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.