WSSD/NGO Events (tentative schedule as of 8/15/02)
Date Organization Event Location Comments
                                   
24-25 August IFG IFG Teach-in University of the Witwatersrand Great Hall, Wits East Campus (entrance), 10am-10pm Focus on corporate-driven globalisation and its impact on the natural world, and the contradictions between the World Trade Organisation agreements and the goals of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements (such as the Framework Convention on Climate Change and the Convention on Biodiversity). Download the program of the event.
10 August - 10 September SA Gov't Ubuntu Exhibition on Sustainable Development Ubuntu Village - Innesfree Park, Sandton The Ubuntu Exhibition will provide a forum for Government delegates, Inter-Governmental Organisations, Major groups and Civil Society to profile practical hands on solutions, partnerships, technologies and implementation of Agenda 21, with specific reference to the substance matters that the Heads of State and Government Summit will be addressing.  Ubuntu Village will be situated in close proximity to the United Nations precinct and has been designed as the transport node for the access to the NGO Global Forum.
16-19 August   Earth Governance Colloquim Jorrisson Street Held in a nature reserve; aims to reflect on a new jurisprudence.
17 August Wits School for the Environment (WiSE) Global Change, People and Environment:  Working Towards a Sustainable Future in Southern Africa University of the Witwatersrand Great Hall, Wits East Campus (entrance), 0900-1600 You are invited to attend  a day of exciting and informative talks at Wits University! Visit our web-site at www.wits.ac.za/worldsummit for more information!  (R80 adults / R60 students & scholars / R40 Wits staff and students)
19-23 August Groundwork (S.A.) Corporate Accountability Week, Groundwork Event, Green oscars Balalaika Hotel, Maud St., Sandton Corporate Accountability Week - Four days of workshops and seminars on corporate accountability with presentations from local community members as well as international environmentalists.
19 August -
4 September
SANGOCO Global Forum (Civil Society) NASREC/Johannesburg Expo Centre Pre-Summit : 19-23 Aug.; Opening Ceremony : 23 Aug.;Global Forum : 26 Aug.- 4 Sept.
22 August GAIA Foundation Peak of Global Drumming Wave St. Stithians College Opening ceremony for the Peoples Earth Summit.
22 August Goldman Prize Goldman Prize Evening Sandton Twenty past recipients of the prestigious Goldman environmental prize will be gathering to focus on the further development of a Council of Goldman environmental prize activist, to assist activist facing human rights and environmental challenges.
22-23 August Biowatch South Africa Biopiracy Summit "Biopiracy - Ten Years Post-Rio" St. Stithians College, Peter Place (off William Nicol Drive)
Sandton
To share information and raise awareness on access and benefit sharing, bioprospecting, biopiracy, intellectual property rights, traditional knowledge. See www.biowatch.org.za for full schedule.
22-23 August UN-CSD-Freshwater Caucus, Water Research Commission, Water Institute of Southern Africa Workshop on Sustainability of Small Water Systems in Southern Africa Birchwood Executive Hotel, Johannesburg International Airport The workshop aims at addressing the main problems and challenges facing the sustainability of small water treatment systems in Southern Africa, and to obtain inputs on how these problems can be remedied and the challenges met.
23 August Wits University Towards a Sustainable Built Environment Wits University, Time: 8:00 – 20:00, Cost: R20 Topics include social justice, impact of globalisation, role of cooperatives, potential of NEPAD, carbon credits for eco-housing, trole of civil society in sustainability.
23-28 August Masifunde Dev. Org./World Forum of Fisher Peoples The Fisher People's Forum tba (near NASREC) Gathering of fisher people and reps from coastal communities travelling to Joburg.
24 August New Economics Foundation Gathering of fisher people and reps from coastal communities travelling to Joburg. Mears Hall, St. Stithians School Local and international activists and thinkers address the failures of globalisation, and propose alternatives.  See www.neweconomics.org
24-25 August S.A. NGOs South Africa Nat'l Strategy Mtg    
24-26 August Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future Implementation Conference IUCN Environment Centre, Sandton and Indabab Hotel, Midrand www.stakeholderforum.org
24-26 August Heinrich Boll/Greens/European Free Alliance Conference on Sustainable Development Bateleur Centre, Hall 23, NASREC/Expo Centre Just Solutions! A better world is possible
24-26 August Public Services International Strengthen Public Water Systems Workshop IUCN Environment Centre (Nedcor Bank HQ at 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton) Public Services International (PSI) will direct a two day workshop on strengthening public water systems.  The challenge is to develop tools - political, technical, social and financial - that will be used around the world to strengthen public water systems.
25-30 August Women's Environment & Development Organization, Ilitha Labantu Women's Action Tent NASREC/Johannesburg Expo Centre 8/25 evening-opening ceremony; 8/26 Peace & Human Rights; 8/27 Globalization & Impoverishment; 8/28 Environmental Security & Health; 8/29 Access to Resources; 8/30 Governance
25 August -
2 September
Earth Island World Sustainability Hearings St. Stithians 8/26 Day of Energy and Climate Justice; 8/27 Day of the Forests and Forest-Dependent Communities; 8/28  Day of Oceans, Lakes, Waterways, and Fisher People; 8/29 Day of Poverty, Human Rights, Women, and Youth; 8/30 Day of Hunger, Agriculture, Water, and Food Security; 8/31 Day of Democratic Governance and Corporate Accountability
26 August Socialist Register, Monthly Review, Z, Links, Capitalism Nature Socialism, Red Pepper     Seminar on socialism, autonomism and radical environmentalism.
26-27 August Landless Peoples Movement African Perspectives on Land and Sustainable Development Landless People's Camp, Shareworld, Johannesburg Key issues to be discussed in formal presentations, panel discussions and working groups include: the failures of market-led land reform in Africa and elsewhere in the world; alternative approaches to land reform and sustainable development; the struggles of social movements for land and resources; gender relations and women's rights to land and resources; and securing the land rights of farm-dwellers and those who hold land in communal areas.
26 August -
4 September
UN WSSD Sandton Convention Centre Official UN forum
26 August -
4 September
Biowatch S.A. Biodiversity in Action! The Spice of Life
at the Peoples Earth Summit
St. Stithians Biodiversity exhibit
26 August -
4 September
IUCN - World Conservation Union Futures Dialogue 1300-1500 hours, IUCN Environment Centre Auditorium - Headquarters of Nedcor Bank Ltd on 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton 8/26 Globalization with Equity, 8/27 Scenarios Day - Imagining Feasible Futures,  8/28 Biodiversity & Poverty, 8/29 Africa Day, 8/30 Digital Opportunities:  Global Strategies and Local Initiatives to Level E-Playing Field for Sustainable Dev., 8/31 Business Day, 9/1 Water Day,  9/2 Parks Day,  9/3 Human Security & Environment,  9/4 Partnerships of the Future
26 August -
4 September
  Farmer's Convergence   Meetings involving 300 African farmers
27 August Global People's Forum Globalization - Day 2 theme NASREC/Johannesburg Expo Centre Topics to include foreign direct investment, debt eradication, trade policy
27 August European Greens External Impact of EU Fishing Policies Ubuntu Conference Room D Panel discussion with representatives from Greenpeace, fisherfolk, etc.
27 August Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies and the Environmental Law Institute Theory and Practice of Environmental Governance at the Regional and Global
Levels
6:30-8:00 pm, Sandton Convention Center, Committee Room 5 New publications to be released: "Global Environmental Governance: Options & Opportunities" Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies;  "The New Public: The Globalization of Public Participation" Environmental Law Institute
27 August The Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies, the Yale World Fellows Program and the Heinrich Böll Foundation   5:00-6:15 pm, IUCN Environment Centre, Atrium, 135 Rivonia Road, Sandton Reception to launch a new publication, "Global Environmental Governance: Options & Opportunities" and "The New Public: The Globalization of Public Participation"
27-30 August International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives Local Government Session: Local Action Moves the World Summit Zone One, which is a high security area with limited access. Only participants and delegates with official accreditation will be allowed to access the venue. It is designed for Local Government to express its position and expectations vis-à-vis the Summit's outcomes and to interact with national and observer delegations to strengthen its case.
27-30 August Landless Peoples Movement Week of the Landless Landless People's Camp, Shareworld, Johannesburg Week of the Landless includes a Second International Landless People's Assembly, learning and cultural events, a Day of International Solidarity and other activities
28-30 August RICS Foundation, with the Global Alliance for Building Sustainability. Aspiration and Reality: Building Sustainability Indaba Hotel A major conference for the land, property, construction and development sectors.  Conference aims to bring about greater opportunities for sustainable development in these sectors in the future.
28 August -
3 September
  Waterdome/No Water No Future Waterdome/Northgate event The WaterDome will host numerous water-related events surrounding the Johannesburg Summit. It wil involve all stakeholders and will include conferences, workshops, launches of new initiatives, press conferences, side-events and exhibitions related to water issues. Different themes will be addressed each day.  (www.waterdome.net)
31 August various NGOs Civil Society Workshop on Human Rights, Sustainable Development and Environmental Protection NASREC/Johannesburg Expo Centre Sponsoring organizations include:  Amnesty Int'l USA, Sierra Club, Ctr for Env. Law, Foodfirst, World Resources Institute
31 August Global NGOs Global Day of Action Worldwide August the 31st is the Global Day of Action against the corporate influence. On this day people all over the world will take action to raise awareness about the neo-liberal take over of social and environmental issues.
31 August South African NGOs, including CS Indaba, CS secretariat, Jubilee South Africa Mass Action, demonstration - "Get the WTO out of the WSSD!"   The social movement in South Africa will hold a mass action to denounce the new neo-liberal program which confronts all of Africa. The Anti-Privatisation Forum, Jubilee South Africa, Environmental Justice Networking Forum, Palestinian Solidarity Committee, Rural Development Services Network,  the Landless movements and the Indigenous People have agreed on a common platform to hold the biggest independent political gathering since apartheid ended in 1994.
31 August GAIA Fndn Earth Celebrations    
1 September Peoples' Earth Summit peak event Humanity at the Crossroads   Launch of the Decade of Commitment to Earth Democracy at the Cradle of Humankind.
1 September organized by FOE EWNI, FOE US, FOE Friends of the Earth Int'l Corporate Accountability side event 10-2:00 pm or 2:00-5:00 pm at the Arum Lily Room, Ubuntu Village Conference Centre  
1 September Business Action for Sustainable Development Lekgotla Hilton Hotel, Sandton Between 800 and 1,000 business and other leaders from all over the world will gather to discuss issues surrounding sustainable development and provide business's articulation of the core themes that will shape the Summit agenda.
2 September Friends of the Earth Worldwide Action Day   'Don't let big business rule the world' with actions/stunts/ all over the world. In Johannesburg we will have the big corporate giant art installation with South African artists where we will present the  messages sent by people from all over the world. Thousands of little clay figures will remind politicians on whose behalf they discuss.  (www.rio-plus-10.org)
2 September FoE Scotland, FOE US, GroundWork, FoEI, Environmental Justice Networking Forum, South Africa Friends of the Earth Int'l Environmental Justice Side-Event 8:00- 10:00 at the Dwarf Natal Plum Room, Ubuntu Village Conference Centre  
4 September UN Plenary Sandton Convention Centre Multi-stakeholder event with high-level participation by governments and all nine major groups. 

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