Negotiators of 194 countries have come out with a document for sustainable development, but missed the crucial point of funding and technology transfer by developed countries to help the developing and the poor nations embrace green development. This prompted India to express it was “a little disappointed” over a weak political commitment by developed countries for sustainable development.
The zero draft of the outcome document will now go to the heads of government, assembled for the Earth Summit here, for approval. India’s principal negotiator and environment minister, Jayanthi Natarajan, said developed countries were now talking of South-South cooperation for green development, which meant going back on their earlier commitments.
Natarajan, however, was glad the document agreed with India’s proposal for the ‘common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR)’, which basically recognises the direct responsibility of developed countries in global climate change, as well as the special needs and circumstances of developing countries for sustainable development.
The environment minister also expressed satisfaction that poverty eradication is taken as the most important challenge faced by the global economy. “We are a little disappointed with a weak political will among developed countries to provide enhanced means of implementation to developing countries,” Natarajan told reporters here.
Those involved in negotiations from the Indian side said there was strong resistance from the developed world over their commitments in terms of providing finances and technology transfer to the developing and poor countries.
The disappointment comes because developed countries are not meeting even their earlier commitments, said Natarajan.
“They had promised giving 0.7 per cent of their Gross National Product. We do recognise their constraints, there is an economic meltdown, economies are in recession,” Natarajan said.
She said the developed countries were now talking about innovative finance, private finance, the South-South cooperation, that we should help other developing countries. “This in a sense is going back on their original commitments,” she said.
The document did talk of South-South cooperation, but said it should not be a substitute but a complement to North-South cooperation. Natarajan said India had been saying there was no way we could adopt green technology unless there was adequate funding by developed countries. “They are not accepting it. So, negotiations will continue. There should be adequate mechanism for transfer of technology,” she said.
She said the two important contributions made by the Indian negotiating team — technology transfer and finance help — had received strong support from G 77 countries, including Africa, least developed countries and small island states.
“Now, we have to collectively ensure these mechanisms are operationalised and delivered effectively for developing countries.”
She said environmentalism of the developing and poor countries was fundamentally different from developed countries. “The cost of green development cannot be unaffordable for the poor.”
Natarajan said India was for a green economy, but not a pseudo green economy, which was basically a greed economy, but “green washed”. “When we talk of a green economy, it means taking care of indigenous people, a bottom to the top approach,” she said.
India rejects trade protectionism and barriers under the garb of green development, she said. Natarajan also expressed satisfaction over the fact that the document talks of sustainable development goals, to be made effective post-2015. The document says, “We propose that the Sustainable Develo-pment Goals could include sustainable consumption and production patterns, as well as priority areas such as oceans; food security and sustainable agriculture; sustainable energy for all; water access and efficiency; sustainable cities; green jobs, decent work and social inclusion; and disaster risk reduction and resilience.”
The three-day United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, popularly known as the Earth Summit, began yesterday, 20 years after the first such summit here. Heads of government of some important countries did not come to attend the conference and these included US President Barack Obama and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
When asked whether this was a disappointment, Natarajan said the disappointment was lack of political will by developed countries to give funds and transfer technology to developing and poor world for sustainable development.
