SUMMIT

JOHANNESBURG plays host to the biggest-ever conference on this continent, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, from 26 August to 4 September. Some 65 000 delegates, including most of the world's heads of state, will descend on the city for one frenetic week. What is the summit all about, and what will it mean to city residents? Read more ALSO: Advanced Summit briefings under way World Summit delegates are gathering in Johannesburg this week for advance team briefings in an effort to reach an implementation plan for Agenda 21 and other global issues Let's give Jo'burg a good scrub It's time to give Jo'burg a good scrub, says Pikitup, which is co-ordinating "Clean Up Jo'burg Day" next week City health ready for Summit The City's health department is ready for the World Summit on Sustainable Development - hotels and restaurants have been checked and approved, and a contingent of around 50 environmental health officers are on standby Yacht moors in Sandton for summit A 62-foot yacht is about to be "moored" in Sandton in Johannesburg. The yacht was used by polar explorer Robert Swan, to take young people to Antarctica on a huge clean-up mission

Just over 53 000 beds booked so far By Lucille Davie July 25, 2002 SO FAR 43 000 hotel rooms - or 53 000 beds - have been booked for delegates to the World Summit on Sustainable Development. A further 7 000 beds in private homes and township bed and breakfast establishments are available. A figure of 65 000 delegates has been the number given out by officials. The booking for the private homes and bed and breakfast establishments has been a bit slow, says Thandi Davids, head of communications at the Johannesburg World Summit Company (Jowsco), but the booking is expected to "hot up in the next few weeks". Five hotels have been booked for the world's media, three in Sandton and two in Pretoria. Jowsco is unable to confirm which hotels these are, as part of the strict security measures that are in place to protect heads of state. In the same vein the final programme of events has also not been released by the UN, and is not likely to be available until almost the last moment. Davids says that the UN has indicated that 100 heads of state have so far confirmed their attendance at the Summit, with no definite confirmation of whether US President George Bush will attend or not, although UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has indicated that he will be attending, along with most EU leaders. Jowsco has issued a programme of parallel Summit events, including the African Ministers Energy and Mining Convention, Biopiracy Summit, Cultural Diversity and Sustainable Development, Indigenous Medical Plants, Nuclear Round Table, and People's Earth Summit, to name a few. The Civil Societies Forum will take place entirely south of the city, at Nasrec. It begins on 19 August and ends at the same time as the Summit, on 4 September. It is expected that 30 000-40 000 delegates will be attending this forum. Permission to use web site material Publishers may use material from this site free of charge, as long as: Credit is given to either the "City of Johannesburg website (www.joburg.org.za)" or to "Johannesburg News Agency (www.joburg.org.za)"; If the article is used online, a link is provided to the original article on this website; The name of the article's author is acknowledged; The webmaster is informed of how and where the material is used (fill in this brief online form). Johannesburg News Agency is operated by BIG Media at 011-484-1400