World Summit on Sustainable Development Department of Public Information - News and Media Services Division - New York
	Johannesburg, South Africa 26 August-4 September 2002	25 August 2002

PRE-SUMMIT MEDIA BRIEFING BY SOUTH AFRICA'S FOREIGN MINISTER, SUMMIT SECRETARY-GENERAL   Millions of people throughout the world expected the World Summit on Sustainable Development to produce a plan of action that would examine positive ways to conserve and manage the planet's resources, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa's Minister for Foreign Affairs, told correspondents this afternoon. Speaking at the pre-summit media briefing, Ms. Zuma, who will be serving as Summit President, said that those millions also expected the Summit to look seriously at the issues that affected them in particular -- such as education, health services, access to water and sanitation, as well as energy and the environment. It was also expected that there would be closer cooperation than in the past between rich and poor, North and South, she added. Closer partnerships among governments and civil society, major groups and business would make the plan of action implementable and ensure that the Summit's results would be felt into the next decade. A successful Summit, besides practical arrangements, was about political will on the part of all participating States. Once political will existed, it would be a matter of negotiating all the issues. Also addressing the briefing, Nitin Desai, Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs and Secretary-General of the Summit, said that a major difference between the Johannesburg Summit and the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro was that 10 years ago South Africa could not even be represented. However, he pointed out, the key difference was that Rio focused attention on trying to change the way people thought about development, while Johannesburg was trying to change the way in which people acted. The World Summit was about implementation. Those at Rio had not been as conscious of HIV/AIDS and globalization as those attending the present Summit. The key issue now was to come out with actions addressing those matters. Mr. Desai said another important difference was that Rio was perhaps the beginning of large-scale involvement by civil society, which had a large advocacy role. That engagement was now focusing on partnerships for implementation. While Rio had had little to build upon, Johannesburg had much to build on, being the culmination of a process that included the Copenhagen World Summit on Social Development, the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing and the Cairo conference on population. Asked what impetus there was to narrow the negotiating gaps that existed following the final preparatory meeting in Bali, Ms. Zuma replied that informal contacts had helped to narrow the gaps since then. Also, everybody knew that Johannesburg was the last chance to reach agreement. Mr. Desai added that the major areas of disagreement in Bali involved the specificity of commitments and the nature of the view taken on globalization, trade and finance. In Bali, where 75 per cent of the negotiations were completed, the process was been taken as far as it could go. The rest required high-level political engagement. Most high-level commitments to attend the World Summit had come after Bali, he said. What impact would the absence of the United States President have? another correspondent asked. Mr. Desai said the United States had been fully engaged, participating in every preparatory session and negotiating in a thorough way. It would be fully involved in launching all initiatives announced at Johannesburg. Ms. Zuma pointed out that political will was not gauged just by the physical presence of one person, but by the citizens of the country in question. However, a critical mass of participating leaders was crucial to ensure the implementation of whatever the Summit decided. Another journalist asked how important it was to get new commitments from the developed countries for new money and targets. Ms. Zuma said that, although new commitments were very important to the developing world, it was important to be realistic about the limits on the amount of money that the developed countries would release and the targets they would agree to. Asked about a possible need to tackle specific issues like the looming famine in southern Africa, Mr. Desai said the United Nations had set up a headquarters to ensure support for the emergency situation, but the famine question was not part of the Summit's agenda -- beyond the general issue of natural disaster prevention and management. Ms. Zuma added that there had been a positive response to the developing humanitarian situation. South Africa was ready to use its ports and other facilities to transport the required assistance as soon as possible. What was the importance of tackling HIV/AIDS in the context of sustainable development? another correspondent asked. Mr. Desai replied that the question of HIV/AIDS was absolutely central to sustainable development, because it was not possible to discuss any kind of development where such a severe epidemic had such a drastic impact, especially in economic terms. Asked if police use of concussion grenades on protesters, as had happened last night, could be expected for the rest of the Summit, Ms. Zuma said that last night's march, though illegal, had been allowed to proceed because it was peaceful. But, problems had arisen when some protesters, mainly foreigners, had broken away and started spray-painting walls, as well as committing other anarchic actions. She emphasized that people in South Africa were allowed to march, protest and demonstrate, not just during the Summit, but at all times, as long as they were within the law. During last year's World Conference against Racism in Durban, there had been many such protests, but the marchers had acted legally, she recalled. Meeting Summaries Summit News