Resolution on the World Summit on Sustainable Development

Proposal of the Bureau of LI

The 169^th Executive of The Liberal International

WELCOMES the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development which took place in September in Johannesburg and which will determine the multilateral agenda for sustainable development for the coming years, together with the outcomes of the WTO Ministerial in Doha of November 2001 and the UN Conference on Financing for Development in Monterrey of March 2002;

WELCOMES the consensus achieved on the Political Declaration and on the Plan of Implementation, successfully identifying measures to implement the Rio Agreements as well as to address new challenges and opportunities, and installing sustainable development as overarching objective for policies at the national and international levels;

CALLS UPON all parties involved to implement the Johannesburg agreements on targets, timetables, and specific work programmes, such as the ones in the fields of water and sanitation, fish stocks, chemicals, biodiversity, energy, sustainable patterns of production and consumption, and strategies on sustainable development,

INVITES all parties to achieve the objective of stabilization of greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere and those states that have not already done so to ratify the Kyoto Protocol in a timely manner;

STRESSES the importance of good governance, enhanced participation of civil society, and respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including the rights of major stakeholders;

REAFFIRMS its support to the successful completion of the work programme contained in the Doha Ministerial Declaration, recognizing the major role that trade can play in achieving sustainable development and eradicating poverty, as reaffirmed by the Johannesburg Summit;

REAFFIRMS its support of the Monterrey consensus on financing for development, including the need for increased ODA commitments, as reaffirmed by the Johannesburg Summit;

ENDORSES the institutional provisions of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, ensuring the integration of sustainable development goals into policies, country frameworks and guidelines of relevant international, regional and national bodies;

CALLS UPON all parties involved to focus on concrete action towards reaching the goals set forward in the Johannesburg Summit.

CALLS UPON industrial countries to abolish all tariff and non tariff-barriers for agricultural imports of least  developed countries in accordance with WTO-commitments, thus  enabling these countries to fully participate in the benefits of globalisation.

Proposed by the Liberal Democrats and British Group

The 169th meeting of the Executive Committee of Liberal International

• Recognising the need to ensure sustainable development as one of the key challenges facing developed and developing countries;
• Recognising that implementing sustainable development requires a balance between economic, social and environmental components;
• Recognising that environmental, public health and development objectives are not mutually exclusive, but can be combined together constructively;

Noting the importance of the principles, framework, objectives reached at the Rio Earth Summit (UN Conference on Environment and Development, Rio de Janeiro, 1992), though noting with concern the inadequate lack of implementation of a number of objectives set, and a worsening of a number of problems since the Earth Summit,

Welcomes the opportunity provided by the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in September 2002, in particular the adopted plan of implementation including:

• The commitment to reduce by half the number of people suffering from extreme poverty and hunger by the target deadline of 2015;
• The commitment to reduce by half the number of people without access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation by the target deadline of 2015;
• The commitment to the production and use of chemicals in a way that minimises significant adverse effects on human health and the environment, by 2020;
• The commitment to restore stocks of fisheries to sustainable levels by 2015;
• The commitment to improve health education and to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates and HIV prevalence;

Welcomes in particular the lead taken by the European Union in promoting goals and actions to achieve sustainable development through reduction of poverty and protection of the environment.

The Executive notes with concern:

• The lack of ratification of the Kyoto Protocol, which as a result is still not in force;
• The failure to agree on targets to increase the share of renewable energy sources as a sustainable approach to global energy use;
• Notes the lack of specific measurable dates and targets set for many plans, including with regard to use of natural resources and preservation of biodiversity;
• The lack of agreement reached by European countries regarding reduction of agricultural export subsidies and barriers to the import of food from developing countries;
• The insufficiently strong commitment regarding decreasing biodiversity and the reduction in the current rate of decrease by 2010;
• The reluctance of the United States in establishing new targets and timetables, their preference for ‘type 2’ partnership agreements and the resulting obstacles to reaching common agreement on shared objectives, the failure of the United States to ratify the Kyoto Protocol, the failure of President Bush to attend the Conference;

Notes the need for monitoring, implementation of the plan of implementation and partnership agreements with a view to achieving the objectives and targets set, and the potential effectiveness of sanctions where appropriate;

Notes the need for further agreement on substantive agreements to promote and realise the goal of sustainable development;

The Executive calls therefore on all member parties and parliamentarians to commit words and promises into effective action, and as part of this to campaign for and commit to:

• Monitoring and implementation of the plan of implementation and partnership agreements;
• Reforming international institutions, including a substantial strengthening of the resources and status of UNEP, and the incorporation of environmental and sustainability objectives fully into the operation of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank, the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and other development banks;
• The establishment of new frameworks and network, involving Governments, industry and civil society, for taking on these commitments following the summit, and an ongoing campaign to promote sustainable development throughout all societies within and across each country;
• Greater emphasis on the effective implementation of environmental conventions, including support for a global framework for data reporting, verification and compliance monitoring;