About Yonge Nawe

Programmes

Resources

Press Information

Membership

Links

Search

Contact Us

The whole world was abuzz with discussions on sustainable development as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) approached. For other people sustainable development was just but a buzzword. What is really sustainable development?  Development is not working equally well for everyone as natural resources and the environment are being degraded. In this regard the word "sustainable" was added to qualify the concept. Sustainable development therefore is development that does not sacrifice the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. In general terms sustainable development has three main pillars, which should be integrated to achieve it. These are: 

• Economic growth and equity
• Conserving natural resources and the environment; and
• Social development.

Participation by all stakeholders, citizens and governments alike is paramount in the quest to achieve sustainable. Civil society and governments globally have been engaged in preparatory consultative processes with various stakeholders as part of their preparations for the WSSD. Yonge Nawe as one of the major groups is making her contribution to sustainable development within the country’s civil society by promulgating practices that will help the sustainable development goal become a reality. 

The roadmap for achieving sustainable development was adopted ten years ago at the Rio Summit and yet there is still much ground to be covered by all nations. To date the world, especially Africa, is still confronted with serious environmental, political, social and economic crises. The Johannesburg Summit was therefore expected to bridge the implementation gap through proposals for concrete actions. As an objective, the summit was expected to reinvigorate political commitments to sustainable development. 

The outcome of the Johannesburg summit was mixture of disappointments and successes. Green campaigners and aid groups attending the summit said that, "Johannesburg summit will go down in history as a missed opportunity to deliver energy to two billion people on this planet without access to energy services, and a failure to kick-start a renewable energy revolution that is required to protect the climate."  In addition, they criticised the blueprint for not going far enough in addressing unfair trade and the role of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and big businesses. Further, French Greens MP, Yves Cochet, a former environment minister, said. "The political result is pathetic. There is a governmental void, surrender, about making genuine commitments, with a timetable and money on the table."

However, unlike the Green Campaigners, the UN Secretary General Mr. Kofi Annan was content that the summit firmly put sustainable on the world agenda.  Nevertheless the Johannesburg plan of action commits nations to halve the number of people without access to clean water and sanitation by 2015 and resolves to reduce the loss of biodiversity by 2010. 

We are back from the summit, and then what next? What are the issues and how do we move forward? The Johannesburg plan of action is just but a broad framework, which we should adopt according to our circumstances. The bottom line is we need to take practical action if we are to meet the target we committed ourselves to. Halving the number of people without access to clean water and sanitation by 2015 and to reduce the loss of biodiversity by 2010 seems to be far. But remember we are confronted by serious epidemics such as HIV/AIDS, hunger and poverty that continue to wreck havoc in the kingdom. This issue focuses on the World Summit on Sustainable Development highlighting some local efforts Swaziland was engaged as part of her preparations as well as some outcomes from the summit.