The News: RIO DE JANEIRO: Pakistan’s negotiators during preparatory and final round of Rio+20 negotiations showed satisfaction on the final document. World leaders approved the outcome document for Rio+20, entitled “The Future We Want,” adopted by 193 members of the United Nations on June 22.
The document calls for a wide range of action such as launching a process to establish sustainable development goals, detailing how the green economy can be used as a tool to achieve sustainable development, strengthening the UN environment programme and establishing a new forum for sustainable development and adopting a framework for tackling sustainable consumption and production.
Head of Pakistani delegation at Rio+20, Muhammad Javed Malik, secretary of the ministry of climate change, said that Pakistan played a leading role in the preparatory and during final rounds of negotiations being co-chair of Group of 77. “Developed countries headed by the EU wanted to end subsidies on fossil fuels, while developing countries headed by G77 was not in favour of ending subsidies altogether,” he said, adding that the main agenda was poverty eradication, but the developed countries wanted to implement the idea of green economy.
“We asked them that the governments would be on steering and private sector would work with them. We, in fact, want to have a process of greening of economy instead of quick shift to green economy. Pakistan is a strong advocate that you cannot apply ‘one size fit for all’ concept of green economy and programmes should be countries specific,” he said, adding that most of Pakistan’s concerns were at least mentioned in the outcome document.
Farrukh Iqbal Khan, Pakistan’s lead negotiator in the preparatory and final round of negotiations, who also served as convener of Group of 77 in the final round of negotiations, said that Pakistan’s main concern in the negotiations was to define green economy in a framework that would not impact the economic growth.
“You should not impose conditions on countries for not utilising their own resources. The main element of Pakistan’s emphasis, according to him, was eradication of poverty, and the second element was to bring focus on energy.”
“We have a framework on renewable energy generation, but we would not compromise our ability to use our coal because that is cheapest source of generation. Pakistan cannot afford high-end technology, but at the same time, we are sensitive to international concerns. We recognise that we have to move towards a broader mix of energy. We supported UN secretary general’s initiative on sustainable energy for all. We should seek more flexibility in creating subsidies and in creating mechanisms where we provide subsidies for movement towards sustainable development,” he said.
There is a need to look at the intellectual property rights regime, he said. “We support it, but there is a strong feeling that IPR, while promoting innovation, does not lead to diffusion.”Farrukh said that Pakistan is among the countries, which bring this concept of sustainable development goals in the final document.
“We put another expert group, which will establish those goals,” he said. Talking on Pakistan’s position on the final document, he said, it is a compromise and he thinks the document has served the interests of all countries. “I am satisfied with the negotiations; I am satisfied with the outcome. It is not that you change the world in one conference.”
