The World Summit on Sustainable Development: Q&A with Ed Cain

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The World Summit on Sustainable Development: Q&A with Ed Cain
9 Sep 2002

Some 45,000 delegates from around the world convened last week in Johannesburg for the U.N.-sponsored World Summit on Sustainable Development. The director of the Carter Center's Global Development Initiative, Ed Cain, discusses the impact of the summit

Why did the United Nations hold the World Summit on Sustainable Development?
Cain: It has been 10 years since world leaders gathered for the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, where 153 nations charted a course and committed themselves to sustainable development. The Johannesburg summit took stock of what has or has not been accomplished over the past decade and sought ways to reinvigorate international efforts to address global poverty and environmental degradation--two enemies of sustainable development.
What was accomplished at the World Summit?
Cain: Not as much as we would have liked. While some specific goals like halving the number of people who live without basic sanitation by 2015 were welcome, commitments to renewable energy sources and reducing biodiversity loss were vague. We saw some progress to the commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions that are the leading cause of global warming. Although the United States, which produces more of these gases than any other country, has not agreed to sign the Kyoto Protocol to address this problem, Russia, the world's third largest polluter, announced its intention to do so in Johannesburg. The Summit action plan also was imprecise on the need to reduce agricultural subsidies that each year denies developing countries up to $300 billion in trade opportunities. Given such opportunities, developing countries could generate revenues that far exceed the inadequate 50 billion in global aid. Like trade, the "action plan" also was noncommittal in calling for increased aid to reduce poverty and the human suffering, hopelessness, and despair it creates.
What's needed to achieve sustainable development?
Cain: Sound national polices and practices that promote sustainable development are essential. This includes democratic practices and good governance in the countries that seek international assistance. However, strategies embracing these principles can succeed only if they exist in a regional and global environment that fosters such national strategic efforts. The Carter Center's Global Development Initiative operates in partnerships with four countries: Albania, Guyana, Mali, and Mozambique. GDI seeks to address all of these concerns by helping countries shape homegrown and widely participatory national development strategies and, at the same time, by working with the international community to identify what needs to be done at the regional and global levels for these national efforts to succeed. Johannesburg kept the dream of sustainable development alive by continuing the dialogue on what needs to be done. What we need now after a decade of constructive discussion and debate, which has led to achievable goals, is political will and resources.
Learn more about The Carter Center's Global Development Initiative.