SUSTAINABILITY AND SOLIDARITY -- EUROPE'S WAY TO THE WSSD

The conference "Sustainability and Solidarity", held in June 2001 jointly by Friends of the Earth Europe and the Herincih Boell Foundation, brought NGO representatives and other participants from Africa, Asia, Latin-America, North-America and Europe together to talk about global sustainability issues and to strategize in the run up to the WSSD. Being held in Sweden and directly before the EU summit, the conference looked at the role of Europe and the EU in the world, and specifically at the impact of EU-policies and agreements on Southern countries. In an intensive exchange with European politicians, NGO representatives from the South and the East brought forward their viewpoints.

The conference helped the participants from the North and South (as well as from the East and West within Europe) to understand each other's positions, to learn about the situation in different continents, to inform themselves about global structures and upcoming events, to define common goals and strategies in the run up to the World Summit (WSSD) and to make important contacts with other NGOs as well as decision makers.

More than 230 people from more than 25 European countries and 15 non-European countries took part as speakers or participants in the plenaries and workshops of the 2.5-day conference. Many participants used the chance for additional planning sessions before or after the event.