Date: 10/06/2002
Source: Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Title: Moosa: Outcome of WSSD fourth Prepcom meeting in Bali
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STATEMENT BY MINISTER VALLI MOOSA ON THE OUTCOMES OF THE WSSD FOURTH PREPARATORY COMMITTEE MEETING HELD IN BALI, 10 June 2002

"JOHANNESBURG: A POTENTIAL TO HAVE A MESSAGE OF HOPE FOR THE WORLD: MOOSA"

The fourth and final Preparatory Committee meeting for the Johannesburg World Summit ended in Bali on 8 June 2002. Because of the significance of the meeting, it was attended by a large number of Ministers from both developed and developing countries. It was also attended by representatives of civil society and a large contingent of media.

By the early hours of the morning of 8 June, consensus was not reached on the 'Draft Plan of Implementation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development'. The main areas of disagreement revolved around the trade and financing provisions of the Plan - the so-called 'economic platform' of the document. Developing countries insist that a poverty eradication strategy should not ignore the most important causes of poverty, among them unfair terms of trade and, in particular, the lack of market access for agricultural products from poor countries. Developing countries also differed with the rich countries on the resourcing of the implementation plan. Developed countries wanted the plan to indicate who and how the good intentions would be financed.

South Africa is of the view that a summit on sustainable development that has poverty eradication as its theme must deal with these questions. The donor recipient paradigm in which the rich give handouts to the poor does nothing for real economic development and is therefore not a sustainable poverty eradication strategy. By allowing poor countries to sell their agricultural products in rich countries, one of the biggest obstacles to poverty will be eradicated. While aid is important and must be expanded, far more important is for rich countries to do business with poor countries or at least to allow producers in poor countries a fair opportunity to compete with producers in rich countries.

The eighteen-month long preparatory process for the summit has been rich and extensive. While the formal preparations are over, South Africa will continue with informal consultations over the remaining three months.

We are pleased that the there is now global consensus on the main framework for the Summit:

- The Summit must focus on all three pillars of sustainable development, viz. social development, economic development and the protection of the environment.

- The overall target of the Summit is the Millennium Development Goal to halve poverty by 2015.

- The need to agree on an concrete programme of action in the following areas water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture and food security, education and biodiversity.

- The need to agree on a global partnership between rich and poor countries, and between governments, business and civil society for sustainable development.

The stage is being set for one of the most significant global gatherings of modern times. It is becoming clearer that the outcome of Johannesburg has the potential of constituting a message of hope to the world.

Contact: Onkgopotse JJ Tabane at 012 310 3611/011 303 8261/082 465 6166

Issued by the Ministry of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, 10 June 2002.
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