MANIFESTO of Mediterranean NGOs before the 2002 Johannesburg Summit
VI Mediterranean Environmental Forum
Barcelona, 30 November and 1 December 2001
Introduction
10 years after the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Summit, it is now necessary to
analyse the implementation of the main measures adopted during the summit,
especially Agenda 21 and the major international conventions arising from it:
Climate change, Biodiversity and Combating desertification.
The Mediterranean basin does not
exist as a region for any international organisation; as a result, it does not
appear in the world and regional reports which are produced regularly, nor does
it exist in the available data bases. Only the bodies of the Barcelona
Convention (United Nations Convention for the Protection of the Mediterranean),
the MAP and the MCSD, have a Mediterranean field of action by means of which to
approach the region’s current situation.
A quick look at the situation of the
Mediterranean shows that although some environmental problems are being dealt
with at different levels and efforts are being made to integrate environment
issues into development strategies, not only have the problems of inequality
and poverty not lessened, but in many cases they have actually worsened.
The dynamic of globalisation and attempts
at economic integration are, for the moment, having an adverse effect on the
poorest, least developed sectors and areas of the Mediterranean basin.
In spite of an evident improvement in energy
efficiency in some parts of the basin and, in general, of increased
eco-efficiency, these advances appear to have been more than counteracted by
the dominant trends in the production and consumption sectors, which are in
turn fuelled by growing inequality, economic instability, demographic expansion,
migratory processes and the armed conflicts which have affected the region,
particularly in the Balkans and the Middle East, not to mention the internal
conflicts which have affected other countries.
The dynamic of economic growth and population
expansion has obviously led to greater consumption of resources with the
consequent increase in the generation of waste and pollutants. Transport and
tourism have risen noticeably, encouraging the process of economic growth and
generating greater economic resources, both of which however have a
far-reaching environmental impact which has, as yet, been little valued, much
less corrected. Poverty and inequality continue to be one of the
characteristics marking the Mediterranean region.
Ten years after the Rio Summit, apparently good
intentions and preparatory schemes or action plans have emerged in the
Mediterranean basin. However, they have not yet been implemented, and
short-term policies and schemes have taken priority over long-term
considerations and strategies.
In the production sector, although in some
cases greater environmental responsibility can be seen on the part of business
with the adoption of environmental management measures, they are still
relatively thin on the ground and concentrated in a few sectors. For the most
part, the environmental management systems adopted are found in big companies,
and most small and medium-sized firms are still a long way from adopting such
systems.
The mechanisms to control compliance with
environmental policies and regulations are still extremely precarious, and the
tasks of surveillance and monitoring are even less implemented. In this sense,
a big step forward has been made in the Mediterranean with the assignation of
135 sustainability indicators.
On the occasion of the meeting in
Barcelona of 160 representatives of different social sectors, particularly the
Mediterranean NGOs brought together under the umbrella of MED Forum, Network of
Mediterranean NGOs for Ecology and Sustainable Development, during the VI Mediterranean
Environment Forum, after an analysis of the basic documents contributed and
much debate, we decided to launch the following MANIFESTO:
1. We hereby state that the
positive proposals contained in Agenda 21 passed at the Rio Summit in 1992 and
those arising from it, such as MED Agenda 21, the national and local Agendas 21
and the major international conventions of the United Nations, which were
supposed to permit sustainable development of the Mediterranean region, have
not been implemented, due above all to a lack of political decision-making, the
absence of specific measures and the low level of financing applied.
Let us remember that the
Johannesburg Summit as a conference must analyse implementation and the means
used to achieve the principles and proposals outlined in Agenda 21, and that it
must offer further proposals for sustainable development to prevent the
permanent deterioration of the planet.
2. We declare that the
Mediterranean region is an “eco-region” which has to be taken into account as
such, and that the contributions of the Barcelona Convention and “process”,
signed in 1975 and 1995, must be emphasised and reinforced to enable the
Mediterranean to make its contribution to planetary changes as regards
sustainable development. The Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable
Development (MCSD) must be strengthened and recognised by the Commission for
Sustainable Development as a valid partner to participate in the sessions and
other activities of the CSD.
3. We state our opinion
that the Mediterranean eco-region has a great deal of potential for progress in
the application of the proposals contained in Agenda 21 and developed in MED
Agenda 21, and that with the existence of the MAP, the MCSD and the
Euro-Mediterranean process, it can contribute to the implementation of
sustainable development by establishing a series of specifically Mediterranean
priorities:
a) Water. Integrated,
sustainable water management has to be recognised as one of the greatest
challenges facing the Mediterranean region. We need a new culture of water
which takes into account the sustainability of the resource when it comes to
satisfying the consumption needs of households, industry and farming in harmony
with the lives of the fauna and vegetation of the different ecosystems.
b) Combating
desertification. The effects of climate change will exacerbate the advance of
desertification, the erosion of plant coverage in the Mediterranean basin and
the disappearance of the Mediterranean forests. This calls for the application
of the Regional Action Programme outlined in Annexe 4 and the Sub-regional
Programmes of Annexe 1 and 2 of the Convention and, above all, a specific
financing mechanism for the introduction of specific measures to combat drought
and benefit sustainable agriculture.
c) Integrated coastal
management. There is far too much pressure being brought to bear on the
Mediterranean seaboard, 17% of the territory on which 37% of the population
lives, and specific action programmes must be implemented to develop the
measures outlined by Agenda 21.
d) Sustainable tourism. The
Mediterranean region is the destination for 30% of world tourists, and this
leads to major environmental problems. It is necessary to adopt specific
measures to curb intensive tourism and promote protection of natural and
cultural resources.
e) Protection of
biodiversity. The heavy pressures of the population, tourism and
infrastructures are leading to the disappearance of rich Mediterranean
biodiversity.
f)
Combating pollution and overfishing. The Mediterranean is an enclosed
sea which receives high levels of land and sea pollution which, together with
overfishing of marine resources, calls for urgent measures to preserve rich
Mediterranean biodiversity.
g) Other themes: waste
management, the use of renewable energies, combating the greenhouse effect,
etc.
We ask for all possible help for Mediterranean cities, which represent
fundamental Mediterranean specificity for sustainable development and
coexistence in the region. Urban sustainable development programmes backed by
international financing must be established on a joint voluntary base by local
governments, representatives of civil society and States, in a
contractual framework; this will particularly concern the region’s 100
million new urban inhabitants.
4. We particularly ask that
the form of financing considered at the Monterrey meeting should constitute the
basis of efforts to be proposed at the Johannesburg Summit. Many of its
components form the basis for a planet-wide pact and will allow the creation in
the Mediterranean of a space of solidarity and co-development:
a) a rapid return of levels
of public support for development to 0.7%; making note, to this effect, of the
agreement adopted in Göteborg in 2001 by European states;
b)
the creation of an innovative joint fund to finance, along with the
national contributions which are to be made and United Nations funding, a
system of world governance and actions of public interest in regions of the
world and here in the Mediterranean, and
c)
the replacement of systems of resources, particularly that of debt, for
swaps (Dept. Swaps) in the case of sustainable development operations and the
deployment of resources, and the revision of national and local rates and taxes
to be replaced by eco-taxes, on the basis of the principles of “polluter pays”
or good practice.
5.
We call for a reduction of high unemployment
levels among young people, the sustainable creation of jobs for everyone and
the eradication of poverty, by adopting measures such as:
a)
developing the spirit and
capacity-building of SMEs, with the help of professional consultancy or company
associations;
b)
implementing services, boards and
networks to provide information and promote the application of clean
technologies;
c)
backing all systems which support
government and participatory management, and providing support for agents of
the popular and family economy, and
d)
implementing micro-economic
initiatives as part of national policies.
We propose that the Euro-Mediterranean process and the MAP should work
together to promote a space of partnership and co-development: the creation of
a free-trade zone should represent social, economic and environmental
guarantees, preserving the identity of the Mediterranean and its values.
We call upon civil society’s Euro-Mediterranean
networks to support NGOs and large national groups in the application and
monitoring of Euro-Mediterranean Association Agreements. NGO networks and major
groups have to join together to carry out the RIPs (Regional Indicative
Programmes), and NGOs and large national groups have to join together to carry
out the NIPs (National Indicative Programmes) outlined in MEDA-II. The MEDA II
Programme and sectorial programmes and initiatives such as the SMAP must be
provided with sufficient funding to deal with the problems they have to face.
We support the project to institutionalise the Euro-Med Civil Forum
which has been much recommended by governmental and non-governmental agencies
since 1995, and which could help to regroup the larger groups in civil society
with a view to moving this debate forwards, alongside the Euro-Mediterranean
Parliamentary Forum.
We ask for the strengthening of cultural and professional exchanges in
the region, between countries, cities, universities and schools. Young people
should be the main beneficiaries. We call for the intensification of exchanges between young
people in the Mediterranean to take the form of on-the-spot actions in
connection with issues concerning improved living standards. Exchange with the
object of change, local capacity-building and the strengthening of initiatives
within all organisations, publicising and adapting good practices.
We promote the revision of institutions, particularly on different
scales:
a)
on a planetary scale, sustainable
development has to be incorporated into multilateral agreements with a view to
strengthening governance;
b)
on the scale of the Mediterranean
region, where co-operation networks must be motivated to encourage national and
local capacity building, and
c)
as regards personal and association
participation, joint efforts to incorporate access to information and justice
for civil society and larger groups into national legislation.
We demand that civil society be better represented in
all international agencies and bodies involved in the Mediterranean, in order
to enable it to become a driving force of sustainable development and the
creation of a Mediterranean space of peace, equality and solidarity which can
act as an example for the whole world.
MED Forum
Network
of Mediterranean NGOs for Ecology and Sustainable Development
Non-governmental
organisations active in the Mediterranean region met in Nice on the 11 and 12
January 2002 to contribute to the preparations for the Johannesburg World
Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The Mediterranean is a region with a
long history of cultural exchange and co-operation, but, on the other hand,
currently, large groups of people in the region are threatened by environmental
degradation, conflicts, insecurity, social exclusion and violation of human
rights and of fundamental freedoms.
Sustainable
development in the Mediterranean can be seen as a major contribution to make
this region, with its clear ecological and cultural identity but with enormous
differences in prosperity and perspectives, into a good example of coexistence
and co-operation of different peoples and cultures sharing common resources and
a common future.
The
Mediterranean region gathering 22 countries at the crossroads of Africa, Europe
and West Asia has, in the last 10 years, made a numerous progress in the
implementation of Agenda 21:
·
Civil
society has become stronger and more involved in progressive way at local,
national and regional levels. Several sub-regional and local authorities have
started local agenda 21 processes. Regional co-operation in different ways,
including science & capacity building, has improved.
·
Marine
pollution has been stabilised and sometimes reduced.
·
Innovative
institutional tools have been implemented in the Region: the Mediterranean
Action Plan, started in 1975, has been renovated; and the Mediterranean
Commission for Sustainable Development (MCSD), unique in the world for the
participation of governments, civil society and private sector, has been
created.
·
Progress
can be recognised, in a majority of countries, on access to drinking water,
water-treatment, in nutrition and the state of public health.
However
some shortcomings exist:
·
Income
gaps, between countries and inside countries, have widened
·
The
pressures on spaces, ecosystems and resources are increasing (coastal zones,
freshwater systems, forests, agricultural areas, soils, fisheries)
·
Urbanisation
and consumption patterns are largely uncontrolled and the use of renewable
energies is still marginal. These shortcomings undermine the progress made in
recent years on, for example, public health.
·
The
Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, which is supposed to promote mutual development
in a region of 700 million inhabitants, is so far still too focused exclusively
on security, traditional economic development, structural adjustment and free
trade.
·
Failure
to fulfil the Rio commitments has exacerbated the socio-economic crisis,
increased vulnerability, made democracy
more fragile, and have a particular impact on women, children, youth and other marginalised groups.
Achieving sustainable development requires
democracy and good governance at all levels.
·
Principle
10 of the Rio Declaration, providing for public access to information,
participation in decision making and access to justice in environmental
matters, needs to be fully implemented in all countries. This starts with
openness and transparency from authorities and business towards civil society.
·
Good
governance also means adequate implementation of environmental and social law,
the eradication of corruption in government, the public and private sectors and
decisive action against environmental and social crime.
·
All
countries should set up effective National Commissions for Sustainable
Development (NCSD) and strengthen the roles and capacities of local and
sub-regional authorities to formulate and implement sustainable development.
·
Regional
organisations can dramatically increase their effectiveness if they follow a
participatory model. The Mediterranean Commission for Sustainable Development
is so far the only body following this principle in our region. We call upon
all multilateral bodies, in particular the UN and EU, to promote regional
co-operation with a clear role and participation for civil society.
·
On the
global level, the institutional framework is fragmented. We call for reform and
strengthening of UNEP and co-ordinated implementation of all Multilateral
Environmental Agreements. We welcome the initiative for UNEP to establish a
civil society participatory process. The Global Environmental Civil Society
Forum could serve as a model for other UN bodies.
·
Developing
countries must have equal rights and facilities in the decision making of
International Financial Institutions.
The fight against poverty must be at the centre
of sustainable development policies, which requires top-level political
consensus.
·
Aid
policies, and policies for implementing Agenda 21, must include special
programmes for eradicating poverty and these must take into account of the
economic, social and political causes of poverty.
·
The
link between environmental damage and the rise in poverty must be recognised,
and measures and programmes combining the fight against poverty and the
sustainable management of natural resources must be encouraged.
·
Programmes
combating poverty must closely involve civil society and the private sector, and
access for young people to decent and productive employment must be a priority.
·
Objectives
for eradicating poverty must be quantified and demanding and an international
observance system must be set up in order to evaluate progress made in the
fight against poverty.
The Mediterranean region is an example of
unequal trade relations that benefit the developed countries and leave
developing countries behind.
We strongly support two important measures UN
Secretary General Kofi Anan proposes for the Johannesburg Summit, as they are
very relevant in particular to the Mediterranean region:
·
"Removing trade-distorting subsidies and
improving access of products and services of developing
countries to the markets of developed countries, in particular in sectors in
which developing countries have competitive advantage, such as the agricultural
and textile sectors.
·
Assisting developing countries, in their
efforts to fully integrate into the world trade system and participate
effectively in multilateral trade negotiations".
·
Global
as well as regional trade agreements should focus on strengthening local
economies (mainly Small and Medium Enterprises), (i) establishing fair trade with equity and benefit-sharing, (ii)
promoting sustainable production and consumption patterns and fighting poverty.
This also
means that the current overwhelming influence of multinational corporations
needs to be reduced:
We call for the WSSD to recognise the need for
a convention on Corporate Accountability in favour of sustainable development.
The World Trade Organisation (WTO) has failed to establish an international
framework for fair trade. The WTO has to be reformed to ensure within the full
participation of developing countries and civil society actors, as well as to allow
for full southern access to markets in industrialised countries.
·
All
countries should be able to mobilise sufficient and stable public and domestic
resources at the national and local levels for sustainable development, taking
into account that in the longer term these will prove to be very beneficial
investments.
·
Specific
funds are required to finance local Agenda 21 activities as well as
micro-credits for the private sector and local communities.
·
Co-operation
between local authorities and public-private partnership should be developed.
Given the massive differences in economic
prosperity between countries, committed substantial support from developed to
developing countries remains necessary:
·
Official
Development Aid (ODA) should finally reach, at least, the 0,7% GNP UN target.
The use of ODA must be improved by transparent and participatory priority
formulation and impact assessments, in relevant cases on a multi-lateral level,
as well as capacity building for the beneficiaries.
·
Debt
swaps for sustainable development
activities should be encouraged.
·
In the
process of compensating for loss of public income by the abolition of customs
duties (a result of market liberalisation) fiscal measures that promote the
polluter pays principle, including the abolition of environmentally perverse
subsidies and the introduction of innovative environmentally positive taxation
should be introduced.
·
The
introduction of international taxes to increase financial resources for
sustainable development in developing countries has to be considered.
·
Credit
facilities for long-term investments in favour of sustainable development need
setting up.
·
Financial
supports should be secured to allow the implementation of the Convention to
Combat Desertification and Drought, and more generally of whole set of the
International Conventions with impact in favor of sustainable development.
Economic
growth must be radically de-coupled from environmental degradation, a step that
involves developing comprehensive policy frameworks on sustainable production
and consumption. This must be based on:
·
Equal
access for all people to natural resources, while respecting the limited
carrying capacity of nature;
·
Maintaining
and improving the quality of bio-diversity; and the right of people for a clean
and healthy environment.
·
The
implementation of the precautionary principle is essential in all relevant policies
Developed countries
must acknowledge that their over-consumption of natural resources has created
an ecological debt to the south.
·
Countries
must promote sustainable agricultural practices and Integrated Water Resource
Management at catchment area level, and must ensure equitable access for
population to the resource, while taking into account ecological needs.
Awareness raising, education and the emergence
of a culture of sustainable development are fundamental to achieving
sustainable development. Capacity building and training for young people is
essential. New and revised strategies and means of awareness raising,
education, training, and communication are essential for the effective
management of human resources and capacity building for the underprivileged, in
order to achieve sustainable development. As well as access to general
education for all, education for environment and sustainability (EfES) should
be systematically developed for all ages using formal and non-formal
approaches. The same is true as regards vocational training for decision makers
and administrators. A network structure of resources is essential, equipped
with the necessary human, financial and technical means for implementing
initiatives and encouraging international partnerships and exchanges for young
people. The generation, enhancement, widespread diffusion, exchange and sharing
of knowledge, experience and technology is an essential part of sustainable
development.
·
The
generation, enhancement and exchange of inter-disciplinary scientific knowledge
and know-how are necessary for achieving sustainable development.
·
The
efficient transfer of traditional and modern, cleaner, eco-efficient and
appropriate technologies between countries is necessary.
Efforts undertaken at international level, and
properly carried forward by nations, civil society, the private sector and
local authorities, must be supported by the major regions of the world, and
particularly by “eco-regions” such as the Mediterranean, standing as it does at
the crossroads of Africa, Europe and West Asia. The implementation of
sustainable development can be a powerful leading vector in the future of this
region, whose North-South fracture could be transformed into a reconciliation
which could serve as an example for the rest of the world.
Mediterranean NGOs support the idea of a
"Global Deal" involving clear commitments and concrete actions
leading to poverty eradication, sustainable production and consumption patterns
as well as improvement of governance and democratic processes at all levels.
The
global deal should involve multi-stakeholder initiatives to help meet agreed
international targets. It should lead to a type of globalisation which is
equitable, inclusive and which contributes to sustainable development.
This Message has been endorsed by the following
Networks :
1. Arab Network for Environment and Development
(RAED), based in Cairo, a network of 200 NGO from 17 Arab countries.
2. Environment and Development in the Third
World (ENDA).
3. European Environmental Bureau (EEB), based in Brussels, a federation of 135 NGO
from all European countries.
4. Friends of the Earth MedNet, based in
Alicante, a network of National Friends of the Earth offices from 11 Mediterranean
countries including Jordan.
5. MEDCOAST Network, based in Ankara.
6. Mediterranean Ecological Media Network
(MED-ECOMEDIA), based in Amman a network of 100 Environmental professionals and
communicators from all the Mediterranean countries.
7. Mediterranean NGO Network for Ecology and
Sustainable Development (MED Forum), based in Barcelona, a network of 113 NGO
from 23 Mediterranean countries including Jordan and Portugal.
8.
Mediterranean Information Office for Environment, Culture and Sustainable
Development (MIO-ECSDE), based in
Athens, a federation of 92 NGO from 23 Mediterranean countries including Jordan
and Portugal.
9. World
Wild Fund for Nature, WWF Mediterranean Programme. Based in Rome.