UN Economic and Social Development
Division for Sustainable Development

CSD-18

Fifth Bureau Meeting
2 May 2010
UN Headquarters, New York

Introduction

1. The fifth meeting of the Bureau of the 18th session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-18) took place on 2 May 2010 in New York. The meeting was chaired by the Chairperson of the CSD-18, H.E. Dr. Luis Alberto Ferraté Felice, Minister of Environment and Natural Resources of Guatemala. The following Vice-Chairs attended the meeting: H.E. Mr. Mohamed Alahraf (Libya), Mr. Eduardo Menez (Philippines), Dr. Ulf Jaeckel (Germany), and Ms. Tania Raguž (Croatia).
2. The Secretariat was represented by Mr. Tariq Banuri, Director, DSD/DESA as well as Branch Chiefs of DSD/DESA, and Ms. Vivian Pliner, Secretary of the CSD. In addition to the above official participants, some senior officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Guatemala also participated in the meeting to assist the Chairperson.
3. The draft agenda was approved by the Bureau.

Agenda Item 1: Opening Remarks

4. Minister Ferraté opened the 5th Bureau meeting and welcomed all present. He emphasized that he would like the CSD-18 session to have good visibility in terms of its organization and expected outcomes. He would especially like to ensure that some of the innovations introduced in the organization of work contribute towards advancing implementation. He also thanked all participants for their hard work leading up to the upcoming session.
5. Mr. Banuri said that the Secretariat has done its utmost to prepare the session so that it can unfold in a smooth way and meet the expectations of all stakeholders.

Agenda Item 2: Updates by the Secretariat

6. The Secretariat briefed the Bureau on various activities undertaken leading up to the session, including the following:
1. Briefing to Delegations: Three briefings were organized for the Member States: one to G-77 and China, one to the European Union and one to all Member States, including UN system and Major Groups. The last one was chaired by the Vice-Chair of CSD-18, H.E. Mr. Mohamed Alahraf. The participants were briefed about preparatory arrangements being made for the session, status of documentation, organization of work and panelists. Questions raised during these briefings were all satisfactorily addressed.
2. Updated Organization of Work: The Bureau was informed of the only one change that has been made in the organization of work since its approval in the last meeting--a closed session named as “Straight Talk” has been added for the morning of 13 May 2010. In this session, Ministers will discuss the question: “What will it take to translate global decisions into action at local level?” On the request from Dr. Jaeckel and with the approval of Bureau, the title of Ministerial roundtable on SCP was changed to “Sustainable Production and Consumption: Toward the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns.
3. Panelists for Thematic Discussions and Ministerial Roundtables: The Bureau was updated on the list of panellists lined up for the thematic interactive sessions and Ministerial roundtables.
4. Co-chairing of the Ministerial Roundtables: The latest list of the Ministers and other high-level functionaries attending the session was shared with the Bureau, including a proposal that two Ministers should co-chair each roundtable (one from the North and the other from South). The Secretariat was asked to determine the willingness and availability of Ministers proposed as co-chairs through their relevant delegations/missions, and to submit the final proposal for Bureau’s consideration close to the beginning of the high level segment.
5. SIDS Day: A scenario for the SIDS Day Programme was presented to the Bureau, indicating also that much of the time may be spent on the Mauritius+5 Preparatory Committee meeting.
6. Side Events: The Bureau was briefed that there will be over 60 Side Events and other CSD-18 related activities which will be organized by Governments, UN system, Major Groups and international organizations.
7. Learning Centre: There will be 18 courses, which will run parallel to the CSD-18 thematic sessions. This year close to 70 lecturers sponsored by Governments, partnerships, Major Groups as well as international organizations will deliver lectures in these courses.
8. Partnerships: In the organization of work, one whole session during the 2nd week has been devoted to the role of Partnerships in promoting the implementation in thematic areas of current CSD cycle. Partnerships have also organized a photographic exhibition inside the conference rooms. In the Partnership Fair, many partnership initiatives will showcase the results of their initiatives.
9. Preparation of Chair’s Summary: The structure of Chair’s Summary was shared with the Bureau. It was agreed that: (i) each Vice-Chair will be responsible for clearing the part that he/she will chair, (ii) all Bureau Members will review the whole Chair’s Summary on Thursday, 6 May and Thursday, 13 May and then again on the evening of Friday, 7 May and noon time on 14 May.

Agenda Item 3: Updates by the Bureau

7. The Bureau Members provided the following updates.
1. Endorsement of the Asian Group of a New Bureau Member: Official communication has been received from the Asian Group endorsing Mr. Eduardo Menez, Minister in the Permanent Mission of the Philippines to replace H.E. Mr. Hilario G. Davide who resigned from the Bureau because his tour of duty at the UN has ended.
2. Others: Minister Ferraté informed the Bureau about his participation in the meeting of the Ministers of Environment of the Latin American and the Caribbean region. He said that this meeting was one of unity and not division, which is a very good indication for the development of the region. In his briefing, he mentioned that: (i) the Government of Brazil has asked for support to prepare a platform for three Rio conventions to work even more closely and in a coordinated manner, and also to deal with changing patterns of consumption and production; (ii) the Latin America and the Caribbean region is very much concerned about the impact of mining and petroleum exploration on biodiversity; (iii) Mexico was asked to prepare a transparent position of all Latin American and the Caribbean countries regarding climate change for the upcoming COP in Cancun, and was also given a mandate to consult with other regions; and (iv) most ministers of environment in the region were still skeptical about the concept of green economy.

Schedule of Bureau Meetings during the 18th Session

8. The Bureau agreed to meet every evening at the conclusion of official sessions to review day’s progress and discuss next steps.

Meeting with Major Groups

9. Minister Ferraté and other Bureau Members met with the representatives of Major Groups and discussed arrangements of their participation in the session.