From words to deeds – perspectives after the Sustainability Summit

From words to deeds – perspectives after the Sustainability Summit

Commissioner Margot Wallström gives a generally positive assessment of the results of the Johannesburg Summit and how it should provide a new momentum behind the cause of sustainable development.

Sustainable development is widely understood as “…development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.”

How can we improve our quality of life – both today and for future generations – without consuming the planet’s vital resources faster than it can replenish them? This is a major challenge that we face and one that sustainable development seeks to address. For it to work, citizens must first understand that they and the environment will suffer if nothing is done to reverse unsustainable patterns of consumption and production. We must improve decision-making processes and attempt to influence individual patterns of behaviour. Sustainable development demands action and policy change must be implemented on a global and individual scale.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg revealed an international community willing to collectively address the common challenges it faces. There was broad consensus that if we are to achieve our objectives we must first restate our global commitment to promoting sustainable development and transform collective will and solidarity into concrete action. All countries – both rich and poor – must work together while accepting that they have different levels of responsibilities. There was also general agreement that the needs of today’s citizens, and those of future generations, must be urgently addressed.

What the EU brought to Johannesburg

The EU brought a positive agenda for change to the Johannesburg negotiating table and took the lead in promoting an action-oriented outcome. It also played a major bridge-building role in bringing the WSSD actors together.

The Community standpoint was to promote a coherent approach based on implementing the Agenda 21 objectives, supporting the political declaration and Action Programme that emerged from Johannesburg, and on promoting partnerships between government, business and civil society. The EU focused its efforts on clear targets and timetables for eradicating poverty, making globalisation work for sustainable development. It also emphasised the urgent need to change unsustainable patterns of production and consumption. Improved protection and management of the natural resources that generate economic and social development and reinforcing governance as a driving force for achieving sustainable development were also important elements of the action programme.

In order to meet these challenges, we must mobilise financial resources and make sure they are used more effectively. We also need to create the economic conditions that are needed to fulfil the Agenda 21 and Millennium Development goals. Raising the necessary finances, whether from public, private, national or international sources, is crucial if we are to effectively eliminate poverty, improve living standards and protect the environment. We must also channel our efforts into promoting increased education, building capacity and fostering greater technology exchange. Furthermore, by harnessing our scientific expertise and broadening our research base we can go a long way towards meeting the challenges that face us.

The Implementation Plan and the Political Declaration that were adopted in Johannesburg, together with the Doha Development Agenda and the Monterrey consensus, have forged a global partnership for sustainable development. This partnership is based on joint commitments that were made to increase development assistance, making market access easier for developing countries and to promote governance and better environmental protection.

Positive results

But what did Johannesburg actually achieve? First of all, a number of new targets were fixed to help achieve fundamental priorities such as increasing access to basic sanitation (which complemented the Millennium Development Goal on access to clean water) and managing toxic chemicals so as to minimise any adverse effects on health. We also made a commitment to halt the loss of bio-diversity and reverse the decline in fish stocks.

Energy remained high on the agenda throughout the negotiations. Agreement was reached on the need to increase – urgently and substantially – the global share of renewable energy sources. However, agreement on a deadline for increasing the share of renewable energy sources proved impossible to obtain. The EU launched a coalition of like-minded countries to promote renewable energy through the setting of targets. There was also general consensus that joint action should be taken to improve access to energy for the poor. Action resulting from these agreements will be regularly evaluated and progress monitored.

Another positive result to emerge from the Summit was agreement on the establishment of a ten-year framework for the development of programmes aimed at promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns. Although industrialised countries will take the lead, ultimate success will depend upon global co-operation. It is increasingly obvious that if we are to achieve our ultimate goal, we have to change our current consumption and production patterns. In fifty years time, nine billion people will inhabit the planet and global output will quadruple. We need to cut the link between economic growth and the degradation of the environment, to ensure that the economy can grow within the carrying capacity of the environment.

The World Summit was also very significant within the context of climate change and the Kyoto Protocol. Parties to the Protocol restated their commitment to ratification and to achieving entry into force as soon as possible. Others were urged to sign up without delay.

On the question of globalisation, the Summit saw agreement being reached on concrete measures to enhance the role of trade in supporting sustainable development. Examples include encouraging trade in environmentally friendly and organic products from developing countries and strengthening international action in favour of greater corporate responsibility.

A further positive development to emerge from the Summit was the launching of new partnerships for promoting sustainable development. These constitute joint initiatives launched by governments, business and civil society. Of course, partnerships are hardly a new concept. Indeed, many ongoing national development projects are based on partnerships. But the novelty here lies in the recognition by the United Nations that this model is a useful and complementary tool that can do much to promote sustainable development.

Forging new partnerships

A wide range of partnerships – more than 200 – were forged at the Summit. Their remit is diverse covering areas such as water, energy, health, agriculture and bio-diversity. They will mobilise additional resources and expertise and stimulate concerted action at every stage and level of the decision-making process. They provide an excellent opportunity for companies, working side-by-side with stakeholder groups and governments, to show how business-driven sustainable development initiatives can actually make a tangible difference.

The EU launched two partnerships in Johannesburg targeted at helping the poor. One is designed to increase access to water and sanitation, the other to energy. The EU water initiative, “Water for Life”, will be based on the concept of river basin management and will mobilise financial and technical expertise from the Community and Member States. “Water for Life” agreements have already been reached with Africa, Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.

The EU energy initiative aims to make it easier for poor people to get adequate, affordable and sustainable energy supplies. Without them they will never escape the poverty trap. However, if we continue consuming energy at the current rate, problems associated with climate change and poor environmental health will continue to be felt at the local level. This is why the EU energy initiative will focus on non-nuclear energy sources that are better geared to meeting the needs of economic growth while simultaneously protecting the environment.

The political will to deliver

The World Summit on Sustainable Development concluded a cycle of international conferences that started with the Millennium Summit. It provided, together with the Doha WTO Ministerial and the Monterrey Financing for Development Conference, a sound basis for further work on Sustainable Development on a national, international and EU level. It is still too early to make a definitive assessment about whether or not Johannesburg was a success. Time – and a strong political determination to succeed – will tell if it delivers where Rio did not. We are confident, however, that this time we can make it happen. Beyond the written commitments made, the Summit helped to increase public awareness of the main issues and to mobilise a wide range of stakeholders – NGOs, the business sector, consumers, local authorities, etc – to the cause. This inclusiveness will help ensure that consumers and the environment as a whole enjoy the benefits of sustainable development.

The European Union must continue to play its role in the follow-up process by transforming its political ambitions into concrete action. It must take action, both internally and externally, to implement the measures and reach the targets that were fixed in Johannesburg.

At the Spring European Council next March we must fulfil the pledge that was made at last year’s Seville Council to review progress on the Lisbon and Sustainable Development Strategies. We must also put into practice the blueprint for action that emerged from Johannesburg.

A global commitment to the cause of sustainable development has been restated. Our duty now is to deliver. The real challenge lies in harnessing all of the positive energy generated at Johannesburg and transforming it into the political will and concrete action needed to bring results. Unswerving political will is essential if we are to make genuine and lasting progress.

Margot Wallström is European Environment Commissioner.

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