E-Update No 12, September 16, 2002

English | Events | Newsletter | Sustainable

The WSSD 2002 ended with little substantive outcome and left enormous challenges to all of us.

As you know by now, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) ended on September 4 with the adoption of the Political Declaration and Plan of Action. Many participants including the ICMICA delegation were disappointed with the outcome. Nevertheless, what is important and clear to us is that the WSSD is part of a global effort in tackling the issues of environmental and social justice for sustainability which still has a long way to go. Perhaps Rio 1992 was two steps forward while Johannesburg 2002 was one step back.ward.

As mentioned in the last e-Update, ICMICA was represented by six participants. There were three parallel meetings, the Global People’s Forum, Events at Ubuntu Village and the WSSD itself. We divided the work among ourselves, and participated in various events in those three places. Fr Etienne Traille s.j. ICMICA’s Africa chaplain was present as a delegate of the Jesuit society.

Patricio Rode, International President, Uruguay and Samuel Mukundi from Kenya attended the meetings of the Earth Charter while Anselmo Lee and Joseph Rajkumar followed the negotiations and participated in NGOs lobby activities, particularly on human rights and corporate accountability at the WSSD. Antoine Sondag, International Chaplain and Egide Rwamatwara also participated in various activities such as the Catholic Committee against Famine and for Development (CCFD) consultation, Africa Caucus, etc.

Anslemo Lee participated in the workshop on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) organised by the Conference of NGOs in consultative relationship with the UN (CONGO) as a panellist with the three speakers. One of them was Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, well-know economist from Colombia University, USA.

The ICMICA statements from Nairobi, Bali and Lima were distributed at the various meetings and passed to some governmental delegates who were participating in the negotiations.

A Special Sunday Mass attended by about 200 participants from the summit and local community was celebrated on September 1 for the success of the WSSD at the Holy Trinity Church. It was organised by ICMICA and Justice and Peace Department of the Southern African Catholic Bishops’ Conference in collaboration with other Catholic groups like CORDAID, Jesuit Society, Maryknoll, Franciscans International, etc. Fr Albert Norlan in South Africa, an old friend of ICMICA, gave a homily to the audience on the biblical meaning of listening in the context of the WSSD which was conceived as ‘Talk-shop’.

Several newspapers and newsletters were produced on a daily basis during the WSSD process by professional journalists and civil society organizations. To access them, please log on to the websites below: