UNGASS HAS RUN OUT OF STEAM

The United Nations has made sustainable development one of its major o bjectives. But the way in which this is being pursued is likely to res ult in the UN system becoming increasingly marginalized in the process . This article suggests that far too much attention is given to intern ational debates rather than to national and regional processes. The re sults of tile UN Special Session of June 1997, called to review progre ss five years after the UN Earth Summit in Rio, weve poor Debate, in p ublic at least, reverted to tile traditional North-South divide. Yet i n many countries the enthusiasm for the findings of the Earth Summit a nd its follow-up is clear What is argued is that governments need to s ort out much more clearly what can and should be addressed at the inte rnational level. Many of the major environment issues, such as forest and biodiversity loss, are basically national or local concerns. The d evelopment agenda and poverty have to be addressed locally Only when i t is clear that individual countries and regions cannot cope without i nternational intervention, as happens in the case of climate change an d the international trade regime, should the matter be of concern to t he UN at the centre. The UN could do move to foster this sense of subs idiarity in its affairs.