A decade of action gets underway

FRIDAY, 9 MAY 2003, NEW YORK: The historic eleventh session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD11) ended today, setting in motion a challenging programme of work for the new decade of action.

The high attendance of ministers of a wide variety of portfolios, heads of agencies and representatives of major groups sent a clear message in these troubled times that most of the world is still invested in multilateral solutions to global problems.

According to the chairperson of CSD 11, Minister Valli Moosa, the successful outcomes of this session has sent a clear signal that the United Nations system has a pivotal role to play in facilitating the international effort to combat poverty and deliver on the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

"We have been able to reaffirm global solidarity in a difficult moment in world history. We have designed a work programme and architecture for the organisation of work for the CSD that is clearly orientated for action and implementation at national, sub-regional and regional levels as well as the international level," said Moosa.

"We have successfully integrated Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the Millennium Development Goals in the CSD work programme," he said.

By way of successfully utilising an innovative format for this CSD, in leading with the High-Level Segment that sets the political tone and direction for the rest of the session, this session has set a precedent for all future CSDs.

A second innovation has been the Partnership Fair. A total of 54 Partnership Fair presentations and seven Learning Centre sessions were held concurrently with the main CSD11 programme The themes covered by these events were not only relevant to the concurrent intergovernmental CSD negotiations, but significantly enriched delegates' understanding and consideration of global and national responses to the international sustainable development agenda, specifically within the context of the implementation of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.

The content has been good and many have claimed benefit from the experience. The 32 side events have been provocative in many cases, and thought-provoking in all.