John Bruton
Ceist:141 Mr. J. Bruton asked the Minister for Foreign Affairs if he will outline (a) the structure, (b) the functions and (c) the likely Irish involvement in the sustainable development commission agreed at the Rio Earth Summit.
Written Answers. - Sustainable Development Commission.
The Deputy will appreciate that less than a month has passed since the conclusion of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, or the Earth Summit as it became known. The establishment of an important new body such as the Commission on Sustainable Development will require extensive consideration before its structure and functions are precisely defined. It will be necessary to ensure that the Commission has sufficient resources for its task and that it does not overlap with other United Nations institutions, such as the Economic and Social Committee, which are also concerned with environment and development matters. At the recent Lisbon European Council, the EC member states agreed to play a leading role in the establishment of the Commission at the forthcoming United Nations General Assembly.
I can assure the Deputy that Ireland will play the fullest possible role in the setting up of the Commission on Sustainable Development and in its work.