ASEAN wants more money from North
ASEAN wants more money from North
Fabiola Desy Unidjaja, The Jakarta Post, Nusa Dua, Bali
The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has called for developed countries to fulfill their commitments to support developing countries in implementing sustainable development.
The joint statement by ASEAN environment ministers on Tuesday expressed concerned that promises of financial assistance, technology transfer and capacity building had not been fully realized by the developed world.
The ASEAN environment ministers gathered here on the sidelines of the final preparatory meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which will be held in Johannesburg next August to September.
The ASEAN ministers want to present a united stance during the ongoing negotiations on sustainable development taking place at the two-week preparatory committee meeting.
ASEAN secretary-general Rudolfo F. Severino said, "All ASEAN countries heading to the negotiating tables at this meeting will have a similar stance."
"Although it is difficult, we still hope that the Bali meeting can yield something important for sustainable development," Severino said.
The Bali meeting is meant to finalize a series of implementation plans, called the Chairman's Text, that should help world leaders stick to their commitments on sustainable development.
Stronger commitments on sustainable development are being sought because little progress has been made in the 10 years since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
In their statement, the ASEAN ministers also declared that the environment and the world's natural resources had deteriorated over the past 10 years.
Moreover, a commitment from developed countries to allocate 0.7 percent of their gross national products to support developing countries has yet to be fulfilled.
In the ongoing negotiations, several developed countries, including the United States, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, refused to strengthen their commitments on time targets in the implementation plans.
"We believe that the World Summit on Sustainable Development should set specific time-bound, practical and implementable actions to achieve sustainable development goals," the statement said.
In the negotiations, ASEAN countries belong to a group that includes 77 other developing countries.
In the statement, ASEAN also demanded that developed countries improve market access for agricultural exports from developing countries.
The statement further urged the developed countries to eliminate trade-distorting subsidies and barriers to trade for agricultural products.
"We oppose to the use of environmental measures for protective purposes," the statement said.
ASEAN also called for a review of the role of international financial institutions, especially after the financial crisis that swept across East and Southeast Asia.
On financial issues, the ASEAN ministers pointed to the heavy debt burden on developing countries, saying there should be comprehensive efforts to deal with this problem.
In the 25-point statement, to be delivered to the United Nations and the preparatory committee meeting, the ASEAN ministers also touched on many environmental issues, including deforestation, marine and coastal issues, and partnerships.