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INSULZA: COMMON ACTION NEEDED ON GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE

Organization of American States (OAS) Secretary General José Miguel Insulza today urged the international community to step up their “dialogue on cooperation mechanisms, legal instruments and priority actions in order to respond to major environmental problems common to the countries of the region,” stemming from the impact of global warming.

“We subscribe to the consensus that environmental protection and conservation are a shared responsibility—one involving our member states and also civil society and the private sector as key partners in achieving development goals,” Insulza said. He spoke at a special meeting of the OAS Permanent Council on “Opportunities for Cooperation in the Development of Legal and Institutional Frameworks for Addressing Environmental Challenges in the Region,” which brought together environmental experts from OAS member states and other international organizations as well as special guests.

The OAS Secretary General cited recently reported scientific evidence on the grave consequences of global climate change, saying this calls for a common international and hemispheric vision to provide a context for the domestic policies of each state. Tackling shared environmental problems requires a focus on equity, risk mitigation, solidarity in pursuit of sustainable development and the development of joint concrete efforts, he said.

Insulza told the experts that over the last decade, especially since the 1996 Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, the OAS “has tried to engage partnerships to advance sustainable development, seeking to strike a delicate balance between economic growth, social equity and environmental conservation.” He warned, however, that “while we can point to significant overall progress, the problems of environmental degradation continue.”

Poverty is a major factor driving pollution and deterioration of the environment in the Americas, Insulza said, explaining that although pollution and deforestation “are substantive factors,” problems stemming from poverty and the destruction of infrastructure and the environment are even more serious. Insulza cited statistics indicating a lower standard of living in some countries of Latin America and the Caribbean where only 14 percent of residual water from sewage systems are treated at all, and noted that this is a key contributor to the pollution of both surface and underground water and of 20 per cent of arable land. “These are all instances of environmental damage that is man-made and related to our development model as well as to the poverty that still grips many of our citizens,” he said.

In opening the forum of experts on the environment, the OAS Permanent Council Chair, Uruguay’s Ambassador María del Luján Flores, said the hemispheric organization cannot remain on the fringes of a debate that “concerns humankind.” She suggested a hemispheric treaty may be needed to bring all the countries of the Americas together around the principle of peaceful settlement of disputes. Ambassador Flores noted that such an initiative could cover specific issues such as pollution, taking into account countries’ domestic laws. This type of approach could help settle potential disputes that may arise and serve a highly useful preventive function, she said.

Ambassador Flores, along with Ambassador Alfonso Quiñonez, the OAS Executive Secretary for Integral Development, spoke later in the day at the closing of the special meeting of the Permanent Council.

Reference: E-054/07