REGIONAL MINISTERIAL
MEETING FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
On 24-25 September, more than six hundred persons
participated in the UNECE Regional Ministerial Meeting,
jointly organized with UNEP and convened at the Palais
des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland. Among the participants
representing the 55 member States of UNECE were 22
Ministers and 15 Deputy Ministers. More than 200 persons
from approximately100 non-governmental organizations,
represented all Major Groups.
At the Meeting, the
Ministers and heads of delegations of member States
of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
(UNECE), adopted a Ministerial Statement for the
World Summit on Sustainable Development. In addition,
the Chair of the Meeting prepared a Chairman's
summary of the Meeting. Both of these are contained
in the Report of the UNECE Ministerial Meeting for
the World Summit on Sustainable Development (English,
Francais,
Russian)
.
The Ministerial Meeting
elected all members of its Bureau by acclamation.
These included the Chair, Mr. Joseph DEISS (Federal
Councellor and Head of the Department for Foreign
Affairs, Switzerland), and the following Vice-Chairs:
Mr. Richard BALLHORN (Director General, Department
of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada);
Mr. Ioan JELEV (State Secretary for Environmental
Protection, Ministry of Waters and Environmental Protection,
Romania); Mr. Kjell LARSSON (Minister of the Environment,
Sweden); and Mr. Serhii KURYKIN (Minister of Environment
and Natural Resources, Ukraine).
Two Panels were organized during the
Ministerial Meeting. The first was a Panel on Governance
and Sustainable Development, chaired by Mr. Svend
AUKEN (Minister of Environment
and Energy, Denmark). Members of the Panel included
M. Olivier DELEUZE (State Secretary of Energy
and Sustainable Development, Belgium); Mr. Yves COCHET
(Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, France);
Dr. Ilona BODA, (Political Secretary of State, Hungary);
Mr. Nurlan ISKAKOV (Vice-Minster of Natural Resources
and Environment Protection, Kazakhstan); Mr. Nicolae
STRATAN (Deputy Minister, Ministry of Ecology, Construction
and Territorial Development); Ms. Paula DOBRIANSKY
(Under-Secretary-of State for Global Affairs, United
States); Sir Mark Moody STUART (Business Action for
Sustainable Development); and Ms. Victoria ELIAS (European
EcoForum).
The second was a Panel on Poverty
and Sustainable Development, chaired by Mr. Jan
PRONK (Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and the
Environment, the Netherlands). Panel members included
Dr. Richard HAWORTH (Acting Deputy Minister, Natural
Resources Canada, Canada); Mrs. Nino CHKHOBADZE (Minister
of Environment and Natural Resources Protection, Georgia);
Mr. Serhii KURYKIN (Minister, Environment and Natural
Resources, Ukraine); Mr. Michael MEACHER (Minister
of State, Department for the Environment, Food and
Rural Affairs, United Kingdom); Ms. Irene DANKELMAN
(Women's Environment and Development Organization);
and Ms. Karine DANIELYAN (NGO Association for Sustainable
Human Development).