Project no. 1 INTERNATIONAL (Environment)

The World Summit 2002 on sustainable development - subtitled 'People, Planet and Prosperity' - Earth Summit 2002 is being held in Johannesburg between August 26th and September 4th. The dates have been brought forward by a week so as not to coincide with the anniversary of the September 11th attacks on the USA.

Dozens of meetings are planned for the coming months in preparation for the final summit agenda.

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of the United Nations said of the Summit:

'Achieving sustainable development is no easy task. Significant changes will be needed - in decision-making at the highest levels, and in day-to-day behaviour by producers and consumers - if we are to reach our goal of development that meets the needs of today without sacrificing the ability of future generations to meet their needs.

'Ten years ago at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Governments committed themselves to just such a transformation, and to Agenda 21 as the comprehensive plan of action for getting there. But commitments alone have proven insufficient to the task. We have not yet fully integrated the economic, social and environmental pillars of development, nor have we made enough of a break with the unsustainable practices that have led to the current predicament.

'We live on one planet, connected in a delicate web of ecological, social, economic and cultural relationships that shape our lives. If we are to achieve sustainable development, we will need to display greater responsibility - for the ecosystems on which all life depends, for each other as a single human community, and for the generations that will follow our own, living tomorrow with the consequences of the decisions we take today.

'Johannesburg Summit 2002 is an opportunity to rejuvenate the quest to build a more sustainable future. The Summit must bring the world together, and forge more cohesive global partnerships for the implementation of Agenda 21.

'It must send out a message that sustainable development is not only a necessity, but also an exceptional opportunity to place our economies and societies on more durable footing.

'The United Nations and I personally very much look forward to working closely with all concerned - Government leaders, non-governmental organizations and civil society groups from throughout the world - at Johannesburg and beyond, to put in place a new ethic of global conservation and stewardship.'

The UK-based RICS Foundation will be holding a major 2 day event after the Earth Summit in Johannesburg. The RICS Foundation is a global charity concerned with the built and natural environments - producing and promoting high quality research and creating an environment in which future thinking for sustainable societies can flourish - The Foundation event will be looking at the implementation of best practice in sustainability.

Project no.2 NATIONAL (Environment)

The South African government says it will appeal against a High Court ruling ordering it to supply a drug which can help prevent the transmission of HIV from mother to child. The Health Minister, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, said the appeal was aimed at resolving the separation of powers between the executive and the judiciary. Anti-AIDS activists say the decision to appeal against the ruling will put more lives at risk. The court ordered the government to provide the drug, Nevirapine, to all pregnant women infected with HIV. More than seventy-thousand babies are born HIV positive every year in South Africa. However, President Thabo Mbeki has questioned the conventional medical opinion on the HIV virus, including whether it actually causes AIDS.