EM Feature

18 November 2002EM

EMEM

SETTING GLOBAL GOALSThe global journey to protect the planet for all its inhabitantsstarted more than three decades ago, when the United Na-tions (UN) General Assembly recognized the need to convenea UN conference to address the problems of the environment.That conference, which was held in Stockholm, Sweden, inJune 1972, considered the need for a common outlook andguiding principles to assist the peoples of the world in thepreservation and enhancement of the human environment.

The historic Stockholm declaration on the human envi-ronment focused on Earth’s finite and threatened resources.The opening of the Stockholm Declaration states:

“Man is both creature and molder of his environment, whichgives him physical sustenance and affords him the opportunityfor intellectual, moral, social, and spiritual growth. In the longand tortuous evolution of the human race on this planet, a stagehas been reached when, through the rapid acceleration of scienceand technology, man has acquired the power to transform his

environment in countless ways and on an unprecedented scale.Both aspects of man’s environment, the natural and the man-made, are essential to his well-being and to the enjoyment ofbasic human rights, the right to life itself.”1

The importance of this event rested on the fact that theglobal community met for the first time to discuss global en-vironmental issues and that the declaration recognized theimportant role that all parts of society have to play in envi-ronmental discussions and actions. This declaration led to theformation of the UN Environment Program (UNEP) to pro-vide leadership and direction on environmental initiatives atthe international level. UNEP was encouraged to work withgovernments, UN bodies, and various other groups to providea conduit for their input.

The Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June1992, was another milestone event because it resulted in ablueprint for Sustainable Development in the 21st Century (akaAgenda-21), which was signed by most of the world’s leaders.

A chieving global sustainable development is noeasy task. Significant changes are needed indecision-making at the highest levels of government

and industry, and in the day-to-day behaviors of produc-ers and consumers, if society is to reach the goal of sus-tainable development. This article presents a briefoverview of the chronology of the global efforts to ad-dress common sustainability issues, highlights the maintopics of discussion that emerged from the preparatoryprocess leading up to the World Summit on SustainableDevelopment in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26–September 4, 2002, and concludes with a brief analysis ofthe barriers and opportunities for achieving sustainabledevelopment as we move forward.

Feature

The Road to Sustainable Development:From Rio to Johannesburg and Beyond

by Miriam Lev-On

The Road to Sustainable Development:From Rio to Johannesburg and Beyond

EMNovember 2002 19

“At the dawn of this new century, we have at ourdisposal the human and material resources toachieve sustainable development, not as an abstractconcept but as a concrete reality. The unprecedenteddevelopments in production and information tech-nologies, the emergence of a younger generationwith a clear sense of optimism, solidarity andvalues, women increasingly aware and with anenhanced active role in society—all point to theemergence of a new consciousness. We can decreasepoverty by half by 2015 without degrading theenvironment, we can ensure environmental securitythrough early warning, we can better integrateenvironmental considerations in economic policy,we can better coordinate legal instruments and wecan realize a vision of a world without slums. Wecommit ourselves to realizing this common vision.”

—Kofi Annan, UN Secretary General

In a speech at the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC,February 2002.

Agenda-21 outlined the main issues regarding sustainable de-velopment and identified key threats and challenges to achiev-ing this goal.

The opening lines of Agenda-21 proclaim:“Humanity stands at a defining moment in history. We are

confronted with a perpetuation of disparities between and withinnations, a worsening of poverty, hunger, ill health, and illiteracy,and the continuing deterioration of ecosystems on which we de-pend for our well-being. However, integration of environment anddevelopment concerns and greater attention to them will lead to thefulfillment of basic needs, improved living standards for all, betterprotected and managed ecosystems and a safer, more prosperousfuture. No nation can achieve this on its own; but together we can—in a global partnership for sustainable development.”2

As a follow-up to the Rio Earth Summit, the UN estab-lished a new permanent commission, known as the Commis-sion for Sustainable Development (CSD), and chartered it withthe responsibility of monitoring the implementation of

Agenda-21. The CSD is composed of representatives from 138UN member nations, assisted by a full-time secretariat at theUN headquarters in New York, and experts from other UNagencies throughout the world. Participants at the Rio confer-ence also agreed that the future of sustainable developmentrests upon three interdependent pillars:

1. protection of the Earth;2. social development; and3. economic prosperity.

These three pillars, which have been dubbed the Triple BottomLine, remain at the core of sustainable development today, asthey did 10 years ago. Table 1 provides a glimpse of the mainevents with regard to sustainability issues of the past 30 years.

CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIESAgenda-21 was a seminal global achievement. It represents afar-reaching global consensus on the main elements of a sus-tainable development agenda, both on a global and national

EM Feature

20 November 2002EM

level. However, a review of national data and trends of the past10 years demonstrate that not all regions of the world have en-joyed the same level of development. Current trends of global-ization and free trade show that many societal institutions havenot yet fully integrated the economic, social, and environmentalpillars of development, nor have they totally abandoned the un-sustainable practices that have led to the world’s current socialand environmental predicament. For example, in some coun-tries, the pressures of free trade without proper implementationof environmental controls have exacerbated pollution and thefailure to tie land use planning with urban air quality has al-lowed traffic congestion and increased emissions.

Where Are We Now?Earlier this year, the UNEP published its “Global Environmen-tal Outlook 2002,” which compiles and summarizes key indi-cators and trends for the current state of the environment andhuman development (a copy of the report can be downloadedfrom www.grid.unep.ch/geo/). This analysis provides a focus toconsider the major environmental challenges and opportuni-ties for sustainable development. Figures 1 to 5 illustrate trendsand regional differences for a few selected indicators. In all cases,the data are grouped by region—(from left to right) Africa, Asia +Pacific, Europe, Latin America + Caribbean, North America,Polar, and West Asia.

Figure 1. Global population density. Figure 2. Global population with access to improved Sanitation.

Table 1. A chronology of milestone events, 1970–present.

Year Event

1970 The First “Earth Day” is celebrated in different parts of the world.UN General Assembly calls for UN Conference on the Human Environment.

1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment is held in Stockholm, Sweden, in June.UNEP is created as a coordinating body for leadership and direction at the international level.

1992 Conference on Environment and Development (better known as the Rio Earth Summit) is held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in June.Agenda-21 is endorsed by world leaders in Rio as a blueprint for environmental protection and development in the 21st century.UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) is signed at the conclusion of the Rio Earth Summit.Several global negotiations on various conventions are spawned from the Rio declarations, including the Convention onBiodiversity (CBD) and the Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs).

1997 UN General Assembly conducts a “Rio+5” review to evaluate the achievements in the implementation of Agenda-21.The Kyoto Protocol is negotiated in Kyoto, Japan, which inserts mandatory emissions reduction targets and dates into thevoluntary framework of the UNFCCC.

2000 UN General Assembly establishes the Millennium Development Goals.UN General Assembly resolves to hold a “Rio+10” review of Agenda-21, dubbed the World Summit on Sustainable Development(WSSD), to be hosted by South Africa in 2002.

2001–2002 Several regional, national, and international preparatory process planning meetings for the WSSD are undertaken around theglobe, with the active participation of governments, international institutions, UN bodies, and other major groups.

2002 WSSD is held in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26–September 4.

EMNovember 2002 21

Some of the key findings are summarized below.• Population—It is estimated that the world will need to

support 5 billion more people by 2100. At the sametime, population density will grow in many developingcountries, especially in large urban areas (see Figure 1).

• Poverty and inequality—Income poverty is declin-ing in Asia and Latin America. The majority of peopleliving in poverty are in rural Asia, yet the highest pov-erty rate is found in sub-Saharan Africa. Hunger isslowly declining in all regions, as is adult illiteracy.

• Food production and agriculture—Both food pro-duction and consumption are increasing. Althoughagricultural trade is increasing, its percent of grossdomestic product (GDP) is declining as a conse-quence of industrialization and other economicdevelopments.

• Clean water and sanitation—Freshwater resourcesare becoming scarce. More than 1 billion people lackaccess to safe, clean drinking water and modern sani-tation (see Figure 2). Agriculture dominates globalwater use, though industrial water use is also increas-ing with development.

• Biodiversity and forests—The world’s forested areascontinue to decline with agricultural expansion beingthe main cause of deforestation. Nevertheless, improve-ments are noted in sustainable management practicesand in the increase in the number of protected areas.More attention is needed to protect and restore lost ordamaged wetlands and marine sanctuaries

• Energy—Consumption of all types of energy is grow-ing. Fossil fuel consumption and carbon dioxide(CO2) emissions continue to grow. The consump-tion rate in developed countries is almost 10 timesas high as in developing countries (see Figure 3).The use of renewable energy is growing even thoughit remains relatively small by comparison.

• Air pollution—The use of traditional biomass inhome heating and cooking processes creates un-healthful levels of indoor air pollution and poses asignificant health hazard. Urban air quality is im-proving in high-income countries, yet it is deterio-rating noticeably in congested urban areas ofrapidly developing countries. Total emissions ofnitrogen oxides (NOx) and nonmethane volatile or-ganic compounds (VOCs) may be viewed as indi-cators to increased use of fossil fuel for electricityand transport and for increased industrial activity(see Figures 4 and 5).

The planet we live on is getting more and more crowded.Over the past 50 years, the world’s population has increased morethan two-fold, from approximately 2.5 billion to 6 billion, and iscurrently rising at a rate of 90 million per year. All these peopleneed to not merely survive, but also strive to improve their livingstandards by availing themselves of adequate supplies of foodand water, a roof over their heads, and access to energy for light,heat, and mobility. The biggest challenges are in the developing

Figure 4. Global NOx emissions.

Figure 3. Global energy consumption per capita. Figure 5. Global VOC emissions.

EM Feature

22 November 2002EM

countries, primarily in Africa and Asia, where new and extensiveinfrastructure projects are needed to meet the goals of providingaccess to energy, clean water, and improved sanitation.

A delicate web of ecological, social, economic, and culturalrelationships shapes our lives. If we, the global community,are to achieve sustainable development, we will need to dis-play greater responsibility for the ecosystems on which all lifedepends for today and tomorrow.

Millennium Development GoalsAt the UN Millennium Assembly, which was held in New YorkCity in September 2000, the UN reaffirmed its commitment toworking toward a world in which sustaining development andeliminating poverty would have the highest priority. In doingso, the UN established eight Millennium Development Goalsto track progress (see Table 2). The goals grew out of the agree-ments and resolutions of world conferences over the past de-cade and have commonly been accepted as a framework formeasuring development progress.

The Millennium Development Goals focus efforts towardachieving significant, measurable improvements in people’slives. They establish yardsticks for measuring results, notjust for developing countries, but also for developed coun-tries that help fund development programs and for the mul-tilateral institutions that help countries implement them,such as the UN Development Program (UNDP) and theWorld Bank. The first seven goals are mutually reinforcingand are directed at the overarching issue of reducing pov-erty in all its forms. The eighth and last goal—global part-nership for development—addresses the means to achievethe first seven.

The UNDP was assigned as both “scorekeeper” and “cam-paign manager” for the promotion and tracking of thesegoals. Data released by the UNDP demonstrate that progress

Dr. Miriam Lev-On speaking on behalf of business and industry at theclosing plenary of the multistakeholders dialog held during the final WSSDpreparatory meeting in Bali, Indonesia, May 27 – June 4, 2002.

Table 2. UN Millennium Development Goals and indicators for progress.

Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and HungerBetween 1990 and 2015, halve the proportion of people whose income is less than $1 per day, and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.

Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary EducationEnsure that, by 2015, children everywhere, boys and girls alike, will be able to complete a full course of primary schooling.

Goal 3: Promote Gender Equality and Empower WomenEliminate gender disparity in primary and secondary education, preferably by 2005, and in all levels of education by no later than 2015. Increase proportion ofseats held by women in national parliaments.

Goal 4: Reduce Child MortalityBetween 1990 and 2015, reduce by two-thirds the mortality rate of children under five years old.

Goal 5: Improve Maternal HealthBetween 1990 and 2015, reduce by three-quarters the maternal-mortality ratio.

Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other DiseasesBy 2015, have halted and begun to reverse the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other major diseases such as tuberculosis.

Goal 7: Ensure Environmental Sustainability• Integrate the principles of sustainable development into country policies and programs and reverse the loss of environmental resources

and biological diversity.• By 2015, halve the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water.• Have achieved a significant improvement in the lives of at least 100 million slum dwellers by 2020.

Goal 8: Develop a Global Partnership for Development• Develop further an open, rules-based, nondiscriminatory trading and financial system (including commitment to good governance).• Deal comprehensively with the debt problems of developing countries through national and international measures to make debt sustainable

in the long term.• In cooperation with developing countries, develop and implement strategies for decent and productive work for young adults.• In cooperation with pharmaceutical companies, provide access to affordable, essential drugs in developing countries.• In cooperation with the private sector, make available the benefits of new technologies, especially information technology and communications.

EMNovember 2002 23

toward achieving these goals has so far been mixed. A num-ber of countries are on track to attaining some of the goals,yet none of the goals is likely to be fully reached at thecurrent rate of global progress. Statistics on the individualgoals and their state of attainment may be found online atwww.developmentgoals.org/.

ON THE WAY TO THE 2002 SUMMITSince Rio, several important global environmental agreementshave been reached. These include protecting stratosphericozone from depletion, controlling the spread of deserts, andmanaging persistent organic pollutants. Other agreements,while being extensively negotiated over the years, have notyet entered into force, most notably, the Kyoto Protocol tothe UN Framework Convention on Climate Change(UNFCCC) and the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). Forfurther information on these topics, see http://unfccc.int/ orwww.biodiv.org/, respectively.

During the past decade, the global community has been en-gaged in thematic reviews of progress on the implementation ofAgenda-21 in a series of annual meetings of the CSD and otherforums. The preparatory process for the World Summit on Sus-tainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg, South Africa,

August 26–September 4, 2002, started in earnest with a series ofnational, regional, and sub-regional meetings, which were heldto assess the need for further progress. The findings from thisprocess were brought together for discussion in the form of sev-eral global UN preparatory meetings in early 2002. These meet-ings, which included UN organizations and national delegationsthat are permanent members of the CSD, as well as representa-tives from all major stakeholders, including local governments,environmental organizations, youth groups, farmers, laborers,scientists, and business and industry, were designed to craft theWSSD’s agenda. The final preparatory meeting was held in Bali,Indonesia, in June 2002, and included high-level governmentnegotiations. Although there was not final agreement on all pointsdiscussed at the meeting, 75% of the proposed elements of theimplementation plan, along with key points for a political decla-ration, were agreed upon. These would be brought before thedelegates attending the WSSD.

Additionally, during the past 10 months, a series of majorinternational meetings and negotiations, involving high-levelministers and heads-of-state, have helped forge stronger agree-ments on the path to sustainable development. These includethe Doha Development Round of the World Trade Organiza-tion negotiations, held November 2001 in Doha, Qatar; the

EM Feature

24 November 2002EM

policies and incentives provide the right signals to developersand the markets. Additional solutions can be developed withinvestments in research. I believe it will also be the key to sus-tainable development. It is essential, therefore, that the discus-sions at the WSSD went beyond the five WEHAB topics to seekconsensus on crosscutting issues of implementation, such aspoverty eradication, good governance at all levels, capacity build-ing, education, trade, and finance (see “Outcomes from theWorld Summit”).

The overall theme of the WSSD was “People, Planet, andProsperity,” emphasizing that it was not simply another con-ference on the global environment, but rather one that wouldevoke an integrated approach to environmental protection,social empowerment, and economic development. Theagenda for the Johannesburg meeting centered on the “how”:

• How to bring about the needed changes in nationalpolicies?

• How to use policy and tax incentives to send the rightsignals to business and industry?

• How to offer better choices to individual consumersand producers?

• How to get things done?Also, in accordance with this approach, the theme of

the round table discussions among heads-of-state, during the“high-level” segment of the summit, was titled “Making itHappen.”

WEHAB: Topics of Discussion at the 2002 World Summit

WATER—Water and sanitation services must improve to save the more than 3 million people who die each year from water-related diseases. In thedecades ahead, two-thirds of the world’s population could be facing serious water shortages. Therefore, action is needed to reduce leakage and waste,particularly in agriculture (“more crop per drop”), and provide for regional management of watersheds that are vital to more than one country.

ENERGY—To give poor people a chance to escape poverty, energy must be available for the 2 billion people who currently lack access to it.Moreover, this needs to be accomplished without increasing the release of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Therefore, efforts areneeded to (a) improve energy efficiency, (b) increase renewable energy use, (c) phase out perverse subsidies and tax incentives, and (d) fundresearch on new types of clean energy and carbon sequestration.

HEALTH—Global efforts must be redoubled to save millions who die each year from unsafe environments, dirty water, indoor air pollution,toxic wastes, and insects that transmit deadly diseases. There is an immediate need to promote safe environments, make immunization andmedical treatment available to everyone, and increase research on tropical diseases.

AGRICULTURE—Food production must keep pace with the number of mouths to be fed. Therefore, new methods are required to halt landdegradation and reverse the sharp decline in agricultural productivity, particularly in Africa. This will require that national and local authoritiesexecute more responsible planning and land management practices, implement the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (see www.unccd.int/convention/menu.php), and fund research on new drought-resistant crops.

BIODIVERSITY—The continued rapid extinction of many living and plant species on land and in the oceans has devastating implications forhuman existence. Therefore, there is an urgent need to clamp down on illegal and unsustainable fishing and logging practices, while helpingpeople who currently depend on such activities to find other, more sustainable ways of earning a living. Additional funding is also required tosupport new research on ecosystems and biodiversity.

Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development, heldMarch 2002, in Monterrey, Mexico; the Rome World FoodSummit, held April 2002, in Rome, Italy; and the G-8 Sum-mit, held June 2002, in Kananaskis, Canada. An importantstep forward came at the conclusion of the Monterrey Con-ference on Financing for Development, when 50 heads-of-state and more than 200 ministers from countries fromaround the world formulated the Monterrey Consensus, anhistoric affirmation of the importance of sound policies,good governance at all levels, and the rule of law for attain-ing sustainable development. The next stop on this longroad to achieving sustainable development was the WSSDin Johannesburg.

Call to Action: Key Areas of ConcernDuring the preparatory process, the discussion agenda for theWSSD was carefully narrowed down to five major areas thatare considered to be key to moving the sustainable develop-ment implementation plans forward. These five areas arewater, energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity, known col-lectively as WEHAB (see “WEHAB: Topics of Discussion at the2002 World Summit”).

Knowledge has always been essential to human develop-ment. I believe it will also be the key to sustainable develop-ment. Solutions exist in each of these areas that are immediatelyattainable with current technologies, provided that government

EMNovember 2002 25

Means of ImplementationThe agenda developed for the WSSD sounded impossibly am-bitious to some and disappointingly narrow to others. Butlooked at realistically, it represented an essential, achievablebeginning that can be successfully implemented with carefulgovernance.

In his recent book, The Mystery of Capital: Why CapitalismTriumphs in the West and Fails Everywhere Else, noted Peruvianeconomist, Hernando de Soto, writes, “…(T)he hidden archi-tecture of sustainable development is the law.”3 In highlightingthe role of the rule of law, it might be said that the rule of law

• allows wonderful things to happen;• permits people to be free and to pursue their God-

given destiny;• attracts investment;• makes investment safe;• ensures there is no corruption; and• provides for equal enforcement and justice.

In developing and developed countries alike, an enablingenvironment for economically, socially, and environmentallysound development is essential. This is articulated in numer-ous documents emerging from intergovernmental negotia-tions, including Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration and theMonterrey Consensus. Through these processes, a broad glo-bal consensus is emerging that regards the following threeelements necessary to establish an enabling environment forsustainable development in all parts of the globe:

1. The rule of law, including access to justice, clear regula-tions, regulated rights of ownership, and fair and con-sistent enforcement, provides a foundation upon whichto build a just, equitable, and sustainable society.

2. Effective, well-coordinated, transparent, and account-able institutions, and national governance frame-works and capacities, along with coherent strategies,provide the infrastructure of social, economic, andenvironmentally sound development.

3. Stakeholder participation in decision-making processes,access to information, and science-based rule-makingensures a coherent approach and a successful out-come.

The Monterrey Consensus, specifically, spells out the needto funnel development financing to countries that have astrong commitment to good governance, the improved healthand education of their people, and establishing economic poli-cies that foster enterprise and entrepreneurship. But as impor-tant as this official assistance is to improving people’s lives,the reality is that it is trade and the flow of private capital thatwill make the real difference. There is no mistake that globaltrade and foreign investment dwarfs aid in terms of the im-pact on developing countries. The United States alone buys$450 billion in goods from the developing world each year,eight times the amount that developing countries receive in

aid from all sources. Attracting that kind of private moneyisn’t easy. Private capital tends to flee from conflict, govern-ment corruption, and bad policies; avoid ignorance, disease,and illiteracy; and seek stability, predictability, and respect forproperty rights.

But good policies alone are not enough. People must beable to seize the opportunity. Thus, governments, civil soci-ety, and the private sector must work in partnership to mobi-lize development resources. Such collaborative ventures couldunleash human productivity, reduce poverty, promote healthyenvironments, and foster sustainable growth.

BEYOND JOHANNESBURG: WORKING TOGETHERTO BUILD PROSPERITYThe WSSD was not an endpoint; it was a new beginning.The Johannesburg summit was an opportunity to embracea vision and action plan that will address and combat theprimary obstacles to sustainable development: poverty, mar-kets that fail to live up to their potential, and dysfunctionalgovernance.

Despite criticism by several countries and interest groupsfrom around the world, the U.S. government was a keen par-ticipant throughout the preparatory process and the WSSD

EM Feature

26 November 2002EM

Outcomes from the World Summit T he World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD),which was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26–September 4, 2002, gathered together more than 21,000 of-

ficially accredited participants from 191 invited national governments,intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations, as well as theprivate sector, academia, and the media.

One hundred heads-of-state addressed the summit and participatedin round table discussions on the topic of “Making it Happen.” The keyissues addressed at these round tables included

• mobilizing resources to support the Millennium DevelopmentGoals;

• improving coherence and consistency among national andinternational institutions, as well as their capacity to inte-grate the three elements of sustainable development;

• promoting cooperation regarding the five priority areas (WEHAB);and

• bringing to bear scientific knowledge on decision-making andensuring that affordable access to critical technology andscientific knowledge.

A summary report on these discussions, including recommendations, isavailable online at www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/summit_docs/aconf199_17_add1.pdf.

The Johannesburg summit produced two official documents—Po-litical Declaration and Plan of Implementation—which capture the ex-isting level of international consensus on sustainable development.

The Political Declaration developed at the WSSD establishes the mainglobal challenges in the years ahead. They are

• eradicating poverty;• changing consumption and production patterns; and• protecting and managing the natural resource base for fur-

ther economic and social development.A copy of the Political Declaration is available online atwww.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/summit_docs/1009wssd_pol_declaration.doc.

Despite low expectations prior to the summit, which were based onthe lack of consensus on specific targets for renewable energy, trade,subsidies, and finance, the final Plan of Implementation, which accom-panies the Political Declaration, includes commitments to

• expand access to safe water, proper sanitation, and modern,clean energy services;

• reverse the decline of ecosystems by restoring fisheries andcurtailing illegal logging; and

• limit the harm caused by toxic chemicals.All UN member countries signed the plan, which contains targets andtimetables for specific actions. A copy of the final Plan of Implemen-tation is available online at www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/summit_docs/plan_final1009.doc.

The Plan of Implementation is centered on the social issues ofpoverty alleviation and improving the lives of poor urban and ruralinhabitants, and it reaffirms the Millennium Development Goals set bythe UN General Assembly in 2000. The plan also resolves to make inter-national trade guidelines more supportive of environmental goals andto more closely align public funding with private sector investment. Itstresses the need for responsible governance at the local level to foster

investments and development. The plan sends a clear signal to theprivate sector that it must be aware of its environmental responsibilityand accountability, and establishes a 10-year plan for dealing withunsustainable consumption and production patterns. Such a plan mayinclude incorporating life-cycle assessment techniques into product de-velopment, improving design standards for manufacturing and infra-structure, as well as the overall decoupling of economic output fromresource consumption and end-of-pipe discharges.

The new dimension introduced by the UN at this summit was theconcept of “partnerships,” providing the linkage between the goalsset in the official documents and immediately actionable steps takenby the UN member nations. However, these partnerships should notbe viewed as a substitute for governmental responsibilities and com-mitments, rather they are merely intended to extend the quality ofimplementation. Hundreds of partnerships have been announced sofar, and more are in organizational phases. More than 220 proposedglobal partnerships were submitted to the UN and more than 60 wereformally launched in Johannesburg. These partnerships, and the ac-tion plans they will undertake, are viewed as a new type of a UNpolitical outcome. Dubbed “Type 2” outcomes, to differentiate themfrom the regular declarative statements made at the end of UN sum-mits, which are recognized as official or “Type 1” outcomes, theyattempt to bring together governments (at all levels) with the privatesector and representatives of the local community and empower themwith the tasks to implement specific goals and targets. This is a newapproach to attaining sustainable development. It is hoped that thisapproach will facilitate collective actions and produce real benefits tothe regions and people that need it most.

Three of the partnerships launched in Johannesburg were• Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP)—organized by the

World Bank and UNDP to promote access to energy to the 2billion people in the world who do not have commercialenergy services.

• Clean Fuels and Clean Vehicles Partnership—organized bythe UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA),UNEP, and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)to assist developing countries in improving air quality throughthe use of cleaner vehicles and cleaner fuels.

• Water Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for All Initiative—organized by the Water Supply and Sanitation CollaborativeCouncil (WSSCC) with the collaboration of many UN agenciesand national governments. The primary objective of this ini-tiative is to deliver, by 2015, affordable water and sanitationto 1.1 billion people who currently lack these resources.

The complete list of key outcomes and global partnerships from theWSSD is available online at www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/summit_docs/2009_keyoutcomes_commitments.doc.

The WSSD was a milestone event in UN negotiations, and deservesspecial recognition for sticking to its overall theme of “People, Planet,and Prosperity.” The main thrust of the summit—the social, economic,and environmental aspects of sustainable development—was generallynot diluted by the political “flavors of the day.” However, the real impli-cations of the outcomes from this summit will come into sharper focus,for both governments and industry, in the months and years ahead asthe commitments are translated into policies and action plans.

EMNovember 2002 27

the future and bringing with them their vision of what sus-tainable development looks like. The success of WSSD isnot measured merely in the phrasing of political declarations,but in the substance of the action plans being developedthrough a plethora of partnerships. This could unite gov-ernments, the private sector, and civil society, and strengthendemocratic institutions of governance, open additionalmarkets, and encourage more effective use of developmentresources. These resources might include trade and invest-ment, traditional aid, and private philanthropy, as well ascapacity-building programs. These resources could also con-tribute to efforts to promote the widespread adoption ofenvironmentally sensitive industrial, agricultural, educa-tional, and scientific technologies.

It should be clear to national governments that they canneither achieve all their development goals alone nor relysolely on development assistance. Governments shouldestablish, maintain, and support enabling frameworks tofacilitate ongoing business engagement in the pursuit ofsustainable development. They should also exchange knowl-edge about “best practices” from around the world and ex-pand the use of voluntary partnerships and initiatives aspromising tools to help achieve sustainable developmentat local and global levels. As the world stands at this impor-tant crossroads, the common vision is to build on three loftyideals: commitment, good policies, and partnerships. If theseare followed-through, I believe they will provide all peopleof the world with the opportunities to lead healthy, pro-ductive, and fulfilling lives.

REFERENCES1. Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environ-

ment, Stockholm, Sweden, June 1972.2. Agenda-21, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, June 1992.3. de Soto, H. The Mystery of Capital: Why Capitalism Triumphs in the West

and Fails Everywhere Else; ISBN: 0465016146; Basic Books: 2000.

About the AuthorDr. Miriam Lev-On is executive director of The LEVON Group, LLC,an environmental consultancy and facilitation services companythat provides worldwide strategic environmental consulting ser-vices in areas encompassing sustainable development, global cli-mate change, greenhouse gas emissions, clean fuels, and urbanair quality. Dr. Lev-On chaired the working group that developedthe API Methodology Compendium for estimating greenhouse gasemissions from oil and gas industry operations. She participatedin all the meetings leading to, and including, the 2002 World Sum-mit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, and oversawall preparatory work for the summit on behalf of the InternationalPetroleum Industry Environmental Conservation Association(IPIECA). She may be reached at Miriam@levongroup.net.

itself. During a July 2002 meeting in Washington, DC, Secre-tary of State Collin Powell articulated the U.S. government’svision for the WSSD:“We invite developed and developing nations alike to join us to

• open our economies and societies to growth;• provide freedom, security, and hope for present and

future generations;• provide all people with the opportunity for healthy

and productive lives; [and]• serve as good stewards of our natural resources and

our environment.”On the road to sustainable development, all countries,

large and small, are developing their goals and hopes for

RESOURCES

• Business Partners for Development, 2001; World Bank jointinitiative with stakeholders to investigate various dimensions ofdevelopment. http://www.worldbank.org/html/extdr/extme/1962.htm

• Earth Negotiations Bulletin, 2002; Official recorder for allUnited Nations environmental and sustainable developmentmeetings. http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/enbvol/enbbackground.htm

• Global Environmental Outlook, 2002; UNEP Publications: June2002. http://www.unep.org/GEO/index.htm

• International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD):Linkages; Extensive detail on all international treaties andevents. http://www.iisd.ca/linkages/

• Stakeholders Forum, 2001; Web site with multiple links toactivities and preparation for the world summit. http://www.earthsummit2002.org/

• Tomorrow’s Markets: Global Trends and Their Implication forBusiness; WRI/WBCSD/UNEP: May 2002.

• United Nations Department of Environmental and Social Affairs(DESA); Official Web site with full documentation of allmeetings since Rio. http://www.un.org/esa/

• United Nations Development Program (UNDP); Official Web sitefor tracking and indicators for the Millennium DevelopmentGoals. http://www.undp.org/mdg/

• United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP); Official Web sitewith access to reports, news, and data on global environmentalissues. http://www.unep.org

• World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002; Official Website of South Africa the host country for the WSSD. http://www.joburgsummit2002.com/

• World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002; OfficialUnited Nations Web site for all the documents for the prepara-tory process and the WSSD. http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/

• World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002; Official WorldBank Web site with links to other World Bank activities invarious development areas. http://www.worldbank.org/wssd