The Johannesburg
Call
30 August 2002
A statement by local government of the world at the
World Summit on
Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa, August
2002.
We, the leaders and representatives of local governments from
across the
globe, gathered in Johannesburg, South Africa in August in August
2002,
commit ourselves to the sustainable development of our planet and
people.
Since 1992, local governments have made significant strides
towards
realising the goals and aspirations of the Rio Earth Summit. Today,
we
pledge to intensity those local efforts to realising the aspirations,
goals
and targets of the Johannesburg Summit, as well all existing
international
protocols and declarations, including Agenda 21, the Millennium
Declaration
and the Habitat Agenda. As the interface between government and
people, we
are dedicated to the attainment of a more just, equitable and
caring world.
We realise that local actions alone will not save the
plane. We therefore
urge our national governments, representative
international bodies and the
United National to enhance our capacity and
ability to launch a frontline
attack on poverty and underdevelopment. Given
our pivotal role in this
universal battle, we also urge these national and
international bodies to
make all efforts to strengthen institutions of
organised local government.
In the African context, we call on all
international institutions,
including the United Nations work through the New
Partnership for Africa's
Development (NEPAD) to support local government in
the continent.
We call upon national governments to recognise local
government as a vital
sphere to government that is the most visible face of
the development
state.
We call for a new form of global solidarity
where all like-minded
individuals, organisations and spheres of government
rally together to
build a new tomorrow.
We are deeply concerned
about the impact of globalisation at local level,
especially within the
developing world and countries with economies in
transition. We have
witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of aspects
of our international
system on local communities and our local spaces.
We therefore call
for a fundamental destructing of international relations
in order to realise
a just and more humane world order. We believe that the
current structure of
the world economy limits local governments ability to
full fill our
developmental mandate. Inadequate access to international
markets, an
inequitable global trade regime, unsustainable dept, declining
levels of
Overseas Development Assistance and the digital divide impede our
efforts to
govern with authority and humanity.
We urge the world's states and
international representatives organisations
gathered in Johannesburg in 2002
to heed the voice of international local
government. As we venture into the
new millennium, we commit ourselves to:
Halving the number of people without access to safe water
and
sanitation;
Undertaking active steps to
address public health problems, in line
with
the WTO/TRIPS agreement;
Improving access to
affordable modern energy services;
Increasing
market access to goods from the developing
world;
Moving towards technology and knowledge
partnerships in the context
of a fair and
accessible intellectual property regime
Ensuring equitable access to quality education at all levels for
all
We commit ourselves to achieving these targets by
2015
We, as local government from across the globe, acknowledge that
ours is not
an equal, fair or just world. If international gatherings like
this one are
to make a meaningful difference to people's lives, we ? the
representatives
of the people ? must be bold and unequivocal about making
changes. We
therefore pledge our unwavering commitment to eradicating
poverty,
correcting the imbalances between the developed and developing world
and
fundamentally reshaping our world. We also commit ourselves to
developing
very practical, realistic Action Plans and to implement them
through Local
Action 21 programs to realise these goals. We challenge all
Heads of State
meeting in Johannesburg next week to do the
same.
LOCAL ACTION 21
Implementation
Framework
For the post Johannesburg decade of Local Agenda
21
Ten years after the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, Implementation of
Agenda 21, the
rio conventions, and the Habitat Agenda is proceeding so
slowly that the
horrors of global poverty and environmental disruption are
becoming ever
more overwhelming. We demand, therefore, a profound shift in
the current
development model to one based on true equity and deep reverence
for the
processes of nature. We commit ourselves to the Earth Charter and
the
Melbourne Principles, and assert the
following.
Local Governments implementing
sustainable development are determined
to
enter a decade of accelerated, effective action to
create
sustainable communities and protect the
global common goods.
Local Governments will
work to ensure viable local economies, just
and peaceful communities, eco-efficient cities, and secure
resilient
communities able to respond to the
change, while ensuring safe and
accessible
water supplies and protecting our climate,
soil,
biodiversity and human
health.
Local Governments call for Local
Action21 ? the motto for accelerated
implementation of sustainable development in the decade following
the
Johannesburg World
Summit.
Local Governments call for Local
Action 21 ? a mandate given by the
World
Summit on Sustainable Development to local
authorities
worldwide to engage in the
implementation of local agendas and action
plans.
Local Governments call for Local Action
21 ? a movement of cities,
towns, and
countries and their associations towards action
for
sustainability.
Local Governments will
reinforce their commitment to Local Agenda 21
and its implementation throughout the next decade of Local Action
21.
Mbangwa Xaba
Media Liaison
Tel: 407 7226
Fax: 403
3494
082 467 9230
Or visit our website www.joburg.org.za