§ Mr. ChaytorTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Transport and the Regions what plans he has to assist the preparations for the Rio+10 conference; what contributions he intends to make at the conference; and if he will make a statement. [159779]
§ Mr. MeacherThe United Kingdom has been one of the first countries to offer concrete support to South Africa to assist in the preparations for Rio+10—now known as the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). This will take place in Johannesburg in September 2002. In his speech at Chatham House on 6 March the Prime Minister reiterated his intention to attend the Summit, the first Head of Government to make such a commitment. The Department for International Development will provide £1.5 million in support of the Summit, most of which will be used to assist the Government of South Africa in their preparations. The Government are also seconding experienced officials to South Africa and to the UN secretariat to strengthen their teams. The Deputy Prime Minister discussed these matters with the South African Environment Minister Mohammed Valli Moosa on 20 April in New York, during the Ninth Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development.
The Government, and the devolved Administrations, are or will be supporting a number of preparatory meetings in the United Kingdom. The Prime Minister has put strong emphasis on the involvement of civil society, especially business and NGOs, in all aspects of the Summit. The agenda for the Summit has yet to be agreed. It will be prepared through regional prepcom meetings in the UN later this year, including a UN Economic 39W Commission for Europe meeting in Geneva on 24–25 September. The Government are working closely with European partners to prepare an EU interim position, and supports the proposals set out in the Commission's Communication of 6 February. As the agenda is developed we shall formulate our views on how best to contribute to the conference itself.