Commissioner Wallström's speech on WSSD

Sumario: April 18, 2002: Speech by Commissioner Margot Wallström, Member of the European Commission responsible for Environment, on the "World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg" (WSSD) at the Civil Society Conference in Brussels

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Moving from Words to Deeds

The World Summit on Sustainable Development is not an isolated event in itself. As the Commission has said many times, it has to be seen as part of a continuum of action stretching from Doha through Monterrey to Johannesburg and beyond. This was a key message of our 13th February Communication on Global Partnership. That is also why I am so pleased to have been joined here today by Pascal Lamy and Poul Nielson.

It is my pleasure to bring the day's discussions to an end by confirming again the European Commission's strong commitment to making a success of the Summit and playing an active leadership role.

There is clearly an implementation deficit.

It is now time to move from words to deeds

Agenda 21 was not fully implemented because financial resources were not allocated to it the means were not forthcoming at a level commensurate with the ambition of Agenda 21.

As my colleague Poul Nielson has underlined this afternoon, the ODA increase announced in Monterrey should facilitate progress in Johannesburg. But we have also to be more creative to find appropriate and innovative means of implementation.

An Agenda for Change

We need an ambitious agenda for change… An agenda that strikes the balance between the necessary economic, social and environmental actions we require.

There is a growing consensus that poverty eradication and sustainable consumption and production are the overriding objectives of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The question, which we must answer in Johannesburg, is how to achieve these goals?

We believe that by developing comprehensive initiatives on water and energy we can help make a dramatic improvement in health in the developing world, for example by providing clean drinking water and sanitation to the millions who do not have it today. Better health through better water management will also help to alleviate poverty by enabling people to build sustainable economic futures. By helping to provide clean, affordable energy we can also help developing countries break out of poverty and underdevelopment.

That is why these two issues should be effectively addressed in the Johannesburg action plan. They are very high on the EU's agenda and when we meet in Bali in a few weeks, we will be actively pressing for positive outcomes and meaningful commitments for them.

We are prepared to offer concrete regional partnerships in these areas, sharing EU expertise and providing finance through our development programmes.

At least 1.1 billion people still lack access to safe drinking water and about 2.4 billion have no adequate sanitation. We want to agree in Johannesburg on a strategic partnership to halve the number of people without access to safe drinking water and sanitation by 2015 by promoting sustainable water resource management based on the principle of integrated river basin management;

Approximately 2 billion people close to one third of the world's population have little or no access to modern energy. We want to agree on concrete action in the field of energy and sustainable development:

to reduce the number of people without access to energy supply;
to provide clean, affordable energy to the one billion people who do not have access to modern energy services by 2015; and
to increase energy efficiency and conservation and the share of renewable energy in all countries.

Partnerships for Action

So when we travel back from Johannesburg at the end of the first week in September, what should we be bringing back with us on the flight home?

We must bring:

A renewed commitment by all countries to sustainable development to be reflected in a political declaration adopted at Johannesburg.

An action plan with ambitious but realistic targets and concrete deliverables upon which we can be held to account.

Partnerships for action, that is initiatives involving all stakeholders to implement the action plan.

We believe that Johannesburg should strengthen governance at all levels by ensuring policy coherence and policy integration in the economic, social and environmental fields. This requires more effective governance structures at international, regional and national levels. In particular, Johannesburg must deliver regional actions for Africa, building on ongoing initiatives like the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD).

National sustainable development strategies and the role of local authorities are also particularly important.

The Role of Stakeholders

Let me underline just two aspects of the role you stakeholders can play in the remaining months before the Summit.

You can give an effective contribution to ensure implementation. The EU is also looking towards the private sector whose commitment is essential in making globalization sustainable and in delivering concrete action on the ground. This is why we would welcome the active involvement of responsible businesses in sectors like water and energy.

You can also help bring a sense of urgency into the preparations for Johannesburg. Rio would not have been the success without the active commitment and the mobilization of civil society organizations throughout the world, in the North and in the South. We need the same level of commitment and mobilization to ensure that Johannesburg is a success. For its part, the Commission will work with you and will also work intensively with the Indonesian Chairman and with the South African organizers of the WSSD, as well as with other partners and the UN family to help ensure a successful outcome.

Concluding Remarks

Our approach to globalization and sustainability must be one of strengthened multilateralism across the agendas of environment, trade and development co-operation.

Let us also be clear that the European Union will again need to play the leading role among rich countries in achieving an ambitious and action-oriented outcome to the Johannesburg Summit.

Europe needs to bring to the preparations for the Johannesburg Summit the same level of leadership that it has shown on Kyoto … and on Doha and Monterrey.

The Spanish Presidency of the EU throughout the remaining preparatory process in the run-up to the Seville Summit and the Danish Presidency which will be in the EU chair at the time of Johannesburg have important roles to play in ensuring that the EU delivers.

I hope that together this afternoon we have been able to assure you that the European Commission of course stands ready in this regard.

Thank you for your attention.

Ref: SP02-212EN
Fuente UE: Comisión Europea
Foro NU: Otros
Fecha: 18/4/2002

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