WSSD.INFO NEWS
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ISSUE 7 5 - 19 July 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 For more information on the WSSD, visit IISD's Linkages Portal at http://wssd.info
Editor's note: Welcome to the second 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.
1. ENVOYS FACE MORE MEETINGS TO SALVAGE EARTH SUMMIT (Yahoo News 19 July 2002) 2. DEVELOPING NATIONS SUMMIT URGES U.S. TO HELP (Associated Press 19 July 2002) 3. PLAN TO INCREASE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS USING CULTURE (Jamaica Observer 19 July 2002) 4. DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: CIVIL SOCIETY PREPARES FOR WORLD SUMMIT (Inter Press Service 18 July 2002) 5. OFFICIALS FROM 27 COUNTRIES REPORT PROGRESS ON RESOLVING KEY ISSUES FOR UPCOMING POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT SUMMIT (Associated Press 18 July 2002) 6. US INCHING CLOSER TO CONSENSUS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT (allAfrica.com 18 July 2002) 7. PREPARATIONS FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: DANISH EU PRESIDENCY MEETING IN NEW YORK WITH SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS (Danish Presidency of the EU 18 July 2002) 8. BUSINESS URGED TO TAKE PART IN SUMMIT (Business Day via All Africa 18 July 2002) 9. CASH FOR WSSD CIVIL SOCIETY FROM CANADA (SABC News 18 July 2002) 10. REGIONAL MEETING LOOKS AT PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (Jordan Times 18 July 2002) 11. SOUTH AFRICA: EARTH SUMMIT AT RISK (AENS 17 July 2002) 12. BRAZIL TO ESTABLISH WORLD'S LARGEST RAINFOREST RESERVE (Agencia EFE S.A.17 July 2002) 13. MORE POVERTY THE ONLY FRUIT AS SA EATS ITSELF (Independent Online 17 July 2002) 14. NGOS TO TAKE LEAD AT UN SUMMIT IN JOHANNESBURG (Taipei Times 17 July 2002) 15. BRITAIN URGES JAPAN TO HELP RESOLVE INDO-PAK. ROW The Hindu 17 July 2002 16. POVERTY TO TOP NAM AGENDA AT UN SUMMIT (The Namibian (Windhoek) via All Africa 17 July 2002) 17. CIVIL SOCIETY PREPARES FOR WSSD (UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via All Africa 17 July 2002) 18. FOREIGN MINISTER SEEKING PRE-WSSD SUMMIT 'CONSENSUS' (All.Africa.com 17 July 2002) 19. DLAMINI-ZUMA TO SEEK RUSSIAN ANALYSIS OF G8 AFRICA PLAN (BuaNews (Pretoria) via All Africa 17 July 2002) 20. STATES MUST SETTLE DIFFERENCES BEFORE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT - ANNAN (United Nations 17 July 2002) 21. WORLD'S LARGEST TENT ERECTED FOR WORLD SUMMIT DELEGATES (SABC News 16 July 2002) 22. INCREASED WASTE OVERSHADOWS RECYCLING SUCCESSES (The Yomiuri Shimbun 16 July 2002) 23. S KOREA ASKS JAPAN TO CUT IMPORT TARIFFS ON 4 PRODUCTS –KYODO (Dow Jones 16 July 2002) 24. COMMERCE'S ALDONAS URGES NEW THINKING ON TRADE (Washington File 16 July 2002) 25. WORLD'S POOREST NATIONS MOSTLY A NO-SHOW AT FIJI SUMMIT (EuBusiness 16 July 2002) 26. UN MAKES FINAL TRY TO SAVE EARTH SUMMIT (The Guardian 15 July 2002) 27. 'POOR PROSPECTS' FOR EARTH SUMMIT (BBC 15 July 2002) 28. BUSH ADMINISTRATION MAY CAUSE FAILURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT (Sierra Club 15 July 2002) 29. AFRICAN JOURNALISM INDABA JOINS WORLD SUMMIT (East Cape News (Grahamstown) via All Africa 15 July 2002) 30. NET USERS SOUND OFF TO EARTH SUMMIT (Ananova 15th July 2002) 31. SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER'S EMPLOYMENT STATEMENTS CONFIRM KEY TRADE UNION PRIORITIES FOR POSITIVE WSSD OUTCOMES (ICFTU/TUAC 14 July 2002) 32. S&T CLIMBING ON MUSLIM COUNTRIES AGENDA (Frontier Post 14 July 2002) 33. POWELL TO GO TO SOUTH AFRICAN MEETING WITH MESSAGE OF HELPING REDUCE POVERTY AND GROW ECONOMIES (Associated Press 12 July 2002) 34. LOBBYING FOR BUSH TO ATTEND THE WORLD SUMMIT (IPS 12 July 2002) 35. LIB-DEMS CALL FOR ADDITIONAL 100,000 SOLAR ROOFS (Edie weekly summaries 12 July 2002) 36. UN STAGES 'RESCUE MISSION' TO HEAL RIFT OVER EARTH SUMMIT (Independent 12 July 2002) 37. DLAMINI-ZUMA TO MEET POWELL ON WSSD (South African Press Association via All Africa 11 July 2002) 38. SUMMIT PARTICIPANTS CAN PAY TO OFFSET EMISSIONS (Environmental News Service 11 July 2002) 39. SCRAMBLE FOR CONSENSUS AS WORLD SUMMIT LOOMS (Cape Argus 11 July 2002) 40. POVERTY, ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES TO TOP NIGERIA'S AGENDA FOR WSSD: MINISTER (Xinhua News Agency 11 July 2002) 41. ARRANGEMENTS FOR WSSD PLEASING: SHILOWA AND MAYORS (Office of the Premier, Gauteng 11 July 2002) 42. HUMANITY WILL PAY FOR ABUSE OF THE ENVIRONMENT, WARNS (WWF Independent 10 July 2002) 43. UAE TO PUSH FOR ECOLOGY INITIATIVE AT S. AFRICA MEET (Gulf News 10 July 2002) 44. WORLD LEADERS TO ATTEND U.N. SUMMIT (Associated Press 10 July 2002) 45. BEHIND-THE-SCENE EFFORTS SEEK TO BRIDGE DIFFERENCES OVER JOHANNESBURG OUTCOME: SUMMIT SEEN AS VITAL FOR FUTURE OF MULTILATERALISM (United Nations 9 July 2002) 46. SOUTH AFRICA TO CONVENE FRIENDS OF THE CHAIR MEETING TO HELP SPEED AGREEMENT ON JOHANNESBURG OUTCOME (United Nations 9 July 2002) 47. GLOBAL STANDARD SOUGHT FOR ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION (The Yomiuri Shimbun 9 July 2002) 48. NGO DELEGATES TOLD TO PAY UP FOR SUMMIT (Cape Times 8 July 2002) 49. JAPAN, EU AGREE ON CUTTING GREENHOUSE GASSES, DEVELOPMENT AID AT SUMMIT (Associated Press 8 July 2002) 50. JAPAN AND EU DIFFER OVER INTERNATIONAL AID: EU (EU Business 8 July 2002) 51. UN REPORT URGES AFRICA TO PROTECT THE ENVIRONMENT (BuaNews via All Africa 8 July 2002) 52. COMMISSION TO SEEK MORE DEVELOPING COUNTRY LINKS AT SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT (Cordis News 8 July 2002) 53. EARTH 'WILL EXPIRE BY 2050’ (The Observer 7 July 2002) 54. STRENGTHENED NEPAD OFFERS NEW HOPE FOR WSSD SUCCESS (WWF International 5 July 2002) 55. EU AGENDA FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT PUBLISHED (European Union 5 July 2002) 56. AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT CLOSES IN UGANDA (Xinhua News Agency 5 July 2002) 57. COMMISSION ANNOUNCES NEW CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY STRATEGY TO PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (EuropaWorld 5 July 2002) EDITORIALS 58. RESPONSIBILITY VS. ACCOUNTABILITY Counter viewpoint: Joshua Karliner and Kenny Bruno, CorpWatch, San Francisco (International Herald Tribune 10 July 2002) 59. ROUTE TO JOHANNESBURG: RICH NATIONS MUST CARE MORE FOR POOR NATIONS (The Asahi Shimbun 10 July 2002) SPEECHES 60. WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT A 'TEST FOR MULTILATERALISM AND THE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY', SAYS SECRETARY-GENERAL (United Nations 17 July 2002) 61. ADDRESS BY PRESIDENT THABO MBEKI TO THE 3RD SUMMIT OF THE ACP HEADS OF STATE AND GOVERNMENT, NADI FIJI (18 July 2002) 62. OPENING REMARKS BY H.E. DR. PER STIG MØLLER, MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS, DENMARK World Summit on Sustainable Development Friends of the Chair, (New York, 17 July 2002) 63. TEN PIECES OF ADVISE TO THE CHAIR FOR THE JOHANNESBURG WSSD Opening remarks by H.E. Hans-Christian Schmidt, Minister for the Environment, Denmark (17 July 2002) 64. MAKING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT WORK: GOVERNANCE, FINANCE AND PUBLIC-PRIVATE COOPERATION Secretary Colin L. Powell Remarks at State Department Conference, Meridian International Center Washington, DC (12 July 2002) 65. THE EU AGENDA FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (European Union 1 July 2002) ON THE WEB 66. ENVOYS MAKE HEADWAY AS JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT NEARS (Reuters via Planet Ark 19 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16937/story.htm 67. EARTH SUMMIT MAY NOT YIELD CONCRETE PLAN - US AIDE (Reuters via Planet Ark 18 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16920/story.htm 68. INTERVIEW - SOUTH AFRICA MINISTER VOWS EARTH SUMMIT TO GO AHEAD (Reuters via Planet Ark 17 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16903/story.htm 69. EU, US SAY WANT CONCRETE RESULTS AT EARTH SUMMIT (Reuters via Planet Ark 17 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16897/story.htm 70. SOUTH AFRICA, UN PRESS FOR EARTH SUMMIT BLUEPRINT (Reuters via Planet Ark 12 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16829/story.htm 71. INTERVIEW - EARTH SUMMIT COLLAPSE BETTER THAN TOOTHLESS PACT (Reuters via Planet Ark 12 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16811/story.htm 72. ANNAN URGES ACTION FOR EARTH SUMMIT (Reuters via Planet Ark 10 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16780/story.htm 73. LIVING STANDARD SEEN SLUMPING AS RESOURCES RUN OUT (Reuters via Planet Ark 10 July 2002) http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16777/story.htm
GENERAL NEWS
1. ENVOYS FACE MORE MEETINGS TO SALVAGE EARTH SUMMIT Yahoo News 19 July 2002 Internet: http://in.news.yahoo.com/020719/64/1s7gd.html JOHANNESBURG - Nations have moved closer to agreement on a plan for eco-friendly development to be adopted at next month's global summit in Johannesburg, and envoys may meet again just before the summit begins, South African officials said on Thursday. "There is talk that smaller meetings will start on August 24. But the official meeting will start as scheduled on August 26," Thandi Davids, spokeswoman for the summit's organizing company, told a media briefing. The World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held Aug. 26-Sept. 4 in Johannesburg, aims to hammer out a detailed plan for global economic development that preserves the environment while battling hunger and poverty. Envoys from a group of 27 countries narrowed differences on the document on Wednesday at U.N. headquarters in New York after preparatory talks in Bali, Indonesia, in June collapsed. The 27 were invited by South African President Thabo Mbeki. J.J. Tabane, the head of communications in South Africa's environmental affairs and tourism ministry, told Reuters that the New York meeting "had laid the basis for success... opening up a possible early start for negotiators at the summit." U.N. and South African officials said the New York talks made progress on some of the most contentious issues. "There is more hope now than there was at the end of Bali," South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in New York. "I do not see major differences in the positions of the delegations. It should not take long to get an agreement in Johannesburg," Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement. The envoys are trying to forge a conference declaration that all 189 U.N. member-nations can agree on. U.N. officials say so far delegations have agreed on about 75 percent of the text. Parts still under negotiation touch on fundamental issues, such as setting of specific development targets and timetables for achieving them, and the question of how to pay for the programs required to achieve these goals. The Johannesburg summit also aims to lay out a path for achieving the goals set at a U.N. Millennium summit. These include halving world poverty and hunger, achieving universal primary education and halting the spread of AIDS by 2015. Some critics say the summit is trying to solve too many problems at one time -- an almost inevitable recipe for failure. Representatives of the Group of Eight industrialized nations -- Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States -- were among those attending the New York meeting. Also present were Argentina, Brazil, China, Denmark, Egypt, Ghana, India, Indonesia, Jamaica, Jordan, Mexico, Nigeria, Norway, Samoa, Senegal, Spain, Sweden, Uganda and Venezuela.
2. DEVELOPING NATIONS SUMMIT URGES U.S. TO HELP Associated Press 19 July 2002 Internet: http://www.etaiwannews.com/Asia/2002/07/19/1027041835.htm The leader of a major group of poor nations yesterday called on the United States to use its wealth and power to fight poverty in developing nations. Meeting at a tropical island resort near the Fijian town of Nadi, the third summit of leaders from the 78-member African Caribbean Pacific group is trying to build a unified front for crucial trade talks with the European Union that begin Sept. 27. ACP member states, which comprise 650 million people, include the world's 40 poorest countries and some of its tiniest and most fragile states. "Our people carry a large part of the world's burdens," said Fiji's Prime Minister Laisenia Qarase, current ACP President. Urging "the riches of the world to be spread with fairness," Qarase pointedly thanked the European Union, Australia and New Zealand for favorable trade deals in which they buy some exports from ACP nations at high prices without ACP nations having to reciprocate. He contrasted their approach with that of the United States, which would not agree to similar trade pacts. "When we look to America we observe the most powerful country on earth at the peak of its influence. With this comes enormous responsibility," Qarase said. "Will America then consider forming the same kind of bonds with our 78 countries that we have with Europe?" Milagros Ortiz Bosch, vice president of the Dominican Republic, urged wealthy nations to consider the ways in which globalization and the push for freer trade are affecting poor nations. But Bosch also reminded the ACP states that they "need to improve their ability to reap the benefits of this trade." Central to the summit and the September trade talks is a bid by ACP members for compensation from the EU when it abolishes favorable import quotas on ACP products such as sugar, rice and bananas. Quotas on bananas will be phased out between 2002 and 2006, and sugar and rice quotas will be phased out from 2006 to 2009. EU Trade Commissioner Pascal Lamy told the leaders that Europe is looking for new types of agreements with ACP members that link trade with aid, but said Brussels would continue to give "generous access" to European markets. ACP Secretary-General Jean Robert Goulongana urged European nations to ratify a 25-year agreement signed with his member states which links trade, human rights and efforts to root out corruption with 13.5 billion euros (US$12.7 billion) in aid over the next five years. The much-needed aid money cannot flow until all European countries have ratified the agreement signed two years ago.
3. PLAN TO INCREASE ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS USING CULTURE Jamaica Observer 19 July 2002 THE first of two workshops being staged to heighten environmental awareness among Caribbean nationals opened in Kingston Wednesday with environmental professionals and artistes sharing ideas on how to use popular culture as an educational vehicle. Conference organisers, the Caribbean Regional Environmental Programme (CREP), say they intend to utilise the talents of an estimated 50 artistes from Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Antigua, St Lucia, The Bahamas, Belize, St Kitts, Dominica and Barbados in the programme. Charges like "Culture is mostly a human adaptation to one's natural environment" and "many people are not aware of the social and economic risks involved if the environment is further depleted" were the logic of the day at the Jamaica Conference Centre. Franklin McDonald, guest speaker and executive director of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), noted the influence and scope that artistes command in the region, and the benefits of using popular culture in conveying the message of environmental organisations. He cited NEPA's own use of local artiste Lovindeer in crafting an environmental song in the past. Yesterday, the artistes were expected to formulate ideas, having heard the environmental experts from the previous day. Presenter Winston Wirht, of Wirht Consultancy Services, challenged the artistes "to show the trap of excessive consumption, which is tied to the ideology of unlimited economic growth as the solution to our problem". He was alluding to the problems of the region's consumption desires which are beyond the carrying capacity of the environment. Artistes deemed eligible to produce what is being termed 'envirocultural products' will be granted money to complete their work for release in January 2003. Cathel Healy Sing, CREP programme manager, quelled possible fears of insufficient funds, saying that 600,000 euros was allocated to the artistes and that more cash would be generated from that initial amount. "One needs money to make more money," Sing said. CREP is a programme designed to strengthen regional integration through the awareness of environmental issues in the Caribbean Forum of ACP States (CARIFORUM). It seeks to demonstrate that the region's natural resources and biodiversity can be better protected. CREP was implemented through the Caribbean Conservation Association with a budget of approximately 8,900,000 euros. The conference will continue in Trinidad and Tobago next week and is a forerunner to next month's Environmental World Summit in South Africa where approximately 64,000 international delegates, including over 100 heads of government are expected to gather. Sing said that if the artistes' creativity was stimulated, then the conference would be a success.
4. DEVELOPMENT-AFRICA: CIVIL SOCIETY PREPARES FOR WORLD SUMMIT Inter Press Service 18 July 2002 Internet: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/oneworld/20020718/wl_oneworld/1032_1026994213 JOHANNESBURG, Jul 17 (IPS) - The Pan African Conference of Civil Society Organizations will be looking for alternatives to the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) - a program to kick-start the economic and social development of the continent - during its meeting in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. The conference, which runs from Wednesday to Friday (Jul 17-19), is being held to develop a political declaration and program of action for African civil society organizations, ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), scheduled to be held in South Africa in August. The WSSD will look at ways to ease global poverty while protecting the environment and conserving the world's natural resources. African civil society is likely to insist that the WSSD must focus on ways to alleviate poverty on the continent - if it wants to protect the environment, says Nzwana Konco, the Africa Process Manager for the Global Forum - the meeting of international community and non-governmental organizations at the summit. The top issues for African civil society are poverty alleviation, access to water and land for the poor, and the ending of hunger and conflict on the continent. ''We've included protecting the environment and other issues, but they are not as prominent,'' explains Konco. The civil society declaration is also likely to be very critical of NEPAD. African civil society has insisted that they have not been thoroughly consulted about the program. South African President, Thabo Mbeki - one of the driving forces behind NEPAD -- has acknowledge that there could have been better consultation with civil society about the program. However, he has sharply criticized them for not coming-up with practical ideas on how to improve it, or what they will do to develop the continent. Konco says African civil society organizations will be working out practical alternatives at their conference - and these will be ready in time for the WSSD. However, he points out that civil society is more concerned about who will be funding NEPAD. In terms of the program, African countries have to commit themselves to good political and economic governance in return for better trade and aid deals from the developed economies. African civil society fears that this will put the European Union ( news - web sites) (EU) and the United States in a position to use their trade and aid packages to force African governments to adopt conservative economic policies - which normally include cutting spending on social development services. The chances are that the African civil society conference will reject NEPAD - in its present form. Many civil society environmentalists and economists are also concerned that NEPAD is focusing on mega-infrastructure development projects for the continent - often considered bad for the environment and not financially sustainable. Standard Bank chief economist, Iraj Abedian, believes the planned infrastructure is a necessity for economic and social development of Africa. ''Unless Africa can compete in the global economy, there is not going to be any economic growth or social development - and the two cannot be separated,'' he says. He adds that it is inevitable that the development projects must take place on a continent-wide scale. ''Africa was chopped up into countries by colonial powers without any regard to economic considerations. We need to look at the continent and see what makes economic sense - and then development can filter down to smaller regional and district blocs,'' he explains. In the meantime, Mbeki is one of a handful of heads of state that has turned-up for the Third Summit of the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) Group of States. The ACP is meeting in Fiji from Jul 18 to Jul 19. South Africa sees the ACP Summit as an opportunity to further consolidate the positions of the developing countries on ACP-European Union trade negotiations, the WSSD, NEPAD and the use of subsidies on agricultural products by the EU and the United States. The ACP is important for NEPAD because it includes 48 Sub-Saharan African countries. There are also 16 Caribbean and 15 Pacific States in the grouping. South Africa's foreign economic policy - which includes NEPAD - is attempting to secure access to the markets of wealthy countries for goods and services from the developing world, and boosting trade between ACP, South American and Asian countries.
5. OFFICIALS FROM 27 COUNTRIES REPORT PROGRESS ON RESOLVING KEY ISSUES FOR UPCOMING POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT SUMMIT Associated Press 18 July 2002 Internet: http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20020718/ap_wo_en_po/un_development_summit_1 UNITED NATIONS - High-level officials from 27 countries reported Thursday that they made progress in resolving key issues ahead of next month's U.N. summit aimed at cutting poverty and protecting the environment. The most important achievement of Wednesday's day-long meeting "was the conclusion among many delegates that it was possible to reach an agreement on the outstanding issues," said South Africa's U.N. Ambassador Dumisani Kumalo. South African President Thabo Mbeki invited the 27 rich and poor nations to suggest ways to clear up issues unresolved at the last meeting of the commission preparing for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg from Aug. 26 to Sept. 4. The summit is taking place 10 years after the "Earth Summit" in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, first focused global attention on the need to preserve the environment, but it has a broader agenda. U.N. officials expect about 100 world leaders to attend. At the final preparatory meeting in Bali, Indonesia, negotiators from nearly 200 countries reached agreement on 75 percent of the blueprint for the next decade to promote development and preserve the environment - including giving priority to water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. But the most difficult issues weren't resolved. The officials at Wednesday's meeting tackled the sticky questions - including whether there should be timetables and targets for action on issues ranging from sanitation to renewable energy and how to address trade, finance, good government and access to technology for developing countries. South Africa's U.N. Mission said in a statement Thursday that the discussions "demonstrated that there was sufficient flexibility in finding consensus on the outstanding differences." There was a consensus that the princples adopted at the Earth Summit should be reaffirmed, and that agreements reached at the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha, Qatar, in November and at the U.N. aid financing conference in Monterrey, Mexico, in March should not be reopened, the statement said. "On certain other issues like targets and timetables, the dialogue helped by narrowing or more clearly defining the differences," the statement said. "On trade and finance issues, there seemed to be a broad measure of agreement and the differences that remain seemed to be capable of resolution." Participants at Wednesday's meeting included representatives from the seven major industrialized nations and Russia, the European Union and countries from Africa, Asia, Latin America and the south Pacific.
6. US INCHING CLOSER TO CONSENSUS ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT allAfrica.com 18 July 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200207180784.html High-level officials from 27 nations who met in New York Wednesday at the urging of South African president Thabo Mbeki, say outstanding differences between developing nations and the U.S., Canada, Australia and other industrial countries could now be bridged at the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). "I left the meeting with the belief that there is no reason to believe we will not be able to finalize the outstanding issues when we get to Johannesburg," South African Environmental Affairs Minister, Valli Moosa, told allAfrica.com. "Of course, keep in mind we were not negotiating [here in New York] and sometimes the devil is in the details." The WSSD will seek ways to reduce global poverty while protecting the environment and conserving the world's natural resources. Anxious to chair a smooth summit, Mbeki fostered creation of this "Friend of the Chair" gathering during the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Canada last month. Developing nations have been pushing for financial specificity on development goals and for discussion on lowering trade barriers to expand market access. Developing nations also want targets established for dealing with sanitation and water. You cannot talk about "sustainable development" without tackling these issues, they say. The U.S. and its allies, however, say this would reopen agreements reached at the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha, Qatar and the summit on financial development held in Monterrey, Mexico. "The US mantra was, 'no new targets'," said one South African official participating in the New York meeting. "We don't want to reopen the Doha consensus, but we do want a reference to this." But both sides agree that "the tone has changed". The recent fourth WSSD "Preparatory Conference" that was held in Bali, Indonesia ended in bitter, unresolved dispute. The New York discussions "were characterized by a constructive attitude and demonstrated that there was sufficient flexibility in finding consensus on the outstanding differences," said South Africa's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Dumisani Kumalo in a statement, Thursday. "Everybody, those from the developed countries and we, ourselves, was displaying a new spirit of constructiveness which did not exist at Bali," said Valli Moosa. "It doesn't mean people agree, but it is a good sign," he added. The New York meeting reaffirmed the principles of the Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, a decade ago, and "narrowed" the dialogue on timetables and targets. According to the South African UN Mission in its statement, agreements reached at Doha and Monterrey will not be reopened. "On trade and finance issues, there seemed to be a broad measure of agreement and the differences that remained seemed to be capable of resolution." Meanwhile in Johannesburg the Pan African Conference of Civil Society Organizations has been meeting since Wednesday and says it is looking for alternatives to Nepad which South African President Thabo Mbeki wants adopted as the sustainable development program for Africa. A spokesperson for the group told Inter Press service that it will have a political declaration and program of action ready before the start of the WSSD.
7. PREPARATIONS FOR THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: DANISH EU PRESIDENCY MEETING IN NEW YORK WITH SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTER OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS Danish Presidency of the EU 18 July 2002 Internet: http://www.eu2002.dk/news/news_read.asp?iInformationID=21009 The Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr. Per Stig Møller, and the Danish Minister for the Environment, Mr. Hans Christian Schmidt, had an early morning meeting with the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nkosana Dlamini Zuma, in New York on 17 July. The occasion was the meeting the same day of the so-called ”Friends of the Chair” group, which South Africa and the UN Secretary-General, Mr. Kofi Annan, had convened to discuss what further action should be taken to resolve the outstanding issues relating to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which is due to commence in Johannesburg on 26 August 2002. The message conveyed by the two Danish Ministers to the South African Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Zuma, was that they had come to participate in the informal ”Friends of the Chair” meeting, not in order to negotiate the wording of documents, but to assist South Africa in taking the process forward to a successful conclusion in Johannesburg. The Danish Ministers stressed that the EU is well prepared for the Johannesburg Summit and that the EU in general has ambitious goals regarding sustainable development. The Ministers confirmed that the EU stands by the commitments it undertook at the WTO Ministerial Conference in Doha and at the UN Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey. Viewed from the EU’s perspective, the disagreements relating to the Johannesburg Summit primarily concern those between the USA and the developing countries (G77). On this basis, the Danish Ministers indicated to South Africa that the EU is prepared to assume the role of mediator in relation to the World Summit, provided the EU is requested to do so by the host country and/or G77. South African Minister of Foreign Affairs Zuma reacted positively to the Danish EU Presidency’s offer of support.
8. BUSINESS URGED TO TAKE PART IN SUMMIT Business Day 18 July 2002 Internet: http://library.northernlight.com/FC20020718370000275.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Johannesburg, Jul 18, 2002 (Business Day/All Africa Global Media via COMTEX) -- FAILURE by business to be present in significant numbers at the World Summit on Sustainable Development would render the private sector ineffective and leave it isolated while others took crucial decisions at the summit, Business Co-ordinating Forum chairman Tokyo Sexwale said yesterday. He said although the summit was a gathering of world leaders, business should play an important role. "There have been views that governments alone cannot shoulder the responsibility for ensuring sustainable development. Business, while being part of the problem, is increasingly being seen as part of the solution," Sexwale said. He said business should challenge the world on commitment to openness and good business governance. SA had exceptional opportunities to showcase its products and services, many of which were unique, Sexwale said. The forum consists of representatives from all major business organisations and was established to co-ordinate and promote business initiatives in preparation for the summit. The country would host a business week from August 30 to September 2 as a parallel event to the summit, said Liz Hart, RAI SA project organiser, yesterday. Hart said business week, to be held at Gallagher Estate, had been accredited by the Johannesburg World Summit Company, a government agency organising the United Nations summit. She said business was partnering the summit in creating a path of sustainable growth and development for Africa. Business week would consist of four exhibitions. The exhibitions would explore trade opportunities with foreign countries. In all 24 countries, including SA's biggest trade partners Germany and Britain, would be represented by their foreign trade offices and embassies, Hart said. The exhibition would also promote foreign direct investment in various national and provincial investment agencies. It would also help foreign business explore business links with public-private sector partnerships, such as the Blue IQ. Blue IQ is a public-private initiative to fund and promote strategic investment in Gauteng, which has been allocated R1,7bn by the provincial government. The black economic empowerment exhibition would create a vital platform for black business to show its products and services to business decision makers.
9. CASH FOR WSSD CIVIL SOCIETY FROM CANADA SABC News 18 July 2002 Internet: http://www.sabcnews.com/world/summit/0,1009,38876,00.html The Canadian government has donated more than R1,5 million to the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Civil Society Secretariat to enable NGOs to build a consensus before the Johannesburg summit. The donation will be used to hold four provincial and one national workshop in South Africa before the WSSD in August. Two sector specific workshops for the youth and indigenous groups will be sponsored, because Canada considers the participation of civil society central to making the summit inclusive and representative. The workshops will enable South African NGOs to play a leading role during the summit on issues such as Agenda 21, Women and Development, Nepad and Globalisation. The donation will strengthen the Secretariat's ability to co-ordinate the involvement of African and International NGOs in the WSSD preparatory processes and to ensure an effective communication strategy to make the voice of civil society heard.
10. REGIONAL MEETING LOOKS AT PROMOTING SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT Jordan Times 18 July 2002 Internet: http://www.jordantimes.com/Thu/homenews/homenews7.htm AMMAN (Petra) - Minister of Municipal and Rural Affairs and the Environment Abdul Razzaq Tbeishat on Wednesday opened a regional meeting to discuss environmental and sustainable development issues related to the Arab region with a call on Arab states to respect relevant resolutions passed at recent meetings in Tunisia and Bahrain. During the talks, Arab countries endorsed measures in the fight against poverty, transferring modern technology to their countries and better managing natural resources, said the minister, who deputised for Her Majesty Queen Rania at the opening session. Addressing the delegates representing 14 Arab countries, Tbeishat said Third World countries are focused on improving the living standards of their societies, ensuring sufficient potable water resources and meeting their people's needs for food and medicine. He said the rich industrialised nations, which represent only 20 per cent of the world's population and enjoy 80 per cent of the world's resources, should help poor nations meet people's basic needs. In their two-day meeting, the delegates are scheduled to discuss and prepare a regional paper on the relevant issues to be submitted to the UN-sponsored Earth Summit due to take place in Johannesburg, South Africa next month
11. SOUTH AFRICA: EARTH SUMMIT AT RISK AENS. 17 July 2002 Internet: http://library.northernlight.com/FE20020717720000082.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc JOHANNESBURG, Jul 17, 2002 (AENS via COMTEX) -- Concern is mounting over the possible non-attendance of key world leaders at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg next month. The Unites States, Japan, Canada, Australia and New Zealand have yet to commit the attendance of their heads of state, threatening to scupper the credibility of the summit. The European Commission is the most powerful territorial body to have committed itself to the WSSD to date, saying it viewed the summit in a "very serious light" and would send at least 70 delegates. South African National Assembly environmental affairs and tourism committee chairwoman Gwen Mahlangu told local media this week, however, that the summit's noble goals were at risk unless key industrialised countries committed themselves to attending. "We have very little time at our disposal to bring these important countries on board," she warned. Environmental affairs and tourism director-general Chippy Olver earlier briefed the committee on a contentious presummit conference in Bali that ended in disagreement between the developed northern hemisphere countries and poorer nations of the south over issues of trade and finance. Olver said many heads of state had held back on a final decision. "If we leave industrialised countries out I don't see the summit achieving most of the issues they want to," said Mahlangu. Roughly 90 heads of state have so far given tentative confirmations that they might attend, with only 30 heads of state definitely confirming . President Thabo Mbeki has meanwhile announced a personal initiative to avert the threatened failure of the summit.
12. BRAZIL TO ESTABLISH WORLD'S LARGEST RAINFOREST RESERVE Agencia EFE S.A. 17 July 2002 Internet: http://library.northernlight.com/FC20020717770000149.html?cb=0&dx=1006&sc=0#doc Brasilia, Jul 17, 2002 (EFE via COMTEX) -- Brazil is to be home to the world's largest rainforest reserve, comprising an area larger than the total land mass of Belgium, President Fernando Henrique Cardoso said. "Tumucumaque Park represents our commitment to preserve a significant percentage of our territory," Cardoso said Tuesday. Environment Ministry spokespersons said the reserve would occupy almost 3.9 million hectares (9.6 million acres), less than half of 1 percent of Brazil's 850 million hectares (2.1 billion acres) but an area larger than Belgium's 3 million hectares. Tumucumaque Park is to be inaugurated in August in the northern state of Amapa and border French Guyana and Suriname. Cardoso said the creation of the reserve stems from Agenda 21, a set of proposals that emerged from the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro The agenda includes measures aimed at countering pollution and at contributing to environmentally sustainable development. Cardoso also said during the ceremony that he would be pleased if every nation were to approve the 1997 Kyoto Protocol on climate change prior to the 2002 U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development, to be held Aug. 26 to Sept. 4 in Johannesburg. The Kyoto Protocol is a treaty that seeks to reduce the emissions of greenhouse gases blamed for global warming. The United States, the world's top polluter, has refused to sign the measure. Cardoso also said he hoped the Johannesburg meeting "would not be dominated by the issue of poverty," adding that it was important to also discuss the environment and sustainable development. The president said South America would recommend that 10 percent of the energy used worldwide come from renewable sources, a proposal he said was first floated by Brazil.
13. MORE POVERTY THE ONLY FRUIT AS SA EATS ITSELF Independent Online 17 July 2002 Internet: http://www.itechnology.co.za/index.php?click_id=31&art_id=qw1026913321360B251&set_id=1 South Africans are devouring forests, grassland, fish and food stocks faster than they are being replaced, says a new report released on Wednesday by the World Wide Fund for Nature and the Endangered Wildlife Trust. The report comes as South Africa is set to host a major global summit on the environment next month and said the country has lost 46 percent of its forests, 62 percent of its grassland, and more than 90 percent of its original mangroves. Almost 10 percent of the country's plant species are threatened with extinction, it added. South Africa is home to 227 mammal, 800 bird and over 23 000 plant species. But the report warned that the impact of high consumption went beyond threats to flora and fauna. "Current water usage by the human population in the Western Cape... will outstrip storage capacity within 30 years," it said. Such scenarios, it said, would impact heavily on the poor and deliver a blow to the fight against poverty. Using an index measured in what the report called global hectares of "biologically productive space" it showed South Africans were consuming natural resources at an average rate of four global hectares per person per year. But biological productive capacity was only 2,4 hectares per capita per year. "This means that South Africa is currently exceeding the available biological capacity by more than 40 percent. We need to reduce this to zero before we can say that we are on a sustainable path of development," it said. The report said "...a doubling of the country's population over the past 30 years has resulted in a halving of the amount of biological resources available per person". The report comes less than six weeks ahead of the UN-sponsored World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), to be held in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4. Dubbed Earth Summit 2, it is a follow-up to the first mega-environment conference in Rio de Janeiro 10 years ago and hopes to map out concrete strategies to reduce poverty without inflicting irreparable harm to the planet. The sustainable use of natural resources and protection of biodiversity will be high on the summit's agenda.
14. NGOS TO TAKE LEAD AT UN SUMMIT IN JOHANNESBURG Taipei Times 17 July 2002 Internet: http://www.taipeitimes.com/news/2002/07/17/story/0000148555 STAND-INS: With Taipei excluded, NGOs are preparing to play a leading role at events surrounding the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in South Africa Aware of the diplomatic difficulties in the way of Taiwan's participation in the UN's World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), being held next month in Johannesburg, South Africa, both non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and the government are groping for a way into one of its parallel events -- the Civil Society Global Forum. The upcoming WSSD, from Aug. 26 to Sept. 4, is to be held on the the 10th anniversary of the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, when the international community adopted Agenda 21, an unprecedented global plan of action for sustainable development. "Taiwan is a UN outsider. ... Let's face it and find a way out." Lee Chia-lun, project manager of Taiwan Agenda 21Ten years on, the Johannesburg Summit will bring together leaders of nations, industry, NGOs and others to hash out concrete steps and identify quantifiable targets for implementing Agenda 21. Since Taiwan's government will not be permitted to voice any of its views at the main WSSD conference, activists said, Taiwanese NGOs should try harder to build international connections through unofficial channels. For this reason, Taiwanese activists regard the Civil Society Global Forum, scheduled to run from Aug. 19 to Sept. 4, as an excellent opportunity to publicize Taiwan. The forum is slated to host approximately 60,000 delegates from around the world "The UN should pay more attention to Taiwan's NGOs," said Sam Lin , head of the Ecology Conservation Alliance. "The degree of NGO development in a country reflects its degree of democracy." Since April, dozens of groups, with a diverse variety of missions, have been integrated into a Taiwan NGO delegation named Taiwan Action NGOs (TANGOs), which plans to systematically deliver messages pertaining to Taiwan's efforts in sustainable development at forum. "Taiwan is a UN outsider," said Lee Chia-lun , project manager of Taiwan Agenda 21, a member of the TANGOs. "Let's face it and find a way out." At the forum, according to Lee, TANGOs will establish four stands, where local grassroots activists, ranging from anti-nuclear to forest preservation and endangered species protection, will have multi-media displays with documentation in English. In addition, Lee said, 25 TANGOs delegates would attend events held by influential foreign NGOS such a the US Earth Island Institute, the Global Greens and Friends of Earth. Juju Wang , a sociology professor at National Tsing Hwa University and one of the 25 delegates, said that Taiwan has some distance in promoting sustainable development, such as passing the Environmental Impact Assessment Law. "However, we have to make our voices heard, informing others that Taiwan is pursuing the same goals as they are," Wang said, adding that aggressive participation would eventually pay off for Taiwan in the international community. The TANGOs ideas to publicize Taiwan, however, do not include better ways of raising funds. Encouraged by the Cabinet's committee for promoting sustainable development, which is run by Minister Without Portfolio Yeh Jiunn-rong the TANGOs listed the government as one of its potential donors in June. In doing so, the TANGOs were acting in accordance with Agenda 21, which mentions that the UN and governments should initiate a process, in consultation with NGOs, to review formal procedures and mechanisms for the involvement of these organizations at all levels, from policy-making and decision-making to implementation. Months of communication resulted in a NT$2.3 million allocation to cover expenses of the activists' trip to South Africa, according to the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA), the secretariat of the government's task force for the WSSD. With the TANGOs struggling to raise funds from the private sector, however, some in the local media wonder whether local NGOs have lost their independence, something essential for any NGO. Tu Wen-ling co-chair of the Taiwan Environmental Action Network, a US-based environmental group composed of Taiwanese overseas students and environmentalists, denied the charges, saying the government's preparation for the WSSD was actually driven by the TANGOs. "Our `Ten Years On' series of workshops held by the TANGOs is to condense the views of civil society into a basis for people to monitor the government," Tu said. The two-month long "Ten Years On" series launched in June uses Agenda 21 as a basis to review Taiwan's handling of a number of issues over the past decade, including controlling chemical toxicants, water resources management, ecological preservation, the relation between women and the environment, energy policies and the establishment of a new partnership with Aboriginal people. Lai Wei-chieh , secretary-general of the Green Citizens' Action Alliance, a Taipei-based anti-nuclear group and a TANGOs member, said that NGOs are destined to be opposed to much of government policy, regardless of any recent support from Taipei. It is a shame that Taiwan's government rarely considers its diplomatic strategies from the environmental angle, Lai said. "Even now," Lai said, "the government has no strategy for the WSSD." For NGOs, Lai told the Taipei Times, learning and exchanging experiences with counterparts from other countries is more important. Government officials, however, said the idea of incorporating the strengths of all sectors of civil society into the government deserves encouragement. "There are two kinds of NGOs," said Roam Gwo-dong, Director of the EPA's Science and Technology Consulting Office. "One builds a partnership with the government, while the other refuses to take a cent from the government in order to ensure their independence." Roam stressed that a focus of Agenda 21 is to strengthen the roles of different sectors of the population, including women, children and youth, indigenous people, NGOs, local authorities, workers, business and industry, scientific and technological community, and farmers. Roam said that governmental officials, including former EPA head Chang Lung-sheng would present academic articles at workshops at the forum, in the name of representatives of NGOs. "We officials will also enter the main conference of the WSSD [as representatives of NGOs] to gather information about adopting concrete steps for better implementation of Agenda 21 in Taiwan," Roam said. Eric Liou (secretary-general of the Environmental Quality Protection Foundation which is not a TANGOs member, told the Taipei Times that his group took no money from the government but would work with government officials to raise Taiwan's profile at the main conference of the WSSD.
15. BRITAIN URGES JAPAN TO HELP RESOLVE INDO-PAK. ROW The Hindu 17 July 2002 Internet: http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/holnus/01171810.htm Tokyo, July 17. (PTI): Two days before his visit to India, the British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw, today urged Japan to play a role in international efforts to settle the simmering tension between India and Pakistan. Straw made the call during talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi at the Premier's office in downtown Tokyo, a Japanese Foreign Ministry official said. Straw told Koizumi that international efforts to ease tensions between India and Pakistan had stumbled recently. (Reuters photo shows Jack Straw, left, speaking during a joint news conference with Japanese Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi.) Koizumi voiced his support for British involvement in the problem, saying Britain has substantial influence on the two rivals, the official said. Straw and Koizumi also discussed global efforts aimed at facilitating sustainable global growth and how to boost Japan- Britain ties. Straw also conveyed the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair's hope that the Japanese leader will attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in late August. Koizumi responded that he is now looking into joining the summit, adding he believes it is important to make environmental conservation and development compatible, the official said.
16. POVERTY TO TOP NAM AGENDA AT UN SUMMIT The Namibian (Windhoek) via All Africa 17 July 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200207170259.html POVERTY eradication, improved sanitation, land reform, land degradation and employment creation are among the key issues to be tabled for discussion by the Namibian delegation at the United Nations Summit on Sustainable Development. The summit takes place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from August 26 to September 4. Co-ordinator of Namibia's preparatory committee, Anna Matroos, said yesterday that her committee had also developed a national assessment report on challenges in achieving sustainable development. "The report has been finalised and has been submitted to Cabinet," she said. Namibia's slogan for the summit is 'Namibians Acting and Striving with Vision for a Sustainable Future'. Members of Namibia's preparatory committee are drawn from the Desert Research Foundation, which is the secretariat, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, which is the leading agency, and Namibia Non-governmental Organisation (Nangof). The summit will bring together heads of state, leaders from NGOs, businesses and other major groups to focus the world's attention on actions to achieve sustainable development.
17. CIVIL SOCIETY PREPARES FOR WSSD UN Integrated Regional Information Networks via All Africa 17 July 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200207170639.html African civil society groups began a three-day meeting on Wednesday in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire, to forge a common agenda for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The summit is to be held from 26 August to 4 September in Johannesburg, South Africa. The Abidjan meeting is also aimed at working out a joint vision of sustainable development in Africa. Organised under the auspices of the African Development Bank, the Network for Environment and Sustainable Development in Africa, and the African Civil Society Steering Committee for WSSD, it plans to examine key themes identified during previous preparatory meetings and conferences. These include ending poverty - considered the greatest challenge facing African governments and worsened by the emergence of HIV/AIDS, the need for African civil society to make inputs into the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), governance, the management of natural resources, financing sustainable development, and the relationship between Africa and globalisation. Ivorian Minister for Environment Gilbert Bleu-Laine, who declared the conference open, urged participants to look beyond the immediate objectives and seek "strategies that will help develop other sectors in Africa" in addition to the environment.
18. FOREIGN MINISTER SEEKING PRE-WSSD SUMMIT 'CONSENSUS' All.Africa.com 17 July 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200207170149.html Tough, unresolved issues keep the United States, European Union, Canada, Japan and Australia far apart from developing nations, a month before an "Earth Summit" formally called the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), that will bring some 100 world leaders and 60,000 participants to Johannesburg. South Africa's foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma will chair an "informal" New York meeting of representatives from 25 countries today in an effort to bridge the gap of differences. Last Friday, she met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, who in a statement said he plans to attend the WSSD and stress partnerships involving governments, civil society and the private sector. "We will also carry the message that sustainable development must begin at home, with sound policies and good governance," said Powell. Today's New York meeting, being held at the request of South African president Thabo Mbeki, grew out of discussions between Mbeki and UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during the G8 summit in Kananaskis, Canada last month, according to a United Nations press release. It "is part of intensified behind-the-scenes [efforts] aimed at building a framework for finding agreement on the remaining outstanding issues." According to U.N. Undersecretary-General Nitin Desai the meeting will not be a negotiating session but an effort to come up with an "approach" that will aid negotiations expected to take place at the WSSD in Johannesburg. Mbeki, said the South African Mission to the United Nations in a statement, "remains convinced that a focused political discussion of the outstanding issues could result in an approach that can help expedite the process in Johannesburg." Desai says negotiators from nearly 200 countries have reached agreement on 75 percent of the development blueprint for the next decade - including giving priority to water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity. But he acknowledges that the most difficult issues remain to be settled: * Whether there should be timetables and targets for action on issues ranging from providing proper sanitation to increasing the use of renewable energy and phasing out toxic chemicals, and if so, whether they can be linked. * What action to take on issues such as climate change before there is complete scientific certainty - and should countries have different responsibilities to act on such issues? * How to tackle the broad issues of trade, finance, good government and access to technology for developing countries Developing nations want summit agreement on ending unfair trade terms, especially protective agricultural subsidies which many poor nations complain prevent their farmers from selling to the markets of wealthy nations, and an "action plan" tied to a timetable for providing money for development and programs aimed at fighting poverty. South Africa's Mbeki is pushing for the WSSD to adopt the New Partnership for African Development (Nepad) as the program for sustainable development on the African continent. The U.S. and EU fear this agenda reopens and begins to rework what they consider the broad agreements that have been reached at past meetings such as the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha, Qatar and the summit on financial development held in Monterrey, Mexico. The fourth WSSD "Preparatory Conference" that ended in Bali, Indonesia last week collapsed in disagreement over these issues. "This is a battle," said the chair of that meeting, Indonesian Environment Minister Emil Salim, afterward. "There is still considerable divide between the developing and developed world." South Africa does not want the meeting it will host to collaspe in such disarray. Already some voices are suggesting that if a meaningful response to the concerns of developing nations can't be found, perhaps the WSSD should be called off. "At some point when things are not really moving, it's better to have a failure than a foul compromise," Greenpeace Executive Director, Gerd Leipold told Reuters News Agency on Monday. That is out of the question, said South African Environmental Minister Valli Moosa before flying out to the New York meeting. "Everyone wants this meeting to succeed."
19. DLAMINI-ZUMA TO SEEK RUSSIAN ANALYSIS OF G8 AFRICA PLAN BuaNews (Pretoria) via All Africa 17 July 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200207170440.html Foreign affairs minister Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma is expected to jet off to Russia tomorrow, to meet with her counterpart, Igor Ivanov, to get the Federation's interpretation of the Group of Eight (G8)'s Africa Action Plan. The plan is the G8's response to Africa's recovery plan, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (Nepad), to provide with aid, trade opportunities and help to resolve conflicts to African nations that commit themselves to reform. Addressing the media in Pretoria yesterday, foreign affairs deputy minister Aziz Pahad said the Friday meeting was expected to give a broader view of Russia's interpretation of the plan 'not in their capacity as members of the G8 but as an individual country.' Last month, at its 28th meeting in Kananaskis in Canada, the group, which comprises eight of the world's richest nations, earmarked for Africa six billion of the 12 billion dollars they promised all poorer countries, at a conference in Mexico recently. Mr Pahad said Russia's membership to the G8 and its Working Group that focused on Nepad, and President Vladimir Putin's support of the Action Plan, were vital for Africa's development and progress. 'Given Russia's close involvement with these processes, minister Dlamini-Zuma and Dr Ivanov will exchange views on further practical cooperation between Africa and the Russian Federation,' he explained. The minister is currently in New York, US, where she is co-leading together with UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, the discussions aimed at resolving outstanding issues relating to the draft implementation plan of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) to be held in Johannesburg next month. During her Russian visit, the minister is also expected to meet with President Putin, where she will convey a personal message from President Thabo Mbeki and also inform him (Putin) of developments in the country, the region and the continent. Dr Dlamini-Zuma and Dr Ivanov will also discuss bilateral, political and multilateral issues. The bilateral talks will encompass political and economic issues whereas multilateral talks will pay more attention to international issues such as the reform of the United Nations, cooperation in conflict resolution and disarmament in Africa, the situation in the Middle East as well as international terrorism. 'Other issues, such as the next meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on Trade and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) as well as further progress in the field of science and technology, will be discussed,' the deputy minister said.
20. STATES MUST SETTLE DIFFERENCES BEFORE UN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT - ANNAN United Nations 17 July 2002 Internet: http://www0.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=4212&Cr=Johannesburg&Cr1=summit 17 July - The United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, today voiced hope that countries could find a way in the weeks remaining before the World Summit on Sustainable Development to resolve differences on outstanding issues in the conference's draft plan of implementation. "Progress since the [1992] Earth Summit has been slower than expected and - more important - slower than what was needed. A setback now would be a tragic missed opportunity," the Secretary-General said in remarks this morning to a meeting of the so-called Friends of the Chair of the preparatory process for the World Summit, which is set to begin on 26 August in Johannesburg. Over the last two years, significant strides have been made in addressing the challenges of development, particularly at the 2000 Millennium Summit, which not only defined the major goals but also galvanized political commitment at the highest level, Mr. Annan told today's meeting, which is being chaired by South African Foreign Minister Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma. "That commitment helped lay the groundwork for successes at Doha and Monterrey," the Secretary-General said, referring to recent international conferences on trade and financing for development. "Johannesburg must maintain this momentum, and show that in the face of a quintessential global challenge - the challenge of raising living standards while protecting the environment - multilateralism works and international cooperation is the way to go." Turning to the impasse over the Johannesburg document, Mr. Annan urged the meeting's participants to reach an understanding on a common approach "to resolving these undoubtedly complex and politically sensitive issues." The Secretary-General said the Summit should seek to implement the existing global consensus on sustainable development, and avoid revising or re-interpreting the principles and agreements of this consensus. In addition, he said efforts to build on the recent achievements in critical areas such as finance, trade and good governance should be "grounded in existing agreement or work that is already in progress in these areas." Mr. Annan also warned that the Summit should not be sidetracked by talks on issues that were already under discussion by other relevant forums, and urged that a greater focus on specific actions be placed in the five key areas of water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity.
21. WORLD'S LARGEST TENT ERECTED FOR WORLD SUMMIT DELEGATES SABC News 16 July 2002 Internet: http://www.sabcnews.com/world/summit/0,1009,38709,00.html Tensile 1, the world's biggest portable tent, has finally been erected. The giant tent will house exhibitions during the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development. It is erected at Ubuntu Village in Rosebank, the recreational hub of the summit. Ubuntu Village will be able to accommodate about 22 000 people, including 170 exhibitors. It will serve as a hub for meetings and conversations on sustainable development. The 10 800 square meter tensile is anchored by 16 poles and its fabric is fully fire resistant. One worry could be the windy and dusty season, but Rudi Enos, the canvas's original designer, has faith in it saying the structure can withstand winds of up to 180 miles per hour. Jowsco satisfied. Meanwhile, the Johannesburg World Summit Company, Jowsco, says it is so far satisfied with the preparations. The village will host a variety of events including the Ubuntu Exhibition, SA Pavilion and Conference Centre. The venue will also be the central transport interchange for participants to the Summit. Renovations are also under way at the Wanderers Complex with maintenance of roads and installation of storm water system. Legislation and best practice standards are also being applied to ensure that all construction and renovations are safe. A comprehensive Environmental Management Plan has also been developed to ensure safety. The massive structure will also house social activities and SABC broadcast facilities.
22. INCREASED WASTE OVERSHADOWS RECYCLING SUCCESSES The Yomiuri Shimbun 16 July 2002 Internet: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/newse/20020716wo72.htm When temperature soars above 30 C, shoppers flock to electrical appliance stores across the nation to buy the latest air conditioners. Advertising copy for many of the air conditioners on display at one store in Tokyo features claims such as "save money on your electricity bill" and "super energy conservation." According to a study conducted by the Energy Conservation Center, Japan, the sales of such energy-efficient air conditioners has seen a sharp increase. Meanwhile, the energy consumption of major appliances such as air conditioners and refrigerators, has reportedly been halved over the past decade. It seems many households are now seeking to conserve energy. Without doubt, the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change, adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992, and the Kyoto Protocol of 1997 have helped accelerate such efforts. Nevertheless, the household energy use throughout the nation increased by 15 percent in the period from 1991 to 2000. The increase is mainly due to an expansion in the number of households and an increase in the size of many electrical appliances. The average size of refrigerators, for example, has increased from 386 liters to 430 liters over the past 10 years. Another factor has been the spread of information technology, namely a dramatic increase in the use of personal computers and fax machines. Energy conservation resulting from greater efficiency has been outshadowed by an increase in sales volume and the expansion of appliance sizes. A similar trend has also been observed in the automobile industry. The amount of waste produced by households is also on the rise. "Even now, there is still way too much packaging," said Miho Nemoto, a 28-year-old instructor of a cooking school in Tokyo. Just preparing dinner with ingredients bought at a grocery store now produces enough packaging waste to fill a small plastic bag. In the industrial sector, awareness of the need for energy conservation has also grown. Yet, this increased awareness has also failed to materialize into major reductions in energy consumption. While industrial output has declined, levels of energy consumption remain almost unchanged. This trend indicates that energy consumption per unit of output has actually increased. The amount of investment in energy conservation is about 3 percent of total capital investment. In Japan, daily life depends heavily on mass production and mass consumption. Society seems unable to rid itself of its 20th-century materialistic values. The action plan adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992 urged developed countries to move away from this cycle of production and consumption, a cycle based on a wasteful use of natural resources. If the environmental measures taken by developing countries are viewed as a temporary stopgap, the measures undertaken by developed countries should be more indicative of humankind's vision of how it will coexist with nature in the 21st century. Are developed countries fulfilling their obligations? Hama Arba Diallo, executive secretary of the U.N. Convention to Combat Desertification said he was not satisfied with their efforts. One reason for the dissatisfaction is their handling of global warming, which he gives an evaluation of about 20 points out of a possible 100. After the Earth Summit, Japan established such laws as the Basic Environment Law and the Basic Law for Establishing a Recycling-Based Society. A government official said Japan had the best legal framework in place for protecting the environment. Several projects have started in the private sector as well. President Naoyuki Akikusa of Fujitsu Ltd. said environmental issues are becoming a major factor in determining whether a company can stay in business. This sentiment appears to have spread throughout the industrial sector as a whole. However, according to Saburo Kato of the Japan Association of Environment and Society for the 21st Century, "While all the accessories are ready, there's no engine" to promote environmental activities. Kato indicated that the pace and diffusion of change remained too slow. Also, Prof. Masaharu Yagishita of Nagoya University said, "Until now, the results of (environmental) measures have not been satisfactory because of an overemphasis on the voluntary nature of such efforts. This is due to a lack of clear vision and specific objectives." The advancement of recycling technology has created the illusion that the problem of waste has sorted itself out, although reality shows that the technology has not been effective in reducing the creation of waste. Yagishita said: "We have to think about what we want the Earth to be like in the future. For this reason, we have to make clear decisions about what should be done now. We are in a situation that calls for strong policies combined with regulation and incentives." These are points that will be central to the success of the Johannesburg Summit.
23. S KOREA ASKS JAPAN TO CUT IMPORT TARIFFS ON 4 PRODUCTS -KYODO Dow Jones 16 July 2002 Internet:
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/dowjones/20020717/bs_dowjones TOKYO -(Dow Jones)- South Korea again asked Tuesday that Japan lower import tariffs and work to eliminate non-tariff barriers on four products so as to make up for its trade deficit with Japan , a Japanese official said, Kyodo News reported. The South Korean government reiterated its request during the one-day high- level economic talks with Japan in Tokyo , saying its trade deficit with Japan remains above the $10 billion mark, the official told reporters, according to Kyodo. Tokyo explained only that a bilateral trade imbalance and the microeconomics of setting or lowering tariffs are different matters, the official said. The four products South Korea mentioned are oil products, leather goods, textiles and foods. South Korea also asked about Japan 's study into whether to impose antidumping customs duties on South Korean-made discontinuous polyester fiber. Tokyo stressed that it will consider the matter based on World Trade Organization rules. Concerning China , which has been experiencing rapid economic growth of late, the Japanese team members said that while there are some domestic views of China as a threat, they see the country's development as an opportunity for Japan , the official said. The South Koreans also said they consider the presence of China - South Korea's No. 3 trading partner after the United States and Japan , and its No. 2 export recipient country following the U.S. - as a chance for South Korea to attain greater economic growth. On the recently launched joint feasibility study over a bilateral free trade agreement, involving government, business and academic representatives, Japan expressed hope it would help reinforce Japan -South Korea ties, boost their economies and contribute to East Asian economic development as a whole. The South Korean delegation said the current atmosphere between the two neighbors, exemplified by the closeness attained following the joint hosting of last month's World Cup soccer finals, is important for moving forward with FTA talks. The two sides agreed to continue cooperating on the regional and international stages, such as in the new round of WTO multilateral trade talks, in the framework of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum, and in terms of the World Summit on Sustainable Development slated to open late next month in South Africa. The talks, the fourth such held annually since 1999, were attended by foreign affairs, finance, trade, agricultural and other senior officials from the two countries. Deputy Foreign Minister Shotaro Oshima headed the Japanese team, and Deputy Trade Minister Kim Kwang Dong led the South Korean delegation, Kyodo reported.
24. COMMERCE'S ALDONAS URGES NEW THINKING ON TRADE Washington File 16 July 2002 Washington -- Efforts to expand world trade with developing and transition economies should focus on facilitating lawful commerce within the countries themselves, says U.S. Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Grant Aldonas. In brief opening remarks to a July 16 workshop on capacity building for trade, development and the environment, Aldonas noted that these countries generally have enormous "black and gray" markets that eclipse their formal economies, and cited research showing that in some of them as much as 88 percent of commercial activity is conducted informally. "This means that trade isn't going to be the answer" to development, he said. "The ability to exchange legally inside an economy is probably more important." Barriers to internal exchanges often take the form of inadequate – or non-existent -- laws and institutions to protect commercial interests, he indicated. There is a "clear need" for rules and legal systems "so that people can lawfully engage in exchange," Aldonas said. "It all boils down to rights and to the premises that underlie a market economy." The workshop, co-sponsored by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and the United Nations Environment Programme, was designed to evaluate capacity-building services for developing and transition countries in advance of the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), scheduled for August in Johannesburg, South Africa. Aldonas said the WSSD would provide an opportunity to build on the growing consensus in favor of trade as a means of spurring development. But he stressed that policy makers should combine discussion of international barriers to trade with analysis of the internal barriers that keep many people outside the formal economy. "If global trade doesn't speak to the five billion [5,000 million] people who live on less than two dollars a day, then we've lost that opportunity," he said.
25. WORLD'S POOREST NATIONS MOSTLY A NO-SHOW AT FIJI SUMMIT EuBusiness 16 July 2002 Internet: http://www.eubusiness.com/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=86254&d=101&h=240&f=56&dateformat=%o%20%B%20%Y NADI, Fiji, July 16 (AFP) - Only 18 leaders of the worlds 78 poorest nations will attend a summit here defining their relations with the European Union (EU), Fiji Foreign Minister Kaliopate Tavola told reporters Tuesday. The summit, which starts on Wednesday, involves the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) group and its links to the EU, mostly old colonial masters. The Cotonou Agreement, the result of the ACP meeting in Benin in 2000, includes 15.2 billion euros (dollars) in aid and a new trade deal which ultimately will end preferential tariffs many of the ACP countries have with Europe. Tavola said delegations from 62 countries were on the way but only 18 heads of state would attend. "It can change tomorrow... and some one can turn up unannounced," he said. He said it was expected that many leaders would not be able to attend because the meeting was only just scheduled seven months ago. "In fixing the summit we were aware there would be problems... Eighteen is a good number and the heads of other delegations are ministers, deputy prime ministers, and so we will achieve the objective of the summit." The major item on the agenda is a progress report on a new trading agreement the ACP has to reach with the EU by 2008. The worry for ACP members, particularly the smaller Pacific countries, is that their struggling economies will get lost in globalisation. Tavola said it was clear in a free trade world that most of the ACP countries were being marginalised. He said while the ACP subscribed to liberal world trade, it still wanted to hang on to its preferential access to European markets and that World Trade Organisation rules should reflect that. While he acknowledged that the world was moving towards free trade, he said some countries still needed help to compete in the global market. "The direction it is taking, it is obviously to remove all the barriers, to have freer trade, but the more we have free trade, the more we have trade liberalisation, the more marginalised our economies become," he said. "Maybe there is a need for preferential markets to prevail, so that those who have been left behind, those that have been marginalised, can catch up with others and be able to trade with others in this competitive world." Fiji has a vested interest in the issue as special market tariffs for its troubled sugar industry which employs 30 percent of the population end in 2008. Tavola said the key issue was to agree an ACP position that could be taken onto the world stage. "The first focus is to look at the concerns that we encounter and to come up with some positions that the ACP group can take in unity and solidarity so that we can, as a group, become a force to be reckoned with." He said it would take five years of negotiations to reach a new trade agreement. The meeting is being held under the slogan "solidarity in a globalised world" and Tavola agreed it was difficult to appreciate the common ground between members which range from Niue with less than 2,000 people living on a single Pacific island to Nigeria's 127 million people. "We have 27 years of solidarity which we can show as evidence... We have been operating as a group and the group is enlarging. "We have been able to work and maintain our consistency in working with the European Union."
26. UN MAKES FINAL TRY TO SAVE EARTH SUMMIT The Guardian 15 July 2002 Internet: http://www.guardian.co.uk/globalisation/story/0,7369,755366,00.html Twenty five countries, including all G8 members, have been asked to meet today in New York in an attempt by the UN to salvage next month's Earth Summit in Johannesburg. Governments were due to reach consensus over a month ago on drafting a detailed plan for global economic development but the final preparatory meeting of the world summit on sustainable development in Bali, Indonesia, broke up in June without agreement in the most contentious areas. These include finance and trade commitments, targets for renewable energy, health, education, a poverty fund and debt reduction With the possibility that UN and world leaders will be condemned at Johannesburg for not commiting themselves to tackling the problems of global poverty and environmental degradation, President Mbeki of South Africa has approached the UN secretary general, Kofi Annan, to help bridge the yawning gaps. The UN was yesterday insisting that the New York meeting, which could run until the summit begins on August 26, did not mean the conference was in crisis. Nitin Desai, UN undersecretary general for economic and social affairs and chair of the Earth summit, said countries had so far agreed on about 75% of the text and predicted that differences could be overcome before the summit began - if delegates showed the necessary will. "I would not describe the conflict as insurmountable," he said. "Bali took the negotiations as far as they could go. The remaining issues require a political resolution". The success of the summit, expected to be the largest ever with more than 60,000 delegates and 100 heads of state, is being seen as a test for the future of multilateral diplomacy. But cynicism amongst international non government groups is high. Gerd Leipold, the head of Greenpeace International, said at the weekend he would prefer to see its collapse rather than a "a pact of toothless promises".
27. 'POOR PROSPECTS' FOR EARTH SUMMIT BBC 15 July 2002 Internet: http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_2129000/2129583.stm The Earth Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, faces a high risk of failure, according to a leading British environmental thinker. He is Sir Crispin Tickell, former UK ambassador to the United Nations. Sir Crispin says it is "hard to be optimistic" about what will happen in Johannesburg. Little, he says, will change "unless and until we think differently". Sir Crispin is now director of the Green College Centre for Environmental Policy and Understanding at the University of Oxford. Speaking to the Society for Conservation Biology, he said the summit's agenda, sustainable development, meant "treating the Earth as if we intended to stay". Affecting evolution He said humans were changing the Earth in several ways: by increasing their numbers, through the loss of land quality and the build-up of wastes, by changing atmospheric chemistry, and by continuing to destroy other living species. Coral reefs are being destroyed. He said our destruction of other species had reached "rates comparable to those caused by extraterrestrial impacts in the long-distant past. One in four mammal species, which are key indicators of ecosystem health, are facing a high risk of extinction in the near future. "The future course of evolution will be substantially changed by current human activity. "Bacteria and viruses learn how to react to almost any drug we may throw at them. Humans take 20 years to reproduce. Bacteria do the job in 20 minutes. How we are changing the Earth We are multiplying "at a giddy rate" 65% of all arable land may have already lost some biological and physical functions 60% or more of world fisheries are judged to be fully exploited or over-fished 27% of coral reefs are thought to have been lost, with another 32% at risk by 2032 Freshwater demand doubles every 21 years "Nor can we yet assess the effects of the introduction of genetically modified organisms." Sir Crispin said an occasional visitor from space would find more change in the Earth's surface in the last 200 years than in the preceding 2,000, and more in the last 20 years than in the preceding 200. The need to conserve biodiversity, the Earth's wealth of life, was hard to get across to people. There was an ethical reason to do so, but we seldom realised our vocation to be stewards of the Earth. Sir Crispin quoted the judgement of Professor James Lovelock, that "humans are as qualified to be stewards as goats are to be gardeners". There were strong economic arguments for conservation, from the range of drugs derived from plants to the need to cherish genetic diversity. Ecologically, we relied on forests and vegetation to produce soil, regulate water supplies and recycle waste. But Sir Crispin said inertia was immensely strong, and that was why little would change until we learnt to think differently, and why he was not optimistic about the WSSD. He said: "For change we need three factors: leadership from above, pressure from below, or some exemplary catastrophe. "Do we know where we are going? Not yet: the juggernaut of conventional wisdom rolls on. "Can we cope with the problems raised by the unstable and unsustainable society we have created for ourselves? My answer is also: not yet."
28. BUSH ADMINISTRATION MAY CAUSE FAILURE OF ENVIRONMENTAL SUMMIT Sierra Club 15 July 2002 Internet: http://www.sierraclub.org/pressroom/ Washington, DC -- The Sierra Club today expressed deep concern that the Bush Administration's approach to the upcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg may seriously undermine the global community's efforts to protect clean air and water, and fight global warming. The Sierra Club is stressing to the Administration that working with other countries at the Johannesburg Summit to hold enormous global corporations accountable for their environmental impact will help protect the environment both here at home and around the world. "The Administration has consistently blocked attempts to protect the global environment by promoting plans that benefit large corporations rather than the billions of citizens who have to deal with environmental crises, like dirty water and air, and global climate change," said Sierra Club Director Michael Dorsey, who has represented the Club during the preparatory meetings and will attend the Johannesburg Summit. "People around the world are seriously concerned that the Bush administration is undermining the World Summit instead of working with other countries to benefit everyone." In 1992, heads of state, including President George H. W. Bush, attended the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. They were asked to support binding international treaties on forest protection, climate change and biodiversity protection. President Bush Sr. agreed to the Rio Declaration and its Principles on Sustainable Development "with the goal of establishing a new and equitable global partnership through the creation of new levels of cooperation among States." A decade later, George W. Bush is attempting to reverse his father's legacy and turn back the clock. Instead of a partnership among nations, he proposes to eliminate oversight of corporations on the 10-year anniversary of the Earth Summit slated to begin in August in South Africa. The President is ignoring in this approach, the very lesson he has just affirmed with regard to domestic corporations for "standards enforced by strict laws and upheld by responsible business leaders." At the final preparatory meeting held in May in Bali, the US government delegation, following the directive of the Bush Administration, repeatedly resisted any serious steps to address a host of global environmental problems, especially global warming. The Administration steadfastly opposes international efforts to hold multinational corporations accountable for their business practices. The head of the US delegation criticized environmental targets and timetables as "theater" and "fiction" not worthy of serious consideration. Already more than 200 non-governmental organizations have signed a critique of the Johannesburg meeting entitled, "A Disaster in the Making". "What is fiction is not the concept of the global community holding global corporations accountable," said Sierra Club Executive Director Carl Pope, "but the idea that voluntary actions by these corporations will protect the world's citizens from pollution, destruction of their communities and the natural resources upon which they depend." "Unfortunately, this appears to be another attempt by President Bush to withdraw from global cooperation," said Stephen Mills, Director of the Sierra Club's International Program, who will also be attending the summit for the Sierra Club. "Americans want to be part of a country that acts as a responsible neighbor, and they know we need to cooperate with other nations to protect the environment if we expect them to cooperate with us." The Sierra Club will be asking the Administration to promote efforts to shift policy away from an approach that benefits corporations but rarely protects the environment. At the summit, the Sierra Club will be advocating for the Administration to: • Represent public interests before corporate interests by supporting binding corporate accountability measures, including public release of corporate environmental performance data. The Administration supports voluntary, non-binding environmental agreements that rely on corporations policing themselves. • Reverse its position that World Trade Organization rules should trump international environmental agreements. • Seriously address climate change and air pollution: So far the Administration has shown a lack of commitment to curbing climate change and protecting clean air, as evidenced by withdrawal from the Kyoto Protocol on climate change, and domestic efforts to weaken the Clean Air Act. • Respect the basic human right to clean drinking water - not undermine it by privatizing water services. In March, during its testimony on the Water Investment Act of 2002 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency stated that the Administration did not support additional funding to help the country's crumbling water systems, but instead believed that privatization is a better solution. The Administration is expected to support a similar position in Johannesburg. As we have just seen with Enron and Global Crossing, unregulated private companies cannot be relied upon to provide basic public services at a fair and just cost. We should not add drinking water as yet another vital public service that will be open to corporate manipulation and profiteering. • Protect Agriculture and Biodiversity. The Administration must resist pressure from huge agri-businesses and instead support calls for biosafety in order to prevent the widespread production and use of genetically modified organisms in agriculture.
29. AFRICAN JOURNALISM INDABA JOINS WORLD SUMMIT East Cape News (Grahamstown) via All Africa 15 July 2002 Internet: http://allafrica.com/stories/200207150266.html Rhodes University's Highway Africa conference has secured official status as part of the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg next month. Highway Africa is a six-year-old annual event focussing on African journalism and Internet, combining high-level discussions and hands-on training. Convened by Rhodes and SABC for 21-23 August, it is sponsored by the Department of Communications and hosted by the National Electronic Media Institute of South Africa. Along with 40 students from Rhodes, about 60 African journalists will stay on after highway African to report on the Summit. Under the theme of "wiring journalism for international development" the three-day programme at Highway African will analyse the role of media in defining the digital divide and how new technology can help journalists bridge it. Topics include the Internet revolution, the role of a free press and making technology affordable to Africa. Workshops will cover internet research skills, web publishing and the use of Geographical Information Systems for reporting on sustainable development. Speakers and delegates have been confirmed from Gambia, Kenya, Nigeria, Ethiopia, the SADC countries and the USA. Highway Africa has won a nomination for the prestigious Tech Awards run by The Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, California in the category of using technology to promote equality.
30. NET USERS SOUND OFF TO EARTH SUMMIT Ananova 15th July 2002 Internet: http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_628406.html?menu=news.technology Thousands of sound messages will be sent to next month's Earth Summit via a new Friends of the Earth audio website. Radiohead singer Thom Yorke and writer Arundhati Roy will be helping launch radioearthsummit.org.Friends of the Earth has created the site to provide people with the chance to send a noise to the summit in South Africa. It aims to show world leaders that action is needed to protect the environment and people from exploitation by global corporations. The sounds sent to the site will provide a soundscale for Friends of the Earth International's giant art installation outside the Earth Summit. Noises reflecting the situation already on the site include the sound of a mother crying, a scream of frustration, the sounds of clock ticking, a kookaburra calling, a beer bottle opening, the whirr of a chainsaw, a tiger's roar and the sound of silence. Radio Earth Summit will also provide news, features and interviews in the run up to the conference, which takes place in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4. Messages so far include a hard-hitting interview with Booker prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, a message of support from Radiohead lead singer Thom Yorke and Ricardo Navarro of Friends of the Earth International talking about the impact of corporations in El Salvador. Noises people have recorded and sent in include the sound of the Sumatran gibbon - under threat from logging activities in Indonesia - and the hissing sound of polluting gas released by petrochemical plants in South Africa. Liana Stupples of Friends of the Earth said: "We want people to send their messages to world leaders via Radio Earth Summit - but most of all, we want government leaders around the world to listen to what they have to say and take action to protect the planet."
31. SWEDISH PRIME MINISTER'S EMPLOYMENT STATEMENTS CONFIRM KEY TRADE UNION PRIORITIES FOR POSITIVE WSSD OUTCOMES ICFTU/TUAC 14 July 2002 Trade union officials are applauding recent statements by Swedish Prime Minister Göran Persson which reinforce the view that employment and socio-economic security are crucial to the success of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) which is due to open in Johannesburg, South Africa at the end of August. Persson made his statements to a "Passing of the Torch" ceremony last 25 June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, which was held to officially signal the inauguration of the WSSD, after the first Earth Summit in that city ten year ago. The statements focussing on employment issues, were only recently made public, and trade unionists believe they reflect a welcome and growing change in perspective among key players who will be attending the WSSD, including governments. Most notably, Persson highlighted the importance of investments and policies in both the social and environmental arenas, saying that they "offer exceptional opportunities" for ensuring that basic welfare and decent jobs for all is a prerequisite in promoting popular commitment to protection of the environment. "Economically, it helps to build new markets and create jobs," he said. "Socially it brings people in from the margins and politically, it reduces tensions and potential conflicts over resources." Since Rio 1992 trade unions have contended that the lack of just employment transition programmes constitutes an enormous barrier to worker involvement for implementing sustainable development targets, at the workplace level. They say that promoting change in tandem with better employment impact assessments, twinned with programmes for re-employment, training, education and compensation are the only way to secure the willing participation of workers, in the longer term. Persson also used the opportunity to reinforce a related trade union priority, when he called for stronger organizations and instruments for global governance. "There is a need to establish a better balance between global market forces and international governance for sustainable development," he said. "The international trade rules within the WTO, multilateral agreements and international conventions in the social area, such as core labour standards, must be mutually supportive." Trade unions are still assessing gains made at the WSSD Prepcom IV in Bali, Indonesia last May, in which governments agreed on the need to promote decent work and workplace-based partnerships as the key to more complete integration of the social dimension into development decisions. They have called upon the WSSD to strengthen its commitment - in both words and concrete action - to ensure that employment and social integration become central features of sustainable development, in particular, as it concerns poverty eradication. The world's two leading trade union organisations, the Internationational Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), and the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) have called on the governments of both South Africa and Indonesia to strengthen social and employment provisions of the text that will be negotiated at the WSSD in August. In particular, they are seeking improvements in the wording relating to worker participation issues, corporate accountability, roles of governments, and sector linkages to production/consumption patterns. (Copies of suggested amendments available upon request.) Trade unions also believe that the release of the Swedish Prime Minister's statements will lend force to the decision by South African Prime Minister Thabo Mbeki to invite a number of countries to assist him, when he Chairs the World Summit. He has asked 25 countries to serve as 'Friends of the Chair', and invited them to a meeting on July 17 "to find an approach to resolve outstanding differences that stand in the way of a global consensus at the Summit." Trade unions expect to monitor these meetings closely, and will aim to be in direct contact with the countries involved to lobby for employment and social issues to receive the attention they deserve
32. S&T CLIMBING ON MUSLIM COUNTRIES AGENDA Frontier Post 14 July 2002 Internet: http://frontierpost.com.pk/main.asp?id=19&date1=7/14/2002 ISLAMABAD: The governments of Islamic countries from Kuala Lumpur to Sarajevo are attaching increasingly high priority to science and technology, recent events suggest. Issues of promoting science and technology-and sustainable development-figured high at the Twenty-Ninth Session of the Islamic Conference of Foreign Ministers (ICFM) late last month. The conference encouraged the leaders of the Islamic states to work for promotion of science of technology for the good of humanity and for the socio-economic development of states. The foreign ministers were apt to reaffirm that science and technology must be shared and harnessed for peaceful purposes. They commended the activities of OIC Committee for Science and Technology (COMSTECH), ISESCO, and the Islamic University of Technology in Dhaka for their efforts in serving the cause of the Islamic Ummah and encouraged support to them. As well, the Khartoum conference stressed the need for cooperation and adoption of effective measures to protect the environment. Protection of environment, the ministers said, is essential for the sustainable development of the Member States. The conference adopted the resolution and the declaration adopted by the First Islamic Conference of Islamic Environment Ministers (ICEM) held in Jeddah on 10-12 June 2002. It urged the members states to take a united stand at the World Summit for Sustainable Development to be held in Johannesburg from 26 August to 4 September, and thanked the government of Saudi Arabia for hosting the first ICEM; and ISESCO for its part in that conference. The conference also agreed to update the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the OIC and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
33. POWELL TO GO TO SOUTH AFRICAN MEETING WITH MESSAGE OF HELPING REDUCE POVERTY AND GROW ECONOMIES Associated Press 12 July 2002 Internet: http://www.boston.com/dailynews/193/economy/Powell_to_go_to_South_African_:.shtml WASHINGTON (AP) The United States will emphasize at a U.N. summit next month that it is committed to help reduce poverty and promote economic growth in poor countries, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Friday. If those countries are to grow, however, their governments must rule justly, invest in their people and preserve the environment, the secretary told a State Department-sponsored conference. ''We will ask developing countries to join us in opening their economies and societies to growth, for growth is the key to raising people out of poverty,'' Powell said. Leaders from more than 100 countries are expected Aug. 26 to Sept. 4 at the meeting in Johannesburg, South Africa, sponsored by the United Nations to try to come up with ideas for cutting poverty and protecting the environment. Powell said he plans to attend, but a final decision has not been made on his role there. He met Friday with South Africa's foreign minister, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, to discuss preparations for the meeting, called the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Powell said such development is a ''compelling moral and humanitarian issue but also a security imperative, because poverty, destruction of the environment and despair are ... an unholy trinity that can destabilize countries and regions.'' He said the United States would stress at the Johannesburg meeting its commitment to helping nations develop. ''We will also carry the message that sustainable development must begin at home, with sound policies and good governance,'' Powell said. In addition, he said, the United States will emphasize partnerships involving governments, civil society and the private sector to mobilize the financial resources needed for development. On the environment, he said the United States would seek concrete acti |