World Summit on Sustainable Development Department of Public Information - News and Media Services Division - New York
	Johannesburg, South Africa 26 August-4 September 2002	31 August 2002

PRESS CONFERENCE BY GLOBAL ALLIANCE FOR BUILDING SUSTAINABILITY   The Global Alliance for Building Sustainability -- a new coalition of professionals, non-governmental organizations and government agencies who aim to raise awareness on the sustainability of the built environment (land, property, construction and development) -- was born of a genuine desire of practitioners to take their place on the world stage, one of its members explained today at a Summit press conference. Formed by the RICS Foundation (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), the Alliance is comprised of 43 members representing some 1` million practitioners. Briefing correspondents were: Levi Oguike, Chairman, House Committee on Habitat for the National Assembly of Nigeria; David Fitzpatrick, RICS Foundation; and Alan Gilham, Special Advisor for the Alliance and sustainability advisor of the RICS Foundation. Mr. Gilham said that 18 months ago, founding members realized that there were many examples of achievement within the four areas of concentration, in terms of reducing energy consumption and improving living conditions. An alliance was formed to bring those to the World Summit. The coalition had also wished to give practitioners a voice with policy makers and streamline their ability to achieve more. The way forward was action-oriented. The last two days of launching the Alliance had been the start of a journey to develop a business plan and an action plan to deliver real benefits to all of the members by sharing information and best practices. That was the first and only "Type 2 partnership" (between governments, business and civil society in support of the government-led, or "Type 1" outcome) on land, property, construction and development, or on the built environment, Mr. Fitzpatrick said. As part of the Summit, Alliance members were trying to deal with global issues of sustainable development and the built environment, which was the single biggest contributor to global warming. The partnership was formally introduced at the Summit in one of five main parallel events and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and several ministers lent their support. Members included architects, planners, lawyers, accountants, key non-governmental organizations and senior parts of government. The Alliance was driven mainly by the private sector, but it was joining with governments to bridge the gap between policy and practice. The build-up to the Summit had been one of talking about policy, with many suggesting that the problem was lack of action. The Type 2 partnership bridged that gap. It was about taking action on the built environment across the globe. The group's newly adopted charter was a unique document, which affirmed the sustainable development vision of the Summit and sought inclusion in the subsequent implementation process. Adding his voice to the goal of the Alliance, Mr. Oguike said that it was a very important initiative, which had his strong support. He would introduce the initiative in the Nigerian Parliament and explore the prospects of linking it with implementation of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).   Press Conferences Summit News