GLOBAL MINISTERIAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM FROM 3 TO 7 FEBRUARY 2003 IN KENYA The environment must make its voice heard internationally
Bern, 31.01.2003 - This year's Global Ministerial Environment Forum is dealing with the follow-up work to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which took place last summer. Switzerland's main concerns at this year’s meeting of the World’s Environment Ministers in Kenya from 3 to 7 February 2003 are: to continue to strengthen the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) as the central pillar of the international environmental system, to draw up international strategies in the areas of water and chemicals management and to work towards more sustainable production and consumption patterns.
More than ever, the environment needs to make its voice heard in the international arena. At the annual meeting of the environment ministers, Switzerland is therefore calling for a more prominent role for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The Conference is being held from 3 to 7 February as an ordinary session of the UNEP Governing Council at UNEP headquarters in Kenya.
Strengthening UNEP’s financial situation
The Swiss delegation headed by SAEFL Director Philippe Roch will stand up for the strengthening of UNEP's financial situation and therefore supports the creation of an indicative scale for the contributions to the UNEP core budget. This would render funding of the United Nations Environment Programme generally more stable, more predictable and equitable. The indicative scale would lead to fairer burden-sharing because contributions would better reflect the size, importance and economic strength of the countries and not their historical contributions. Switzerland is paying around CHF 3.5m to UNEP's core budget in 2003, along with substantial contributions to UNEP programmes, for example in the areas of chemicals or trade and environment.
The Global Ministerial Environment Forum respectively the UNEP Governing Council (see box) form the central body for international environmental policy guidance. It is Switzerland's view that membership to UNEP should be open to all countries as it is the case with the UN.
Swiss priorities: water, chemicals, polluter-pays principle
- Water is essential for human survival. Increasing environmental pollution and a growing world population mean that clean drinking water is becoming increasingly scarce. In Switzerland's view, UNEP's water strategy must therefore be based on the "ecosystem approach”. As ecosystems capture, store, filter and distribute water, the main focus should be on the protection and sustainable use of wetlands, woods and sustainably managed soils.
- The creation of an international strategy for chemicals management was adopted last year by the UNEP Governing Council and then approved at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg. Switzerland will campaign for UNEP to take a leading role when this strategy is drawn up and will call for the private sector to be regularly consulted and actively involved. Switzerland is also advocating for the permanent residence for the Secretariats of the Stockholm Convention (Persistent Organic Pollutants – POPs) and the Rotterdam Convention (Prior Informed Consent procedure – PIC) in Geneva. Thus the international chemicals and waste cluster at the International Environment House in Geneva could be further strengthened.
- Only through sustainable consumption and production patterns world-wide sustainable life-style can become a reality. A further step in this profound process should be taken in Kenya. Switzerland's specific concerns in this regard are: the application of the polluter-pays principle, life-cycle analyses for products, and the promotion of comprehensive and transparent consumer information tools (labelling).
- In the ongoing WTO negotiations, UNEP should play more of a political role in the area of trade and environment and represent the interests of the environment more effectively. Switzerland will therefore call upon UNEP to strengthen its co-operation with the World Trade Organization (WTO). In particular, the relationship between international trade and environmental agreements needs to be further clarified as discussed at the World Summit in Johannesburg.
Publisher
Federal Office for the Environment FOEN
https://www.bafu.admin.ch/en
