THE ROAD TO JOHANNESBURG AFTER SEPTEMBER 11
The Heinrich Boell Foundation and UNED
Forum joined forces to create a space for a global debate on
the impact of the September 11 attacks and sub-sequent war on the
Earth Summit 2002 process. The online debate was held November 19-24
with more than 400 subscribers from all over the globe partici-pating
in this forum. Jasmin
Enayati, who facilitated the debate reports.
"One is tempted to say that we must now focus all our ener-gies
on the struggle against terrorism, and on directly related issues.
Yet if we should do so, we will be giving the terrorists a victory
of a kind. Let us remember that none of the issues that faced us
on 10 September has become less urgent. The number of people living
on less than one dollar a day has not de-creased. The numbers dying
of HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculo-sis, and other preventable diseases
have not decreased. The factors that cause the desert to advance,
biodiversity to be lost, and the Earth's atmosphere to warm have
not decreased." (UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan to the UN General
Assem-bly on November 10)
The terrorist attacks of September 11 seem to have changed world
politics dramatically. New and unexpected alliances are forged,
the priorities of governments are reassessed, public at-tention
is focused on the threat of terrorism. There was a wide range of
opinions as to whether we are experiencing a new cli-mate of international
co-operation between nations after September 11. Some believe that
the terrorist attacks will eventu-ally lead to enhanced cooperation
and a stronger commitment by the US to multi-lateralism which would
provide a fertile ground for a "global deal" between North and South,
based on genuine collaboration between all stakeholders. The attacks
of September 11 cannot in itself be the source or the catalyst for
more cooperation, they only heighten the urgency for coopera-tion
which has been in the making since the end of the Cold War. The
agenda of the Johannesburg Summit will have to reflect the new realities
after September 11 and put more empha-sis on poverty eradication
and social equity:
"We have to reach beyond easy rhetoric like 'poverty reduction',
and 'development,' and talk instead about 'inequality,' and the
need for the global redistribution of wealth as the precondition
of any real turn towards sustainability culture."
The hope was expressed that September 11 may drive people to rethink
the concept of economic liberalisation and the global free market.
Many commentators agreed that the Johannesburg Summit must provide
a platform by which we intensify our focus on governance structures,
social development and global economic disparities. In this regard,
the Financing for Development Conference that will take place in
March next year will be of utmost importance for the Johannesburg
Summit. Another promising sign is the recent agreement to launch
a new World Trade Organisation (WTO) Round. Trade needs to be made
fairer and freer and we need to ensure access for developing country
products to OECD markets, while respecting the environment. However,
another issue under discussion were the consequences of a weakened
European Union that is falling back on the foreign policy of nation
states and which will not be in a position to show the strength
for confronting unilateral US environmental policies.
Governments have to show the political will and invest the necessary
political capital to turn the Johannesburg Summit into a success.
In this regard, the climate change negotiations are critical and
ratification of the Kyoto Protocol before the Summit would be crucial.
Considering the role the UN was playing after September 11, it
was found imperative that the UN be properly resourced, genuinely
representative, have sufficient authority and be efficiently run
to act on the world stage when needed. It is the mandate of the
world community to establish a global rule of law. The role of NGOs
has also been affected: the challenge for NGOs lies in creating
and promoting a vision effectively without alienating public support.
This also means that all stakeholders need to be engaged in the
process. As one commentator puts it,
"there is a need to show what violates democratic practice based
on universal truths and the rationality of the mind to decide according
to such criteria that are just to mankind. For the changes ahead
there are needed such measures that can mediate between the needs
for sustainable development and what is possible in the given situation,
including the institutional arrangements of United Nations, WTO,
national governments, European Union, etc. Any development will
lead to violence if people abhor non violent ways of resolving conflicts."
One commentator raised the concern that the losses of political
accountability due to the justification of being at war against
terrorism will make transparency of governmental procedures almost
impossible. Another concern was that an intensified religious divide
will lead to a setback in development in Islamic countries. It was
suggested that the Summit should change its emphasis profoundly
to deal primarily with issues of social and economic development
in all Third World and Islamic countries. As one contributor suggests,
peace has to be considered as the primary focus at environmental
and social for a around the world including the Johannesburg Summit,
with the anniversary of September 11 being an ideal time to promote
the message through the mass media.
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