The general skepticism shared by many non-government actors over the last year, that the
WSSD will not save the world, was not misplaced. As the Summit draws to a close, it has
little to show for its success. It is extremely unlikely that the political declaration,
which is currently being negotiated, will do anything to rescue the meeting from the
depths of failure.The last straw came last night, when governments failed to agree on
any specific targets for renewable energy. The EU, which had been pushing for firm targets
for renewable energy, had to give in to pressure from the US and OPEC. The final agreement
is vague, calling only for a "substantial increase" in renewables, with a
"sense of urgency". The EU was told during negotiations that they could either
agree to the general language with no targets, or shoulder the responsibility for the
failure of the entire summit.
Negotiations on the Plan of Implementation (POI) are not officially complete, as
negotiators argue over text on women’s health. Canada argued that the text in
question had not been agreed to in Bali, although it was not bracketed in the version of
the POI presented in Johannesburg. They would therefore like to insert a qualifier (…in
conformity with all human rights and fundamental freedoms) to prevent religious and
cultural practices from overriding the agreement to prevent female circumcision and grant
abortion rights.
During the plenary speeches by the heads of state, Russia announced that they were
likely to ratify the Kyoto Protocol soon. Russia’s ratification would ensure that the
Protocol comes into effect.
Indian representative Yashwant Sinha and US representative Colin Powell will address
the plenary tomorrow. Although there are reports that Powell will be preoccupied with
gaining support for US strikes against Iraq from the heads of state present at WSSD, there
are also rumours that he will spring a surprise on the meeting by presenting some sort of
new proposal.
The mood at the Summit venue was muted today, though many were heard voicing relief
that although nothing had been gained, no ground had been lost from previous negotiations.
The principles agreed to in Rio are intact, and the extremely limited progress made in
Doha calls for a reduction in trade subsidies and distortions. This seems to be a sign of
the times, when expectations that governments will find a solution to address global
disparities that threaten our future are low. For a meeting that was in the making for
over a year, WSSD has proved to be a terrible disappointment.
