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IETC in the CSD Process

The 19th Special Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGASS) called for a dialogue on the identification of actions for initiating a strategic approach to implementing all aspects related to the sustainable use of fresh water for economic and social purposes. Later, the Economic and Social Council of the UN requested that the Subcommittee on Water Resources of the Administrative Coordinating Committee (ACC) analyze in detail activities that are currently being carried out by the UN System so that a report could be produced as an input to the preparatory process of the 6th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-6) that was convened in April 1998 in New York.

As a specialized agency within UNEP facilitating the adoption and use of Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) for the management of lakes and reservoirs, as well as the management of large cities, IETC has been contributing to this process through various relevant meetings: e.g., the 18th Session of the ACC Subcommittee held in Vienna, Austria in October 1997; the Expert Meeting on Strategic Approaches for Fresh Water Management held in Harare, Zimbabwe this past January; and the International Conference on Water and Sustainable Development in Paris in March 1998.

During the Vienna meeting, IETC informed the participants of the latest developments in its EST Searchable Directory, and maESTro, which was launched during the 19th Special Session of the CSD held in New York last year. At Harare, IETC made available a background paper, Water and Technology, that provided a brief overview of some important policy considerations related to water and technology. Furthermore, through IETC's participation, the meeting incorporated in its recommendations the principle of adopting sound management practices and appropriate technologies in the management of fresh water resources, and the need to ensure that the transfer of technologies to developing nations, as well as to countries with economies in transition, is done with due consideration for the particular needs and characteristics of recipient countries. The need to adopt technologies combining indigenous and modern techniques, particularly for water conservation and irrigation efficiency, as a mechanism to implement management strategies was also incorporated in the recommendations.

The Paris Ministerial Meeting on Water took place at UNESCO Headquarters from 19 to 21 March 1998. The objective of the conference was to contribute to the elaboration of strategies necessary for improving fresh water resources conservation and management in rural and urban areas to ensure better-controlled drinking water supply, sanitation and irrigation, while integrating desertification control into these objectives. The conference, sponsored by the Government of France, was attended by Ministers and high-level officials from public bodies in charge of water management in 84 countries and representatives of UN agencies, international organizations and development banks involved in the water sector. Active involvement of NGOs and civil society was encouraged. Over the course of the conference and associated workshops, delegates heard presentations on a number of case studies and discussed a series of draft recommendations that were later finalized and submitted to the Ministerial session for adoption. The conference adopted a Programme for Priority Actions comprising recommendations from the three expert workshops, as well as a Ministerial Declaration. These documents were submitted as official documents and provided input for discussions at CSD-6.

IETC participated in CSD-6, held in New York from 20 April to 1 May 1998. As a part of the UNEP delegation, IETC contributed ideas and views to UNEP's Vision Paper on Fresh Water which was submitted to CSD. IETC's contribution focused on the need to stress the importance of degradation avoidance and to ensure the protection of fresh water bodies. In this connection, there is a need to emphasize resource management and the role that ESTs play in this management. While focusing on different subject areas, IETC, the Chemicals Programme, the Industry and Environment (IE), and the Basel Secretariat are, nevertheless, commonly concerned with the proper management of waste and toxics to protect fresh water resources.

IETC also participated in UNEP's Internet Cafe at CSD-6. The Internet Cafe demonstrated the availability of ESTs, by providing users with information and case studies. Through the Internet Cafe, IETC made governments more aware of IETC's role in addressing water issues through the adoption and use of ESTs.

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