| Zimbabwe chairs the UN Commission on
Sustainable Development Zimbabwe’s Minister of Environment
and Tourism, Francis Nhema, was
elected chairperson of the 16th session
of the UN Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) at the commission’s 15th
Ordinary Session at the UN headquarters in
New York in May.
The 15th session of the Commission
ended in a stalemate with no agreed outcome
document and exposed sharp differences
among countries on the nature, scope and
general direction of the sustainable development
agenda, particularly on issues to do
with energy and climate change.
Thematic issues that the commission will
focus on during Zimbabwe’s tenure will
include agriculture, rural development, land,
drought, desertification and Africa.
These are important issues for countries
in the Zambezi Basin, most of whose economies depend on the exploitation of
natural resources.
Addressing the Commission, the UN
Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon, urged
delegates to find solutions for provision of
energy to the “many people around the world who lack access to modern energy
services.”
Ban called for an integrated and
balanced response to climate change in light
of the role played by human activity in
global warming.
He noted that in trying to ensure they are
energy self-sufficient, countries must not
overlook the impact of their actions on air
pollution and climate change.
The Commission on Sustainable
Development was established by the UN
General Assembly in December 1992 to
ensure effective follow-up of commitments
contained in Agenda 21, a programme of
action on sustainable development adopted
in June of that year at the UN Conference on
Environment and Development.
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