Earth Summit Adopts Plan of Implementation on Sustainable Development

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Last updated at: (Beijing Time) Wednesday, September 04, 2002

Earth Summit Adopts Plan of Implementation on Sustainable Development

The world leaders Wednesday adopted a plan of implementation on sustainable development with calls for protecting and managing the natural resources on the earth.

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The world leaders Wednesday adopted a plan of implementation on sustainable development with calls for protecting and managing the natural resources on the earth.

The plan of implementation covers action for providing fresh water, sewerage and electricity for the very poor and slowing the planet's loss of biodiversity and depletion of fisheries and forests.

The plan of implementation adopted by negotiators before the end of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) which was opened on Sept. 2.

The world leaders said in the document that Managing the natural resources base in a sustainable and integrated manner is essential for sustainable development.

They called on the international community to reverse the current trend in natural resource degradation as soon as possible.

"It is necessary to implement strategies which should include targets adopted at the national and, where appropriate, regional levels to protect ecosystems and to achieve integrated management of land, water and living resources, while strengthening regional, national and local capacities," the document said.

The summit considered that oceans, seas, islands and coastal areas form an integrated and essential component of the earth's ecosystem and are critical for global food security and for sustaining economic prosperity and the well-being of many national economies, particularly in developing countries.

"Ensuring the sustainable development of the oceans requires effective coordination and cooperation, including at the global and regional levels between relevant bodies," the document said.

The summit stressed that an integrated, multi-hazard, inclusive approach to address vulnerability, risk assessment and disaster management, including prevention, mitigation, preparedness response and recovery, is an essential element of a safer world in the 21st century.

On the earth's climate change, the summit said its adverse effects are a common concern of humankind with all countries, particularly developing countries, facing increased risks of negative impacts of climate change.

The leaders said the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the key instrument for addressing climate change as the problems of poverty, land degradation, access to water and food and human health remain at the center of global attention.

"We reaffirm our commitment to achieving climate change, a global concern, and we reaffirm our commitment to achieving its ultimate objective of stabilization of greenhouse gas ... within a time frame sufficient to allow ecosystems to adapt naturally to climate change to ensure that food production is not threatened and to enable economic development to proceed in a normal manner," the implementation plan said.

The summit stressed the importance of the agriculture, saying that it plays a crucial role in addressing the needs of a growing global population and is inextricable linked to poverty eradication, especially in developing countries.

Sustainable agriculture and rural development are essential to the implementation of an integrated approach to increasing food production and enhancing food security and food safety in an environmentally sustainable way, it said.

The world leaders also stressed the need of specific protection for mountain ecosystems, saying that mountain ecosystems support particular livelihoods, and include significant watershed resources, biological diversity and unique flora and fauna.

The summit called for concrete international support and partnership for the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, which plays a critical role in overall sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Sustainable forest management is essential to achieving sustainable development and is a critical means to eradicate poverty, significantly reduce deforestation, and halt the loss of forest biodiversity and land degradation, the summit said.

The world leaders also called for enhancing the contribution of mining minerals and metals to sustainable development, saying that minerals are essential for modern living.

As the follow-up of the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the WSSD has set water, energy, health, agriculture and biodiversity as five critical areas for sustainable development.

Most economic activity requires some use of natural resources and invariably leaves an imprint on the earth's ecosystems. Overuse of natural resources has reached the point where many ecosystems cannot repair or sustain themselves and among the losers are the people who rely on them.

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Earth Summit Approves Implementation Plan on Sustainable Development

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