Conference
on Sustainable Development in East Timor
The
purpose of the Conference is to highlight the environment and to promote and
facilitate dialogue about sustainable
development in East Timor, so that principles of sustainable development
can be
incorporated
into future planning.
The Conference will be
highly participatory, bringing together East Timorese and international
experts, United Nations bodies, non-government organisations and individuals.
The Conference will build strong networks within East Timor and establish
alliances with international sustainable development organisations.
The program covers a
comprehensive range of sustainable development issues; Introduction to Sustainable Development,
Natural Resources and Conservation, Economy, Social Issues, Institutions and
Technology.
The format of the conference includes plenary sessions in the mornings,
followed by workshops to discuss the topics addressed. The workshops will identify and discuss
specific issues and solutions relevant to East Timor.
The conference has been
formatted with the aim of producing tangible outcomes. It is proposed that a Task Force on
Sustainable Development is established to carry forward the ideas generated.
Anticipated outcomes also include outlining a framework for an educational
exchange program, and identification of priority pilot environmental projects.
Development
that is sustainable meets environmental, economic and social needs of the
present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their
own needs
Over the past
30 years, growing numbers of people have come to recognise that efforts to
improve their standards of living must be in harmony with the natural world.
Many have also realised that a lack of development can be as great a threat to
nature as reckless or misguided development.
East Timor has suffered
major destruction - from the ashes a new independent nation is being
built. East Timor has the opportunity
to develop an integrated sustainable development strategy; to build a
sustainable economy and infrastructure, to protect the environment, reverse
environmental degradation and conserve natural resources for future
generations.
History of
Sustainable Development
Public awareness campaigns
in the 1960s and 1970s resulted in governments around the world beginning to
address environmental issues. Sustainable development emerged from a global
recognition of environmental problems.
The term
sustainable development was introduced by the World Conservation Strategy in
1980. The report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development 'Our Common Future' (1987) put sustainable
development firmly on the global agenda.
‘Our Common Future’defined development as sustainable ‘if it meets the
needs of the present without comprising the ability of future generations to
meet their own needs".
Agenda 21
The Rio Earth Summit in
1992 resulted in a major new sustainable development strategy - Agenda 21.
Agenda 21 is designed to prepare the world for the challenges of the new
century, to addresses poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and environmental
degradations as a set of interrelated issues.
It is an action plan that
calls on nations to adopt national strategies for sustainable development. Many
countries around the world are presently working towards implementing National
Sustainable Development Strategies.
Around the world people
struggle with what sustainable development means in practice and how to achieve
it. They have wrestled with the meanings of sustainable and development. Some
have proposed other terms, such as ecologically sustainable development, or
ethical sustainable development, sustainable living and sustainable well-being.
A strong argument has been put that sustainability also incorporates spiritual
and cultural aspects.
Regardless of the
terminology, the central concept is the same; the human system is an integral
part of the ecosystem. A society is sustainable only if both the human
condition and the condition of the ecosystem are satisfactory or improving. If
either is unsatisfactory or worsening, the society is unsustainable.
Environmental degradation
is a major source of unsustainability.
There is a need to tackle environmental issues as an integrated
component of overall development.
The livelihoods of East
Timorese people depend on a healthy and productive environment. All people and
industries for example. depend on a healthy water supply. Agriculture,
fisheries, and tourism also depend on the environment. To meet people’s needs
now and for future generations, East Timor’s natural resource base must be
conserved and improved.
East Timor's
Environment
East Timor has a very
fragile environment. It is particularly dry compared with other parts of the
region, and is prone to regular droughts.
Deforestation combined with steep slopes, thin soils and heavy seasonal
rains have resulted in erosion, soil loss and diminished water quality, which
in turn threaten coral reefs and fisheries.
While the biodiversity of
East Timor’s fauna is high, many species are at risk of extinction due to
deforestation. East Timor has many valuable plant species, including Sandalwood
and Teak but only small stands remain due to overharvesting in Portuguese and
Indonesian times.
In urban areas, pollution
and waste is a problem. Air and ground water
pollution impact directly on human health and the climatic disruption caused by
global warming is causing major disasters affecting the health and living
conditions of people all around the world.
Sustainable development in
East Timor will depend on effective environmental planning and management. Appropriate technology will allow small
villages to participate more fully in the economy and affairs of East Timor,
and community participation in civil society is another vital component of
building independence.
The conference will explore
many aspects of development, including many essential components required to
implement sustainable development. For
example, environmental laws at national and international levels will be
discussed, as well as data management for effective environmental planning and
management. The conference will provide
important opportunities for exchange of scientific and technical information,
playing an important role in sustainable development for East Timor.