Vision Statement for the World Summit on Sustainable Development

As the United States Delegation heads to the preparatory conference in Indonesia, it offers to the international community the U.S. vision for how we can work together to build prosperity. Following is the text released today by Under Secretary Dobriansky that sets out that vision.

We believe sustainable development begins at home and is supported by effective domestic policies, and international partnerships. Self-governing people prepared to participate in an open world marketplace are the very foundation of sustainable development. President Bush has emphasized that the hopes of all people, no matter where they live, lie in greater political and economic freedom, the rule of law, and good governance. These fundamental principles will generate and harness the human and financial resources needed to promote economic growth, a vibrant civil society, and environmental protection. Democracy and respect for human rights empower people to take charge of their own destinies. We pledge strong support for efforts to promote peace, security, and stability, and to enhance democracy, respect for human rights, open and transparent governance, and the rule of law.

We endorse and continue to support national efforts to improve transparency and domestic governance, and to fight against corruption because we share, together with our partners, a strong commitment to the reality that only open, law-based societies that foster private investment, enterprise and entrepreneurship can unleash our human potential to build lasting and widely-shared prosperity. We also believe investment in basic health, education, and the environment is vital to advance social development and give every person, especially children, a chance at sharing in the benefits of economic growth.

We recognize poverty remains a global problem of huge proportions that demands our action. Following the successful outcomes of the Doha Trade Ministerial, the Monterrey Conference on Financing for Development and the World Food Summit, the World Summit on Sustainable Development can take practical measures to enhance human productivity, reduce poverty and foster economic growth and opportunity together with environmental quality. We can strive together for freer and more open societies, thriving economies, healthy environments, and help developing countries integrate fully into the global economy to reap the benefits from international trade, investment, and cooperative partnerships.

We will work effectively to address the challenges of sustainable development in partnership with governments, the private sector, NGOs, and other elements of civil society. We invite developed and developing nations alike to join us to:

• Open our economies and societies to growth;
• Provide freedom, security, and hope for present and future generations;
• Provide all our people with the opportunity for healthy and productive lives;
• Serve as good stewards of our natural resources and our environment.

 To this end, we will work to advance through concrete actions the following goals:

• Reduce the number of people living without safe drinking water and provide integrated, watershed approaches to manage water and land resources;
• Enhance access to and adoption, where appropriate, of clean energy, including renewables, from village to metropolis;
• Stem the global pandemic of AIDS, and drastically reduce tuberculosis and malaria;
• Ensure universal access to basic education, and eliminate gender disparities;
• Reduce hunger and increase sustainable agricultural productivity in the developing world without further degradation of forests and fragile lands; and
• Manage and conserve our forests and the vital resources of our oceans.

In partnership, we will work to unite governments, the private sector and civil society to strengthen democratic institutions of governance, open markets, and to mobilize and use all development resources more effectively. These resources include domestic savings, trade and investment, traditional aid and private philanthropy, capacity building programs, and efforts to promote the spread of environmentally sensitive industrial, agricultural, educational and scientific technologies. Our shared commitment will be to provide all people with the opportunities to lead healthy, productive, and fulfilling lives.

May 23, 2002