UN Meeting Agrees Green Economy a Useful Approach towards Sustainable Development（在线收听）

A high-level symposium on the UN Conference on Sustainable Development has just wrapped up in Beijing. UN officials and member states have agreed that green economy is an effective approach to accelerating sustainable development and poverty eradication. 

CRI reporter Wei Tong has more.

 
Sha Zukang is the secretary general of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development. At the symposium in Beijing, he says that green economy can be seen as a new way of approaching economic decision making.

"One that emphasizes potential synergies between economic and social development and environmental protection. One that treats investment in protection and sustainable management of the natural resource base as an integral part of poverty eradication strategies."

Sha Zukang says it is widely accepted that sizeable investment will need to flow into green sectors. He says domestic resource mobilization will play a key role. But for many less developed countries, enhanced access to international finance and additional resources will also be crucial.

Ethiopia is using green economic concepts to fight current droughts while conserving the environment. Molla Belete is Ethiopia's representative for the conference.

"The current drought was within ten years' gap. We've started to develop numbers of dams and irrigation systems while balancing nature. The government is now committed on sustainable development through green economy to conserve natural resources, such as forests."

Belete's view is echoed by Kenya's representative Zena Nzibo.

"I think the biggest asset that Africa has is the natural resources. We can in a short term sell it all. But that is very selfish and nothing will be left for the future. Green economy is not something that can be seen as isolation but something for the long term in the future."

The other topic for the meeting is institutional framework for sustainable development. Secretary-general Sha Zukang warns that the lack of coordination between international organizations has weakened the effectiveness of sustainable development efforts.

"There is wide acknowledgement of the need to bring coherence to the landscape of multilateral environmental agreements, intergovernmental bodies, the UN system and other international organizations."

Sha Zukang says some member states have proposed turning the Commission on Sustainable Development into a Sustainable Development Council so that the council can report directly to the UN General Assembly.

The symposium is a preparation for next year's Earth summit in Rio de Janeiro. That event will mark the 20th anniversary of the original Rio Earth Summit in 1992, which led to the creation of the Kyoto protocol.

For CRI, this is Wei Tong.