US embassy cable - 04PRETORIA4048

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 PRETORIA 004048 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
FOR OES/PCI/LBRUTTEN, DROCHBERG, ESHAW 
FOR AF/S/JDIFFILY, AF/EPS 
EPA FOR OIA/BAILEY, MERCURIO 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, ENRG, EAID, ECON, SF 
SUBJECT: SOUTH AFRICA COMMEMORATES SECOND ANNIVERSARY OF 
JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT WITH NATIONAL CONFERENCE, ROUNDTABLES 
 
 
Sensitive but unclassified-please handle accordingly. 
 
1.  (U) Summary: South Africans and selected foreign guests 
(from the UN system, Africa, Brazil, and international labor 
and civil society organizations) participated in a national 
conference on sustainable development held September 1-3 in 
Johannesburg, in commemoration of the second anniversary of 
the World Summit on Sustainable Development.  Participants 
highlighted progress attained by South Africa in meeting 
sustainable development targets and continued constraints 
and challenges faced by South Africa and the rest of the 
developing world.  Representatives of local civil society, 
NGOs, business, academia, provincial and local governments 
participated in the government-organized conference, but the 
program's structure did not allow for extensive dialogue. 
NGO protestors at the event focused on renewable energy and 
affordable access to energy by the poor.  End summary. 
 
//Introduction// 
 
2.  (U) On September 1-3, the Sandton Convention Center was 
busy with discussion and dialogue on sustainable 
development, two years after World Summit on Sustainable 
Development (WSSD) meetings at the same site.  This time, 
the discussion, organized by the Department of Environmental 
Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) centered on South Africa and its 
responses to commitments made at the Johannesburg summit in 
2002.  Many of the planning documents can be found at 
http://www.environment.gov.za/jhb2/index.html , and 
additional speeches and summaries of sessions will 
eventually be posted to this website, according to DEAT 
sources. 
 
//Speakers address progress, resource constraints// 
 
3.  (U) Minister for Environmental Affairs and Tourism 
Marthinus Van Schalkwyk and Foreign Affairs Minister 
Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma spoke at the opening events on 
September 1. 
 
4.  (U) In his welcoming remarks, Minister van Schalkwyk 
noted that South Africa's implementation of WSSD goals was 
largely ahead of schedule in areas such as water, sanitation 
and housing.  He praised positive developments in 
identifying alterative, renewable energy sources to 
diversify from coal-based energy dependence, and in 
"mainstreaming" environmental issues and beefing up 
enforcement.  Minister Van Schalkwyk issued a warning to 
industries in South Africa, singling out refineries, to 
"clean up their act" in anticipation of new Air Quality 
legislation.  He also announced the imminent appointments of 
members to a National Environmental Advisory Forum, to 
strengthen partnerships between government and civil 
society.  The Minister encouraged establishment of a 
national framework for sustainable development to address 
the tensions and numerous "contradictions"--including 
between industrial development and health and environmental 
quality; between providing affordable energy and addressing 
climate change; between the need for investment, jobs and 
development and the benefits of conserving biodiversity; and 
between food security, biotechnology and concerns about the 
impact of Genetically Modified Organisms on the environment. 
 
5.  (U) Minister Dlamini Zuma noted that political will 
exists to address numerous sustainable development 
challenges, but the "missing element" is resources to 
implement the Johannesburg Program of Implementation.  She 
noted that resources exist globally, but they "need to be 
distributed from areas of great abundance to areas of 
scarcity." 
 
6.  (U) International speakers at opening sessions included 
WSSD Secretary General Nitin Desai, Chair of the 13th 
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), John Ashe, and 
the head of the Labor Foundation for Sustainable 
Development, Marga Ferre.  Desai spoke without prepared 
remarks and noted that the war on terrorism had diverted 
attention and resources away from efforts to attain 
sustainable development targets.  He cited the U.S. invasion 
of Iraq in contravention of the UN and the breakdown of 
Cancun World Trade Organization negotiations as contributing 
to the erosion of the "unity of purpose" generated by WSSD, 
and of multilateralism.  Desai also noted the donor 
community's failure to meet development assistance target 
levels, which negatively impacted implementation of projects 
on sustainable development. 
 
//Sector-specific roundtables engage line departments// 
7.  (U) Many Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Directors- 
General of government departments participated in sector- 
specific roundtables that their departments organized. 
Roundtables explored developments in important areas such as 
water, housing, energy, agriculture and science & 
technology, as well as governance of sustainable development 
and the role of business.  Notably missing was a roundtable 
on health issues, which figured prominently in WSSD.  Health 
was addressed briefly within the Energy roundtable, with a 
discussion of the program to remove lead from gasoline and 
the implementation of low-smoke fuel techniques. 
 
//NGO protestors demand more from SAG on energy// 
 
8.  (U) Several NGOs, including Earthlife Africa, the 
Environmental Justice Networking Forum (EJNF) and the Anti- 
Privatization Forum, protested outside the venue.  Earthlife 
and EJNF were seeking broader, more affordable access to 
energy for South African citizens, particularly the poor, as 
well as stronger government targets for developing and using 
renewable energy sources.  An EJNF representative told ES&T 
FSN that the NGOs want the government to invest much more in 
renewables such as wind and solar power, to increase 
utilization of energy to rates of 20 percent, compared to 
the current target of 0.5 percent. 
 
9.  (SBU) Comment:  Although the event did not come together 
until mid-to-late August, it was well organized, fairly well 
attended, and focused on the positive developments in South 
Africa on sustainable development.  Representatives from 
provincial and local governments, civil society and NGOs 
participated, but most sessions were heavy on presentations 
and left little if any time for discussion and genuine 
dialogue with participants. 
FRAZER