VZCZCXRO3006
RR RUEHRG
DE RUEHBR #1585/01 2291021
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171021Z AUG 07
FM AMEMBASSY BRASILIA
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 9770
INFO RUEHAB/AMEMBASSY ABIDJAN 0014
RUEHBJ/AMEMBASSY BEIJING 0334
RUEHSW/AMEMBASSY BERN 0106
RUEHBU/AMEMBASSY BUENOS AIRES 4956
RUEHEG/AMEMBASSY CAIRO 0061
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RUEHIL/AMEMBASSY ISLAMABAD 0067
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RUEHLI/AMEMBASSY LISBON 0419
RUEHLO/AMEMBASSY LONDON 1217
RUEHME/AMEMBASSY MEXICO 2075
RUEHMO/AMEMBASSY MOSCOW 0324
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RUEHKO/AMEMBASSY TOKYO 0934
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RUEHBS/USEU BRUSSELS
RHEHNSC/NSC WASHDC
RUCNDT/USMISSION USUN NEW YORK 0207
RUEHGV/USMISSION GENEVA 1537
RUEHUNV/USMISSION UNVIE VIENNA 0103

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