Taking Action for Earth’s Future
Achieving sustainable development is no easy task. Significant changes will be needed—in decision-making at the highest levels, and in day-to-day behaviour by producers and consumers—if we are to reach our goal of development that meets the needs of today without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

Ten years ago at the “Earth Summit” in Rio de Janeiro, Governments committed themselves to just such a transformation, and to Agenda 21 as the comprehensive plan of action for getting there. But commitments alone have proven insufficient to the task. We have not yet fully integrated the economic, social and environmental pillars of development, nor have we made enough of a break with the unsustainable practices that have led to the current predicament.

We live on one planet, connected in a delicate, intricate web of ecological, social, economic and cultural relationships that shape our lives. If we are to achieve sustainable development, we will need to display greater responsibility—for the ecosystems on which all life depends, for each other as a single human community, and for the generations that will follow our own, living tomorrow with the consequences of the decisions w e take today.

Johannesburg Summit 2002 is an opportunity to rejuvenate the quest to build a more sustainable future. The Summit must bring the world together, and forge more cohesive global partnerships for the implementation of Agenda 21. It must send out a message that sustainable development is not only a necessity, but also an exceptional opportunity to place our economies and societies on more durable footing.

The United Nations and I personally very much look forward to working closely with all concerned—Government leaders, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups from throughout the world—at Johannesburg and beyond, to put in place a new ethic of global conservation and stewardship.

Kofi A. Annan
Secretary-General of the United Nations
*Johannesburg Summit 2002 (download)

World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg (Rio +10)
ACFOA acknowledges the importance of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), and the essential relationship between environmental sustainability and sustainable development.

It is now well accepted that any serious attempts to address global environmental problems must be underscored by long term poverty reduction strategies. These strategies must enhance the capacity of low-income communities to adopt environmentally sustainable practices while addressing over consumption and associated negative externalities in wealthier communities.

ACFOA is convinced that a successful World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) needs to address three key challenges:

- achieving poverty eradication, particularly in developing countries and countries in transition,
- achieving sustainable consumption and production patterns world-wide, and
- maintaining and restoring the integrity of ecosystems worldwide.

More over these challenges need to be addressed in an integrated and mutually reinforcing manner, or we risk achieving one at the expense of the other.

*Johannesburg Summit 2002 – Rio +10 (download)