Political
declaration submitted
The draft political
declaration has been submitted to the World Summit by its President
Thabo Mbeki. Titled the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable
Development, the four-page document recognises the need to bridge
the chasm between rich and poor and to save the planet. The document
says the increasing gap between rich and poor poses a threat to
global prosperity, security and stability. It argues that the benefits
and costs of globalisation are unevenly distributed and calls for
commitment from democracies to rectify the imbalance. The declaration
commits itself to increase access to clean drinking water, sanitation,
energy, health care and food security. It also welcomes regional
alliances such as Nepad and has undertaken to provide assistance
to increase employment opportunities. The document further underlines
the need to assume a collective responsibility to produce a practical
plan to eradicate poverty and develop humanity.
Mixed response
to the plan
World leaders
say the plan for sustainable development they have thrashed out
in Sandton means the Johannesburg summit will be remembered as the
"action summit." They say it has succeeded in mobilising
global society and freeing new funds for development. Major non-governmental
orgnaisations, on the other hand, say what's emerged falls far short
of the ideals set by the Rio Earth Summit ten years ago.
Nasrec a
success, Sandton a failure: Steering Committee
The Global People's
Forum at Nasrec has been declared a success. The International Steering
Committee of the Forum at Nasrec said that the gathering would go
down in history as a watershed conference in terms of mass mobilisation.
The statement says an unstoppable war on poverty has been launched
and that the world would look at Nasrec for starting the process
of poverty eradication. This statement is in contrast to remarks
made by some NGOs and civil groupings the past two-weeks. The feeling
was that Sandton had overshadowed the Nasrec gathering. The Steering
committee has dispelled these comments. Instead they have declared
the World Summit at Sandton as a dismal failure
Protest at
US attitude to Summit
The protestor
who captured international media attention when he was ejected from
a plenary session while Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State,
was speaking says he was protesting against his government's attitude
towards the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The protestor,
Michael Brune, who works for the environmental NGO Rainforest Action
Network said he, along with other international activists were protesting
at the US government's lack of leadership and responsibility to
lead the world to a better future.
UN
gives Summit thumbs up
Kofi Annan,
the United Nations secretary-general, has given the World Summit
on Sustainable Development the thumbs up. The ten-day meeting to
eradicate poverty and to protect the earth's natural resources is
due to end today. Annan says he's generally pleased with the outcome
of the high-level UN conference and has already described the Johannesburg
Summit as a success, even though the UN did not get everything it
wanted. Annan says the main task now facing everyone is to keep
their promises and to put their words into action.
Protesters
shoved out of Sandton
NGOs, including
Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace, and various civil society groups
staged a sit-in on Sandton Square this morning in protest of the
lack of progress made at the summit. The peaceful protestors wore
stickers bearing the messages 'wssd morgue' and 'no more shameful
summits' in response to what they say is a watered down declaration
lacking political will. Police responded by dispersing and shoving
the 200-plus group out of the convention centre. Kirsti Svenning,
of the Norwegian NGO Forum representing 63 NGOs, says that struggles
to reach agreements made ten years ago are ridiculous and that the
closure of negotiations and dialogue between NGOs and governments
is particularly disappointing. Svenning says police response was
unnerving because they had shot guns with safety catches off, were
pushing protestors around and being very edgy. Glen Ashton, GMO
coordinator of South Africa, says the summit is a farce with Ubuntu
village being used to green wash people into seeing it as a success.
Agreement
to lower trade standards and product quality
One of the first
bilateral agreements at The World Summit was signed between South
Africa and Uganda this morning. The trade agreement signed by the
Ugandan Tourism, Trade and Industry Minister, Edward Rugumayo and
the South African Trade and Industry Minister, Alec Erwin, will
strengthen the trade relations between the countries. Erwin says
South Africa will now buy more from Uganda. He however says that
this will lower the trade standards and the product quality.
NGO
reasoning
NGOs have been
particularly critical of the summit's failure to set targets for
switching to renewable energy sources. They say the energy deals
will benefit neither the planet nor the world's two-billion energy-poor
people. They say women's rights do not feature strongly enough and
there's a lack of political will to alter a rigged international
trading system. Andrew Hewett, of Oxfam says there are gaps between
the high-sounding rhetoric of world leaders and the tough tactics
of their negotiators. The world's NGOs cited the lack of timeframes,
specific targets, monitoring mechanisms and financial resources
as evidence that the summit has failed. NGOs say the summit's failure
to stipulate greater use of renewable energy will go down in history
as a missed opportunity. They have also accused world leaders of
protecting the interests of big corporations at the expense of the
people.
Another issue
the NGOs say has been glossed over is genetically modified foods.
Fred Kalibwane, representing African farmers, says he is disappointed
at the silence on the possible health dangers of exports of genetically
modified crops to Africa and the threat of GMO monopolies to small
farmers.
US and oil
producers reject renewable energy targets
Energy proved
to be the most contentious issue at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development in Johannesburg as debate over whether to raise targets
for use of "green" energy raged. The United States and
oil producing countries firmly rejected demands to enshrine targets
to boost use of renewable energy sources in the text. The deal agreed
on today pledged to make energy more accessible to the poor but
there were no time-bound targets.
Negotiations
major success: government
World leaders
are expected to endorse the Political Declaration that was prepared
by South Africa. The South African government says negotiations
on the implementation plan for achieving the objectives of the World
Summit have been a major success. About 41 agreements have been
reached on key issues such as poverty eradication, biodiversity,
trade and energy. The government says there have been major advances
on the agreements reached during the last summit in Rio, ten years
ago. It is expected that more partnerships between governments and
the public sector organisations will be announced today.
Civil society
denounces summit
Dr Vandana Shiva,
a civil society member, eco-feminist and scientist says that the
World Summit has become a trade-show, and even though there are
immense problems with climate change and water shortages, no real
steps have been taken to amend this. Civil society members this
morning launched a declaration against the outcomes of the Summit.
In the declaration they denounce, among other things, the failure
to recognise the primacy of human dignity and human rights as a
negotiating principle, most specifically with regard to the access
of basic services. They reaffirm that another world is possible,
and quote, "we shall make it happen".
Summit of
shameful deals: WWF
Jennifer Morgan,
of the World Wildlife Fund says there have been too many compromises.
Morgan says that WWF has renamed the WSSD the world summit of shameful
deals. According to WWF the summit failed to take the action needed
to reduce the patterns of unsustainable production and consumption
that are impoverishing this planet and the people that live on it.
Desai says
Jo'burg Summit beats Rio
Nitin Desai,
Secretary-General of the World Summit, says unlike the Rio Earth
Summit ten years ago, the goals and targets for sustainable development
agreed on in Johannesburg call for concrete action. He says agreements
reached in Rio did not translate into definite action on the parts
of governments for a sustainable environment, while Johannesburg
lays the basis for the achievement of specific goals and targets,
particularly around poverty, water and sanitation.
Summit satisfies
EU
The European
Union says it is satisfied with what has been achieved by the Johannesburg
summit. Ander Fogh Ramsussen, the EU Prime Minister, says his Union
played a leading role at the summit, concluding a number of deals,
one of them being a global deal and partnership recommending free
trade, increased market access, increased development assistance,
and a commitment to good governance and a better environment. Now,
he says, it's time for action.
Minister
of social development takes stock
Zola Skweyiya,
the minister of social development, says while not everything they
had hoped for has been achieved at the World Summit on Sustainable
Development, he believes it was a success. Skweyiya visited civil
society at Nasrec in Johannesburg this morning to share his impression
of the summit. He said one of the disappointments was the discussions
on energy. But on the positive side, they did manage to highlight
it on the world stage. He said he was very happy with the attention
that poverty, water and sanitation and HIV/Aids received at the
summit. Skweyiya said South Africa as the host country would use
its diplomatic muscle and rely on civil society to ensure that the
decisions taken at the summit would be implemented.
page by Steven
Lang
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