WSSD Side Events

UNECE: Participatory democracy and good governance

The UNECE, in cooperation with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) and the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe, organized a side event on “Participatory Democracy and Good Governance as Fundamental Tools for a Human Rights Approach to Sustainable Development”. The event took place on Monday, 26 August 2002, in the Sandton Convention Centre in Johannesburg, in conjunction with WSSD. A panel of distinguished speakers, comprising Ministers, parliamentarians and representatives of intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations from different regions, took part in the event

The side event, chaired by the UNECE Executive Secretary, Brigita Schmögnerová focussed on strengthening environmental rights and their contribution to sustainable development within the framework of good governance and respect for human rights. It thereby aimed to promote the principles of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (in particular principle 10 on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice) and to integrate social and economic development and environmental protection.

UNESCAP: Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development

Coinciding with the WSSD Summit, in Johannesburg UNESCAP and UNDP presented a joint study entitled, “Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific”. The study concluded that there has been a marked deterioration in environmental conditions in Asia and the Pacific region.

The Asian and Pacific region is “paying heavily for the combined effects of ‘grow now, clean up later’ policies that prevailed in the past,” Kim Hak-Su, UNESCAP Executive Secretary, told Summit delegates. Hafiz Pasha, Assistant Administrator of UNDP, noted the report's finding that the failure of environmental governance in the Asia Pacific region results from lack of implementation and enforcement of policies.

ECLAC: Financing and Investment for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean

The Government of Mexico, UNDP and the Corporación Andina de Fomento Andean Development Corporation (CAF) and ECLAC co-hosted a side event at the WSSD on “Financing and investment for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean.” The purpose of the parallel event was to analyse the links between the Monterrey Consensus, reached during the International Conference on Financing for Development held in Mexico (March 2002) and the Johannesburg Summit.

The event took place at the Sandton Conference Centre on 3 September, and was chaired by President Vicente Fox of Mexico, with President Fernando Henrique Cardoso of Brazil participating as the guest of honour. Speakers included José Antonio Ocampo, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, José María Figueres, former President of Costa Rica and current managing director of the World Economic Forum, Enrique Iglesias, President of the IDB, Mark Malloch Brown, UNDP administrator, and Enrique García, Executive President of the CAF.

For presentation at WSSD, ECLAC and UNDP also jointly prepared a document on “Financing for Sustainable Development in Latin America and the Caribbean”. The paper advocated a more creative approach to the search for new resources to finance the environmental side of sustainable development

ECA: Harnessing Technologies for Sustainable Development

If effectively harnessed, new and emerging technologies can help catalyse Africa’s transition to sustainable development by lowering the incidence of disease, reducing food insecurity, and decreasing vulnerability to environmental damage by allowing more flexible crop systems. However, the expected benefits of both medical (red) and agricultural (green) biotechnology can only be realised if a number of key challenges are addressed, including the extent to which the technologies are relevant to Africa, are pro-poor and mitigate bio-safety and related risks. Biotechnology should be viewed as one part of a comprehensive, sustainable poverty reduction strategy, and not as a technological “quick fix” for Africa’s hunger and poverty problems. Those are the key messages of a new policy research report entitled “Harnessing Technologies for Sustainable Development”, released by ECA simultaneously with the World Summit for Sustainable Development (WSSD). To read the report on line, visit the ECA website at www.uneca.org.

ESCWA: Support to Arab countries to prepare for WSSD

On the occasion of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), and in light of the lack of necessary information in Arabic regarding the strategies, policies and actions needed to achieve sustainable development in the region, ESCWA issued a number of Briefing Papers identifying primary issues regarding sustainable development in the region.

In all, it issued some 18 Briefing Papers dealing with the themes that were set out in Agenda 21. The Briefing Papers aim to identify priority issues and the degree to which these issues relate to the development needs and aspirations of ESCWA countries.