World leaders speak out for the Summit

17 – 18 May 2002 - Key international leaders and luminaries gathered at the Sheraton Hotel, Pretoria, South Africa to discuss outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Participants expressed a high-level political commitment to the Summit.

Seminar participants included President Thabo Mbek; Professor E. Salim, chairperson of the Preparatory Committee; Nitin Desai, Secretary-General of the WSSD; Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott of the United Kingdom; ministers from Mozambique, Zambia, Uganda and Norway; as well as representatives of UN agencies and Bretton Woods institutions.

Participants agreed on the following key issues:

• The Johannesburg Summit should be the key instrument to define the global vision for the path to achieve sustainable development in the 21st century.
• The core focus of the Summit should be to engage the challenges of eradicating poverty and addressing the current unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.
• The importance of translating the global vision of sustainable development into practical action and implementation plans, including a strong emphasis on building partnerships.
• The five key Summit themes identified in the UN Secretary-General's speech - Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture and Biodiversity.
• The Summit should address issues being dealt with in the Doha trade round.