Sustainable Development

Statement by Dr. Asad M. Khan, Minister, Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations on Agenda item 49(a-g): Sustainable Development (New York, 28 October 2008)

Mr. Chairman

Pakistan wishes to associate with the statement made by Antigua and Barbuda on behalf of G-77 and China and would like to make the following additional comments.

2. The sustainable development of the developing countries in its three integrated and reinforcing pillars i.e. economic development, social development and environmental protection has never been as seriously threatened as it is now on account of a number of factors.
3. Firstly, the global environment for economic development of the developing countries has become less favourable, thus limiting the policy space for the developing countries to design and implement national development plans and strategies. The most notable negative trends have been:
   • Fast spreading financial crisis, now moving from the virtual to the real economy and into regions and parts of the world other than the United States;
   • Declining ODA for development, shrinking private financial flows coupled with concentration of FDI in a limited number of countries.
   • Soaring food and (especially for food importing countries) volatile energy prices, bloating current account deficits of developing countries. These factors together with stressed currencies and exchange rate fluctuations have made the debt burdens of developing countries increasingly unsustainable.
   • Mounting stress on natural resources as well as increased frequency of disasters on account of climate change compounded by the inability in majority of the developing countries to gauge and adapt to climate change.
   • Continuing impasse in the Doha Development Round of Trade Negotiations.

Mr. Chairman,

4. Secondly, environmental protection remains mired in lackluster developments in the implementation of the Bali Plan of Action, resource constraints in addressing desertification and land degradation compounded with increasing natural disasters both in terms of frequency and severity.
5. At Bali, the international community recognized that climate change poses serious risks and challenges to the developing countries who are least equipped to respond and therefore most vulnerable to its rising dangers.
6. During three meetings of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long term Cooperative Action (AWG-LCA) the Group has moved from exchange of ideas to making substantive proposals. However, some developments within negotiating process are casting a serious shadow on the prospects of reaching an agreed outcome by December 2009 on a long term cooperative action to ensure full, effective and sustained implementation of the UNFCCC now, up to and beyond 2012. We need to seriously and creatively address the underlying causes that impede progress in these important negotiations.

Mr. Chairman,

7. Pakistan is a large country, with the fifth largest population; it is a low Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emitter. Our total annual emissions are only 0.43% of world’s total. However, the low emission status of the country provides no safety from the adverse effects of changing climate.
8. Climate change is causing irrevocable damage to Pakistan, with tremendous social, environment and economic impacts including on forest resources and natural ecosystems of the country. Even the glaciers in Himalayas are receding faster than any other part of the world. There are fears that many may disappear by 2035.
9. In fact South Asia is viewed as a region most affected by Climate Change by a series of recent research studies and reports. The IPCC Reports also point out increased precipitation intensity, rainfall variability, risk of floods, land degradation and water stress among others as the factors that will adversely affect millions in South Asia and will bear the brunt of the consequences of Climate Change in more ways than one.
10. From our perspective, an agreed outcome that enhances the implementation of the Convention is not only urgent but simply an imperative.

Mr. Chairman,

11. Pakistan is and will remain constructively engaged with the UNFCCC process in developing a shared vision on long term cooperative action. Such a shared vision in our view must be based on:
• The UNFCCC and the Kyoto Protocol - the multilateral framework.
• Measurable, reportable and verifiable measures on the part of the Annex 1 countries aided by enhanced voluntary actions by the developing countries;
• Scientific evidence and prospects of sustainable development of the developing countries;
• Common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities as well as Inter-generational equity and historical responsibility.
• Establishes an effective institutional architecture for technology development and transfer, predictable financial flows and a mechanism which would enable, support, facilitate and implement urgent adaptation actions of the developing countries.
12. In line with the Bali Plan of Action, Pakistan is also prepared to undertake enhanced voluntary actions at the national level in the area of mitigation to contribute to efforts at combating climate change, if assisted by positive incentive on finance, technology transfer and capacity building in accordance with the principles and the objective of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).

Mr. Chairman,

13. Thirdly, as capital fled, markets plunged, currencies tumbled and the confidence evaporated, the third pillar of sustainable development i.e. social development is crumbling under the weight of these tectonic shifts. The social cost, though hitherto un-quantified, cannot be underestimated.
14. The gaping current account deficits in the developing countries is wiping out years of savings, hitting government’s balance sheets and is taking away precious resources from social development projects, whose implementation could improve people’s lives, and social equity.
15. Increasingly, the financial squeeze is putting to test the government’s resolve to kick start projects generating employment and decent work. In most cases, like Pakistan – a net food and energy importer- the public sector development programmes will face sharp decline in the financial resources.

Mr. Chairman,

16. Clearly, the challenge of sustainable development has become far too acute and big for any one country to tackle. The United Nations, undoubtedly, has a central role to play in this regard, particularly by advancing the global sustainable development agenda to meet these new and emerging challenges in an increasingly globalized world. The need for a coordinated response to arrest, reduce and reverse the negative trends is vital.
17. Pakistan will continue to play its rightful role as a concerned and active member of the international community in addressing the challenge that we collectively face.

thank you Mr. Chairman.