20 August 2002
MUST NOT BE "GIGANTIC TALKING SHOP", IFJ WARNS
The Johannesburg Summit on Sustainable Development, set for 26 August to 4 September, will become a mere "gigantic talking shop" unless there is a new commitment to press freedom and democracy, warns the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
"The grand design of the organisers to save the environment and eradicate poverty will not be realised unless there is a commitment to involve all citizens - including the world's poorest people - in the debate about change," the group says.
The Summit, a follow-up to the 1992 World Summit on the Environment in Rio de Janeiro, is expected to attract thousands of delegates, including government leaders, United Nations agencies and non-governmental organisations.
In many parts of the world, media are not free, human rights are routinely violated and journalism remains a dangerous profession, IFJ notes, adding that the summit must confront this crisis and ensure that actions to combat poverty and promote sustainable development include initiatives to develop democratic and pluralist societies.
IFJ is also calling for controls on the power of global corporations in the wake of recent corporate scandals that have caused a crisis of confidence. It cites France's Vivendi - one of the world's largest media companies and a major supplier of water - saying the company has been accused of corruption and its Puerto Rican subsidiary has been fined millions for breaking environmental laws.
IFJ says there should be international mechanisms to make these companies more accountable to their employees, the environment and the local communities in which they operate.
See IFJ's full statement: www.ifj.org. ">http://www.ifj.org/publications/press/pr/399.html#statement">www.ifj.org.
IFJ's affiliate, the European Federation of Journalists, recently held a conference examining globalisation's impacts on European media.
View the report here: www.ifj.org/regions/europe.
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