Is there an answer to this million-dollar question? It’s what World Summit 2002 is all about
Mail & Guardian reporter
Sustainable development is being defined as social and economic development within biophysical environmental constraints that meets the needs of the present without compromising the potential of future generations to meet their own needs. A high degree of cooperation and knowledge-gathering between nations is needed to gain a holistic understanding of sustainability.
Sustainable development calls for the improvement of the quality of life for all the world’s people without increasing the depletion of our natural resources beyond the Earth’s carrying capacity. In order to build a truly sustainable way of life, an integration of action in the following three key areas is imperative:
Economic development and equity
Conserving natural resources and the environment
Social development
Poverty and inequality in Africa are the greatest threats to global sustainable development in the 21st century. Articulation of a vision of sustainable development in Africa is rooted in the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad), and will be based on a fresh set of human, spiritual and economic values that address the central issues of poverty and inequality.
What is World Summit 2002?
The World Summit is a United Nations conference and is the world’s biggest and most important international summit ever held on sustainable development.
It will be held in Johannesburg from August 26 to September 4 2002 and will be a gathering of world governments, concerned citizens, UN agencies, financial institutions and other major stakeholders.
Part of the summit aims to assess global change since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992. It will focus, among other things, on building commitment at the highest level of government and society to implement Agenda 21, a blueprint for action to be taken globally in every area where human activity impacts on the environment.
The Rio Earth Summit made history by bringing global attention to the understanding that the planet’s environmental problems were intricately linked to the economic conditions and challenges of social injustice. It demonstrated to the world that if people are poor and national economies are weak, the environment suffers and if the environment is abused and resources are over-consumed, people suffer and economies decline.
World Summit 2002 will reflect a shift in emphasis from purely environmental issues to the importance of sustainable social and economic development within the context of environmental stewardship. It will not seek to renegotiate Agenda 21, but rather review progress on its implementation, and consequently seek to put in place further implementation mechanisms and resources to see the Rio commitments realised.
The content of World Summit 2002 will focus on the needs of the developing world that is, the links between poverty, environment and human development.
An estimated 20 000 UN accredited delegates, of which 5 000 will be government delegates from 189 member states, observer states and the UN, are expected to attend. The Civil Society Global Forum is expecting the participation of 50 000 delegates, of which approximately 10 000 will be from the nine “Major Groups”. Another 5 000 media representatives, tourists and delegates to World Summit side events are also expected.
The nine “Major Groups” identified by Agenda 21 are:
Business and industry
Women
Children and Youth
Indigenous People
Local Authorities
Workers and Trade Unions
NGOs
Scientific and technological communities
Farmers
Why is it taking place?
The reality of the world today is much like 1992 a world where poverty and inequality are prevalent. We still live in a world where the gap between rich and poor continues to widen, where the poor are victims of cultural destruction, social injustice, economic debt and struggle for the basic human rights of a clean and healthy environment.
The World Summit presents an opportunity for South Africa, together with Africa, to not only redress the region’s sustainable development challenges but to communicate its positive experiences and its vision for a more just and equitable world.
The reasons why World Summit 2002 is taking place in South Africa include:
South Africa has managed to present itself as a democracy model in an interdependent world.
It is a major symbolic achievement for the less-developed countries of the world to host an event of this magnitude.
Nepad is on the international agenda.
To reposition Africa’s global economic relations.
To cultivate and promote a positive image for South Africa.
What benefit will the summit have for South Africans? Small, medium and big business, and particularly the tourism sector, will be major direct beneficiaries of World Summit 2002.
The event is expected to create more than 14 000 jobs for South Africa. It is estimated that a large number of the delegates attending will take a pre- or post-conference trip to other parts of South Africa.
In addition to this, it is expected that the direct and indirect promotional spin-offs from the massive media coverage and word-of-mouth marketing by the tens of thousands of delegates returning from South Africa to every corner of the globe will be immeasurable.
The people of South Africa have emerged from decades of apartheid and centuries of colonisation and oppression, and many continue to live in poverty-stricken environments.
South Africa has invited governments, NGOs and business leaders from all over the world to Johannesburg to reaffirm their commitment to a just and equitably society. Not only will the deliberations and commitments be watched closely by the world’s media, but also by millions of South Africans, many of whose livelihoods and futures may depend on the outcomes of World Summit 2002.