Linking across MDG's: Towards Innovative Partnerships and Governance

Energy was not identified and specified as an MDG (Millennium Development Goal) during the Johannesburg Summit. Yet the provision of energy is critical to meeting all the MDGs. The challenge of providing energy to over two billion people in the world, who have no access to modern forms of energy supply is daunting. With oil prices around 60 dollars per barrel, and with little prospect of a decline, this challenge assumes larger dimensions. At the same time, the problem of climate change, on which the scientific evidence is now overwhelming, now receives widespread attention among policy-makers, such as in the Gleneagles Summit of the G-8 leaders in July 2005. Similarly, problems with water and sanitation, which have energy implications and are essential for health and human welfare, are reaching crisis proportions in some parts of the world. Energy, climate change, and the challenge of providing safe drinking water and proper sanitation facilities are issues linking all the MDGs accepted by the global community.

Beyond Universal Goals: steering development towards global sustainability.

It would treat as a threshold the Millennium Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2000 and reach beyond them to

- review what has been achieved in the past five years,
- highlight the imperatives of attempting much more than what the global community has accomplished, and
- set a path for action in the following ten years that would create a brighter future for the next generation and a secure and safe planet, devoid of irreversible damage to its natural resources and ecosystems.

As in previous years, DSDS 2005 (3–5 February) will also involve heads of government, Nobel laureates, corporate CEOs, and leaders of development organizations, research institutions, and reputable non-governmental organizations.

Partnerships for Sustainable Development

DSDS 2004 (4–7 February) catalysed intensive deliberations on the theme Partnerships for Sustainable Development: addressing the WEHAB agenda encompassing water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity. The summit this year was unique in its own way, accompanied by a number of side events focusing on important issues of sustainable development, including climate change, corporate social responsibility, biotechnology, environment–health linkages, rural development, renewables, and role of the media. The curtain raiser event of the summit was the CEO Forum for which over 35 CEOs of Indian and international corporates assembled to deliberate on the theme From Johannesburg: a future roadmap on the social and environmental challenges for business.

Beyond Johannesburg

DSDS 2003 (6–9 February) was aptly titled The Message from WSSD: translating resolve into action for a sustainable future. Held in the wake of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, which set priorities for action, DSDS 2003 essentially focused on ways to turn those priorities into concrete action. Encompassing a number of pertinent issues – water and sanitation, environment and health, education, corporate social responsibility, forestry and biodiversity, governance and media, climate change, and so on – DSDS 2003 added value to the WSSD process through many action-oriented suggestions. The summit proceedings reiterated that sustainable development issues are complex and must be tackled through integrated efforts of business organizations, governments, and civil society.