The WMPA proposes :
"One should now speak of « sustainable and equitable development ». Johannesburg must integrate Monterrey"

Johannesburg should conclude with the adoption of three texts: a political declaration of Heads of State, a development project by the partners, an implementation plan of the Summit. WMPA, that groups mountain organizations and communities, NGOs and scientists, considers that the concept of "equitable development" and that of "sustainable development" should be put on the same footing in the vocabulary and the proposals for these three documents.

The discussions that are taking place in the association clearly show that the concept of sustainable development cannot be understood and accepted by countries in the South unless it is closely associated with the concept of equitable development and put on the same footing. The declaration of the simultaneous priority of the two objectives appears necessary if adhesion of the countries in the South is to be gained. Development cannot be sustainable if is not based first of all on equity, understood broadly as the capacity given to the people to dispose of the means of mastering their development.

Consequently, Johannesburg should fully integrate Monterrey and give it concrete content. In other words, the two processes, one that targets making development less unequal by allocating new, large scale human and financial resources to the most disadvantaged countries (Monterrey) and the other that targets defining development processes that are the most respectful of the planet (Johannesburg) cannot be separated because one cannot be achieved without the other.

WMPA therefore proposes an integrated approach to equitable and sustainable development of mountain regions. This approach is generally valid in that mountain regions compared to other territories are in a situation comparable to that of developing countries with regard to industrialized countries. Located in territories at a strong disadvantage as concerns the conditions required for traditional development, incurring the effects of important domination in the decisions that concern them, dispossessed to a large extent of the exploitation of strategic resources, often isolated by the dominant culture, undergoing unfavourable terms of trade due to pressure from urban areas comparable to those that systematically orient the flow of trade with developing countries that are too often restricted in their activities by a limited concept of the international division of labour—mountain populations consider that the objective of the implementation of an equitable and sustainable development policy must be to enable them to meet these challenges and to give them empowerment over their future.

WMPA therefore proposes that the political declaration of Johannesburg should put equity and sustainability on the same footing.

The draft implementation plan for the Summit contains an Article 40 that deals with mountain regions. WMPA proposes a new wording of Article 40 to the Heads of state, the international community, the populations, in the context of a project for mountain regions adopted in common and setting clear objectives with obligations to achieve results.

WMPA has undertaken a cooperation effort between mountain organizations in the North and South to reach these objectives by means of solidarity between mountain peoples. It would like to propose this inter-territory partnership approach as a type II initiative.