Following their summit meeting in Molde, Norway today, South African President Thabo Mbeki and Nordic Prime Ministers Kjell Magne Bondevik (Norway), David Oddsson (Iceland), Paavo Lipponen (Finland), Göran Persson (Sweden) and Anders Fogh Rasmussen (Denmark) issued the following statement on the World Summit for Sustainable Development, in Johannesburg 26 August-4 September this year:

“ NORDIC-SOUTH AFRICA SUMMIT, MOLDE 12 MAY 2002

The World Summit for Sustainable Development

The President of South Africa and the Nordic Prime Ministers expressed their strong commitment to ensuring a successful outcome of the World Summit for Sustainable Development in Johannesburg 26 August – 4 September 2002. The Nordic Prime Ministers noted the very important task South Africa has assumed in hosting the Summit. South Africa recognised the contribution made by the Nordic countries to assist South Africa in providing excellent logistics.

South Africa and the Nordic countries called for worldwide participation at the highest political level at the Summit. The Summit was seen as taking place at a critical historical juncture. There is a strong need for a global deal offering an opportunity to reaffirm a strong commitment and political will to achieve sustainable development, balanced between humanity’s needs for economic growth and poverty eradication and the capacity of the Earth’s resources and ecosystems to meet current and future challenges. Every effort should be made to implement at all levels the Rio-declaration, Agenda 21, the Millennium Development Goals, and other outcomes relevant to sustainable development, as well as to bring into force the global environment conventions in time for the Summit.

South Africa and the Nordic countries recognized that sustainable development poses the challenge of ensuring that globalisation and trade become a positive force for all. In this context it was also recognized that governments continues to have the primary responsibility for sustainable development in their own countries, by ensuring sound economic policies and solid democratic institutions responsive to the needs of the people and the needs of future generations. It was recognised that good governance is a key precondition for sustainable development. The President and the Prime Ministers also shared the view that support from the international community – financial, technical and capacity building - for the efforts of Africa, and the least developed countries in particular, to achieve these goals, is essential.

South Africa and the Nordic countries agreed to work for a strong political declaration and a focused and timebound plan of action for further implementation of sustainable developmentas the principal results of the Johannesburg Summit. They also underlined the innovative approach offered by the Summit to establish partnership initiatives between governments as well as between various stakeholders and governments, and in this context welcomed the active participation of all parties concerned. Commitment and contributions from the private sector and civil society were seen as indispensable for achieving sustainable development.

Finally, South Africa and the Nordic countries shared the view that the last meeting of the Preparatory Committee in Bali (24 May – 7 June 2002) would be crucial in laying the ground for a successful Summit and urged all parties involved to work jointly to achieve substantial progress in Bali towards the finalisation of the Johannesburg Summit outcomes, in accordance with the terms of reference for the WSSD, as set out in UNGA Resolution A/RES199.