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CSD-RELATED INTERSESSIONAL MEETINGS

WORKSHOP ON ECONOMIC INSTRUMENTS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The Czech Republic is organizing a workshop on "Economic Instruments for Sustainable Development," which will be held in Pruhonice from 12-14 January 1995. Topics for discussion include: framework for the application of economic instruments; evaluation of economic instruments applied in national policies; public expenditure for sustainable development on the national level; possible roles for economic instruments on the international level; and private/public partnerships on the national and international levels. For more information, contact Zdenek Such nek, Ministry of Environment, Vrsovicka 65, 100 10 Prague 10, Czech Republic; tel: +422 6712 21 09; fax: +422 6731 00 14.

FINANCIAL ISSUES FOR AGENDA 21: Japan and Malaysia will co-host a second meeting on financial issues for Agenda 21 in preparation for the CSD"s Ad Hoc Working Group on Finance. This meeting, which will take place in Kuala Lumpur from 24-26 January 1995, will address the following issues: ODA; private financing; the role of the Bretton Woods and other development institutions; national policies; and the mobilization of financial resources. Participants will utilize the results of the Czech meeting to discuss innovative financing mechanisms. The meeting will also review and evaluate economic instruments related to environment and taxation, reducing military expenses and specific sectoral and cross sectoral financing. For more information, contact the Mission of Malaysia to the UN at +1-212-986-6310.

SECOND EXPERT LEVEL FOLLOW-UP MEETING OF THE HELSINKI CONFERENCE: This meeting (the Helsinki Process) will be held in Antalya, Turkey, from 23-24 January 1995, with the objectives to finalize the Pan-European interim follow-up report on the sustainable management of forests in Europe and to consider, on the political level, the circumstances for organizing the next ministerial conference and what achievements have been made since the Helsinki Conference in June 1993. The meeting will also complete the European List of the most suitable quantitative indicators for sustainable forest management.

EUROPEAN COMMISSION ON FORESTRY: The European Commission on Forestry will meet in Antalya, Turkey, from 25-28 January 1995.

OSLO ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION: The Norwegian Government is hosting a meeting on sustainable consumption and production patterns that will serve as a follow- up to the symposium that it hosted in 1994. The Roundtable will take place from 6-10 February 1995 in Oslo. The main subjects for discussion will be the elements for the CSD programme of work. The Roundtable will also analyze concepts and trends, via examination of supply chains from cradle to grave, to discussions of possible measures and their effects. The effects of proposals on developing countries will also be addressed. Challenges and trends, options for change as well as suggestions for action will form the point of departure for discussion of elements for the work programme. For more information, contact the Norwegian Ministry of Environment, Myntgt 2, PO Box 8013 Dep., 0030 Oslo, Norway; tel: +47-22-34-90-90; fax: +47-22-34-95-61.

WORKSHOP ON FACILITIES FOR SUSTAINABLE HOUSEHOLDS: The Government of the Netherlands is organizing a Workshop on Facilities for Sustainable Households, which will be held at the end of February or the beginning of March. The Workshop will discuss the results of the Oslo meeting and focus on: definition of the obstacles that currently prevent more sustainable behavior in households; identification of the key actors to overcome these obstacles; and identification of opportunities and incentives to encourage actors to change. Participation will be limited to 50 officials from ministries, intergovernmental organizations and NGOs to allow for interactive discussions.

WORKING GROUP ON CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR THE CONSERVATION AND SUSTAINABLE MANAGEMENT OF BOREAL AND TEMPERATE FORESTS: The Working Group (the Montreal Process) will hold its sixth meeting in Santiago, Chile, from 2-3 February 1995, to review and finalize the criteria and indicators for the conservation and sustainable management of boreal and temperate forests.

FAO EXPERT MEETING ON THE HARMONIZATION OF CRITERIA AND INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE FOREST MANAGEMENT: This meeting will be held in Rome from 13-16 February 1995, to seek information and concurrence on a limited set of core concepts related to sustainable forest management. The meeting will include experts from countries and organizations involved in the international initiatives currently underway on forest management, as well as representatives of those regions and/or ecological zones that presently are not involved in international post-UNCED forestry initiatives. The objectives of the meeting are to review, discuss and report on: thematic and geographical coverage of on-going international initiatives on the formulation of criteria and indicators of sustainable forest management; specific aspects of, and conditions for, sustainable forest management in countries and co-regions/regions not covered by on- going initiatives; substantive technical and policy level issues related to the harmonization of initiatives on sustainable forest management at the global level; development of a minimum core set of criteria and indicators for sustainability; and proposed modalities and a time frame for global harmonization of efforts in this respect. For more information, contact Richard Lydiker, Director of Information Division, FAO at +39-6-5225-3510.

FAO COMMITTEE ON FORESTS: The FAO Committee on Foreststs(COFO) will meet in Rome from 16-17 March 1995. Its agenda includes: major issues for CSD attention related to sustainable management and development of forests; regional perspectives on implementation of UNCED agreements for the attention of the CSD; a summary of post-UNCED initiatives in forestry; efforts towards harmonization of criteria and indicators for sustainable forest management; and a review of advantages and disadvantages related to initiating the evolution of the Forest Principles into a legally-binding international instrument or convention on forests.

COFO will be preceded by a private sector meeting in February and an NGO meeting in March, both of which will focus on preparations for the CSD. Ministers responsible for forestry will meet on 17-18 March 1995, in Rome, in a high-level segment to search for agreement on major issues to be considered by the CSD. For more information, contact Richard Lydiker, Director of Information Division, FAO at +39-6-5225-3510.

SYMPOSIUM ON SUSTAINABLE WATER MANAGEMENT: Israel and Japan will convene a symposium on sustainable water management in early 1995. The seminar will address policies, strategies, capacity building, research and development, irrigation, sustainable agriculture, use of treated sewage water, efficient utilization of rainwater and run off. Approximately 30-35 high- level experts will be invited to participate. For more information, contact the Mission of Israel to the UN at +1-212-351-5208.

WORKSHOP ON INTEGRATED PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT OF LAND RESOURCES: The Netherlands and the FAO are organizing a workshop on the subject of Chapter 10 of Agenda 21. The workshop, which will be held in Wageningen, the Netherlands, from 30 January to 1 February 1995, aims at formulating a set of recommendations and policy options that will be presented to the CSD session in April 1995. The main focus will be on integrated application of tools and instruments for planning and management of rural areas and possibilities for sustainable economic activities within as well as outside the agricultural sector.

SCOPE/UNEP WORKSHOP ON INDICATORS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The Government of Belgium will host this workshop from 9-11 January 1995 in Gent. The workshop aims at bringing together users of sustainability indicators. These users and data producers will examine indicators as sources of information that can measure national sustainability and policy goals. This workshop will contribute to the process of developing indicators for sustainable development within the context of the CSD.

MEETING ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF BIOTECHNOLOGY: The Netherlands and the UK are organizing a meeting where international experts attending in their personal capacities will share views on the development and use of biotechnology. The purpose is to collect information and views on focusing on the objectives in Chapter 16 of Agenda 21. The meeting will run from 11-13 January 1995. Experts have been invited from UNCED"s working party on biotechnology, the Biotechnology Advisory Committee of the Stockholm Institute and members from international organizations, NGOs, UN agencies and secretariats, and governments, while trying to achieve a North-South balance.

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