Environment
Pacific Scales World Summit
With the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg (WSSD) having concluded, the Pacific has good reason to feel pleased with the outcomes that were achieved.
During the Rio Earth Summit of 1992, the amount of optimism, and goodwill spilling over in all directions for the event, led it to be called the Summit to Save the World. If the level of response from the international community during the WSSD is any indicator, the urgency has increased as environmental problems continue to escalate.
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The Johannesburg Summit agenda, was to review what progress had been made to implement the 10-year old blueprint for sustainable development in Rio, called Agenda 21, and to chart a path for the next decade of the new millennium.
What was encouraging for SPREP members was the manner in which Pacific countries were able to show impressive solidarity in putting their views across on the common issues troubling the region.
The Prime Minister of Tuvalu, Saufatu Sopoanga, said that in the face of mounting evidence over rising sea levels and climate change, still not enough was being done by the international community to ameliorate the situation. Tuvalu’s firm position throughout the preparatory process and the summit had focused on renewable energy targets, and urging all countries to ratify the Kyoto Protocol.
A number of Pacific voices supported him and spoke of the need for more rapid progress.
Marshall Islands President, Kessai Note, made the point that in spite of the commitments made during the Rio Summit, poverty is continuing to increase, as is the widening gap between the rich and the poor. He described the effect of climate change as a matter of “life and death”, and the ocean as a traditional livelihood “that was now turning against us as a result of forces beyond our power to combat.”
Vanuatu’s Deputy Prime Minister, Serge Vohor expressed deep concern over the shipment of radioactive waste through the Pacific Ocean and the absence of enforceable liability in the event of an accident.
Through these exchanges, Small Islands Developing States (SIDS) were able to secure global recognition of issues relating to their environmental, social and economic priorities. The sustainable development of SIDS was the first chapter agreed to in the Summit Plan of Implementation, and has a real bearing on how the world views the Pacific situation.
The provisions include special reference to: target dates and support for regional fisheries management, support for conservation and freshwater programmes, appropriate transfer of technology and capacity building, consideration by the World Trade Organisation of the special case for SIDS, development of sustainable tourism initiatives, assistance with comprehensive hazard and risk management, disaster prevention, mitigation and preparedness, economic, social and environmental vulnerability indices, mobilising resources to address the adverse effects of climate change, sea level rise, affordable and environmentally sound energy services, health-care services, support to reduce and manage waste, and pollution.
Fiji’s United Nations Ambassador Amraiya Naidu said afterward that the “support shown for the section on islands is very positive news for the Pacific. It provides a solid international platform for a range of new initiatives on sustainable development at home”.
Much of the credit for the way in which the Pacific presented itself should be given to the thorough preparation and teamwork between the regional organisations of the Pacific and their members.
This commitment was formalised in 2000 during the Environment Ministers Meeting in Guam, where the first steps were taken to identify priority issues. Niue’s Minister for Environment and Finance, Toke Talagi expressed to the summit the important role and architecture of the Pacific’s regional organisations, and the need for their adequate resourcing in order for them to continue to be effective and efficient in building capacity and promoting sustainable development at the national and community levels.
The summit also adopted a Plan of Implementation and a Declaration to renew the commitment of governments. Globally, these “documents” warrant a pass, for keeping alive the multilateral process that will support sustainable development. In these agreements the international community has also set itself some important targets (generally by 2015) to reduce poverty, restore fisheries, increase access to water and sanitation, reduce infant mortality, increase literacy, improve chemicals management (including labelling), introduce the ecosystem based approach to management of resources and to implement the Global Plan of Action for the protection of the marine environment from land based activities.
For Pacific islands countries and territories, much has been achieved. The continued international recognition of our uniqueness and special case as one of the worlds most vulnerable regions, specific actions required to assist our islands, and an agreement to further review sustainable development in the islands by 2004.
Heads of governments from the region successfully launched a package of initiatives that provides a valuable platform to assist countries implement sustainable development. Importantly, is the recognition of donors and our partners, including Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Denmark and the European Union, to support this platform.
Overall the summit did well to encourage commitment from individual countries by mobilising resources for a range of activities. The highest mark, I believe, goes to the efforts and achievements of island delegations for having found their way through the summit maze.
