World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD)

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The APO participated in the  World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), Johannesburg, South Africa, as an accredited inter-governmental organization. The objective was to make the vision and achievements of the APO Green Productivity Program known globally. The APO delegation was led by Secretary-General Takashi Tajima. Other members were: Nguyen Thi Bich Hang, Director, Vietnam Productivity Center; Augustine Koh, Director, Environment Department, APO Secretariat; and Mandar Parasnis, APO Environment Program Officer.

The summit was opened by South African President Thabo Mbeki. Over the ten-day period, it was attended by an estimated 60,000 delegates, including governmental ministers and/or heads of government of more than 160 countries. With its overriding concerns for dire poverty and environmental degradation, the summit touched on a broad range of subjects, such as water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, biodiversity and ecosystem management, and cross-cutting issues like access to markets, phasing out export subsidies, and promoting corporate responsibility and accountability. It concluded with the adoption of the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development and the Plan of Implementation.

• The APO has submitted its Type II Partnership Initiative to the WSSD which was launched in Johannesburg.

• A special publication (APO's official statement) was prepared on the occasion of  WSSD.

• The APO organized a  Seminar on Green Productivity Approach for Integrated Community Development and Poverty Alleviation jointly with the Government of Vietnam.

• The APO is organized a  Symposium on Greening Asian SMES: Cleaner Production & Green Productivity for Water Conservation & Management jointly with the  Asian Development Bank and United Nations Environment Programme(UNEP)  

• The APO participated  in SIGN3-Asia (Sustainable Investment Global Network for Asia for Triple Bottom Line) - a Partnership Initiative contributing to the implementation of Agenda 21, the Millennium Declaration Targets and the World Summit on Sustainable Development Action Plan, together with other organizations such as UNEP, RIET, APDC and EPE. This was presented in a meeting in Johannesburg.