|
What was the World Summit on Sustainable Development?
The United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development --
also known as the Johannesburg Summit -- brought together tens
of thousands of participants, including heads of state and government,
national delegates and leaders from non-governmental organisations
(NGOs), businesses and other major groups to focus the world's
attention and direct action toward meeting difficult challenges,
including improving people's lives and conserving our natural resources
in a world that is growing in population, with ever-increasing
demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services
and economic security.
At the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, the international
community adopted Agenda
21, an unprecedented global plan of action for sustainable
development. But the best strategies are only as good as their
implementation. Ten years later, the Johannesburg Summit presented
an exciting opportunity for today's leaders to adopt concrete steps
and identify quantifiable targets for better implementing Agenda
21.
When did the Summit take place?
The Summit took place in Johannesburg, South Africa from 26 August
to 4 September 2002. The Summit was held in the Sandton Convention
Centre. A non-governmental forum -- called the Civil Society Global
Forum -- took place at Expo Centre (more generally known as Nasrec).
Who went to the Summit?
Broad participation and inclusiveness are key to the success of
sustainable development. All sectors of society have a role to
play in building a future in which global resources are protected,
and prosperity and health are within reach for all of the world's
citizens. In addition to governments, there was active participation
by representatives from business and industry, children and youth,
farmers, indigenous people, local authorities, non-governmental
organisations, scientific and technological communities, women
and workers and trades unions. These represented the Major Groups
identified in Agenda 21.
Side events
Side events were events that took place in the margins of official
inter-governmental meetings, organised for the purpose of sharing
experiences and increasing opportunities for dialogue among the
official meeting's participants.
Parallel events
Around the time of the Summit, a number of additional events --
known as parallel events -- took place in the Johannesburg area.
These events were convened and managed by organisations or groups
that are independent of the United Nations. The Johannesburg World
Summit Company (Jowsco) -- a non-profit company that was wholly
owned by the South African government and which managed logistical
operations on behalf of the Summit's host nation -- coordinated
logistics for these parallel events.
Who organised the Summit?
The tenth session of the UN
Commission on Sustainable Development (known as CSD10) acted
as the Preparatory Committee for the Summit, which was its central
organising body. CSD10 held four preparatory meetings for the
Summit during 2001-02, known as PrepComs.
CSD10 sessions were steered by a Bureau that consisted of two
representatives from each region of the world (10 members in total).
The Bureau for CSD10 held meetings between the CSD10 Sessions to
guide the process and raise political awareness and support for
the Summit among member governments and major groups.
Logistics
The logistical organisation of the Summit was managed by the Johannesburg
World Summit Company (Jowsco), on behalf of the government of South
Africa. | 
