On December 1st, 2022, the ECO Secretary General Mr. Khusrav Noziri virtually participated in the seventh session of the Committee on Environment and Development of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP). Mr. Noziri delivered a statement on behalf of the Organization at the ministerial segment of the Committee under the theme of “protecting our planet through regional cooperation and solidarity in Asia and the Pacific”.
The Secretary General in his statement cited that the key question in transition to the cleaner sources of energy is how developing countries in the region should reconcile such a transition with the people’s increasing and urgent development needs. Underlining the call of the ECO Heads of State or Government in the “Ashgabat Consensus for Action” for reinforcing cooperation in the field of environment and climate change, Mr. Noziri emphasized the ECO's interest in improving the environmental performance of Asia and the Pacific and commitment to promoting the environment and sustainable development in the region, especially through reinvigorated multilateralism and enhanced international and regional cooperation.
Mr. Noziri, also referred to the region’s potential to show leadership in enhancing the resilience of the planet and society and enumerated some of the local, national, regional, and global prerequisites to activate such potential. In this context, he highlighted the necessity of local awareness raising, national policy coordination, regional synergies and initiatives, and global adequate financial and technical assistance and capacity-building.
The Secretary General while taking note of the important role of the United Nations system especially ESCAP to share experiences and mainstream sustainability in the national plans and strategies across the region, underlined the potential of regional organizations like ECO to strengthen integrated approaches and increase collaborative regional action to achieve the SDGs, enhance the resilience of the region and societies, and promote the global environmental agenda. Having said so, Mr. Noziri expressed the ECO Secretariat’s preparedness for facilitating such cooperation among the member states, and with other national governments, regional and international organizations.
The seventh session of the Committee on Environment and Development of the ESCAP was held in Bangkok from 29 November to 1 December. The last day of the event was devoted to the ministerial segment and convened with the participation of the Asian ministers and vice ministers of the environment and Ms. Armida Salsiah Alisjahbana, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Secretary of ESCAP.
