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The World Summit on Sustainable Development

The EU considers the results of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg an overall success, and it has underscored Europe's determination to lead the way in turning the Summit's action plan into concrete results on the ground.

Danish Prime Minister and current EU President Anders Fogh Rasmussen said: "I believe we can be satisfied with the result. We have agreed an action plan and a set of principles for sustainable development. We have concluded a global deal and partnership recommending free trade and increased market access, increased development assistance, a commitment to good governance and commitments to a better environment. The EU has played a leading role in this."

Commented European Commission President Romano Prodi: "We came to Johannesburg to launch a North-South pact which also encompasses the results of the Doha and Monterrey conferences. I welcome this relaunch of multilateralism, which puts sustainable development firmly on the global agenda…The EU will take the lead in implementing the outcome of Johannesburg because we are strongly committed to fighting poverty through trade and aid while protecting the environment. We owe it to the world to deliver."

The EU has consistently worked for an ambitious, realistic, action-oriented outcome with clear, measurable and time-bound targets to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG). The key targets include:

• Halving by 2015 the number of people lacking access to basic sanitation, complementing the MDG of halving the number of people without access to fresh water by the same date.
  
  
• A commitment to minimize the harmful effects on human health and the environment from the production and use of all chemicals by 2020.
  
  
• A commitment to halt the decline in fish stocks and to restore them to sustainable levels by no later than 2015.
  
  
• A commitment by all parties to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010.
  
  
• A commitment to set up a 10-year framework for programs on sustainable consumption and production.

The Summit also agreed to increase urgently and substantially the global share of renewable energy sources. In support of the Summit's goals, the EU has pledged major partnership initiatives to bring clean water, sanitation and clean energy to people in developing countries. And it has also launched a coalition of like-minded countries committed to increasing their use of renewable energies through quantified, time-bound targets.

Further, the EU welcomed the summit's acknowledgement that good governance is essential for sustainable development. Experience has shown that lack of democracy, openness and respect for human rights contributes to keeping countries in poverty.

Climate change played a prominent role in Johannesburg, too, with China, South Africa and Poland all announcing their ratification of the Kyoto Protocol. Canada also gave strong signals that it would ratify before the end of the year, and the Russian government made a positive statement about its ongoing ratification process. (Once Russia ratifies, it is expected that the Protocol will enter into force.)

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Recherche Avancée

• Mme Wallström présente à la réunion des ministres de l'Environnement du G8 à Paris (24/4/2003)
• EC statement on trade and development (11/11/2002)
• EU Presidency Statement - Financing for development (8/11/2002)
• Commissioner Nielson's Speech on post-WSSD (25/9/2002)
• President Prodi's Statement on sustainable development (12/9/2002)
• Commissioner Wallström's Speech on results of WSSD (11/9/2002)
• EU launches global initiative to achieve World Summit goals (3/9/2002)
• EU launches coalition at WSSD to deliver renewable energy goals  (3/9/2002)
• EU reaffirms commitment to reach global deal at WSSD (2/9/2002)
• EU Presidency Statement - WSSD (2/9/2002)
• President Prodi Speech on North-South Pact at WSSD (2/9/2002)
• EU launches major energy partnership initiative at WSSD  (1/9/2002)
• EU stresses commitment to combat illegal logging at WSSD (31/8/2002)
• Commissioner Fischler welcomes WSSD agreement to prevent overfishing  (29/8/2002)
• Statement by Commissioner Poul Nielson on the WSSD (25/8/2002)
• EU Agenda for the Johannesburg World Summit (3/7/2002)
• Commissioner Wallström's Speech on WSSD (21/6/2002)
• The Kyoto Protocol and climate change (31/5/2002)
• Commissioner Nielson's speech on WSSD (18/4/2002)
• Commissioner Lamy's speech on WSSD (18/4/2002)
• Commissioner Wallström's speech on WSSD (18/4/2002)