Cablegate: Brazil to Host Ministerial Meeting On

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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 BRASILIA 001585

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

STATE FOR OES/EGC, OES/ETC, OES/ENV, IO/EDA, IO/T, G

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: SENV UN EAGR ECON KSCA BR
SUBJECT: BRAZIL TO HOST MINISTERIAL MEETING ON
INTERNATIONAL GOVERNANCE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT, RIO
DE JANEIRO, SEPTEMBER 3-4, 2007

REF: BRASILIA 1351

1. (U) THIS CABLE IS SENSITIVE, BUT UNCLASSIFIED.

2. (SBU) SUMMARY. The Brazilian Foreign Ministry briefed
representatives of embassies about its "Ministerial Meeting
on International Governance for Sustainable Development,"
which will take place in Rio de Janeiro, September 3-4. The
Foreign Ministers and Environment Ministers of twenty
countries and the European Commission are expected to discuss
ways to strengthen international governance and to translate
the concept of sustainable development into effective action.
END SUMMARY.

3. (SBU) On August 8, the head of the Foreign Ministry's
Environment Department, Luis Alberto Figueiredo Machado,
briefed representatives from the twenty countries invited to
the "Ministerial Meeting on International Governance for
Sustainable Development," which will take place in Rio de
Janeiro, September 3-4. (Note. During the May 16-17
bilateral meeting in Brasilia on the Common Agenda for the
Environment, the Brazilian delegation told the USG delegation
headed by U/S Paula Dobriansky that Brazil was disappointed
with the results from the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) and they wanted to see a stronger UNEP and
a stronger CSD. At that time, they gave advance notice of
this upcoming conference. They explained that they would
like to discuss how to move forward on global governance in a
way that does not continue the polarization of the French
proposal for a World Environment Organization (REFTEL). END
NOTE.)

INVITEES

4. (U) Figueiredo listed the invitees as follows: Africa
(Senegal, South Africa, Kenya and Egypt); Europe (France,
Germany, United Kingdom, Portugal, Russia, and the European
Commission); Asia (Japan, China, India, Pakistan, and
Indonesia); Western Hemisphere (the United States, Argentina,
Costa Rica, Venezuela, and Antigua and Barbuda). In
addition, representatives from the mission to the United
Nations in New York from Mexico and Switzerland will attend;
they have been facilitators in the ongoing discussion on this
topic. Further, Achim Steiner from the United Nations
Environment Programme (UNEP) and Mr. Sha Zukang from the
United Nations will speak.

5. (U) The Brazilians reported that Germany, France, South
Africa, Costa Rica, Venezuela and Senegal had indicated they
would send representatives at the minister level. Figueiredo
added that China was considering whether to send a minister.
He also said that Washington was studying whether to send U/S
Paula Dobriansky.

6. (U) Figueiredo underscored that Environment Minister
Silva and Foreign Minister Amorim would be ready to have
bilateral meetings on the margins of the conference.

BRASILIA 00001585 002 OF 003

AGENDA AND CONCEPT PAPER

7. (U) The conference is being billed as an informal
dialogue and not a negotiating session. There will not be an
agreed upon text, rather the two co-chairs (Brazilian Foreign
Minister Celso Amorim and Environment Minister Marina Silva)
will prepare a co-chairs' summary. Brazil would then submit
the co-chairs' summary to the next G-8 meeting.

8. (U) Figueiredo explained that the purpose of the meeting
is to provide a comprehensive debate on how to address the
weaknesses in the current system of international governance
concerning sustainable development. They distributed a
provisional agenda for the two-day meeting. It calls for a
discussion of the current structure, including a presentation
by Steiner on UNEP and Zukang on the Commission for
Sustainable Development and relevant UN agencies. The second
day is designated for consideration of "options for future
treatment of the governance for sustainable development,"
which is concluded with the presentation of the co-chairs'
summary.

9. (U) The Brazilians also distributed a five-page concept
paper, which lays out their view of the weaknesses in the
current international environmental governance system. There
are numerous references to a lack of a stable stream of
funding, and decrying the heavy reliance on voluntary
contributions. Further, the Brazilians point to a lack of
coordination among the CSD, UNEP, the Global Environment
Facility (GEF), and the secretariats for the various
multilateral environmental agreements. The concept paper
raises as a discussion question whether UNEP should be given
an "institutional upgrade." However, the paper does not make
a judgment on that option.

10. (U) The provisional agenda and the Brazilian concept
paper have been sent to OES/EGC Kirsten Jaglo. Addressees
can also obtain a copy by contacting the Environment,
Science, and Health (ESTH) Counselor Richard Driscoll at
Embassy Brasilia. These documents should be available on a
website soon to be created by the Brazilian government.

"WE ARE VERY CLOSE"

11. (SBU) After the briefing, Figueiredo talked with ESTH
Counselor and repeatedly stressed that he thought the
positions of the USG and Brazil on international governance
were very close. This is consistent with the statements the
Brazilians made during the May meeting of the CAE (REFTEL).

12. (SBU) At a subsequent courtesy call meeting with ESTH
Counselor, Figueiredo stressed two additional points: First,
Brazil does not want to see environmental concerns being put
over sustainable development concerns. There must be a
balance between economic considerations and the environment,
rather than as the French and others seem to view the
environment trumping economic matters. While Brazil had been
pleased to see the concept of sustainable development begin
to take prominence over the previous myopic view just on the

BRASILIA 00001585 003 OF 003

environment, Figueiredo feared there were pressures for
backsliding toward an environment first view of the world.
He saw this embodied in the French proposal for the World
Environment Organization.

13. (SBU) Second, however, Figueiredo stated that Brazil
was not necessarily opposed to creating new structures or
revising existing ones so long as mentioned above the
environment was not the only or paramount concern in whatever
structure or arrangement was developed.

SOBEL

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