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

PRESS CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS AT SUMMIT   Partnerships between governments, business, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and other actors were not a substitute for political agreement, Lord Richard Holme, Chairman of the International Chamber of Commerce, said this afternoon at a press conference to discuss the business presence at the World Summit. Stressing the importance of complementarity, he said that Type 2 agreements -- voluntary partnerships between and among the various actors -- also were not a substitute for Type 1 agreements -- those between governments. He added that the sort of partnerships identified by business should be transparent and mutually accountable between partners; should have clear, measurable goals; and should involve multiple stakeholders. Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of Business Action for Sustainable Development, stressed the need to build trust among the different actors involved in partnerships. There was also a need to set open and agreed targets and to be clear about the role of markets that would operate within a structured framework in each and every country. Business had realized that simply delivering economic benefits was not good enough, he said, noting the need to take account of the social consequences of economic activities. Rueul Khoza, Chairman of South African energy corporation Eskom, said the company was involved in a variety of sustainable development projects, including the Johannesburg Climate Legacy aimed at offsetting the effects of hosting the World Summit, including water use and carbon dioxide emissions. It also hoped to establish an African Energy Fund to finance energy projects under the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) initiative, he said. That project would fund the linking of high-voltage lines between Angola, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Namibia and South Africa. A similar project on the east coast would link Mozambique, Zimbabwe and the United Republic of Tanzania. Bjorn Stigson, of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, said high-profile business figures would participate in a Business Day next Sunday that would hold panels on such issues as sustainable use and management of natural resources, accountability and transparency. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, the Prime Ministers of Canada and Denmark, as well as United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan had been invited, he added. Responding to a question about corporate accountability, Mr. Moody-Stuart reiterated the need for strong governance frameworks within each country, because the problems were on a national level. While there was a need for global governance in finance and trade, the bulk of business was local and national and the frameworks must be on that level. He added that business was in favour of mandatory frameworks contrary to common belief. Asked how much of the proceeds from the proposed partnerships would go to profit and how much to humanitarian and social causes, he said sustainable development must be economically based, otherwise governments, NGOs and business would not be able to function. Meeting Summaries Summit News