Actions speak louder than words
Shedding light on the darker sides of Rio
19 June 1997
" The Rio Conference on Environment and Development proved an outstanding success in terms of raising public awareness worldwide, but five years on it is disappointing to see how few of the good intentions have been put into action ", says Kaj Bärlund, Director of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UN/ECE) Environment Division. The Rio Conference triggered a vast array of projects and activities and many of these will undoubtedly have a lasting impact, but five years later it seems that very few concrete results can be attributed directly to the Rio process.
The first disappointment is related to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change: many countries are still reluctant to take concrete steps to curb greenhouse gases because they fear it will stifle their economic development.The second and perhaps the most important disappointment is the failure of developed countries to live up to their commitment to double their development assistance. There does not seem to be a willingness to carry out an open and self-critical assessment of the utter failure on the part of developed countries to deliver on development assistance. Is this a short-term phenomenon due to short-term financial problems? Or is this a major shift in policy, which undermines the obligations subscribed to in Rio to the detriment of developing countries?The third disappointment in the follow-up to Rio is the lack of monitoring. There is a need for more transparency in assessing the progress made by countries in meeting the objectives of Agenda 21. At the moment countries do report to the Commission on Sustainable Development. This country reporting is useful, but it is possible to go even further, especially on a regional level.
To add value to this reporting process, UN/ECE has proposed to take responsibility for assessing the national reports to see to what extent its member countries have fulfilled their obligations. UN/ECEs experience with Environmental Performance Reviews shows that its member countries are willing to accept such outside assessment. This could open a new form of dialogue between the countries in the region and help in disseminating experiences. It would also introduce a dynamic element in the process. It would help countries focus on their weaknesses and problems, but also publicize success-stories and best practices. Eventually, UN/ECE could base region-wide action on the conclusions drawn from these extensive country reports.
"Finally, the transition to a market economy, which at the time of the Rio Conference was in its infancy, was largely overlooked " concludes Mr. Kaj Bärlund. There is a definite need, especially given the difficulties faced by countries in central and eastern Europe, to build on the outcome of Rio in an effort to see the transition through. " All in all, we now need some innovative thinking to keep the momentum going in the Rio follow-up".