Targets with timetables vital for ensuring WSSD commitments are kept

The European Union today reaffirmed the importance of setting clear targets and timetables for reducing poverty and environmental degradation as the World Summit on Sustainable Development opened. Danish Minister of the Environment Hans Christian Schmidt and European Development and Humanitarian Aid Commissioner Poul Nielson arrived in Johannesburg for the summit, which continues until 4 September. Minister Schmidt will act as President of the EU delegation until Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen arrives on 1 September.

Danish State Secretary Carsten Staur, for the EU Presidency, told a news briefing: "The past two days of pre-negotiations have moved discussions some steps forward, though the progress should not be over-emphasized. We are pleased with the new basis for discussions on globalization, trade and finance developed over the weekend, which could make it possible to reach a solution on these issues. The EU is determined to seek solutions in Johannesburg that consolidate and build on the Doha Development Agenda on global trade and the Monterrey Consensus on financing for development."

European Commission Director-General for Environment Catherine Day said: "This summit is very important for demonstrating the utility and practicability of multilateral negotiations. The EU is investing enormous efforts in Johannesburg because it is committed to the multilateral process. It is important for the summit to address the issues related to sustainable development in a long-term perspective, and this is why the EU continues to put so much stress on including specific targets, together with timetables for achieving them, in the Plan of Implementation that is under negotiation. Targets with timetables are at the core of our agenda because they alone will make the international community accountable for delivering on its promises. We want to move from words to deeds, and we want our partners to join us in this."

State Secretary Staur continued: "Broad consensus has already been reached on three time-bound targets, covering protection of fish stocks, education strategies in Africa and gender disparity. However, these were relatively uncontentious and their importance should not be overemphasized. One of the main outstanding priorities for the EU is get agreement on halving by 2015 the number of people, currently around 2.4 billion, who do not have access to adequate sanitation. This is a necessary complement to the widely agreed target of halving, by the same date, the number of people without access to clean water."

Director-General Day added: "Sanitation and clean water are so closely linked that both are needed. The EU's preparations for the summit have involved ensuring that the sanitation target is feasible. We are now trying to convince our partners that this target can be reached by drawing on the additional funding for development agreed at the Monterrey meeting in March."

State Secretary Staur said the importance of setting targets with specific timetables was illustrated by the history of the UN's target on Official Development Assistance (ODA). This called for developed countries to increase the level of their ODA to the developing world to at least 0.7% of their gross national income as soon as possible, but with no fixed timetable. The target has existed for over 30 years, yet today the average level of ODA is only 0.22%. As part of the Monterrey consensus agreement was reached on setting 2015 as the deadline for countries to achieve the 0.7% target.

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