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Delhi Sustainable Development Summit 2002
Ensuring sustainable livelihoods:

challenges for governments, corporates, and civil society at Rio+10
8 - 11 February 2002, New Delhi

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8 Feb. 2002 9 Feb. 2002 10 Feb. 2002 11 Feb. 2002
                     
    8 February 2002: Inaugural session
 

           
Presentation of document on Integrated Energy Policy for India to the Hon'ble Prime Minister of India, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee

           
       

                                                
Inaugural address

Real video

Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee
Hon’ble Prime Minister of India

"My only advice is to recall Mahatma Gandhi's principle of Antyodaya, which means taking care of the last, of the most underprivileged and deprived. If we focus on the challenge faced by the most deprived communities in the world, the world would surely become a better place."


         

          
Welcome address

Real video

Dr A Ramachandran
Chairman, TERI

"The Johannesburg Summit must invoke momentum about implementing Agenda 21"

           
Special address

Real video

Mr T R Baalu
Hon'ble Minister for Environment and Forests, Government of India

"Unless timely action is taken by the global community, global security will be under continuous threat"


          

                              
Keynote address
Dr Jan P Pronk
Special Envoy for the Secretary-General, United Nations to the WSSD, President, COP-7 and Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning, and the Environment, The Netherlands

"There can be no double standards while taking social, economic, and environmental actions."

Full text of the Keynote address
               

           
Vote of thanks

Real video

Dr R K Pachauri
Director-General, TERI   

"There is a renewed urgency for articulating a forward looking energy strategy for the country."

                                    
Session summary

There is widespread concern to make the WSSD an event that catalyses more concrete action than earlier.

Dr A Ramachandran emphasized that the challenge of global sustainable development is so significant that it is reflected in the very title of this event. In this context, ensuring sustainable livelihoods is a major challenge for India, as indeed is the complexity of poverty elimination.

Hon’ble Mr T R Baalu drew attention to the close association between the ministry and TERI—a significant example of government support for NGOs. Such partner-ships are vital for the success of human society. The Indian concept of ‘Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam’ (global brother-hood) means sharing each other’s trials and tribulations. Development must be sustainable and environment-friendly. With growing poverty, hunger, illiteracy… global security will be under threat unless timely action is taken.

Dr Jan P Pronk’s Keynote Address (read out in his absence) made a strong case for a critical analysis of what the WSSD has to achieve and how. It presented the following primary concerns.

sqb_t.gif (55 bytes) For the WSSD to be called a summit, heads of state and governments must make every effort to participate.
sqb_t.gif (55 bytes) For the WSSD to be a truly global summit, all countries must be present and negotiate a globally agreeable agenda.
sqb_t.gif (55 bytes) WSSD is not an environmental conference but one on sustainable development, including economics, social affairs, and the environment.
sqb_t.gif (55 bytes) We must decide on those aspects of Rio that have been forgotten; many areas of Agenda 21 still lag in imple-mentation.
sqb_t.gif (55 bytes) We must issue the political message that there is place for everyone within the system. The feelings of aliena-tion and frustration among many people in the world must be addressed.
sqb_t.gif (55 bytes) Rather than issuing recommendations, WSSD must reach concrete decisions, translated into concrete programmes, supported by high levels of commitment to time-bound implementation.

While the notion of a global partnership need not be adhered to by all countries, but we could start working towards such a partnership in Johannesburg. Ten years on from Rio, we owe it to the people, the planet, and to prosperity.

Hon’ble Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s Inaugural Address constantly underscored the importance of sustainable development and of events such as DSDS, which he hopes will present the issues on the agenda for Johannesburg clearly and unambiguously.

He assured that India will further encourage and strengthen partnerships between government, NGOs, and civil institutions in every area of development. We need to make sustainable development and globalization work for the poor. Poverty is multi-dimensional, extending beyond money incomes to education, health care, skills enhancement, and political participation. It is also determined by access to natural resources, clean water, and air and advancement of cultural and social organization.

The necessity for transferring more resources from developed countries for poverty alleviation and environ-mental sustainability is now being accepted by the opinion makers. The first and foremost task in sustainable development is to fulfil the aspiration of the poor and deprived to live a better life. No purpose will be served by focusing only on past failures; we need to move ahead. WSSD should come up with priority actions and a consensus for harnessing the forces of globalization and sustainable development for abolishing poverty.

Dr R K Pachauri spoke about how everybody gathered at DSDS is striving to bring sustainable development into the mainstream. He also presented to the Hon’ble Prime Minister a forward-looking document titled Defining an Integrated Energy Strategy for India. He thanked all the speakers, sponsors, delegates, and mediapersons for their overwhelming response to the Summit.