World Summit on Sustainable Development: briefing
NCOP Agriculture, Land Reform and Mineral Resources
14 November 2001
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LAND AND ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS SELECT
COMMITTEE
14 November 2001
WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: BRIEFING
Chairperson: Rev. P Moatshe
Documents handed out:
Operations and Logistics for the WSSD 2002 (Johannesburg World Summit
Company)
SUMMARY
The Committee was briefed by two representatives from the Johannesburg
World Summit Company (JOWSCO), the company created to organise the World Summit
on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The briefing dealt with the status of the
preparations regarding transport, accommodation, parallel events and security.
The representatives further highlighted various challenges and opportunities
facing South Africa in the run up to the WSSD.
MINUTES
The Chairperson advised the Committee Members that their last meeting of
the term would constitute a briefing by JOWSCO on their preparations for the
WSSD. He welcomed all members and the two JOWSCO representatives, Ms Thandi
Davids, Executive Support Manager (CEO), and Professor Joe Diescho, Executive
Director (Public Affairs).
Operations & Logistics (WSSD)
Ms Davids initiated the briefing by giving an indication of the scope of
the WSSD. She stated that the Sandton Convention Center had been identified as
the venue, and the provisional dates for the conference were 2 - 11 September
2001. JOWSCO was expecting approximately 6000 delegates to attend the main
conference, but many more delegates were expected to attend the parallel events
that had been arranged to take place in Johannesburg. The first of these events
that she identified was the Civil Society Indaba. She confirmed that 60 000
delegated were expected to attend the Civil Society Indaba, scheduled to take
place from 26 August 2001 to 1 September 2001. A Pre-NGO Week from 19 August to
31 August 2001 would precede the Indaba. 15 000 delegates were expected to
attend this latter event. She confirmed that the aim of these two parallel
events was to provide a forum for civil society organisations to network and
develop lobbying strategies prior to the main events of the Summit.Â
She identified two additional parallel events:Â
the Business Action for Sustainable Development Forum and the ICLEI
Conference. The first of these events, arranged by the International Chamber of
Commerce, was aimed at providing the private business sector with a forum to discuss
issues on the WSSD agenda. The second of these events was a local government
conference with a similar purpose. Ms Davids indicated that the Johannesburg
WSSD differed significantly from the Rio Conference as there was a clear
recognition of the need to provide interaction between private, public and
civil society sectors. This interaction did not exist at the Rio Conference.
Ms Davids then proceeded to briefly discuss the Social, Cultural, Theatrical
and Excursion Programmes and Exhibitions that had been developed for the WSSD.
She indicated that these would be utilised to showcase South Africa's talent,
products and opportunities and to promote South Africa as a preferred tourist
destination. She further indicated the JOWSCO was inviting corporate sponsorship
for these programmes.
In conclusion, Ms Davids highlighted the status of Johannesburg preparations
with regard to accommodating and transporting the WSSD delegates. She confirmed
that JOWSCO was consulting with all relevant stakeholders within the
accommodation sector and was confident that sufficient accommodation would be
secured. With regard to transport, JOWSCO, in conjunction with all stakeholders
within the transport sector, had developed a transport grid especially for the
WSSD that would accommodate all the delegates needs.
General Issues Regarding the WSSD
Prof. J. Diescho proceeded with the briefing by further highlighting
additional differences between the Johannesburg Summit and the Rio Conference.
He stated that the present conference focused increasingly on people and
development as opposed to the Rio Conference that had an almost entirely
environmental focus. He said that the present conference was expecting
infinitely more delegates and that the South Africa had been given approximately
a quarter of the time to prepare it despite the fact that its scale was
equivalent to the Olympics. He further indicated that the “east-west� divide,
which had existed between countries at the Rio Conference, had shifted more to
a “north-south� divide. South Africa's
role in managing this divide constructively and ensuring that issues of poverty
and development were placed high on the agenda was crucial.
Addressing security at the WSSD, he stated that this issue was receiving
additional scrutiny in light of the recent events in New York. It was crucial
for South Africa to change present foreign attitudes that the country was a
haven for crime. A “crime free� WSSD would go a long way to shifting attitudes
regarding safety in South Africa, and Southern Africa generally, and could well
stimulate development in the whole region.
Prof. Diescho reiterated the recognition that the WSSD needed to create a forum
where the concerns of the public, private and civil society sectors could be
integrated and considered within a constructive forum. Given South Africa's
history, he stated that few countries had as well organised or politicised a
civil society sector, and he was sure that this sector would ensure the
meaningful participation of the global civil society within the WSSD. He
identified the need for JOWSCO to engage with civil society in order to
identify key role players and define their role and the ambit of their
involvement in the WSSD.
He concluded his portion of the briefing by confirming that a central concern
of JOWSCO was not only to run a successful conference but also to create a long
lasting legacy. He highlighted the importance of safety and security and the
opportunities that the WSSD presented to South Africa to make it a preferred
location for tourism and development. He urged all Provinces to partake in this
challenge.
Questions and Comments
Mr D. Kgware (ANC) stated that the briefing had been useful and had raised
many issues. He indicated that many of the members would shortly be returning
to their constituencies and requested that a brief document be prepared which
the members could use to convey these issues to their constituencies.
Mr A. Van Niekerk (NNP) supported the above proposal and requested further that
JOWSCO provide a list of opportunities that it believed existed for the
Provinces, other than Gauteng, to contribute to, and share in the benefits of,
the WSSD.
Mr K. Mokoena (ANC) raised a concern about what would happen to the street
children and vendors who lived in the area surrounding the venue. He asked
whether any plan had been formulated to deal with these groups so that they
would not receive unfair treatment.
Mr R. Nyakane (ANC), referring to the cultural and social programmes of the
WSSD, proposed the inclusion of cultural dances from various groups. He warned
against the use only of well-known celebrities within these functions and
programmes as this would not afford any benefits to the communities.
Ms A. Versveld (DP) asked how members from the Committee could secure
attendance at the WSSD.
Prof. Diescho stated that all possibilities with regard to the Social,
Cultural, and Excursion programmes were being reviewed, and these were not only
limited to what was available in and around the Gauteng area. He acknowledged
Mr Nyakane's concern about using only well known personalities and reiterated
JOWSCO's moral obligation to ensure that all South African's benefited from the
Summit being held in South Africa.
Ms Davids, responding to the question on street children and vendors, indicated
that the issue had emerged within discussions of the Core Command Group, the
body responsible for the conference's security. She stated that JOSCO was
scheduled to engage with the Department of Welfare and other relevant
stakeholders to manage the issue in as humane a manner as possible. Ms Davids
further undertook to forward a two-page summary on the WSSD preparations that
the members could take to their constituencies. With regard to the Committee
Members involvement in the WSSD, she indicated that the South African
Government chose its delegation, and this function was performed by the
Department of Foreign Affairs. She agreed to contact the Department of Foreign
Affairs and comment to the Committee on the selection process.
The Chairperson concluded the meeting by thanking all the members and the
Committee's staff for a successful year. The meeting was adjourned.
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