[IMC-News] IMC NEWSBLAST | WSSD | September 12, 2002
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IMC NEWSBLAST | September 12, 2002
WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
For extensive coverage online see:
IMC South Africa: http://southafrica.indymedia.org/
An IMC features webpage on WSSD with links to media, newsblast translations
(to be posted), and articles in various languages:
http://indymedia.org/wssd/
The IMC NEWS BLASTS offer a selection of news summaries and stories found on
the Independent Media Center websites.
Compiled by the Indymedia News Blast Team:
http://www.indymedia.org
CONTENTS
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1. SUMMARY:
WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT (WSSD)
2. IMC FEATURES ON WSSD
3. OTHER MEDIA ON WSSD
4. UPCOMING MOBILIZATIONS
5. IMC RESOURCES
6. SUBSCRIBE/UNSUBSCRIBE
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1. SUMMARY:
Environmentalists and many NGOs have strongly criticized the 'Rio+10' U.N.
World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which was held in
Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26 to September 4, 2002. Amid global war
and environmental crises including pollution in Asia, starvation in Africa,
and flooding in Europe, the WSSD was ostensibly focused upon promoting
environmental protection and "sustainable" economic growth, simultaneously.
The corporate press have argued that dialogs between government, NGO, and
business interests were a promising aspect of this summit. While a few
agreements were signed on a variety of environmental and social issues, the
summit has been extensively critiqued on issues such as:
*the WSSD failed to further implement any of the environmental
programs conceived of at the Rio 1992 Earth Summit;
*increasing corporate influence on the United Nations;
*U.S. obstruction of agreements and the refusal of U.S. President
Bush to attend at the bidding of his corporate contributors;
*the blocking of substantive policies on alternative energy
resources by the U.S., Japan, and oil producing states.
As a result of the failure of the WSSD, in a major policy shift, the U.N. is
forgoing planning for future Earth Summits. Geoffrey Lean of The
Independent (UK) reports, "No more summits are planned by the United
Nations on environment and development until governments put into practice
what they have decided to do. Instead of high-profile summits, the UN will
set up an unprecedented operation to report on how governments are
performing, ADnaming and shaming those that do not do well ADand campaign
ing for change.... President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela AD speaking on behalf
of the Group of 77 which represents all developing countries at the UN AD
added: "We have to have a radical change in the format of these summits.
There is no proper dialogue." A problematic aspect of the review process is
the involvement of the WorldBank and the IMF in surveying the
underdevelopment it has helped cause. Quoting Lean again: "The first
reports on 15 countries will go to the UN General Assembly in October... UN
agencies, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund will work with
the governments involved to draw them up." (See: "UN Blocks Future Earth
Summits," http://www.independent.co.uk/story.jsp?story=331421)
Hundreds of independent reporters and media activists offered coverage (see
links below) of the WSSD, associated forums, and protests in Johannesburg
and around the world. Protests in opposition to government and corporate
corruption implicit in the summit continued throughout the meetings, while
the rest of South Africa and the continent continues to become increasingly
divided between corporate control and dictatorial exploitation.
2. IMC FEATURES ON THE WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
- Media resources:
IMC South Africa
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/
See extensive reports on actions and issues.
Global imc network summary webpage for WSSD
http://indymedia.org/wssd/
Reporting on the Johannesburg Earth Summit, August 23
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4725
- Evaluations:
WSSD Ends in Failure Amid Growing Dissent, September 6
http://indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/09/2002-09.html#4888
An overview of actions in last half of summit.
Mass Struggle is the Only Road! - SMI Statement
by Social Movements Indba & La Via Campesina, September 4
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2002/09/2003.php
New beginnings: Expectations and concerns of WSSD
by imc sa, September 03
http://southafrica.indymedia.org/news/2002/09/1993.php
World Scientists' Warning to Humanity Revisited, September 4
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/09/2002-09.html#4860
Multinationals Set WSSD Agenda, August 26
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4751
Ruptures Ahead of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, August 1
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4509
Confronting the REAL Eco-Terrorism
by Warcry, September 12, 2002
http://nyc.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=31688
- Action reports:
South Africa Marches Into a New Movement, September 2
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/09/2002-09.html#4837 Reports
on thirty thousand marchers from Alexandra to Sandton against the WSSD and
false promises of sustainable development.
A31 Solidarity Actions Held in Amsterdam, September 4
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/09/2002-09.html#4848
>From Alexandra to Sandton; Apartheid to the IMF, August 31
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4804
Reports from Johannesburg, August 31, center column
http://la.indymedia.org/
Struggles Silenced at the WSSD, August 29
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4780
Orange Farm, ESKOM, and the WSSD, August 28
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4772
Social Movements Indaba Marches Against Repression, August 26
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4756
Two Hundred Fifty Arrests Welcome WSSD, August 25
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4739
Disobedience for Sustainability - "We Will Take Sandton", August 24
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4732
- Recent related IMC features on South Africa:
Water Workers Strike, Arrested with Filmmakers, September 9
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/09/2002-09.html#4910
Kensington 87 Case Postponed Again, August 19
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/08/2002-08.html#4675
African Union and NEPAD Facing Growing Fire, July 25
http://www.indymedia.org/archive/features/2002/07/2002-07.html#4415
3. OTHER MEDIA ON WSSD
See left column of the imc summary webpage on WSSD for a list of links to
other media coverage:
http://indymedia.org/wssd/
- Independent media coverage of WSSD:
WSSD: What is It?
http://www.dailysummit.net/documents/africawoman.pdf
Special edition on WSSD by _Africa Woman_, africawoman.net
WSSD Both Attacks and Abets "Global Apartheid," September 9, 2002, by
Patrick Bond, author of _Unsustainable South Africa: Environment,
Development and Social Protest_ (Africa World Press, 2002).
http://www.foreignpolicy-infocus.org/outside/commentary/2002/0209postwssd.html
Greenwash + 10
The UN's Global Compact, Corporate Accountability and the Johannesburg Earth
Summit
http://www.corpwatch.org/campaigns/PCD.jsp?articleid=1348
Diversity Radio
http://www.diversity-radio.net/
The Earth Times
http://www.earthtimes.org/wef_johannesburgdirectory.htm
IPS TerraViva: The unofficial record of the United Nations World Summit on
Sustainable Development.
http://www.ipsnews.net/riomas10/index.shtml
Joburgmedia.net: Independent Media
for the Johannesburg Summit 2002
http://www.joburgmedia.net/
Oneworld.net
http://www.oneworld.net/specialreports/earthsummit2/
For more links to alternative press coverage, see left column of the WSSD
summary page:
http://indymedia.org/wssd/
- Official websites
Johannesburg Summit 2002
http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/
Official U.N. website for WSSD.
Civil Society Global Forum of the WSSD
http://www.worldsummit.org.za/
4. UPCOMING MOBILIZATIONS
WEF: antiwef.org
September 12-19, Salzburg, Austria.
http://www.antiwef.org/
IMF/WB: Mobilization for Global Justice
September 25-29, Washington, D.C.
http://sept.globalizethis.org/
FTAA (Free Trade Area of the Americas)
Oct 31 - Nov 3, Ecuador.
See Columbia IMC, http://colombia.indymedia.org/
WTO: Strategies Against the WTO
November 14-15, 2002, Sydney.
http://sydney.indymedia.org/front.php3?article_id=19612&group=webcast
A note about resistance to the WTO mini-ministerial in Sydney.
- Social Forums
Argentina Social Forum
August 22-25, Argentina
http://forosocialargentino.netex.com.ar/
Sydney Social Forum
September 21-22, Sydney
http://www.sydneysocialforum.org/
European Social Forum
November 1-5, Firenz, Italy
http://www.fse-esf.org/
See indymedia.org (upper right column) and protest.net for listings of more
mobilizations, events, etc.
5. IMC RESOURCES
- Ongoing Coverage
See IMC global website, http://www.indymedia.org, and links in the left
column of IMC websites to over 90 IMC local websites and various media
projects, including the following:
IMC Print
http://print.indymedia.org
IMC Radio (ongoing radio coverage)
http://radio.indymedia.org
IMC TV (ongoing video coverage from various IMCs)
http://www.indymedia.org/video/imc.ram
Past IMC Newsblasts:
http://lists.indymedia.org/mailman/public/imc-news/
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