The third session of the Committee on Environment and Development was held in Bangkok from 29 to 31 October 2013. The Committee reviewed emerging and persistent issues in the field of environment and development, including the environmental sustainability of economic growth, energy security, water resources management, and sustainable urban development. Presented to the Committee were an overview of ongoing actions and processes towards achieving sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific, with particular focus on regional agenda-setting for sustainable development; and outcomes of key regional dialogues on sustainable development, including the Asian and Pacific Energy Forum and the Asian and Pacific Regional Implementation Meeting on Rio+20 Outcomes. In addition, the Committee reviewed the progress made in implementing the outcomes of the Sixth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development, and preparations for the seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2015 and for the third United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat III) 2016.
The Committee provided a number of recommendations, including i) Recognizing that ESCAP is an appropriate platform for facilitating dialogue among member States on regional implementation of the agenda on sustainable development, and linking the regional perspective to the ongoing global processes on the follow-up to the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, and the development agenda beyond 2015, ii) Supporting the proposal of the secretariat to convene the first regional preparatory meeting for the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF) in 2014, with enhanced partnership with the civil society organizations ; and iii) Recommending that the Commission at its seventieth session endorse the outcomes of the Asian and Pacific Energy Forum.
Furthermore, the Committee underscored the role of ESCAP in the regional preparations for the third United Nations Conference on Human Settlements (Habitat III), and welcomed additional steps by the Secretariat to facilitate further consultation among member States on the organizational modalities of the Seventh Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development (MCED7).
Delegates Assessment
Following the meeting delegates who attended filled out questionnaires regarding the session. A summary of the results is available for download.
Related Documents
Documents
- Information to participants of the Third Session of the Committee on Environment and Development
- Outcomes of the Asian and Pacific Energy Forum
- Outcomes of key regional dialogues on sustainable development Note by the secretariat
- Report of the Committee on Environment and Development on its third session
- Documents for Committee on Environment and Development, Third session
