Summary: Workshop on the Contribution to Johannesburg Conference and to its Follow-Up

Sustainable development is a powerful tool which can be used by people in developing countries with few resources to improve their situation. The Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development will be essential in educating communities about the importance of sustainable development and putting pressure on Governments to support sustainable development. During this workshop the important issues of the Johannesburg Summit were discussed.

Several examples of sustainable development were illustrated in a 30-minute video. One of the most moving examples shown was that of a group of Kenyan women who are fighting against severe deforestation in Kenya by planting trees.

After the video, Mr. Daniel Alexander of Indian Institute for Integrated Rural Development invited the presenters to make comments. 

Mr. Lucas Assunçao of the Earth Council Institute (UNCTAD) spoke of the importance of the Johannesburg Summit as a means to put pressure on Governments. 

Mr. Kazunari Fujii of Soka Gekaii International then stressed the importance of education as a means of furthering sustainable development. NGOs must come together, he said, to make one “big tree” just like the Kenyan women came together.

Mr. Takehiko Uemura of Network Earth Village spoke of the many alarming changes, such as deforestation, poverty, depletion of energy, etc. He stressed the need for action before it was too late and the role of the Johannesburg Summit in this action. To enhance this process, he suggested the formation of a global network of citizens, peoples, NGOs and networks. This network would allow people to share information, compare methods, and support each other.

Trust funding, in Mr. Rob Wheeler’s view, was essential in sustainable development and should be lobbied for at the Johannesburg Summit. He also illustrated the importance of the Trust for Poverty Eradication as a mechanism in sustainable development.

Mr. Wheeler of the Millenium People’s Assembly Network gave a summary of the work he has been doing for Village Earth in India. Village Earth strives to make progress in the field of sustainable development, by identifying the priorities of communities, determining how these communities can achieve their priorities, attempting to find the people who can best assist them in view of their goals.

Ms. Lucilla Borio of the Global Ecovillage Network then spoke about the role of her organization in educating people about sustainable development, in order to raise their consciousness about the possibilities of sustainable development and how it can help them.

Interesting questions
A woman from the Swedish Peace Council illustrated her belief that the military control the weather and asked if this problem would be spoken about in Johannesburg. Mr. Rob Wheeler responded by saying that it was sometimes important to not talk of very negative issues to avoid discouraging people.

Mr. Takehiko Uemura disagreed with Mr. Rob Wheeler and proposed the Global Network as a means of raising the public’s consciousness about such issues.

Presenters' Documents Available

19.03_takehiko_uemura.doc (21 K)

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