Opening Statement

As someone who has spent nearly all of his career – now spanning three decades – in negotiations of one kind or another, I am excited to be here in New York at the 15th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development not because I have an opportunity once again to practice my métier, but because hopefully I will not. In this, my first foray into the work of our Commission, I am mindful that the strength of this institution stems not from its ability to negotiate yet another decision text, but from its efforts to produce real change on the ground for those in need and those who depend on us to implement the decisions already taken.

Concern today with international environmental governance runs deep, and dissatisfaction with the status quo is palpable. A very cogent study of this issue has observed that (and I quote):

"The global environmental governance system has been very prolific in negotiating MEAs but, except for a few exceptions, has a rather dismal record of turning agreements into actual change on the ground in terms of either the quality of the environment or the lives of those who live in those environments."

The same study also notes that:

"The crux of the challenge here is that the IEG system has been so frantically obsessed with negotiating new agreements that it has paid little attention to whether these agreements perform or not . . . . "^[1]

What excites me about being here, about the work of the CSD, is the precious opportunity it presents to focus not on negotiations but on implementation.

Measuring Success
The measure of success for CSD-15 must be whether our collective efforts deliver concrete results that improve lives.

We began this CSD cycle 102 weeks ago facing a critical and daunting set of challenges. Nearly twenty percent of the world’s population lived on less than $1 a day and 2 billion people lacked access to modern energy services.

We also began this cycle with an extensive policy blueprint. Over the past fifteen years, we have negotiated 54 pages of text on energy-related issues, plus many more on atmosphere, air pollution, industrial development, and climate change..

When we depart on May 11, we must ask ourselves what we have done over the past two years to translate 54-plus pages of text into on-the-ground actions.

Important Results to Date
On an encouraging note, the CSD has already overseen some important successes over the past 102 weeks. For example:

• Partnerships launched at and since the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development have delivered concrete results. The Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, for example, helped all 49 sub-Saharan African countries stop refining and importing leaded gasoline by the end of 2005. Since 2003, organizations involved in the Partnership for Clean Indoor Air have helped 11 million people adopt cleaner and more efficient cooking and/or heating practices. Through USG support for the Global Village Energy Partnership and other programs from 2002-2005, 19.1 million people have received increased access to modern energy services.
   

• CSD participants have identified more than 200 practical solutions to energy challenges. The CSD Matrix of case studies has harnessed the unique convening power of the United Nations to create a knowledge-sharing tool with lessons learned and best practices from all corners of the globe.

More Work to Do
Despite this progress, we still have more work to do in the coming weeks. Mr. Chairman, you have put two key tasks before us::

First, you have called on us to produce a short decision document. As we have said before, the United States will negotiate in good faith, beginning as scheduled this Thursday morning. It is vital, however, that we stick to the agreed schedule and conclude these negotiations next Tuesday afternoon, in advance of the high-level segment.

Since the Johannesburg Summit, we have all succeeded in reshaping the CSD into a more implementation-focused body. We must now join together to rethink what a successful CSD decision document will look like. With 54 pages already on the table, we need not repeat agreements already made or seek to improve on existing text. Instead, we should acknowledge those agreements and seek to move forward briskly.

From the U.S. delegation’s perspective, there are some elements that we feel would be useful in a decision document. For example, CSD-15 should send a political signal reaffirming the important conclusions we have carefully negotiated over the past fifteen years..

The document should also acknowledge and highlight some of our shared successes thus far in carrying out the Rio and Johannesburg agendas.

And, recognizing that there are still many more challenges ahead, the decision document should look to the future. A number of delegations have raised the issue of follow-up. We look forward to discussing those ideas in more detail.

On the thematic and crosscutting issues, many of the 140-plus bullet points in the draft-negotiating document are drawn almost verbatim from previous agreements. There is considerable scope for streamlining this document.

In advance of Thursday’s negotiations, we urge the Bureau to shorten and consolidate the existing document significantly. We need to focus on a short list of priorities.

New and Strengthened Actions
Mr. Chairman, we are pleased that producing a short, focused decision document is not the only task you have put before us. You have also encouraged all of us to use CSD-15 as a platform for launching specific initiatives, activities, and projects.

In the coming days, members of my delegation will take you up on this offer, highlighting a number of new and strengthened actions which we believe will deliver on-the-ground results in the coming months and years.

The challenge now for all of us here is to demonstrate clearly and unequivocally that we care about results, we care about producing meaningful change on the ground, we care about implementation. Let us show that we can achieve this promise of the CSD.

To kick off this effort, I am pleased to share with you that the State Department –on behalf of the U.S. Government – will host the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference in Washington D.C. in March 2008. Building on similar events in Bonn and Beijing, the Washington International Renewable Energy Conference will be an important opportunity to advance energy security, climate change, air quality, and sustainable development goals by promoting the development and deployment of renewable energy technologies.


Conclusion
We should all take pride in the significant successes that this CSD cycle has delivered thus far. At the same time, we must not lose sight of the important tasks that lay ahead. We look forward to working with you and the rest of our partners over the two weeks to complete a successful CSD-15.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman.

[1] Adil Najam, Michaela Papa and Nadaa Taiyab, Global Environmental Governance (Winnepeg: International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2006) 45-46.