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Rio+10 in Turbulent Waters |
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By Tierramérica Editors*
Eighty days before the World Sustainable Development Summit, also known as Rio+10, the negotiations on the plan of action were sunk. The thorniest issues will have to be debated at the Johannesburg meeting.
Differences of opinion on agriculture subsidies in wealthy countries and the financing of the commitments made at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro made it impossible for the 100 environment ministers gathered May 27-Jun 8 in Bali, Indonesia to reach an agreement.
The fourth and final preparatory committee (Prepcom IV) put off the discussion until the World Sustainable Development Summit, also known as Rio+10, to take place Aug 26-Sep 4 in the South African city of Johannesburg.
Faced with the threat of a "bad" text, environmental organizations demanded that the agreement, with its numerous paragraphs marked with brackets (meaning agreement had not been reached on those points) should be taken to the Summit as is.
Although the draft document presented Jun 7 by South Africa's Environment Minister Mamad Valli Moosa contained "fragile" commitments and unacceptable compromises in the eyes of several members of the Group of 77 (G77) developing countries and China, the group decided to approve it subject to unconditional acceptance by the other negotiators.
But not all the European Union countries agreed to the references to farm subsidies. The United States and Japan wielded more than 12 objections, with Australia and Canada following suit, sealing the tragic fate of the last attempt to achieve a consensus-based text.
"A plan with objectives requires resources, and the industrialized countries refused the commitment, mainly due to the inflexible stance of the United States," commented Brazil's Environment Minister José Carlos Carvalho.
The United States attempted to re-open talks about existing treaties, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. "We were able to ensure that the commitments and principles established in Rio are non-negotiable. But it is regrettable that instead of expending energy to move ahead, we spent it on preventing reversals," said the minister.
The difficulties arise in the attempts to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development: trade, finance and environment, according to the Canadian International Institute for Sustainable Development.
"The shameful hypocrisy of the rich countries has brought this unfortunate episode to a close... But it's not too late for governments to take their responsibilities seriously and agree to a meaningful action plan in Johannesburg," said Greenpeace International's policy director, Remi Parmentier.
It is likely that some proposals, such as reducing the loss of biodiversity, will be held hostage to last-minute negotiations.
Although the final declaration of the Sustainable Development Summit was not formally discussed in Bali, the level of progress towards a common text is expected to determine how many heads of state or government will participate, which is needed for the "Summit" designation of the meeting - far from being a sure thing, say observers.
The non-governmental Bali Peoples Forum launched a campaign to collect a million signatures in support of the motto of the movement against neoliberal economic globalization: "We the people believe that another world is possible."
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