A Successful World Summit on Sustainable Development

In August 2002, the Bush Administration, represented by a delegation that included Secretary of State Powell and Under Secretary Dobriansky, then-EPA Administrator Whitman, and CEQ Chairman Connaughton participated in the U.N. World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg , South Africa . At the Summit , the Administration focused on integrating all three pillars of sustainable development – economic, social, and environmental – with a focus on concrete, specific actions to reduce poverty throughout the developing world. The Summit reiterated strong international support for the new paradigm for development that was presented by President Bush at the UN Financing for Development Conference in Monterrey, Mexico, which emphasized that industrialized nations can do more to help developing countries grow, and developing countries must establish the conditions necessary for growth: good governance and a commitment to free markets and individual freedom. The Summit also reinforced the agenda agreed to at the World Trade Organization meeting in Doha , Qatar , underlining the importance of trade liberalization as one of the most important catalysts to sustainable economic growth.

The Summit broke new ground by including the concept of government, non-governmental organization (NGO), and private-sector partnerships as a UN-endorsed mechanism for implementing the WSSD Plan of Action. It demonstrated what the United States and many others have learned by experience: successful development requires strong partnerships between governments, civil society groups, businesses, and individuals. For example, the United States and Japan announced, along with NGOs, foundations, and private sector partners, a Clean Water for People initiative to dramatically expand access to clean water and sanitation services in the developing world, improve watershed management, and increase the productivity of water in industry and agriculture. The United States is committing $970 million to this initiative over the next three years. The results of the Summit have furthered the President's commitment to sustainable development.

WSSD was successful in four major areas:

• The Plan of Action and Head of State Declaration reaffirmed the importance of good national governance, national investment in sound economic and social policies and the shared responsibilities between developed and developing countries as a basis for development. The WSSD reinforced the new “compact for development” launched at the Monterrey Financing for Development Conference.

• WSSD acknowledged the importance of partnerships among governments, private sector and non-government organizations as an important new means of implementing the WSSD Plan of Action. Overall, 220 partnerships (with $235 million in resources) were identified in advance of the Summit , and around 60 partnerships were announced during the Summit by a variety of countries.

• The Plan for Action focused on obtaining concrete results, which support the Millennium Development Goals.

• The United States led and announced partnerships in four major areas: $970 million in investments over 3 years on water and sanitation projects, largely in Africa; $43 million in 2003 to leverage an estimated $400 million in clean energy for rural and poor communities; $90 million in 2003 for sustainable agricultural programs; and $53 million for forest protection in the Congo Basin. The United States also reaffirmed its commitment of $2.3 billion through 2003 on health and combating HIV/AIDS and infectious diseases.

The Department of State has also established www.sdp.gov to provide information on U.S. efforts to work with other governments, the private sector, civil society and other organizations to plan and implement voluntary partnerships that promote economic growth, social development and environmental stewardship.

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Home

• Introduction

Cleaner Air

• New Protective Air Quality Standards
• Clear Skies – A Clean Air Act for the 21st Century
• Clean Air Interstate Rule
• Clean Air Nonroad Diesel Rule
• Clean Air Mercury Rule
• Cleaner Fuels and Engines
• Clean School Bus USA Program
• Cleaner Air Partnerships
• Improving New Source Review
• Improving Visibility in America’s National Parks

Addressing Global Climate Change

• Ambitious National Goal to Reduce Emissions Intensity
• Cabinet Committee on Climate Change Science and Technology Integration
• Federal Climate Science Program
• Greenhouse Gas Reduction Initiatives
• Targeted Incentives for Greenhouse Gas Sequestration
• Proposed Guidelines for Voluntary Reporting of Greenhouse Gas Emissions
• International Outreach and Partnerships
• President’s Initiative Against Illegal Logging
• Cleaner, More Efficient Energy Technologies
• Federal Energy and Carbon Sequestration Programs
• Tax Incentives for Renewable Energy and Hybrid and Fuel Cell Vehicles
• Natural Gas Supply
• Nuclear Energy
• Developing Cleaner Coal Technologies
• Fuel Economy Increase for Light Trucks

Cleaner Water

• Expanding and Protecting America’s Wetlands
• Cleaning Up America’s Waters
• Improving Water Quality: TMDLs
• Cleaning the Great Lakes and Controlling Invasive Species
• Cleaning Up the Hudson River
• Reducing Water Pollution from Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
• Setting Standards for Industrial Sources
• Recognizing Clean Water Partners
• Community-Based Watershed Restoration Partnerships
• Restoring the Klamath Basin
• Rural Water Projects
• Restoring the Everglades
• Destin Dome
• Protecting Marine Ecosystems
• Protecting Coral Reefs
• National Marine Sanctuaries
• Establishing Individual Fishing Quota Systems
• Improving Our Coastal Waters
• Clean Beaches Strategy
• Water Conservation
• Water 2025: Preventing Crises and Conflict in the West

Cleaner Lands

• Reclaiming America’s Brownfields
• Redeveloping Coalfields
• Superfund
• Nuclear Waste Site Cleanup
• Cleaning Up Dangerous Abandoned Coal Mines
• Cleaning Up Leaking Underground Storage Tanks
• Hardrock Mining Rule
• Ensuring Pipeline Safety
• Promoting Recycling and Reducing Hazardous Wastes

Healthier Ecosystems

• An Historic Farm Bill – Doubling Support Conservation on America’s Farms and Ranches
• The Healthy Forests Initiative: Protecting People, Wildlife, and Ecosystems
• Stewardship Contracting
• Protecting our Trees and Forests from Invasive Species
• Interagency Wildland Fire Leadership Council
• Firewise: Helping Homeowners Prevent Catastrophic Wildfires
• National Parks – Restoring the Quality of Our Cultural, Natural, and Historic Resources
• A Commitment to Cooperative Conservation
• Drought and Fire Assistance for Natural Resources
• Protecting our National Wildlife Refuges
• Revitalizing the Land and Water Conservation Fund
• Restoring Healthy Pacific Salmon Populations
• Preserve America
• Take Pride In America
• Landowner Incentive Program
• Private Stewardship Grants Program
• New Wilderness
• Invasive Species
• Lower Colorado River Multi-Species Conservation Program
• Urban Conservation Treaty for Migratory Birds
• Restoring Declining Species
• Reforestation: Planting Trees on Mined Lands

A Cleaner, Healthier World Community

• A Successful World Summit on Sustainable Development
• Methane to Markets Partnership
• International Partnership for the Hydrogen Economy (IPHE)
• Other International Energy Activities
• Eliminating Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)
• U.S. – Russia Polar Bear Agreement
• Conserving Fish Stocks and Other Living Marine Resources

Healthier People

• Our Children and the Environment
• Reducing Lead Poisoning
• Emergency Reclamation Activities
• Voluntary Children’s Chemical Evaluation Program
• Asthma Research Strategy
• Promoting Food Safety Through Pesticide Management
• Pesticide Risk Assessment
• New Recreational Trails
• Innovation in Action: Performance Track
• Reducing the Generation and Use of Hazardous Substances Through Green Chemistry

President Bush’s Performance-Based FY 2005 Budget

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September 2004

•   PDF File: A Record of Progress