| Youth
in Sustainable Development
1). Introduction:
The World Summit on Sustainable
Development (WSSD) global meeting will be held in
Johannesburg, South Africa
from 26 August to 4 September 2002. This meeting will bring together tens
of thousands of participants, including heads of State and Government,
national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
Youth, businesses and other major groups. Its purpose is to focus the world's
attention and direct action toward meeting difficult challenges, including
improving people's lives and conserving our natural resources in a world
that is growing in population, with ever-increasing demands for;
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food
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water
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shelter
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sanitation
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energy
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health services, and
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economic security.
Swaziland is not alone in facing
these challenges. All over the world, people are faced with the same challenges.
It is therefore imperative that the youth conference focuses on increasing
the youth’s awareness and participation in environmental management, with
an emphasis on linking the conference up with international developments
around the globe.
2). Events leading to WSSD
Now lets take a look at the
sustainable development path before and after the RIO Earth Summit leading
to the Johannesburg summit in 2002.
The United Nations Conference
on Human Environment was the first major international meeting to address
the global environment.
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Brundtland Commission
1987
The Commissions report defines
sustainable development as "meeting the needs of the present without compromising
the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
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Rio 1992 Declaration
on the Environment and Development
Heads of governments, mass based
organizations and NGOs met in Brazil, Rio de Janeiro to make their contributions
on development and the environment and how to best tackle the global situation.
They declared:
¨ Human beings are at
the center of concerns for sustainable development. They are entitled to
a healthy and productive life.
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Eradicating poverty and reducing
disparities in living standards in the world are essential to achieving
sustainable development.
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Nations shall co-operate to conserve,
protect and restore the health and integrity of the earth’s ecosystem.
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Environmental issues are best
handled with the participation of all concerned citizens
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The full participation of women
is essential to achieve sustainable development
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The creativity, ideals and courage
of the youth and knowledge of indigenous people are needed for realizing
the dream of sustainable development.
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Peace development and environmental
protection are interdependent and indivisible.
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The assembled leaders signed the
Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biological Diversity,
endorsed the Rio declaration and the Forest Principles, and adopted agenda
21, a 300 page plan for achieving sustainable development in the 21st century.
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The Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) was created to monitor and report on implementation of
the Earth Summit agreements. It was agreed that a five-year review of Earth
Summit progress would be made in 1997 by the United Nations General Assembly
meeting in special session. This special session of the UN General Assembly
took stock of how well countries, international organizations and sectors
of civil society have responded to the challenge of the Earth Summit.
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What is Agenda 21?
It is a blue print signed by heads
of states and governments at the RIO 1992 Earth Summit. It provides an
action plan to move the world towards sustainable development. The
programme areas that constitute Agenda 21 are described in terms for the
basis for action, objectives, activities and means of implementation. Agenda
21 addresses the pressing problems of today and also aims at preparing
the world for the challenges of the next century. It reflects a global
consensus and political commitment at the highest level on development
and environmental cooperation. Its successful implementation is first and
foremost the responsibility of governments. National strategies, plans
and processes are crucial in achieving its implementation. International
co-operation initiatives should also support such national efforts.
During the five years following
RIO Earth Summit, the global community held a series of landmark UN conferences
and summits dealing with aspects identified in Agenda 21. These were:
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International Conference on
Population and Development, Cairo, Egypt 5-15 September, 1994
World leaders, high ranking officials,
representatives of non-governmental organizations and United Nations agencies
gathered to agree on a Programme of Action.
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World Summit for Social Development/Social
Summit, Copenhagen, Demark, 5-12 March 1995
Copenhagen Declaration on Social
Development and Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social Development.
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Fourth World Conference on
Women, Beijing, China, 4-15 September, 1995
Advancement of the goals of equality,
development and peace for all women everywhere in the interest of all humanity.
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UN Conference on Human Settlements/Habitat
II, Istanbul, Turkey, 1996
Promotion of socially and environmentally
sustainable human settlements development and the achievement of adequate
shelter for all.
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World Food Summit, Rome, Italy
13-17 November, 1996
The Summit brought together close
to 10 000 participants, and provided a forum for debate on one of the most
important issues facing world leaders in the new millennium - the imperative
of eradicating hunger
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Earth Summit +5, New York,
23-27 June 1997
The UN 19th Special Session revealed
the lack of real achievements and funds to implement ‘Agenda 21’.
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Earth Summit+ 8, Copenhagen
June 2000
60 NGOs represented by 70 persons
from 50 countries met in Copenhagen to discuss the Earth Summit 2002 preparations.
3). 10 years after the Rio
1992 conference:
Ten years after Rio, we stand
further and further away from the promise of sustainable development. We
are all faced with the following situations:
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Human beings are not at the center
of development; we are seeing a world dominated by the search for more
profits and corporate greed. Money is first and the environment is secondary.
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There is an increase in poverty
worldwide. The rich are getting richer whilst the poor are getting poorer.
In Swaziland we have 66% of the population living in poverty.
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Instead of restoring the integrity
of the earth’s ecosystems, we stand on the brink of an environmental catastrophe.
Global warming is on the increase, pollution and the destruction of natural
habitat for development is on the increase. Globalization has also fuelled
this increase.
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Instead of the inclusion of citizens
in making vital decisions about development choices, and about development
and the environment, the elites of the world have increasingly taken it
up themselves to decide the destiny over the rest of the masses. There
is limited civil society participation in decision-making and development
processes in Swaziland.
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Instead of the full participation
of women in sustainable development, women increasingly make up the majority
of the worlds poor. Physical and sexual abuse against women is the norm.
Our culture in Swaziland continues to disadvantage women in participating
in decision-making. Women are seen as subordinates to men.
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Instead of honouring the creativity
and courage of the youth, we have marginalized them and suppressed their
involvement in policy discussions and developmental initiatives. The youth
are our future leaders so we should involve them in decisions that will
affect their lives.
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Instead of the appreciation and
respect for the knowledge of indigenous groupings, we have neglected them
and disassociated them from developmental initiatives. We have rather opted
for expert or scientific knowledge to development.
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Instead of peace and the end to
wars there are more wars being fought in the history of mankind. Without
peace, sustainable development will never be accomplished.
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Corporate elites incite governments
to rearm at the expense of development and the environment e.g. the Angola
wars.
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Instead of co-operation between
governments and peoples, nations are being divided on racial, ethnic, religious,
political and economic fronts.
Development paradigm facts
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According to the UN, the world’s
population has doubled to 6.1 billion in the last 40 years.
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By 2050, 4.2 billion people will
be living in countries that cannot meet the basic requirement of 50 litres
of water per person per day.
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Since 1990, the number of poor
people has increased by an average of 10 million a year for Latin America,
South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa.
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Nearly 25-million people in the
world die each year because of lack of clean water and adequate sanitation
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Every year, 500 people die from
pesticide poisoning all over the world.
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Extreme weather events have left
three million people dead in the past five years
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The World Wide Fund for Nature
says that at today’s level of economic activity, the human race is operating
at 30% above what the earth can provide in terms of natural resources.
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One quarter of all plant species
could be extinct by 2025
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Environmental degradation is leading
to more severe natural disasters, which cost the world $608 billion over
the last decade- as much as the previous four decades combined.
4) Purpose of WSSD
Over the decade many individuals
have risen up to these challenges. Communities, schools, churches, villages,
neighbourhoods and ordinary people are taking up struggles over environmental
issues. These efforts, however, cannot work in isolation. There is a need
for support from all sectors of society. Support from international partnerships,
regional initiatives, national strategies governmental initiatives, NGOs,
businesses and the local community is needed for the poor and the marginalised
to act and struggle for a world free of poverty, inequality and environmental
degradation. The WSSD seeks to address the challenges of integrating human
development and environmental sustainability.
Johannesburg WSSD 2002
The WSSD in Johannesburg hopes
to have a strengthened civil society, which recognizes the interconnectedness
of issues facing mankind. Poverty is regarded as the root issue and impacts
all the other levels of society i.e. health, environment, gender, conflict,
natural resources, HIV/AIDS, food security, globalization, people participation
and economics amongst others. Civil society recognizes that the change
of mindset is needed for sustainable development to occur. The following
are the priority areas for the Johannesburg WSSD:
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From a needs approach to human
development to a rights approach
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From a sectoral approach to an
integrated approach
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From a top down approach to a
people centered approach, with respect for local cultures and recognition
of indigenous knowledge
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From an exclusive process to an
inclusive one and to the creation of an enabling environment for meaningful
participation and decision-making.
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To making poverty a priority area
for all.
5). Upcoming Events to Johannesburg
2002
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6 - 11 Jan: Rio 02 World Climate
and Energy Event - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
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27 Jan: 5th Informal Environmental
Ministerial Meeting - New York, USA
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28 Jan - 8 Feb: II Preparatory
Session of the WSSD - New York, USA
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9 - 11 Feb: Delhi Sustainable
Development Summit 2002. Ensuring Sustainable Livelihoods: Challenges for
Governments - New Delhi, India
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March: International Conference
on Financing for Development - Mexico
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23 Mar - 5 April: III Preparatory
Session of the WSSD - New York, USA
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March: Latin America & Caribbean:
Sustainable Development and Governance - TBC
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April: Europe & CIS: Sustainable
Development and the Environment (UNEP Capacity 21) . TBC
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8 - 26 April: CBD COP 6 - The
Hague, Netherlands
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5 May: Asia & Pacific: Sustainable
Development and Poverty (UNDP Capacity 21) - TBC
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19 - 21 May: Tourism Summit, Canada
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27 May - 7 June: IV Preparatory
Session of the WSSD - Bali, Indonesia
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May: Asia & Pacific: Sustainable
Development and Poverty (UNDP Capacity 21) - TBC
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June: Arab States: Sustainable
Development and ICT (UNDP Capacity 21) – TBC
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July: Africa: Sustainable Development
and HIV AIDS (UNDP Capacity 21) - TBC
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26 August to 4 September: World
Summit on Sustainable Development - Johannesburg, South Africa
6). Main Venues
There will be four Summit
venues:
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The Sandton Convention Centre
will host the official conference. About between 110 and 190 heads of state
and 6000 government delegates will attend. About 3000 Journalists are expected
at this venue and CSOs generally attend as observers.
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Gallager Estate, Midrand, will
host the Civil Society Global Forum, organized by the SA NGO Coalition,
which hopes to make the Forum as accessible as possible by doing away with
accreditation. About 30 000 to 40 000 people are expected to attend.
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The MTN Sundome will host local
government delegates and labour representatives.
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Nasrec will host business representatives.
About 2000 global business leaders are expected to attend.
Where will you be?
7). International Treaties
and Conventions that Swaziland has ratified:
a. CONVENTION ON THE CONTINENTAL
SHELF
Objective:
To define and delimit the
rights of states to explore and exploit the natural resources of the continental
shelf
Ratified: 16/10/1970
b. CONVENTION ON HIGH SEAS
Objective:
To take measures to prevent
pollution of the sea by dumping radio active waste and to co-operate with
international agencies in taking such measures to prevent pollution of
the seas or airspace above them resulting from radio active materials or
other harmful agents.
Ratified: 16/10/1970
c. AFRICAN CONVENTION ON
THE CONSERVATION OF NATURE AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Objective:
To encourage individual and
joint action for the conservation, utilization and development of soil,
water, flora and fauna for the present and future welfare of human kind,
from an economic, nutritional, scientific, educational, cultural and aesthetic
point of view.
Ratified: 15/09/68
d. TREATY ON THE PROHIBITION
OF THE EMPLACEMENT OF NUCLEAR WEAPONS AND OTHER WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
ON THE SEA- BED AND THE OCEAN FLOOR AND IN THE SUB- SOIL THEREOF
Objective:
To exclude the sea-bed, the
ocean floor and the sub-soil thereof from the arms race as a step towards
disarmament, the reduction of international tensions and the maintenance
of world peace.
Ratified: 11/02/1971
e. THE CONVENTION ON THE
PROHIBITION OF THE DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION AND STOCKPILING OF BACTERIOLOGICAL
(BIOLOGICAL) AND TOXIN WEAPONS, AND ON THEIR DESTRUCTION.
Objective:
To prohibit the development
of biological weapons and eliminate them, as a step towards general disarmament
for the sake of all humankind.
Ratified: 18/06/91
f. UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION
ON THE LAW OF THE SEA
Objective:
International rules and national
legislation to be developed for the prevention, reduction and control of
pollution of the marine environment, and provisions set out concerning
enforcement and responsibility and liability.
Ratified: 18/01/1984
g. AGREEMENT RELATING TO
THE IMPLEMENTATION OF PART XI OF THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON THE LAW
OF THE SEA OF 10 DECEMBER 1982
Objective:
The convention restates that
parties to the convention organize and control activities in the seabed
in ocean floor and sub soil thereof beyond the limits of national jurisdiction
through the International Seabed Authority, particularly for administering
the resources of the Area.
Ratified: 12/10/1994
h. VIENNA CONVENTION FOR
THE PROTECTION OF THE OZONE LAYER
Objective:
To protect human health and
the environment against adverse effects resulting from modifications of
the ozone layer.
Ratified: 10/11/92
i. BAMAKO CONVENTION
ON THE BAN OF THE IMPORT INTO AFRICA AND THE CONTROL OF TRANSBOUNDARY MOVEMENT
AND MANAGEMENT OF HAZARDOUS WASTE WITHIN AFRICA
Objective:
To create a framework of obligations
to strictly regulate the transboundary movement of hazardous wastes to
and within Africa
Ratified: 29/06/1991
j. TREATY ESTABLISHING THE
AFRICAN ECONOMIC COMMUNITY
Objective:
To co-ordinate and harmonize
their policies and programmes in the field of energy and natural resources
and to promote new and renewable forms of energy.
Ratified: 29/06/1992
k. UNITED NATIONS FRAMEWORK
CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE
Objective:
To regulate levels of greenhouse
gas concentration in the atmosphere, so as to avoid the occurrence of climate
change on a level that would impede sustainable economic development, or
compromise initiatives in food production.
Ratified: 12/06/1992
l. ONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL
DIVERSITY
Objective:
To conserve biological diversity,
promote sustainable use of its components, and encourage equitable sharing
of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
Ratified: 12/06/1992.
m. DECLARATION TREATY AND
PROTOCOL OF SOUTHERN AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT COMMUNITY (SADC)
Objective:
To achieve development and
economic growth, alleviate poverty, and enhance the standard and quality
of life of the peoples of Southern Africa and support the socially disadvantaged
through regional integration.
Ratified: 17/08/1992
n. CONVENTION ON THE PROHIBITION
OF THE DEVELOPMENT, PRODUCTION, STOCKPILING AND USE OF CHEMICAL WEAPONS
AND ON THEIR DESTRUCTION
Objective:
To prohibit development, production,
stockpiling, and use of chemical weapons, to destroy the existing chemical
weapons and related facilities, and to provide for verification measures
for those purposes.
Ratified: 23/09/1993
o. UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION
TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION (UNCCD) IN THOSE COUNTRIES EXPERIENCING SERIOUS
DROUGHT AND/OR DESERTIFICATION PARTICULARLY IN AFRICA
Objective:
To combat desertification
and mitigate the effects of drought in the countries affected through effective
action at all levels supported by international co-operation and partnership
agreements in the framework of an integrated approach which is consistent
with Agenda 21, with a view to contributing to the achievements of sustainable
development in those areas.
Ratified: 27/07/1995
p. LUSAKA AGREEMENT ON CO-OPERATIVE
ENFORCEMENT OPERATION DIRECTED AT ILLEGAL TRADE IN WILD FAUNA AND FLORA
Objective:
To establish close co-operation
between certain African countries with a view to reducing and ultimately
eliminating illegal trade in fauna and flora.
Ratified: 08/09/1994
q. PROTOCOL ON SHARED WATERCOURSE
SYSTEMS IN THE SADC REGION
Objective:
To develop close co-operation
for judicious and coordinated utilization of the resources of the shared
watercourse systems in the SADC region. Co-ordinate environmentally sound
development of shared water systems in the SADC region in order to support
sustainable socio-economic development.
Ratified: 28/08/1995
r. PROTOCOL ON ENERGY IN
THE SADC REGION
Objective:
To strive to harmonize national
and regional energy policies, strategies and programmes on matters of common
interest based on equity, balance and mutual benefit.
Ratified: 24/08/1996
s. PROTOCOL ON TRANSPORT,
COMMUNICATIONS AND METEOROLOGY IN THE SADC REGION
Objective:
To establish transport, communications
and meteorology systems, which provide efficient cost effective and fully
integrated infrastructure and operations which best, meet the needs of
customers and promote economic and social development, which is environmentally
and economically sustainable.
Ratified: 24/08/1996
t.PROTOCOL ON TRADE IN THE
SADC REGION
Objective:
To further liberalize intra-regional
trade in goods and services on the basis of fair, mutually equitable and
beneficial trade arrangements, complemented by protocols in other areas.
The protocol provides for member states to make compatible their standards
related measures without reducing the level of safety, or of protection
of human, animal or plant life or health, of the environment or of consumers.
Ratified: 24/08/1996
8). References
SADC Civil Society Position,
29 September –1 October 2001
Africa Civil Society Position,
15th -16th October 2001
Chenje Munyaradzi (ed). 1999.
The Media Handbook for Southern Africa. SARDC-IMERCSA. Harare
Richard Sherman. 2000. South
African Civil Society and RIO+10: Preparing for the 10 year review of the
RIO Earth Summit. Earthlife. Johannesburg
Du Toit Julienne, The Road
to Johannesburg. IN Sawubona January 2002
Ministry of Home Affairs. 2001.
National Gender Policy for Swaziland (First Draft). Mbabane
Civil Society Indaba. 2001.
The World Summit on Sustainable Development. Johannesburg
WSSD Secretariat. 2001. Indaba:
The Newspaper of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Johannesburg
UNCED Forum for the 2002 Earth
Summit www.earthsummit2002.org
Official UN website for the
2002 conference www.johannesburgsummit.org
Agenda 21 www.unep.org/documents
9) Important resources on
the WSSD process:
Websites:
Official UN website for the
2002 conference www.johannesburgsummit.org
UNEP Regional Office for Africa
www.unep.org/ROA/wssd.htm
Civil Society for Sustainable
development www.worldsummit.org.za
The Earth Network for Sustainable
Development www.ecouncil.ac.cr
The Earth Summit Watch www.earthsummitwatch.org/
The NCSD Knowledge Network
www.ncsdnetwork.org/rio10/
UNCED Forum for the 2002 Earth
Summit www.earthsummit2002.org
NGO Steering to the UN CSD
www.igc.org/csdngo/es2002/es_index.htm
The UN/ECE Rio+10 www.unece.org/env/rio+10
The IISD’s portal to the world
summit on sustainable development www.iisd.ca/wssd/portal.html
The FAO WSSD contribution www.fao.org/wssd/index_en.htm
National Strategies for Sustainable
Development www.nssd.net/references/wssd/
Sustainable Development Gateway
www.sdgateway.net/
Agenda 21 www.unep.org/documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=52
The Rio Declaration www.un.org/documents/ga/conf151/aconf15126-1annex1.htm
United Nations Environment
Programme http://www.unep.org
International Institute for
Sustainable Development http://www.iisd.ca
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