September 5, 2002
Statement by the Executive Mayor, Councillor Amos Masondo,
at the close of the World Summit on Sustainable Development
FROM the 26th of August, delegates from all over the world descended to Johannesburg for
the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). Today the Summit comes to an end and
there is a broad consensus that it has been a success.
Hosting the Summit has been a wonderful experience for us and we have learned valuable
lessons in relation to operations, logistics and content issues around sustainable
development.
Our staff, Jowsco and volunteers have worked tirelessly around the clock to ensure that
the summit becomes a success.
The Local Government meeting which, ran parallel to the UN Summit in the Convention
Centre, has been a success. The Local Government Declaration was adopted as well as the
Johannesburg Call. The declaration acknowledged the importance of sustainable urban
management and development as one of the most critical challenges for the 21st century.
The Johannesburg call recognized that ours was not a free and equal world and challenged
the Summit to be bold and unequivocal about implementing change.
The Local Government Session also acknowledged that local government was sphere of
government closest to the people and therefore issues of sustainable development are also
relevant to municipalities around the world. Playing host to Mayors from all over the
world whereby a healthy exchange of ideas took place was mutually beneficial. The local
government session demonstrated that local government issues around the world are the
same.
Overall, we are satisfied with the outcome of the Local Government Session.
We wish to thank all government officials, in particular, the security forces. Your
contribution has been noticeable and the smooth running of the summit can also be
attributed to your high visibility. Your ability to ensure peaceful demonstrations is
commendable.
The challenges of preparing for the summit have been daunting. Much work, however, waits
us as we move beyond the Johannesburg summit.
To those who are leaving immediately, have a safe journey back home. To those who are
remaining for a few days we invite you to take tours around the City. Johannesburg has
unlimited opportunities for everyone.
Come back to Africa, come back to Johannesburg.
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