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Vice Chair Summary

New York, 5 April 2002

  1. During the third preparatory committee of the World Summit on Sustainable Development four informal meetings on partnerships/initiatives were held (‘type 2’outcomes, as described in the explanatory note by the Chairman). The meetings provided interested parties a forum to exchange views and inform about partnerships/initiatives which they are undertaking, as well as to clarify questions with regard to the scope and modalities of potential partnerships. The meetings also provided an opportunity to present new ideas for more partnerships/initiatives and to try to identify potential partners.
  2. The informal meetings were attended by a large number of representatives of governments, international organisations and major groups. Discussions showed a strong interest among governments and major groups to engage in partnerships and develop initiatives to contribute to implementing Agenda 21, the Millennium Declaration Goals and the globally agreed upon outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit.

Observations on the Scope & Modalities of ‘type 2’ Outcomes

  1. A number of questions were raised during the informal discussions about the scope and modalities of ‘type 2’ partnerships and their relationship with the globally agreed, negotiated outcomes of the Johannesburg Summit. It was stressed that ‘type 2’ partnerships are not intended to substitute strong commitments by governments in the globally agreed ‘type 1’ outcomes, rather they should contribute to translating those political commitments into action.
  2. As ‘type 2’ partnerships are of a voluntary, self-organizing nature, parameters for their elaboration should be as flexible and simple as possible. On the other hand, there were strong calls to establish a framework for such partnerships that would ensure their alignment with the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development, as well as monitoring of progress in their implementation after the Johannesburg Summit.
  3. Participants highlighted the need for a participatory approach, based on mutual trust and respect for rights of all partners involved, so that ownership of an initiative would be shared between all partners.
  4. Participants expressed the view that ‘type 2’ partnerships can be organized in different ways, depending on their objectives and their scope and reach. However, there was agreement that the partnerships need to be elaborated as a genuine contribution to the outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development and that in case of on-going initiatives, there has to be a clear added value in the context of the Summit.
  5. In view of the discussions during the informal meetings, the Vice-Chairs circulated an explanatory note with general guidelines for the elaboration of ‘type 2 outcomes’. Participants welcomed the note as a useful guidance for their further work. A slightly revised version, taking into account comments made during the fourth informal meeting, is attached to this summary.

Potential Areas for ‘type 2’ Partnerships

  1. While many participants stated that they need more time to develop proposals for ‘type 2’ partnerships, a number of concrete proposals were presented during the informal meetings by international organisations as well as major groups. Government representatives also indicated areas in which they have started to elaborate ‘type2’ partnerships. Areas mentioned include sustainable agriculture, food security and rural development, clean energy, chemicals, education and training, freshwater and sanitation, forests, information and communication technologies, initiatives for Africa, health, sustainable urbanization, sustainable mountain development, oceans and fisheries, sustainable consumption and production patterns, and technology transfer.

Further Process

  1. Consultations on the ‘type 2’ partnerships will continue throughout the fourth session of the Preparatory Committee in Bali. In addition to this informal process, stakeholders will have the opportunity to suggest and discuss partnerships during the multi-stakeholder dialogue segment and in side events they might want to organize during the Bali PrepCom. In the interim, the Vice-Chairs, with the help of the Secretariat, will continue to facilitate progress. All interested partners are invited to submit their proposals for partnerships/initiatives to the Summit Secretariat, using the form attached to the Chairman’s explanatory note. Proposals will be posted to the official United Nations website for the Johannesburg Summit .