Preparations
for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(WSSD) planned for September 2002 in Johannesburg
are moving forward, Nitin Desai, the newly appointed
Secretary General of the Summit told reporters
at a UN press conference Tuesday.
"Much
work has been done at a regional level for the Summit,
but now we are moving forward and preparing on a global
level," Desai said.
Summit preparations are vital because this
will be the largest and most important meeting
of the global community that will address
the integration of environmental, economic
and social decision making.
To
help steer the Summit in the right direction,
the UN Secretary
General Kofi A. Annan had
recently established a high level advisory
panel consisting of 12 distinguished personalities
who held their first meeting Monday at The
Carriage House in New York. Desai told reporters
that The Carriage House will continue to
host future "conversations" among
the members of the advisory panel and other
invited guests once every month leading up
to the Summit. In addition to the advisory
panel, five regional roundtables have also
been established for the Summit.
Also present at the press conference were
two Chairpersons and other members of the
regional roundtable. The five present today
included Professor Adebayo Adedeji (Member,
Roundtable for Africa), Asylbek Aidaraliev
(Chair, Roundtable for Central and South
Asia), Professor M. Nordin Hasan (Member,
Roundtable for East Asia/Pacific), Sir Alister
Mclntyre (Chair, Roundtable for Latin America
and the Caribbean), and Larry Papay (Co-Chair,
Roundtable for Europe and North America).
These roundtables will assess the key challenges,
opportunities and constraints facing regions
over the past 10 years. They are also responsible
for identifying the Summit's future priorities.
"The goal is to try and put some flesh
and bone on the concept of sustainable development
by interconnecting poverty issues with environmental
issues," Desai said. Other areas that
will highlight the Summit include sustainable
consumption, recycling, tourism and the ecosystem.
At the end of the 20-minute press conference,
Desai underscored the need for the Summit
to address the demands of developing countries.
|
