3rd Model of the Permanent Council
for OAS Interns – 3 rd MOAS/PC
FINAL BOOK OF RESOLUTIONS
Organization of American States
Washington , D.C.
THE ROLE OF THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND CIVIL SOCIETY IN THE PROMOTION OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY IN THE AMERICAS: COOPERATIVE ACTIONS FOR ENERGY SECURITY IN THE AMERICAS
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,
HAVING SEEN
Article 15 of the Democratic Inter-American Charter, which states that “it is essential that the states of the Hemisphere implement policies and strategies to protect the environment, including application of various treaties and conventions, to achieve sustainable development for the benefit of future generations”,
RECALLING
The Declaration of Panama: Energy for Sustainable Development (AG/DEC. 52 (XXXVII-O/07)) the OAS has a firm mission to “promote the support and synergy of states, international organizations, civil society, the private sector, and the academic community, to promote the contents of this Declaration of Panama, and to report on a regular basis to the Permanent Council and to the Inter-American Council for Integral Development”,
BEARING IN MIND
Article 25 of the First Inter-American Meeting of Ministers and High-Level authorities on the Sustainable Development Declaration of Santa Cruz +10 (CIDI/RIMDS/DEC.1/06) which reiterates the commitment undertaken by the member states to “call upon the international community to support national development efforts through mobilization of resources, technical assistance, institutional strengthening and technology transfer support national development efforts through mobilization of resources, technical assistance, institutional strengthening and technology transfer.”
ACKNOWLEDGING,
That through the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development (SEDI), specifically the Sustainable Development Department, the General Secretariat of the OAS is executing the Sustainable Energy Partnership for the Americas (SEPA), a program created to diversify energy resource use, and make a more sustainable energy portfolio for the countries of the Americas in order to advance energy security, mitigate the impacts of the fluctuating fossil fuel prices, expand access to modern energy services and lower carbon emissions. The program is designed as the primary mechanism to respond to the evolving needs of the countries of the Americas relating to energy for sustainable development.
Considering that energy security has become a major concern for the Western Hemisphere we the Permanent Council acknowledge the following challenges:
1. The need to adapt to climate change and mitigate its effects which have adverse impacts and socio-economic consequences that hinder development;
2. The current unsustainable use of non-renewable energy resources (oil, natural gas and coal) in the Americas and their price volatility on the world market;
3. The need for efficient, affordable and clean energy sources for the transport, industrial, and commercial sectors and domestic users;
4. The need for national, sub-regional and regional integration among existing energy systems;
5. The limited energy partnerships which exist between international organizations, governments, the private sector, civil society and other relevant stakeholders, [hereinafter all relevant stakeholders], in addressing the issue.
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL:
1. Urges Member States to strengthen and enhance cooperation programs that includes all relevant stakeholders through a democratic process to develop an integrated approach that leads to transparent actions and creates synergies among countries by supporting the Sustainable Energy Partnership for the Americas (SEPA), and utilizing existing regional projects like the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP), Regional Electric Integration Commission (CIER), and organizations including the Latin American Energy Organization (OLADE) and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), among others, and their multi-stakeholder initiatives and information such as databases, reports and documentation on the energy sector of the region, sub-regions and Member States;
2. Recommends through the aforementioned initiative, that the Member States address the following issues by the year 2015:
a) To promote scientific research, technological collaboration and innovation within and between Member States, in partnership with national academic and private sectors, to strengthen their capabilities in energy efficiency and exploration of renewable energy sources and technologies with minimal socio-environmental impact. Efforts will be made to exchange best practices and technical assistance, and further professional development through internship/fellowship programs and the creation and improvement of research centers. These actions will lead to the creation of partnerships between countries or sub-regions with complementary needs and capabilities.
b) To stimulate and promote an integral viewpoint in the private sector that introduces sustainable manufacturing practices as a means to reduce energy consumption in highly energy intensive industry, and promote a model for sustainable consumption and production chains.
c) To collaborate in the identification of school curricula needed to adequately prepare innovative energy and environmental professionals who are prepared to take action towards energy efficiency improvement and diversification of the energy matrix.
d) In partnership with civil society organizations establish energy conservation campaigns to promote awareness of the consequences of the indiscriminate energy use, with special attention to the role of the citizens as agents of change for the implementation of energy conservation and efficiency measures.
e) Explore the potential establishment of a Western Hemispheric carbon market for the region to further facilitate the creation of mechanisms that aid Member States in mitigating climate change.
3. Recommends the creation of collaboration channels [for each of the proposed themes] in which all stakeholders including governments, civil society, institutions of higher education, and private sector, can develop strategies and make commitments that strengthen actions by the Member States and at regional level using SEPA as the platform to launch the initiatives.
4. Proposes that SEDI supports the Member States in the process carrying out the mentioned programs, using SEPA as the platform/model that will have the responsibility to provide continuity and necessary controls to the initiatives emanating from the partnership, as well as for ensuring that they are conducted and are results oriented. Included in the development are reports, workshops and conferences that lead to commitments and tangible actions. SEPA will facilitate evaluation procedures before, during and after the activities of each program and give advice to the Member States. Additionally, SEPA will be responsible for promoting accountability and the establishment of measurable targets among the Member States for the aforementioned activities.
5. Recommends the creation of a common fund that supports SEPA and its related programs, through which Member States, Permanent Observers, and international organizations will provide financial support towards the implementation of the proposed initiatives. The Member States will work in collaboration with SEPA to finance concrete actions. Moreover, SEPA will prepare proposals for financing to potential donors through the existing OAS channels like the Resource Mobilization Committee.
Developing a strategy of cooperation among OAS Member States, international organizations, the private sector and civil society to promote energy efficiency and diversification with minimal environmental impact: PROMOTING THE SUSTAINABLE USE OF WATER RESOURCES
Resolution Proposal presented by the delegations of Argentina, Bahamas, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Ecuador, Grenada, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, and Venezuela.
THE PERMANENT COUNCIL OF THE ORGANIZATION OF AMERICAN STATES,
DEEPLY CONCERNED that today over 75 million people in the Americas lack access to clean water and more than 137 million lack access to adequate sanitation; and that each year water contamination affects the health of 75 million people in the hemisphere;
CONSIDERING that the Declaration of Santa Cruz + 10 notes that water is fundamental for life, and basic for socio-economic development and the conservation of ecosystems, and that, in this regard, its sustainable management must be promoted with a view to ensuring access to water for present and future generations;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT international commitments, such as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), particularly Goal No. 7: to ensure Environmental Sustainability by halving the proportion of the population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by the year 2015;
RECALLING that Agenda 21 promotes the application of integrated approaches to the development, management and use of water resources for the Protection of the quality and supply of freshwater resources;
BEARING IN MIND that the Inter-American Strategy for the Promotion of Public Participation in Decision-Making for Sustainable Development (ISP), conceived in the Plan of Action of The 1996 Santa Cruz Summit Conference on Sustainable Development, adopted by OAS member States [CIDI/RES. 98 (V-O/00)], aims to direct the efforts of member States toward the formulation and implementation of policies that will ensure the participation of civil society in planning, environmental management and decision-making for sustainable development;
CONSIDERING that is the right and responsibility of all citizens to participate in decisions relating to their own development, and that this is also a necessary condition for the full and effective exercise of democracy;
REMEMBERING that in accordance with the provisions of the Inter-American Democratic Charter, promoting and fostering diverse forms of participation strengthens democracy;
TAKING INTO ACCOUNT resolution CP/RES. 840 (1361/03), “Strategies for Increasing and Strengthening Participation by Civil Society Organizations in OAS Activities” aiming to actively promote the participation of civil society organizations in OAS activities;
REAFFIRMING the commitment of the Declaration of Rio where States are encouraged to cooperate to promote a supportive and open international economic system that would lead to economic growth and sustainable development in all countries, to better address the problems of environmental degradation;
CONSIDERING THAT advances in Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) is one of many examples in which countries of the Americas have adopted innovative policies to address sustainable development challenges, particularly relevant during the current global financial crisis;
TAKING INTO CONSIDERATION the main theme of World Water Day, held from March 16th to 22nd of 2009, which was called "Shared Water Resources - Shared Opportunities," where the main focus were the transboundary water resources, in order to promote opportunities for cooperation in managing these resources, sustainable management of drinking water sources and building mutual respect and understanding and trust between countries;
ALARMED BY the results of the third edition of the Report on the development of water resources in the world: Water in a Changing World, submitted by the UN at the 5th World Water Forum, which highlighted that overpopulation and climate change approach the world into a severe water crisis,
ACKOWLEDGING the OAS/DSD proven track record and staff expertise in the areas related to environment and sustainable development, including integrated water resources Management;
Resolves:
1. To instruct the Secretariat for Integral Development, through its Department of Sustainable Development, to create the program Promotion of Water Resource Sustainability (hereinafter referred to as “WRP”).
2. To entrust the Department of Sustainable Development (DSD) of the Executive Secretariat for Integral Development with the responsibility of promoting this program among the Member States and coordinating its implementation.
3. To encourage the Member States to develop the following actions within the framework of the WRP:
· Establish strategies to help and promote the implementation of bilateral and multilateral agreements between countries that share transboundary river basins and/or aquifers, to advance the integrated management and sustainable use of water resources of Member States.
· Update and consolidate systems of information on water resources in order to create databases that will contribute to a greater understanding of the sector’s dynamic, in order to contribute to the planning of relevant projects – promoting the exchange of information for decision-making and guaranteeing the access to information to civil society and the private sector.
· Promote the development of educational programs with the support of Civil Society and the Private Sector, aimed at creating and spreading awareness for the prudent management of water resources through the implementation of best practices based on ecological principles.
· Strengthen their environmental legislation to establish a proper legal and institutional framework for the development, management and conservation of water resources.
· Promote Environmental Impact Assessments and incentives aimed at promoting the conservation, protection and sustainable management of water resources for both the civil society and the private sector.
· Identify eco-friendly technologies in the field of water resources (monitoring water quality, pollution prevention systems and sewage treatment) and encourage transfers of technology among the Member States.
· Implement water-related Payments for Ecosystem Services (PES) based on the experiences and good practices of past PES projects (determined by the countries’ priorities of sustainable development) while promoting the integration of civil society participation in the process.
4. To instruct the Secretariat for Integral Development to develop a monitoring mechanism for the WRP that will include reports prepared by DDS with the information on the progress of the program activities.
5. To advise the Secretariat for Integral Development to solicit funds from the Permanent Observers and Member States, as well as to pursue long-term strategic partnerships with key international development agencies and organizations in order to effectively implement WRP, including but not limited to: the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO); UN-Water; the Inter-American Development Bank; the World Bank (BIRF); The Global Water Partnership (GWP); and the International Association of Hydrogeologists (IAH).