25 September 2001: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Regional Ministerial Meeting for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place from 24-25 September 2001 in Geneva, Switzerland.

More than 500 participants attended the session, including government Ministers and other high-level officials, intergovernmental organizations, NGOs and other major groups and stakeholders. Those in attendance represented the diverse range of countries within the UNECE region, which includes the members of the European Union, as well as Switzerland, the Transition Countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia, the US, Canada, Turkey and Israel. Observers from South Africa – the host government for the WSSD – were also present.

The meeting aimed to outline key regional policy issues, priorities and follow-up actions for the WSSD, to provide substantial inputs to its preparatory process, and to forward regional views on international co-operation for sustainable development at the regional and global levels. Participants debated and adopted the Ministerial Statement to the WSSD, and considered follow-up to the UNECE/World Health Organization High-level Meeting on Transport, Environment and Health held in Geneva on 4 May 2001. Two Ministerial Panels were held, focusing on governance and sustainable development and on poverty and sustainable development.

The results from this regional preparatory meeting will feed into the second preparatory session for the WSSD, scheduled for 28 January-8 February 2002 in New York. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/linkages/wssd/WSEUR/