/linkages/journal/ Volume 7 Number 1 1 January 2002 Published by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) The PDF (formatted and printable with wall calendar) version is available at http://enb.iisd.org/journal/link0701e.pdf ( The following is the ASCII version of Vol. 7 No. 1 of /linkages/journal/ - a monthly snapshot of the Linkages WWW site, available at http://enb.iisd.org/. /linkages/journal/ may not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or service without specific permission from the International Institute for Sustainable Development info@iisd.ca. This limitation includes distribution via Usenet News, bulletin board systems, mailing lists, print media and broadcast. For more information, send a message to malena@iisd.org Linkages Journal offers the latest news, information and analysis from international environment and development negotiations. The January 2002 issue of Linkages Journal includes: * media reports, including news on UNEP's new post-conflict assessment unit and the entry into force of the UN Fish Stocks Agreement; * briefings on key meetings held in December 2001, including the 56th Session of the UN General Assembly, the fourth IEG Meeting, the International Conference on Freshwater, and the Intergovernmental Review meeting on Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities; * details of new journal articles, books and online reports; * a comprehensive list of upcoming meetings. ) EDITOR'S NOTE A message from Linkages Journal's Editor GOVERNANCE, WATER ON DECEMBER AGENDA Johannesburg preparations continue apace Preparations for the Johannesburg Summit - which is being billed as the sustainable development event of 2002 - continued apace in December, with governance and water issues high on the agenda. The fourth meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Group on International Environmental Governance (IGM-4) concluded on 1 December in Montreal, Canada. Some observers were frustrated at what they described as a lack of clarity over the procedures at the meeting, or dissatisfied with the tentative character and lack of detail in discussions on broad conceptual issues at this late stage in the international environmental governance (IEG) process. However, others downplayed such concerns, stressing that the IEG process is remarkably ambitious, and noting that the explosive growth of environmental agreements during the past thirty years means the consolidation of global environmental governance is nothing less than an unprecedented transformation in a traditionally anarchic international system. Such commentators have suggested that it is only during the latter stages of preparations for the WSSD - and in Johannesburg itself - that the level of political capital to be invested in change will become clear. In addition to the IEG meeting, two significant water-related events in the lead-up to the World Summit on Sustainable Development also took place in December, focusing on freshwater, and on oceans and coasts, respectively. Meanwhile, in other Johannesburg-related news, diplomats at the UN General Assembly agreed mid-December to bring the dates of the Summit forward by a week, meaning that the big event is now set to start late August, and will no longer finish on the first anniversary of the 11 September terrorist attacks. Happy New Year 2002! The second half of December saw the winding down of international environment and development negotiations, providing some breathing space before what promises to be a hectic year, beginning in January with the PrepComs for the Financing for Development Conference and for the Johannesburg Summit. The staff at IISD Reporting Services would like to wish all our readers a happy and successful 2002, and we look forward to meeting many of you at the numerous conferences to be reported on by our sister publications, Earth Negotiations Bulletin and Sustainable Developments. Malena Sell Editor, Linkages Journal RECENT MEETINGS Information on recent conferences, workshops and symposia in the field of environment and development negotiations SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY 56TH SESSION: On 24 December 2001, the 56th session of the UN General Assembly (GA) concluded the main part of its work. The GA Second Committee addressed several topics relevant to environment and sustainable development, concluding its work on 12 December. On 21 December, the GA adopted 38 resolutions and 11 decisions forwarded from the Second Committee. The following highlights the key texts that were adopted relating to environment and sustainable development. Sustainable Development and Macroeconomic Policy: The Assembly adopted a number of resolutions on this issue, including on specific action related to the particular needs and problems of landlocked developing countries, and requested the UN Secretary- General to convene in 2003 an International Ministerial Meeting on Landlocked and Transit Developing Countries to review the current situation of transit transport systems. In addition, a resolution on enhancing international cooperation towards a durable solution to the external debt problems of developing countries requests the Secretary-General to report on the issue at the next GA session, taking into account the outcome of the upcoming Financing for Development process. Sustainable Development and International Economic Cooperation: The Assembly adopted a series of texts on this issue. A resolution on women and development calls on governments to take a number of measures to mainstream gender in policies and programmes. A resolution was also adopted on human resources development, calling for improvements both within the UN system and for support for developing countries from the UN and developed countries. The Assembly also took note of the report on the high-level dialogue on the theme "Responding to globalization: facilitating the integration of developing countries into the world economy in the twenty-first century." Environment and Sustainable Development: The Assembly adopted a resolution changing the dates for the WSSD to 26 August to 4 September 2002. It adopted a resolution calling on relevant entities to take necessary measures for the establishment of an international center for the study of the El Niño phenomenon at Guayaquil, Ecuador, as well as resolutions on the Convention on Biological Diversity, further implementation of the outcome of the Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States, and protection of the global climate for present and future generations. The Assembly further underscored the need for sufficient financial resources on a stable and predictable basis to ensure the full implementation of UNEP's mandate. Implementation of the Habitat Agenda: The Assembly decided to transform the Commission on Human Settlements and the United Nations Center for Human ettlements (Habitat) into the United Nations Human Settlements Programme, to be known as UN-Habitat, from 1 January 2002. Other decisions/resolutions: The Assembly adopted a number of other relevant texts, including those on: implementation of the first United Nations Decade for the Eradication of Poverty (1997- 2006), including the establishment of the World Solidarity Fund for Poverty Eradication; the role of the United Nations in promoting development in the context of globalization and interdependence; the Third United Nations Conference on the Least Developed Countries; and the format and provisional rules of procedure of the International Conference on Financing for Development. More information is available online at: http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/ga10004.doc.htm, http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/GA10006.doc.htm, http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2001/ga10004.doc.htm LAUNCH OF THE INTERNATIONAL YEAR OF MOUNTAINS: On 11 December 2001, approximately 100 people gathered at the UN Headquarters in New York to launch the International Year of Mountains. The UN General Assembly Resolution 53/24 of November 1998 declared 2002 as the International Year of Mountains, with the goal of raising international awareness about mountains, their global importance, the fragility of their resources, and the necessity of sustainable approaches to mountain development. The International Year of Mountains is intended to reinforce the implementation of Agenda 21 Chapter 13, which focuses on mountains, and to initiate new, practical, grassroots-level action in mountain development and conservation. Participants heard a number of opening statements and presentations on the conditions for sustainability in mountain development. An IISD Briefing Note outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/crs/mountains/index.html FOURTH OPEN-ENDED INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF MINISTERS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ON INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE: The fourth meeting of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Group of Ministers or their Representatives on International Environmental Governance (IGM-4) was convened in Montreal, Canada from 30 November - 1 December 2001. More than two hundred participants were in attendance. Over the course of the one-and-a-half-day meeting, participants convened in three Plenary sessions and in three working groups to consider revised proposals on options and elements of international environmental governance (IEG) drawn up by the President of UNEP's Governing Council, David Anderson, Minister of Environment of Canada. The President's Proposals, organized in "building blocks," were based on outcomes from IGM-1 and IGM-2, and revised after IGM-3 to reflect issues on which agreement had emerged. These building blocks formed the basis for negotiation at IGM-4. The President's Proposals included core sections on: improving coherence in policy-making - the role and structure of the Global Ministerial Environmental Forum (GMEF); strengthening UNEP's role, authority, and financial situation; improving coordination and coherence between multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs); ensuring technology transfer, capacity building and country-level coordination for environment and sustainable development; and supporting enhanced coordination across the United Nations system - the role of the Environmental Management Group (EMG). Participants also considered a revised Report on IEG from UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer, and Secretariat documents on MEAs and clustering. While expectations for a swift conclusion of negotiations at IGM-4 proved unfounded, some progress was achieved in each of the working groups. Among the new proposals tabled at the meeting were those from Norway for the establishment of an Intergovernmental Panel for Assessing Global Environmental Change and a Strategic Plan of Action to support implementation in developing countries. The process also continued to benefit from inputs from non- governmental organizations. In the working group addressing the role and structure of the GMEF, participants agreed to use the President's Proposals as the basis for negotiation and tabled proposals reflecting divergent views on the level of authority to be vested in the GMEF in providing policy guidance on MEAs. A defining issue was the question of whether or not any new authority should be limited to the GMEF's current mandate. Members of the working group on improved coordination between MEAs, capacity building, technology transfer, country-level coordination and the EMG, worked into the early hours of Saturday and reached agreement on a range of issues. The UNEP Secretariat tabled a paper on financing of UNEP to assist the deliberations of a third working group, which helped narrow differences over the respective merits of voluntary contributions, mandatory assessed contributions, and negotiated assessed contributions. This meeting enabled delegations to refine their positions and pinpoint areas of agreement and divergence. Limited progress was made, however, in settling or narrowing differences, which may have been due to the insufficient meeting length or delegations' unwillingness to move on firmly entrenched positions. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/unepgc/ieg4/ SECOND MEETING OF THE GLOBAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: ENERGY TECHNOLOGIES - COOPERATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: The Second Meeting of the Global Forum on Sustainable Energy (GFSE-2) was held from 28-30 November 2001 at the Headquarters of the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Laxenburg, Austria. The meeting, which addressed the topic of Energy Technologies: Cooperation for Rural Development, was convened by Ambassador Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, Special Representative and Assistant Director-General for UN Affairs, the UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). Eighty-five participants attended, representing government agencies, UN bodies, business and industry, non-governmental organizations and academia. The meeting was co-sponsored by the Austrian Government (Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ministry for Agriculture, Forestry, Environment and Water Management and Ministry of Economics and Labor), the City of Vienna, IIASA, The Know-How Transfer Center of the Austrian Association of Towns, UNIDO, the UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Participants at GFSE-2 convened in plenary sessions to hear presentations and engage in discussions on: stocktaking of the international energy discourse; facilitating the transfer of energy technologies suitable for rural development; case studies on successful modalities for transfer of energy technologies; and enabling policy environments and creating conditions for private sector involvement in the transfer of energy technologies for rural needs. Participants also met in two parallel regional breakout sessions on rural electrification and clean fuels for rural needs in Africa and in Asia and Latin America. In the final Plenary session, which included a panel discussion, participants considered the desired outcomes of and proposals for the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, as well as the way forward for the GFSE. The Sustainable Developments report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/crs/gfse2/ PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2002 SIXTH MEETING OF THE BUREAU OF CSD-10 ACTING AS THE REPARATORY COMMITTEE FOR THE WSSD: The sixth meeting of the CSD-10 Bureau took place on 7 December 2001 in Washington, DC. The Bureau reviewed preparations for the "brainstorming sessions" scheduled to take place from 16-17 January 2002 in New York. The Bureau agreed that although the brainstorming sessions are primarily meant to facilitate governments' preparations for the second PrepCom, CSD rules will apply to the participation of Major Groups. The brainstorming sessions will address: key themes for the Summit emerging from the regional preparatory processes; possible outcomes of the WSSD, with a focus on strengthening implementation and launching partnerships at the global, regional and national levels; and implications for the institutional framework for sustainable development. The Bureau met with Washington-based NGOs to inform them about the Summit preparatory and multi-stakeholder process and to exchange views on the emerging themes and desired outcomes of the Summit. The Bureau also met with the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Council and representatives of the World Bank. The GEF announced its contributions to the Summit preparations, including roundtables on energy and climate change, forests and biodiversity, and land, water and food security. The GEF will also organize two Ministerial Roundtables on financing for environmental sustainability, with an emphasis on non-ODA finance, to be held in conjunction with the Conference on Financing for Development and the fourth WSSD Preparatory Committee in Jakarta, Indonesia. Each of those roundtables will submit a report with recommendations to the WSSD Preparatory Committee. In discussions with the World Bank, it was suggested that the Summit focus on a limited number of priority themes to maximize its impact. The World Bank also announced its inputs to the Johannesburg process, including a study on innovative financing for sustainable development being conducted in cooperation with UNEP and IMF, research on poverty-environment linkages in cooperation with UNDP and DfID (UK), and an investigation into land and water management for food security, to be carried out in cooperation with GEF and the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research. The next Bureau meeting is expected to convene on 14 January 2002 in New York. More information on this meeting is available online at: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/documents/note_6thburea_mee ting.doc INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FRESHWATER: The International Conference on Freshwater took place from 3-7 December 2001 at the International Congress Center Bundeshaus in Bonn, Germany, with 118 governments, 47 intergovernmental organizations and 73 representatives of major groups in attendance. The Conference was convened as a preparatory step on freshwater issues for the upcoming WSSD. Delegates met in Plenary and Working Group sessions to consider issues of water access, scarcity, pollution and natural disasters, as well as financing and capacity building. A closed-door ministerial session considered the equitable and sustainable use of water resources and the mobilization of financial resources for infrastructure investment. The Conference considered the Recommendations for Action (RFA) that will be presented to the WSSD and its preparatory process. The other conference outputs were the "Bonn Keys" – a one-page summary of the RFA, the Working Group Reports, a Conference Report and a Ministerial Declaration, as well as the Conference Issue Paper and Thematic Background Papers, which were prepared prior to the Conference. The Sustainable Developments report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/crs/water/sdh20/ GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON OCEANS AND COASTS AT RIO+10: TOWARD THE 2002 WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT IN JOHANNESBURG: The Global Conference on Oceans and Coasts at Rio+10: Toward the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, took place from 3-7 December 2001 at the Headquarters of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris, France. The Conference, which was originally initiated by NGOs, was co-organized by UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the University of Delaware's Center for the Study of Marine Policy (CSMP), with the support of numerous international and national organizations involved or interested in oceans-related issues. The Conference was attended by more than 400 participants from over 60 countries, including 13 ministers and vice-ministers and ocean experts from governments, intergovernmental organizations (IGOs), NGOs, academic and scientific institutions, and industry. Conference participants sought to: provide an overall assessment of progress achieved on oceans and coasts in the ten years since the UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio; identify new and continuing challenges; examine cross-cutting issues among various ocean and coastal sectors; consider options for concerted action on outstanding cross-sectoral issues; and provide recommendations for the WSSD on oceans and coasts issues. The Conference was organized into 17 panels, with presentations on selected topics followed by discussion periods. Eight Working Groups composed of NGO, IGO and government representatives also met in morning, lunchtime and evening sessions throughout the week to assess information presented by the panels and prepare recommendations on: harmonization of international agreements; targetting of donor aid; assessment and management of the marine environment; marine biodiversity and protected areas; integrated ocean and coastal management; sustainable fisheries and aquaculture; regional and small island perspectives; and capacity building. Outputs from the proceedings were contained in a Co- Chairs' Draft Concluding Statement and Working Group Draft Reports, which were subsequently developed into a Co-Chairs' Summary to be presented in January 2002 to the WSSD PrepCom II. Future planned outputs also include a volume on ministerial perspectives presented at the Conference and several volumes and journals of position papers submitted to the Conference. The Sustainable Developments report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/crs/ocrio10/ ASIA-PACIFIC ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND THE HIGH- LEVEL ASIA-PACIFIC REGIONAL MEETING FOR THE WSSD: The Asia-Pacific Roundtable on Sustainable Development and the High-Level Asia- Pacific Regional Meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, from 27-29 November 2001. The Roundtable and Regional Meeting were attended by over 190 representatives from 46 Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) States, two associate members of ESCAP, four non-ESCAP UN member States, and over 220 representatives from UN agencies, multilateral financing institutions, NGOs and other stakeholders. The Regional Meeting produced two outcomes: a Chair's Summary of the Roundtable; and the Phnom Penh Regional Platform on Sustainable Development for Asia and the Pacific, which includes a regional assessment of Agenda 21 implementation, key issues and priorities for sustainable development, follow-up actions, and financing for sustainable development. Delegates engaged in marathon negotiations that stretched early into the morning hours on the last day to produce a Platform that many described as perhaps the best of the products coming out of the five regional preparatory meetings for the WSSD. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/2002/wsasi/ INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS GEF REPLENISHMENT AND COUNCIL MEETINGS: The meeting of the Third Replenishment of the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Trust Fund took place from 3-4 December 2001 in Washington, DC. Participants discussed the current and projected funding status of the Second GEF Replenishment (GEF-2) and the burden sharing and financial issues for the Third GEF Replenishment (GEF-3). The meeting considered arrears due to the Fund and the programming of resources for the GEF-3. The Secretariat highlighted changes and additions to the previous programming document. In particular, participants welcomed the annex on quantifying achievable outcomes as a guide to the respective impacts of the financial scenarios under discussion and noted that this information would facilitate the setting of priorities and the monitoring and evaluation of future activities. The meeting closed after considering the process for preparing policy recommendations for an overall performance study of the GEF-2. More information on this meeting is available online at: http://www.gefweb.org/Replenishment_Summary_of_Co-Chairs_01- 1204_FINAL.pdf The GEF Council Meeting was held from 5-7 December 2001 in Washington, DC. Participants heard a report on the deliberations of the GEF-3 meeting and statements by the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel (STAP), the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (CCD) and the Basel Convention, after which the Executive Secretaries of the respective Conventions responded to questions from GEF Council Members. Participants also heard statements from UNEP, the World Bank and UNDP. The Council reviewed a progress report on the reconstitution of the STAP and took note of developments within the various international agreements relevant to the GEF, welcoming the increased collaboration between the GEF and the Conventions. During the meeting, the Council reviewed documents on: the proposed work programme; overall structure, processes and procedures; budget-related issues; and the final draft of the second overall performance study of the GEF. The Council also agreed to consider at its subsequent meeting the designation of land degradation as a GEF focal area, in particular desertification and deforestation, in order to enhance GEF support for the implementation of the CCD. More information on this meeting is available online at: http://www.gefweb.org/Joint_Summary_of_the_Chairs_FINAL_12-10- 01.pdf OCEANS AND COASTS INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW MEETING ON IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GLOBAL PROGRAMME OF ACTION FOR THE PROTECTION OF THE MARINE ENVIRONMENT FROM LAND-BASED ACTIVITIES: The first Intergovernmental Review meeting on Implementation of the Global Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities (GPA) took place from 26-30 November 2001 in Montreal, Canada. The meeting was hosted by the Canadian Government and attended by more than 300 participants, representing governments, international and regional organizations, international financial institutions, NGOs and the private sector. The goals of the Intergovernmental Review were to: review the status of GPA implementation; mainstream the GPA; and enlist support and high-level commitment to provide substantial impetus to the implementation of the GPA by defining realistic targets, activities and responsibilities, devising feasible financial, institutional and technological arrangements, and securing commitments from key partners. Over the course of the five-day meeting, delegates addressed several key issues, including a review of accomplishments in GPA implementation from 1995 to 2001, the GPA's Strategic Action Plan on Municipal Wastewater, the 2002-2006 work programme for the GPA Coordination Office, coastal and ocean governance, and partnerships and financing for implementation of the GPA. Thirty-one ministers and high-level officials, as well as representatives from three international institutions and three NGOs, also addressed the meeting during a high-level segment. Delegates adopted the Montreal Declaration on the Protection of the Marine Environment from Land-based Activities, in which they made a commitment to improve and accelerate implementation of the GPA through actions related to mainstreaming of the GPA, oceans and coastal governance, and financing of the GPA. The Declaration will be submitted for endorsement to the next Global Ministerial Environment Forum of the UNEP Governing Council, and to the preparatory process of the WSSD in 2002 for consideration when addressing measures on protection of the marine environment. The Sustainable Developments report outlining these discussions in detail can be found at: http://enb.iisd.org/crs/gpa/ WETLANDS 26TH MEETING OF THE RAMSAR STANDING COMMITTEE: This meeting took place from 3-7 December 2001 in Gland, Switzerland. Participants considered a variety of matters, including: the report and analysis of issues related to Resolution VII.12 of the Seventh Conference of the Parties ("Sites in the Ramsar List of Wetlands of International Importance: official descriptions, conservation status, and management plans, including the situation of particular sites in the territories of specific Contracting Parties"); the third Joint Work Plan with the Convention on Biological Diversity; and preparations for COP8 in late 2002. The Standing Committee adopted 52 decisions, including on follow-up to the WSSD, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment focal point Terms of Reference, the Guidelines document on peatlands, mangroves, coral reefs, and wet grasslands for transmittal to COP8, and approved a number of texts to be forwarded to the Subgroup on COP8 meeting in May 2002. More information is available online at: http://www.ramsar.org/key_sc26_conf_rpt.htm MEDIA REPORTS The latest news from the field of international environment and development negotiations, with links to relevant media coverage and press releases SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT FISH FARMING TO FOSTER FOOD SECURITY, FINDS FAO Aquaculture is expected to contribute more to global fish food supplies, help reduce global poverty and increase food security over the next 20 years, according to a new FAO publication. "Aquaculture in the Third Millennium," an outcome of the Conference on Aquaculture held last February in Bangkok, aims to provide a comprehensive review of the status of aquaculture development. It outlines how the aquaculture sector has grown, diversified, and advanced over the past three decades, and how its contribution to aquatic food production has increased significantly. Stating that a large proportion of global aquaculture production comes from small-scale producers in developing countries and Low Income Food Deficit Countries, the publication highlights fish farming's contribution to food security, poverty alleviation and social well-being. Promoting fish farming in the face of some environmentalists' reservations, the FAO also recognizes that "sustainable use of aquatic resources can only be achieved through vigorous and combined efforts by all sectors involved: farmer cooperatives and agencies, regulators, policy makers and planners, scientists, NGOs and other aquatic resource users." Links to further information FAO press release, 6 December 2001 http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/OIS/PRESS_NE/PRESSENG/2001/pren0196.htm Aquaculture in the Third Millennium http://www.fao.org/fi/meetings/aq2000/tech_proc/third_mill.asp UNEP LAUNCHES POST-CONFLICT ASSESSMENT UNIT Following its environmental assessments in the Balkans, UNEP has established a new Post-Conflict Assessment Unit. With a similar but broader mandate than the Balkans Unit, the new Post-Conflict Assessment Unit will be available to conduct assessments in other regions. One country suggested by UNEP for urgent attention is Afghanistan, which has undergone over 20 years of conflict. "UNEP stands ready to carry its part of the UN's responsibility for Afghanistan by assisting in the country's rehabilitation and reconstruction," said Klaus Töpfer, UNEP's Executive Director. "We are ready to be active in the post-conflict situation at the earliest possible moment following the first phase of urgent humanitarian assistance." The new Assessment Unit is based at International Environment House in Geneva. Links to further information UNEP press release, 11 December 2001 http://postconflict.unep.ch/press/11.12.01.html PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2002 GENERAL ASSEMBLY ADOPTS NEW SUMMIT DATES The UN General Assembly has changed the dates for the Johannesburg Summit (GA decision A/C.2/56/L.71). The Summit will now begin on Monday, 26 August 2002 and conclude on Wednesday, 4 September. It was previously scheduled to run from 2-11 September. The high- level segment involving world leaders will take place from 2-4 September 2002. Links to further information Second Committee draft resolution, 11 December 2001 http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/html/whats_new/date_change.pdf CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERE 2001 SET TO BE SECOND WARMEST YEAR ON RECORD World Meteorological Organization (WMO) data released towards the end of last year project that the year 2001 would be the second warmest year on record. The warmest year on record was in 1998, with a global average surface temperature of 14.58 degrees Celsius (58.24 Fahrenheit). The WMO expects the 2001 average to be 14.42 degrees Celsius (57.96 Fahrenheit). The US average temperature for this year is forecast to be similar to that of the year 2000, which was the 13th warmest since records began in 1895, while Canada has now had 18 consecutive seasons of above average temperatures. In central England's 343-year temperature series, October 2001 registered as the warmest October on record. Denmark and Germany also underwent their warmest October since records began in the late 1800s, with temperatures in Germany being as much as 4°C above average. Links to further information WMO State of the Global Climate in 2001, 18 December 2001 http://www.wmo.ch/web/Press/Press670.html Environmental News Network, 19 December 2001 http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/12/12192001/ap_45910.asp OCEANS AND COASTS UN FISH STOCKS AGREEMENT ENTERS INTO FORCE The UN Fish Stocks Agreement entered into force on 11 December, following Malta's ratification of the Agreement. Officially called the UN Agreement for the Implementation of the Provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea relating to the Conservation and Management of Straddling Fish Stocks and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks, the Agreement sets out principles for the conservation and management of those fish stocks and establishes that such management must be based on the precautionary approach and the best available scientific information. Although Malta's ratification gives the Agreement the 30 instruments necessary for entry into force, certain NGOs have expressed concern that 15 out of the 20 top fishing nations have not ratified. "The world's 20 top fishing nations account for nearly 80% of the world catch," observed Simon Cripps, Director of WWF's Endangered Seas Programme. Links to further information UN Conference on Straddling and Highly Migratory Fish Stocks http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/convention_overv iew_fish_stocks.htm World Wildlife Fund for Nature press release, 11 December 2001 http://panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=2638 CHINA CHALLENGES FISH STOCKS REPORTING RESEARCH China has rejected suggestions that it has been consistently over- reporting fishing catches during the past 20 years. In a paper recently published in Nature magazine, scientists Reg Watson and Daniel Pauly from the University of British Columbia found that the amount of seafood landed each year throughout the 1990s had actually been decreasing by 800 million pounds per year, rather than increasing by 700 million pounds, as reported by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Watson and Pauly argued that the difference was a result of inaccurate reporting, with erroneous figures from China significantly impacting the results. The FAO relies on voluntary reporting of catches by countries to estimate global fish stocks. According to Jane Lubchenco, former president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, "these earthshaking findings are the most significant fishery and food security results in decades... They call into question the very basis of international fisheries management." This new information also raises concerns about aquaculture being the solution to world food supply. "Aquaculture cannot replace wild seafood because so much farmed seafood relies on wild fish for fishmeal," said Watson. However, Yang Jian, Director General of the Chinese Agriculture Ministry's Bureau of Fisheries, has rejected the research, arguing that "fishing in China has its own characteristics, so that foreign scientists' sampling patterns may not fit China... For example, people in other countries may not eat jellyfish and crab as regularly as the Chinese, and the output of these two aquatic products account for a considerable portion of our total output." Yang also dismissed as inaccurate an earlier statement made by the ministry that a policy in effect until two years ago gave local officials promotions based on reported increases in fishing catches. Links to further information Environmental News Network, 29 November 2001 http://enn.com/news/wire-stories/2001/11/11292001/ap_45716.asp ABC News, 18 December 2001 http://abcnews.go.com/wire/World/ap20011218_366.html COMINGS AND GOINGS Information on key appointments, departures and vacancies at United Nations agencies, international organizations, government departments and non-governmental organizations active in the field of international environment and development negotiations VACANCIES SCIENCE COUNCILS SEEK ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME DIRECTOR The International Council for Science (ICSU) and the International Social Science Council (ISSC) are inviting applications for the position of Executive Director of the International Human Dimensions Programme on Global Environmental Change (IHDP). The IHDP Secretariat is located in Bonn, Germany and applications are due by 15 January 2002. For more information visit: http://www.uni-bonn.de/ihdp/jobannouncement.htm SENIOR POSITIONS AVAILABLE AT THE UNCCD The UN Convention to Combat Desertification is seeking a Deputy Executive Secretary and Senior Advisor to the Executive Secretary. The Deputy Secretary position is D-1 United Nations post and applications are due 23 January 2002, while the Senior Advisor vacancy holds a P-5 ranking, with applications due by 30 January 2002. Both positions are based in the CCD Secretariat in Bonn, Germany. More information is available online at: http://www.unccd.int/secretariat/vacancies/vacancies.php DIVISION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN SEEKS DEPUTY DIRECTOR The UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs' Division for the Advancement of Women is seeking a Deputy Director. This D-1 position is based in New York and the deadline for applications is 30 January 2002. More information is available online at: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/daw/post_dd_daw.html POSITIONS AVAILABLE AT FAO The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has a variety of professional positions available, mostly designated as P-3, P-4 and P-5 level UN positions. Many of these positions are based in Rome. More information is available online at: http://www.fao.org/VA/Employ.htm READINGS New and recent book titles, articles and other literature on environment and development JOURNALS Climate Change "An overview of guidelines and issues for the monitoring, evaluation, reporting, verification, and certification of forestry projects for climate change mitigation." Global Environmental Change: Human and Policy Dimensions 11 (3, 2001), pp. 203-216. In this article, Edward Vine, Jayant Sathaye and Willy Makundi present an overview of guidelines and issues targeted at developers, evaluators, verifiers, and certifiers of forestry projects, addressing key issues, such as methods for estimating gross and net carbon savings. "Institutions in conflict? The climate change flexibility mechanisms and the multinational trading system." Global Environmental Change: Human and Policy Dimensions 11 (3, 2001), pp. 251-255. Joy Aeree Kim examines potential incompatibility between the implementation of flexibility mechanisms and GATT/WTO provisions. The analysis of the interaction is based on hypothetical scenarios of each flexibility mechanism to account for all foreseeable consequences of their implementation. Climate Policy 1 (4, 2001), includes articles on a variety of climate issues, including one on "Integrated assessment of abrupt climatic changes" by Michael Mastrandrea and Stephen Schneider and another on "Technology transfer under the CDM -materializing the myth in the Japanese context?" by Malik Amin Aslam. Marcel Berk and Michel den Elzen have written on "Options for differentiation of future commitments in climate policy," while Jos Sijm, Jaap Jansen, and Asbjorn Torvanger addressed "Differentiation of mitigation commitments." Atle Christiansen's article presents a case study on Norwegian CO2-taxes and technological innovation in the petroleum sector, while Fabian Wagner and Niklas Hohne have written on the "Influence of national governments for or against the entry into force of Kyoto." Food Security Development 44 (4, 2001) contains a number of articles dealing with issues related to food security, including "Ecotechnology: meeting global and local challenges of food insecurity and poverty," by M. S. Swaminathan, who argues that ecological and social sustainability of technologies need to be taken into account to ensure that human dignity and livelihood security takes precedence over money and materialism. In "Food security and sustainable livelihoods: the policy challenge," Anne Thomson argues that food security is generally recognized as an issue of household access to food rather than national food production levels, raising the question of how to address the issue at the policy level. Thomson stresses that although holistic approaches to poverty reduction, livelihoods and food security are not easy to operationalize, they are essential to achieving the food security targets set at the 1996 World Food Summit. In "Food sovereignty: a vital requirement for food security in the context of globalization," Francisco Menezes notes that sovereignty of people is not sufficient to guarantee food security. Instead, he argues that food security should be associated with social equity, ensuring access to food of high quality for everyone - food that is nutritionally adequate and culturally appropriate. Farida Akhter, in "Seeds in women's hands: a symbol of food security and solidarity," shows that food security is not only an issue of the South but is also important for the North. She stresses the need for women all over the world to have control over food production, as in the case of women in the South involved in preserving and maintaining seeds and genetic resources. A number of articles presenting case studies from different countries and regions are also included in this issue of Development. "Conflict: a cause and effect of hunger." Environmental Change & Security Project Report (7, 2001), pp. 1-16. This article by Ellen Messer, Marc Cohen and Thomas Marchione notes that ensuring food security depends on breaking cycles of hunger and conflict. Access to food is always disrupted by conflict, and much has been written about the linkages between environmental scarcities, hunger, and conflict. The authors highlight certain gaps in the information about the steps that lead from hunger to conflict, and then suggest policies and actions to break these connections. Forests "Deforestation, distribution and development." Global Environmental Change: Human and Policy Dimensions 11 (3, 2001), pp. 193-202. In this article, Gary Koop and Lise Tole investigate the role of distributional factors in mediating the effects of growth and development on forest depletion in tropical developing countries. They find that the distributional profile of a country significantly determines whether economic development will have either a positive or a negative effect on the rate of forest loss. In countries where levels of inequality are high, development will tend to exacerbate deforestation rates while in countries where distributional profiles are more egalitarian, the negative effects of growth and development on forest cover will be ameliorated. "Dilemmas for conservation in the Brazilian Amazon." Environmental Change & Security Project Report (7, 2001), pp. 32-46. This article by Margaret Keck outlines the history of conservation efforts in the Brazilian Amazon. The author argues that repeated failure to understand or accommodate the political factors at work in the Amazon undermines environmentalists' efforts to protect the rainforest more than a decade after international attention first focused on the issue. "Fair and effective decision making in forest management planning." Society and Natural Resources 14 (10, 2001), pp. 873- 887. In this article, Len Hunt and Wolfgang Haider examine the utility of applying the social psychology paradigm of procedural fairness to decision-making processes in forest management planning. The authors specifically examine whether the involvement level of tourism operators have with the forest management planning process influences their evaluations of the process and outcomes from the process in the case of Ontario. Their study seeks to help identify indicators to assess fair and effective decision making in forest management planning, which could serve in a criteria and indicator framework of forest sustainability. NEW PUBLICATIONS Sustainable Development Materials Matter: Toward a Sustainable Materials Policy (MIT Press 2001). This book by Kenneth Geiser investigates why many of the materials that constitute everyday products seem toxic to the environment and humans. The author maintains that using toxic substances in significant amounts is not necessary, arguing that many products could be supplied with substantially less impact on the environment and health. The author assesses the growth in the use of toxic materials in the United States and their links to the economy, environment and public health, and then considers policy responses and their performance. The book also focuses on alternative materials strategies such as recycling and reuse, advanced and engineered materials, and renewable and biobased materials. The book's final section looks at resource productivity and dematerialization, increasing the intensity of materials use and substituting services for products. The author also outlines detoxification strategies that can be carried out at various points in a material's life cycle. Earth Summit 2002: A New Deal (Earthscan December 2001). This book, edited by Felix Dodds with Toby Middleton, is a revised and updated edition with new chapters on freshwater and energy. The book contains sections on roadblocks to implementing Agenda 21 and how to overcome them, People's Earth Charter, overriding concerns, emerging issues, and an overview focusing on reforming the various international institutions. For more information visit: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3524 African Wildlife & Livelihoods: The Promise and Performance of Community Conservation (Greenwood Publishing Group 2001). Edited by David Hulme and Marshall Murphree, this book contains case studies aimed at exploring the issues of whether community- oriented approaches in Africa are contributing to conservation efforts and whether these new approaches are helping to improve the livelihoods of rural Africans, who are among the poorest communities in the world. The case studies focus on ecological areas where communities are involved in managing large, terrestrial animals. They take a holistic approach, considering socio-political and institutional change, economics and incentives, ecological change and the values and behaviors of stakeholders. The book traces the evolution of community conservation, its main components and forms, including park outreach, collaborative management and community-based conservation. It reviews public policy and institutional reform, offers economic insights into a new wave of conservation policies, and looks at the ecological impacts of community conservation. Biodiversity Handbook of the Convention on Biological Diversity (Earthscan 2001). This book from the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity provides an official handbook to the Convention on Biological Diversity. The book contains the full texts of the Convention, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety and the decisions of the Conference of the Parties from 1994 to 2000. It provides a background to the Convention and its institutional arrangements, a guide to the decisions adopted and information on ongoing activities in relation to particular Articles and thematic areas. It also includes an indexed and cross-referenced CD-ROM. For more information visit: http://www.earthscan.co.uk/asp/bookdetails.asp?key=3557 WHAT'S NEW ONLINE Sustainable Development Poverty and the Environment: A Role for UNEP (IISD 2001). This concept paper by Anantha Kumar Duraiappah is written for UNEP in preparation of upcoming guidelines on poverty and the environment. To download the paper visit: http://www.iisd.org/pdf/2001/economics_unep_poverty_guidelines.pdf A new website, ItrainOnline, has been jointly launched by the Association for Progressive Communications, Bellanet International Secretariat, International Institute for Communication and Development, the International Institute for Sustainable Development, the International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications and the OneWorld Group. The website provides a technology resource center for those who want to learn how to use the Internet effectively for social justice and sustainable development purposes. It combines the resources of the five organizations and functions as an interactive multilingual website containing relevant content on computer and internet training. ItrainOnline has been launched in English and Spanish, with other languages to be introduced in 2002. To access the website visit: http://www.itrainonline.org/ UNEP has launched its UNEP.Net Freshwater Portal, an online resource providing information on the state of the world's freshwater resources. This site includes documents, databases, maps and graphics, covering critical freshwater issues including water scarcity, irrigated agriculture, water and sanitation, water quality, groundwater, transboundary water management, water and ecosystems, urban water and floods and droughts. To access the website visit: http://freshwater.unep.net/ Climate Change Zhang Zhongxiang of the East-West Center in the USA and Lucas Assuncao of UNCTAD have written a paper on Domestic Climate Policies and the WTO. The paper, available online, focuses on car- bon/ energy taxes, subsidies, energy efficiency standards, eco- labels and government procurement policies, exploring the potential inter-action between these domestic climate polices and WTO rules. The authors highlight potential conflicts in this regard, and argue that such conflicts can be avoided or minimized if WTO rules are care-fully scrutinized when Annex I Parties undertake measures to achieve requisite emissions reductions. The paper suggests an early process of pursuing consultations between WTO members and UN-FCCC Parties, and points to the need to further explore ways to en-hance synergies between the trade and climate regimes. To access the paper visit: http://papers.ssrn.com/paper.taf?abstract_id=288273 The German Foreign Policy in Dialogue E-Newsletter for the last quarter of 2001 focuses on the theme of "Climate Change After Marrakech: The Role of Europe in the Global Arena." Edited by Wolfgang Brauner, Hanns Maull and Sebastian Harnisch, the newsletter focuses on the ratification process, taking stock of what has been achieved in combating climate change in Europe and its leadership role, while also integrating a perspective on major players outside of Europe. The newsletter contains articles on the UK, Germany, India, Japan and the US. To access the newsletter visit: http://www.deutsche-aussenpolitik.de/publications/newsletter/issue6 .pdf A new series of working papers from the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research are now available online. The papers report on ongoing research and cover topics including: connections between climate change and security issues, such as violent conflicts at local level; loss of atoll countries' national sovereignty due to sea level rise and more extreme weather events; public opinion on burying carbon at sea and other sequestration options; the ability to adapt to future climate change through social capital and collective action; integration of models to represent climate change, mitigation and adaptation; and an analysis of the outcomes of COP meetings from The Hague to Marrakesh. To access the papers visit: http://www.tyndall.ac.uk/publications/working_papers/working_paper s.shtml Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture The new International Treaty on plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, adopted in Rome in November following years of negotiations on the International Undertaking on plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, is now available online. It is available in all the FAO languages, and can be accessed at: http://www.fao.org/ag/cgrfa Trade and Sustainable Development A new internet portal on intellectual property rights (IPRs) and sustainable development, IPRsonline, has been launched by the International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) and UNCTAD. The portal contains a selection of online documents and resources including a guide to IPRs, submissions to the WTO, discussion papers classified by topics, a calendar of IPR-related events, latest IPR news, and links to listservs and relevant institutions working on IPRs. The objectives of the portal are to assist trade policy makers and influencers in developing countries in assessing the impact of different IPRs on development, strengthening their understanding of the options for advancing their public policy objectives through the implementation or review of TRIPs, and supporting their informed participation in ongoing and future negotiations. To access the portal visit: http://www.IPRsonline.org Wetlands A new bilingual website on wetlands in China has been launched by Wetlands International - China. The website serves to promote public awareness on issues related to wetlands and development in China, as well as to make the information available to an international audience. To access the website visit: http://www.wetwonder.org UPCOMING MEETINGS Information on upcoming conferences, workshops and symposia in the field of international environment and development negotiations SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SECOND MILLENNIUM ECOSYSTEM ASSESSMENT BOARD MEETING: This meeting will take place from 14-16 January 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For more information contact: Valerie Thompson, Interim MA Secretariat; tel: +1-202-729-7794; e-mail: info@millenniumassessment.org; Internet: http://www.millenniumassessment.org FOURTH SESSION OF THE PREPCOM ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: This meeting will convene from 14-25 January 2002, at UN headquarters in New York. For more information contact: Financing for Development Coordinating Secretariat; tel: +1-212-963-2587; e-mail: ffd@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/ffd UNEP FINANCE INITIATIVE REGIONAL OUTREACH EVENT FOR AFRICA: This UNEP-FI event will take place from 28-29 January 2002 in Midrand, South Africa. The conference will seek to address the role of the African financial sector in sustainable development. For more information contact: Niamh O'Sullivan; tel: +41-22-917-8178; e-mail: niamh.o.Sullivan@unep.ch GLOBAL FORUM OF FOOD SAFETY REGULATORS: This forum will take place from 28-30 January 2002 in Marrakesh, Morocco. Organized by the FAO and WHO, this Forum will bring together senior food safety regulators to exchange information on approaches towards and experiences with food safety. For more information contact: John Riddle, FAO; tel: +39-06-5705-3625 or Gregory Hartl, WHO: +41-22- 791-4458; e-mail: hartlg@who.int; Internet: http://www.foodsafetyforum.org/global/index_en.htm MEETING OF THE OPEN-ENDED INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF MINISTERS OR THEIR REPRESENTATIVES ON INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL GOVERNANCE (IEG): The fifth IEG meeting will be held at the end of January 2002 in New York prior to the second Preparatory Committee (PrepCom II) for the WSSD. For more information contact: Masa Nagai; tel: +254-2-623493; fax: +254-2-230198; e-mail: Masa.Nagai@unep.org; Internet: http://www.unep.org/IEG/ WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM ANNUAL MEETING 2002: For the first time in its 31-year history, the World Economic Forum will conduct its Annual Meeting outside of Davos, Switzerland. This year's annual meeting will take place from 31 January - 4 February 2002 in New York. Experts, business and political leaders will gather to address key economic, political and societal issues. For more information contact: Charles McLean, Communications and Public Affairs; e-mail: public.affairs@weforum.org; Internet: http://www.weforum.org/site/homepublic.nsf/Content/Annual+Meeting+ 2002 SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WATER QUALITY: This conference will take place from 6-8 February 2002 in New Delhi, India. For more information contact: S.P. Kauhish; tel: +91-11-611-5984; e-mail: cbip@nda.vsnl.net.in; Internet: http://www.cbip.org CONFERENCE ON INTERNATIONAL HARMONIZATION AND EQUIVALENCE IN ORGANIC AGRICULTURE: This meeting will be held from 17-19 February 2002 in Nürnberg, Germany. It is being organized by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements in cooperation with the FAO and UNCTAD. For further information contact: IFOAM Head Office, tel: +49-6853-91989-0; e-mail: HeadOffice@ifoam.org; Internet: http://www.ifoam.org/conf/index.html EARTH DIALOGUES - GLOBALIZATION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - IS ETHICS THE MISSING LINK?: This event will take place from 21-23 February 2002 in Lyon, France. Organized by Green Cross International, Earth Dialogues will provide a forum for constructive debate on the world's most acute problems. Participants will share their views on how to forge the essential links between globalization, sustainable development and ethics. For more information contact: Earth Dialogues Secretariat; tel: +41-22-789-1662; e-mail: secretariat@gci.ch; Internet: http://www.greencrossinternational.net/pdf/Earth_Dialogue.pdf INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON TOURISM DEVELOPMENT, COMMUNITY AND CONSERVATION: This conference will take place from 28 February - 2 March 2002 at the Bundelkhand University Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh, India. It will examine shaping ecotourism for the Third Millennium. For more information e-mail: tvsingh@sancharnet.in YOUTH CONFERENCE SD 2002 - SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT? WHY, HOW, WHERE, BY WHOM?: This event will take place from 28 February - 3 March 2002 in Turgu-Mures, Romania. For more information contact: Valentin Precup; tel/fax: +40-65-21-4468; e-mail: precup@yois-europe.org; Internet: http://www.yois-europe.org FIRST JOINT MEETING OF THE HEALTH AND ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS OF THE AMERICAS: This meeting will take place in March 2002, in Ottawa, Canada, as a follow-up to the 2001 First Meeting of the Ministers of the Environment of the Americas. For more information contact: Environment Canada; tel: +1-819-956-5212; fax: +1-819-956-5964; e-mail: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca; Internet: http://www.ec.gc.ca/ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FLOOD ESTIMATION: This meeting will be held from 6-8 March 2002 in Bern, Switzerland. The conference is aimed at presenting and discussing the latest developments within the field of flood estimation for mi-cro- and meso-scale catchments. For more information contact: tel: +41-31-324-2748; e-mail: floodestimation@bwg.admin.ch; Internet: http://hydrant.unibe.ch/veranstaltungen/flood/flood01.htm GLOBE 2002 CONFERENCE - ACCELERATING BUSINESS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT STRATEGIES: This event will take place from 13-15 March 2002 in Vancouver, Canada. For more information contact: GLOBE Foundation; tel: +1-604-775-7300; fax: +1-604-666-8123; e-mail: info@globe.apfnet.org; Internet: http://www.globe2002.com/conference.htm UNEP FINANCE INITIATIVES ANNUAL GLOBAL ROUNDTABLE ON FINANCE AND SUSTAINABILITY: This event will take place from 14-15 March 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Entitled "Financing a Sustainable Future - Strategies, Partnerships, and Opportunities on the way to Johannesburg 2002," the event aims to build new artnerships for sustainability within the finance and insurance industries. For more information contact: Trevor Bowden; e-mail: trevor.bowden@unep.ch; Internet: http://unepfi.net/rio BIOTECHNOLOGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT - VOICES OF THE SOUTH AND NORTH: This international conference will take place from 16- 20 March 2002, in Alexandria, Egypt. It is co-sponsored by the Government of Egypt, FAO, UNESCO, World Bank and OECD, among others. For more information contact: Ismail Serageldin; tel: +203-487-6024; fax: +203-487-6001; e-mail: egyptbiotech@bibalex.org; Internet: http://www.egyptbiotech.com/ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON FINANCING FOR DEVELOPMENT: The UN International Conference on Financing for Development will be held from 18-22 March 2002 in Monterrey, Mexico. It will bring together high-level representatives from governments, the UN, and other leading international trade, finance and development-related organizations. For more information contact: Harris Gleckman, Coordinating Secretariat; tel: +1-212-963-4690; e-mail: gleckman@un.org or Federica Pietracci, tel: +1-212-963-8497; e-mail: pietracci@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/ffd FOURTH INTERNATIONAL FRIEND CONFERENCE –BRIDGING THE GAP BETWEEN RESEARCH AND PRACTICE: This UNESCO FRIEND (Flow Regimes from International Experimental and Network Data) conference will be held from 18-22 March 2002 in Cape Town, South Africa. The objective of this event is to present the results of the FRIEND programme, which has stimulated international cooperation in the field of hydrology. The conference will focus on bridging the gap between knowledge, research and practical applications. For more information visit: http://www.ru.ac.za/institutes/iwr/friend/index.html WORLD DAY FOR WATER 2002: This event takes place on 22 March each year. Led by the International Atomic Energy Agency, the World Day for Water in 2002 carries the theme of Water for Development. For more information visit: http://waterday2002.iaea.org/ AFRICAN MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON WATER: This meeting will take place in March/April 2002 in Abuja, Nigeria. Resolving to institutionalize ministerial level policy dialogue on water issues, African ministers have convened this event to encourage systematic intergovernmental dialogue on the water and sanitation problems facing Africa. For more information contact: Muhammad Abubakar, Federal Ministry of Water Resources, Nigeria; tel: +234- 9-234-2205; e-mail: makabubakar@hotmail.com G-8 ENVIRONMENT MINISTERS MEETING: The G-8 Ministers of the Environment are scheduled to meet in April 2002 in Bamf, Canada, with the agenda of supporting the G-8 Summit to address the challenge of poverty alleviation, particularly in Africa. For more information contact: Environment Canada; tel: +1-819-956- 5212; fax: +1-819-956-5964; e-mail: enviroinfo@ec.gc.ca; Internet: http://www.Canada2002earthsummit.gc.ca WORLD WATER CONGRESS 2002: This congress will take place from 7-12 April 2002 in Melbourne, Australia. It is being organized by the International Water Association, and will focus on issues such as water cycle management, particularly in South-East Asia. For more information contact: Secretariat, Quitz Event Management; tel: +61 -02-9410-1302; fax: +61-02-9410-0036; e-mail: quitz@bigpond.net.au; Internet: http://www.enviroaust.net/ HIGH SUMMIT 2002 - INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AROUND THE CONTINENTS' HIGHEST MOUNTAINS: This global event will take place from 6-10 May 2002. It consists of a simultaneous video conference broadcast with continuous live internet feeds from places close to the five highest peaks in North America, South America, Europe, Asia, and Africa. Experts, policy makers and stakeholders from the mountainous areas of the different continents will meet from different sites to discuss most significant topics regarding today's mountain realities: water, culture, economy, risk, and policy. For more information contact: e-mail: evk2cnr.2002@montagna.org; Internet: http://www.montagna.org/ INTERNATIONAL CHILDREN'S CONFERENCE ON THE ENVIRONMENT: The fourth UNEP International Children's Conference on the Environment will take place in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada from 22-24 May 2002. The conference is expected to bring together 800 children from 10 to 12 years of age from over 115 countries, who will learn about and discuss the state of the environment and showcase environmental initiatives by schools. The conference will also produce a statement from children to the world leaders who will meet for the World Summit on Sustainable Development. The town of Ledyard, Connecticut, USA, is expected to host the event in 2003. For more information contact: Theodore Oben, Children, Youth and Sport Programmes, UNEP, Nairobi; tel: +254-2-623262; e-mail: theodore.oben@unep.org; Internet: http://www.unep.org/children_youth/ INTERNATIONAL MEETING ON MOUNTAIN ECOSYS-TEMS: This meeting will be held from 5-7 June 2002 in Huaraz, Peru. It is entitled "The Tropical Mountains toward 2020: Water, Life, and Production." For more information contact: Maria Cecilia Rozas; e-mail: mrozas@rree.gob.pe; Internet: http://www.mtnforum.org/calendar/events/0206imma.htm G-8 SUMMIT: The 2002 G-8 Summit is scheduled to take place from 22-26 June in Kananaskis, Canada. For more information contact: John Klassen, Summit Management Team; tel: +1-613-957-5555; fax: +1-613-941-6900; e-mail: pm@pm.gc.ca THIRD INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WATER RESOURCES AND ENVIRONMENT RESEARCH: This meeting will take place from 22-25 July 2002 in Dresden, Germany, and will be the third international conference in the series on water resources and environment research. The aim of the conference is to encourage and facilitate interdisciplinary communication among scientists, engineers and professionals working in the fields of ecological systems, sustainable management, development of water resources and conservation of natural systems. For more information contact: Cathleen Schimmek, Conference Secretariat; tel: +49-351-463-33931; e-mail: icwrer2002@mailbox.tu-dresden.de; Internet: http://www.tu-dresden.de/fghhihm/hydrologie.html SESSION ON MOUNTAINS IN URBAN DEVELOPMENT: This meeting will take place from 22-26 July 2002 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and will form part of the XIII World Congress of the International Economic History Association. The session will look at the relationship between mountains and urban development and focus on urban growth and political power structures. For more information contact: Jean-François Bergier; tel: +41-91-912-4705; e-mail: admin@isalp.unisi.ch; Internet: http://www.isalp.unisi.ch/gen/mountains_urban.htm STOCKHOLM WATER SYMPOSIUM: This event will take place from 12-15 August 2002 in Stockholm, Sweden. For more information contact: tel: +46-8-522-139-61; fax: +08-56-31-10-16; e-mail: siwi@siwi.org; Internet: http://www.siwi.org/sws2002 2002 WORLD ORGANIC CONGRESS – CULTIVATING COMMUNITIES: This event will be held from 21-28 August 2002 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Organized by the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM), the event is expected to be attended by farmers, researchers, advisors, food processors, traders, certifiers, policy makers and consumers and others interested in organic agriculture and sustainable development. For more information contact: tel: +1-250-655-5652; e-mail: ifoam2002@cog.ca; Internet: http://www.cog.ca/ifoam2002/ FOURTH INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ARTIFICIAL RECHARGE - MANAGEMENT OF AQUIFER RECHARGE FOR SUSTAINABILITY: This symposium will be held from 22-26 September 2002 in Adelaide, Australia. For more information contact: Hartley Management Group; e-mail: isar4@hartleymgt.com.au; Internet: http://www.hartleymgt.com.au/isar4/ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON URBAN HYDROLOGY: This conference will take place from 14-18 October 2002 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The theme for this meeting is "Induced Problems in Urban Environment Requiring Holistic Solutions for the New Millennium." For more information contact: Hj. Mohd. Nor Bin Hj. Mohd; tel: +603-4255- 2507; e-mail: htckl@pop.moa.my; Internet: http://htc.moa.my/htc/icuh2002/icuh2002.html INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PREVENTING AND FIGHTING HYDROLOGICAL DISASTERS: This conference will take place from 21-22 November 2002 in Timisoara, Romania. The event will examine natural and accidental floods, hydrological drought, water quality and the impact on environment, as well as policies and strategies in water resources management. For more information contact: Gheorghe Cretu, Conference Secretariat; tel/fax: +40-56-221481; e-mail: gcr@mail.dnttm.ro; Internet: http://www.utt.ro/pfhd/ THIRD MEETING OF THE GLOBAL FORUM ON SUSTAINABLE ENERGY: GFSE-3 will be held in Graz, Austria, from 27-29 November 2002. The meeting will focus on public-private partnerships for rural development. For more information contact: Irene Freudenschuss-Reichl, UNIDO; tel: +1-212-963-6890; fax: +1-212 -963-7904; e-mail: freudenschuss-reichl@un.org THIRD WORLD WATER FORUM: This meeting will take place from 16-23 March 2003 in Kyoto, Japan. A Ministerial Conference will be held during the Forum, where Ministers will work towards framing and adopting a political declaration concerning global water problems. For more information contact: Secretariat, Tokyo; tel: +81-3-5212 -1645; e-mail: office@water-forum3.com; Internet: http://www.worldwaterforum.org PREPARATIONS FOR THE JOHANNESBURG SUMMIT 2002 SEVENTH MEETING OF THE BUREAU OF CSD-10: The Seventh Meeting of the Bureau is scheduled for 14 January 2002 in New York. For more information contact: Andrey Vasilyev; tel: +1-212-963-5949; fax: +1-212-963-4260; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org ALLIANCE OF SMALL ISLAND STATES (AOSIS) INTER-REGIONAL PREPARATORY MEETING FOR WSSD: The AOSIS inter-regional preparatory meeting for the WSSD will take place in Singapore from 14-17 January 2002. For more information contact: UNDP Capacity 21; tel: +1-212-906-6121; fax: +1-212-906-5896; e-mail: marie-michele.arthur@undp.org; Internet: http://www.undp.org/capacity21/SIDS/wssd.html INFORMAL BRAINSTORMING SESSION ON WSSD: This consultation between the WSSD Bureau and government representatives will be held from 16-17 January 2002, at UN Headquarters in New York, and is expected to draw on the main thematic outcomes from the regional meetings in preparation for PrepCom II. For more information contact Andrey Vasilyev, DESA; tel: +1-212-963-5949; fax: +1-212- 963-4260; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org; Internet: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/ SECOND PREPARATORY SESSION FOR THE 2002 WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: This meeting will take place from 28 January - 8 February 2002 at the UN Headquarters in New York. It will review the results of national and regional preparatory processes, examine the main policy report of the Secretary- General, and convene a Multi-stakeholder Dialogue. For more information contact: Andrey Vasilyev; tel: +1-212-963-5949; fax: +1-212-963-4260; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org; Major groups contact: Zehra Aydin-Sipos, DESA; tel: +1-212-963-8811; fax: +1-212-963- 1267; e-mail: aydin@un.org; Internet: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/ HIGH-LEVEL ROUNDTABLE ON ENERGY: This roundtable will be held from 29-30 January 2002 at UN Headquarters in New York alongside the second WSSD preparatory meeting. Organized by the GEF, this meeting will discuss and exchange view on a background paper on sustainable energy in developing countries. For more information contact: GEF; tel: +1-202-473-0508; fax: +1-202-522-3240 e-mail: kkumari@worldbank.org DELHI SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT SUMMIT 2002: This meeting will be held from 9-11 February 2002 in New Delhi, India. The theme will be "Ensuring sustainable livelihoods: challenges for governments, corporates, and civil society at Rio+10." For more information visit: http://www.teriin.org/dsds/index.htm LOCAL AGENDA TO ACTION - BUILDING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE: This international local government preparatory meeting will take place from 22 February - 1 March 2002 in North Vancouver, Canada. Organized by ICLEI, this event will be a key international opportunity for local government leaders to plan for the WSSD. For more information contact: Elena Lonero; e-mail: elonero@iclei.org; Internet: http://www.iclei.org/rioplusten/ SUSTAINING OUR COMMUNITIES – INTERNATIONAL LOCAL AGENDA 21 CONFERENCE: This conference will take place from 3-6 March 2002 in Adelaide, Australia. It will provide a forum to discuss approaches to sustainable development and advise Australia's input to the WSSD. For more information contact: Malcolm Prowse, Conference Organizer; tel: +617-320-0675; e-mail: malcolmpro@msn.com.au; Internet: http://www.adelaide.sa.gov.au/soc/ UNEP GLOBAL YOUTH FORUM - GYF2002: This event will be held from 22-31 March 2002 in Copenhagen, Denmark. Organized by UNEP and hosted by Danish organization Nature and Youth, this forum will be a youth event leading up to the WSSD. It will build on the Youth Conference on Environment and Sustainable Development that was held in Borgholm, Sweden in May 2001. For more information contact: e-mail: theodore.oben@unep.org or landskontoret@natur-og-ungdom.dk THIRD PREPARATORY SESSION FOR THE 2002 WSSD: This meeting will take place at UN Headquarters in New York from 25 March - 5 April 2002. It will aim to produce the first draft of a "review" document and elements of the CSD's future work programme. For more information contact: Andrey Vasilyev; tel: +1-212-963-5949; fax: +1-212-963-4260; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org; Major groups contact: Zehra Aydin-Sipos; tel: +1-212-963-8811; fax: +1-212-963-1267; e-mail: aydin@un.org; Internet: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/ FOURTH PREPARATORY SESSION FOR THE 2002 WSSD: This meeting will take place from 27 May - 7 June 2002 in Indonesia. It will include Ministerial and Multi-stakeholder Dialogue Segments, and is expected to result in elements for a concise political document to be submitted to the 2002 Summit. For more information contact: Andrey Vasilyev, DESA, New York; tel: +1-212-963-5949; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org; Major groups contact: Zehra Aydin-Sipos; tel: +1- 212-963-8811; e-mail: aydin@un.org; Internet: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/ ENVIROLAW CONFERENCE 2002: This conference is scheduled to take place from 26-29 August 2002 in Durban, South Africa. It will provide a platform for the international legal community to provide solutions and suggest mechanisms that will interlink international and regional treaties and conventions in order to improve their implementation and enforcement. It will also interact with the WSSD preparatory process. For more information contact: EnviroLaw Solutions; tel: +27-11-269-7944; fax: +27-11- 269-7899; e-mail: info@envirolawsolutions.com; Internet: http://www.envirolawsolutions.com WORLD SUMMIT ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The World Summit on Sustainable Development will take place in Johannesburg, South Africa, from 26 August - 4 September 2002. For more information contact: Andrey Vasilyev, DESA; tel: +1-212-963-5949; e-mail: vasilyev@un.org; Major groups contact: Zehra Aydin-Sipos; tel: +1- 212-963-8811; e-mail: aydin@un.org; Internet: http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/ BIODIVERSITY NINTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON GENETIC RESOURCES FOR FOOD AND AGRICULTURE: CGRFA-9 will meet in 2002 in Rome at a date yet to be determined. For more information contact: FAO; tel: +39-06-5705- 2287; Internet: http://www.fao.org/WAICENT/FAOINFO/AGRICULT/cgrfa/meetings.htM AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON THE INTERLINKAGES BETWEEN BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AND CLIMATE CHANGE: This meeting will take place in January 2002 in Helsinki, Finland. For more information contact: CBD Secretariat, Montreal, Canada: tel: +1-514-288-2220; fax: +1- 514-288-6588; e-mail: secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org REGIONAL CONFERENCE ON PUBLIC PERCEPTIONS OF BIOTECHNOLOGY IN AFRICA: This meeting will take place from 28-29 January 2002, in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information contact: Anna Ogalo or Harrison Maganga, African Centre for Technology Studies, Nairobi, Kenya; tel: +254-2-524700/6; fax: +254-2-524701; e-mail: acts@cgiar.org or a.ogalo@cgiar.org; Internet: http://www.acts.or.ke INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE IMPACTS OF AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT: This conference is scheduled to take place from 4-7 February 2002 in San José, Costa Rica. Sponsored by the Consultative Group on International Agricultural Research (CGIAR) and the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center, the conference will bring together researchers and other professionals interested in documenting and measuring the impact of international agricultural research. Participants are expected to highlight experiences and case studies of impacts on agricultural productivity, equity, poverty, social health, and nutrition, the environment, as well as on institutions and human capital. For more information contact: e-mail: impacts@cgiar.org; Internet: http://www.cimmyt.org/Research/Economics/impacts/index.htm MEETING OF THE AD HOC INTERSESSIONAL WORKING GROUP ON ARTICLE 8(J) OF THE CONVENTION ON BIODIVERSITY: This meeting is scheduled to take place from 4-8 February 2002 in Montreal, Canada. For more information contact: CBD Secretariat, Montreal, Canada: tel: +1- 514-288-2220; e-mail: secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org CODEX THIRD SESSION OF THE AD HOC INTERGOVERNMENTAL TASK FORCE ON BIOTECHNOLOGY: This CODEX session is scheduled to take place from 4-8 March 2002 in Yokohama, Japan. For more information e-mail: codex@fao.org SIXTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON BIODIVERSITY/CARTAGENA PROTOCOL MOP-1: CBD COP-6 will take place in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 7-26 April 2002. This gathering is also expected to serve as the First Meeting of the Parties (MOP-1) to the Cartagena Protocol. CBD Secretariat, Montreal, Canada: tel: +1-514-288-2220; e-mail: secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org WORKSHOP ON ADVANCED ISSUES ON BIOSAFETY –RISK MONITORING AND PUBLIC PERCEPTION OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: This meeting will be held from 13-17 May 2002 in Maracay, Venezuela. For more information contact: Efrain G. Salazar Yamarte, Centro Nacional de Investigaciones Agropecuarias (CENIAP); tel: +58-243-2471066; e-mail: efra63@icnet.com.ve SESSIONS OF THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION: The Executive Committee of the Commission will meet for its 49th Session from 26-28 June 2002, and will convene its 50th session from 26-27 June 2003. Both meetings will take place in Rome, Italy. For more information contact: Secretariat of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme; tel: +39-06-57051; fax: +39-06-5705-4593; e-mail: codex@fao.org 25TH SESSION OF THE CODEX ALIMENTARIUS COMMISSION: The Commission will meet from 30 June - 5 July 2003 in Rome, Italy. For more information contact: Secretariat of the Joint FAO/WHO Food Standards Programme; tel: +39-06-57051; fax: +39-06-5705-4593; e-mail: codex@fao.org CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT BASEL CONVENTION WORKING GROUP MEETINGS IN 2002: The 19th session of Technical Working Group will be held from 14-15 January 2002, the first joint meeting of the Legal and Technical Working Groups from 16-17 January, and the Fourth session of the Legal Working Group from 18-19 January. The 20th session of Technical Working Group will take place from 20-21 May, and the second joint meeting of the Legal and Technical Working Groups will be held from 20-23 May. The Fifth session of the Legal Working Group will meet from 24-25 May and the Working Group for Implementation from 27-31 May. For more information contact: Basel Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917- 8218; e-mail: sbc@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.basel.int THIRD MEETING OF THE INTERIM CHEMICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE (ICRC-3): ICRC-3 is expected to meet from 17-21 February 2002, in the Varembé Conference Centre in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: Erik Larsson; tel: +41-22-917-8177; fax: +41- 22-797-3460; e-mail: pic@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.pic.int/ SUBREGIONAL WORKSHOPS TO SUPPORT THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE STOCKHOLM CONVENTION ON POPS: Two workshops will be held to assist the implementation of the Stockholm Convention on POPs. The first will take place from 25 February - 1 March 2002 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and the second will take place from 18-22 March 2002 in Montevideo, Uruguay. For more information contact: tel: +41-22- 917-8193; fax: +41-22-797-3460; e-mail: pops@unep.ch SIXTH SESSION OF THE POPS INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATING COMMITTEE: The sixth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for an International Legally Binding Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPS INC-6) will be held from 17-22 June 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: tel: +41-22-917-8193; fax: +41-22-797-3460; e-mail: pops@unep.ch JOINT FAO-WHO MEETING ON PESTICIDE RESIDUES: The 27th Session of the Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO Expert Group on Pesticide Residues (JMPR) is scheduled for 20-29 September 2002 in Rome. For more information contact: Amelia Tejada, FAO; tel: +39- 6-5705-4010; Internet: http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pesticid/Even ts/c.htm FAO PANEL OF EXPERTS ON PESTICIDE SPECIFICATIONS, REGISTRATION REQUIREMENTS, APPLICATION STANDARDS AND PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT: The 19th session of the Panel is scheduled for 27-29 October 2002, in Rome, Italy. For more information contact: Gero Vaagt, FAO; tel: +39-6-5705-5757; e-mail: Gero.Vaagt@fao.org; Internet: http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pesticid/Even ts/c.htm PIC INC-9: The ninth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee for an International Legally Binding Instrument for the Application of the Prior Informed Consent Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade is tentatively scheduled for 30 September - 4 October 2002, in Bonn, Germany. For more information contact the interim Secretariat: Niek van der Graaff, FAO; tel: +39-6-5705-3441; fax: +39-6-5705- 6347; e-mail: Niek.VanderGraaff@fao.org; or Jim Willis, UNEP Chemicals; tel: +41-22-917-8111; e-mail: chemicals@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.pic.int/ BASEL CONVENTION COP-6: The Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP- 6) to the Basel Convention is scheduled to be held from 9-13 December 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: Secretariat of the Basel Convention; tel: +41-22-979 8218; fax: +41-22-797 3454; e-mail: sbc@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.basel.int FOURTH SESSION OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL FORUM ON CHEMICAL SAFETY (IFCS): FORUM IV is scheduled to be held from 1-7 November 2003 in Bangkok, Thailand, with FORUM V taking place in Hungary in late 2005 or 2006. For more information contact: the IFCS Executive Secretary; tel: +41-22-791-3650; e-mail: ifcs@who.ch; Internet: http://www.ifcs.ch CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERE RIO 02 - WORLD CLIMATE AND ENERGY EVENT: This event will be held from 6-11 January 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The objectives are to analyze current developments of climate and energy research, demonstrate latest technology and discuss appropriate measures for implementation. For more information visit: http://www.rio02.de/ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT: This conference will be held from 19-21 January 2002 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, and will consider the technical scope of power generation from offshore wind, waves, current and tidal schemes. The conference will also consider technologies for the medium- to long-term and will address technical challenges in developing renewable energy sources. For more information contact: A.K.M. Sadrul Islam, Convener; fax: +880-2-861-3046; e-mail: sadrul@me.buet.edu THIRD INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON NON-GREENHOUSE GASES - SCIENTIFIC UNDERSTANDING, CONTROL AND IMPLEMENTATION: This symposium will be held from 21-23 January 2002, in Maastricht, the Netherlands. For more information contact: the Symposium secretariat; tel: +31-73- 621-5985; fax: +31-73-621-6985; e-mail: vvm@wxs.nl; Internet: http://www.milieukundigen.nl EARTH TECHNOLOGIES FORUM: This conference and exhibition on global climate change and ozone protection technologies and policies will be held from 25-27 March 2002 in Washington, DC. The conference is being sponsored by the International Climate Change Partnership and the Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, in cooperation with a number of governmental and intergovernmental agencies and organizations, as well industry groups. Participants will discuss current technologies and efforts to bring them into the marketplace. For more information contact: tel: +1-703-807-4052; e-mail: earthforum@alcalde-fay.com; Internet: http://www.earthforum.com SECOND MEETING OF THE BUREAU OF THE FIFTH MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE VIENNA CONVENTION: This bureau meeting will take place on 28 March 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62- 1234 or 62-3850; Internet: http://www.unep.org/ozone INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT: This conference will take place from 8-9 April 2002 in Manchester, UK. The conference will consider the challenge of climate change and its effects on buildings, their occupants and sustainability. Topics to be addressed include Kyoto Protocol implications for the built environment, and how various countries are dealing with climate change relating to the built environment. For more information contact: H. McCaffery; tel: +44-161-200-4252; Internet: http://www.umist.ac.uk PROGRAMME ON CLIMATE CHANGE - SCIENCE, IMPACTS AND POLICY RESPONSES: This event will take place from 15-19 April 2002 at Imperial College, London, UK. The five day modular programme aims to bring a diversity of professionals together to help them understand the underlying science and the business impact of climate change and responses. For more information contact: Ulrika Wernmark; tel: +44-20-7594-6886; fax: +44-20-7594-6883; e-mail: u.wernmark@ic.ac.uk; Internet: http://www.ad.ic.ac.uk/cpd/climate.htm CONFERENCE AND WORKSHOP ON CLIMATE VARIABILITY AND CHANGE AND THEIR HEALTH EFFECTS IN THE CARIBBEAN: This conference will take place from 20-24 May 2002 in Bridgetown, Barbados. The conference is sponsored by the Pan-American Health Organization and the WHO under the auspices of the Interagency Network on Climate and Human Health. The conference will consider: climate variability and climate change; health status in the Caribbean region; linkages between climate and human health; and public health policies and strategies for adaptation to climate variability and change. For more information visit: http://www.cpc.paho.org 16TH SESSION OF THE UNFCCC SUBSIDIARY BODIES: SB-16 will take place in Bonn, Germany, from 3-14 June 2002. For more information contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228- 815-1999; e-mail: secretariat@unfccc.de; Internet: http://www.unfccc.de FIRST MEETING OF THE BUREAU OF THE 13TH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: This bureau meeting will be held on 1 July 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62-1234; Internet: http://www.unep.org/ozone 22ND OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: This meeting will take place from 22-26 July 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62-1234 or 62-3850; Internet: http://www.unep.org/ozone EIGHTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC: COP-8 is provisionally planned to take place from 23 October - 1 November 2002, at a location to be determined. For more information contact: UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228- 815-1999; e-mail: secretariat@unfccc.int; Internet: http://www.unfccc.int/ 14TH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: The 14th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and Sixth Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention will be held from 25-29 November 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62-1234 or 62-3850; Internet: http://www.unep.org/ozone/meet2002.shtml DESERTIFICATION SECOND MEETING OF THE UNCCD PANEL OF EMINENT PERSONALITIES IN PREPARATION FOR THE WSSD: The second meeting of the members of the panel of eminent personalities is scheduled to take place in February 2002, in Niger. The panel will discuss the poverty- environment nexus in the context of timely and effective implementation of the UNCCD. For more information contact: Satu Ravola, UNCCD; tel: +49-228-815-2805; e-mail: sravola@unccd.int; Internet: http://www.unccd.int SYMPOSIUM ON ALTERNATIVE WAYS TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION: This traveling event will be held 8-20 April 2002, in Cape Town, South Africa, various rural communities, and Gobabeb, Namibia. The aim of this combined international symposium, rural community interaction and workshop is to connect community action with science and common sense. For more information contact: Odette de Heer Kloots; tel: +27-21-762-8600; e-mail: desertification@globalconf.co.za; Internet: http://des2002.az.blm.gov/homepage.htm INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON DROUGHT MITIGATION AND PREVENTION OF LAND DESERTIFICATION: This conference will take place from 21-25 April 2002 in Bled, Slovenia. Co-organized by the European Regional Working Group of the International Commission on Irrigation and Drainage, this event will discuss: the impact of climate change on the Central and East European and Mediterranean countries; national strategies and action programmes to mitigate drought; and international cooperation for solving related common drought problems. For more information contact: e-mail: SDNO-SINCID@guest.arnes.si; Internet: http://www2.arnes.si/~ljsdno2/eng7.htm 18TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE: This congress will take place from 21-28 July 2002 in Montreal, Canada. The theme of this conference is "Food Production under Conditions of Water Scarcity, Increasing Population and Environmental Pressures." For more information contact: Jean-Marcel Laferriere; tel: +1-819-953-4327; fax: +1-819-994-0251; e-mail: jeanmarc_laferriere@acdi-cida.gc.ca; Internet: http://www.cancid.org SEVENTEENTH WORLD CONGRESS OF SOIL SCIENCE: This meeting will take place from 14-21 August 2002, in Bangkok, Thailand, and will address the topic "Soil Science: Confronting New Realities in the 21st Century." For more information contact: Secretariat, 17th WCSS; tel: +662-940-5787, 9405-7078; fax: +662-940-5788; e-mail: o.sfst@nontri.ku.ac.th; Internet: http://www.17wcss.ku.ac.th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE FOR DRY AREAS FOR THE SECOND MILLENNIUM: This conference will be held from 15-19 September 2002 in Shijiazhuang, China. For more information contact: Catherine Vachon, Lethbridge Research Center, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada; tel: +1-403-317-2257; fax: +1-403-382-3156; Internet: http://res2.agr.ca/lethbridge/hebei/confindex.htm INTERNATIONAL COLLOQUIUM ON LAND USE MANAGEMENT, EROSION AND CARBON SEQUESTRATION: This colloquium will be held from 24-28 September 2002 in Montpellier, France. Separate sessions on a biological approach to soil and water conservation and soil erosion and carbon sequestration will be held. For more information contact: Eric Roose; tel: +33-0-467-41-62-65; fax: +33-0-467-41-62-94; e-mail: roose@mpl.ird.fr; Internet: http://www.ird.fr CCD COP-6: This meeting is scheduled to take place from 19-31 October 2003 in Bonn, Germany, unless another country offers to host the meeting. For more information contact: CCD Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-2800; fax: +49-228-815-2898/99; e-mail: secretariat@unccd.int; Internet: http://www.unccd.int FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON LAND DEGRADATION AND DESERTIFICATION: This meeting will be held in 2004 in Murcia, Spain. For more information contact: Ángel Faz Cano; e-mail: angel.fazcano@upct.es 19TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS ON IRRIGATION AND DRAINAGE (ICID): This congress will be held in Beijing, China from 10-18 September 2005. For more information contact: Chinese National Committee on Irrigation and Drainage, No. 20 West Chegongzhuang Road, Beijing 100044, China; tel: +86-10-6841-5522/6841-6506; e-mail: cncid@iwhr.com FORESTS THIRD MCPFE WORKSHOP ON IMPROVEMENT OF PAN-EUROPEAN INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT: This meeting will be held from 14- 15 January 2002 in Budapest, Hungary. For more information contact: Ewald Rametsteiner, Liaison Unit Vienna; tel: +43-1-710- 77-02; fax: +43-1-710-77-02-13; e-mail: liaison.unit@lu-vienna.at; Internet: http://www.mcpfe.org EXPERT MEETING ON HARMONIZING FOREST-RELATED DEFINITIONS FOR USE BY VARIOUS STAKEHOLDERS: This meeting will be held from 23-25 January 2002 in Rome, Italy. The purpose of the meeting is to start a process to re-view, improve and harmonize forest-related definitions, which will be important to the forestry and agriculture sectors, and to the implementation of the UNFCCC, CBD and CCD. For more information contact: Dan Rugabira; tel: +39- 06570-56294; e-mail: Dan.Rugabira@fao.org INTERNATIONAL EXPERT MEETING OF FOREST LANDSCAPES RESTORATION: This meeting will take place from 27 February - 2 March 2002 in San José, Costa Rica. Sponsored by IUCN, WWF and ITTO, the theme of this meeting is "Building Assets for People and Nature." For more information contact: Dagmar Timmer, IUCN; e-mail: forests@iucn.org or Stephanie Mansourian, WWF-International; e-mail: smansourian@wwfint.org SECOND SESSION OF THE UN FORUM ON FORESTS: UNFF-2 will take place in San José, Costa Rica, from 4-15 March 2002. This meeting will include a high-level ministerial segment. For more information contact: Mia Soderlund, UNFF Secretariat; tel: + 1-212-963-3262; fax: +1-212-963 4260; e-mail: unff@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/forests.htm HIGH-LEVEL FORESTRY ROUNDTABLE AT THE SECOND SESSION OF THE UNFF: This meeting will be held in San Jose, Costa Rica, on 11 March 2002, during the UNFF-2. For more information contact Kanta Kumari; tel: +1-202-473-4260; fax: +1-202-522-3240; e-mail: kkumari@worldbank.org BRITISH COLUMBIA COMMUNITY FORESTRY FORUM - EXPLORING POLICY AND PRACTICE: This meeting will take place from 14-16 2002 March in Victoria, Canada. The Forum is designed to facilitate discussion and information-sharing about community forestry. For more information contact: Brian Egan; tel: +1-250-472-5106; e-mail: info@cf-forum.org; Internet: http://www.cf-forum.org SESSIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL AND ASSOCIATE SESSIONS OF ITS COMMITTEES: The 32nd session will take place from 13-18 May 2002 in Bali, Indonesia, while the 33rd session will be held from 4-9 November 2002 in Yokohama, Japan. For more information contact: tel: +81-45-223-1110; e-mail: itto@itto.or.jp; Internet: http://www.itto.or.jp INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON PROTECTING NATURE ON PRIVATE LAND - FROM CONFLICTS TO AGREEMENTS: This conference will take place from 12-15 June 2002 in Lahti, Finland. The conference will discuss issues related to the collision of interests between nature conservation and land ownership. For more information contact: Päivi Tikka; tel: +358-9-191-58807; e-mail: paivi.tikka@helsinki.fi; Internet: http://www.efi.fi/events/2002/Protecting_Nature/ WILDLIFE SHRUB SYMPOSIUM XII: This meeting will take place from 12-16 August 2002 in Laramie, Wyoming, USA. Organized by the University of Wyoming, the symposium topic is "Seed and Soil Dynamics in Shrubland Ecosystems." For more information contact: Ann Hild, Symposium Chair; tel: +1-307-766-5471; e-mail: AnnHils@uwyo.edu; Internet: http://uwadmnweb.uwyo.edu/renewableresources/shrub_conf.htm FOURTH MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE ON THE PROTECTION OF FORESTS IN EUROPE: This Ministerial Conference will be held from 28-30 April 2003 in Vienna, Austria. European ministers responsible for forests will take further decisions to promote the progress towards the protection and sustainable management of forests in Europe. For more information contact: Peter Mayer, Liaison Unit Vienna; tel: +43-1-710-77-02; fax: +43-1-710-77-02-13; e-mail: liaison.unit@lu-vienna.at; Internet: http://www.mcpfe.org 12TH WORLD FORESTRY CONGRESS: This meeting will take place from 21-28 September 2003 in Québec City, Québec, Canada. For more information visit: http://www.wfc2003.org/ HABITAT CONFERENCE ON PARTNERSHIP FOR URBAN DEVELOPMENT - NEW APPROACHES, NEW ACTORS FOR CHANGING URBAN POLICY: This international conference on urban development will be held in March 2002 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. For more information contact: Internet: http://www.inta-aivn.org/20-activities/Ethiopia.htm THE URBAN FORUM: This forum will take place from 6-10 May 2002 in Nairobi, Kenya. This forum will focus on international cooperation in shelter and urban development and will serve as an advisory body to the UNCHS on these issues. For more information contact: Joseph Mungai; tel: +254-2-623133; e-mail: Joseph.Mungai@unchs.org; Internet: http://www.unchs.org/uf STOCKHOLM PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE CITIES EVENT: This event, which will include a conference and an exhibit along with a competition and award session, is scheduled for 5-8 June 2002 in Stockholm, Sweden. The event will showcase methods to achieve urban sustainability worldwide, and commemorate the 1972 UN Conference on the Human Environment. For more information contact: Adam Holmstrom; tel: +46-8-508-28017; e-mail: adam.holmstrom@partnerships.stockholm.se; Internet: http://www.partnerships.stockholm.se INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS SEVENTH SPECIAL SESSION OF THE UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL/GLOBAL MINISTERIAL ENVIRONMENT FORUM: This conference will take place from 13-15 February 2002 in Cartagena, Colombia. For more information contact: Secretary for Governing Council; tel: +254-2- 623431; fax: +254-2-623929; e-mail: beverly.miller@unep.org; Internet: http://www.unep.org/governingbodies/gc/specialsessions/gcss_vii/ ANNUAL MEETINGS OF THE IMF/WORLD BANK GROUP: The annual meetings of the IMF/World Bank will take place from 1-2 October 2002 in Washington, DC, and from 23-24 September 2003 in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. For more information visit: http://www.imf.org/external/am/index.htm UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL: The 22nd regular session of the UNEP Governing Council is scheduled for 3-7 February 2003 in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information contact: UNEP; tel: +254-2-621234; fax: +254-2-624489/90; e-mail: cpiinfo@unep.org; Internet: http://www.unep.org OCEANS AND COASTS SOLUTIONS TO COASTAL DISASTERS CONFERENCE 2002: This conference will be held 24-27 February 2002 in San Diego, California. The goals of the conference are to project future trends in coastal disaster occurrence and management options by examining past events, and identify gaps in information exchange between researchers and managers; and offer potential solutions to close the gaps. For more information contact: Lesley Ewing; tel: +1-415- 904-5291; e-mail: lewing@coastal.ca.gov; Internet: http://www.asce.org/conferences/cd2002/home.html 12TH MEETING OF THE STATES PARTIES TO THE UN CONVENTION ON THE LAW OF THE SEA: This meeting will be held from 16-26 April 2002 in New York. For more information contact: UN Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea; tel: +1-212-963-3972; e-mail: doalos@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/Depts/los/index.htm 54TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL WHALING COMMISSION (IWC): This meeting will take place during the week starting Monday, 20 May 2002 in Shimonoseki, Japan. The Scientific Committee and Commission Committees and Working Groups will be meeting at the same venue. For more information contact: IWC Secretariat; tel: +44-12-2323-3971; e-mail: iwc@iwcoffice.org; Internet: http://www.iwcoffice.org MEETING ON MANAGING SHARED WATERS - TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE TRANSBOUNDARY COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS: This meeting will convene from 24-28 June 2002 in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main objectives are to evaluate international capacity, equip coastal communities, examine real-life applications of transboundary coastal ocean management through examples, and produce an outcome report with recommendations and strategies to improve capacity to manage sustainable transboundary coastal ecosystems. For more information contact: Managing Shared Waters; tel: +1-416-926-1907; fax: +1- 416-926-1601; e-mail: managing.shared.waters@pollutionprobe.org; Internet: http://www.pollutionprobe.org/managing.shared.waters/ CONFERENCE ON FISHERIES IN THE GLOBAL ECONOMY: This event will take place from 19-22 August 2002 in Wellington, New Zealand. Organized by the International Institute of Fisheries Economics and Trade (IIFET), this event will provide a forum for participants to consider the future management of fisheries. For more information contact: IIFET 2002 Organizer; tel: +64-4-389- 3487; fax: +64-4-389-3457: e-mail: bruce.shallard@xtra.co.nz; Internet: http://www.iifet2002.co FOURTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS IN COASTAL REGIONS –COASTAL ENVIRONMENT 2002: This conference will take place from 16-18 September 2002 in Rhodes, Greece. The fourth in this series, the conference will focus on topics that need to be recognized in order to prevent, alleviate, or minimize environmental problems, allowing for a balanced use of the coastal regions as a common resource around the world. For more information contact: Gabriella Cossutta, Conference Secretariat; tel: +44-238-029-3223; fax: +44-238-029-2853; e-mail: gcossutta@wessex.ac.uk; Internet: http://www.wessex.ac.uk/conferences/2002/coastal02/ SECOND INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVIEW MEETING ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GPA: The second IGR meeting will be held in 2006. For more information contact: Veerle Vanderweerd, GPA Coordination Office; tel: +31-70-311-4460; fax:+31-70-345-6648; e-mail: gpa@unep.nl; Internet: http://www.gpa.unep.org POPULATION 28TH SESSION OF THE COMMITTEE ON WORLD FOOD SECURITY: CFS-28 is tentatively scheduled to take place from 6-8 June 2002 in Rome, Italy, prior to the World Food Summit. For more information contact: Barbara Huddleston, FAO: e-mail: Barbara.Huddleston@fao.org; Internet: http://www.fao.org/unfao/bodies/cfs/default.htm WORLD FOOD SUMMIT: This meeting will be held from 10-13 June 2002 in Rome, Italy. Participants will review progress made towards the 1996 World Food Summit goal of reducing the number of hungry people by half by 2015, and consider ways to accelerate the process. For more information contact: fax: +39-06-570-55249; e-mail: food-summit@fao.org; Internet: http://www.fao.org/worldfoodsummit/ SECOND WORLD MEETING OF MOUNTAIN POPULATIONS: This meeting will take place from 20-24 September 2002 in Quito, Ecuador. Representatives of 115 countries will discuss the challenges facing mountain communities worldwide. For more information contact: e-mail: cedime@ecuanex.net.ec; Internet: http://www.mtnforum.org/calendar/events/0209wmma.htm UN COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT: The Commission's 35th Session, to be held in 2002, will address the issue of "Reproductive rights and reproductive health, with special reference to HIV/AIDS." The 36th Session in 2003 will focus on "Population, education and development." For more information contact: Population Division; tel: +1-212-963-3179; fax: +1-212- 963-2147 SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT WORLD SOCIAL FORUM: The second World Social Forum will take place from 31 January - 5 February 2002 in Porto Alegre, Brazil. The forum will seek to help build a world based on solidarity, social justice and participatory political democracy, respecting cultural diversity and the environment. For more information visit: http://www.forumsocialmundial.org.br/eng/index.asp UN COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: The 40th Session of the UN Commission for Social Development will be held from 12-21 February 2002 in New York. The theme of the session will be integration of social and economic policy. For more in-formation visit: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/csd/2002.htm SECOND WORLD ASSEMBLY ON AGEING: This UN conference will be held in Madrid, Spain from 8-12 April 2002, 20 years after the Vienna World Assembly on Ageing. The meeting will review the outcome of the first Assembly, and will adopt a revised plan of action and long-term strategy on ageing. For more information contact: Alexandre Sidorenko, UN Programme on Ageing; e-mail: sidorenko@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/ageing UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION ON CHILDREN: The UN General Assembly's Special Session on Children is planned for 8-10 May 2002 in New York. The meeting, previously scheduled for 19-21 September 2001, is a follow-up to the 1990 conference that set the guidelines for governments, interest groups and U.N. agencies to improve child education, healthcare and living conditions, with a focus on young girls and the poorest nations. For more information visit: http://www.unicef.org/specialsession/ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE OF MOUNTAIN CHILDREN 2002: This conference will take place from 15-23 May 2002 in Uttaranchal, India. For more information contact: e-mail: catalyst@bol.net.in or rachnadd@nde.vsnl.com TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT WIPO INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE – OUR IDENTITY, OUR FUTURE: This forum will take place from 21-22 January 2002 in Muscat, Oman. Participation will be at the ministerial level, with ministers responsible for culture and/or intellectual property matters attending. The objective is to provide an opportunity to exchange views and share experiences on the social, cultural and economic dimensions of the protection of traditional knowledge. For more information contact: WIPO; tel: +41-22-338-9111; fax: 733-5428; e-mail: wipo.mail@wipo.int; Internet: http://www.wipo.org/arab/en/meetings/2002/muscat_forum_ip/index.html CONFERENCE ON FOREIGN DIRECT INVESTMENT AND ENVIRONMENT: This conference will be held from 7-8 February 2002 in Paris, France. Organized by the OECD, the conference aims to shed light on the broader linkages between FDI and the environment in the mining sector, an important sector for the economy in many developing countries, and where environmental concerns have frequently been voiced. For more information visit: http://www.oecd.org/oecd/pages/home/displaygener-al/ 0,3380,EN-document-0-nodirectorate-no-20-21276-0,FF.html WETLANDS REGIONAL AND SUB-REGIONAL MEETINGS UNDER THE RAMSAR CONVENTION: Prior to the Eighth Conference of the Parties (COP-8) to the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands in 2002, a number of preparatory regional and sub-regional meetings are under consideration, dependent on funding. For more information visit: http://www.ramsar.org/cop8_regionalmeetings_schedule.htm WORLD WETLANDS DAY 2002: This event is held on 2 February each year. Government agencies, citizen groups and other stakeholders undertake actions aimed at raising public awareness of the values and benefits of wetlands and the Ramsar Convention. For more information visit: http://www.ramsar.org/wwd2002_index.htm RAMSAR CONVENTION STANDING COMMITTEE MEETINGS: The Ramsar Standing Committee subgroup on COP-8 will meet from 6-8 May 2002 in Gland, Switzerland. The 27th meeting will take place on 17 November 2002, prior to COP-8. For more information contact: Ramsar Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland; tel: +41-22-999-0170; e-mail: ramsar@ramsar.org; Internet: http://www.ramsar.org/meetings.htm RAMSAR CONVENTION ON WETLANDS COP-8: COP-8 is scheduled to convene in Valencia, Spain from 18-26 November 2002. The theme of this COP is "Wetlands: Water, Life, and Culture." For more information contact: Ramsar Secretariat, Gland, Switzerland; tel: +41-22-999- 0170; e-mail: ramsar@ramsar.org; Internet: http://www.ramsar.org/index_cop8.htm WILDLIFE 46TH MEETING OF THE STANDING COMMITTEE OF THE CONVENTION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES (CITES): This meeting of the Standing Committee of CITES will be held from 11-15 March 2002 in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-8139; fax: +41-22-797-3417; e-mail: cites@unep.ch SEVENTH INTERNATIONAL WILDLIFE CONFERENCE: This conference will take place on 30 March 2002 in Washington, DC. The theme for the conference will be "The Convention on Biological Diversity: A Ten Year Report Card." For more information contact: William Burns; tel: +1-650-281-9126; fax: +1-801-838-4710; e-mail: asilwildlife@pacbell.net; Internet: http://eelink.net/~asilwildlife/programs2.shtml 18TH MEETING OF THE CITES ANIMALS COMMITTEE: This meeting will be held from 8-12 April 2002 in Costa Rica. For more information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-8139; e-mail: cites@unep.ch 12TH MEETING OF THE CITES PLANTS COMMITTEE: This meeting will take place from 13-17 May 2002 in Leiden, the Netherlands. For more information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-8139; e-mail: cites@unep.ch 11TH MEETING OF THE CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY SPECIES (CMS) SCIENTIFIC COUNCIL: This meeting will take place from 14-17 September 2002 in Bonn, Germany. For more information contact: CMS Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-2401/2; e-mail: cms@unep.de; Internet: http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cms/events.htm CMS COP-7: The seventh Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species is scheduled to take place from 15-28 September 2002 in Bonn, Germany. The Second Meeting of the Parties to the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA MOP-2) will also be held at this time. For more information on this meeting and others relating to the Convention on Migratory Species contact: CMS Secretariat, Bonn, Germany; tel: +49-228-815-2401/2; e-mail: cms@unep.de; Internet: http://www.wcmc.org.uk/cms/events.htm CITES COP-12: This meeting will take place from 3-15 November 2002 in Santiago, Chile. For more information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-8139; e-mail: cites@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.cites.org/eng/news/calendar.shtml FIFTH WORLD PARKS CONGRESS - BENEFITS BEYOND BOUNDARIES: This event will take place from 8-17 September 2003 in Durban, South Africa. The congress occurs once each decade and is sponsored by the IUCN. For more information visit: http://cpa.iucn.org/wpc/wpc.html WOMEN 26TH SESSION OF THE UN COMMITTEE ON THE ELIMINATION OF DISCRIMINATION AGAINST WOMEN (CEDAW): The 26th session of CEDAW is scheduled to take place from 14 January - 1 February 2002 at UN Headquarters in New York. For more information contact: Women's Rights Unit, DAW, New York; fax: +1-212-963-3463; e-mail: connorsj@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/cedaw/committ INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON WOMEN, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR POVERTY ALLEVIATION: This conference will be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from 4-6 March 2002, and will address issues such as environment and natural resources management, women and information technology, and rural/indigenous technology conservation and utilization. For more information contact: Conference Organizers; tel: +977-1-262741; fax: +977-1-547713; e-mail: kayodevi@hotmail.com; Internet: http://www.panasia.org.sg/nepalnet/ronastup.htm 46TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: This meeting will convene from 4-15 March 2002 at the UN Headquarters in New York. For more information contact: Division for the Advancement of Women; fax: +1-212-963-3463; Internet: http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/csw/ GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON CELEBRATING MOUNTAIN WOMEN: This conference will be held from 28-31 May 2002 in Kathmandu, Nepal. This event will give mountain women a forum through which to articulate their concerns and share experiences and ideas about the future of mountain livelihoods and cultures. For more information contact: Ojaswi Josse; tel: +977-1-525313x418; fax: 524509; e-mail: ojaswi@icimod.org.np; Internet: http://www.mtnforum.org/calendar/events/0205mwaa.htm WOMEN'S WORLD 2002 - EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL INTERDISCIPLINARY CONGRESS ON WOMEN: This meeting will be held from 21-26 July 2002 in Kampala, Uganda. The congress theme is "Gendered Worlds: Gains and Challenges" and the sub-themes have been selected to ensure special focus on African Perspectives, Young Voices, Celebrating Multiculturalism and Diversity, and North-South Perspectives. For more information visit: http://www.makerere.ac.ug/womenstudies/congress2/index.htm STAFF Editor: Malena Sell malena@iisd.org Assistant Editor: Prisna Nuengsigkapian prisna@iisd.org Managing Editor: Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI kimo@iisd.org Proofreader/advisor: Chris Spence chris@iisd.org Submissions, corrections, requests for subscription information and correspondence should be sent to the editor at malena@iisd.org. The opinions expressed in /linkages/journal/ are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of IISD and our funders. Excerpts from /linkages/journal/ may be used in other publications with appropriate academic citation. /linkages/journal/ may not be reproduced, reprinted or posted to any system or service without specific permission from the International Institute for Sustainable Development info@iisd.ca. This limitation includes distribution via Usenet News, bulletin board systems, mailing lists, print media and broadcast. For more information, send a message to malena@iisd.org The Sustaining Donors of IISD Reporting Services publications, including Earth Negotiations Bulletin and /linkages/journal/, are the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Government of Canada (through CIDA), the United States (through USAID), the Swiss Agency for Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL), the United Kingdom (through the Department for International Development - DfID, and the Foreign & Commonwealth Office), the European Commission (DG-ENV), the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Government of Germany (through the German Federal Ministry of Environment - BMU, and the German Federal Ministry of Development Cooperation - BMZ). General Support for the Bulletin during 2001 is provided by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment of Finland, the Government of Australia, the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Sweden, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of New Zealand, the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment of Norway, Swan International, and the Japan Environment Agency (through the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies – IGES).