Getting the Goods

Baby steps toward achieving sustainable development

by Karin Krchnak

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Rio+11 was finalized this year when the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) concluded its first meeting since the World Summit on Sustainable Development on May 9, 2003 with an agreement on its future program and organization of work for the next 15 years. Approximately 40 ministers, other government representatives, heads of UN agencies and other international organizations, and over 900 representatives of non-governmental organizations and other stakeholders attended the two-week meeting in New York.

Some major changes were introduced at CSD-11. First, the CSD will work in seven two-year cycles, with each cycle focusing on selected thematic clusters of issues. Moreover, delegates will not negotiate text at each meeting. "Review" sessions will alternate years with "Policy" sessions; means of implementation will be addressed in every cycle and for every relevant issue, action, and commitment. Linkages to cross-cutting issues (such as poverty eradication, changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, and gender) are also to be addressed in every cycle.

CSD-11 reaffirmed that voluntary multi-stakeholder partnerships contribute to the implementation of inter-governmental commitments and that they are a complement to, not a substitute for, inter-governmental commitments. A set of criteria and guidelines for partnerships were agreed to at CSD-11, and the CSD will have the role of overseeing the partnerships.

CSD-11 was also new in that a Partnerships Fair was held, as well as a Learning Centre aimed at building the capacity of those attending CSD as well as other interested persons.

Many in civil society point out their disappointments in the Summit and CSD-11. I have been one of them, but at the same time, I feel we also need to give CSD a chance, and not just at CSD-12. These are not easy issues and as the world seems to get more complex, we need to rethink how we define "success." We are prone to criticize but not really offer suggestions on how we would solve these problems on a practical level. In the end, it will take all of us working together.

CSD-12 will be tackling the thematic cluster of water, sanitation, and human settlements. That does not mean that all other issues such as agriculture, energy, climate change, biodiversity, etc. will be forgotten until their turn in the cycle system. The new CSD will try to address these issues in the context of the thematic cluster. Being part of the Freshwater Caucus, I know we have not just an uphill road but rather a mountain to scale.

When it comes to unsustainable patterns of production and consumption, humans have put the squeeze on available water resources with increasing withdrawals for agriculture, industry, and domestic use. Water stress and contamination are severe worldwide and a major cause of widespread disease. Human misuse of water resources is causing water tables to drop around the world, creating the need for integrated water resources management and consideration of the value of freshwater sources for their ecosystem services. Many numbers are quoted as to the current number of people without access to drinking water and sanitation; looking ahead, however, by 2025, approximately half of the world's population could live under conditions of water stress.

One of our greatest challenges in addressing these issues will be coordinating sooner rather than later and doing so on a regular basis. Often, as a result of limited time and resources, civil society organizes itself only at the UN meeting, typically that first Monday morning. This means that our input is pasted together under severe time limitations and the fatigue of meeting until the late hours of the night.

The UN is making strides in improving coordination. For example, a new inter-agency Task Force on Gender and Water has been established to facilitate gender mainstreaming in policies and programmes and assist in the implementation of gender-sensitive water and sanitation activities within and outside the UN system. It will be important for civil society to develop better mechanisms for coordination outside of the UN meetings.

Another obstacle that will face us when addressing water is being willing to think in a new way that focuses more on what can we do together. as opposed to whom we can blame for the situation. For example, there is a lack of comprehensive and consistent data on water quantity and quality. Some countries are working to develop pollution release and transfer registers (PRTRs) and environmental information systems, but much more needs to be done in terms of environmental monitoring and recordkeeping. Access to reliable and up-to-date information by all stakeholders is needed to address unsustainable production and consumption.

Ultimately, if our goal is sustainable development, we will need to think of how to ensure policy decisions at the global, national, and local levels involve all stakeholders. The CSD, unlike many other entities, offers civil society significant access. We should think about how to use the CSD process to not only build upon this within the CSD but also find ways to increase participation in other processes. Last fall, the secretariat gave civil society the opportunity to provide input for CSD-12 through an on-line survey; that month the UN also collected online input on UN-civil society relations. In addition, the CSD Bureau agreed to meet with Major Groups representatives at its third meeting in November 2003 in New York. Such opportunities suggest the UN is willing to address civil society's concerns and recommendations; we need more in-depth coordination in advance of such meetings, to ensure the best possible input and dialogue into such processes.

We need to come together—governments, Major Groups, UN agencies, Caucuses, etc.—if we really think we have a chance of ensuring healthy freshwater ecosystems, drinking water and sanitation for all, conflict-free transboundary waters, and ultimately, global sustainable development. —By Karin M. Krchnak, Co-Chair, UN CSD Freshwater Caucus; Director, The Access Initiative & PP10, World Resources Institute.