CEE Jul-Sep-2012

• Sustainable Development MANMOHAN FLAYS RICH NATIONS OVER SUSTAINABILITY AID Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 22"d June 2012 flayed rich nations for what he called "little evidence of support" for the developing world in implementing the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Singh also seemed to share the sentiments of the Group of 77, a coalition of developing countries, which decried the inability of the United Nations Conference of Sustainable Development (Rio+20) that concluded, to come out with a credible blue print for action. "Economic development, social inclusion and environmental sustainability are all equally critical as components of sustainable development. The task before us is to give practical shape and content to this architecture in a manner that allows each country to develop according to its own national priorities and circumstances," Singh said at the Rio+20 plenary. Earlier, Quamrul Chowdhury, the lead negotiator for G77-China, had slammed the Rio document as something "without any depth, without any bite". Environmental Minister Jayanthi Natarajan too criticized the lack of political will among the rich countries to give finances and allow easy flow of technology to the developing world for their sustainable development initiatives. The absence of two prominent leaders - US President Barak Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel - in the Rio+20 conference was conspicuous even as the negotiators of the developed world ensured that the rich nations don't take any explicit commitments on funding of SDGs– related efforts of developing countries. While Obama has the impending presidential elections to focus on, Merkel's alibi was the euro-zone crisis. The Rio text is silent on the size of money required for sustainable development but called for a new inter-governmental process to produce a report that evaluate the funding requirement. A 30- member group will work on this and report by 2014. The document does give importance to the issue of technology transfer to developing countries, but does not explain how exactly this would be facilitated. Manjeev Singh Puri , India's deputy permanent representative to the UN, acknowledged this lacuna. The need for mechanisms for ding and technology has been agreed upon although more clarity is required on the ways and means, he added. The EU negotiators, sources said, have been particularly keen on resisting easy technology transfer and have pitched for adequate rewards for the owners of technology. Re-affirmation of the Rio-principles of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities in the new document is what India believes in its critical achievement. The Rio document also refers to intellectual property rights (IPR) without any explicit bias for either fractions, those who seek enhanced IPR protection or those who believe that benefits of innovation should be more widely disbursed. Another gain for India and other developing countries would be the announcement by six major development banks, including the World Bank, European Investment Bank and Asian Development Bank, to create a $175- billion platform for mass transport systems over the next decade aimed at reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transport sector. India made a bid to thwart an attempt by the developed world to give undue importance to environment in the context of SDGs, which would inevitably mean lesser emphasis on the other two pillars of social inclusion and economic growth. India has been saying that it was not against giving more financial resources to the UNEP but opposed its elevation to the status of an implementing agency akin to the World Trade Organisation as it fears that such an upgrade would give disproportionate weight to the environment pillar of sustai nable development. New Delhi has been pushing for strengthening of the three SDG pillars-economic, social and environmental. SDGs would define the post 2015 development agenda, while they are voluntary and aspirational and distinct from millennium development goals, they won't be fully integrated into the UN framework as inviolable targets. Courtesy: The Financial Express, New Delhi, 23.06.2012. 40