| Issue |
What the text says | WDM says
|
| Aid | No new money. Still no timetable for countries to meet their commitment to give 0.7% of GNP as aid annually.
| Gordon Brown called for $50bn more aid to halve world poverty. Where is it? Even the much hyped aid promised earlier this year in Monterrey only takes the EU to 0.39% by 2006 and the US to just 0.13%. A timetable to achieve 0.7% target needed.
|
| Debt relief | Affirms the existing debt relief system, ignoring the priority given to deeper and wider debt cancellation by the developing countries.
| Many countries are still paying more in debt service than on health or education; and the poorest nations are paying more than a decade ago. More funding needed, based on the amount needed to meet MDGs. Conditionality imposed by the IMF and World Bank has denied basic services to the poor, damaged the environment and failed economically. It must be halted.
|
| International trade | Rubber stamps the highly controversial WTO agenda agreed in Doha. The UN is subordinated to WTO.
| Subordinates sustainable development to trade liberalisation—when the aim should be that trade serves sustainable development.
|
| Export Credits | "Encourage foreign direct investment . . . through export credits that could be instrumental to sustainable development . . ."
| This is weaker than existing UK (and OECD) environmental guidelines for export credits. Deep reform of export credits is needed.
|
| Corporate Accountability | "Promote corporate responsibility and accountability . . . including through the full development and effective implementation of intergovernmental agreements . . ."
| There has been welcome recognition of the need to regulate international business, but there needs to be a timetable and tangible commitment to a new agreement to regulate international business.
|
| Climate Change | Refers to the need to ratify the Kyoto Protocol
| Deeply disappointing. Urgent action, beyond the agreed targets, is required to prevent massive damage, especially in the poorest nations.
|
| Energy | No target agreed—the EU proposed a renewable energy target for 15% of primary energy, but the existing level is 13.9%. Brazilian proposal was for 10%, excluding large hydro and biomass, compared to 2.5% now.
| The EU opposed the more ambitious and sound renewables target proposed by Brazil. The mention of any target was opposed by the US, Japan and OPEC countries. They won. A comprehensive action plan is needed to publicly fund renewables, especially in poorer communities.
|
| Rio Principles and Political Declaration
| US tried to weaken agreed the "Precautionary Principle" and the principle of "Common but Differentiated Responsibility".
| The principles remain as agreed in Rio. The "Johannesburg Commitment on Sustainable Development" should be an action plan, but has become a weak aspirational statement.
|
| Partnerships | There are numerous proposals for public/private partnerships.
| Partnerships are being used to paper over the lack of government action; many are thinly disguised privatisation of essential services; most are ongoing rather than new; there is no new government money.
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