Mr. Chairman
Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Based on the comprehensive agenda of sustainable development adopted by the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in 1992, the Commission on Sustainable Development at its first session approved a multi-year programme. Our governments committed themselves to make all efforts to start effective realization of the recommendations that were reflected in the Agenda 21. We have agreed to seek the ways to achieve sustainable development at all levels, that is globally, at regional and national levels and locally by taking into consideration the specifics of the various regions and societies.

We meant under that objective an ecologically sound, socially acceptable, economically viable development. We recognized the need to combat the problems of our increasing interference with the natural systems, the global environmental problems and the social disparities and unjustness.

We decided to enhance international programmes and facilities to serve these goals, to increase the necessary international and national capacities, to integrate the principles of sustainable development in the sectoral policies, to increase the financial resources for the implementation of these programmes, to improve the conditions of development and transfer of environmentally safe and sound technologies and to take into account these objectives in the evolving conditions of international trade.

Hungary devoted great attention to the objectives and the principles of sustainable development. The requirements to achieve and to pursue the path of such a development would profoundly correspond to our present and expected future needs based on the critical appraisal of our past decades, the experiences to tackle the problems of the present period of socio-economic transition and our learning from other nations' experiences, achievements and occasional failures.

The process of stabilization of our economy goes along with its comprehensive restructuring. We understand that the abatement of the environmental problems, the measures to conserve our natural heritage and to prevent the formation of new environmental hazards should not be considered as tasks to be dealt with after the solution of the present substantial societal economic or financial problems. Instead we keep striving for strengthening the positions of the environmental protection and nature conservation, for integrating the environmental considerations in all relevant sectoral policies.

In this context, high priority has been attributed to the formulation of new pieces of environmental legislation, the development of a new environmental strategy and policy programme, improvement of the dialogue with the concerned groups and organizations of the society, extension and consolidation of the interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral cooperation, further development of our participation in international collaboration with particular emphasis on our ties with the integration organizations of the developed countries, on the relations with our neighbours, implementation of the international environmental conventions and active participation in relevant international programmes and organizations.

Our new environmental law is already based on the principles of sustainable development. Its first and most prominent objective is to reach sustainability; it reads: '"The objective of the Act is to develop a harmonious relationship between humans and their environment, to protect the components and processes of the environment and to provide for the environmental conditions of sustainable development." It stipulates also the development of a comprehensive national environmental protection programme. A new nature conservation act is just considered by our Parliament and a series of other important environment related legal instruments ought to be passed within a short time period.

As to the dialogue and cooperation among the concerned groups and representatives, there is an increasing activity with a broader-scale approach among the various governmental and non-governmental institutions and organizations in Hungary. It is well served by an increasing number of fora such as the environmental commissions, committees or councils of the Parliament, the Academy of Sciences, local and regional governments, the federation of the employers, professional societies, journalists, etc. In addition, the Hungarian Commission on Sustainable Development was also established in 1993 and just recently, the National Environmental Council started its work.

In our international relations the harmonization with the environmental requirements of the integration organizations of the most developed countries is one of the most essential political priority for us. It includes not only the elements of the environmental legislation, but also the environmental policies and the relevant elements of the sector policies. Other areas of international cooperation particularly, implementation of the multilateral conventions, participation in the multitude of programmes under the umbrella of the United Nations or in the rapidly strengthening European cooperation are also of great significance. The conventions that address global and large-scale transboundary environmental problems or the programme of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development are especially important for us in this set of international relations and obligations.

Our preparations for the present session of the CSD have been guided with these objectives and priorities in mind and based on an increasing understanding on how, on the one hand, our national tasks of development and environmental protection depend on the transboundary effects and are related to the international cooperation and how the approach to the environmental tasks should be linked with other socioeconomic policies and programmes, on the other. Our third national report submitted to the Commission reflects this approach and it is my pleasure to present it for you and draw your attention to its contents.

The framework provided by the international UNCED follow-up process and, in particular, the reporting procedure for the Commission on Sustainable Development provide a good opportunity for us to evaluate our own situation, problems and progress in terms of requirements and achievements of sustainability. We can match our terms and progress with the advanced criteria set by the international community and the achievements of other nations and the see how e should improve our efforts to fulfill our national tasks and to contribute to the corresponding international efforts.

We look forward to the further development of international cooperation in this regard. In our view, the Commission on Sustainable Development offers an excellent potential and should further enhance its role and capacities to assist the exchange of experiences, to monitor progress and to promote the international collaboration. It should receive an even better recognition within the United Nations and the programme of sustainable development should develop into the centerpiece of the international cooperation with its long term objectives, especially, within the UN family. In our view, this is the basic political message of UNCED.

Apparently, this determination has been weakened for the relatively short period since the Earth Summit, and the short-term problems and conflict management dominate again the attention of the international community. Furthermore, other partially overlapping programmes are brought to the limelight with different priorities and objectives of the socio-economic development which neglect or sometimes even contradict the objectives and criteria of sustainable development.

We think that the spirit of Rio should be revitalized, we should go back to the right track and this should guide both our political conclusion from this session and the preparation for the 1997 special session of the General Assembly.

I thank you very much for your attention.

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