PETITION ADDRESSED TO THE CHAIR AND MEMBER STATES OF THE U.N. COMMISSION ON
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Your Excellencies,

We the undersigned NGOs active in development, environmental, disarmament and human rights issues express our deepest regret and extreme concern that nuclear energy should have been included in the draft agenda of CSD-9 and that this declining and unsustainable industry might be allocated space in the related exhibition.

We consider any focus on nuclear energy to be both against the spirit of
Agenda 21 and the mandate of the U.N. CSD as well as contrary to the interests of developing countries which require sustainable, mostly decentralized, low-cost energy systems, adapted both to their needs and their endowments in capital, resources and labour.

Most countries are now committed to phasing out, or not developing nuclear energy, and formally oppose the inclusion of nuclear energy into the financing operations of the Clean Development Mechanism to be established under the Kyoto Protocol.

A few days ago the G-8 stated its commitment to: encourage and facilitate investment in the development and use of sustainable energy, underpinned by enabling domestic environments, (which) will assist in mitigating the problems of climate change and air pollution. To this end, the increased use of renewable energy sources in particular will improve the quality of life, especially in developing countries. We therefore call on all stakeholders to identify the barriers and solutions to elevating the level of renewable energy supply and distribution in developing countries. We invite stakeholders to join in a Task Force to prepare concrete recommendations for consideration at our next
Summit regarding sound ways to better encourage the use of renewables in developing countries. .......

Turkey has just cancelled plans initiated in 1992 for a nuclear plant at
Akkaya. Prime Minister Bulent Evecit said in official public statement: the world is abandoning nuclear power.
Worldwide, nuclear power has been plagued by high cost, erratic performance, endemic technical problems, the risk of catastrophic accidents, and environmental problems such as routine radiation releases, radioactive waste management and the high cost of decommissioning.

However, hard pressed nuclear vendors, mainly U.S., Canadian, French and
German corporations are eyeing the developing world as a last gasp market for their products and are stepping up their lobbying efforts at U.N. conferences, including the Climate Change negotiations, as well as on the spot.

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Therefore, we, the undersigned NGOs active in development, environmental and human rights issues urge you to preserve the integrity of the CSD process by ensuring that all non-sustainable energy technologies, particularly nuclear energy, are excluded from CSD9 debates, exhibitions and other activities. The CSD should focus on promoting clean, secure and sustainable forms of energy for the welfare of present and future generations as per the aim of Agenda 21.