SANCOR Newsletter Issue #169: March 2002

 

 

There has been a slow increase in poverty, overpopulation, economic inequality and environmental degradation and each country has been fighting its own unceasing battles. However in 1992, the United Nations together with other developed states and developing states reached a consensus on the need for a global initiative to combat these problems. This resulted in the conception of Agenda 21 at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio.

Agenda 21 is a comprehensive, unprecedented global plan of action for sustainable development, taken globally, nationally and locally by organizations of the United Nations System, Governments, and Major Groups. But the best strategies are only as good as their implementation.

FROM RIO TO JOHANNESBURG 2002 (WSSD):

Ten years later the Johannesburg Summit 2002 presents an exciting opportunity for today's leaders to adopt concrete steps and identify quantifiable targets for better implementing Agenda 21 and its objectives. The Johannesburg summit will host thousands of delegates from government, non-governmental organizations, business and other major groups. These organizations will focus the "world's attention and direct action toward meeting difficult challenges, including improving people's lives and conserving our natural resources in a world that is growing in population, with ever-increasing demands for food, water, shelter, sanitation, energy, health services and economic security."

SOUTH AFRICA’S INITIATIVE:

As a forerunner to the WSSD meeting, South Africa has put together its own initiative – New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) – to provide strong directives on sustainable utilization at a regional and African scale. NEPAD is developing desired outcomes from the WSSD process for sustainable development and will endeavour with its objectives well after WSSD. NEPAD also hopes to promote its initiatives more widely to encompass more countries on the African continent.

Marine and coastal science falls within Chapter 17 of Agenda 21 - PROTECTION OF THE OCEANS, ALL KINDS OF SEAS, INCLUDING ENCLOSED AND SEMI-ENCLOSED SEAS, AND COASTAL AREAS AND THE PROTECTION, RATIONAL USE AND DEVELOPMENT OF THEIR LIVING RESOURCES

The marine and coastal environment is seen as an integral component of the global life-support system and as a result needs to be sustainably developed and utilized. Sustainable development and utilization can positively contribute to eradication of poverty and other major problems that plague many developing states currently. It must also be noted that the majority of people are living along the coast and subsequently coastal development is on the increase. This requires new approaches to marine and coastal area management and development, at national, regional and global levels.

Marine and Coastal Management are in the process of developing strong strategic imperatives for WSSD from a South African Ocean and Coastal perspective. Its critical focus’ will be:

It is hoped that these FOCUS’ will result in outcomes that will provide the bedrock for the development of detailed projects, which will persist and continue long after WSSD toward sustainable marine and coastal environments in Africa.

WHAT ARE OUR HOPES FOR WSSD?

WSSD must commit to equity in the distribution of the benefits arising from the exploitation of the oceans and coasts; launch a Global Partnership for the implementation of the Global Plan of Action (GPA) and support the Reykjavik Declaration on Responsible Fisheries in the Marine Ecosystem, in particular the ecosystem and precautionary approaches. It must encourage countries to take responsibility for their nationals operating outside their EEZ and for ships flying their flag, and halt the growth of the worlds’ fishing fleet. Furthermore, it must discourage the redistribution of the fleets to the ocean commons by rich industrialized countries and support a detailed and coordinated regional programme of ocean and coastal governance capacity building.

WHEN & WHERE IS IT?

By Pavs Pillay