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WSSD 2002 - 5 -Positionen der Schweiz Erarbeitungsstand 22. März 2002Alps as a signatory of the Alpine Convention. Therefore, sharing our own experience, cooperatingin adapting this experience to the needs of other mountain regions, and showing solidarity andengaging in partnership with mountain people throughout the world constitute an opportunity aswell as an international obligation.c) Mountain development as a key interface of sustainable developmentSustainable development in mountain regions is a pervasive issue. It touches on all the priorityareas to which Switzerland is committed in the framework of Rio+10, i.e. freshwater resources,international environmental issues – especially sustainable management of fragile ecosystems,global climate change, biodiversity, and sustainable forest management – poverty alleviation, andtrade-related issues, especially market access for marginal regions. Other important issues arequestions of governance, especially decentralisation and subsidiarity, as well as the participation ofcivil society, the private sector and the scientific community in political decision-making processes.2. Political positions taken by Switzerland in support of sustainable development inmountain regionsa) Mountains – an environment for learning about and implementing principles ofsustainabilityNature has always played a dominant role in the mountains. Despite the advances of moderntechnology and civilisation, economic and social conditions are more directly affected by naturalphenomena in mountain regions than in any other environment, and people living in mountainregions are more intensely and immediately affected by natural conditions than people elsewhere.Switzerland therefore believes that sustainable development in mountain regions constitutes anarea of endeavour that is fundamental to learning about and implementing the principle ofsustainable development, which must give equal consideration to natural, social and economicconditions – the thee main components of sustainability. This will involve fostering integration ofdifferent sectors and policies and applying resulting concepts and approaches appropriately inother development contexts.b) Recognition of mountain regions as important, specific areas of developmentThe driving forces of mountain development are very often dominated by the interests of politicaland economic centres and densely populated urban centres; moreover, these forces are usuallynot beholden to principles of sustainability. Hence if sustainable development is to be possible inmountain regions at all, the political status of the world’s mountain regions must be enhanced,especially at the national level.Switzerland is committed to national political frameworks that enable mountain regions to advocatetheir interests as equal partners, especially vis à vis centres of political and economic power.Federalism, decentralisation, subsidiarity, local self-government and accountability,acknowledgment of local rights to resources and targeted economic development are the coreconcepts in such frameworks. Ultimately, these concepts must be concretely expressed in anational policy for mountain regions. Switzerland supports exchange and collaboration amongmountain regions within national borders as well as international cooperation among mountainregions, with the aim of enhancing the political significance of these regions at the national andregional levels.c) Compensation for services rendered to surrounding areas
WSSD 2002 - 6 -Positionen der Schweiz Erarbeitungsstand 22. März 2002Mountain resources with economic value are not only developed largely as the result of externalintervention and investment, but are also exploited primarily by external interests. In most cases,compensation for use of mountain resources is inadequate. The consequences for mountainregions are lack of capital, minimal economic power, widespread poverty, degradation of naturalresources and migration.Hence Switzerland is firmly committed to adequate compensation for services provided bymountain regions to surrounding areas. This includes the strengthening of local rights of resourceuse; fair concessions for use of mountain resources such as drinking water, water used forirrigation and hydropower, mineral resources and timber; and promotion of forms of tourism thatallow for conservation of resources and foster local economic development. Compensation mustalso be provided where it is in the general public interest to refrain from resource use, e.g. in thecase of establishing nature reserves. The overall aim is to ensure that adequate income is returnedto mountain areas as part of a comprehensive arrangement in which financial resources arebalanced within closely linked highland-lowland systems.In order to relieve pressure on mountain resources, Switzerland supports efforts to promotedevelopment that conserves resources in mountains and surrounding areas. At the domestic aswell as the international level, Switzerland advocates the polluter pays principle, according to whichthose who waste or degrade resources must bear the costs.d) Diversification and the benefits of complementaritiesMost of the world’s mountain regions are areas characterised by sensitive ecosystems with littlepotential for human use. The disadvantage of limited potential for use can be partly overcomethrough diversification of resource use in different altitudinal belts and climatic zones as well as indifferent sectors such as agriculture, pastoralism and forestry; through integration of business,industry and tourism; and through seasonal migration.Accordingly, Switzerland is carefully monitoring the impacts of current global trends such asglobalisation, promotion of economies of scale, specialisation and monofunctional use, andconcentration of public services, in light of possible threats to diversification and sustainabledevelopment of mountain regions. Switzerland thus supports diversified and multifunctional formsof agriculture. It thereby acknowledges the central role of agriculture in many of the world’smountains as a local source of food, employment, income and value-added production, as well asthe key role played by agriculture in ensuring decentralised settlement and maintainingbiodiversity.To strengthen the economy in mountain region, Switzerland supports the development ofopportunities to generate local income in the business, industrial and service sectors (e.g. tourism).This involves exploiting complementarities with other economic areas, as well as targeted supportfor mountain-specific products and services – for example, through better-quality advice andimproved access to markets, quality labelling, or the use of new information technologies.Switzerland believes it is important to integrate the business community in mountain developmentmuch more closely than previously. To further this objective, it supports development ofdecentralised infrastructure – especially with respect to land development (including roads, water,electricity, etc.), education, health care, and provision of financing and credits.e) Taking full advantage of local potential for innovationSwitzerland considers local potential for innovation a key prerequisite for sustainable developmentin mountain regions. This potential must be the focus of much more committed and specificsupport in future than until now. As a prerequisite for achieving this aim, Switzerland envisions the
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