Development & Aid, Environment, Tierramerica

After the Johannesburg Summit

Sep 8 2002 (IPS) - The World Summit on Sustainable Development drew 104 heads of state, 9,000 delegates, 8,000 representatives of non-governmental organizations and 4,000 journalists, according to the official count. But what did the event produce?

Most of the press dispatches coming out of Johannesburg on Sep 4, the last day of the Summit, reported on the reactions to the event's final outcomes. While the organizers expressed satisfaction, civil society representatives criticized the lack of commitments made by the governments.

The Summit's official website reflects part of the official reaction. In response to criticisms about the lack of concrete proposals for action, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan stated that Johannesburg was not the end of a process, but rather, “It's the beginning.”

During the 10 days that the delegates were gathered in the South African city, there was a great deal of inspired press coverage, heated debate, and numerous websites dedicated to the WSSD. Much of that activity halted when the Summit was over, although there will surely be commentaries, analysis and evaluations for months to come about one of the biggest international conferences ever held.

In the meantime, the Internet is a source of information about the outcomes of the Summit. Still available on the worldwide web is the digital version of the daily TerraViva, which circulated in its print version during the WSSD, as is the UN's own Internet coverage “WSSD Live”.

Digging through the official site, one can also find, in PDF format, the final published versions of the Johannesburg Declaration and the Plan of Action signed by world leaders at the close of the meeting.

And other websites already have posted their comments about the Summit. “I am satisfied that what has been delivered is a step forward,” says Klaus Toepfer, executive director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), acknowledging that the negotiations were very difficult.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF), meanwhile, points out that no effective plan was reached for sustainable development, and wonders about the ability of future multilateral efforts to eradicate poverty and protect the environment. Greenpeace, for its part, titled its Spanish-language dispatch about the results of Johannesburg: “Nothing for the poor, nothing for the environment.”