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FOURTH REGULAR MEETING OF THE OEA/Ser.W/XIII.2.4

INTER-AMERICAN COMMITTEE ONCIDI/CIDS/doc.2/14corr.1

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT14 October 2014

October 22and23, 2014Original: English

Washington, D. C.

"Building a post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda for the Americas"

Concept Note

1. Introduction

The Inter-American Program on Sustainable Development (PIDS) establishes the priorities and policy guidelines of the Organization of American States (OAS) with respect to sustainable development and environment. The current program, which was first approved in 2006 at the First Meeting of Ministers and High level Authorities for Sustainable Development in Santa Cruz, Bolivia[1] is an integral part of the Strategic Plan for Partnership for Development formulated further to article 95 of the OAS Charter.[2]

In addition to extending the PIDS for the period 2010-2014, the Declaration of Santo Domingo for the Sustainable Development of the Americas adopted at the Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High level Authorities for Sustainable Development urged the Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) to initiate a process for its revision and update, taking into consideration the assessment of the PIDS presented to member states and the recommendations and directions provided by the Declaration[3].

In Resolution AG/DEC.74 (XLIV-O/14) "Advancing Hemispheric Initiatives on Integral Development" adopted at the 44th Regular session of the OAS General Assembly held in Asuncion in June 2014, member States extended the PIDS until 2015 and instructed the CIDS to meet on October 22 and 23, 2014 to initiate a review and update of the PIDS and to prepare for the III Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High Level Authorities on Sustainable Development (Honduras, October 22-23, 2015).

2. Background and Context

The OAS was established as an international organization to, among other things, promote peace and justice, strengthen collaboration and to defend the territorial integrity of its member States.[4] The essential purposes of the Organization rely on the principles of social justice, respect for cultural values and economic cooperation as the basis for lasting peace, security and welfare for the peoples of the Americas. Sound environmental governance is at the center of these goals and principles. Moreover, the full democratic development of the peoples of the Americas depends in great measure on their ability to manage the environment in a sustainable way. This is further illustrated by the reaffirmation in the Summit of the Americas process that human beings are entitled to live a healthy and productive life in harmony with nature[5].

In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development first defined sustainable development as, "development which meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." Since then, the concept has been understood to include economic, environmental, and social elements.

OAS member States recognize that human beings are at the center of concerns for sustainable development and that the alleviation of poverty is also an integral part of sustainable development[6], thus further expanding the multidimensionality of the concept. Moreover, the member states defined and reiterated their support for sustainable development in the Summit of the Americas process especially the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development (Santa Cruz, Bolivia, 1996) which adopted a Declaration and a Plan of Action for the Sustainable Development of the Americas, including initiatives in the areas of: health and education; sustainable agriculture and forests; sustainable cities and communities; water resources and coastal areas; energy and minerals; institutional arrangements; financing; science and technology transfer; and public participation. This special Summit served as catalyst for the establishment of the Inter-American Committee on Sustainable Development (CIDS) and the adoption of the first Inter-American Program on Sustainable Development (PIDS).

As shown in Figure 1, significant and sustained policy dialogue on sustainable development has taken place within the various organs of the OAS, including the two Inter-American Meetings of Ministers and High-Level Authorities on Sustainable Development, in Santa Cruz, Bolivia[7], and in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic[8].

One of the main outcomes of these meetings, the PIDS, seeks to focus the OAS activities and strengthen their impact on selected strategic areas of action within sustainable development, namely:

  1. Sustainable agriculture and the sustainable management of forests and other natural resources;
  2. Water resources, land and health;
  3. Natural hazards risk management;
  4. Conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity;
  5. Coastal zone management and adaptation to climate change;
  6. Renewable energy and energy efficiency promotion;
  7. Capacity building and institutional strengthening for sustainable development and environmental management.

Figure 1: Timeline of Milestones in Sustainable Development in the OAS

The Program further established three main lines of action for the General Secretariat of the OAS in the framework of sustainable development:

a) Serve as a hemispheric forum to promote dialogue and coordinate progress in the area of sustainable development;

b) Support the exchange of information relating to sustainable development, and facilitate the exchange of experiences among countries, institutions, and organizations; and

c) Act as a partner in cooperation among stakeholders involved in sustainable development in those areas in which the OAS General Secretariat has a comparative advantage.

3. Links between the PIDS Review and Hemispheric and Global Initiatives on Sustainable Development

While the objectives of the PIDS broadly respond to the Summit of the Americas commitments, the OAS General Assembly emphasized the importance of ensuring that OAS activities are closely coordinated with developments in other international organizations. In this regard, the OAS’s role in implementing all aspects of the PIDS must be consistent with, and complementary to, those of other relevant regional and multilateral entities, particularly those carried out by the United Nations[9]. In addition member States have recognized that the PIDS should contribute to the implementation of declarations and plans of action adopted in a variety of international and regional conferences[10]. Moreover, member States recognized the work currently underway on the post-2015 development agenda and requested that the General Secretariat incorporate, as appropriate, the results in its programs, projects, and activities[11].

Within the OAS, the PIDS review process is well aligned with the following processes:

  • The preparatory process leading to the 8th Summit of the Americas
  • Declaration on the Strategic Vision of the OAS[12]
  • The design of a Strategic Plan for the Secretariat for Integral Development of the OAS
  • The design of the Social Charter Implementation Plan
  • The implementation of the Inter-American Plan for Disaster Prevention and Response and the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance
  • The adoption of indicators to monitor progress on implementation of the additional protocol to the Inter-American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. – “Protocol of San Salvador"[13].

At the global level the following milestones are relevant to the PIDS review process:

  • Intergovernmental negotiations on a Post-2015 Development Agenda
  • 20th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (2015)
  • Review of the International Conference on Population and Development
  • World Conference on Education for Sustainable Development (2015)
  • World Conference on Education for All (2015)
  • World Conference on Disaster Reduction (2015)
  • Conference on Finance for Development (2015)
  • UN Summit to adopt the Post-2015 Development Agenda

3.1 The Post-2015 Development Agenda

The status of the OAS as a regional agency within the UN system is of particular relevance as global consensus is being pursued regarding the adoption of SDGs in the context of the post-2015 development agenda consistent with the Outcome Document of the 2012 UN Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio +20)[14][15]

The P2015 Development Agenda was set in train by the Rio + 20 Conference in 2012, and the UN General Assembly 66th session of the UN General Assembly which reviewed the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals. Paragraphs 246 and 247 of “The Future We Want” adopted at the Rio + 20 Conference and endorsed by UN General Assembly Resolution, 66/288, resolved to establish an inclusive and transparent intergovernmental process to develop a new set of global sustainable development goals (SDGs) to replace the MDGs when they expire in 2015. The 19 draft SDGs (see Appendix2) fall squarely within the current mandates and work programs of SEDI and in particular the Department of Sustainable Development.

In its report “Realizing the Future We Want for All”, the United Nations Task Team laid out the three principles that constitute the common underlying elements of a post-2015, global development agenda—human rights, equality and sustainability—and the four dimensions of development where progress will be needed, as environmental sustainability, peace and security, inclusive economic development and inclusive human development. These are the areas for possible goal and target-setting. However, underpinning these global goals and targets, there are several enabling conditions that need to be in place to facilitate progress towards achieving goals (see Figure 2).

Figure 2: Schematic of the 4 Dimensions of Sustainable Development

The Task Team identifies 5 areas where fundament shifts are required in the push toward sustainable development, as follows:

(1). Leave no one behind by: tackling the causes of poverty, exclusion and inequality; connecting people in rural and urban areas to the modern economy through quality infrastructure; providing quality health care and education for all; establishing and enforcing clear rules, without discrimination, so that women can inherit and own property and run businesses, communities can control local environmental resources, and farmers and urban slum-dwellers have secure property rights; ending discrimination and promoting equality between men and women, girls and boys.

(2). Put sustainable development at the core by inter alia: integrating the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability; and transforming the way local governments, businesses and individuals generate and consume energy, travel, transport goods, use water and grow food.

(3). Transform economies for jobs and inclusive growth through a quantum leap forward in economic opportunities and a profound economic transformation to end extreme poverty and improve livelihoods, and generate sustained, long-term, inclusive growth that can overcome the challenges of unemployment (especially youth unemployment), resource scarcity and adaptation to climate change.

(4). Build peace and effective, open and accountable public institutions that support the rule of law, freedom of speech and the media, open political choice, and access to justice.

(5). Forge a new sense of global partnership in national and international politics and provide fresh vision and framework, based on a common humanity and the principles established at Rio such as universality, equity, sustainability, solidarity, human rights, the right to development and responsibilities shared in accordance with capabilities.

Critically, the UN Task Team notes that all developing countries will need continued support to pursue sustainable development, and that the kind of support needed will change over time. A different mix of financial support, capacity-building, knowledge-sharing and technology transfer will be required.

Nearly 20 years after the Summit of the Americas on Sustainable Development, these goals remain relevant for the Americas. While poverty levels in the region have dropped by about 20% since 1990, 28% of the region is characterized as poor and nearly 4 in 10 people are described as being neither poor not economically secure[16]. Additionally, inequality has increased, unemployment is as high today as it was in 1996 and in almost every country, vulnerable groups are increasingly being marginalized and are unable to effectively participate in social, economic or political life.

Progress in the area of environment and natural resources management has been tentative at best. Deforestation and the destruction of ecosystems and the services they provide continue unabated. Cities continue to expand beyond their planned limits, and official and informal systems to provide water, sewerage, waste disposal, and other common services to these areas tend to be insufficient and inefficient. While as a region, water demand and supply is in balance, in many countries water demand outstrips supply. In most cases this water stress is caused, not by a limited availability of water, but by a combination of factors such as poor management, the absence of transparent and accountable decision-making processes, outdated legislation, inadequate financing, water pollution, limited civil society participation, limited investments in maintenance, and poorly-planned expansion of the water infrastructure to satisfy the needs of homes and businesses. And, despite the strides made in energy expansion and access, it is estimated that approximately 34 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean, most of those who live in rural and remote areas do not have access to modern and reliable electricity services. In some countries, the percentage of the rural population with no access to electricity ranges from 20% to as high as 90% - a scenario that is linked to 131,000 deaths in 2012 from indoor and outdoor air pollution from the use of coal and biomass for cooking.

The region has not been able to substantially reduce its vulnerability to natural disasters and consequently disaster losses from floods, droughts, earthquakes and extreme weather events continue to outstrip the economic growth of affected countries as well as their capacity to cope and recover from these events. And more recently the region has been confronted with health challenges such as Chikungunya disease which have their roots in poor environmental health conditions.

Many, if not all of the challenges faced by OAS Member States have their roots in governance, such as in fragmented and outdated policies and laws, weak institutions, and limited human capacity.

Possible roles for OAS in advancing the P2015 agenda include helping member states to improve the quality of national development policies and strategies as well as partnerships and to establish robust indicators and accountability mechanisms that can serve as effective vehicles for development partners to jointly formulate, monitor and report on national development goals and targets.

The PIDS review and update process can play a critical role in helping fashioning a Post-2015 sustainable development agenda for the Americas. The strategic areas of action identified for the new PIDS should contribute to the implementation of Rio +20 outcomes. Further it should help to establish a common framework for action that addresses the 5 fundamental shifts for sustainable development identified earlier, and that:

  • adapts to regional specificities through an agenda that is designed for implementation at multiple levels and that supports a multi-dimensional development process;
  • emphasizes inter-dependence, mainstreaming and synergies among and between sectors and programs;
  • prioritizes resilience building, vulnerability reduction and crisis prevention; making full use of existing instruments and mechanisms of the Inter-American System, namely the Inter-American Plan for Disaster Prevention and Response and the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance, the Inter-American Committee on Natural Disaster Reduction (IACNDR), the Inter-American Convention to Facilitate Disaster Assistance, and the Inter-American Network for Disaster Mitigation (INDM);
  • makes cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable;
  • addresses the likely, adverse economic, social, environmental and human health impacts of climate change as an essential element especially with regard to the most vulnerable states of the Hemisphere[17].
  • supports the use of innovative tools to drive the adoption of sustainable consumption and production and the creation of circular economies in member states
  • encompasses a broad agenda of institutional strengthening at the regional, national and sub-national levels that inter alia promotes the environmental rule of law;
  • considers border systems management as critical poles for sustainable development;
  • fosters the development of policies that support structural change and broad ownership of the national development agenda.
  • makes use of the comparative advantages of the OAS, further to its strategic vision, by tapping its cumulative experience and intervening in areas where opportunities exist for action that complement other efforts;
  • ensures that no one stays behind in the development; and
  • promotes equity and access to natural resources, information, justice and participation for all

In addition, the global framework can provide the basis for the CIDS to identify options for measuring progress and advancement in sustainable development further to the task it was entrusted by the Declaration of Santo Domingo for the Sustainable Development of the Americas:“To entrust the CIDS with identifying options for measuring progress made in the advancement of sustainable development processes in a comparative manner at a hemispheric level, taking into account available sources of data, avoiding duplication and promoting synergies with existing mechanisms that address this issue, as appropriate”.[18]

4. Objectives of the IV Ordinary Meeting of the CIDS

Against this background, the CIDS meeting will aim to supplement the political perspectives of OAS member states with those of other stakeholders, as input into the revision of the PIDS. Further, the meeting and the perspectives it will generate will focus on assessing progress in achieving the PIDS and other relevant hemispheric and internationally-agreed sustainable development goals, with a focus on the goals set out "The Future We Want" and the SDGs.

The presentations and discussion that will take place during the meeting as well as its conclusions and the research that will follow, will directly contribute to the preparation of the draft revised PIDS for consideration by the CIDS and further adoption by the III Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High Level Authorities in October 2015. In doing so, they will highlight concrete issues in which action is needed and make some initial recommendations on how these issues should be tackled by the OAS member states.