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The
World Summit on Sustainable Development
Second Preparatory Committee (PrepCom-II) New York, 28 Jan - 8 Feb 2002 |
Wednesday, 6 February
The PrepCom cancelled its scheduled morning session as the G-77/China requested more time to develop its positions. In the afternoon, a panel discussion was held on Media and Sustainable Development in parallel to continuing debate on the List of Issues and Proposals. The PrepCom continued its debate on the List into the evening. Photo, from left to right: Snuki Zikalala, Executive Editor of News, South African Broadcasting Corporation, South Africa; Tim Hirsch, Senior Environmental Correspondent, BBC, UK; Moderator: Shashi Tharoor, Interim Head of the Department of Public Information, UN; Jim Laurie, Vice-President, News and Current Affairs, Star TV, China; Barbara Pyle, former Vice-President for Environmental Programming, Turner Broadcasting, US; and Simone Duarte, New York Bureau Chief, Globo TV, Brazil.
Closing comments: Pyle noted that the WSSD is going to be a "tough sell", and that persistence would be required to get coverage. She urged governments to use their public broadcasting stations to air sustainable development-related educational material, and offered the use of her films. Laurie predicted that the least likely words to be heard in the next year are "our lead story at this hour is sustainable development". He said that the best place to air sustainable development topics is in documentary format or in current affairs and magazine programmes. He stated that bringing a television crew to South Africa to report on Heads of States meeting does not make for captivating reporting, and that there was a lack of money in the media industry for such coverage. Hirsch said that the more focused and tangible the agenda is, the more likely it will be to appear in mainstream news. He suggested that ecological disasters offer opportunities to show linkages with larger-scale environmental processes. Tharoor explained to the PrepCom DPI's communication strategy and activities to promote the WSSD. He is seen here with Co-Chair Ballhorn. |
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Briefing on logistics for the Johannesburg Summit South Africa gave a briefing on logistics for the Johannesburg Summit. For more information on logistics, visit: joburgsummit2002.com Representatives of the South African government said they expected 65,000 people to attend the Summit. In addition to the UN Summit to be held from 26 August-4 September, an NGO Global Forum will take place from 18-23 August. Above left: The exhibition table for PrepCom IV to be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, 27 May-7 June, 2002. For more information, visit: www.pc-wssd.com |
Side event: Cleaning Up the World's Fuel Supply: Getting Lead Out of Gasoline and Sulfur Out of Diesel This side event was sponsored by the Natural Resources Defense Council. In 1994, the CSD called for the global phaseout of leaded gasoline, following up on the promise of governments at Rio to reduce air pollution from cars and trucks. Today more than 50 countries have taken action and 85% of gasoline consumed worldwide is lead-free. Additionally, the US and Europe have taken steps to lower sulfur levels in diesel fuel. At the Johannesburg Summit, governments can commit to complete the phase-out of leaded gasoline and to undertake a global partnership to reduce the level of sulfur in diesel to near zero. During this side event, experts spoke on the lessons learned from the successful campaign to eliminate leaded gasoline and on a new proposed effort to dump dirty diesel worldwide. Jacob Scherr, Director of the International Program, NRDC, said lead is not only an environmental concern but also a health concern which affects both the North and South. He noted Colombia and Brazil had succeeded in ridding lead from gasoline. He said that it is an issue that the average person can understand, and stressed practical steps, political will and the need to act in partnership in order to phase out lead in gasoline and getting sulfur out of diesel. For more information, visit: www.nrdc.org |
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