Earth Summit Info

Sharing our Earth

Welcome to www.earthsummit.info!

This independent + apolitical site aims to help the non-specialist to become more involved in the discussion of global social and environmental issues than is often the case... principally by putting links to good quality, readable and useful information, covering many of the key issues and organisations, in one place.

www.earthsummit.info hopes that wider discussion, participation + monitoring amongst the public will encourage decision makers to aim higher and feel that it will be noticed whether they do or don't concentrate on turning fine words into action.

An effort to highlight what everyone (including you!) can do to bring about more sustainable development has also be made... so please see the World Summit: Things to do... section if you are interested in this.

At present this website offers 600+ useful links (under the categories opposite) and covers a wide range of sustainable development, biodiversity and World/Earth Summit issues. If you want to find out about a particular organisation or buzzword you can also conduct a keyword search by pressing the "Control" + "F" buttons on your keyboard at the same time...

The World Summit on Sustainable Development(also known as the WSSD, Earth Summit III or Rio +10) has now finished and a great deal of information relating to this event and the 1972 Stockholm and 1992 Rio Earth Summits can be found within this site.

The most useful Jo'burg World Summit links such as those relating to the summit's Background, NGOs, UN agencies + Outcomes can be found at the top of the category list.

Other valuable links covering the summit's Programme, News Services, Press Releases, Speeches , Key People + Briefing sites have been permanently archived at the bottom of this page.

On a slightly different note... you may also listen to 30 humanitarian, environmental, business and political expert talks that were given at the student-led Oxford Earth Summit in April 2002 as downloadable MP3 audio files.

Hopefully, www.earthsummit.info will help you to make up your own mind about the challenges, choices and change we face and to where we should go from here.

Please email Matt Prescott if you have any comments or wish to suggest a link. Also if you find this site of use or interest please help us by linking to www.earthsummit.info or by letting your friends, readers or colleagues know about this site.

Many thanks to Oliver Tickell at www.mylinkspage.com for modifying his excellent linking system in a variety of useful ways and for generally helping to make this website possible... Thank you Oliver, you're a star!

Audio files

LISTEN TO 30+ EXPERT TALKS

You can now listen to the talks that were given at the Oxford Earth Summit by the Met Office, World Bank, Oxfam, UNDP, Water Aid, Jubilee Plus, Action Aid, Birdlife International, the Northern Ireland Womens' Coalition and many others as mp3 audio files by clicking here.

Please note these audio files are large! If you have the option it is likely to be worth downloading these talks while you are at school, university or work. These places tend to have faster, broadband, internet connections which are better suited to the downloading of large files than ordinary home phone lines.

Please visit the Oxford Earth Summit homepage if you need any audio help or wish to listen to any of the other talks...

2. World Summit: Background
The 1972 Stockholm Earth Summit (UN conference on the Human Environment) produced an action plan which laid out clearly the educational, informational, social and cultural aspects of environmental issues. In Monterrey, Mexico the International Conference on Financing for Development saw agreements made which are likely to determine how initiatives announced at the WSSD will be funded. In March 2002 the G8 nations announced an Action Plan for Africa.. This plan announced support for NEPAD, better governance, security measures, improved trading conditions + re-emphasised the conditions attached to debt relief... A Critique of the NEPAD proposals has been produced by intellectuals associated with the Alternative Information and Development Centre. The Citizens Guide to the WSSD was developed to provide both an introduction to the Summit and act central reference point for US NGOs engaged in the WSSD process. A useful tool for anyone who wishes to quickly become familiar with the event and the key issues that will be discussed in Johannesburg. The WSSD's preparatory meetings (PrepComs I - IV) have been well covered by the IISD. WEHAB: Water + Sanitation. Framework paper (pdf). WEHAB: Energy Framework paper (pdf). WEHAB: Health Framework paper (pdf). WEHAB: Agriculture Framework paper (pdf) WEHAB: Biodiversity + ecosystem management framework paper (pdf). General Principles, rights + responsibilities associated with sustainable development. Taken from the 1987 Brundtland Report "Our Common Future".		The 1992 Rio Earth Summit was attended by 152 world leaders + led to the signing of conventions on biological diversity +desertification, a framework convention on climate change, principles for sustainable forestry + Agenda 21. At Doha, Qatar the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference saw the battle lines being drawn between those advocating corporate globalisation, human rights and environmental standards. Negotiations on trade are likely to proceed within the framework outlined at this meeting. The NEPAD (New Partnership for Africas Development) document outlines the support of rich countries which will be made available if certain social and economic reforms are made by African countries. At the Rio 10 site the Eco-Equity NGO coalition, consisting of the Northern Alliance for Sustainability, Consumers International, the Danish 92 Group, Friends of the Earth International, Greenpeace International, Oxfam International and WWF International, have presented their comments on the advance unedited text of the draft plan of implementation for the WSSD. A series of WSSD policy briefs have been produced by the Worldwatch Institute. The WSSD Draft plan of implementation was drawn up in late June 2002. This plan is now likely to be replaced by the more focused WEHAB agenda but still helps to illustrate the issues under consideration. The Millennium Development Goals were agreed by 152 heads of state. These leaders pledged to moderate globalisation, foster better governance, 1/2 the number of people living in poverty by 2015, prevent conflict + protect the vulnerable, secure life on earth + strengthen the UN

3. World Summit: Johannesburg
The Stakeholder's Forum World Summit 2002 website offers a clear outline of core issues, preparations made before the summit and updates of what has happened since it took place. The Virtual Exhibit (sponsored by business) webcast portions of the UN's WSSD and offers video clips covering a wide range of grass root projects + summit participants. The UN's Johannesburg Summit site offered access to official summit documentation as well as information on the agenda, programme + speakers. The World Wire website offers a very detailed summary of the World Summit's news stories which were sourced from many different media outlets. It also offers good quality resources, links, analysis + commentary. The UK's Guardian newspaper produced many summit-related articles which have now been archived together. It is unclear whether this site will be updated over time, but whatever happens this site will offer a useful historical record. The Open University's Earth Summit for All website offered an excellent "discussion portal" which was open to anyone interested in the Johannesburg Summit. At the Wales and the World conference, the National Assembly of Wales' First Minister, Rhodri Morgan and other eminent speakers set out how Wales could meet it's constitution responsibilities regarding sustainable development. Contact your head of state. This www.earthday.net site gives the contact details for 123 heads of government or state... Still a good idea, even if the excitement of the summit has passed! Why not Make a personal difference by sponsoring one of the 200 sustainable development organisations listed on this website? The World Bank's World Development Report 2003 says that without better policies and institutions, social and environmental strains may derail development progress, leading to higher poverty levels and a decline in the quality of life for everybody. Here you can watch the speeches of Kofi Annan, Tony Blair, Gerhard Schroeder, Romano Prodi, Jacques Chirac, Robert Mugabe + Tariq Aziz as Real Audio files courtesy of the BBC. The videos and text of many more individual speeches are available below. The Heinrich Boell Foundation's www.worldsummit2002.org website provides a great deal of useful information about the World Summit. In particular it outlines the main policy issues and the activities of civil society in the run up to + during the summit. In due course it will also analyse the summit's outcomes.		The ISSD's portal offers a vast array of up-to-date and extremely detailed information on the World Summit. It also offers excellent coverage on the activities of a wide variety of interested parties both before and after the summit. The Daily Summit offered instant news and comment throughout the World Summit and became my favourite site for the duration of the summit. This fantastic "weblog" site is still being updated and the archive offers an unrivalled summary of what went on during the summit's protests and negotiations. Friends of the Earth produced a special website for the World Summit which has now expired. This archive site contains a day-by-day summary of what went on during the summit as well as links to related campaigns and subsequent developments. During the summit you were able to read the Latest WSSD news courtesy of the IISD. Now that the summit is over the best place to visit for detailed technical updates is the main www.wssd.info portal. BBC News Online's "Disposable Planet" coverage neatly sums up the key problems and choices discussed at the World Summit. Comprehensive, concise + highly recommended! The Daily Summit's WSSD useful links page. Compact yet supremely thorough! If only one thing comes out of the World Summit on Sustainable Development what would you like it to be? Vote here. (A ESfA hosted poll). Radio Earth Summit allowed you to "make a noise!", tell your story, listen to other peoples' experiences or send a message to the delegates in Jo'burg. Find out about individuals + organisations that have helped to bring about the implementation of more sustainable development. The first ever Global Poll on the Environment for the Jo'burg Summit. Supported by the BBC, AOL/CNN, MSN and others. Everyone has the chance to have their voice heard. Results announced Sept 3 in Jo'burg. Greenpeace + The World Business Council for Sustainable Development have joined forces to tackle their shared and much greater enemy - climate change. They have agreed to put their mutual mistrust to one side and combine forces to urge that everyone does what they can to support speedier progress on this shared, serious + pressing threat. The Plan of implementation was the most important document negotiated + signed by countries at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. At this site you can also read the political declaration + treaty of events + a short summary of the key outcomes of the summit listing the dollar commitments made by the US, EU and others.

4. World Summit: UN Agencies
The UNEP is responsible for extensive monitoring work and for explaining the role of the environment in development. The UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. They work on the ground in 166 countries and try to find local solutions to global and national development problems. The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports developing countries, at their request, to improve access to and the quality of reproductive health care, particularly family planning, safe motherhood, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. The The Food & Agriculture Organisation is one of the largest specialised agencies of the UN + works to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, improved nutrition and the pursuit of food security. The UNHCR helps the world's uprooted peoples by providing them with basic necessities such as shelter, food, water and medicine in emergencies and seeking long-term solutions, including voluntary return to their homes or beginning afresh in new countries. The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. This office aims "to achieve, in cooperation with the United Nations, the promotion of universal respect for and observance of human rights and fundamental freedoms". This Organisational Chart links to every major organ of the United Nations system.		The UN's homepage The World Health Organisation's homepage with access to the latest news, programmes and events. UNICEF's international website provides access to lots of easy-to-read (and find!) information relating to child poverty, welfare, health, conscription. The UNAIDS Report on the Global HIV/AIDS epidemic 2002 makes sobering reading but maps out the way ahead if we can find the money and resolve needed to turn the tide against this killer disease. AIDS threatens not just individuals but whole countries, however, this report highlights how preventative measures and medicine can and do make a difference if they are allowed to. Set-up in 1963, World Food Programme is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger. In 2001, WFP fed 77 million people in 82 countries, including most of the world's refugees and internally displaced people. UNICEF (UK), the United Nations Children's Fund, is a global champion for children's rights which makes a lasting difference by working with communities and influencing governments. The UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was created in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of Rio Earth Summit (UNCED); to monitor and report on implementation of the Earth Summit agreements at the local, national, regional and international levels. The CSD is a functional commission of the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), with 53 members. This UN site lists every part of the UN in alphabetical order + helps you to find out more about the UN's missions, agencies, system + structure.

5. World Summit: NGOs
The Conservation Foundation. David Bellamy got many people interested in environmental matters in the 70s and 80s + is still plugging away at making us care... Amnesty International fight injustice wherever it happens. Use the WWF national links page to find the World Wide Fund for Nature office and website for you, wherever you are. OXFAM Provides emergency relief + campaigns for policy and practice change on trade, conflict + humanitarian responses. Also issues such as debt relief, poverty reduction and universal basic education. The IUCN (World Conservation Union) is the international body responsible for drawing up lists of endangered species, conservation policy and action plans. A useful route to official documents, policies + specialist groups. Tree Aid has funded over 70 projects benefiting over 85,000 villagers in some 460 communities in 14 of Africa's poorest countries. Over 4.5 million tree have been planted, providing fuel, food, building materials, medicines and a vital source of income... Amnesty International is a worldwide campaigning movement that works to promote all the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights + other international standards. They have around a million members and supporters in 162 countries and territories. Action Aid work with poor local communities, national governments and international organisations - to bring about real change to the lives of poor people. A focused organisation with education, AIDS, food rights, international aid + peace building as priorities.. The Greenpeace International website for the Jo'burg Earth Summit was set up in January 2002. The documents section also contains all the issues of the ECO-Equity Bulletins prepared by the Rio 10 coalition. The Bretton Wood Project monitors the activities of the World Bank and the IMF + campaigns for their reform. A wealth of interesting briefing material is available from this site and regular "alerts" can be emailed to you on request. The Union of Concerned Scientists is a nonprofit partnership of scientists and citizens combining rigorous scientific analysis, innovative policy development and effective citizen advocacy to achieve practical environmental solutions.		The Worldwatch Insititute advocate creating a more secure world, by protecting the environment and reducing poverty. Find out more about their eminently sensible suggestions in the report section... The International Rivers Network, encourage equitable and sustainable methods of meeting needs for water, energy and flood management. Transparency International a non-governmental organisation dedicated to increasing government accountability and curbing both international and national corruption. National chapters try to build systems that combat corruption. The WWF's global network Flora + Fauna International act to conserve threatened species and ecosystems worldwide, choosing solutions that are sustainable, based on science and take into account human needs. Water Aid an independent charity working with people in 15 countries in Africa and Asia, to improve their quality of life through lasting improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene using local skills and practical technology. UNICEF's international website provides access to lots of easy-to-read (and find!) information relating to child poverty, welfare, health, conscription. HelpAge International is a global network of not-for-profit organisations with a mission to work with and for disadvantaged older people worldwide to achieve a lasting improvement in the quality of their lives. The Womens Institute (W.I.) form the back bone of many urban and rural communities in the UK and famously held Tony Blair to account last year. They have now launched a campaign called "What Women Want" which asks women to say what they want world leaders to do at Rio +10 Friends of the Earth, campaign locally, nationally and internationally to protect the environment. Well-known for encouraging the use of practical, effective solutions... Why not Make a personal difference by sponsoring one of the 200 sustainable development organisations listed on this website? The Natural Resources Defense Council uses "law, science, and the support of more than 500,000 members nationwide to protect the planet's wildlife and wild places and to ensure a safe and healthy environment for all living things."

6. World Summit: Outcomes
The Plan of implementation was the most important document negotiated + signed by countries at the World Summit on Sustainable Development. At this site you can also read the political declaration + treaty of events + a short summary of the key outcomes of the summit listing the dollar commitments made by the US, EU and others. The BBC have produced a simple Summary of the World Summit's conclusions. 30 break-away nations agree to pursue tougher renewable energy targets than could be agreed for inclusion in the summit's implementation plan. The UK's Darwin Initiative will have the current �3m annual budget boosted by �1m next year, �2m the following year, and �4m in 2005. This will more than double the money for Darwin over the next three years, to �7 million a year from 2005/6. A positive step in the right direction! For more details see the D.I. link in our Top 25 sites section. Russia + China have agreed to sign up to the Kyoto Protocol. This means 89 countries will soon have signed up and that countries producing 55% of global emissions will soon have ratified the protocol. Once ratified by all of these nations the protocol will come into force, thus facilitating the transfer of significant expertise and finance to developing countries. The Independent's Geoffrey Lean, an environmental writer for 25 years, reflects on the successes and failures of the World Summit. The UN has decided not to organise any more environment and development summits until governments put into practice what they have decided to do. Instead the UN will establish an International reporting mechanism which will monitor how governments are performing - naming and shaming those that do not do well - and campaigning for change. The Argentinean NGO Fundacion Ecologica Universal (FEU) - a member of the Rio 10 coalition - has drawn up an extremely useful Table showing the agreed targets from the World Summit's draft Plan of Implementation. This table should help everyone to analyse how to implement these commitments in different sub-regions and countries.		In this video Kofi Annan emphasises that it is up to each and every one of us to ensure that we make a difference over the next 10 years. Raised awareness: These UN fact sheets do a good job of summarising issues relating to global poverty, the Millennium Development Goals, why action on clean water + improved sanitation could achieve so much, the advantages of widening the use of and access to clean, renewable energy, the scope to improve basic health care + reduce preventable deaths, to better protect natural environments and to moderate the excesses of consumption + international trade... In the Gauteng Declaration 23 regional governments from 15 countries and 6 continents agreed to establish a global network for sharing information and experience about sustainable development, and promoting collaboration. The implicit message being that regions will get on and implement measures, whether or not nations can agree to put sustainable development at the heart of their decision making. More than $100 million is to be invested by five countries, the World Bank and a number of conservation groups to protect the forests of Africa's Congo Basin. The Brazilian government has joined with the WWF, the World Bank + the Global Environment Facility to launch a new initiative which will triple the amount of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil under federal protection. The Internationational Institute for Sustainable Development's Environmental Negotiations Bulletin offers a comprehensive + technical summary of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (Aug 26th - Spet 4th 2002). Business Action (BASD) have now published a list of the Business partnerships set up prior to or during the Jo'burg World Summit. Click here to view partnerships under each of the WEHAB categories: Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture, Biodiversity + also cross-cutting issues.

7. AIDS/HIV + Malaria + TB
UN general assembly special session on AIDS. Today 36 million people are infected with the HIV virus; more than 21 million have died of AIDS since the 1980s, and there are currently over 13 million children who have been orphaned by this disease. Tuberculosis, Over 30 million will die from it during the next decade. Problems including the HIV/AIDS epidemic and a breakdown of the healthcare are implicated in the re-emergence of this deadly airborne disease. The World Health Organisation's homepage with access to the latest news, programmes and events. Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization Every year, up to 3 million children's lives are saved by immunization. But almost 3 million more lives worldwide are lost from diseases that are preventable with existing vaccines... The UNAIDS Report on the Global HIV/AIDS epidemic 2002 makes sobering reading but maps out the way ahead if we can find the money and resolve needed to turn the tide against this killer disease. AIDS threatens not just individuals but whole countries, however, this report highlights how preventative measures and medicine can and do make a difference if they are allowed to. A Lancet report suggests that we need smaller, more focused UN agencies which are able to establish and assess their development strategies on the basis of apolitical scientific research. Text of speech by Peter Piot, Executive Director of UNAIDS (click here for video). The Stop Aids Campaign links page offers many more AIDS links. Medicins Sans Frontieres are campaigning internationally for greater Access to Essential Medicines and support the view that patents are tools of public policy and must operate to serve the greater public good. MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign - Target disease Malaria. MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign - Target disease Leishmaniasis. MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign - Targetting Other diseases		Malaria kills 3000 African children under the age of 5 every day+ between 1 and 2 million people every year. Roughly, 300-500 million new cases occur every year, over 90% of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Even so only a miniscule amount of the world's health budget goes on fighting malaria... Why do we need a Renewed global effort for immunization? 1 in 4 children worldwide still does not receive the "basic" vaccines, the "vaccine gap" between rich and poor children is widening, HIV, TB and malaria - cannot be prevented by existing vaccines... The Stop Aids Campaign is backed by 15 charities + aims to ensure that all people have access to AIDS prevention messages. Those already infected also need access to care and to treatments while those caring for them need emotional, medical and financial support... The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) supports developing countries, at their request, to improve access to and the quality of reproductive health care, particularly family planning, safe motherhood, and prevention of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) including HIV/AIDS. WEHAB: Health Framework paper (pdf). The South African Sparrow Ministries (a christian project)provide a home for destitute terminally ill adults and children with AIDS, to live and die with dignity -and care for all AIDS patients with professional, non-judgemental nursing care, coupled with love and commitment. You can read Alex Kirby's story about their work here. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 80 countries. MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign - Target disease HIV / AIDS MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign - Target disease Tuberculosis. MSF Access to Essential Medicines Campaign - Target disease Sleeping Sickness. The World Health Report produced by the World Health Organisation says that we should do more to reduce risks in order to promote healthier living in both rich + poor countries. It also recommends that more be done in order to counter the burdens of disease, disability and premature death with institutional priorities and funding being changed in order to better tackle the biggest preventable disablers + killers...

8. Biodiversity
Biodiversity won't save itself... but this preamble to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) outlines what needs doing. You can read more about the CBD from here if you are interested. What do we protect first? Conservation International suggest that we use objective criteria to set international conservation priorities. Here CI recommend 25 global biodiversity hotspots + wilderness areas and 10 key marine areas for consideration... English Nature Action Plans. These reports are not available online but are free or cheap to buy. They outline how priority species and habitats are inter-related + how to develop integrated strategies for biodiversity conservation nationally and locally. The UNEP's GEO3 Report examines the policies and environmental impacts of the past 30 years. The report states that improvements have occurred in areas such as river and air quality in places like North America and Europe and the international effort to repair the ozone layer is another notable success. But generally there has been a steady decline in the environment, especially across large parts of the developing world. The In Reverse Report commissioned by a coalition of Australian NGOs says that the Australian government's recent WSSD report "overstates the domestic environmental policy achievements during the past decade, understates the nature of the crisis facing Australia, fails to indicate Australia's persistent + substantial contribution to worsening global environmental problems + makes no mention of Australia's exceptionally negative role in international goverance over the past decade." They don't sound impressed do they! Both Ends supports the work of environmental organisations, primarily in the so-called South (developing countries) and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The core of their activities are in making connections, between South and North, environment and development, and between different sectors of society. The Energy + Biodiversity Initiative seeks to be a positive force for biodiversity conservation by bringing together 4 major energy companies and 5 leading conservation organizations to share experiences and build on intellectual capital to create value and influence key audiences. At the Rio Earth Summit a non-legally binding authoritative statement of principles for the management, conservation and sustainable development of all types of Forests was produced. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment. Established in 1991, GEF is the designated financial mechanism for international agreements on biodiversity, climate change, and persistent organic pollutants. GEF also supports projects that combat desertification and protect international waters and the ozone layer. The Wilderness Society works to protect The United States' wilderness and to develop a nation-wide network of wild lands through public education, scientific analysis and advocacy. Oceana campaign to protect the world's oceans. They bring together expertise from around the world in order to save the oceans through public policy advocacy, science + economics, legal action, grassroots mobilization, and public education. The Iceland Nature Conservation Association campaigns for sustainable land use and conservation in Iceland, especially in the highlands. Current campaigns include fighting a non-sustainable hydroelectric development + lobbying against the building of an aluminium smelter in eastern Iceland. The updated IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, is the world's most authoritative source of information on the status of plants and animals. There are now (at least) 11,167 species threatened with extinction, an increase of 121 since 2000... The Bactrian camel, Iberian lynx, tiger tail seahorse + Ethiopian water mouse are in serious trouble whereas the Lord Howe Island stick insect + the Bavarian pine vole have been rediscovered... see some photos here! Systematic biology is a branch of science which identifies organisms, assesses their evolutionary relationships to one another and enables us to decide whether species are new to science, extinct or the same as those we already know about. Ecologists, molecular scientists + many others rely on this sort of information in order to work out what organisms they are dealing with and find out more about them. An influential House of Lords Select Committee has recently published a report entitled "What on Earth? The Threat to the Science underpinning conservation " which "found compelling evidence that the level of systematic biology expertise in the United Kingdom has, despite some areas of increased activity, continued to fall overall". They advise increasing financial support, enhancing collaborations + the setting of research priorities. Between 29 Oct + 1 Nov 2002, the Bishkek Global Mountain Summit took place in Kyrgyzstan as part of the UN's International Year of Mountains. At this summit the UNEP published a report highlighting the role mountains play in providing clean water to low-lying areas + Birdlife International launched a campaign highlighting the inter-connections between numerous social + environmental issues within the mountainous regions of the world.		If you are a business why not Sign up to the CBD like most governments already have? If you are the US government... Why don't you Sign up too? Consequences of changing biodiversity A Nature insight special: The large ecological and societal consequences of changing biodiversity should be minimized to preserve options for future solutions to global environmental problems. Birdlife Advocate that we gather the information necessary for effective action, develop plans of action for species, protect important bird areas and act to support the environment + people at local to international scales The IUCN (World Conservation Union) is the international body responsible for drawing up lists of endangered species, conservation policy and action plans. A useful route to official documents, policies + specialist groups. Economic Reasons for Conserving Wild Nature An international group of conservation and environmental scientists make the case -- based on a review of more than 300 case studies -- that the economic benefits of continued habitat conservation exceed costs by at least 100 to 1. Ref: Andrew Balmford et al. Science 297, 950 (2002) WEHAB: Biodiversity + ecosystem management framework paper (pdf). The ITDG have produced a briefing paper entitled "Preserving the Web of Life" and seek support for measures to ensure farmers have access to genetic resources for food and agriculture. The WWF + The World Bank have teamed up to create the Forest Alliance. This Alliance is working with governments, the private sector, and civil society to create 50 million hectares (124 million acres) of new protected areas of forest. It is also helping ensure that a similar amount of existing protected areas come under effective management by 2005. Charles Chester at Tufts University (US) has produced a very comprehensive set of Biodiversity useful links. His site contains hundreds of sites under dozens of categories. The Convention to Combat Desertification was held in 1977 to address land use practices and management of dry area ecosystems in an effort to desist degradation of arid, semi arid and sub-humid dry lands. An International ombudsman has been established by The Earth Council + the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in order to prevent + resolve conflicts relating to the environment, natural resources + sustainable development with an international or a trans-boundary dimension. Environmental Defense is a leading US nonprofit organization representing more than 300,000 members. Since 1967, they have linked science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society's most urgent environmental problems. The Bolivia Sustainable Forest Management Project (BOLFOR) aims to reduce degradation of forest, soil, and water resources and to protect the biological diversity of Bolivia's forests; its purpose is to build Bolivian public and private sector capacity to develop and implement programs for sustainable forest use. Read a BBC article about it here. The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources came into force in 1982 and aims to conserve marine life of the Southern Ocean. This site offers an excellent explanation of how and why the inhospitable southern oceans are studied, managed and protected. The UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre provides information for policy and action to conserve the living world. They monitor a wide variety of species + habitats, address the relationship between trade + the environment and the wider aspects of biodiversity assessment. Invasive species are organisms (usually transported by humans) which successfully establish themselves in, and then overcome, otherwise intact, pre-existing native ecosystems. Biologists are still trying to characterise this capability to invade in the hope that incipient invasions can be predicted and stopped. Further links can be found here... Biodiversity + Biological Collections Web Server offers links to searchable resources related to botany, herpotology, invertebrates, entomology, ichthyology, mammalogy + several other "ologies". It also offers information on national and international biological societies, natural history museums, identification keys, journals + electronic books... A fantastic resource! The Tree of Life website helps to illustrate how different forms of life are related to one another and offers fascinating information on everything from bacteria, beetles + birds to dinosaurs, flowers + fungi. The popular pages are suitable for anyone who is interested in the diversity of life. The specialist pages offer access to a vast array of cutting edge research, useful links + numerous other resources. The Tree of Life site is probably one of best uses of the web yet and is growing rapidly as more + more collections and genetic databases are put online. A meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) has just started in Santiago, Chile. It will attempt to balance the protection of rare species with the promotion of sustainable development... Hot topics include - a review of laws which currently ban the sale of ivory, the risk pirate fishing poses to Patagonian toothfish in southern oceans, the illegal trading of Hawksbill turtles for their tortoiseshell + the numerous threats to seahorses which are caught in vast quantities for traditional medicine and aquaria.

9. Business
The Financial Times, the home of daily business news. Consumers International What are the costs of a lack of social responsibility... a failure to attract good employees, diversions of management attention, obstacles in raising financing, difficulties with customers and suppliers... The Economist Weekly newspaper/magazine covering national and international financial + business news in depth. Data accompanied by intelligent comment and analysis. The Pew Centre represents a number of American companies who are keen to see action on climate change. Read their policy proposals and analysis here. Bill Ford Chairman of the Ford Motor Company spoke at a Greenpeace Conference in 2000. Read his speech here. Ford have developed many new technologies + approaches but need consumers and governments to help out... From the people who bring you the FTSE 100... The FTSE4Good is a series of financial indicators (benchmark and tradable indices) which aid investment in companies with good records of corporate social responsibility. In 1999 Kofi Annan challenged world business leaders at the World Economic Forum to "embrace and enact" the Global Compact, both in their corporate practices and by supporting appropriate public policies. These principles cover human rights, labour + environment. The Oxford Brookes University Environmental Information Exchange offers a useful enabling service to small and medium-sized businesses who have environmental concerns but lack the infra-structure to tackle their problems without practical assistance or specialist advice. The National Assembly for Wales has a turnover of over �8 billion per annum, 3,200 employees and serves 2.9 million customers.The Assembly is looking for commercial partners who can "Win their Business" while helping to achieve positive social, economic and environmental goals. Vote for the Greenwash Oscars and reward the achievements of big business in the field of sustainable development... CorpWatch counter the excesses of corporate-led globalization through education and activism and work to foster democratic control over corporations by building grassroots globalization. Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) is a comprehensive network of business organizations that have come together under one banner in the interests of sustainable development. BASD is a joint initiative of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace offers a great deal of intelligent analysis + here explores fundamental questions relating to Trade, Equity + Development... Such as whether increased trade is necessarily harmful to the environment, whether increased trade negatively impacts jobs and labor standards, and how the forces of trade and financial flows can be harnessed to achieve economic growth and poverty alleviation... Thought provoking stuff !!! Innovest specialise in analysing companies' performance on environmental, social, + strategic governance issues, with a particular focus on their impact on competitiveness, profitability, and share price performance. The UNEP's Finance Initiatives have engaged over 275 financial institutions in order to develop and promote the linkages between the environment and financial performance. These initiatives help to emphasise how wiser energy usage, resource throughput + waste output can enhance the bottom line, can assist with the identification and quantification of environmental risk + promote the development of new products. The National Centre for Business + Sustainability works with private and public sector clients on a wide range of sustainability issues - from applied environmental advice and services, to social accounting and auditing. The NCBS represents an unique not-for-profit partnership between the Co-operative Bank + the 4 universities of Greater Manchester. In a speech at the Jo'burg World Summit BASD Chairman Sir Mark Moody-Stuart said that in order to maximize its contribution to sustainable development business needs regulation of markets and strong local governance... AccountAbility is an international membership organisation committed to enhancing the performance of organisations and developing the competencies of individuals in social and ethical accountability and sustainable development. They have developed the AA1000 Assurance Standard. The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (US) promotes the use of clean energy solutions to environmental problems (such as pollution and climate change). The council works on climate change, market access, international financing, energy tax policy + R&D issues. If you want to understand how business thinks and plans it is well worth reading Shell's "People, Planet and Profits" report. This report identifies possible/likely social, economic and environmental trends over the next 20 years and how, under alternate scenarios, they may impact on the way business is done. Learn about the emerging "business class", "government referees", "consumer kings", "beyond-product services", "consumer boycotts" + "The Great Game of Gas".		World Business Council for Sustainable Development Corporate responsibility requires a commitment to sustainable development, working with employees, their families, the local community and the society at large in order to improve the quality of life. Business for Social Responsibility Good behaviour has a positive impact on a business' s economic performance. Improved financial performance, reduced operating costs, enhanced brand image + reputation, increased sales..." Sounds pretty good! HSBC has just given $50 million to the World Wide Fund for Nature (to restore river basins in China, Brazil and the US), the Botanic Gardens Conservation International (to set up seed banks) + Earthwatch..Well done! In 2000, Kofi Annan, launched a Global compact in support of universal values and responsible business operations. This challenged businesses to promote and apply in their activites nine principles in the field of human rights, labour standards and the environment. Www.business-humanrights.org provide access to a mind-boggling array of reports and issues. This site "aims to promote informed discussion of important policy issues" + takes no position on the diverse views presented. An important + informative resource. What is ethical trade? Find out in this thoughtful and well researched paper by Mick Blowfield and Keith Jones. This paper explores the social, environmental and financial implications of ethical supply chains and outlines the experiences of numerous industries and countries A currency speculation tax, or Tobin tax, was first proposed by Nobel prize-winning US economist James Tobin in the 1970s and the idea of has rapidly gained support ever since. A Tobin tax of much less than 1% would also raise a lot of money... estimates range from $50 billion to $300 billion per year. This money could be spent on fighting poverty providing basic health, education and sanitation. Why not find out more about this radical but eminently sensible idea... it might just work! Find out about individuals + organisations that have helped to bring about the implementation of more sustainable development. The Global Reporting Initiative was set up in 1997 in order to provide timely, credible, and consistent information on an organisation's economic, environmental + social performance. The GRI aims to develop globally applicable guidelines for reporting on the economic, environmental + social performance, initially for corporations but eventually also for smaller businesses, governments + NGOs. An International ombudsman has been established by The Earth Council + the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in order to prevent + resolve conflicts relating to the environment, natural resources + sustainable development with an international or a trans-boundary dimension. The mission of UNEP DTIE is to encourage decision makers in government, industry + business to develop and adopt policies, strategies and practices that are cleaner and safer, make efficient use of natural resources that incorporate environmental costs, ensure environmentally sound management of chemicals, reduce pollution and risks for human and beings and the environment, enable implementation of conventions. www.biodiversityeconomics.org outlines the business case for biodiversity, identifies corporate biodiversity issues + provides guidance for developing biodiversity corporate action. At the Global Responsibility Forum 2002 (14-16 November 2002, Monaco) the role of the financial services industry, financial institutions + the insurance sector in promoting social and environmental responsibility will be explored. The seven London Principles propose conditions under which financial market mechanisms can best promote the financing of sustainable development. The Rocky Mountain Institute is an entrepreneurial, non-profit organization that fosters the efficient and restorative use of resources to create a more secure, prosperous, and life-sustaining world. Business Action (BASD) have now published a list of the Business partnerships set up prior to or during the Jo'burg World Summit. Click here to view partnerships under each of the WEHAB categories: Water, Energy, Health, Agriculture, Biodiversity + also cross-cutting issues. The SIGMA Project is a partnership between the British Standards Institution, Forum for the Future and AccountAbility. The aim of the project is to create a framework for sustainable business through the provision of 'next generation' business management principles, systems and tools. Plenty of conceptual frameworks, linkages + facilitation are offered on this site! The UK emissions trading scheme is the world's first economy-wide greenhouse gas trading scheme. 34 organisations have already voluntarily taken on a legally binding obligation to reduce their emissions against 1998-2000 levels... Global Witness obtain first-hand information and evidence documenting the impacts and behaviour of the international oil, logging + diamond industries. They challenge corporate and government practices that result in the unregulated + destructive exploitation of resources and aim to break the links between the exploitation of natural resources and the funding of conflict and corruption.

10. Capacity building
The Tropical Biology Association run ecology courses in Africa + has a growing network of individuals and institutions. The TBA is steadily establishing a collaborative framework for conservation and other research activities in the tropics. The Tropical Forest Resource Group (TFRG) is a voluntary association of UK institutions and organisations that have strong tropical forestry research, project management + consultancy backgrounds. Their training courses and collaborative projects build on each others' strengths. The Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council is a leading international organisation that enhances collaboration in the water supply and sanitation sector to accelerate the achievement of sustainable water, sanitation and waste management services to all people, with special attention to the unserved poor, by enhancing collaboration among developing countries and external support agencies and through concerted action programmes. An editorial on this site by Sir Richard Jolly quotes Maurice Strong describing the World Summit as "...a struggle between the world's ecosystems and its egosystems".		Action Aid work with poor local communities, national governments and international organisations - to bring about real change to the lives of poor people. A focused organisation with education, AIDS, food rights, international aid + peace building as priorities.. The Development Alternatives Group (India) aims to promote sustainable national development. They endeavour to innovate and disseminate the means for creating sustainable livelihoods on a large scale, and thus to mobilise widespread action to eradicate poverty and regenerate the environment.

11. Climate Change
The Met Office's Hadley Centre provides a focus in the UK for the scientific issues associated with climate change. Stockholm Environment Institute Research activities in 5 main areas; atmospheric environment, climate + energy resources, sustainable development, water resources, risk + vulnerabilities. Developing city scale working models + partnerships. www.changingclimate.org This site invites you to engage with the latest ideas, research and action on all aspects of our changing climate. It has just been launched so please help to get the ideas flowing... The IPCC : The Science of Climate Change (working group 1). The website provides access to synthesis and technical reports on the science of climate change as well as information on the IPCC, publications and meetings. The IPCC : Climate Change 2001 - Mitigation (working group 3). This report outlines the problems associated with tackling long-term, complex, climate-change problems and the potential for different outcomes according the the steps we take next. UK Cilmate Impacts Project The latest climate models suggest global mean surface temperatures will rise by between 1.4 and 5.8 degrees C by 2100. Find out here what this could mean for the UK and elsewhere... The mission of the British Antarctic Survey is to undertake a world-class programme of science in the Antarctic and related regions, addressing key global and regional issues through research, survey and long term monitoring. The BAS also helps to discharge the UK's international responsibilities under the Antarctic Treaty System, especially concerning environmental protection, management and the administration of the British Antarctic Territory. Read the complete text of the Kyoto Protocol. UNFCC: The mission of the Climate Change Convention is to stabilize greenhouse gases in the atmosphere and prevent potentially dangerous interruption with the climate system. The Global Environment Facility (GEF) helps developing countries fund projects and programs that protect the global environment. Established in 1991, GEF is the designated financial mechanism for international agreements on biodiversity, climate change, and persistent organic pollutants. GEF also supports projects that combat desertification and protect international waters and the ozone layer. The Business Council for Sustainable Energy (US) promotes the use of clean energy solutions to environmental problems (such as pollution and climate change). The council works on climate change, market access, international financing, energy tax policy + R&D issues.		The Climatic Research Unit at the University of East Anglia is widely recognised as one of the world's leading institutions concerned with the study of natural and anthropogenic climate change. The Pew Centre represents a number of American companies who are keen to see action on climate change. Read their policy proposals and analysis here. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was set up in 1988. This body assesses the scientific aspects of the climate system and climate change, addresses the negative and positive consequences of climate change + the options for adaption by nations. The IPCC : Climate Change Impacts, Adaptions + Vulnerabilities (working group 2). This website's report links the scientific, technical, environmental, economic and social aspects of climate change. This website is very interesting, but can be technical... The IPCC : National Greenhouse Gas Inventories Programme try to develop and refine an internationally-agreed ways to calculate and reporting of national GHG emissions/removals + encourage countries to adopt best practice. Www.co2.org This site is dedicated to helping YOU stop damaging the climate. Climate Care can take the global warming out of the things you do and the products you buy, so that you become part of the solution, not part of the problem. A great website! Greenpeace, environmental campaigners par excellence! Friends of the Earth, campaign locally, nationally and internationally to protect the environment. Well-known for encouraging the use of practical, effective solutions... The In Reverse Report commissioned by a coalition of Australian NGOs says that the Australian government's recent WSSD report "overstates the domestic environmental policy achievements during the past decade, understates the nature of the crisis facing Australia, fails to indicate Australia's persistent + substantial contribution to worsening global environmental problems + makes no mention of Australia's exceptionally negative role in international goverance over the past decade." They don't sound impressed do they! Environmental Defense is a leading US nonprofit organization representing more than 300,000 members. Since 1967, they have linked science, economics and law to create innovative, equitable and cost-effective solutions to society's most urgent environmental problems. The UK emissions trading scheme is the world's first economy-wide greenhouse gas trading scheme. 34 organisations have already voluntarily taken on a legally binding obligation to reduce their emissions against 1998-2000 levels...

12. Development: NGOs + Agencies
Jubilee Research (Formerly Jubilee 2000) Organisers of the successful Drop the Debt campaign and convincing advocates for economic reform. The World Health Organisation's homepage with access to the latest news, programmes and events. OXFAM Provides emergency relief + campaigns for policy and practice change on trade, conflict + humanitarian responses. Also issues such as debt relief, poverty reduction and universal basic education. Water Aid an independent charity working with people in 15 countries in Africa and Asia, to improve their quality of life through lasting improvements to water, sanitation and hygiene using local skills and practical technology. The UNDP is the UN's global development network, advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. They work on the ground in 166 countries and try to find local solutions to global and national development problems. HelpAge International is a global network of not-for-profit organisations with a mission to work with and for disadvantaged older people worldwide to achieve a lasting improvement in the quality of their lives. Action Aid work with poor local communities, national governments and international organisations - to bring about real change to the lives of poor people. A focused organisation with education, AIDS, food rights, international aid + peace building as priorities.. The International Fund for Agricultural Development does what it can to secure access to land, water and other productive assets is basic to lasting solutions to hunger and poverty. Count the number of smiling faces on this website... it must be close to a world record! Set-up in 1963, World Food Programme is the United Nations frontline agency in the fight against global hunger. In 2001, WFP fed 77 million people in 82 countries, including most of the world's refugees and internally displaced people. The UNHCR helps the world's uprooted peoples by providing them with basic necessities such as shelter, food, water and medicine in emergencies and seeking long-term solutions, including voluntary return to their homes or beginning afresh in new countries. Both Ends supports the work of environmental organisations, primarily in the so-called South (developing countries) and the Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries. The core of their activities are in making connections, between South and North, environment and development, and between different sectors of society. The International Federation of Red Cross + Red Crescent Societies is the world's largest humanitarian organisation, with 178 member National Societies. Their programmes aim to assist the world's most vulnerable people. Funded by appeals, their activities focus on health, disaster response and disaster preparedness. All of their work is guided by seven fundamental principles; humanity, impartiality, neutrality, independence, voluntary service, unity and universality. The International Crisis Group (ICG) is a private, international organisation, with staff on five continents, working through field-based analysis and high-level advocacy to prevent and resolve deadly conflict. Oxford University's Refugee Studies Centre have assembled a list of humanitarian organisations working on forced migration- related issues internationally and within Africa, Asia, Europe + North America. Reuter's Alertnet news service is relied upon by 170+ Emergency relief organisations from all over the world. This page links to each of the service's member organisations. Social Watch. An international citizens' coalition monitoring implementation of the world governments' commitments to eradicate poverty and achieve gender equity.		Find out what the Worldbank is doing to fight global poverty. Gateway to the UK's DFID (Department for International Development). Transparency International a non-governmental organisation dedicated to increasing government accountability and curbing both international and national corruption. National chapters try to build systems that combat corruption. The International Institute for Environment + Development's briefing document are crammed full of useful information on all matters biodiverse, sustainable and summit holdable... The International Institute for Sustainable Development advance a wide and rigorous range policy recommendations relating to environmental stewardship, economic development and the well-being of all people over the long-term. Pivotal + practical players... UNICEF's international website provides access to lots of easy-to-read (and find!) information relating to child poverty, welfare, health, conscription. Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) specialise in helping people to use technology for Practical Answers to Poverty. ITDG works with poor communities to develop appropriate technologies in food production, energy, transport, shelter, small-scale mining ,disaster mitigation + more. According to the The Population Institute it took all of recorded history until 1830 for world population to reach 1 billion; by 1930 we were at 2 billion; by 1960, 3 billion; 1975, 4 billion; 1986, 5 billion; and in 1999 we crossed the 6 billion mark. At this site you can find out what some of the implications of this massive growth in human numbers are. The The Food & Agriculture Organisation is one of the largest specialised agencies of the UN + works to alleviate poverty and hunger by promoting agricultural development, improved nutrition and the pursuit of food security. The World Development Movement campaign for reform of the WTO, the General Agreement on Trade in Servcice (GATS), the cancellation of third world debt and stronger regulation of business. UNICEF (UK), the United Nations Children's Fund, is a global champion for children's rights which makes a lasting difference by working with communities and influencing governments. The Social Science Research Council is an independent + international NGO organization that seeks to advance social science throughout the world and supports research, education and scholarly exchange on every continent. The Danish Refugee Council works for viable solutions that can help and protect refugees around the world and in Denmark The Care International confederation work in 64 countries around the world. They are dedicated to working together with local communities to fight poverty and administer both disaster and long-term development programmes. INCAE is a private, non-profit, international, higher-education organization devoted to teaching and research endeavors in the fields of business and economics. They aim to teach individuals capable of successfully holding top management positions in Latin America. The Overseas Development Institute has compiled a very comprehensive set of humanitarian links covering a wide range of issues and geographical regions. Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) is an international humanitarian aid organisation that provides emergency medical assistance to populations in danger in more than 80 countries. The Development Alternatives Group (India) aims to promote sustainable national development. They endeavour to innovate and disseminate the means for creating sustainable livelihoods on a large scale, and thus to mobilise widespread action to eradicate poverty and regenerate the environment.

13. Development: Issues
Briefing documents from the IIED + RING; equity, global environmental governance, poverty, migration, climate change, biodiversity, health + development, plus much more. Complex issues covered very clearly and concisely! Why do we need a Renewed global effort for immunization? 1 in 4 children worldwide still does not receive the "basic" vaccines, the "vaccine gap" between rich and poor children is widening, HIV, TB and malaria - cannot be prevented by existing vaccines... World Water Day 2002, the UN has warned that more than 2.7 billion people will face severe water shortages by the year 2025 if we do not alter our rates of water consumption. Water is crucially important for sustaining human life + development + conserving the environment! Factor 4 is a simple yet radical concept which, it has been suggested, holds the key to sustainable development. It refers to a hypothetical fourfold increase in 'resource productivity', brought about by simultaneously doubling wealth and halving resource consumption. In Monterrey, Mexico the International Conference on Financing for Development saw agreements made which are likely to determine how initiatives announced at the WSSD will be funded. In March 2002 the G8 nations announced an Action Plan for Africa.. This plan announced support for NEPAD, better governance, security measures, improved trading conditions + re-emphasised the conditions attached to debt relief... The Millennium Development Goals were agreed by 152 heads of state. These leaders pledged to moderate globalisation, foster better governance, 1/2 the number of people living in poverty by 2015, prevent conflict + protect the vulnerable, secure life on earth + strengthen the UN Text of speech by Kenneth G. Ruffing, Acting Director, Environment Directorate OECD (click here for video). Refugee Net is the website of the EU Networks on reception, integration and voluntary repatriation of refugees + is a source of information and ideas related to the Integration of refugees in Europe. Medicins Sans Frontieres are campaigning internationally for greater Access to Essential Medicines and support the view that patents are tools of public policy and must operate to serve the greater public good. Learn how the World Bank, IMF, WTO + G7/G8 are organised and what each of these bodies does. The Global Policy Forum monitor global policy making at the United Nations. They also assess they role of NGOs within the UN, UN reform the UN's financial problems+ more topical issues such as September 11 and the Iraq crisis. The International Water Management Institute is a non-profit scientific research organization specializing in water use in agriculture and integrated management of water and land resources. IWMI works with partners in the South to develop tools and methods to help these countries eradicate poverty and ensure food security through more effective management of their water and land resources. The Dana Declaration on "Mobile Peoples and Conservation" outlines the need to promote sound empirical studies in order to justify either displacing people for conservation or integrating them into the planning and management for sustainable livelihoods and conservation. A paper by the Open University's Joseph Hanlon entitled "Are donors to Mozambique promoting corruption?" says that "Mozambique has become a donor playground, and the Mozambican elite has become highly skilled at giving the donors what they want. Thus management of donor money is transparent and clear. The predatory elite do not steal donors' funds; instead they rob banks, skim public works contracts, demand shares in investments, and smuggle drugs and other goods - and they ensure that the justice system does not work so they cannot be caught." The issues raised in this paper are likely to apply to numerous other countries + although they make uncomfortable reading cannot, and should, not be ignored. Also find out about the assassination of two well-respected Mozambican journalists, Carlos Cardoso + Antonio Siba-Siba Macuacua, as they were about to expose those behind a $400 million banking scandal...		The International Rivers Network, encourage equitable and sustainable methods of meeting needs for water, energy and flood management. Prof. Partha Dasgupta, A Cambridge University expert on the economics of poverty and nutrition; environmental economics; economic measurement; economics of knowledge. Many excellent papers are available via this link. The Stop Aids Campaign is backed by 15 charities + aims to ensure that all people have access to AIDS prevention messages. Those already infected also need access to care and to treatments while those caring for them need emotional, medical and financial support... The Development Gateway offers news articles and links on a vast range of development issues including: Aid effectiveness, business environment, culture + development E-government, environmental law, food security, foreign direct investment, gender and development, HIV/AIDS, indigenous rights, judicial and legal reform, microfinance, NGOs, population + reproductive health, poverty, trade + development, urban managers, water resources management + much more besides! At Doha, Qatar the 4th WTO Ministerial Conference saw the battle lines being drawn between those advocating corporate globalisation, human rights and environmental standards. Negotiations on trade are likely to proceed within the framework outlined at this meeting. The NEPAD (New Partnership for Africas Development) document outlines the support of rich countries which will be made available if certain social and economic reforms are made by African countries. Id21 is a fully-searchable online journal of the latest international development research, specialising in bringing all aspects of development research to an international audience of policy makers, development practitioners and journalists. The Humanitarian Accountability Project. aims to enhance the general quality of assistance provided to people affected by disaster, improve consultation during humanitarian crises, increase the use of local capacities + improve co-ordination between humanitarian actors... This website outlines what is being done to help Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). It also links to most of the bodies involved in setting the levels of debt relief granted as well as the NGOs involved in the related advocacy work. Agenda 21 encourages the development of national strategies, plans, policies and processes capable of encouraging sustainable social and environmental development. Population Communications International (PCI) encourages people to make choices that lead to better health and sustainable development. Working with local partners worldwide, PCI produces carefully researched and culturally sensitive radio and television soap operas. These serial dramas motivate people to adopt new attitudes and behaviors that foster reproductive and sexual health, gender equality, and environmental protection. Oxfam's "What" campaign highlights the serious problems faced by small-scale coffee producers. The two biggest problems are that much more coffee is being grown than is needed + that the global coffee market is dominated by just four powerful coffee companies. Here you can read Oxfam's recent briefing paper entitled the "The Great Sugar Scam". Although the EU is the most expensive producer of sugar in the world it is also the biggest exporter of this commodity (accounting for 40% of world white sugar exports) + sells sugar at prices 50% to 65% less than those guaranteed within the EU... Subsidies and tariffs generate vast profits for big sugar processors and large farmers - and vast surpluses that are dumped on world markets... The Danish 92 Group Rio + 10 Southern Network website is part of the project of 'Danish support for increased participation of Southern NGOs in the Johannesburg World Summit', which supports NGOs in 30 countries in Latin America, Africa and Asia.

14. Development: News
Reuter's Alertnet an excellent news service relied upon by 171 Aid agencies! AllAfrica.com offer an up-to-date summary of aid, trade, debt relief, population, wildlife, water and drought news + views. This summary is compiled from the output of 100 news services across Africa. Relief Web is a project of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). It offers news headlines, information on countries receiving emergency relief + details on UN co-ordination services. On October 1st 2002 Kofi Annan warned that the world was falling short in meeting the objectives agreed by global leaders 2 years ago in the Millennium Declaration + outlined a series of steps being taken by the United Nations + its partners to help accelerate progress (watch his press conference video announcing country-level reporting here) towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).		United Nations News (Daily) A fascinating website that covers daily Aid, Health, Politics, NATO, Refugee and World Debt news and links to all UN Programs, national missions and related sites... OneWorld is a community of over 1250 organisations working for social justice. This site offers news from all over the world and access to various specialist news broadcasts covering a raft of development issues. www.IRINnews.org is a UN humanitarian information unit which offers regular news summaries. The most comprehensive news coverage is offered for Africa but central Asia is also covered to a lesser extent.

15. Development: Reports
The Human Development Report 2001 by the UN Development Programme. "Making new technology work for human development" Read

Earth Summit Info

Sustainable Development + Biodiversity links...

Sharing our Earth

Audio files

1. New! Earth-Info.Net "Weblog"

2. World Summit: Background

3. World Summit: Johannesburg

4. World Summit: UN Agencies

5. World Summit: NGOs

6. World Summit: Outcomes

7. AIDS/HIV + Malaria + TB

8. Biodiversity

9. Business

10. Capacity building

11. Climate Change

12. Development: NGOs + Agencies

13. Development: Issues

14. Development: News

15. Development: Reports