World Summit on Sustainable Development Department of Public Information - News and Media Services Division - New York
	Johannesburg, South Africa 26 August-4 September 2002	29 August 2002

PRESS CONFERENCE BY EUROPEAN UNION   The European Union announced two major Type-2 partnerships on water and energy to be launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development next week in support of the Summit's goals of reducing poverty and environmental degradation in the developing world. [Type-2 partnerships represent multi-stakeholder cooperation between governments, business and civil society.] Speaking at a Summit press conference this morning, were Danish Minister for Environment Hans Christian Schmidt (EU Presidency); Commissioner for EU Development and Humanitarian Aid, Poul Nielson; and Greece's Minister for the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works, Vasso Papandreou. "The Summit must result in a clear political agreement, with clear targets and commitments," Mr. Schmidt stressed. Action to promote sustainable development was needed at local, national, regional and international levels, and it was clear that Type-2 partnerships could provide additional support to intergovernmental agreements, presenting an agreed framework for official cooperation between governments and other actors. They could not substitute for government commitments, however, and should not be used as an excuse for avoiding governmental responsibility. At the same time, the EU found it important that the private sector and civil society should be involved in sustainable development efforts, he continued. What mattered was not the quantity of Type-2 partnerships, but their quality. It was not the presentation, but actions on the ground, resources and long-term commitment that were important. New partnerships should not be initiated without an adequate follow-up framework, which should provide information on how partnerships as a group were helping to deliver the implementation of the Summit decisions. In the light of the criticism that non-governmental organizations, in particular, had leveled against partnerships, groups should be able to take part in the follow-up process to secure transparency. Mr. Nielson also emphasized that the primary responsibility for sustainable development lay with governments, and Type-2 partnerships were useful additional means of achieving agreements. The Union's partnership initiatives on water and energy would be driven by the needs of developing countries themselves. To bring together all interested stakeholders, workshops on both initiatives were being held today in Johannesburg, ahead of their formal launches next week. The water initiative would help to deliver the target (which, he hoped, the Summit would agree on) of halving by 2015 the number of people without access to clean water and sanitation. Called "Water for Life", the initiative provided a platform for strategic partnerships between the EU and regions in the developing world, bringing together public and private funding, stakeholders and experts. Collectively, the EU was already the largest global donor in the field of water, he pointed out. It provided some 1.4 billion euros annually. The Union was ready to increase that amount in the coming years, in accordance with its financial commitments made in Monterrey. Turning to the energy initiative, he said that the key aim there was to improve access of people in developing world to adequate, affordable and sustainable energy. It would develop partnerships with interested developing countries to identify their energy needs and ways of meeting them. Collectively, the EU already provided up to 700 million euros a year for energy in developing countries. That amount could increase in the future, as increased awareness of the role of energy services in poverty eradication led to more requests from countries of the South. Ms. Papandreou, whose country will hold the EU Presidency for the first half of 2003, said that EU Member States had a long-standing tradition in the field of development. Partnerships were very important for the Summit. The outcome of the event was not a goal in itself -- on the basis of those documents, it was necessary to ensure sustainable future for the planet. Members of the EU were devoting great energy and money to numerous partnerships in the areas, which were of critical importance for achieving sustainable development: water, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity and education. Asked to explain the EU position on renewable energy and the use of nuclear energy in the developing world, Mr. Schmidt said that it was important for the Summit to promote renewable energy in sustainable terms. It made sense to establish global targets for renewable energy and to use the United Nations forum to clarify goals and set the targets in that respect. The Union had proposed a global target of reaching 15 per cent-use of renewable energy sources by 2010. To reach that goal, developed countries needed to increase their use of renewable energy by 2 per cent a year. It was a mistake to think that the EU was recommending the use of nuclear energy in Africa, he said. However, if developing countries themselves opted for use of nuclear energy, the Union had an obligation to assist them with capacity-building in order to make sure that they adhered to safety standards. Currently, the Union had no Type-2 partnerships relating to nuclear power activities. To several questions regarding common denominators and difference between the United States and the European Union on sustainable development, he said that the Union had a good working relationship with the United States and "Group of 77" developing countries and China. Sustainable development was very important, but it needed to be approached in the right way. The EU wanted to set a 10-year work programme, which would include clear targets and timetables. It would try to convince other countries to participate in such a plan.   Press Conferences Summit News