TO: News Editors ansd PR Wires

     I.C.L.E.I



Media invite to press conference


Date: Tuesday, 02 July 2002


OVER 30 AFRICAN MAYORS AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT EXPERTS HAVEMET IN MIDRAND,
JOHANNESBURG, TO PREPARE FOR WORLD SUMMIT ON


SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WSSD)


MIDRAND:  You are invited to a media conference to be held at 12.30 02 July
2002  at  DBSA auditorium, over 30 mayors and local government experts from
all  over Africa have met at Development Bank of Southern Africa offices to
prepare  African  local  governments  for  the  World Summit on Sustainable
Development  (WSSD).  This  will  be  a statement after a two days workshop
started on 01 July 2002


The  International  Council  for  Local  Environmental  Initiatives (ICLEI)
facilitated the two-day workshop.


One  of  the  major  objectives  of  the  African  mayors  WSSD preparatory
workshop,  was to formulate and adopt of an African local government common
position   on   sustainable  development,  for  submission,  to  the  Local
Government  Session  of  the (WSSD), to be held in Johannesburg in August -
September 2002.


Specifically, the objectives of the workshop are to:


·     Brainstorm  on  issues  of  priority  to  Africa,  with  respect  to
sustainable development and WSSD;


·    Ensure  that  matters of primary concern, to Africa, such as poverty,
HIV/AIDS, foreign debt etc, are not sidelined at WSSD;


·    Identify  linkages  between  the  sustainable  development of African
cities,  programme  initiatives  and  the New Plan for Africa's Development
(NEPAD).


·    Document  and review African best practices, in the implementation of
local agenda 21, in Africa;


·    Identify practical and workable strategies, for the implementation of
specific strategies and local Agenda 21, in Africa;


·   Identify key barriers and opportunities to the implementation of local
Agenda 21, in Africa;


·    Work  out  best  strategies  which  will  make  Local  Agenda  21  an
action-oriented  programme  which can be easily implemented, in the African
local government context;


·    Increase  awareness  among  African  local authorities on sustainable
development  issues  and  the World Summit process, with a view to enabling
them  to  participate  more  effectively,  at  the Summit, in general, and,
specifically,  at  the  WSSD  local  government session, being convened, by
ICLEI;


·    Create an African Mayors' Forum on Sustainable Development that wi ll
be  a permanent driving force for sustainable development, to the WSSD, and
beyond.


Participating mayors and experts are drawn from countries as further afield
as   Kenya,  Uganda,  Tanzania,  Zambia,  Lesotho,  Namibia,  Ivory  Coast,
Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa.





Issued by the Corporate Communication and Marketing


Zweli Biyela


Tell 011 313 3599


Cell 083 522 1623