wfn.org | Earth Summit Follow-up

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"UNITED METHODIST DAILY NEWS" by SUSAN PEEK on Aug. 11, 1991 at 13:58 Eastern,
about FULL TEXT RELEASES FROM UNITED METHODIST NEWS SERVICE (3285 notes).

Note 3285 by UMNS on Nov. 13, 1996 at 16:34 Eastern (2456 characters).

SEARCH:   Earth, Summit, Rio, Plus, environment, Hanson
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Contact:  Joretta Purdue                      571(10-65-71B){3285}
          Washington, D.C.  (202) 546-8722           Nov. 13, 1996

Groups to push "Rio + 5"
Earth Summit follow-up

     WASHINGTON (UMNS) -- Representatives of U.S. non-governmental
organizations expressed disappointment with world progress toward
environment-friendly programs when they met here Nov. 8 and 9. The
first day's gathering was in the United Methodist Building on
Capitol Hill.
     About 75 members of the Citizen Network for Sustainable
Development, a coalition of non-governmental organizations (NGOs),
heard U.S. Ambassador Mark Hambley and strategized.    This
process included planning NGO participation in the series of U.N.
meetings to look at what has been accomplished since the 1992
Earth Summit held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Beginning at U.N.
headquarters Feb. 24 and continuing through the spring, the
meetings are being called "Rio Plus Five."
     The United Nations has not done what participants hoped it
would do because money pledged by the United States and other
developed countries has not been forthcoming, said Jaydee Hanson,
an assistant general secretary of the United Methodist Board of
Church and Society.
     "That money has not materialized," Hanson said. "We're going
to be trying to see that the U.S. does keep its commitments in
this area [and] that other countries do as well."
     Hanson said a great deal has been done toward meeting "Agenda
21" -- the declaration of intention passed at the Rio summit --
but accomplishments thus far were made by non-profit groups and
others, working at the community and state levels. "National
governments have not been the leaders," he said.
     "The U.S. is only just now starting to do some of the things
that it promised to do in Rio," Hanson declared, making it clear
that he thought five years was long enough for more implementation
than had occurred.
     Hanson said he expects the religious advocacy community to
have a presence at the meetings with other NGOs, especially during
the April 8-25 meeting of the U.N. Commission on Sustainable
Development at U.N. headquarters in New York.
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