii) Business and industry groups in the elaboration, promotion and sharing of sustainable
development practices and their promotion of corporate responsibility and accountability; (f)
Organize the implementation of its next multi-year programme of work in the most effective and
productive way, including through shortening its annual meeting to two weeks. The inter- sessional
ad hoc working groups should help to focus the Commission's sessions by identifying key
elements to be discussed and important problems to be addressed within specific items of the
Commission's programme of work. Government hosted and funded expert meetings will continue to
provide inputs to the work of the Commission.
The Secretary-General is invited to review the functioning of the High-Level Advisory
Board on
Sustainable Development and present proposals on ways to promote more direct interaction
between the Board and the Commission, with a view to ensuring that the Board contributes to the
deliberations on specific themes considered by the Commission in accordance with its programme
of work.
The work of the Committee on New and Renewable Sources of Energy and on Energy for
Development and the Committee on Natural Resources should be more compatible with and
supportive of the programme of work of the Commission. The Economic and Social Council, in
carrying out its functions related to the implementation of General Assembly resolution 50/227,
should consider, at its substantive session of 1997, the most effective means of bringing this about.
Arrangements for the election of the Bureau should be changed in order to allow the
same Bureau
to provide guidance for the preparation for and lead work during the annual sessions of the
Commission. The Commission would benefit from such a change, and the Economic and Social
Council should take the necessary action at its substantive session of 1997 to ensure that these
new arrangements take effect.
The next comprehensive review of progress achieved in the implementation of Agenda
21 by the
General Assembly will take place in the year 2002. The modalities of this review should be
determined at a later stage.
