World Summit on Sustainable Development (Earth Summit), Johannesburg 2002
More information
- 1 September, 2002
Analysis of WSSD Plan of Implementation - 3 September, 2002
WSSD: World Summit of Shameful Deals - 3 September, 2002
WSSD on Energy -- Nothing for the Poor, Nothing for the Climate - 4 September, 2002
The Future of Multilateralism - Address by Dr Claude Martin to the Heads of States and Governments - Original press pack from WWF for the WSSD
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WWF's global coordination for the Summit in 2002 was made possible through the generosity of the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA)
Perhaps it was the knowledge of the failures of the past decade that made the outcome of the WSSD such a disappointment.
The time was ripe, the warnings had been posted, we knew much more about the challenges, but the world’s leaders, so determined in many aspects of their difficult jobs, blinked and turned away.The Summit failed to address energy issues, the harmful effects of trade liberalization and subsidies, made lukewarm statements to support the Biodiversity Convention, and compromised on toxic chemicals to the extent that the outcome was weaker than previous international agreements.
Some things were achieved however, including a determination to improve water supply and sanitation, the need to allow fish stocks to replenish, and establishment of an international fund to tackle poverty.
Over 300 new partnerships between governments, businesses, and NGOs and other civil society organizations were forged. Among them, WWF, the government of Brazil, the World Bank and the Global Environment Facility (GEF) announced a new programme (ARPA) to triple the area of Amazon rainforest under protection.
Surprisingly, the meeting virtually gave up on setting real targets and timetables for many urgent issues.
