Issue 14: February 2002

UNU submits report to Johannesburg
Summit Asian preparatory committee

A UN University report containing 10 key recommendations aimed at removing barriers to sustainable development in the Asia and the Pacific has been submitted to the region's Preparatory Committee for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held in Johannesburg later this year.

A delegation from UNU and UNU Institute for Advanced Studies presented the report to the PrepCom meeting held in Phhom Penh November 27-29.

This report outlines UNU's priorities relating to the implementation of Agenda 21 and its sustainable development goals, and details key sustainable development issues and challenges in the Asia Pacific region.

The report's key findings and recommendations  are:

1. Enhance inter-linkages between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) at the regional and national level.
2. Financial mechanisms and donor institutions must promote greater inter-linkages between MEAs.
3. The principle of subsidiarity (which calls for decisions to be taken and implement4ed at a level appropriate to the problem they address) should be more readily applied in environmental decision making and implementation.
4. Clustering of MEAs in an effective and cost efficient approach to MEA implementation.
5. Sustainable development and the needs of developing countries should be the guiding imperatives in resolving international debate about the multilateral trading system.
6. Greater connectivity is required between urbanization and sustainable development and priority issues such as poverty, health and rural development.
7. Promotion of information communication technologies is critical for environmental education and conservation.
8. Zero emissions strategies are a practical and economically efficient path to sustainability.
9. Promotion of best practices on agro-biodiversity through local knowledge is a key to biodiversity conservation.
10. Creation and implementation of strategic national frameworks for sustainable development are required.

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