World summit: successful or not?

DESPITE the sceptics, the World Summit has come and gone, and by the looks of things, everything went off rather smoothly. The Jo'burg Summit has been hailed by some as a success, and by others as a failure. We've heard of success stories such as China and Russia ratifying the Kyoto Protocol on reducing gas emissions and Brazil announcing to triple the area of protected Amazonian rainforest. But the greenies are telling us not much has been achieved since Rio. Greenpeace called the Summit a disappointment with not enough emphasis on issues such as renewable energy and poverty alleviation. Yes, Zimbabwe, Iraq and Palestine grabbed the spotlight briefly away from the issues, but it appeared delegates remained focussed on the task at hand. Protests were relatively peaceful and low-key and the only one to turn somewhat violent was the pro-Palestine march at the Johannesburg College of Education. Also, all our worries about major disruptions did not materialise. With Now Media's building slap bang in the middle of the Sandton Convention Centre and the Ubuntu Village, I for one hardly noticed any difference (besides of course the heightened police presence). Sure, we still need to see numbers, from all accounts far fewer delegates pitched up than was expected. One lesson that's come out of this is again the realisation that South Africa has what it takes to host massive meetings of this nature, what many of us lack is confidence in our own ability. We would like to hear from you on whether or not you believe the Summit was a success. E-mail the editor by clicking on the button below. (Miguel de Sousa)