The WSSD Preparations for the Summit

Issues discussed at the Summit were established through a series of national, sub-regional and global consultations involving governments, civil society and other organizations. Preparations for the Summit took place at national, regional and international levels.

National Preparations

Many member states to the United Nations convened their own National Preparatory Committees to review their successes and consider the challenges they face in achieving sustainable development.

In Canada, the Earth Summit 2002 Canadian Secretariat was established to coordinate Canada's preparations and participation in the Summit.

Regional Preparations

In each region of the world - Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe and North America, Latin America and the Caribbean, and West Africa - intergovernmental Sub-regional and Regional Preparatory Committees (known as PrepComs) were held during 2001.

These PrepComs assessed the key challenges, opportunities and constraints relating to sustainable development that each region has faced over the past ten years, and identified future priorities, new initiatives and the commitments needed to make progress in the coming years.

Canada belongs to the group classified as "Europe and North America", otherwise known as the UNECE countries. At a September, 2001 Ministerial Meeting, UNECE countries adopted a Ministerial Statement for the World Summit on Sustainable Development that identified a number of regional priorities.

International Preparations

To prepare the agenda for the Johannesburg Summit and build consensus for its outcome, a global Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) held four meetings during 2001-2002. Many stakeholders participated in these preparatory meetings for Canada, including representatives from government, as well as civil society, indigenous, youth and business communities.

PrepCom 1: April 30 - May 2, 2001, New York

At the first PrepCom, Canada and other States elected a Bureau to coordinate Summit preparations, considered the progress of preparations at each regional level, and considered a process for setting the agenda and main themes of the Summit. Read the United Nations' summary of PrepCom 1.

PrepCom 2: January 28 - February 8, 2002, New York

At PrepCom 2, Mr. Gilbert Parent, Canada's Ambassador for the Environment, informed the international community that "Canadians are looking to Johannesburg for concrete actions to further implement the Rio commitments; for clear accountability; and for working North-South partnerships." The full text of these remarks is available.

Read the United Nations' summary of PrepCom 2.

PrepCom 3: 25 March - 4 April 2002, New York

A Chairman's Paper on the objectives of the WSSD was the main focus of this meeting. In addition, delegates discussed Sustainable Development Governance, an area of priority for Canada, as well as partnership initiatives. Read the summary of PrepCom III proceedings.

PrepCom 4: 27 May - 7 June 2002, Bali, Indonesia

At this meeting, Mr. Alan Nymark, Deputy Minister of the Environment, said that "Canada has the honour to host a meeting of G-8 leaders later this month. Heads of government will focus particular attention on elements of an Africa Action Plan. Canada is encouraged by the New Partnership for Africa's Development. We are also pleased that there has been such attention to the crucial issues for that continent during our deliberations here." The full text of these remarks is available.

Read the summary of PrepCom IV proceedings.

A summary of these four preparatory meeting is also available from the International Institute for Sustainable Development.