SABCnews.com (Johannesburg)
29 August 2002
Government officials from across the world seem to be moving with surprising speed towards an agreement on a Plan of Implementation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Yesterday, John Ashe, the Caribbean ambassador who has been brokering talks between the developing world and wealthy nations on better trade and aid deals for emerging economies, said 99% of the text for an agreement on finance had been accepted by delegates. Wealthy nations had also reaffirmed their pledges to open their markets to developing countries. This is more or less in line with what developing countries expected to achieve at the summit. Officials negotiating over trade and finance remain divided over the wording of the summits position on globalisation. Broadly, wealthy countries want the summit to endorse globalisation, while developing countries are arguing that they have yet to enjoy substantial benefits from international free trade. However, an official is confident that a compromise wording along the lines of: globalisation can benefit the world and stimulate economic growth, but the way it has been implemented has prevented developing countries from tackling poverty is possible. 'Good governance' still being debated And, although differences over definitions of good political, economic and corporate governance continue, indications are that developing countries, who were most wary of these terms, will accept a carefully worded agreement. Wealthy countries have tied a deal on trade and finance to an agreement of good governance in developing countries. Differences over trade and finance for development were expected to be one of the main stumbling blocs to agreement on the Plan of Implementation. The agreement on these issues will remove a major obstacle in the way of a final deal. There has also been progress on another major area of difference at the summit targets, timetables and financing to provide clean water and sanitation to the billions of people who do not have access to these essential services. Countries have agreed to halve the billion people who do not have access to clean water by 2015. This was one of the major aims of developing countries at the summit. Less support for sanitation Australia and the United States have successfully blocked the summit from committing itself to a timetable and target to provide adequate sanitation to the two billion people without access to toilets. While negotiations are continuing, some senior officials at the talks dont think developing countries are going to secure any more concessions around water and sanitation. Officials are also relatively upbeat about reaching agreement ways to protect the world environment. While targets and timetables on environmental issues are proving much more elusive because of the different interests of nations and trading blocs officials are working out terminology and phrasing that will be broadly acceptable to everybody. Fears of 'meaningless agreements' This has been a major concern of environmental groups who fear that an all-inclusive text would render agreements meaningless. However, officials point out that in some areas like efforts to reduce persistent organic pollutants in the environment even a woolly commitment to tackling the issue would clear the way for research and investment into the matter. This will lay the basis for more determined action later. The European Union (EU) is pushing for clear targets on things like reducing emissions that harm the climate, switching to environmentally responsible energy sources and protecting bio-diversity. The US and some allies, like Australia and Canada, are refusing to agree to targets on these issues, mainly because of their economic interests. Developing countries are in a very limited way excused from the debate, because the impacts of their economies on the global environment are not very large, relative to the wealthy countries. However, developing countries are wary that wealthy countries could use environmental standards as a barrier to keep their goods which may not be produced in an environmentally responsible way out of their markets. No timetables for environmental problems Some officials close to the talks do not think that there will be substantial agreements on timetables and targets to tackle environmental problems, but rather commitments to drastically reducing the scale of the threat. Drastically reducing is United Nations speak for the grey area between not doing anything and committing yourself to doing more that you can handle. While none of the officials are willing to put their head on a block, there is a high level of confidence that an agreement on the plan of implementation will be hammered out over the next day or two. More cabinet ministers, from different countries, are also getting involved in the talks as they arrive in South Africa ahead of the Heads of State Summit of the WSSD. Their political clout is also helping to clear the way for agreements. Once the Plan of Implementation is broadly finalised, work will begin on a Political Declaration for the summit. Both will be submitted for approval and adoption by the Heads of State summit, which starts next week. From tomorrow, governments, non-governmental organisations and businesses from across the world will start detailing partnerships they have agreed on to kickstart economic and social development and protect the environment in their countries. These announcements will be the proof, which both the UN and South Africa wants, that the WSSD is not just another talkshop.
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