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Events convened on Thursday, 28 March 2002 |
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New Partnership
for Africa's Development
Sékou Touré, UNEP, highlighted that NEPAD's priorities originate from within Africa and that several Heads of State are personally committed to the development of the initiative. He addressed funding resources for outcomes, discussed the role of Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade as a lead actor on the environment, and said environmental aspects of the NEPAD policy document will be presented at the WSSD. Discussion: A rich exchange raised issues of, inter alia: challenges in building awareness of NEPAD within Africa; funding resources and NEPAD's budget; civil society participation in the NEPAD development process; hazards and benefits of privatization; the need for integration of NEPAD priorities with national and sub-regional policies; environmental priorities; and transparency and good governance. Many non-African participants expressed strong support for NEPAD, particularly noting its genesis within the continent.
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Strengthening productive capacity in developing countries Presented by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO)
 Listen
to Gürkök's presentation
Ralph Luken, UNIDO, discussed drivers for
the uptake of environmentally sound technology (EST). He noted several
regional studies, which found that formal regulation, community pressure
and plant or firm characteristics are important drivers, as are government
incentives for installation of pollution control equipment, buyer pressure
for environmental management practices, and pricing. Luken highlighted a
UNIDO survey of selected industrial sub-sectors in nine developing
countries, which identified environmental regulatory programmes as a major
driver for EST uptake, as well as supply-chain pressures, information from
research centers, pressure from communities and NGOs, and the cost of
energy and raw material to upgrade technology. Restrictions to the
adoption of technology were also identified, including the perceived high
cost of implementation, uncertainty about the performance of new
technology, and a lack of alternative raw material inputs or process
technologies. Luken discussed considerations for a technology transfer action programme, stressing the need for greater harmonization and integration of industrial, trade and environmental policies at the national level, and for a coordinated, need-driven technology infrastructure at the institutional level.
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Global governance made simple Presented by Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD) International Julia Marton-Lefèvre, LEAD International, explained that the event's goal was to explore ways of understanding the UN system to enable various actors to participate and make meaningful contributions. Lee Kimball, consultant, outlined a strategy for learning about the UN system. She stressed the importance of using the informal process to influence the system, and recommended that NGOs introduce their positions through closer interaction with government delegations.
Aditi Kapoor, Alternative Futures, argued that the UN system should become more media-friendly, as the media could be an important partner for disseminating information to the public on UN processes and for adapting it to the local context. Thais Corral, Women's Environment and Development Organization (WEDO), explained how dialogue, partnerships, and leadership training programmes can lead to positive outcomes in the UN system. Seema Paul, the UN Foundation, described the UN Foundation's successes, in particular effective cooperation with UNESCO, and underscored the importance of partnerships. She stressed that the UN Foundation aims to make the UN system more effective by making NGOs rightful partners in it. Gillian Martin Mehers, LEAD International, previewed a new learning CD-ROM developed by her organization with the aim of exposing learners to key issues of the intergovernmental system, noting that the CD-ROM will be launched at the WSSD. Discussion: Participants emphasized the need for training programmes to reflect changes taking place in the UN system, and for more effective intergovernmental processes.
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The potential for using the multi-stakeholder network model to develop and deliver partnerships for implementation Presented by the Royal Institute of International Affairs
Fanny Calder, Royal Institute of International Affairs, presented a report on the potential of multi-stakeholder networks within the WSSD process. She described strengths and weakness of multi-stakeholder processes, and outlined characteristics of partnerships unique to the WSSD process. Calder highlighted the need to develop linkages between WSSD partnerships and existing national sustainable development processes.
Dhesigen Naidoo, South African Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, discussed the South African experience of partnerships in the context of NEPAD. He suggested that WSSD partnerships be considered in the context of already existing networks, rather than starting from scratch. He addressed power and responsibility relations between partners, and stressed that effective partnerships must be action-oriented and provide clear benefits to all participants. Sarah Timpson, UNDP, described
UNDP's efforts in matching grassroots-level stakeholders with funding by
facilitating new partnerships to bridge capacity gaps in proposal
development. She noted the enormous demand for collaboration once
community outreach mechanisms are in place. Discussion: Participants touched on issues such as: the Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development initiative; resources for multi-stakeholder processes; the need for partnerships to evolve as new types of relationships rather than simply attaching new labels onto existing ones; power-sharing in partnership relations; multi-stakeholder processes in corrupt governance environments; and the need for high-level champions of partnership processes.
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Strengthening international cooperation for the protection of marine resources Presented by the Governments of the US and Canada, with support of the Governments of New Zealand, Australia, Chile and the EU
Listen
to Ortiz's presentationOrtiz described the MCS Network as an arrangement of national organizations and institutions in charge of fisheries-related MCS activities. Its objective is to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of fisheries-related MCS activities through enhanced cooperation, coordination, and information collection and exchange, by providing immediate access to information to aid investigations. The information requirements of the Network include: organizational and institutional contacts; vessel-related data; fishing permit and authorization information; catch and landing data; inspection information and violation and penalty history; and fisheries laws. The core of the Network is a website (see side panel), which houses all of this information. He emphasized the importance of the confidentiality of information exchange. Ortiz explained that participation in the Network is voluntary and entails no costs to members. The goal is to enlist the participation of all flag States, port States, coastal States, market States and jurisdictions where owners and operators reside. He said the Network is also seeking grants to aid developing countries' participation.
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U2 could become USG Presented by the UNA-U2
Bono's candidacy was supported by a coalition of least developed countries that recently benefited from his advocacy for more than US$40 billion in debt cancellation. Bono said fighting poverty, promoting sustainable development and eliminating environmental degradation is far too important a job to be left to bureaucrats, diplomats and civil servants. He called on other mid-career professionals worldwide to volunteer three years of their lives to public service within the United Nations. Buoyed by his recent triumph in convincing the US Government's Bush administration to announce increases in foreign aid, resurrecting success for the recent International Conference on Financing for Development, Bono and side-event participants were enthusiastic about his chances.
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The Earth Negotiations Bulletin (ENB) on the Side is a special publication
of the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) in
cooperation with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The Editor
of ENB on the Side is Kira Schmidt
kira@iisd.org
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| © 2002, IISD. All rights reserved. |
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