WSSD.INFO NEWS
ISSUE 327 May 2002
Compiled by
Richard Sherman
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Kimo
Goree
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Editor's note: Welcome to the third 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 GENERAL NEWS
1. FRANCE PREPARES FOR EARTH SUMMIT (Xinhua News Agency 24 May 2002)2. SUMMIT: A NEW COOPERATION (Mail & Guardian via All Africa 24 May 2002)3. TRADE ISSUES MAY CLOUD WORLD SUMMIT ON ENVIRONMENT (The Jakarta Post 24 May 2002)4. DEVELOPMENT MAY DAMAGE MOST OF EARTH'S SURFACE (The Jakarta Post 24 May 2002)5. PUBLIC TOLD TO HELP PROTECT ENVIRONMENT (The Jakarta Post 24 May 2002)6. THE TWO FACES OF CIVIL SOCIETY (Mail & Guardian via All Africa 24 May 2002)7. RURAL DEVELOPMENT "VITAL TO REDUCING POVERTY" (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks May 24, 2002)8. NATURAL RESOURCES KEY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (The Herald via All Africa 23 May 2002)9. CIVIL SOCIETY IN CASH CRUNCH AT EARTH SUMMIT (Reuters via Planet Ark 23 May 2002)10. U.S., SOUTH AFRICA SIGN JOINT STATEMENT ON DEVELOPMENT (US State Department 23 May 2002)11. Québec DECLARATION ON ECOTOURISM DEFINES BASIS FOR ITS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT (United Nations Environment Programme 23 May 2002)12. ARAB ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS COUNCIL SESSION IN DAMASCUS (Arabic News 23 May 2002)13. SA TO HOST SUSTAINABLE JUSTICE 2002 CONFERENCE BuaNews via All Africa 23 May 200214. HERE'S THE DIRT ON JO'BURG'S BIG SUMMIT (The Star 23 May 2002)15. SHOWCASING ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICE FOR THE WSSD (Issued by the Office of the MEC for Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs, Gauteng 23 May 2002)16. SWEDEN SAYS CUT SUBSIDIES ENDANGERING ENVIRONMENT (Reuters 23 May 2002)17. EAST TIMOR'S REQUEST TO JOIN U.N. IN LATE SEPTEMBER SENT TO SECURITY COUNCIL AND GENERAL ASSEMBLY (Associated Press 23 May 2002)18. ALARM ABOUT SUMMIT BEARS FRUIT (Business Day 23 May 2002)19. SUMMIT TO LAUNCH GLOBAL WAR ON POVERTY, ENVIRONMENTAL DEGRADATION (The Herald via All Africa 23 May 2002)20. 500 CHILDREN TO DISCUSS GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES AT UNITED NATIONS CONFERENCE IN BC Canada NewsWire via COMTEX 22 May 2002)21. INTERVIEW - WORLD BANK VP URGES MORE LEADERSHIP ON ENVIRONMENT (Reuters via Planet Ark 22 May 2002)22. ON INTERNATIONAL BIODIVERSITY DAY, UN OFFICIALS URGE PROTECTION OF KEY RESOURCES (UN Department of Public Information 22 May 2002)23. ESCAP MEETING ENDS WITH NEW COMMITMENTS TO SUPPORT REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT (Xinhua News Agency 22 May 22 2002)24. STATE OF ENVIRONMENT: PAST, PRESENT, FUTURE? Hard Facts: Tough Choices as UNEP Launches Global Environment Outlook-3 (UNEP 22 May 2002)25. SABC UNVEILS INFO HUB FOR UN WORLD SUMMIT (ITWeb via All Africa 22 May 2002)26. DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT AIMS TO MARK TURNING POINT (Business Day via All Africa 22 May 2002)27. WORLD SUMMIT HEADING TOWARDS ACRIMONY AND MINIMALISM AS LAST PREP BEGINS (BRDIGES Weekly Trade News 22 May)28. KYOTO PACT RATIFICATION GETS GREEN LIGHT (The Daily Yomiuri 22 May 2002)29. MINISTERIAL PREPARATORY MEETING FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (U.S. Department of State 21 May 2002)30. IN ENVIRONMENT DAY MESSAGE, SECRETARY-GENERAL EXPRESSES HOPE FOR 'REAL AND TANGIBLE' BREAKTHROUGH AT JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT Says 'Planet Still in Need of Intensive Care' (UN Department of Information 21 May 2002)31. QUARTER OF MAMMALS FACED WITH EXTINCTION (Independent 21 May 2002)32. STABILITY, FREE TRADE KEY TO TACKLING POVERTY, SAYS PM (Bangkok Post 21 May 2002)33. CALL TO DECLARE 'AFLAJ' A CULTURAL HERITAGE (Gulf News 21 May 2002)34. DEVELOPMENT COMES WITH A COST, SAYS EXPERT (Jordan Times 21 May 2002)35. BALI PREPCOM SEEN AS MAJOR OPPORTUNITY TO REACH AGREEMENT ON A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE (UN Department of Public Information 20 May 2002)36. SUBSTANTIAL PROGRESS MADE ON AGENDA FOR UN WORLD SUMMIT (Business Day via All Africa 20 May 2002)37. TREATY GOVERNING USE OF OCEANS REACHING NEAR-UNIVERSAL PARTICIPATION, UN REPORTS (UN Department of Public Information 20 May)38. EARTH SUMMIT: TODAY BALI, TOMORROW THE WORLD (Independent 19 May 2002)39. SPAIN TO TAKE ON BANANA ISSUE ON BEHALF OF CARICOM IN EU (Jamaica Observer 18 May 2002)40. EU, LATIN AMERICA MOVE CLOSER AT LANDMARK SUMMIT (Reuters 18 May 2002)41. KEY INTERNATIONAL LEADERS AND LUMINARIES EXPRESS HIGH-LEVEL COMMITMENT TO JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT (JOWSCO 18 May 2002)42. VOLUNTEERS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA ADOPT A DECLARATION ON VOLUNTEERING TO BE TABLED AT THE AFRICAN UNION AND THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (South African Ministry of Social Development 18 May 2002)SPEECHES43. WATER RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, POLICIES, REFORM - A SOUTH AFRICAN PERSPECTIVE ADDRESS BY THE MINISTER OF WATER AFFAIRS AND FORESTRY, RONNIE KASRILS, TO THE MEETING OF ASIAN MINISTERS OF WATER RESOURCES, Bangkok (South African Ministry of Water Affairs and Forestry 23 May 2002)44. WORKING TOGETHER TO BUILD PROSPERITY Delivered by Under Secretary of State for Global Affairs Paula J. Dobriansky (Council on Foreign Relations/The Brookings Institution Thursday, May 23, 2002)45. REFORM OF THE COMMON FISHERIES POLICY" A SUSTAINABLE FISHERIES POLICY EXPECTATIONS ON REFORM Margot Wallström Member of the European Commission, responsible for Environment Brussels,(21 May 2002)46. STATE'S WAYNE PRESSES FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESULTS SPEECH LOOKS AHEAD TO AUGUST JOHANNESBURG U.N. MEETING (Keynote Address to World Environment Center Fourth WEC Gold Medal Colloquium Washington, D.C. May 17, 2002)47. HOW TO INCREASE POLITICAL MOMENTUM BEFORE WSSD Speech by the Rt Hon. John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (JOWSCO 17 May 2002)48. SUSTAINING OUR FUTURE SPEECH BY EMIL SALIM, CHAIRPERSON OF THE PREPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (JOWSCO 16 May 2002)EDITORIALS
49. ASIA MAKES SOME HEALTHY GAINS By (Bangkok Post 24 May 2002)50. GIVING PRIORITY TO THE POOR By Siwage Dharma Negara (Jakarta Post 23 May 2002)51. BALANCING ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION WITH DEVELOPMENT By Nitin Desai (Korean Times 21 May 2002)52. WHY THE EARTH SUMMIT MATTERS By Ian Willmore (Observer 19 May 2002)
GENERAL NEWS1). FRANCE PREPARES FOR EARTH SUMMITXinhua News Agency24 May 2002 Internet: http://library.northernlight.com/FC20020524450000153.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc PARIS, May 24, 2002 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- France will launch a seminar in July to prepare for the second Earth Summit to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from August 26 to September 4. A total of 600 officials and activists will join the seminar on July 1 and 2 in the western French city of Rennes, announced on Friday the Committee for World Summit on Sustainable Development (CFSMDD in French), an official organization set up earlier this year to prepare for the summit. The Johannesburg summit on environment and development, which is also called Earth Summit, is expected to attract more than 110 heads of state and government as well as more than 60,000 delegates across the world. It is intended to review progress since the ground-breaking Rio summit 10 years ago and explore the path to the future. The French preparatory seminar will discuss all issues on the agenda of the world summit, especially the impact of globalization on development and the partnership between poor and rich nations in order to enable the poor to enjoy a better access to essential social goods and services, said the CFSMDD. French President Jacques Chirac will attend the seminar and will lead the French delegation to Johannesburg, said the CFSMDD. But the composition of the French delegation will not be drawn up until the end of legislative elections in mid-June.2) SUMMIT: A NEW COOPERATIONMail & Guardian via All Africa
24 May 2002 The challenge of the Johannesburg Summit will be to implement sustainable development on a much larger scale "It is time to take the road not taken," says Nitin Desai, the World Summit secretary general. "It is time to try new approaches that can improve the lives of everyone without destroying the environment. If we try, we have everything to gain and nothing to lose." Desai was talking this week in the run-up to negotiations at the fourth summit preparatory committee meeting in Bali, Indonesia, where the international community will hammer out details of exactly what must be done. In a mark of the importance of the Bali negotiations, official delegations will be represented at the ministerial level in an effort to achieve the political consensus that will be endorsed by the world leaders attending the Johannesburg Summit. The summit will be one of the largest gatherings of world leaders ever held. It is expected to provide the impetus for specific actions that will comprise a major departure from business as usual, towards a new approach to development that recognises the interdependency of economic growth, social development and environmental protection. The framework for sustainable development was agreed to by all countries at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Yet in the 10 years since Rio the cumulative results of efforts to put it into action have been far from satisfactory. Most of the objectives of Agenda 21, the action plan for sustainable development that was adopted in Rio, have not been met. "We have to implement sustainable development on a grander scale," says Desai. "We have to move beyond a fragmented, ad hoc and pilot-programme type of approach. We have to think big and go to scale, so that we can start to see the pay-off, in economic, social and environmental terms, that sustainable development can bring us." Resources may already be available to make things happen. At the recent Financing for Development conference in Mexico, many countries, and in particular the European Union and the United States, committed themselves to an additional $30-billion in development aid through 2006. "If we can come up with a good programme of action, there is money for new initiatives to confront challenges such as the need for safe drinking water and sustainable energy," says Desai. The Bali meeting will start with informal negotiations from May 24 to 26, and then continue with the official discussions from May 27 to June 7. Some 6 000 participants are expected to attend, including 140 countries with a total of more than 400 ministerial-level delegates. The Bali prepcom is expected to result in a negotiated implementation document and elements of a political declaration that will be endorsed by the heads of state and governments that attend the summit in Johannesburg. Negotiations on the outcome of the Johannesburg Summit continue to prove challenging, and at two previous preparatory meetings held in New York this year, participants in the process worked to hone in on the areas where action is essential. These areas include reducing poverty, preserving natural ecosystems and resources, expanding access to clean water, improved sanitation and electricity, changing harmful patterns of consumption and production, and focusing special attention on Africa. In a major departure from previous conferences, the World Summit is expected to result in the announcement of new partnership initiatives aimed at achieving results. While not a substitute for government responsibilities, the new partnerships offer an opportunity for all groups, whether governments, businesses or citizen organisations, to add enthusiasm and know-how to push implementation efforts forward. "What I want is an action plan of deliverables," said Emil Salim of Indonesia, chairperson of the World Summit's preparatory committee. "The question is, do we want a cleaner world and a better world, or do we want business as usual?" he asks. "If we continue as we have done in the past, we will sink." Along with government delegates, the Bali prepcom will bring more than 1 000 business leaders, local government officials and representatives of citizen groups and NGOs together. An unofficial People's Forum is being organised at a nearby venue by Indonesian NGOs.
3) TRADE ISSUES MAY CLOUD WORLD SUMMIT ON ENVIRONMENTThe Jakarta Post 24 May 2002 Internet: http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20020524.B03&irec=8 Trade and environment issues may intertwine at the upcoming United Nations summit on the environment, possibly harming Indonesian businesses if it fails to negotiate these "tricky" subjects, a senior delegation member said on Thursday. The UN summit on sustainable development may be hijacked by trade interests, said Suparka, vice chairman of the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) and a senior delegation member for the pre-summit's meeting in Bali from May 27 to June 7. "The general constraints that Indonesia will face are those concerned with the WTO (World Trade Organization)," he said during a press briefing announcing a planned seminar on the role of science in promoting sustainable development. Indonesia is gearing up to host the final round of preliminary meetings in Bali for the United Nations' second world summit on the environment. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from late August to September. As overexploitation plagues the world's natural resources, the summit hopes to promote a more sustainable development of the global economy. This message, however, has yet to gain a foothold here, Suparka said, while other countries may also try to impose their trade interests on Indonesia. "Every country has its own agenda... nothing is free here." In one example, the United States has banned the imports of shrimp on the pretense that shrimp farmers use nets which trapped and killed sea turtles, he said. Critics said the ban was one of several barriers blocking trade on the pretense of environmental concerns. As globalization pushes open markets under the WTO, they said non-trade barriers tied to environmental, health or cultural issues have become the new form of protectionism. Likewise, the use of imported genetic modified cotton, Suparka said, benefited Indonesian farmers but made them dependent on imported cotton seeds. Developed countries also dismissed calls to forgo patent rights of drugs with ingredients that were found in poor countries, Suparka said. Poor countries may need the drugs but cannot afford them because of the royalties they must pay foreign drug companies. "We're facing some sort of constraints here that are related to trade issues," Suparka said. So far the draft of the document that would form the next agreement of the Johannesburg summit was acceptable, he said. Former environment minister and now chairman of the meeting in Bali, Emil Salim, drafted the document based on inputs from three previous rounds of preparatory talks. But Suparka said it was up to each country's negotiation skills to ensure the summit's outcome could best serve its interest. Over 6,000 delegates from 189 countries are expected to attend the summit's preliminary talks in Bali this month, in one of the biggest events Indonesia will host in many years. Suparka warned that talks could be tricky as countries disguised their real agenda during negotiations. He criticized Indonesia's choice of delegates, and pointed out that the delegations from other countries always included skilled lawyers during talks. "Whereas ideas from our delegation, are usually greeted with ridicule and criticism, as we seem to take the ideas from out of the blue, not knowing that they violate some law," he explained. He said talks to implement the summit's agreement however were the hard ones, as differences in interests become more pronounced when countries were asked for action. "The Johannesburg meeting only sets the tone, what is important is what comes afterward." Fear of summit fatigue may also take the spirit out of the Johannesburg summit. World Bank vice president for environmental issues Ian Johnson has said too many international summits on trade and development prior to Johannesburg had put a strain on negotiators.
4) DEVELOPMENT MAY DAMAGE MOST OF EARTH'S SURFACEThe Jakarta Post24 May 2002 Internet: http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailheadlines.asp?fileid=20020524.B02&irec=5 Unless urgent action is taken, the continuing development of poorly planned infrastructures will affect 70 percent of the Earth's surface over the next three decades, a UN report said on Thursday. The report by the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) warned that continuing damage to the Earth's surface would cause difficulties for people trying to access water. It warned that if market forces continued to fuel the global agenda, more than half the world's population would live in water-stressed areas by 2032. According to the report, the Earth is currently at a "crucial crossroads with the choices made today critical for the forests, oceans, rivers, mountains, wildlife and other life support systems upon which current and future generations depend." "We can never know for certain what lies before us," UNEP executive director Klaus Toepfer said in the report, launched in London, adding that political courage was needed to stop the destruction. The report was based on the examination of policies and impacts made on the environment over the past 30 years. The report was issued in line with the coming preparatory meeting on sustainable development in Bali next week, ahead of the world summit in Johannesburg in August and September. The Johannesburg Summit is the follow-up to the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It aims to ensure the sustainability of the Earth and stop the massive destruction of nature. World Bank statistics indicate that deforestation over the past 10 years has reached between 1.7 million and 2 million hectares annually. The past 10 years have not yet proven the effectiveness of Agenda 21, which was agreed upon by world leaders in Rio, due to a lack of political commitment. "The summit is about sustainable development, but it is also a summit for the environment. "Without the environment there can never be the kind of development needed to secure a fair deal for future generations," Toepfer said. The report also mentioned some positive forecasts, saying that by 2032, only 2.5 percent of the world's population would be living in poverty. Another positive projection is that the world will manage to make deep cuts in the emission of the gases linked to global warming.
5) PUBLIC TOLD TO HELP PROTECT ENVIRONMENTThe Jakarta Post 24 May 2002 Internet: http://www.thejakartapost.com/detailnational.asp?fileid=20020524.C04&irec=6 The government, private businesses and representatives of the people signed on Thursday a memorandum to express their joint commitment to establishing the environmental governance that may give wider access for the public to take part in preserving the environment. Initiated by the Access Initiative (AI), the joint commitment was made with regards to the people who have suffered the most from environment deterioration where industries and businesses failed to invite public participation in assessing their activities' impacts to the environment. Frances Seymour, director for institutions and governance program at the World Resources Institute, revealed to a media briefing after the signing ceremony here on Thursday that AI found out that most of the emerging economy did not have a standard procedure or policies that enable the people to monitor the industries and the environment. "How could the people are expected to safeguard their backyard if the government fail to disseminate to the public the information on the industry and how it may affect the people and the environment?," she remarked. The director general for forest protection at the Ministry of Forestry, Wiyono, and Central Java's Kebumen Regent Rustriningsih represented the government in the declaration, while businesswoman Dewi Motik represented the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (Ikadin). Representing the people were Tunggul Sirait, a member of the House of Representatives' caucus for environment and activist Ahmad Safrudin from the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi). The signing is only the first step in efforts to win a global commitment from the 4th Global Ministerial-Level Preparatory Committee Meeting for World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Bali this week that will feature government officials, activists, and observers from 189 countries. The World Summit will be held in Johannesburg next September. AI is an international coalition of observers and environmental experts and activists with their prime concerns on empowering the civil society to ensure responsive and acceptable environmental policies by pushing the creation of three key access to information, participation and justice.
6) THE TWO FACES OF CIVIL SOCIETYMail & Guardian via All Africa24 May 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200205230607.html The New Partnership for Africa's Development appears to be key to the divisions in this sector. The ideological split in South Africa's civil society sector is likely to end in two independent processes being staged at the World Summit on Sustainable Development at the end of August. The original Civil Society Indaba, from which the Congress of South African Trade Unions (Cosatu) and other major groups - including the South African Council of Churches (SACC) and the South African NGO Coalition (Sangoco) - split, say they are rejecting the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), the country's development path, outright. The Civil Society Indaba has a leftist, anti-globalisation focus. It has claimed there is "big brother" interference from the government in the new, mainstream South African Civil Society Forum set up by Cosatu and its allies. The Forum will be responsible for convening the civil society sector gathering at Nasrec during the summit. It will be the largest component of the summit, with between 50 000 and 60 000 delegates. The in-fighting in the civil society sector began about six months ago, when Cosatu began alleging weak management and a lack of financial controls of the Indaba, headed by Jacqui Brown. After two audits, Brown was suspended in March this year. Cosatu, the SACC and Sangoco took the reins and constituted the South African Civil Society Forum. But not all parties came on board. The Rural Services Development Network (RSDN) and some rural groups and NGOs allege that the Forum is being hijacked by the government via Cosatu. The breakaway group appears to be headed by the RSDN. The group also has the First Peoples group within its ranks - although the Forum, headed by Sangoco leader Zakes Hlatswayo, is trying to persuade the First Peoples to come back on board. The head of the RSDN, Eddie Cottle, says more organisations are joining the Indaba group. He has over the past few months claimed "big brother" interference in the Forum, implying that Cosatu is not independent from the government but is rather toeing the political line, especially that of Nepad. A key mover and shaker in the civil society process and senior Cosatu official, Neva Makgetla, says at this point the Forum is indifferent to what the Cottles of the world are up to. "We are working so hard to make this work that I can't be bothered. These people are not relevant," she says. "My view is that the logistics and facilitation are more important than these differences. Indications of success are that [delegates] leave South Africa happy. The RSDN and the other small groups are not building solidarity. They are being divisive, but at least they are not planning to disrupt the Nasrec process," she says. It is, however, expected that the breakaway group will have some international support from other NGOs with similar ideological positions, probably anti-globalisation protestors, who might well take to the streets of Johannesburg. Cottle says his group will not be in conflict with the main Forum group at Nasrec. "Our process is not conflicting with the formal United Nations process, but is a politically independent process that will result in a Global Indaba Forum." His group is involved in the preparation of several "pre-summits", such as war and peace, women, labour, water and sanitation, health and debt and trade. Cottle adds that his group's process is catering for the world's social movements - from the anti-globalisation movement to the landless and the anti-dams types - "who either do not recognise the UN or have no confidence that the Agenda 21 review [of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992] will have any meaning." Cottle alleges that the "government-led process" of civil society is "chaotic". "In essence our process is one that seeks to act as a political pole and contest the politics of civil society as a whole. We will have a people's declaration of all the world's social movements, together with a commonly defined plan of action, as our objectives of the Global Indaba," he says. Makgetla responds: "They are a separate issue, not a competing thing. The summit is going to be so huge, so exciting, so full of different ideas, with over 1 000 different events going on, that they can't possibly replicate it. She says her concern is logistics and facilitation. "Our policy process is not as strong as we'd like and we will be having a series of workshops over the next few weeks to sort this out." She says in other countries governments organise the fund-raising and logistics for civil society, but in South Africa this is not happening because of a strict divide between the government and civil society. "So now we have policy people running around fund-raising and organising logistics." "If we have chaotic facilitation and logistics aren't sorted out, then the whole summit will be useless. As South Africa we have to get this aspect right." 7) RURAL DEVELOPMENT "VITAL TO REDUCING POVERTY"UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via All Africa 24 May 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200205240365.html With four fifths of Africa's poorest living in the countryside, the battle against poverty will only be won through "accelerated rural development", the president of the United Nations International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) told a conference in Dar es Salaam on Thursday. Poverty must be tackled at its roots, in the rural areas, where there is a need to go beyond social interventions in health and education "to touch upon economic development processes in the countryside" that involve the poor themselves, Lennart Bage added. Bage laid down the challenge for governments and donors to recognise that rural economy and rural society, though not seen as fashionable by many decision-makers, are core issues in development and poverty reduction. "We have to ensure that the development effort is renewed, that it recognises the absolutely critical dimension of rural poverty, and that it without economic growth among poor people in rural areas we will not significantly reduce poverty in large areas in the world - and especially not in Africa," he added. Bage made the comments at the opening session of a ministerial workshop on Poverty Reduction and Rural Growth in Eastern and Southern Africa. he added that public expenditure figures coming from that region showed a need for increased commitment to these areas from the countries themselves. The IFAD president said that effective poverty reduction - as called for in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), an integrated strategic framework for the socio-economic development of the continent, and poverty reduction initiatives being developed in the region - would require greater empowerment of poor rural people, concern for gender issues and collaboration with the private sector. Bage also expressed concern about the organisation of international agricultural markets, specifically with regard to subsidies. "The current system systematically blocks many avenues of economic development among poor rural people," he said. "It has to be changed." "If trade is going to be as important as aid in reducing poverty, it has to be trade giving developing countries access to markets instead of using them as dumping grounds for surpluses fuelled by subsidies," Bage added. Tanzania's Vice-President, Dr Ali Mohamed Shein, speaking at the opening session, also highlighted the issue of agricultural subsidies in developed nations impeding efforts to combat rural poverty. However, he stressed that Tanzania was making progress and is developing an integrated strategy to combat poverty, through the National Poverty Eradication Strategy that looks at long-term development goals and perspectives. The IFAD conference on Thursday and Friday brought together ministers, donors, aid agencies and representatives from international organisations from the region. According to the agency, mandated by the UN to help combat hunger and poverty, the conference is a response to the Monterrey Consensus and the Millennium Summit goal of halving the number of poor in the world by 2015. "Discussions will include a review of national rural development and poverty reduction strategies and means of increasing investment and financing for sound and sustainable rural development," it added.
8) NATURAL RESOURCES KEY TO ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTThe Herald via AllAfrica 23 May 2002 Internet: http://library.northernlight.com/FF20020523180000028.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc May 23, 2002 (The Herald/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- African heads of state are convinced that time has come for them to take Africa's development issues seriously. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa recently came up with the "Renaissance initiative", while Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo of Nigeria and Abdelaziz Bouteflika of Algeria jointly came up with the "Millenium plan". The extraordinary summit of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU) which took place in Sirte, Libya, in March 2001, recommended the merger of these plans, resulting in the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad). The African heads of state officially accepted Nepad at the OAU meeting of July 2001 in Lusaka, Zambia. It focuses on poverty reduction through economic growth of African economies based on exploitation of natural resources. Approximately, US$64 billion will be spent on investment projects in Africa under the initiative. However, Nepad does not say much about how it intends to address the need for sustainable development. It took the centre stage of debate and was criticised for not taking environmental issues seriously, at a workshop on Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa, held in Dakar, Senegal, last month. The workshop sought input from experts from African civil society into the preparation process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 to September 4 this year. The debate took place against the background of African civil society and government preparations for the WSSD, including how the Nepad initiative should be linked to Africa's sustainable development agenda. "Ignoring environmental issues under Nepad is folly," said Dr Cecil Machena, the director of the Zimbabwe-based conservation agency Africa Resource Trust. "Everybody has realised now and this is the thrust of the Convention on Biodiversity that the environment forms the basis for development." Dr Yemi Katerere, director of IUCN Regional Office for Southern Africa, believes that his organisation can help regreen Nepad, working together with its scientists and its broad civil society and government membership. "When we looked at this document, we felt that there is a potential for civil society to engage with Nepad and to begin to influence the process of actually coming up with the action programmes that will support this political statement. "Given our particular mandate and our mission and vision, we felt that the area in which we can provide the greatest of value is in greening Nepad," he says. Dr Katerere says when there is talk about greening Nepad, it means that the environment is both an opportunity for economic development in Africa and also acts as a sink, in terms of absorbing all the waste. "The critical thing is that there is a limit to which the environment can provide. It is critical that as Africa moves ahead addressing economic development, it does this in a sustainable manner and that it can use its resources wisely," he says. "Natural resources are the key to economic development and as we move forward, there is going to be tremendous pressure on the natural resource base in order to achieve the targeted economic growth of seven percent per annum." Dr Katerere says in order to achieve sustainability under Nepad, there is need to focus on value-added goods in order to avoid over-exploitation, which is common when countries only export raw materials to earn more money. "So we have to see how we can support local entrepreneurs to add value to their products so that when they begin to export they can get higher prices than otherwise," he said. Commenting on the criticism that Nepad is a top-down development approach from African leaders, Dr Katerere says: "I think first of all what has happened here is that we have African heads of state who have a vision. "And really their concern is that here is a continent that has major contradictions, that it is considered as one of the richest continents and yet it is one of the poorest. "The challenge now to the electorate and the people is to share this vision and if so how do we translate this vision into action? "I also think that if the electorate has better ideas than the vision that has been provided by their leaders, then they should come forward with an alternative plan and if it is a great one I think that everybody will join them and share with them." However, Mr Quinton Aspey of the South African-based Group for Environmental Monitoring (GEM) does not think NGOs should be co-opted by governments into the Nepad process. He says: "I think that is the intention of the architects of Nepad to co-opt NGOs into the components of the programme. I don't think that's what they should do, they should consult NGOs on an equal partnership basis. They should not just use NGOs to implement things." In terms of foreign support, Mr Aspey said Nepad depended on foreign donors, be it investment or multinational companies. He warns that these are not a very reliable source of income because one cannot have a budget and a definite plan on how much money is going to come to the continent. Funding can also be withdrawn whenever there is a problem. Mr Aspey is also opposed to the idea of using democracy as a precondition for investing in Africa as it disadvantages the innocent and vulnerable African people. "Nepad also has the philosophy of trickle down economics. Under this philosophy, the assumption is that if you get a lot of money coming into Africa through investment, eventually it will get to the poor," he says. "It's not targeted resources and as NGOs, we would like to have targeted resources to tackle what we consider as urgent problems. What we consider as environmental problems in Africa are related to poverty and the solution to that is to reduce poverty. "You can't do it through structural adjustment policy, it has been proved through the World Bank and IMF programmes in certain countries in Africa that it doesn't work." Dr Jeffrey McNeely, the chief scientist for the World Conservation Union, says: "Top-down is a valid criticism but leadership needs to come from somewhere and that's why we elect leaders. I think that there is now a challenge to these leaders to demonstrate their leadership by bringing others along. "By sharing their ideas, by giving them a chance to engage in dialogue, by giving them a flow of benefits in an equitable way." He says one of the issues that was clearly addressed at the Dakar workshop was the need to get the benefits out to the rural people who live among the richest of the bio- diversity. "What is happening often and not only in Africa, but in other parts of the world, is that most of the benefits are going to people who live in the cities while an insufficient flow of benefits is going to people who live in the countryside," he says. "So how are we going to get the benefits flowing to the rural poor, the people whose lives are absolutely dependent on how well they manage their natural resources?" he asks. He fears that the future of Africa will be a lot dimmer if Africa does not take advantage of Nepad. Dr McNeely says: "Here is the last opportunity that we have seen in the last decade or so of an Africa-wide initiative that has brought support from the top. So I think this is a golden opportunity and if this opportunity is dropped, it is going to be a long time before anything remotely as good comes along."
9) CIVIL SOCIETY IN CASH CRUNCH AT EARTH SUMMITReuters via Planet Ark 23 May 2002 Internet: http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16088/story.htm JOHANNESBURG - A huge civil society forum, which will run as part of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), will go ahead despite massive cash and logistic headaches, organisers said yesterday. The so-called Global Forum is expected to bring to South Africa 40,000 activists, environmentalists, labour, youth and women's delegates for the WSSD from August 26 to September 4. A follow-up to the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, the WSSD aims to map out a concrete set of action plans to reduce global poverty and the North/South income gap in a sustainable way without inflicting irreparable damage to the environment. Desmond Lesejane, deputy CEO of the Civil Society Secretariat, acknowledged serious cash setbacks but said the forum would not be cancelled. "It is a fact that we have not received the type of funds we required," Lesejane said. He said that confusion over who was organising the civil society event - his group or the Johannesburg World Summit Company (JOWSCO) - had undermined fundraising. JOWSCO is responsible for organising the inter-governmental or "official" meetings which will be attended by around 100 heads of state and 5,000 government delegations. JOWSCO says it expects a total of 65,000 delegates in all. Lesejane said civil society groups now required 200 million rand ($19.8 million) to host the event, up from an initial estimated budget of 100-120 million rand. To date, they have received only 35 million rand. Civil groups held an emergency meeting with Environmental Affairs and Tourism Minister Valli Moosa on Tuesday to press for a cash injection. They only won his pledge to help in fundraising and to clear the confusion with JOWSCO. Work on the Global Forum venue, just south of Johannesburg, has not yet started. Accommodation is also proving to be a nightmare amid doubts that Johannesburg has hotel space for 65,000 people. Lesejane said the government had now agreed to fund construction of the Global Forum venue at 20 million rand. Construction work will take 8-10 weeks from June 1 and analysts said it was possible the venue would not be ready in time. Doubts have emerged on whether the civil society groups or the government will be ready in time for the summit. "It is certainly looking worrying both for civil society and the (official) summits. It will be a big challenge to be ready in time but within the realms of possible," said Richard Worthington, a leading NGO official in Johannesburg.
10) U.S., SOUTH AFRICA SIGN JOINT STATEMENT ON DEVELOPMENTDistributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S. 23 May 2002 Sustainable development is a "critical prerequisite for economic growth for the development of the economies of developing countries and for the elimination of global poverty," says a joint statement signed and released May 23 by U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel. O'Neill is in Pretoria, South Africa, on the fourth stop of a two-week Africa tour, which began in Ghana and also includes Uganda and Ethiopia. The joint statement also expresses firm support for the "New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD)," which seeks to improve political and economic governance throughout Africa, and to create a sound climate for productive investment and enterprise. Additionally, the statement endorses the goal of a stable international financial system, and of enhancing its integrity to reduce its use in financing crime, corruption and terrorism. Both officials also agreed that their respective countries will fight all forms of financial crime. Following is the text of the joint statement signed by U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O'Neill and South African Finance Minister Trevor Manuel: The Governments of the Republic of South Africa and the United States of America believe that sustainable economic growth is a critical prerequisite for the development of the economies of Developing Countries and for the elimination of global poverty. To this end, we support the objectives of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), which seek to improve political and economic governance throughout Africa, and to create a sound climate for productive investment and enterprise. It recognizes that primary responsibility for Africa's development rests with Africans, but seeks a partnership with the international community based on shared efforts and mutual responsibilities to build African capacities, to ensure aid effectiveness, and to integrate African economies within the region and into the global economy. We believe this is the fundamental basis for a sustained reduction in poverty in the region and stable and peaceful societies. We also share the goal of a stable international financial system, and of enhancing its integrity to reduce its use in financing crime, corruption and terrorism. We therefore agree to fight all forms of financial crime, especially money laundering and terrorist financing as set out in the 40+8 Recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force on Money Laundering. To that end we support regional and international initiatives which strengthen the financial system and suppress financial crimes. We are committed to building a lasting partnership, which will aid in safeguarding our financial sectors from the corrupting influences of organised criminals, international terrorists, drug traffickers, human smugglers and other forms of criminal behavior. We share a belief that we can learn from one another in this area and build on our common experiences for the benefit of both our countries. We also believe that this partnership will prove to enhance the already strong relationship we share with one another. We agree that the Governments of the Republic of South Africa and the United States of America will cooperate to build strong institutions which will safeguard the integrity of our financial systems and commercial sectors. In particular we pledge our support to building an integrated Financial Intelligence Centre in South Africa which will coordinate closely with law enforcement authorities, the South African Revenue Service, South African Reserve Bank and regulatory bodies, and which will aid in fighting all types of financial crime.
11) Québec DECLARATION ON ECOTOURISM DEFINES BASIS FOR ITS INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENTUnited Nations Environment Programme 23 May 2002 Internet: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2002/unep113.doc.htm QUÉBEC CITY, 22 May (UNEP) -- It was with the immense satisfaction of a job well done that the 1,200 or so delegates, from 133 different countries, wrapped up the first World Ecotourism Summit this evening, with the Québec Declaration on Ecotourism, a new tool for the international development of this type of tourism -- already in high demand throughout the planet. The document will be officially tabled at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, in August, in Johannesburg. "I have never witnessed such active participation at a summit on tourism", declared the Honourable Judd Buchanan, Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Canadian Tourism Commission. We were expecting 500 to 600 delegates, and twice as many countries have shown up in Québec. The over 1,100 participants, including officials from about 40 different government ministries and representatives from countries where tourism is not yet an emerging industry, constitute a very encouraging start for the future of ecotourism." "I am convinced", said the Assistant Secretary-General of the World Tourism Organization (WTO), David de Villiers, that the Québec Declaration on Ecotourism will become the point of reference for all future discussion and debate. This Summit, held in Québec City, and the Declaration are important steps, however a lot of work remains to be done, notably in the fight against poverty -- a cause ecotourism can contribute to." "The impressive number of stakeholders and ecotourism practitioners that were able to participate in the Summit offers great hope for the full implementation of the Québec Declaration", stated Oliver Hillel, Tourism Programme Coordinator for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). "Through implementation of agreed guidelines, principles and standards, the follow-up regional consultations and concrete demonstration projects, the first-ever Ecotourism Summit has signaled that ecotourism, in practice, can contribute to poverty alleviation and environmental protection, the twin goals of the upcoming Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development." “The Québec Declaration signifies that from now on, ecotourism must be considered a privileged tool, leading the way and paving the road towards a tourism that is truly sustainable", declared the Minister responsible for Youth, Tourism, Recreation and Sport and Minister responsible for Wildlife and Parks, Richard Legendre. "It is an expression of our belief that sustainable tourism can contribute to the more global effort of protecting the sustainability of our planet's resources. The debate and discussions of the past few days have allowed us to determine that Québec is on the right path." During the last three days, Québec Summit participants have worked hard to clarify the concept of ecotourism. A consensus has been reached on many issues, but many other questions must be explored further. The delegates have defined what actions should be addressed in a collaborative effort by all stakeholders involved in ecotourism, to ensure it can continue to develop harmoniously, while respecting the environment, fragile ecosystems and local populations. Major issues facing ecotourism have been debated: Ecotourism Policy and Planning; Regulation of Ecotourism; Product Development, Marketing and Promotion of Ecotourism; Monitoring Costs and Benefits of Ecotourism Brought together for the first time for the World Ecotourism Summit, all key players are invited to implement the recommendations of the Québec Declaration on Ecotourism, not only in Québec, in the whole of Canada, and in all countries participating in the Summit as well as in all other countries where tourism constitutes a flourishing developing industry. Tourisme Québec 's mission is to foster the growth of the tourism industry in Québec. To do so, Tourisme Québec concentrates its resources and efforts in three areas: directs and focuses government and private actions related to tourism; develops and maintains the tourism offering; as well as marketing Québec and its tourist attractions. The World Tourism Organization (WTO) is an inter-governmental body entrusted by the United Nations with the promotion and development of tourism. Through tourism, WTO aims to stimulate economic growth and job creation, provide incentives for protecting the environment and heritage of destinations, and promote peace and understanding among all nations of the world. The UNEP provides leadership and encourages partnerships in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. Through its Tourism Programme, it promotes sustainable tourism among government agencies and the industry; develops tools for protected/sensitive area management; and supports implementation of multilateral environmental agreements related to tourism. Major follow-up activities include the October 2002 International Ecotourism Conference in Cairns, Australia, and the Bishkek Mountain Summit, the culminating event of the 2002 International Year of the Mountains, to be held in Kyrgyzstan in November 2002. Concrete UNEP projects include the Tour Operators Initiative for Sustainable Tourism development, with WTO and United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), promotion of the Convention on Biological Diversity's Guidelines for Sustainable Tourism in Vulnerable Ecosystems and the UNEP Principles for Sustainable Tourism; the further development and implementation of the tourism components of the International Coral Reef Action Network (ICRAN), the Great Apes Survival Project (GRASP) and the Mountain Commons project; and the further expansion of the awareness of best practices through the online Ecotourism Databank.
For more information visit the Summit Web site at: www.ecotourism2002.org.
12) ARAB ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS COUNCIL SESSION IN DAMASCUSArabic News 23 May 2002 Internet: http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/020523/2002052346.html
The executive bureau
of the council of the Arab ministers of environment which concluded its 28th
meeting in Damascus on May 22 following two -day deliberations approved
several decisions that would give a push forward to efforts for ensuring
coordinated Arab stances in the realm of the environment. Among these
decisions are adopting unified measures to boost the ability of Arab exports
to compete in world markets, to assign the council's technical secretariat for
making contacts with Arab and regional organizations concerned to maintain
coordination and cooperation as well as to discuss the reflections of
liberalizing inter- Arab service trade on the environment. In its final
session which was headed by the minister of the environment Adnan Khuzam, at
the presence of the Arab ministers of the environment in Morocco, Lebanon,
Kuwait and the representatives of Arab and international organizations
concerned, the bureau also recommended to report on measures taken by
environmental affairs departments in the Arab states to develop co-ordination
and co-ordination with other national ministries concerned to produce high
quality products that can compete in international markets. In the area of
sustainable development, the bureau commended preparations for the world
summit on sustainable development and called on the Arab states to reinforce
its participation in the works of the first Islamic conference for the
ministers of the environment which, by its turn, aims at preparing for the
world summit on sustainable development. As for its plan for the next two
years, the bureau adopted several decisions in particular those pertinent to
improving the role played by the media in tackling environmental issues
through specialized programs addressed to the Arab women, children, peasants
and workers in Arab industry fields. The bureau also called on the Palestinian
authority to prepare a report on the Israeli practices in transporting and
dumping toxic in the occupied Arab territories to be debated before the 6th
conference of Basel agreement. It also called on the Arab states to sign
Stockholm agreement so as to benefit from the material support, given as a
result, to developing Arab environmental projects as well as to enhance
co-operation between the UN programs and the council's technical secretariat
in environmental projects and to reinforce the concept of inter- Arab tourism.
The bureau also assigned the council's technical secretariat in collaboration
with Palestinian sides concerned to prepare a complete file on the destruction
inflected on the Palestinian environment as a result of the Israeli aggression
and to circulate this report on regional and international organizations and
the world Summit conference on sustainable development due to be held in
Johannesburg, South Africa, this year.
13) SA TO HOST SUSTAINABLE JUSTICE 2002 CONFERENCEBuaNews via All Africa
23 May 2002 South Africa's legal community is to host the Sustainable Justice 2002 conference in Durban from 22-25 August, just before the World Conference on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Justice and constitutional development minister Penuell Maduna will represent South Africa at the conference, which is endorsed by the organisers of the WSSD. The WSSD will be held in Johannesburg from 26 August - 4 September. Co-sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme, the conference is expected to draw more than 200 judges, lawyers, professors and other experts from governments and inter-governmental organisations, civil society associations, academic institutions, foundations and the private sector. Three of Canada's leading federal government ministers are expected to deliver keynote speeches. The conference will focus on legal principles and practices that have been developed in the 10 years since the 1992 United Nations conference on Environment and Development. It will look at how countries and courts have sought, since then, to reconcile conflicting or overlapping international social, economic and environmental legal obligations through integration. Speakers at the conference will be asked to focus on case studies and illustrations from their experience on how the principles of international sustainable development law (ISDL) have been implemented in courts, in treaties and at international institutions. – BuaNews
14) HERES THE DIRT ON JO'BURG'S BIG SUMMITThe Star 23 May 2002 Internet: http://www.itechnology.co.za/index.php?click_id=13&art_id=ct20020523210451615C60068&set_id=1 Yikes, Johannesburg residents should reach for their gas masks. The 60 000 visitors for the 10-day World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) will have such a bad effect on our environment that it will be like having a year's worth of exhaust gas from two billion vehicles dumped on the city. The Johannesburg Climate Legacy, under the auspices of the Greening the WSSD campaign, will attempt to raise $5-million (about R50-million) by September for projects to lessen the effects of carbon emissions. According to Jonathan Shopley, CEO of Future Forests, which is part of the campaign, the plan is to offset carbon emissions through the use of solar energy, bio gas, bio fuels, and the use of energy-efficient appliances and globes. Businesses and individuals will be called on to give donations that will be used to neutralise carbon emissions association with the summit. Speaking at the launch of the campaign on Thursday, Mary Metcalfe, Gauteng's MEC for Agriculture, Conservation, Environment and Land Affairs, said this was the first attempt to organise a United Nations summit in such a way that it promoted environmental best practice. Visitors to the WSSD will be asked to waste less during their 10-day stay. During the summit, barometers will be displayed at sites around Gauteng to give delegates an update on how much food, water, energy and paper they are using and to encourage them to waste less. A UN Development Programme spokesperson said there was increasing recognition around the world of the need to reduce the impact of big conventions.
15) SHOWCASING
ENVIRONMENTAL BEST PRACTICE FOR THE WSSD
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