Introductory
statement by Mr. Joseph Deiss,
Minister of Foreign Affairs, Switzerland
at
the Regional Ministerial Meeting
for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
Geneva, 24-25 September 2001
Geneva, 24 September 2001
C'est un grand honneur pour mon pays non seulement
d'accueillir cette conférence, mais aussi de la présider. Au nom de mon
gouvernement, je vous remercie de la confiance que vous lui témoignez.
Je
vous souhaite la bienvenue à Genève. C'est un plaisir d'accueillir les États
membres de la CEE-ONU. Nous sommes également honorés de la présence d'une délégation
de l'Afrique de Sud, hôte du prochain Sommet mondial sur le développement
durable. Je salue aussi la présence de nombreux représentants de la société
civile, en particulier ceux qui arrivent de l'Europe centrale et orientale et
de l'Asie centrale et participent pour la première fois à nos débats.
En prévision du Sommet, qui se tiendra en 2002 à
Johannesburg, mon gouvernement s'est interrogé sur sa contribution. Cela nous
a donné l’occasion de constater que la Suisse fait partie des pays qui se
sont engagés à intégrer l'impératif du développement durable dans leur
politique intérieure.
Mais nous savons aussi qu'une perspective purement
nationale est bien trop restreinte. L'un des grands mérites de la conférence
de Rio, en 1992, a été d’amener le monde politique à prendre conscience
du défi du développement durable. Et cela avec un indéniable succès,
puisque notre constitution mentionne maintenant en bonne place le développement
durable. Dans le sillage de Rio, la Suisse a mené une politique visant à
faire progresser sa coopération internationale.
La politique que nous avons menée ces dix dernières
années peut se résumer par la formule: From
Rio to Responsibility. La Suisse a la ferme intention de la développer
encore et d’aller de l’avant sur cette voie.
At the same time, I am more convinced than ever that the idea of
sustainable development is not only important for this small country but of
enormous relevance for the whole world.
The events of 11th September have shocked us all deeply. I am confident
that I can speak on behalf of all ministers and delegations present here
today, when I assure our American colleagues and friends of our profound
sympathy, our unconditional solidarity and our support in the search for and
the punishment of the perpetrators of this outrageous crime. We honour the
memory of all the victims, many of which are nationals of countries from our
region.
I am also convinced that in the long term retaliation and force alone
will not stamp out the roots of terrorism. There is no justification
whatsoever for such acts. However, in my view, above all it will be necessary
to have a strategy of promoting sustainable development as well as equality
and justice between peoples, in order to deal effectively with poverty,
exclusion and desperation. In the long term, I see no other way to ensure
security and humane conduct than through increased international co-operation.
Switzerland understands its work in the preparation for Johannesburg in
this sense, and I have accepted the Chair in the same spirit. Our aim must be
to send a clear message to the global process under way, a strong message from
this regional group which carries a special responsibility for the promotion
of global equality.
While doing so, I do not overlook the fact that in our own region there
are great disparities among the different countries and also within them. The
need for serious action is unquestionable and we are called upon to deal with
these problems. But we do not want to convey to the other four regions the
impression that this group, in which almost all the industrialised countries
are represented, is primarily preoccupied with itself.
We will have the opportunity to further discuss the details of our common
message today and tomorrow. However, we should not limit ourselves simply to
rephrasing the results of earlier conferences. We should look to the future.
We must openly and honestly weigh up achievements against failures and draw
the conclusions. And finally, and most importantly, we must not lose sight of
the overall picture – the achievement of sustainable development for the
future generations. This can only be accomplished through the delicate balance
between economic and social development and environmental protection.
With these thoughts in mind, I invite you all to commit yourselves to the
task ahead with a team spirit and a willingness to compromise. I am confident
that we will succeed in finding consensus and producing a meaningful
contribution of our region to the preparatory process. In this way, I am
confident that the Johannesburg Summit will produce the same major impetus
into the sustainable development debate for the benefit of present and future
generations as Rio did a decade ago.
Ref: ECE/ENV/01/11