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OPENING STATEMENT
 BY
MR. KIM HAK-SU
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL COMMISSION FOR ASIA
AND THE PACIFIC

Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to extend a warm welcome to all of you to this first session of the Subcommittee on Environment and Sustainable Development. We are especially grateful to Mr. Chartree Chueyprasit, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Royal Thai Government, for sparing his valuable time to address and open this inaugural session of the Subcommittee.

At the outset, please allow me to provide some background information on the conference structure of ESCAP and the role this Subcommittee has within the structure:

As you are aware, in 2002, a new conference structure was adopted by the Commission in 2002 to realign the work programme of ESCAP around three themes, namely, reducing poverty, managing globalization and addressing emerging social issues. In congruence, Committees together with their specialized Subcommittees were established within these thematic areas.

The terms of reference of the Committee on Managing Globalization, to which this Subcommittee belongs, indicate that the challenge of the Committee is to manage globalization effectively by formulating and implementing effective policies to seize new opportunities while minimizing inevitable costs. While the Committee shall consider overall policy aspects of managing globalization, the Subcommittee shall focus on specific sectoral aspects, and is expected to discuss on policies as well as on how to turn such policies into reality in specific areas. We thus have an opportunity to respond to the call for moving from plan to action that came from the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The most important issue for this Subcommittee is to guide the secretariat on the preparations for the fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development, which will be held in Seoul from 24 to 29 March 2005, and is generously hosted by the Government of the Republic of Korea. Based on the emerging challenges of the region, the theme of the Conference is proposed as "Achieving Environmentally Sustainable Economic Growth". As we all know, economic output in the Asia-Pacific region grew three to four times in the last two decades, faster than any other region of the world. Thus, the pressure put on the environmental sustainability of the region is also greater than ever, and we need to devise ways of de-linking economic growth and environmental decline.

The challenge before us is how we can pursue economic growth without sacrificing our environment. I am sure we all agree that economic growth is the basis for poverty reduction and the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

We hope that the Ministerial Conference will stimulate interactive dialogues on the integration of economic growth and environmental sustainability, which would ensure truly sustainable development of the region. Your deliberations on the proposed theme, format, outcomes as well as the side events of the Conference will be very valuable for us.

Another important agenda item of this Subcommittee is how we can promote multi-stakeholder partnerships; an issue, which the Committee on Managing Globalization, at its first session, held in Bangkok from 19-21 November 2003, recommended that the secretariat continue its efforts on. Reconciling diverse and often conflicting interests of many stakeholders is an integral part of fostering sustainable partnerships. Consensus-building and support from various stakeholders on the priorities and sequencing on the distribution of limited resources is thus essential in pursuing the diverse economic, social and environmental goals of sustainable development.

Taking advantage of a wide range of expertise and resources, the ESCAP secretariat is actively encouraging and facilitating multi-stakeholder involvement and partnerships between public and private sectors, Government and civil society. Public-private partnerships supporting pro-poor policies are advocated and tested through demonstration and pilot activities on energy, water and biodiversity. A variety of other approaches to stakeholders' involvement and partnership building at national, subregional and regional levels are also tested and applied by the secretariat in activities aiming to inter alia control dust and sandstorms, integrate energy with rural development, increase water use efficiency and disaster preparedness, and to raise awareness on sustainable use and consumption of natural resources.

We invite you to share experiences on stakeholders' involvement and partnerships from your respective countries, and welcome your guidance on the secretariat’s related activities.

Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

This Subcommittee will also have the task of reviewing programme matters. In particular, I would like to draw your attention on the priority areas for inclusion in the programme of work of the secretariat for 2006-2007. Your valuable suggestions on priority areas focusing on outputs and activities will help us formulate an effective programme to serve the needs of the region.

Let me stress that this Subcommittee is expected to focus its discussions on practices and approaches at an expert-level. We seek your views and advice on the issues I have just raised, which are laid out in further detail in the documents prepared for this session.

I look forward to fruitful outcomes of your deliberations as well as your guidance, which will allow us to refine our strategies and to align our work with the priorities and concerns of our members and associate members.

Thank you for your attention.