Key Websites:Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

August 26 – September 4, 2002
Johannesburg, South Africa

Most of the talk about the World Summit on Sustainable Developmet (WSSD) focuses on what’s NOT going to come out of it. But if you take a moment to look at the agenda and the groups behind it, you’ll see how far we’ve come and how fascinating a conference this will be. Yes, we at SustainableBusiness.com believe in seeing the good side and in holding the vision of where we’re trying to go. This is a path we’re on – and although it’s fraught with land mines and twists and turns – we are on the path toward sustainability.

The Official Website for the Summit: [sorry this link is no longer available]

Ongoing conference coverage, background and every other bit of information possible:

International Institute for Sustainable Development’s Portal to the Summit: http://www.iisd.ca/wssd/portal.html
The Earth Times: http://www.earthtimes.org

In addition to the Conference Agenda, there will be a series of parallel events:

Civil Society Global Forum: www.worldsummit.org.za
Business Forum: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Local Action Moves the World: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Building Sustainability: http://www.earth-summit.net/
Science & Technology Forum: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Water Dome: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Parliamentary Workshop: [sorry this link is no longer available]
Women’s Action Tent: [sorry this link is no longer available]

One of the parallel events is Building Sustainability, a partnership to accelerate sustainable development in land property, construction and development. The worldwide meeting the Global Alliance for Building Sustainability (GABS) takes place in Johannesburg on August 29-30.

GABS is an alliance of some 50 international governmental, professional and commercial organizations representing over a million policy makers, practitioners and businesses. The new organization will be launched at the Building Sustainability 2002 Conference in Oslo, Norway on 24 September 2002, which already has 800 participants signed up.

Another parallel event is the Business Forum. Saturday, August 31 is IUCN’s Business Day, organized by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Business & Biodiversity Initiative)

The Business Day will profile IUCN Business Initiatives those of the IUCN secretariat, members and commissions as well as private sector initiatives which support biodiversity and sustainability.

Look at the agenda and you’ll learn about the many business-oriented initiatives underway around the world. For example:

* Partnerships Dialogue: Global Reporting Initiative; International Finance Corporation’s Biodiversity Programme
* Investors Dialogue: Bio +10 Partnerships Initiative, Global Compact
* Future’s Dialogue: Community-Based Enterprises; WRI’s New Ventures

On Sunday, September 1, the World Business Council for Sustainable Development and the International Chamber of Commerce Business Action for Sustainable Development (BASD) is hosting a high profile Business Day called LEKGOTLA. World business leaders and NGOs, labour unions, and government officials will discuss initiatives and partnerships towards sustainable development. Each panel discussion will address a different sustainable development theme. It’s already completely booked!

Complete proceedings will be posted at http://www.basd-action.net and key segments of the proceedings will be featured on the Virtual Exhibition, a showcase of SD initiatives around the world.

For a list of other Business Events: [sorry this link is no longer available]