Editorial Column The last mega-summit? --------------------- On the last day of the Summit an angry NGO leader bashed the WSSD acronym, offering instead that it was a World Summit of Shameful Deals. Oversimplification and exaggeration make for strong headlines, but rarely reflect the whole truth. I would like to offer a few variations, beginning with the World Summit of Serious Dilemmas. Rio 92 had left unfinished business: better integration of the crying need for development and the protection of the environment; ensuring trade, direct investments and public aid are mutually supportive while respecting the environment; making globalization work for the spread of human rights and good governance; building on the dynamics of private enterprise while stimulating responsible practices and integrity at all levels… It is difficult to reduce such issues to simple yes/no choices and to the old debate of economy against environment. Yet because politicians and campaigners with a deep green drill felt this summit was “their” ten-year career high point, they came in large crowds but clearly struggled with the scope of issues at hand. It could also be dubbed the World Summit of Stricter Duties for government delegations of richer economies. They were not prepared to step outside their domestic political realities to sign commitments that their electorate would not allow them to fund or implement. With a significant shortfall against the Rio 92 promises there was no credible way to yield to those who clamored for a fresh visionary global deal, even though future generations would be better off for it. As a result it became a World Summit of Small Decisions. Even so, it did not backpedal on Agenda 21. The Implementation Plan puts poverty alleviation center stage and reaffirms the 2015 Millennium Development Goals. It adds a water sanitation target, strongly supported by business. It expands on energy beyond Agenda 21. It resolves to get trade rules supportive of environmental goals and to get public aid more in synergy with private sector investments. It stresses the need for good local governance to foster investments and development. It gives the liberal market system the benefit of the doubt but sends a clear signal to the private sector that it it must shape up on accountability and its performance to contribute to sustainable societies. It also presses for dealing with unsustainable consumption. This is not the full story. Jo’burg was also the World Summit for Spirited Dialogues. Many of which were held as side events near to the hub of negotiations. They had high content and testified to the engagement of stakeholders in existing and new partnerships that address all the major dimensions of sustainable development. The UN had taken a stab at listing many new “Type II” partnerships to boost the outcome of the Summit. We had reservations about an effort that could be rather cosmetic. It would let governments off the hook to agreeing on a robust Plan of Implementation that must be the framework that aligns all forms of partnerships to shared goals. However more than ever partnerships will be the way to build on the respective skills and financial capacity of business, governments and citizen organizations. Business therefore demonstrated a strong commitment to action that overcame the initial surprise of those who liked to deal with business as the absent villain or backroom schemer. Accused of “hijacking” the summit in the first days the large number of business delegates finally impressed most by exhibiting a genuine readiness for dialogue and power of initiative. This may well have been the last mega summit. It did the job in the end. An issue-centered process would surely now work better to deal with progress on the various chunks in the Implementation Plan. Claude Fussler ============================================================================= A surprise move --------------- On August 30, WBCSD and Greenpeace created a sensation by jointly calling on governments to move on creating a global policy framework to deal with the risk of climate change. Beyond the substance of the call itself the event turned the traditional dynamics of the summit upside-down. NGOs usually push governments to act to police the corporate sector and when they do not get their way they protest to the media about business hijacking and derailing the negotiations. The first days of the summit were drifting into this pattern until Remi Parmentier and Steve Sawyer of Greenpeace and Björn Stigson, Chris Boyd, Charles Nicholson of WBCSD shared a platform with Achim Steiner of IUCN and Jose Goldenberg of Brazil to articulate why government delegates needed to seriously shape up and take responsibility. For the substance of the discussion and call of action - see http://www.wbcsd.org/newscenter/releases/200200828_kyoto1.htm While the move clashed with the prevailing irritation with the tactics of Greenpeace towards many companies, the joint event also proved that there is room for a mature dialog between important actors who can find themselves on the same side of a critical issue and admit it openly. ============================================================================= LEKGOTLA: Business Day ---------------------- Lekgotla in Sotho means, ‘dialogue of leaders’. During the Business Day some thirty keynote speakers and panelists took it to heart to share visions of and commitments to a sustainable future with an audience of more than 800. Key speeches and contributions are available at http://www.basd-action.net/lbd/20020904_busday.pdf The UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, EU President and Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen and Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chrétien encouraged the business sector for strong support of the Summit Implementation Plan. “More and more we realize that it is only by mobilizing the corporate sector that we can make significant progress”, said Annan. The Business Day concluded by the participants acclaiming the The Johannesburg Business Pledge for Action Sustainability is the Opportunity, which we embrace Responsibility is the Standard by which we should expect to be judged Accountability is the Obligation, which we assume Partnership is the Pathway, which we pursue =========================================================================== Walking the Talk ---------------- The WBCSD gathered members and friends present in Johannesburg to present an up-date of its activities and a view of the way forward. In the words of Chairman Phil Watts “Sustainable development isn’t an easy option. We need to support each other, to share problems, experiences and ideas. That’s the aim of the WBCSD's blueprint for action. It’s called Walking the Talk and it illustrates the argument with 67 case studies. Ten years after Rio we know we are on a tough journey of continuous learning. WBCSD members see action to build a sustainable future as part of their commercial responsibilities. But we can pursue that most effectively in partnership with governments, political leaders, NGOs and international bodies.” As we go for print it already sold 2500 copies and is now widely available in bookstores and from the WBCSD. For more information, see http://www.wbcsd.org/summit/walking.htm =========================================================================== Business Survey --------------- In the weeks before the Summit, the GlobeScan team of Environics International made an on-line survey of business leaders active in the Business Action for Sustainable Development. As close to 40% of the sample declared that they intended to be in Jo’burg the results are a good map of the mindsets of the Lekgotla participants. The survey summary document is available at /newscenter/summit/globescan_survey.pdf. The results also correlate with findings of recent surveys made by KPMG in the International Survey of Corporate Sustainability reporting 2002 - http://www.kpmg.com/search/index.asp?cid=594 PriceWaterhouseCoopers also shared key ideas about corporate reporting in offering business delegates the recent book Public Trust, authored by CEO Sam DiPiazza - http://www.pricewaterhouse.com/gx/eng/ins-sol/publ/publictrust/index.html =========================================================================== Events and publications ----------------------- The WBCSD marked its contribution to the Summit with a series of events and special publications. All publications are available in the WBCSD Newscenter at http://www.wbcsd.org/newscenter/media.htm - Presentation of the Mining, Cement, Mobility, Electrical Utilities, Financial sector initiatives and status reports. - Business & Biodiversity A handbook of corporate action designed in partnership with the world Conservation Union IUCN. - Water for the poor A new strategy for the delivery of efficient water and sanitation services in support of the UN Millennium development Goals. - Investing for Sustainable development A perspective on how to get the conditions right and build synergy between Official Development Aid and Foreign Direct Investment by the private sector. A partnership event by IUCN, WBCSD, World Bank, Lead International and Deutsche Bank. =========================================================================== Surprising Climate Legacy results --------------------------------- The Johannesburg Climate Legacy is an opportunity to invest in local development projects that feature energy savings to offset the carbon load of the Summit. Simply put – if you traveled from New York or Tokyo and stayed 10 days in Joburg for the Summit you can offset all your climate impact by investing $100 in certified local legacy projects. A very simple CO2 calculator on http://www.climatelegacy.org takes you through you personal case and allows you to pledge your offset directly via Internet. Where did the project stand a few days after delegates returned home? Unfortunately the campaign was only able to collect $330 000. Interestingly, $185 000 of this total were pledged by business delegates, most of whom are WBCSD members. In “delegate equivalents” of $100/delegate here is an approximate comparison of climate neutral delegates: Business: 1850 Governmental organizations (World Bank, UNEP, UNDP, GEF): 500 National governments: 800 NGOs: 50