International Cooperation To Accelerate Sustainable Development In Developing Countries & Related Domestic Policies

Following in the footsteps of my parents, I strongly support global sustainable development initiatives. My ultimate education goal is a Ph.D. in Natural Resources and Sustainable Development. Part of the educational process will be attending UPEACE. I'm an internationalist. Problems facing humanity today - climate change, the fight against militarism, protecting the environment, fighting against racism and sexism, and the fight to ensure a more equitible, and moral, distribution of resources and wealth - are global issues and are the social issues of the 21st century.

In order to meet the challenges of environment and development, States have decided to establish a new global partnership. This partnership commits all States to engage in a continuous and constructive dialogue, inspired by the need to achieve a more efficient and equitable world economy, keeping in view the increasing interdependence of the community of nations and that sustainable development should become a priority item on the agenda of the international community. It is recognized that, for the success of this new partnership, it is important to overcome confrontation and to foster a climate of genuine cooperation and solidarity. It is equally important to strengthen national and international policies and multinational cooperation to adapt to the new realities.

The international economy should provide a supportive international climate for achieving environment and development goals by:

(a) Promoting sustainable development through trade liberalization;

(b) Making trade and environment mutually supportive;

(c) Providing adequate financial resources to developing countries and dealing with international debt;

(d) Encouraging macroeconomic policies conducive to environment and development

In the years ahead, and taking into account the results of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations, Governments should continue to strive to meet the following objectives:

(a) To promote an open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system that will enable all countries - in particular, the developing countries - to improve their economic structures and improve the standard of living of their populations through sustained economic development;

(b) To improve access to markets for exports of developing countries;

(c) To improve the functioning of commodity markets and achieve sound, compatible and consistent commodity policies at national and international levels with a view to optimizing the contribution of the commodity sector to sustainable development, taking into account environmental considerations;

(d)To promote and support policies, domestic and international, that make economic growth and environmental protection mutually supportive.

Promoting an international trading system that takes account of the needs of developing countries

Accordingly, the international community should:

(a) Halt and reverse protectionism in order to bring about further liberalization and expansion of world trade, to the benefit of all countries, in particular the developing countries;

(b) Provide for an equitable, secure, non-discriminatory and predictable international trading system;

(c) Facilitate, in a timely way, the integration of all countries into the world economy and the international trading system;

(d) Ensure that environment and trade policies are mutually supportive, with a view to achieving sustainable development;

(e) Strengthen the international trade policies system through an early, balanced, comprehensive and successful outcome of the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations.