Financing Critical to Earth Summit

new york, mar 2 1992 (ips/thalif deen)-- a five-week preparatory meeting of the upcoming earth summit opened monday with a call for new and additional financial resources to save the world from continued environmental degradation.

in his opening address to the fourth session of the earth summit preparatory committee (prep com iv), the secretary-general of the summit warned that the estimated $125 billion needed for environmental funding in the long-term was ''critical to the success'' of the summit due to take place in rio june 1-12.

appealing specifically to the western industrialized nations, maurice strong of canada said the u.n. has been doing everything possible to facilitate the process on this important matter.

but he said he was hoping the 21 countries of the organization for economic cooperation for development (oecd) will be especially ''forthcoming'' in their position on finances.

''in the final analysis,'' strong asserted, ''the question of meeting the costs of saving the earth is one of political will and priorities.''

if developing nations are to implement fully 'agenda 21,' which is described as a blueprint for action in all areas relating to sustainable development of the planet, they will need about $125 billion in funding through the year 2000.

the aggregate figure, which has been derived from costing of individual programs, is about $70 billion more than existing flows of official development assistance (oda) amounting to about $55 billion annually.

a third world diplomat told ips monday the figures were all formulated by the u.n. secretariat. the developing countries, he said, had not quantified any of their needs. ''we want a strong political commitment by the industrialized countries they will provide the financing,'' he said.

in his address, strong also argued that most of the costs for fully implementing agenda 21-- some four to five times $125 billion-- would have to be provided by developing countries themselves.

the nations and people of the planet, strong argued, must be prepared to accept global environmental security as an important and indispensable priority. ''for if we do not succeed in moving to a sustainable pathway in our economic life, our future will be at risk in both economic and environmental terms,'' he added.

the threats to the earth's environment and its life-supporting systems represent the ultimate security risk, strong noted. the costs of averting these risks, he pointed out, are modest in relation to the amounts the world has been spending, and will continue to spend, on traditional military security.

''what is needed,'' strong emphasized, ''is a change in our political mindset and in the ordering of our priorities. this is what must happen at rio if we are to succeeded in meeting the goals the general assembly has set for the conference.''

strong also proposed an intergovernmental body to review progress in carrying out the decisions taken at the earth summit, particularly in respect of agenda 21.

this proposed body -- either a reconstitution of an existing one or the creation of a new intergovernmental body -- could also provide broad policy guidance to governments as well as direction to the u.n. system and facilitate coordination on these and related matters.

secondly, strong said, provision should be made for a high- level intergovernmental review of implementation of the decisions taken at the earth summit after a period of three or four years.

thirdly, he proposed the creation of a fourth convention, this time on desertification-- besides the proposed conventions on climate change, biodiversity and forestry.

the proposal for such a convention -- described as ''critically important'' to a number of developing countries in africa -- was made at the last african ministerial meeting in abidjan in november 1991.

''this would be a very timely and valuable means of ensuring that desertification is accorded the priority it deserves,'' strong said.

Back...