MONDAY, 29 APRIL 2002: The success of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), which will be hosted by South Africa from August 26 to September 4 this year, will not only depend on the programme of action agreed upon by the various governments, but also on the commitments of each government's civil society and business sector.

This is the message given this morning by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Mohammed Valli Moosa, to business leaders at a breakfast meeting hosted by Leadership magazine in Sandton, Johannesburg.

Briefing the leaders on the objectives of the summit, Minister Moosa said concrete outcomes from the summit are imperative in a world in which more people than ever before live in sub-human poverty and where the economic shape-up continues to sideline and isolate Africa and the rest of the South.

"We will be going to Johannesburg conscious of the reality that the challenge of eradicating poverty and halving the number of impoverished people by 2015 is a challenge we as governments cannot tackle alone. This translates into a call for the undivided commitment of all partners behind the pursuit of the agreements that will emerge from here.

"We come to Johannesburg cognisant that economic growth, social development and environmental protection go hand in hand, and therefore business, civil society and government have no choice but to make this partnership a reality," he said.

The Johannesburg gathering should restore hope and certainty among people of the world and should leave a message that ten years from now, governments will be able to look back at the summit with pride and say that it was a landmark in their efforts to create a sustainable future for all.

Minister Moosa said the multi-stakeholder advisory committee that has been established continues to ensure that in the preparations for the summit the views of business, NGOs and labour are taken into account.

"We are privileged with a unique opportunity to demonstrate our ability to deliver an event of this scale and thus prove that our country is a place where people can invest with confidence. It is an opportunity we dare not underutilise," added the Minister.