ANKARA - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer will attend the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in South African capital Johannesburg between August 26 and September 4, 2002.
Environment Ministry officials told the A.A correspondent on Thursday that Turkey had completed its preparatory works for the WSSD.
They said that the United Nations would hold another conference to address sustainable development after a ten year cycle since the United Nations Conference on Environment an Development (UNCED) in Rio de Janeiro 1992 in which Rio action plan ''Agenda 21'' was approved.
Nearly 65 thousand participants from 189 member countries to the United Nations are expected to attend the summit.
Turkey will be represented at the summit with a delegation led by President Sezer.
President Sezer and Environment Minister Fevzi Aytekin are expected to leave Turkey for Johannesburg on August 30. They will return to Turkey on September 4.
President Sezer will deliver a speech at the Leaders' Summit to be held between September 2 and 4 with the participation of heads of state and government of world countries, and give information about Turkey's efforts on sustainable development and environment.
President Sezer will also sign the political declaration to be released at the end of the summit on behalf of Turkey.
Meanwhile, Turkish technical delegation left for the Johannesburg.
World governments, United Nations agencies, civil society organizations, multilateral financial institutions and business circles will gather to assess global change since the UNCED.
The official agenda of the World Summit is to review the achievements that have been made since the Rio Summit.
Governments will debate what participating countries have done so far to implement the Rio action plan ''Agenda 21'', if they have ratified the conventions to prevent biodiversity loss and what obstacles have been encountered; and if they have adopted national sustainable development strategies as was agreed they would by 2002.
Governments will also investigate new factors that have emerged since UNCED and what mid-course corrections need to be made.
Turkey has prepared a National Report to be submitted at the summit.
The report includes the titles of ''Fight Against Poverty'', ''Business World and Industry'', ''Information and Communication'', ''Protection of Biodiversity'' and ''Climate Changes''. Also the issues of disaster management, regional seas and the European Union (EU) adjustment process were taken up in the report.
Unofficial meetings of the WSSD will be held between August 23 and 25 while official contacts will be held between August 26 and September 4.
Local Administrations Session will be held between August 27 and 30, Water Forum on August 28 and September 3, Science and Technology Forum between August 26 and September 4, Parliamentarians' Summit on August 27, Energy Summit on August 30 and Business World Summit on September 1.