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Media Briefing: Stockholm Progressive
Summit, 22-23 February 2002
President Thabo Mbeki will later this week travel to
Sweden to attend the Stockholm Progressive Summit on
22-23 February 2002. President Mbeki has been invited
by the Prime Minister of Sweden, Mr Göran Persson.
Heads of State and Government from fourteen countries
who are members of the Network for Progressive Governance
are also expected to attend this Summit, initially planned
for 14-15 September 2001 and postponed due to the terrorist
attack on the USA on 11 September 2001.
The heads of State and Government who have been invited
come from Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, France,
Germany, Greece, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Poland,
Portugal, South Korea, South Africa and the United Kingdom.
The international network started in 1997 and has since
then had meetings in, for example, New York and Berlin.
It was established with the aim of giving world leaders,
bound together by shared values, an opportunity to discuss
common solutions to common problems.
The leaders in the network share the opinion that the
conditions of life of their people can be improved by
progressive policies. They are united in the conviction
that the gaps within and between countries demand political
action and that equality and progress are interlinked
as preconditions of each other.
In June 2000, the members of the network met in Berlin
for a conference on Progressive Governance in the 21st
Century. In Stockholm members of the forum will exchange
practical experience in a number of political fields.
As part of the preparations for the Stockholm meeting,
an expert conference was held in June 2001.
The aim of the conference was to share and elaborate
on best practices in certain policy areas like health,
active welfare, drug related crimes, multiculturalism,
sustainable development, the digital divide and international
social compact.
The Stockholm Progressive Summit is an important international
event that affords participants the opportunity to exchange
practical experiences of the best practices in progressive
governance and discuss current political issues, with
special focus on democracy and global justice.
Major highlights of the Summit will include the Sherpa
Meeting, luncheon and working session, in Stockholm
on 22 February 2002, to be attended by President Mbeki.
More information on the Progressive Governance Network
and the Stockholm Progressive Summit can be found at
the website, www.progressive.gov.se.
Enquiries: Bheki Khumalo at 083 256 9133/(012) 300-5437
or David Hlabane at 072 189 3117.
The Presidency
Communications: Media Liaison
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