Getting the Goods: 2005

SPAC at the CSD IPM & CSD-13

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During the 13th session of the Commission on Sustainable development, the thematic cluster under consideration includes water, sanitation and human settlements. As a cross - cutting issue and one of the overarching objectives of sustainable development, sustainable production and consumption ought to figure prominently in the discussions of the Commission in these thematic areas.

At the Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM), held in February 2005, SPAC was mentioned briefly by some government delegates and some major group representatives. The Chair's summary of the interactive discussions of the IPM picked up some of the points raised, including the need for end use efficiency improvements in order to reduce unnecessary water consumption. It also stressed the need for water conservation techniques, along with information exchange and dissemination, technical assistance and training as a part of the broader efforts to promote SPAC.

The NGO community should arrive at CSD armed with concrete examples of policy actions and projects on SPAC and water, sanitation and human settlements, that have been advocated for and implemented by civil society. NGOs should also consider
(i) what governments should do in order to make good their policy commitments on the issue of SPAC & freshwater, sanitation and human settlements
(ii) what support the NGO community needs from governments, in order to facilitate their own work on SPAC & Freshwater

-VR