WSSD.INFO NEWS
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Issue 1. 3 May 2002
Compiled by Richard Sherman Edited by Kimo Goree Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) Distributed exclusively to the 2002SUMMIT-L list by IISD Reporting Services
Editor's note: Welcome to the first issue of WSSD.Info News, compiled by Richard Sherman. We hope to provide this service on at least a fortnightly basis from now through the Summit. If you should come across a news article or have a submission for the next issue, please send it directly to Richard. WSSD.Info News is an exclusive publication of IISD for the 2002SUMMIT-L list and should not be reposted or republished to other lists/websites without the permission of IISD (you can write Kimo for permission.) If you have been forwarded this issue and would like to subscribe to 2002SUMMIT-L, please visit http://iisd.ca/scripts/lyris.pl?join=2002summit-l.
Funding for the production of WSSD.Info News (part of the IISD Reporting Services annual program) has been provided by The Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Canada (through CIDA), the United States (through USAID), the Swiss Agency for Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL), the United Kingdom (through the Department for International Development - DFID), the European Commission (DG-ENV), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Government of Germany (through German Federal Ministry of Environment - BMU, and the German Federal Ministry of Development Cooperation - BMZ). General Support for the Bulletin during 2002 is provided by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment of Finland, the Government of Australia, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment of Norway, Swan International, and the Japanese Ministry of Environment (through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies – IGES). If you like WSSD.info News, please thank them for their support.
Contents
1. MINERS URGED TO LEAD THE WAY ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES (Reuters) 2. NIGERIAN PUSHES REGIONAL APPROACH AT PRE-JOHANNESBURG TALKS (UN Wire) 3. DIALOGUE ON ECO INITIATIVE (Gulf News) 4. UN-HABITAT OPENS FIRST-EVER MEETING ON URBAN ISSUES (UN Wire) 6. WORLD URBAN FORUM OPENS IN KENYA (Voice of America) 7. SUMMIT MUST LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES MADE IN RIO (The Independent) 8. IUCN AND AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY PROVIDE GREEN INPUT TO NEPAD (IUCN) 9. GOVERNMENT WOOS LABOUR OVER NEPAD (Mail & Guardian) 11. SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SPOTLIGHT (Business Day) 12. WSSD TO PUT SA ON THE MAP (BuaNews) 13. LIFTING THE CORPORATE VEIL (Mail & Guardian) 15. FIRST FOLLOW-UP MEETING TO MONTERREY STRESSES COOPERATION (UN Wire) 16. MINING SECTOR STARTS COUNTDOWN TO EARTH SUMMIT (Reuters) 17. AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACCRA WATER CONFERENCE (Accra Mail) 20. PLANET'S HEALTH SOURCE OF MUCH DEBATE (Reuters) 21. EARTH SUMMIT 2 IN DANGER FROM DITHERING - EU (Reuters) 22. MASSIVE POLICE PRESENCE PLANNED FOR SUMMIT (Saturday Star) 23. A LUSTY RESPONSE TO SUMMIT APPEAL FOR BEDS (Saturday Star) 25. PREPCOM III FAILS TO AGREE ON DRAFT TEXT FOR WSSD (BRIDGES Trade BioRes) 26. U.K. PLAYS DOWN SUMMIT EXPECTATIONS (UN Wire) 27. UN FORUM STRESSES HIGH-TECH TRANSFERS (The China Daily) 29. NEPAD TO GUIDE AFRICAN FORTUNES AT WSSD (BuaNews) 30. CONSENSUS ELUDES PREPARATORY MEETING (UN Wire) 31. ENVIRONMENTALISTS SAY US HIJACKING UN SUMMIT (Reuters) 33. CHINESE VICE-PREMIER MEETS SPECIAL ENVOY OF UN SECRETARY-GENERAL (Peoples Daily) 34. U.N. EXCLUDES TIBETAN RIGHTS GROUP FROM CONFERENCE (Reuters) 36. PREP MEETING NEARS END WITHOUT AGREEMENT (UN Wire) 37. WHY SHOULD YOU ATTEND THE JO'BURG SUMMIT? (WBCSD)
SPEECHES
43. G-8 MINISTERS CALL FOR ACTION ON ENVIRONMENT (G8) 44. BANFF MINISTERIAL STATEMENT ON THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (G8)
1) MINERS URGED TO LEAD THE WAY ON DEVELOPMENT ISSUES Reuters 1 May 2002 http://www.reuters.com/news_article.jhtml?type=search&StoryID=905740
LONDON, May 1 (Reuters) - The mining industry must take the initiative in standardising its approach to social, economic and environmental considerations, according to a new report from the Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development (MMSD) project. "The world is not yet ready for some kind of global mining convention where all the governments get together and decide how to regulate the industry," MMSD Project Director Luke Danielson told a news briefing in London on Wednesday. "There an enormous need for the industry to step forward and initiate the process," he said. MMSD, which is backed by a range of major mining companies and institutions such as the World Bank and the UN Environment Programme, has completed its final report after two years of consultation and research. A hefty tome of over 400 pages will be published next month, but the full text should be available from Thursday at the MMSD website, www.iied.org/mmsd/, Danielson said. The question of sustainable development is a key one for the future of the industry. "The minerals industry has long felt in certain places that the fact that its products were needed was an adequate justification for anything it did," Danielson said. "Meeting market demand for mineral commodities is not all that society expects from this industry." While stressing that the sector had already made progress in recent years, Sir Robert Wilson, chairman of Anglo-Australian mining giant Rio Tinto told the briefing that further moves in this direction were crucial. "We have to face the constant challenge of how to achieve trade-offs between the economic benefits, social implications and environmental consequences of our actions," said Wilson, who is co-chairman of the MMSD sponsors' council. "The industry recognises that it needs to change its behaviour patterns." MINING PROTOCOL MMSD's Danielson called for the introduction of a mining protocol to cover the key issues. The protocol would need a consensus on the various sustainable development issues, a verification process and a system of incentives to ensure that goals were met, he said. The mining industry would take time to frame its response to this and other MMSD recommendations, such as a commitment to address the legacy of abandoned mine operations and the legalisation of artisanal and small-scale mining, Wilson said. "At one level you will see individual companies responding -- Rio Tinto will be revising our statement of business principles in the wake of this debate," he said. On a broader level, "the protocol does seem to me to be something that will happen," he added. While the public image of the mining sector remains largely negative, Wilson denied suggestions that industry participation in the MMSD project was essentially a public relations exercise. "We're not going to get a better perception (of the mining industry) without better performance," he said. "If the industry delivers more effectively, perceptions will change over time." He added, however, that a number of the MMSD recommendations would require active participation from governments, local communities and inter-governmental bodies as well as the industry itself. "There are boundary issues between individual responsibility and government responsibility, but where is that line to be drawn?" Wilson said. MMSD's Danielson recognised that the onus for change should not fall solely on the mining industry. "While industry clearly has a lot to do it is also clear that no amount of leadership from industry alone will be a total solution," he said.
2) NIGERIAN PUSHES REGIONAL APPROACH AT PRE-JOHANNESBURG TALKS UN Wire 1 May 2002 Internet: http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/category_search.asp?objCat=environment
Nigerian Regional Integration and Cooperation Minister Bimbola Ogunkelu yesterday called on African countries to collaborate in managing the continent's water resources in order to further the cause of sustainable development. Ogunkelu spoke on the second day of a two-day African ministerial conference on water in Nigeria's capital, Abuja. Ogunkelu said regional management is the best approach as Africa faces drought, water shortages, floods, agriculture problems and unsafe drinking water. About 300 million people in Africa do not have access to safe water, Xinhua News Agency reported yesterday, compounding severe strains on food production, ecosystem protection and economic development. With more than 50 of its major water basins shared by two or more countries, Africa will need integrated management to prevent future conflicts, Ogunkelu said, adding that water is a sound basis for cooperation, economic integration and the realization of goals of the New Partnership for Africa's Development. The Abuja meeting was expected to draw up a regional consensus for presentation at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, slated to begin in Johannesburg in August, and the Third World Water Forum, due to be held in Japan next year
Gulf News 30 April 2002 Internet: http://www.gulf-news.com/Articles/news.asp?ArticleID=49410 The Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency will hold an international dialogue at the Abu Dhabi Hilton on Thursday to discuss the Abu Dhabi global initiative on environmental data collection. Majid Al Mansouri, the agency's Acting Secretary-General, said the objectives are to explore issues raised by the Environmental Sustainability Index, discuss the Abu Dhabi global initiative on environmental data collection, and look into the formulation of an environmental achievement index. Finland leads the world in environmental sustainability, according to a study of 142 nations released at the World Economic Forum in February in New York. The study ranks the U.S. 51st, showing that a nation's economic status does not always correspond to its ESI performance. The UAE ranked last. The Abu Dhabi global initiative on environmental data collection, to be launched at the 'World Summit for Environmental Sustainability' to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 to September 4, is a collective global effort that has evolved as a result of the widening gap between developed and developing countries. The initiative is intended to present an innovative approach to the promotion of quality environmental data collection for further use by the developing world. The approach is essentially non-expert oriented, based on partnerships, precautionary and participatory, and decentralised. Twenty-eight experts from 17 countries will take part in the debate to discuss a global initiative for environmental data collection. Its priorities are to mobilise resources, raise appropriate funds, assess regional environmental data needs, and collect and establish regional environmental information inventories and indicators. Since the Earth Summit in Rio in 1992 and the adoption of Agenda 21, the global blueprint for sustainable development, the issue of quality information infrastructure is a matter of immense importance to the formulation of implementation policies and strategies. As a result, a number of initiatives have been undertaken, both internationally, regionally and nationally to improve methods for the collection and assessment of data. In this connection, the United Nations, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the European Union are among the leaders in the endeavour to improve the quality of 'Information for Decision Making' including the promotion of sustainable development indicators, globally. Al Mansouri said the data collection from the UAE will be ready before the release of the next index in a few years' time." Sincere initiatives by leading specialised institutions towards the development of sustainability indicators are also on-going. The dividing line between developed and developing countries in this respect is the availability of data," said the agency official. Few developing countries, he added, have invested in the promotion of their national information infrastructure, and commensurate with its exceptional economic development growth, the UAE had to establish quality information infrastructure needed for proper planning and management of the various sectors' development." In order to give international participants a broad background on the UAE's environmental efforts and achievements, a two-day technical tour covering major achievements in the sectors contributing to sustainable development is to be conducted," Al Mansouri said. This, he added, will include field visits to, and a number of presentations about, main environmental agencies, including the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency, the water and electricity departments, the Geographical Information System, municipalities and national spatial data infrastructure, animal conservation areas, marine conservation areas, Dubai Internet City, Abu Dhabi oil companies, trade and development institutions and agriculture projects.
4) UN-HABITAT OPENS FIRST-EVER MEETING ON URBAN ISSUES UN Wire 30 April 2002 Internet: http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/display_stories.asp?objid=26062
The first biennial U.N. World Urban Forum, designed to examine innovative policies for sustainable urbanization and address the needs of the world's 100 million slum dwellers, opened yesterday in Nairobi. U.N. Human Settlements Program (UN-HABITAT) Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka said the meeting is focusing on issues at the forefront of the "brown agenda" and sustainable urbanization. "This is the place to generate innovative models of urban management, to test out new ideas and harness creative thoughts to make our cities healthy, safe, productive, equitable and democratic," she said yesterday. The five-day meeting, organized by UN-HABITAT, will formulate recommendations for the World Summit for Sustainable Development in August. Half a century ago, New York was the world's only urban center with more than 10 million residents, but today 19 such cities exist, according to UN-HABITAT. Some 3 billion people -- half the Earth's population -- now live in cities, and it is estimated that between 1990 and 1995, the cities in the developing world grew by 263 million people, the equivalent of another Los Angeles every three months. U.N.-HABITAT says that in cities all over the world, social exclusion and spatial segregation are increasing. The challenge for the international community will be "to make both urbanization and globalization work for everyone," Tibaijuka said. The forum opened with an address from Kenyan President Daniel Moi, who spoke about the Millennium Declaration goal of improving the lives of the world's slum dwellers by 2020.
5) MINISTER CALLS ON BUSINESS AND CIVIL SOCIETY TO SUPPORT THE WORLD SUMMIT: TEAMWORK WILL MAKE THE SUMMIT A SUCCESS South African Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 29 April 2002 http://www.environment.gov.za/NewsMedia/MedStat/2002april29_1/Call_29042002.htm
MONDAY, 29 APRIL 2002: The success of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which will be hosted by South Africa from August 26 to September 4 this year, will not only depend on the programme of action agreed upon by the various governments, but also on the commitments of each government's civil society and business sector. This is the message given this morning by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, to business leaders at a breakfast meeting hosted by Leadership magazine in Sandton, Johannesburg. Briefing the leaders on the objectives of the summit, Minister Moosa said concrete outcomes from the summit are imperative in a world in which more people than ever before live in sub-human poverty and where the economic shape-up continues to sideline and isolate Africa and the rest of the South. "We will be going to Johannesburg conscious of the reality that the challenge of eradicating poverty and halving the number of impoverished people by 2015 is a challenge we as governments cannot tackle alone. This translates into a call for the undivided commitment of all partners behind the pursuit of the agreements that will emerge from here. "We come to Johannesburg cognisant that economic growth, social development and environmental protection go hand in hand, and therefore business, civil society and government have no choice but to make this partnership a reality," he said. The Johannesburg gathering should restore hope and certainty among people of the world and should leave a message that ten years from now, governments will be able to look back at the summit with pride and say that it was a landmark in their efforts to create a sustainable future for all. Minister Moosa said the multi-stakeholder advisory committee that has been established continues to ensure that in the preparations for the summit the views of business, NGOs and labour are taken into account. "We are privileged with a unique opportunity to demonstrate our ability to deliver an event of this scale and thus prove that our country is a place where people can invest with confidence. It is an opportunity we dare not underutilise," added the Minister.
6) WORLD URBAN FORUM OPENS IN KENYA Voice of America 29 April 2002
The first World Urban Forum opened at the United Nations headquarters in Kenya Monday. The major goal of the five-day conference is to find ways of dealing with the explosive growth of cities in the developing world. Around the world, seven out of ten city dwellers live in slums. Opening the first World Urban Forum in Nairobi, the U.N. Habitat's executive director, Anna Tibaijuka, described what life is like for poor people in overcrowded cities. "They live densely packed. Their shacks are vulnerable to natural disasters such as heavy rains or sudden fires," she listed. "They have precarious employment. They are exposed to higher incidence of infectious diseases including HIV-AIDS, arbitrary arrest and unlawful forced eviction. Neglected by formal institutions, they are often left unprotected against violence, drug dealers, corrupt officials, unscrupulous slumlords and organized crime. For lack of alternatives, a good number of slum dwellers also become drawn into such anti-social behavior themselves." U.N. officials say the urban areas of Africa and Asia have exploding populations and will soon be getting even bigger. By 2010, another 340 million people will have moved from rural to urban areas. Ms Tibaijuka urged delegates at the World Urban Forum to find ways of working with these new migrants to the cities. "The challenge is, where feasible, providing security of tenure to the squatters through upgrading and where relocation must take place, doing it through community-led initiatives to avoid conflicts and ensure sustainability," she said. "Sustainable urbanization lies in forging partnerships with the urban poor and empowering them to solve their own problems instead of fighting them through arbitrary forced evictions." Though Ms. Tibaijuka made no mention of the Kenyan government, it has come under fire from human rights groups in recent months over its city clean-up campaign. Thousands of people have lost their homes and businesses after the government bulldozed their illegal roadside kiosks. The World Urban Forum is being hosted by the United Nations to help prepare for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is taking place in South Africa at the end of August.
7) SUMMIT MUST LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES MADE IN RIOThe Independent 27 April 2002 Internet: http://news.independent.co.uk/world/environment/story.jsp?story=289335
Can a single meeting change the world? Many people will be hoping so when the leaders of more than 150 countries come together in Johannesburg this summer to try to put the world on a fairer, healthier, more sustainable path. The importance of the talks was underlined yesterday when evidence emerged that, over the next 100 years, the UK will have more extreme weather unless progress is made on global warming. The chances of disappointment in Johannesburg, however, are likely to be high. The World Summit on Sustainable Development takes place from 26 August to 4 September. It will be the biggest international diplomatic jamboree since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, with about 65,000 people due to attend. Tony Blair, who was the first national leader to promise his presence, will be one of the key figures; besides playing a substantial role in orchestrating the event, he will use the platform it gives him to re-broadcast his appeal for a new order of international cooperation after 11 September. New York's trauma and its anniversary will cast a shadow over the conference, which was originally scheduled to finish on 11 September, but has been brought forward by a week, not least to allow the possibility of President George Bush attending, something that is far from certain. The Johannesburg meeting is a direct consequence of Rio - it is sometimes referred to as Rio Plus 10 - and its purpose is to examine why many of the Earth Summit's lofty aims remain unfulfilled a decade later The Rio conference resulted in some achievements, but they were on the environment side of the equation rather than on the development side. The principal one was the negotiation and signing of the world treaty on climate change, which led to the 1997 Kyoto protocol and industrialised countries trying to cut emissions of the gases believed to cause global warming, which many scientists believe is the direst threat to the globe. Although Rio's organisers, and many developing countries, were hoping that the Earth Summit would produce commitments from the rich nations to help the poor ones, all that resulted was an enormous plan of action named Agenda 21, which sounded terrific, but has remained unimplemented. Developing countries, and development professionals, largely feel that Rio was about a rich-country environmental agenda, and that development must therefore be the focus of Johannesburg. But what can it achieve? There is a widely acknowledged danger that it could merely turn into a talking shop, in which long-rehearsed arguments about overseas aid policy are brought out, the United States is attacked, and the globalisation of the world economy is pronounced to be the villain. Much depends on how focused the agenda is. Innumerable subjects have been put forward for inclusion, which are being whittled down into a draft text: a final preparatory meeting is to be held in Bali, Indonesia, late next month. The shape of the agenda is emerging: there will be a "statement of overarching principles" which heads of state and government will sign; there will be some sort of Johannesburg action plan, similar to Rio's Agenda 21; and there will be a raft of smaller, let's-get-it-done agreements between, on the one hand, governments, the business community, aid agencies and pressure groups, and on the other, poor countries. It is this last group of deals - known as "type 2 outcomes" - which may be Johannesburg's real achievement. While action plans and principles may not add up to much, a smallish agreement between a British company and an African village to provide, for example, a sustainable energy system can make a difference. The British Government is emphasising the value of "type 2 outcomes" in September, and has already tightly focused its own agenda. Its principal interests are poverty eradication, Africa as a whole, sustainable energy and access to clean water for the poor. Non-delivery of expectations will be one of the major dangers of the conference. America's war on terror is also bound to affect the meeting. Will President Bush attend? Mr. Blair is pressing him to do so. The presence of the leader of the world's only superpower would give the meeting and its agreements a credibility they would otherwise lack. But depending on how isolationist their mood is, the Americans may well feel there is little in it for them. Johannesburg can do much good, but in the end that may lie in the smaller agreements, the practical, specific partnerships and deals to make life better for poor people, which will be negotiated on the fringes of the conference .In five months' time this meeting will be making an awful lot of well-intentioned and impressive-sounding noise about changing the world, but the world being what it is, that noise may not result in very much. 8) IUCN AND AFRICAN CIVIL SOCIETY PROVIDE GREEN INPUT TO NEPAD Dakar, Sénégal 26 April 2002 Internet: http://www.iucn.org/wssd/
Paying for ecosystem services and adding value to African commodities before export are just two of the conclusions reached at the Dakar meeting that closed yesterday. The event, entitled Environment for sustainable development in Africa, brought together over 70 experts from 25 African countries. Organized by IUCN with support from the World Bank and the Governments of France and Senegal, it was designed to seek input from experts from African Civil Society into the preparation process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The focus was on three critical issues: governance, financing and ecosystem management for sustainable livelihoods. The main outcome, a statement entitled the Challenge of Africa, will be used to lobby governments to include environmental considerations into their positions at forthcoming meetings.
See also: Conference Declaration: http://www.iucn.org/wssd/docs/africa/dakar_stat.pdf Background paper: The Greening of NEPAD: http://www.iucn.org/wssd/docs/africa/dakar_nepad.pdf
9) GOVERNMENT WOOS LABOUR OVER NEPADMail & Guardian 26 April 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200204250546.html
The ANC is keen to prevent possible protests at Johannesburg's World Summit. Senior government leaders briefed the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) this week, in what is seen as a move to head off possible protests at the World Summit on Sustainable Development later this year. The briefing by Minister of Trade and Industry Alec Erwin, government communications boss Joel Netshitenzhe and the president's economic adviser, Wiseman Nkuhlu, at a Cosatu executive committee meeting reflected government worries about a civil society-led backlash against Nepad at the summit, to be held between August 26 and September 4 in Johannesburg, sources said. They said government was keen to prevent the often-violent protests led by labour and civil society, which have become a feature of world meetings. The briefing, the first given to Cosatu by the African National Congress-led government, follows the split between civil society and participating governments at the third preparatory meeting of the summit, which ended in New York earlier this month. Senior party sources also cited as a reason for government's courtship of the unions the upcoming G8 encounter in Kananaskis, Canada, on June 26 and 27, where Nepad is to be discussed. "President Thabo Mbeki had already reversed his position on HIV/Aids, which is also on the G8's agenda. They don't want any problems with Nepad." The government has indicated that the continent intends to showcase Nepad at the world summit in an attempt to lobby international support. Disgruntled elements of civil society, who were not consulted on the formulation of Nepad, have already indicated that they intend to air their views on it at the August gathering. Some, grouping themselves as the South African Social Forum, have said: "The document [Nepad] has been inspired by Thabo Mbeki, developed without consulting the people of the continent and its content is neo-liberal in character. "So it is not surprising that it has been coined Gear for Africa. Our voice on Nepad also needs to be heard." A similar view has also been aired in Cosatu circles, where Nepad has been described as a "sophisticated begging bowl". Sources said the ANC tried to lobby Cosatu to back Nepad at the recent alliance summit. The issue has also been raised in the National Economic Development and Labour Council (Nedlac). Sources said Cosatu considered rejecting the plan simply because it had not been consulted or allowed to make an input. However, as it supported initiatives aimed at developing Africa, it had decided to engage the government on Nepad. The issue will be aired with Cosatu's members and a decision taken at Cosatu's central executive meeting later this year. Some labour sources feel Nepad's good governance prescriptions are vague, while others at Cosatu's central executive felt that it pandered to the Washington Consensus. It was felt that the plan did not get to grips with the economic plight of ordinary Africans. "It says nothing about human resource development and education," said a source. Also problematic for labour is the emphasis in the Nepad document on privatisation and deregulation, the dropping of tariff barriers and public-private partnerships, as instruments in promoting good economic governance. Some in labour also feel that the plan appears confused about the kind of approach to development -state-led or private sector-led - that it is endorsing.
10) EU'S WALLSTRÖM SAYS NEW IMPETUS NEEDED IN TRANSATLANTIC ENVIRONMENT COOPERATION. EU Press Release 25 April 2002 Internet: http://europa-eu-un.org/article.asp?id=1329
Environment Commissioner Margot Wallström visited Washington this week to give new impetus to transatlantic co-operation on environmental issues. She attended the first formal meeting of the EU-US High Level Representatives on Climate Change on Tuesday 23 April and launched a Study Group on Climate Change at the EU Center of Washington DC. The Commissioner's busy programme provided for a series of meetings with key US officials (J. Connaughton, Chairman of the White House Council on Environmental Quality, C. Whitman, EPA Administrator, P. J. Dobriansky, Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs, and A. P. Larson, Under Secretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs). The Commissioner also had meetings on Capitol Hill and met with representatives from civil society, private sector and academic circles. At a press conference in Washington today, Commissioner Wallström said: "We need to revitalize cooperation between the EU and the US on certain environmental issues. This visit has been a useful launch pad to move our cooperation forward. Obviously, we do not agree on everything and we have different approaches to tackling environmental problems. The Kyoto Protocol is one notable example. But we do need to work together on climate change and we have now identified some areas for joint co-operation. We have also agreed to work closer together in the preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development and on environment and health." She added: "I have also been pleased to see that so many US stakeholders are committed to stronger action on environmental issues." HIGHLIGHTS Climate Change * Although, the EU and US continue to differ in approaches to climate change notably regarding the Kyoto Protocol, the meeting of EU-US High Level Representatives and subsequent bilateral meetings provided for a useful discussion and identified areas for potential co-operation including in the area of science and research and in the measurement, monitoring and verification of greenhouse gas emissions and market-based incentives. World Summit on Sustainable Development * On the World Summit on Sustainable Development, there was agreement on the need to bring a sense of urgency into the preparatory process to ensure a successful outcome at the Johannesburg Summit as well as for the implementation gap to be addressed through Partnerships. Agreement was also reached on the need to explore prospects for co-operation in developing partnerships on issues such as access to clean water and sanitation, access to energy and increased use of renewable energy sources. Environment and Health * Children's Environment and Health - Commissioner Wallström and Governor Whitman agreed to enhance bilateral co-operation in this important area. While, the immediate priority is to ensure that Children's environmental health features as a theme at WSSD, this will also be an area for further bilateral co-operation between the European Commission and the Environmental Protection Agency.
11) SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN SPOTLIGHTBusiness Day (South Africa) 24 April 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200204240121.html
AS SA prepares to host the earth summit later this year, the environment is increasingly taking centre stage as companies seek to move into line with international best practice on sustainable development. Many of the drivers for new environmental laws and standards have been inspired in part by the forthcoming summit, say legal advisers. In addition, the second King Report on Corporate Governance highlights the need for companies to comply with these standards. Business is moving towards a triple bottom-line approach to reporting, embracing environmental, social and economic criteria. Ian Sampson, senior manager: Deloitte & Touche Legal, says that constitutionally and in terms of the National Environmental Management Act the principle of sustainable development is legally binding in SA. "In effect it says that you should run your business today so that you leave something for the generations that follow tomorrow," says Sampson. "The triple bottom-line approach calls for the integration of environmental and social issues into the day-to-day operations of a business. Until recently, many companies have not recognised this principle at all," says Sampson. Where they have done so, it has often been treated as a peripheral issue with relatively small budgets allocated to a safety, health and environment manager to cover minimum requirements. He says the second King report has an entire chapter dedicated to sustainability reporting to move the issue into the boardroom rather than down the line to management. "The law now directs companies to practice sustainable development and King is reinforcing this as good practice. In SA these issues seem set to remain in the realm of blue chiptype companies, Sampson says, given their exposure to foreign markets. However, the earth summit, new legislation and the second King report will slowly start forcing a wider range of companies to take cognizance of sustainable development, he says. There is likely to be a two pronged approach to change, says Sampson. "One is that business, as a result of King for example, is trying to demonstrate best practice." The other is that the laws and the constitution are obviously binding on our government, which now has a legal obligation to produce laws that manage these risks and we are starting to see that. "Enforcement is starting to improve, he says. The auditor-general has now taken an interest in environmental issues and in terms of the Public Finance Management Act monitors government departments to ensure they are meeting constitutional and regulatory obligations. In broad terms, the act stipulates that the auditor-general must make sure that government entities comply with all relevant legislation. The SA Constitution says that citizens have a right to an environment that is not harmful to them, Sampson says. A second stipulation is that government has an obligation to develop laws that satisfy that right. "And it specifically says government has an obligation to develop laws that achieve sustainable development." 12) WSSD TO PUT SA ON THE MAPBuaNews 24 April 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200204240644.html
The forthcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) will offer South Africa an opportunity to showcase itself to the rest of the world, says Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Mohammed Valli Moosa. Addressing business leaders in Sandton, north of Johannesburg, yesterday, Minister Moosa said he was confident that a concrete plan of action would emerge from the summit. 'The World summit is a unique opportunity for us as a country to demonstrate our ability to deliver an event of this scale to prove that our country is a place where people can invest with confidence. 'He said the new deal on sustainable development sought at the summit should be based on solid commitments from the developed and developing countries, addressing both finance and trade issues.' The new deal would be in line with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad) which is the basis for sustainable development in Africa.' Nepad is a pledge by African leaders based on a common vision and a firm and shared conviction that they have a pressing duty to eradicate poverty and to place their countries both individually and collectively on a path of sustainable growth and development. Nepad is spearheaded President Thabo Mbeki and Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and was launched on 13 March 2002. 13) LIFTING THE CORPORATE VEILMail & Guardian 24 April 2002. Internet: http://www.mg.co.za/mg/za/archive/2002apr/features/24apr-veil.html
Calls are being heard for negotiation of a new international convention on corporate accountability in the run-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in August Those promoting the idea include Friends of the Earth International and Christian Aid. Their call has been motivated in part by the intensified social and environmental degradation that has accompanied the efficiencies and productivity increases resulting from globalisation. Their identification of the need for clearer linkages to be made between multinational corporations, human rights and the environment has gained currency. Their efforts have been spurred by, among other things, high-profile examples of degradation, such as the human rights abuses against those opposing the oil operations of Shell and Unocal in Nigeria and Burma; the employment of young children in Vietnamese "sweat-shops" supplying Nike; and the legal case brought by asbestosis sufferers against Cape Plc. Multinationals are perceived as principal beneficiaries of economic globalisation. Their economic power is often thought to undermine democratic institutions that are properly accountable to electorates, not to shareholders. From a legal perspective, multinationals have always been a step ahead. Wealthier than many states, they are not subject to public international law because they are not states. Holding multinationals legally accountable in national courts is fraught with difficulties — as was evident in the cases brought in the United Kingdom against Cape and Thor Chemicals. They have generally been able to utilise the concept of limited liability to protect multinational parent companies, on the grounds that the liability for the conduct of subsidiary companies based elsewhere could not attach to the shareholder. And these subsidiaries, directly in the firing line, were invariably insolvent, uninsured and located in states where access to justice by local citizens was practically impossible. Criminal prosecutions of corporations generally are rare, partly due to the high standard of proof required to secure a conviction. Corporations cannot be imprisoned, and the level of criminal fines meted out, even for serious breaches of health and safety laws, invariably constitute a pitiful deterrent. Following the deaths of workers from mercury poisoning, Thor Chemicals was fined just R13 000 by the Pietermaritzburg Magistrate's Court. As far as criminal liability arising from overseas operations is concerned, parent corporations "fall between stools": their home courts are likely to rule that they have no criminal jurisdiction as the misconduct took effect in another state. Local courts will consider themselves unable to exercise jurisdiction over a foreign corporation. "Corporate citizenship" and "corporate social responsibility" are in vogue among multinationals. Practising corporate citizenship then means minimising negative impacts of corporate activities and influence, while enhancing the societal benefits that corporations can undoubtedly bring. The expressions embody a notion that business should be understood as part of society, contributing directly to the welfare of society. As long ago as 1954 the founder member of Anglo-American, Ernest Oppenheimer, laid down the principle that: "The aim of the group is, and will remain, to make profits for our shareholders, but to do it in such a way as to make a real and lasting contribution to the communities in which we operate." The question, poignantly raised by Amnesty International, is whether such statements "should be perceived as a genuine aspiration or as a disingenuous attempt to pull the wool over the eyes of an increasingly discerning and critical public". Through shareholding, Anglo profited substantially from the asbestos mining operations of Cape Plc, and shared several common directors. Paradoxically, Anglo's rejection of the request for a contribution towards the Cape Plc asbestos victims' settlement trust suggests that corporations are less likely to put these principles into practice, the closer they are to home. The July 2001 European Commission Green Paper on Promoting a European Framework for Corporate Social Responsibility defined the concept whereby companies decide voluntarily to contribute to a better society and a cleaner environment. A drawback of voluntary codes of conduct is that they are not legally binding, and cannot impose any sanction for non-compliance. A committee of the European Parliament has proposed a European directive requiring multinationals to participate in a compulsory system of "social reporting" on the social and environmental impacts of their businesses. This reporting would encompass every unit of the business, including the supply chain. It is suggested that awarding public contracts and private sector financial support would be influenced by the results of such social reporting. The power of the United States consumer lobby, working in concert with US plaintiff lawyers, arguably constitutes the most formidable form of deterrence in the area of product safety. However, this is primarily in relation to products that might harm US consumers, rather than activities that might be damaging to the health or environment of people in developing countries. Thus, the demise of the asbestos industry was the result of reduction in worldwide demand for asbestos products, due to increasing public fears over the health risks. Concern for the South African asbestos miners hardly featured. Similarly, the antagonism in Europe towards genetically modified food arises from fears of European consumers for their own health, not the economic or environmental consequences for developing countries or their farmers. However, there is growing awareness of "fair trade" issues among consumer groups, for example boycotts of Nike in US student campuses. For corporations that depend on their public image, adverse publicity from human rights or environmental campaigns can be highly damaging and provide an incentive for remedial action to be taken. The Cape and Thor Chemicals cases are unique examples of multinationals being held accountable for injuries in a developing country, despite the corporate veil. The payment of substantial compensation and legal costs in these cases provided a salutary warning to multinationals against the application of "double standards" in developing countries. But binding legal precedents on the issue of multinational liability were not set in those cases because they were settled without trial. While the legal path has been cleared for similar future cases to proceed, the outcome is by no means certain. An unhelpful precedent in another case could reverse the trend. Where does all this leave us? First, regulations and criminal sanctions are important but have serious practical limitations. Second, civil actions can provide a powerful deterrent, but only if citizens have proper access to justice and damages awards are high enough. Third, codes of conduct are a constructive approach. But it should not be left for companies to decide whether or not they wish to "contribute" to the protection of human life and the environment. And fourth, campaigner and consumer groups have a vital role to play. But US and European consumers should not be relied on to protect the interests of developing countries. A legally binding convention that is enforceable in practice needs to be formulated to ensure proper multinational accountability, capturing the supply-chain, not just subsidiaries. This convention must be applied internationally and, in a development of international law, apply to corporations as well as states. It is not necessary to reinvent the wheel: for instance, the 1977 Declaration of Principles concerning Multinationals and Social Policy, adopted by the UN International Labour Organisation, could be integrated within a convention. It must be directly enforceable against corporations, by states or affected citizens. Citizens must be provided with the means to enforce the rights in the convention in practice. This topic is high on the political agenda and the opportunity to deal with it justly must be seized.
Richard Meeran is the British attorney who acted successfully for South African asbestosis victims against Cape Plc
14) MINISTER MOOSA SATISFIED WITH PROGRESS MADE IN THE PREPARATIONS FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT South African Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism 23 April 2002
http://www.gov.za/search97cgi/s97_cgi?action=View&VdkVgwKey=%2E%2E%2Fdata%2Fspeech02%2F02042315461001
Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, expressed his satisfaction with the progress made by countries in their deliberations in preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which South Africa will host in August and September this year. The Minister told business leaders at the Standard Bank/Tribute Business Forum this morning that he is confident that a concrete plan of action will emerge from the Summit. He added that the Summit offered South Africa an opportunity to showcase itself to the rest of the world. "The World Summit is a unique opportunity for us to demonstrate our ability to deliver an event of this scale and thus prove that our county is a place where people can invest with confidence. "It is an opportunity to secure an indefinite legacy that will not only benefit us as South Africa, but Africa as a whole", the Minister said. Minister Moosa said the new deal on sustainable development sought at the Summit should be based on solid commitments from the developed and developing countries, addressing both finance and trade issues. South Africa believes that this deal must incorporate a range of measures, including the extension of current debt relief initiatives, incentives for the private sector to invest in developing countries and measure to facilitate the transfer of technology capacity and scientific innovation from developed to developing countries. The new deal would be in line with the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which is the basis for sustainable development in Africa. While the deal would represent a commitment by world leaders, said Minister Moosa, its success would lie on a tangible programme of action to deliver key results in sectors such as water and sanitation, energy, food security, health, education and technology.
15) FIRST FOLLOW-UP MEETING TO MONTERREY STRESSES COOPERATION UN Wire 23 April 2002 Internet: http://www.unfoundation.org/unwire/util/display_stories.asp?objid=25898
UNITED NATIONS -- In a meeting billed as the first follow-up to the International Conference on Financing for Development, finance ministers and officials from the United Nations, World Bank and International Monetary Fund met yesterday to discuss how all the parties could cooperate in implementing the promises made in at the conference last month in Monterrey, Mexico. "Monterrey was not an end in itself," said U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. "Our challenge now is to maintain the positive spirit that led to the Monterrey Consensus, and translate it into real and meaningful implementation. The consensus has enormous potential to bring about significant, overdue change." According to Croatian Ambassador Ivan Simonovic, the president of the Economic and Social Council, "The Monterrey conference was an important first step in creating a coherent and more participatory multilateral system that is more beneficial to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals. A massive effort is now required to mobilize more and better cooperation for development and to build an international economic system more conducive to the development of the poor. "The council regularly meets at this time of year, but since this was its first meeting since the Monterrey conference, where ECOSOC was given a role in following up on the pledges made at the event, the first day's meeting was dedicated to a high-level discussion of how to implement the Monterrey Consensus. "Our goal is obviously to make financial, trade and economic activities and systems more supportive of our development goals, as well as to make the most out of existing institutions by strengthening cooperation between them," Simonovic said. "If we are going to take 'staying engaged' from the Monterrey Consensus seriously, we have to establish a close link between individual millennium development goals and principles set for their financing in Monterrey. This would finally improve our effectiveness in dealing with real world problems such as hunger, illiteracy, poverty and diseases." The Millennium Declaration of September 2000 lists eight development goals: halving extreme poverty and hunger by 2015; achieving universal primary education; promoting gender equity; reducing child and maternal mortality; halving the percent of people who do not have access to safe drinking water; reversing the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, and ensuring environmental sustainability. Annan told the meeting, "Where once we debated over competing visions of development and how to measure it, we now have a common platform in the Millennium Development Goals, which we will be striving to achieve and monitoring together each year." He added, "I hope the unprecedented level of collaboration between the United Nations, the Bretton Woods institutions and the World Trade Organization will continue, so that our institutions can respond effectively to the new responsibilities that have been placed upon us." At a news conference after the meeting, Simonovic said he was "very satisfied with the meeting. There was a clear indication that there is a consensus that the Millennium Development Goals should be realized, that Monterrey has set up the right principles and that now it is time for action." South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel, who was one of two envoys Annan appointed to the Monterrey conference, told journalists that after establishing the millennium goals and dealing with the financing mechanisms at Monterrey, "there are still a number of gaps. Now we need a determined plan of action ... that essentially is what Johannesburg must deliver." Johannesburg will be the site of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in August. Some of the issues Manuel named include effective aid and market access. "There's no point in pouring [official development aid] into countries if those economies cannot grow because there is no place to grow. Economies will grow because they can produce for export. If those markets remain closed, then clearly it will continue to place a brake on development in poor countries." Another issue, he said, is examining international support for domestic programs in recipient countries. "This begins to redefine the role of the Bretton Woods institutions and the inter-relationship between these and the U.N. system," Manuel said. Yesterday's meeting followed the World Bank-IMF Development Committee meeting over the weekend in Washington, which also endorsed the results of Monterrey. Following the model of the Monterrey conference, yesterday's session also included two roundtable discussions to examine the themes of the ECOSOC meeting. These roundtables included representatives from all "stakeholders," including governments, international financial institutions, nongovernmental organizations and business sector representatives.
16) MINING SECTOR STARTS COUNTDOWN TO EARTH SUMMITReuters 23 April 2002 Internet: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/15602/story.htm
LONDON - Earth Day marks the start of a period of trial for the global mining industry as the countdown begins to the next world environment summit in South Africa in August. Some 60,000 delegates, including many heads of state, will gather for 10 days from August 26 in Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which will tackle climate change, the loss of natural resources and, for the first time, mining. And 10 years on from the first so-called earth summit in Rio de Janeiro, little has changed in mining, environment groups say. "On the ground, there's been virtually no change. Mining continues to be as polluting and as energy-intensive as it was 10 years ago," Payal Sampat, research associate at the Washington-based Worldwatch Institute, said. Mining strips more of the earth's surface each year than does natural erosion by rivers, Worldwatch says. The industry is still using noxious chemicals to extract metals, mining waste continues to pose a potential ecological hazard and the sector remains a leading source of the greenhouse gases believed to be responsible for climate change. MINING INITIATIVE Yet the industry is seen to have recognised that is has a pressing problem that demands speedy action. Nine of the world's top mining firms formed the Global Mining Initiative (GMI) in 2000 to conduct a two-year research programme into sustainable development and the environment. Hugh Leggatt, communications director for the GMI, said standards might have improved, but that the metals industry was a long way from where it felt it should be. "We feel that there is progress being made but there is a huge amount of work still has to be done. We're not pretending that we're anywhere near where we ought to be in terms of our reputation," said Leggatt, who is also communications advisor at London-listed resources group Rio Tinto, a GMI member. The industry's critics, however, remain to be convinced. "The Rio summit didn't really tackle mining and this summit looks like it's going to be a trade show. So it's going to be pretty unlikely governments are going to do things that we and most communities around the world are saying - that these corporations have to be brought to account," said Matt Philips, a senior campaigner for the UK branch of Friends of the Earth. "There's going to be no outcomes from it (Johannesburg) like the biodiversity convention, the forest principles and the climate convention - those are off the agenda," Philips said, referring to the three key environment accords reached in Rio. Johannesburg will also tackle so-called ecological debt - rich nations benefiting from the natural resources of poorer ones at the expense of the eco-system - corporate accountability and human rights. Worldwatch's Sampat said the fact that mining was on the agenda in South Africa, which relies on the industry for 40 percent of its export earnings, was particularly significant. "This is where mining will come into some kind of prominence as an environmental issue. We really need to deal with this in Johannesburg - it wasn't even on the table at Rio - a big reason for that is the place where it will be held," she said. Recycling, using clean materials and cutting back on the amount of new metal mined could all contribute to change, but Philips saw no single solution for the environmental woes of the mining community. "What should the mining industry do? Well, it's got to take ...action as an industry in its own right. But at the end of the day the breaks are needed from governments which are beyond the wit of the mining industry to deliver," he said.
17) AN OVERVIEW OF THE ACCRA WATER CONFERENCE Accra Mail 22 April 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200204210098.html
Majority of participants at the 3-Day Accra Water Conference, which begun on Monday April 15th, 2002, say that it has succeeded in highlighting water and its related issues as pertaining in Africa. They said the conference has also succeeded in creating the need for commitment by African governments to ensure that water is given the needed priority in all national policies. These views were gathered during a random interviewing of participants on Wednesday April 17th, 2002, the last day of the conference. About 200 participants attended the Regional Stakeholders Conference for Priority Setting on "Water and Sustainable Development in Africa" from different parts of the world. They represented 41 African countries, international and national NGOs, private sector agencies, research institutions, universities and water related professionals and the media. The distinguished gathering also included representatives of world bodies like UNESCO, UNEP, World Bank, European Union, World Meteorological Organisation and the Economic Commission for Africa. It was jointly organised by the African Development Bank, International Water Management Institute, Food and Agriculture Organisation and Ghana's Water Resources Commission with funding by The Netherlands Government. The main objective was to produce a position paper that will project a high profile for African water issues during the Johannesburg Summit. This was to be based on the outcomes of discussions on water related issues. They are food security, international trade and environment; transboundary water issues; financing water and sanitation infrastructure as well as water, poverty and health. Participants were also to discuss and make recommendations as inputs for the paper entitled "No Water No Future". The paper was authored by His Royal Highness Prince Willem Alexander, the Crown Prince of The Netherlands. It is his initial contribution to the Panel of 12 people appointed by the UN Secretary-General to help him in preparations towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002. In fact, His Royal Highness is the Ambassador to the UN Secretary General on water issues at the Johannesburg Summit. During the closing session of the Accra Water Conference, an address by the Chairman of the African Water Taskforce Professor Albert Wright indicated that the set objectives have been attained. Notable among the achievements is the Accra Declaration which has been adopted and which serves as a summary of the African position on water. The Declaration states that: "given clear policies and strategies and real commitments to action, Africans can use water to eradicate poverty and achieve sustainable development on the continent." Among other things, the Declaration calls for the establishment of a Water Fund for Africa to facility financial flows to implement water related activities. It will also support integrated water resource management and cooperation in shared river basins. A Source at the Water Resources Commission in an interview explained that the outcomes of the Conference would serve as vital technical inputs to the African Ministers Conference on Water; AMCOW meeting that would be held in Abuja, Nigeria, at the end of April. "The rectification of the Accra Declaration by the African Ministers would no doubt provide the necessary political support that is needed in putting African water issues as priority in Johannesburg," the source added. Another outstanding achievement is the common position presented by Africa on Prince Willem's paper. It focuses on some global major water related issues and urges the forthcoming World Summit to reconfirm the priority of water and adopt targets and actions that would address challenges. According to the paper, water was not at the top agenda during the Rio Summit. A statement representing Africa's comments and read by Professor Wright said Africans consider the paper "No Water No Future," as a valuable contribution to the awareness about water issues. It calls for the inclusion of an African chapter based on recommendations specified in the African Position Paper. At a Press Conference to crown the three days of deliberations on the water situation in Africa, Prince Willem said so far 2000 comments have been received regarding the paper. "The inclusion of the comments could alter the paper," he said, adding, "If it is adopted in Johannesburg, then it will become a workable document." Asked if the issue of gender has been well articulated at the conference, the African Regional Officer in-charge of Women in Development, Diana Tempelman replied in the affirmative. She said, "I'm pleased that gender aspects of water management were discussed throughout." Miss Templeman said, "gender mainstreaming is not Beijing, but is serious development planning from efficiency, economic and equitable point of view, taking into consideration the needs of all."
18) ON EARTH DAY, LEADER OF JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT CALLS FOR GLOBAL ACTION TO PRESERVE WORLD'S NATURAL RESOURCES United Nations Department of Information 22 April 2002 Internet: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/media_info/421pressrelease.pdf
New York - Speaking on the annual commemoration of Earth Day the Secretary-General of the upcoming United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, Nitin Desai, called on governments worldwide to increase efforts to conserve the Earth's natural resources, and renew their commitment to sustainable development in order to build a secure future for the planet and its people. "There is mounting evidence that Earth's natural resources are being depleted and destroyed, due mainly to unsustainable patterns of consumption and production, "said Mr. Desai. "For too long, environmentalists and industrialists alike have focused on a false trade-off between environmental protection and economic growth. Sustainable development recognizes that economic well-being, social development, and environmental stewardship are interconnected and must be addressed together." The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, which will take place August 26 - September 4 in Johannesburg, South Africa, will be the largest meeting ever held on environmental issues and sustainable development. Tens of thousands of government delegates and other participants are expected to attend, including heads of State and Government, business leaders, and leaders of non-governmental organizations. Participants will assess global progress on implementing the blueprint of sustainable development - Agenda 21 - that was agreed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, and produce new commitments for action. "Problems such as global warming, water shortages, deforestation, and desertification continue," Mr. Desai said. "The Johannesburg Summit aims to tackle these threats to our future by making the idea of sustainable development a global reality. The Rio Earth Summit created the roadmap for sustainable development, Agenda 21. Johannesburg is about putting that plan into action." "The century ahead will see greater changes than any era in human history, as the world's population grows apace, and ever greater strains are put on the Earth's natural resources," Mr. Desai concluded. "The decisions taken at the Johannesburg Summit will help determine the road we take forward, and whether we leave a better world for future generations."
19) POLITICAL AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY VIPS GATHER AT U.N. TO URGE WORLD LEADER ATTENDANCE AT SUMMIT Business Wire 22 April 2002 Internet: http://investor.cnet.com/investor/news/newsitem/0-9900-1028-9750727-0.html
NEW YORK-- Susan Sarandon, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Bacon, Patrick Stewart, Joe Pantoliano and Others Voice Concern for Future The Earth Communications Office (ECO), Hollywood's voice for the environment, co-hosted a press conference with the Earth Day Network this morning at the United Nations, featuring prominent U.S. politicians, actors, musicians, business leaders, and environmental groups. The event was designed to urge world leaders to commit publicly to attending the UN-sponsored World Summit on Sustainable Development scheduled for late August and early September 2002 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The UN World Earth Summit in September was designed to implement Agenda 21, a comprehensive plan for achieving sustainable development, adopted at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio. Thus far, the commitment from world leaders to attend has been poor, with only four nations reporting plans to attend, the United States not among them. Attendees at today's press conference included Actor/Activists Susan Sarandon, Alicia Silverstone, Kevin Bacon, Patrick Stewart, Joe Pantoliano, Joshua Jackson, artist Peter Max, Congressman Christopher Shays, Andrew Cuomo, and U.N. spokespeople, among others. At the podium, the panel members spoke passionately about the future and the need for a more concrete commitment from global decision makers. "From the day my son was born, I've been concerned about leaving a legacy of an unhealthy planet and I continue to be concerned about my children's future," said actor and ECO Board member Kevin Bacon. Bacon also participated in today's event to help launch ECO's new Climate Star print ad campaign which features provocative photos of Bacon and actress wife Kyra Sedgwick (among other celebrities) in an attempt to draw magazine readers' attention to the issue of global warming. The Earth Communications Office (ECO), "Hollywood's voice for the environment," is a non-profit organization that uses the power of the entertainment and communications industries to deliver messages about the earth to the general public on a global level. The board is made up of Hollywood's premier talent in the film, television, music, advertising and public relations industries. ECO's public service campaigns -- which are distributed internationally -- inspire viewers to think about what they can do to help heal our planet. ECO's campaigns are seen and heard by more than a billion people every year in movie theaters, on television, and on the radio. 20) PLANET'S HEALTH SOURCE OF MUCH DEBATEReuters 20 April 2002 Internet: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/nm/20020420/lf_nm/environment_earthday_dc_1
JOHANNESBURG, South Africa (Reuters) - Life on the planet and the ills that plague it will be marked on Earth Day on Monday with "green events" planned by governments and activists around the globe. But as the 32nd Earth Day on April 22 is commemorated ahead of a huge U.N. summit on poverty, development and the environment to be held in Johannesburg later this year, there is no "green consensus" on the state of the planet's h |