UN summit on sustainable development aims to generate sense of hope

The goal of an upcoming United Nations summit on sustainable development was to generate a sense of hope for the future of the world economy, living conditions and environment, the top UN official for economic and social affairs said today.

Addressing correspondents in New York at a press briefing on preparations for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which will be held in Johannesburg in fall 2002, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs Nitin Desai said that the event would seek to produce clear goals and operational programmes to help address economic, social and environmental issues.

"Nobody is going to be able to do this alone," Mr. Desai said, underlining the need to create partnerships between governments, business and civil society to achieve the Summit's ends. He also expressed the hope that the event would address concerns that had developed since the last summit -- held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 -- such as globalization.

Presenting an overview of the lead-up to the Summit, Mr. Desai said that from now to January, a large number of preparatory events would focus on what had and had not been achieved since Rio, and on the submission of new proposals and suggestions which would be considered at a later stage next year, including a high-level ministerial meeting in Indonesia in May.