Johannesburg and Beyond: toward concrete action

TERI-NA's colloquium series titled 'Global partnerships for sustainable development: harnessing action for the 21st century' is an effort to examine the dynamics of the nexus between globalization and sustainable development.

This book documents the proceedings at the second colloquium in the series, titled 'Johannesburg and beyond: toward concrete action'. Highlighting global responsibility for alleviating poverty and ensuring sustainable livelihoods, the colloquium explored a shift in the development paradigm to energy, environment, and health priorities and also discussed relevant opportunities and challenges for governments, corporates, and civil society. Poverty amelioration not only holds implications for social stability but also is important in light of the fact that many local and global environmental problems will be exacerbated because poverty and environmental degradation form a vicious cycle, one perpetuating the other.

While policy prescriptions have tended to stress the creation of networks for knowledge, technology, and capital flows, this neglects the differentiated ability of societies across nations and within nations to respond to global transformation. A 'human-focused approach' is vital. Provision of sustainable energy encompasses social, economic, and environmental dimensions and also offers an integrated solutions approach for human development and poverty alleviation. Also, public-private alliances are effective mechanisms for coordinating, developing, and applying resources for sustainable development.