WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT & WEHAB DISCUSSIONS


World Summit on Sustainable Development was held in Johannesburg in 2002. Summit should provide benefit to youth, children and vulnerable community. For sustainable development good governance is necessary in each country at international level.
Peace, security, stability, respect for human rights, fundamental freedom are all necessary for sustainable development.

SECTIONS
   
  • Introduction
  • Poverty Eradication
  • Changing unsustainable to sustainable patterns
  • Protecting and managing natural resources
  • Sustainable Development in Globalizing World
  • Health and Sustainable Development
  • Sustainable Development of Small Islands

Partnership Plenary Sessions
WEHAB DISCUSSIONS
SUMMARY

The WEHAB discussions were carried out in plenary in response to decision at prepcom IV. Five key sessions were discussed in WEHAB discussions by UN Secretary General Kofi Annan (contributor in World Summit on Sustainable Development): Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture and Biodiversity.

WEHAB SESSIONS

Health

Good health is essential for poverty eradication and sustainable development. Health is not all about reducing illness but it also deal with human rights to clean water, sanitation, quality and better health services. People who are poor are more at risk of illness and people who are ill are more likely to be poor. Health and Environment link should be given recognition. Health issues must be addressed by Health ministries and health sectors.
Most speakers agreed on following actions that must be held to address health issues:
  • Eradicate communicable diseases such as AIDS/ HIV , malaria, tuberculosis.
  • Treatment of common diseases such as diarrhea and respiratory diseases from pollution
  • Prevent and treat occupational health diseases and accidents
  • Improve access to sanitation and clean water
  • protection of health of vulnerable population
  • Gender Empowerment
Many speakers identified the need of following issues for achieving success in health issues:
  • Strong political will and long term commitment
  • Effective politics and strategies
  • Practical programmes on ground with clear targets
  • Partnership based on scientific knowledge, research and useful information
Participants identified the need of capacity building and research for:
  • assessing and managing health risks
  • planing and managing health needs
  • training good health care providers
Other discussions were:
  • learning from past lessons and best practices
  • committing global funding for HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis 
  • more resources for health of children
  • developing international code of conduct fro health personnel
Biodiversity

About 40 % of global economy depends upon biological products and processes. The economical value o biodiversity is found to be $ 2.9 trillion/year while economic services value is $3.3 trillion/year.
The threats on biological biodiversity by humans should be given attention. The biodiversity and poverty linkage should be given priority as poor people depends on biodiversity for their survival.
Challenge to biodiversity are:
  • ensuring equal benefits from the use of biodiversity
  • improving the knowledge of public about the importance of biodiversity
  • recognition of cultural and spiritual values of biodiversity
  • addressing need of paradigm shift
  • special conservation for the biodiversity areas and weak ecosystems
To address these challenges the participants pointed out following suggestions:
  • Better process and mechanism for strong action and implementation
  • use economic instruments in relation to biodiversity
  • build biodiversity related conventions
  • sharing more global and regional research
  • build capacities and technology sharing
  • address issues of Intellectual Property Rights
Agriculture

The key issues of agriculture in developing countries were:
  • Soil fertility problem in Sub Sahara Africa developing countries
  • need to increase water productivity
  • enhanced use of diverse crops, non farming practices as a source employment in rural areas
  • need to involve farmers in policy and decision making
  • addressing land tenure and land rights issues
  • providing financial incentives in key areas
  • strengthening warning practice against natural disasters
  • preventive actions to reduce hunger and enhance agriculture productivity
The need to address these issues were discussed by participants as:
  • Increase technological improvements (renewable technology, safe use of biotechnology)
  • increase public investment in agriculture and build markets
  • develop products that are marketable and promote market supplies
Special consideration in term of human resources should be given to:
  • Empowerment of women in order to reduce hunger 
  • Retaining youth in agriculture
  • identifying the needs of waged agricultural works and conditions
  • empowerment of local communities
Water and Sanitation

The issues in water and sanitation are as follows:

1.Access and availability
  • need of access of safe and quality water and sanitation to poor rural areas or in marginal urban areas
  • need of policies to pay for the services of poor population
  • need of decentralized solutions for meeting the needs of poor by less costly technologies
Allocation Issues
  • Integrated water resource managment should be promoted
  • Agriculture use highest water share there is the need to improve water use efficiency
  • Populations cannot pay for the services. The poor community should be taken into account in this perspective.
Capacity Building and technology need
  • need to introduce and maintain the technologies for poor
  • need of capacity building and education in water management and sanitation
  • education, information and public awareness is necessary

Energy

The issues in energy sector discussed were:
  • need of energy efficiency and conservation
  • importance of energy and health link
  • importance of clean energy sources
  • countries ability to take their own decisions in energy policies
  • need to restructure markets
  • need of safety nets for workers
Energy objectives discussed in discussion are:
  • Energy for poverty alleviation
  • Energy conservation and energy efficiency
  • Promotion of renewable energy
  • use of policies and economic instruments
  • meeting the needs of women
  • actions on climate change


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