29
Oct 2008 - Brazzaville, Republic of the
Congo: African nations could turn the demand
for their natural resources currently driving
deforestation and other destruction into
a force for higher returns from sustainable
development, WWF has said today.
“Certified, sustainable
forestry yields far better returns for companies,
communities and Congo basin countries than
illegal logging ever will,” said Andre Kamdem,
Head of the WWF Green Heart of Africa Initiative.
“And the yield is forever,
whereas allowing one-off plunder of natural
resources usually damages future returns.”
Over 100 delegations
from Congo Basin countries, NGOs and multilateral
agencies are attending the 6th World Forum
for Sustainable Development from 27 – 30
October 2008 in Brazzaville, Congo. Talks
have been focused on conservation, sustainable
use and benefit sharing of natural resources
as well as the vulnerability of ecosystems
in the face of climate change.
Held under the auspices
of the government of the Republic of Congo,
the African Union and the UN Economic Commission
for Africa, the forum seeks to take stock
after the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro
(Brazil) and the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable
Development (Johannesburg, South Africa).
With the theme, “Africa, Environment, globalization”,
the springboard of the event is the apparent
absence of real solidarity in handling the
economic doldrums of developing countries
by the international community.
“The world will still
come for the natural resources of the Congo
if they are managed for sustainability,”Kamdem
said. “Our challenge is to put the machinery
in place to turn from plunder to preservation
of resources and it is in the interests
of the world to assist the nations of the
green heart of Africa to do this.
“WWF is urging governments,
in this forum and elsewhere, to ensure that
the financial investments in development
and infrastructure across the region are
guided by environmentally responsible policies
and principles”.
The stock taking in
Brazzaville is dwelling on lessons learnt
in the execution of Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg
Action Plan. Governments were expected to
put in place new bases for strategic and
credible partnerships for the realization
of objectives of the Millennium Development
Goals.
One common thread links
the fate of the Congo Basin: the continued
existence of the world's second largest
tropical rainforest expanse. International
economic forces, a growing demand for natural
resources, and widespread regional poverty
are putting the forests, wildlife and freshwater
areas of the Congo Basin at risk. Current
patterns of resource exploitation and infrastructure
development across the region could result
in as much as 70% of remaining forest being
lost by 2040. At the same time, commercial
hunting for bushmeat – already at 1 million
tones a year – is expected to double in
the next 25 years.
To counter these adverse
forces, governments need to identify and
commit to developing tools for a finance
framework, which guarantees predictable
and secure resources for conservation in
developing countries. Financing on conservation
issues must be additional to existing development
aid. Development aid is aimed at alleviating
poverty in the poorest countries, and should
not be mixed with funding aimed at solving
the global environmental crisis. All payments,
whether for development or for conservation
must be measurable, reportable and verifiable.
“Financial investments
in development and infrastructure across
the region should be guided by environmentally
responsible policies and principles”, said
Kamdem. “In addition, certification and
best practices should be adopted and applied
by a significant percentage of extractive
businesses and infrastructure developments.
And, crucially, government policies, incentives
and capacities should seek to safeguard
natural resource protection and sustainable
development at all levels across this vast
region”.
+ More
WWF Announces Williams-Sonoma,
Inc. as Newest Participant of Global Forest
& Trade Network
27 Oct 2008 - Washington,
D.C. and San Francisco, CA - World Wildlife
Fund announced today that Williams-Sonoma,
Inc. has joined the Global Forest &
Trade Network (GFTN), WWF's initiative to
save the world's most valuable and threatened
forests.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.,
which includes the Pottery Barn, Pottery
Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm, Williams-Sonoma
Home, and Williams-Sonoma brands, is a leading
specialty retailer of high quality products
for the home. By joining GFTN, Williams-Sonoma
Inc., has committed to increase the proportion
of wood products in its supply chain that
originate from credibly certified forests
and to phase out unknown and unwanted wood
sources for its brands in the United States
and Canada.
With deforestation accounting
for nearly 30 percent of all global carbon
emissions, WWF officials hailed the agreement
as an important step forward in efforts
to halt climate change and protect forests
and species.
"Retailers and
consumers both have a role to play in saving
the forests and the people and animals depending
on them. Knowing and caring about the source
of wood products is an important first step,"
said WWF President and CEO Carter Roberts.
"With this agreement, Williams-Sonoma
is demonstrating leadership and a strong
commitment to responsible business practices
that we hope will serve as an example that
other companies follow."
"At Williams-Sonoma,
Inc., we believe in responsible management
of natural resources. In partnership with
GFTN, we will take our wood sourcing to
one of the highest standards in the industry,"
said Laura Alber, President of Williams-Sonoma,
Inc. "This is yet another way that
our brands can provide our customers with
home furnishings that they will be proud
to own, while meeting their needs around
quality, design and value."
GFTN members have annual
forest products sales of nearly $53 billion
per year, are engaged in 174 trading deals
with fellow members, and employ over 2.7
million people globally.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.'s
commitment includes the importation and
sale of wood-based furniture. Within one
year, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. will complete
an assessment of the wood used in its furniture
to determine its origin and whether the
wood is from well-managed forests. Once
the assessment is completed and within five
years, Williams-Sonoma, Inc. has committed
to obtain wood from known sources that are
responsibly managed and ensure that important
environmental and social values are protected.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.
sources furniture for its brands from many
countries including Vietnam, Indonesia,
China, Malaysia, the Philippines and Brazil.
These areas include some of the most biologically
diverse places on earth; places that WWF
- and now Williams-Sonoma, Inc. - are working
to protect.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc.'s
commitment to responsible forestry builds
upon the company's demonstrated practice
of corporate social responsibility. Williams-Sonoma,
Inc. previously implemented a responsible
catalog paper procurement policy and only
uses catalog paper sourced from well-managed
forests certified to FSC (Forest Stewardship
Council) standards.
About World Wildlife
Fund
WWF is the world's largest conservation
organization, working in 100 countries for
nearly half a century. With the support
of almost 5 million members worldwide, WWF
is dedicated to delivering science-based
solutions to preserve the diversity and
abundance of life on Earth, stop the degradation
of the environment and combat climate change.
Visit www.worldwildlife.org to learn more.
About Williams-Sonoma,
Inc.
Williams-Sonoma, Inc. is a specialty retailer
of high quality products for the home. These
products, representing six distinct merchandise
strategies - Williams-Sonoma, Pottery Barn,
Pottery Barn Kids, PBteen, West Elm and
Williams-Sonoma Home - are marketed through
613 stores, seven direct mail catalogs and
six e-commerce websites.
Note to editors:
The Global Forest & Trade Network (GFTN)
is a WWF initiative to combat illegal and
unsustainable logging. The Network promotes
responsible management of valuable and threatened
forests in the Amazon, Amur-Heilong (Russia),
Borneo, Sumatra, Congo, Mekong (Southeast
Asia) and other areas where forests are
threatened.
GFTN assists companies
in evaluating their procurement and implementing
appropriate action plans to ensure sustainable
supply. By facilitating trade links between
companies committed to responsible forestry,
the GFTN creates market conditions that
help conserve forests while providing economic
and social benefits for the businesses and
people that depend on them. More than 370
companies are members of the Global Forest
& Trade Network, including manufacturers,
importers, distributors, retailers, forest
owners and managers. Read more about our
work on sustainable forestry at: www.worldwildlife.org/naftn
Amanda Carufel
Public Relations
World Wildlife Fund
