The WSSD Outcomes

• Political Declaration
• Plan of Implementation
• Implementation Partnerships

Political Declaration

Participating countries at the Summit negotiated the Political Declaration, also known as the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development. The Declaration affirms the central importance of sustainable development to the world community, and calls for united action by governments and all partners to address poverty and reduce global divides.

Plan of Implementation

The Plan of Implementation, which outlines actions to be taken in specific areas of sustainable, resulted from negotiations on a draft plan of implementation for the WSSD. The Implementation Plan sets out priorities and commitments in a wide range of sectors. In some cases the Summit endorsed existing programs and targets, while in others, new targets were agreed.

Partnerships for Sustainable Development

The World Summit was largely centred on the recognition that governments cannot alone ensure the achievement of sustainable development, but rather that progress in this direction depends on partnerships, particularly with the private sector and civil society, and engagement at all levels.

Partnerships for Sustainable Development (Type II outcomes) were a major outcome of the WSSD. These Partnerships consist of a series of commitments and action-oriented coalitions to further the implementation of sustainable development. These are not negotiated. They are voluntary multi-stakeholder initiatives that include a wide-range of partners including the private sector, governments, intergovernmental bodies, civil society organizations and the private sector.

The WSSD represented the first time that voluntary public-private partnerships were incorporated as a formal outcome of an intergovernmental event. Visit the United Nations WSSD site for more information about these partnerships.

A summary of partnerships with Canadian involvement is available, and our Media Room also lists news about Canada's participation in these partnerships.

For More Information

The United Nations has prepared a Report of the WSSD and a summary of Key Outcomes of the Summit.

The International Institute for Sustainable Development also provides a thorough summary of the Summit in the Earth Negotiations Bulletin.