World Leaders Fail To Deliver

Thu, 5 Sep 2002

The world's leaders have again failed in their duty to protect the planet and its people from greed and exploitation, Green Party Co-leader Rod Donald said today, following the conclusion of the Johannesburg World Summit.

"Never in human history has so much wealth been gripped so tightly in the hands of so few, while hundreds of millions of people are deprived of even the most basic of human needs," said Mr Donald.

"There is no argument: the world produces enough food to feed every person on the planet; we have the technology right now to provide everyone with fresh water and sanitation and we have the skills and resources to clothe and house every man, woman and child on the planet.

"Yet, obscenely, world leaders have consumed far more of the world's limited resources during their stay in Johannesburg's luxury hotels than they have actually saved in any of their agreements.

"George W. Bush effectively doomed the Summit to irrelevancy by refusing to attend and face up to his responsibilities as the leader of the world's largest polluter. Instead, he chose to stay home and drum-up domestic support for a war that will inflict yet more misery on the innocent people of a Third World country.

"At least Helen Clark has emerged with some credit from this talk-fest and we now want to see how she'll deliver on her sustainability rhetoric at home.

"Agreements such as the elimination of fishery subsidies, the programme on sustainable patterns of work and production and the acceptance of the special needs of small island states all express worthy sentiments," said Rod Donald. "It is up to New Zealand to shame the rest of the world by turning good intentions into reality."

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