Comments
The member countries of ECLAC recognize the need for progress toward better and stronger governance and development of natural resources, so that these will contribute to a more diversified economy that is more sustainable in environmental terms and has synergies with respect to employment, well-being and sustainable economic development for the region over the long term. This means that governance should concern itself with the ownership, the means of appropriation and the redistribution of productivity gains so that society as a whole will benefit from a country’s endowment in natural resources. The High-Level Roundtable “Towards a vision on natural resource governance for equality in Latin America and the Caribbean”, held in January 2015, identified the elements for construction of a compact on governance of natural resources: creating a long-term State policy and strategy to ensure that extraction industries contribute to development goals through productive diversification, structural change and social inclusion; updating countries’ tax frameworks to achieve greater progressivity in State participation; institutionalizing long-term mechanisms for the stabilization, saving and investment of this income; and bolstering the capacity of public institutions to manage socioenvironmental and labour disputes associated with the development of extraction sectors.
There is also a link between natural resource exploitation and the impacts this may have on the population living in those areas, which can lead to socioenvironmental conflicts, particularly in territories inhabited by indigenous peoples. In the development of these extractive activities, especially those associated with high-tech single-product extraction, it is important to include environmental impact plans that will gauge the social and environmental risks and effects, such as plans for prevention, mitigation, correction and compensation for adverse environmental impacts. Consultation mechanisms must also be considered so that people can participate throughout the process.
Implementation of this measure implies a new approach to the governance of natural resources, one in which the territorial rights of indigenous peoples must be explicitly considered (see priority measure 88).
Related instruments, forums and mechanisms
Sustainable Development Objectives: the outcome of the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), “The future we want”, called for the creation of an open intergovernmental working group to prepare a proposed set of sustainable development goals for inclusion in the post-2015 development agenda. The resulting Sustainable Development Goals can serve for monitoring this priority measure, through goal 6 (“Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all”), particularly targets 6.1 (“By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all”) and 6.6 (“By 2020 protect and restore water-related ecosystems, including mountains, forests, wetlands, rivers, aquifers and lakes”), and Goal 12 (“Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns”), particularly targets 12.2 (“By 2030 achieve sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources”) and 12.5 (“By 2030, substantially reduce wasted generation through prevention, reduction, recycling, and reuse”).
In resolution 64/292 (28 July 2010), the United Nations General Assembly explicitly recognized the human right to water and sanitation, reaffirming that these are vital for the realization of all human rights. Resolution 64/292 calls upon States and international organizations to provide financial resources, to promote training and the transfer of technology, particularly to developing countries, in order to provide a drinkable water supply and clean, accessible and affordable sanitation for all, especially where drinking water is not always considered a resource for public use.
