2 November 2001: The fifth meeting of the Bureau took place in New York from 1-2 November 2001. The Bureau was briefed on the state of preparations for the Johannesburg Summit and the outcomes of the preparatory meetings for the African and the Latin American and Caribbean regions. The Bureau also met with representatives of the Global Environment Facility (GEF), International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Bank to discuss each organization’s WSSD-related activities.

In its presentation, the GEF informed the Bureau that it was convening four thematic roundtables focusing on Energy, Forest and Biodiversity, Land, Water and Food Security, and Cross-Cutting Issues such as financing for environmental sustainability. To ensure high-level participation, these Roundtables are scheduled to be held on the margins of planned meetings such as the Second PrepCom and the Financing for Development Conference.

The IMF noted that promoting high quality sustainable growth required taking social and environmental concerns into account, and added that it was tracking government spending on social sectors. It also reaffirmed that its role in the Summit process will include continuing to work with the World Bank and OECD to achieve the Millennium Declaration goals through market access, equitable foreign investment and increased ODA.

The World Bank briefed the Bureau on the progress of the World Development Report, stating that the report will carry out a comprehensive review of existing development strategies, with a focus on the social and environmental impacts of these strategies. The Bureau suggested that the report should also address the issue of unsustainable patterns of consumption and production.

The Bureau decided that it would meet with all three groups again in Washington in December 2001 to further discuss their roles in the Summit process. Bureau members then approved the main issues for the brainstorming sessions planned from 15-16 January 2002 in New York. More information on the Fifth Meeting of the Bureau is available online at: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/bureaumeetings.html