Interview with Ambasssador Tommy Koh on the Earth Summit

Earth Summit Deadlocked Until Eleventh Hour
IPS U.N. Bureau Chief Thalif Deen interviews Ambassador Tommy Koh of Singapore, chair of the 1992 Preparatory Committee
IPS 21 May 12;

UNITED NATIONS, May 21, 2012 (IPS) - The 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro has been described as one of the largest international conferences in the history of the United Nations, attracting over 20,000 participants, including more than 100 world leaders.

The landmark summit, which strongly reaffirmed that environment was an integral part of development, endorsed Agenda 21, a global plan of action for sustainable development, and also the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development.

Additionally, the summit also approved the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and the U.N. Convention of Biodiversity – besides the creation of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD).

In an interview with IPS, Ambassador Tommy Koh of Singapore, who chaired the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) of the Earth Summit, admitted that the long drawn-out negotiations "were very difficult" – and went on until the 59th minute of the eleventh hour.

There were four sessions of the PrepCom, twice in Geneva, and one each in Nairobi and New York, with final negotiations going right down to the wire just before the world leaders arrived in Rio de Janeiro, he said.

"I recall that on the last day, the negotiations went through the night and ended at 6:00 am," Ambassador Koh said, recounting the protracted round-the-clock meetings back in June 1992 (which is likely to happen at the upcoming Rio+20 summit in Brazil, according to U.N. officials).

Through that long night, he said, "I did not know whether we would succeed or fail."

"As chair of the negotiations in Rio, I was, however, determined to succeed and sought to overcome the divisions and other obstacles with patience, determination and strong collective leadership," said Koh, a skilled diplomat who also served as his country's ambassador to the United States, and presided over the Law of the Sea Conference when it adopted a major international treaty governing the oceans back in the 1980s.

Koh spoke to IPS U.N. bureau chief Thalif Deen a month before the Rio+20 summit convenes to take stock and chart a future path.

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said last week that an estimated 70,000 people, including over 100 world leaders, are expected to gather in Brazil in June, more than triple the 20,000 participants two decades ago.

Excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: How would you characterise the successes and failures of the Earth Summit? Were there any lasting or tangible gains?

A: The 1992 Earth Summit has brought about a paradigm shift in the world. Because of that summit, all the 193 member states of the United Nations have a ministry of the environment or an environmental protection agency. In every country of the world, sustainable development is the new norm.

Q: How did it impact on the developing world?

A: In the developing world, there is no longer a constituency for those who believe in development at any cost or to get rich first and clean up later. I consider these as some of the tangible gains of the Earth Summit.

Q: After 20 long years, there are sceptics who say the global environment has gone from bad to worse: greenhouse gas pollution, climate change, deforestation, conspicuous consumption of food, water and energy, rising population and the gradual destruction of the marine ecosystems. What are your thoughts on this?

A: It is regretfully true that, at the global level, we have made no progress in reducing the emission of greenhouse gases or in slowing down the loss of forests, natural habitats and biodiversity or in the good management of our oceans. However, at the national and regional levels, significant progress has been made.

Take Singapore as an example. The love of nature and the will to live in harmony with nature has been growing. As a result, in spite of our high population density, 47 percent of our land area is covered in greenery.

Singapore has also taken the lead in galvanising support from the contracting parties of the Convention on Biodiversity to adopt the Singapore Cities Index on Biodiversity. We have made tremendous progress in the efficient use of water and recycling of waste water. The public opinion strongly supports the growing trend towards green buildings, energy-efficient appliances and green technologies.

Q: The current PrepCom apparently still remains divided - also on North-South lines - on a global action plan for a sustainable future, to be adopted next month. How difficult was the negotiations on Agenda 21? Any advice to the PrepCom?

A: Twenty years later, the world has become more inter-dependent and, at the same time, more divided. The United States is facing both a weak recovery and a presidential election. The European Union (EU) is seeking to restore confidence in the Euro, to reduce its sovereign debt and stimulate growth.

These are difficult times for the West. It will be hard for them to make bold decisions and commitments. However, there is so much at stake. Failure is not really an option. I am confident that Rio+20 will end successfully.

Q: How did the Earth Summit meet the funding demands of developing countries?

A: The funding demands were met in three ways: by creating the Global Environmental Facility (GEF); by increased official development assistance (ODA), specifically earmarked for sustainable development; and by commitments by the various international financial and development institutions.

Q: What influence did the report of the Brundtland Commission (on the global environment) have on the Earth Summit?

A: The Brundtland Commission Report was an inspiration for me and my colleagues.

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