Earth summit sets target dates

The Johannesburg summit that ended on Wednesday had set target dates for the implementation of Rio summit aspirations, Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of the Environment George Pullicino said yesterday.

He was giving an overview of summit conclusions at a news conference with Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi on their return.

Dr Gonzi said the World Summit on Sustainable Development had agreed on the need to remove trade barriers, particularly in the agricultural sector, although no target was set.

Mr Pullicino it had also been agreed to try and halve the proportion of people lacking access to basic sanitation by 2015 - complementing the millennium development goal on access to clean water. A World Solidarity Fund was also set up for this aim.

Countries had committed themselves to minimise the harmful effects on human health and the environment from the production and use of all chemicals by 2020.

Other commitments included halting the decline of fish stocks and restore them to sustainable levels by 2015 and to halt the loss of biodiversity by 2010.

It had been agreed to take joint actions to improve access to energy by the poor and increase urgently and substantially the global share of renewable energy sources.

Agreement was reached on a European Union proposal to have a 10-year framework for programmes on sustainable consumption and production.

On the Kyoto convention on climate change, Mr Pullicino said that although Russia took a low profile in the summit, it seemed that it was prepared to ratify the convention. East European countries must also sign the convention as a requirement to join the EU and this would enable the convention to become protocol.

He pointed out that the original proposal for the convention had been made by Malta in the late 1980s.

Malta, Mr Pullicino said, also took part in three side events including a visit to the shanty town of Alexandra, a town the size of Comino with a population similar in size to Malta's.

Dr Gonzi said Malta had agreed to increase its assistance to developing countries, and would be setting up a secretariat to investigate ways of providing support.

The country would also be increasing the opportunities to give technical help and would launch incentive schemes for Maltese to offer their assistance in projects in developing countries.

Maltese non-governmental organisations' representative Vince Attard said that more than a third of participants at the summit were NGO representatives who strongly lobbied for the finalisation of target dates.

A major achievement, he said, was Brazil's declaration that it would be extending the protected area of the Amazon by 300 per cent, bringing the size of the protected zone to twice the size of the UK.

About 45,000 people from 174 countries attended the summit, including about 100 heads of state.

Asked whether it had been necessary for Malta to have a delegation of 11 people, Dr Gonzi said it was necessary for NGOs to be present.