Mercy Global Concern - 2002

World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Johannesburg, South Africa 26 August - 4 September 2002

This major United Nations conference is scheduled to take place 10 years after the UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which took place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1992, and 30 years after the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment. UNCED generated a comprehensive framework - known as Agenda 21 - for addressing the critical issues for sustainable development from local to global levels, recognising the intrinsic interrelationship between the economic, social and environmental dimensions of development. The greatest challenge of the Johannesburg Summit will be to generate a new momentum for implementation of the vision and goals of Agenda 21, from the standpoint of 10 years onwards.

Mercy Global Concern (MGC) invites Sisters of Mercy, associates and colleagues to indicate interest in participating in the WSSD. Attached to this announcement are:
- Background Information (1), and
- Expression of Interest Form, due date 1 July.

The form is for participation in the official Summit only, and needs to reach the Global Concern Office by Monday, 17 June 2002. There will also be a lot of parallel activities, and registration for these, especially for the major NGO Forum being organised around the Summit, will be through a separate process.

MGC would also appreciate hearing from Mercy groups who would be willing to provide financial support for interested Mercy participants from countries/groups with limited financial resources.

Additional documentation about the themes of the Summit and reports of Mercy involvement in the preparatory process so far will be available shortly. For further information or clarification please contact:
Wendy Flannery at Mercy Global Concern,
Tel: +1(646) 227-2878
Fax: +1(646) 227-1879
email: mercyun@aol.com

WSSD Johannesburg - Background Information

Accreditation for participation in the Summit

Mercy Global Concern (MGC) invites Sisters of Mercy, associates and colleagues to indicate interest in participating in the WSSD. The nature of this participation is still being decided. However, it will include the possibility of being present at some of the plenary sessions and of interacting with governmental representatives.

MGC is in a position to and willing to accredit individuals who wish to participate in the official Summit under the name of the Sisters of Mercy. Participants will be expected to cover all their own expenses, though MGC is attempting to raise some funds to subsidize Sisters of Mercy from countries in the global South wishing to participate. MGC will be contacting the South African Sisters of Mercy regarding possibilities for accommodation, and this information will be communicated to those who express interest.

In the course of the three preparatory meetings held so far in New York, the Mercy representatives (Wendy Flannery, MGC and two USA Mercies, Jackie Moreau and Mary Bilderback) have worked as members of an international Ecumenical Team, jointly organised with the World Council of Churches and the Lutheran World Federation. There will be space on the Team going to the Summit for a few other Mercy members, according to interest and geographical representation.

Parallel events

As is usual with major UN conferences, there will be a number of parallel events. A large number of activities by NGOs (non-governmental organisations) or other civil society groups (environmental groups, social and ecological justice groups, churches, indigenous people's organisations, research institutes, etc) are being planned, as well as activities by business groups, local government councils and other so-called'stakeholders'. Some of these will take place prior to the Summit, and others while it is in process. A formal NGO Forum is being organised by a South African NGO coordinating group, but the dates of this are not yet final. It is anticipated at this stage that part of the Forum will be prior to the Summit and part during it, since many NGO representatives will find it difficult to be present for more than two weeks.

There will be a separate process for registration for the NGO Forum, and the details will be circulated as soon as they are available from the South African NGO coordinating group. There is no cost for accreditation to the UN Summit meeting. It is likely that the registration fee for the NGO Forum will be US$165 for participants from wealthy countries, with a lesser cost for others. The fee will cover transport to and from accommodation to and between the various venues designated for both the official Summit and the many parallel activities.

Additional background information can be found on many websites. More of these will be included in subsequent Background Information sheets. The two official ones are:

www.johannesburgsummit.org (UN website)
www.joburgsummit.co.za (South African Government website)

Expression Of Interest Form

Download Expression of Interest Form (pdf)

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