"Johannesburg gives us a solid basis for implementation and action to go forward," Desai said. "Although the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation is only some 50 pages long, in many ways it is more targeted and more focused than Agenda 21. We have agreed on global priorities for action and we have agreed to take action."

Nitin Desai, Summit Secretary-General

"I think we have to be careful not to expect conferences like this to produce miracles. But we do expect conferences like this to generate political commitment, momentum and energy for the attainment of the goals."

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan

"People forget that there was no agreement on energy at Rio and issues such as production and consumption almost did not make it into Agenda 21, and— although it did— it was only a very general statement. At Johannesburg, we agreed on a 10-year programme on production and consumption, a concept that not only will affect the developing countries, but the development of the richer countries as well."

Nitin Desai, Summit Secretary-General

"We invited the leaders of the world to come here and commit themselves to sustainable development, to protecting our planet, to maintaining the essential balance and to go back home and take action. It is on the ground that we will have to test how really successful we are. But we have started off well. Johannesburg is a beginning. I am not saying Johannesburg is the end of it. It is a beginning."

United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan

"We have missed an opportunity to increase energy production from non-polluting sources like solar, biomass, and wind, and to provide the many companies taking action to reduce emissions with a secure framework for their actions."

Jonathan Lash, World Resources Institute President

"Governments failed to do the job". "Now it's up to all of us."

Greenpeace's report card on the Summit's performance gave it failing marks overall against nearly every benchmark it had set for success.

Steve Sawyer, Greenpeace Climate Policy Director

Sustainable Development is dead. It's demise came, ironically, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

CorpWatch

"WSSD demonstrated that solidarity and commitment are growing everywhere. Peoples of all sectors came to Johannesburg ready to build bridges, to integrate efforts, to propose new and creative ideas that would keep the concept of sustainable development as the priority of the world’s agenda for the future. What a pity only a few governments were ready to meet the challenge!"

Yolanda Kakabadse, IUCN President

"Lastly, business acknowledges the need for it to be accountable and transparent in all its activities. Responsible business is committed to corporations setting targets and reporting openly and honestly on their progress. It is only through such transparency and open reporting that trust can be built – the trust that is essential to partnerships. Through this reporting we will also be able to measure the progress towards the more sustainable development in the years to come which business is committed to deliver."

Mark Moody-Stuart, Chairman of Business Action for Sustainable Development

Dialogue of the Deaf

The needs of many were once again compromised to accommodate the
demands of a powerful few at the recent World Summit on Sustainable
Development held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Given the alarming tilt
towards self-interest and unilateralism by the rich, will the concerns of poor countries ever be addressed in global negotiations? A revamped and empowered United Nations is the only hope for multilateralism

Anju Sharma, Richard Mahapatra and Clifford Polycarp, Rio+10

FoE

10 years on Earth Summit fails to pass the test - Not Satisfactory: Must Do Better

"This Summit has failed the poor and vulnerable peoples of the world. It has not reached agreement on the radical action - with clear timetables and targets - needed to tackle the world's environmental problems, from climate change and renewable energy to forest and species loss. The world's Governments must agree to meet again and determine that next time they will do better."

Ricardo Navarro, Chair of Friends of the Earth International

"...like others we are conscious of the limited achievements of the summit, especially with respect to environmental measures and targets. With the exception of the important new commitment on the sanitation target to halve the number of the world’s poor without access to clear drinking water by 2015, the Summit Implementation Plan is an eclectic mix of past commitments, which have still to be acted on by governments."

TUAC Press Release

The Summit failed to address energy issues, the harmful effects of trade liberalization and subsidies, made lukewarm statements to support the Biodiversity Convention, and compromised on toxic chemicals to the extent that the outcome was weaker than previous international agreements.

WWF Summary

"I am satisfied that what has been delivered is a step forward. While there will be disappointment that nations failed to agree global time tables and targets for boosting the level of renewable energy, it has been agreed that there is a need for regional and national targets for renewable energy. We also have a commitment to halve the number of people without access to sanitation"

Klaus Töpfer , UNEP's Executive Director closing statement