Summary report, 9–10 March 2006

The second Nordic Roundtable on Business Relations and Sustainable Consumption and Production in a North/South Perspective took place in Stockholm, Sweden from 9-10 March 2006. The meeting was organized by the Nordic Ad Hoc Group on Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). Forty invited experts from business, industry, government, academia and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) from both developed and developing countries attended the meeting.

Key issues addressed at the roundtable included business opportunities and challenges for SCP in developed and developing countries, the contribution of business and development agencies to SCP, and the themes of energy and industrial development. Participants also considered the availability of SCP skills in business and development agencies, implementation of certification and labeling systems, appropriate market conditions, and implementation of technical infrastructure for SCP.

Based on the discussions at the Stockholm Roundtable, the Nordic Ad Hoc Group on SCP will complete a report to be presented during the Fourteenth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-14) in May 2006, to inform debate on actions for optimizing the positive effects that relations between Nordic enterprises and other businesses can have on sustainable consumption and production. The Stockholm Roundtable expects to influence policy development through dialogue and discussion, based on actual cases and to develop proposals for action for Nordic Countries and other actors.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF CSD, WSSD, AND SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION

The UN Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) the so-called Earth Summit held in June 1992 adopted Agenda 21, a programme of action on environment and development. Chapter 4 of Agenda 21 highlighted unsustainable patterns of consumption and production and focused on developing national policies and strategies to encourage changes in such patterns. Agenda 21 also called for the creation of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD), which was charged with ensuring effective follow-up to UNCED, enhancing international cooperation, and examining progress in implementing Agenda 21 at local, national, regional and international levels. Since June 1993 the CSD Commission has held substantive annual sessions. In 1995, CSD adopted an International Work Programme on Changing Consumption and Production Patterns, which addressed: trends in consumption and production patterns, policy measures to change consumption and production patterns, voluntary commitments from countries, indicators for measuring changes in consumption and production patterns, and a revision of the 1985 UN Guidelines for Consumer Protection.

The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa, in June 2002, adopted two key documents: The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) and the Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development. The JPOI was designed as a framework for action to implement UNCED commitments. Chapter III of the JPOI Changing Unsustainable Patterns of Consumption and Production endorses action to encourage and promote SCP. The chapter calls for decoupling economic growth and environmental degradation. It also calls for integrating consumption and production patterns into sustainable development policies. At the eleventh session of the CSD in 2003 delegates adopted a Multi-Year Programme of Work for 2004-2017, which includes selected theme clusters for consideration over seven two-year implementation cycles. Unsustainable consumption and production was included as a cross-cutting issue for consideration alongside all themes. Furthermore, the ten-year Framework of Programmes was selected for in-depth consideration in 2010/2011.

MARRAKECH PROCESS: From 16-19 June, 2003 the first international expert meeting on a ten-year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption was held in Marrakech, Morocco. This meeting launched the Marrakech Process. Delegates agreed that international follow-up would predominantly consist of coordinating activities to support regional and national initiatives. They also recommended establishing informal task forces or roundtables to promote implementation of SCP policies and strategies, and agreed to hold a second international expert meeting in 2005. The report of the Marrakech meeting was presented to CSD-12.

The Nordic Roundtable on Business Relations and Sustainable Consumption and Production in a North/South Perspective was held in Oslo, Norway from 9-10 March, 2005. The roundtable addressed, inter alia, international cooperation on SCP, the role of business, European Union activities for the implementation of SCP, and the role of developing country governments in supporting SCP. The outcome of the meeting was a report, presented at CSD-13 in April 2005, that aimed to inform debate about how business relations in a North/South perspective can promote SCP. The report also fed into the second international meeting of the Marrakech Process on SCP.

The second international expert meeting on a 10-year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production Marrakech +2 convened from 5-8 September, 2005 in San Jos, Costa Rica. The meeting set out to: develop and assess regional and national action priorities identified by the first international expert meeting; identify international focal points for information exchange and cooperation on elements of the 10-year Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production; explore SCP partnership opportunities; and provide inputs to CSD-14 and CSD-15 on integrating SCP with energy, climate and air pollution and industrial development under consideration. The outcome of the meeting included a non-negotiated Co-Chairs summary report of the meeting, integrating summary reports from the working groups.

NORDIC AD HOC GROUP ON SCP: Nordic Ministers of the Environment agreed in 2003 to establish a Nordic Ad Hoc Group on SCP. The group was requested to assist the Marrakech Process and other SCP work by promoting partnerships, showcasing concrete examples from across Nordic countries, and raising public awareness of SCP. The Nordic Ad Hoc Group has provided input on strengthening the role of business in promoting SCP with a North/South perspective to the Marrakech Process and to the CSD.

REPORT OF THE ROUNDTABLE

The Nordic Roundtable on Business Relations and Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) opened on Thursday morning, 9 March 2006. The meeting was chaired by Swedens Environment Ambassador, Viveka Bohn.

OPENING SESSION

The meeting commenced with words of welcome and a keynote speech by Viveka Bohn on behalf of Mona Sahlin, Swedens Minister for Sustainable Development. This was followed by sessions on business opportunities and challenges related to SCP, North/South production, progress on the Marrakech Process, and viewpoints from the South, development agencies and the business sector.

KEYNOTE SPEECH: Viveka Bohn reported on work on SCP in the Nordic and International context. She emphasized the need to decouple economic growth and environmental degradation and noted the consequences of unsustainable consumption on the South. She encouraged knowledge sharing and technology transfer for more efficient and cleaner energy. Bohn also drew attention to Swedens commitment to move away from fossil fuel dependency by 2020 under the Commission on Oil Independence, appointed by Swedens Prime Minister in December 2005. Thanking the Roundtables organizers, including the Ad Hoc Group on SCP and the Norwegian Foundation for Sustainable Consumption and Production (GRIP), she said that this meeting would feed into CSD-14 and the Marrakech Process.

SESSION ON BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES AND CHALLENGES RELATED TO SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION IN A NORTH/SOUTH CONTEXT

This session examined SCP business opportunities and challenges in the North/South context.

Gunilla Blomquist, Chair, Nordic Ad Hoc Group on Sustainable Development, Swedish Ministry of Sustainable Development, presented a report on North/South Business Relations and Sustainable Consumption and Production, which contained conclusions from the Oslo Roundtable convened in 2005. Blomquist explained that the report aimed to provide better understanding of business networks as drivers for sustainable development, and to identify barriers to SCP. Blomquist said that the report showed that multinational companies and business networks occupy an increasing share of the world market, but that the lack of international coordination, markets, and incentives was a major barrier for SCP. For example, companies investing in the South face high capital investment costs, promoting short-term decision-making that discounts the future. She added that fuel subsidies hinder fair competition between fossil fuels and renewable energy sources. Blomquist concluded by saying that future business priorities should include new markets for green products and stable governance.

Anders Nordstrm, Group Adviser Corporate Social Responsibility, ABB, presented A business view on sustainable consumption and production. He stated that there are many challenges for sustainable energy supply systems such as sourcing the energy supply, avoiding environmental and social impacts, and ensuring access in the South. Considering the increased demand for renewable energy he emphasized the need for regulations, a change in consumption patterns, technology, and increased support for energy research. He said energy efficiency is at the top of ABBs agenda and provided examples from ABBs work on the electrification of villages in India and saving energy at Heathrow Airport by employing variable speed drives. Referring to social responsibility, he emphasized the need to engage stakeholders from the beginning and manage issues transparently.

During a follow-up discussion on using public subsidies to support rural electrification, Nordstrm stressed that public money should not be used to subsidize energy consumption. He emphasized the need for effective promotion of products and stated that ABB had produced a book with 100 examples of how energy can be saved using the right technology.

SESSION ON HOW THE BUSINESS SECTOR AND DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES ARE CONTRIBUTING TO SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PROGRESS ON THE MARRAKECH PROCESS

During this session participants discussed how the business sector and development agencies are contributing to SCP and considered the progress of the Marrakech Process.

Adriana Zacarias Farah and Olivia Woosnam-Merchez, Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (DTIE), UNEP, presented on Business and development agencies towards sustainable consumption and production. Farah also briefed participants on the Marrakech Process. She identified four steps in the process: identification of needs and priorities through regional consultations; development of regional and national strategies; project implementation at local, national and regional levels; and monitoring, coordination and information sharing. She also presented a UNEP report Talk the Walk - Advancing Sustainable Lifestyles through Marketing & Communications, on advertising and sustainable consumption. The report presents examples of companies that are targeting consumers interested in sustainable lifestyles. She noted that the company, American Apparel, had demonstrated good practice through its efforts to address labour standards, training, and health-related issues. Woosnam-Merchez presented a draft UNEP report Sustainable Consumption and Production: How Development Agencies Make a Difference. The study presents survey results from nineteen multilateral and bilateral development agencies. She said the findings illustrated that development agencies had some knowledge of SCP but had more to learn. Zacarias Farah concluded that many agencies require staff training and communication on SCP, a database of best practices, and ways to better integrate SCP in company strategies and guidelines. She also identified a need for enhanced cooperation between agencies.

SESSION ON THREE VIEWPOINTS: THE SOUTH, DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES, AND BUSINESS

This session addressed developing country perspectives on SCP with case studies from Zambia and South Africa, as well as views from development agencies, and the business sector.

THE SOUTHS VIEW ON THE ROLE OF BUSINESS, GOVERNMENT AND POLICY FOR SCP: WHAT DIFFERENCE COULD DEVELOPMENT ASSISTANCE MAKE?: Peggie Liswani Chiwele, RuralNet Associates, presented on Promotion of LPG in Zambia: What can the South can do? Referring to World Bank findings she explained that LPG can play a role in providing clean energy in remote areas and can be easily accessed and regulated. She stressed the need to educate the local population on the safe use of LPG. In order to promote investment in and use of LPG, she emphasized the need to: make energy services competitive; tackle barriers to market entry; encourage investment in distribution; regulate and enforce good business practices; target subsidies; avoid subsidizing energy sources that are already competitive; and raise awareness of comparative benefits. She suggested ways forward for development agencies and governments including: micro-finance, private-public partnerships and providing funding.

In the ensuing discussion, Chiwele specified that current actors in the LPG sector are not interested in developing the infrastructure required to ensure access for household use. One participant asked how energy prices impact on Zambias economy and whether Zambia has considered renewable energy as an option. Chiwele said that increasing energy prices had impacted on Zambias economy, and oil prices contributed to the countrys inflation. She added that national policies include consideration of renewable energy.

Barbro Thomsen, Norwegian Pollution Control Authority, presented on South Africas National Cleaner Production Strategy. Towards a new policy concerning SCP in South Africa? Thomsen pointed out that she was not talking on behalf of South Africa. In outlining the strategy she indicated the Strategys goals and objectives, covering: information and awareness; capacity building; technology development and cooperation; financial support; and policy and regulation. In preparing the Strategy, she explained, international trends, policy instruments, operational tools and analysis of barriers, constraints and drivers had been considered. She outlined how the Strategy could represent a new policy towards SCP by: focusing on production, incorporating civil society and consumer awareness, and creating a cross-sectorial strategy and action plan. She highlighted remaining challenges, including the need for approval by government departments, commitment and capacity for implementation.

DEVELOPMENT AGENCIES AND THE WAY THEY PROMOTE SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION PATTERNS: OPPORTUNITIES FOR SYNERGIES WITH THE BUSINESS SECTOR: Elisabeth Lfvander, Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), spoke about SIDAs promotion of SCP and the opportunities available for linking with the business sector. Lfvander said that SCP was an important consideration for SIDA because people living in poverty are hardest hit by environmental degradation. Lfvander gave examples of projects supporting SCP including A Southern Agenda on Trade and Environment, where SIDA supports developing country capacity to negotiate an agenda for trade and environment at the World Trade Organisation. She also drew attention to UNEP-SIDA projects on Applying Greener Production to Multilateral Environmental Agreements in Ukraine and India, which aim to build capacity and awareness of multilateral agreements and the importance of cleaner production; and several projects in organic farming, including the programme Export Promotion of Organic Products from Africa (EPOPA). This programme supports farmers in Tanzania and Uganda with organic farming techniques, certification and export promotion.

Salla Koivusalo, The Finnish University Partnership for Development, Helsinki University, presented on a University Partnership for International Development (UniPID), an initiative which aims to promote inter-institutional cooperation and North/South partnerships in development. In particular this partnership aims to operationalize the objectives of the WSSD Plan of Implementation. Thirteen Finnish institutions have signed up to the initiative. Koivusalo noted that the partnership also aims to empower people through collaborative networks in Finland and Africa. She noted that Africa is lagging behind in educational capacity and human capital due to lack of investment. Finlands support through UniPID includes building capacity in partnering institutions, and developing education modules and research priorities. She emphasized the importance of interlinkages between education, sustainable development and poverty alleviation. She highlighted the role of education in generatiing awareness and understanding of SCP through collaboration between university and business.

EXAMPLES OF BUSINESS EXPERIENCE BY NORDIC COMPANIES: Ingrid Brauer, ITT Flygt, on the role of business in promoting sustainable development, explained that Flygts strategy involves: assessing products environmental impact; improving product efficiency while reducing environmental impact; promoting the life-cycle cost approach with customers; setting-up sustainable pump systems and collaborating with stakeholders. In employing a life-cycle approach she highlighted the difficulty in informing and educating the customer of the benefits because of the higher initial costs. By examining the energy efficiency system from Stockholm Water on drinking and waste water treatment she highlighted a gain in energy efficiency by a factor of ten.

In the ensuing discussion, Chair Bohn highlighted the impact of life-cycle costs both for ABB and ITT Flygt and the importance of product design. One participant, in referring to the Stockholm water system, stressed the need to consider it both as an energy and water issue.

Helen Blman, Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth (NUTEK), outlined NUTEKs activities and emphasized the need to explain to small and medium enterprises (SME) the economic benefits of sustainable development. She highlighted some of the barriers encountered by SMEs including the high costs involved, weak demand for environmentally sound products, marketing problems, lack of resources and time, insufficient knowledge and motivation, insufficient management commitment and weak public back-up. She highlighted some of NUTEKs proposals for supporting SMEs environmental work such as: informing and advising on profitable environmental work, developing new tools and methods for environmental communication, upgrading business development skills in SME and adapting environmental management systems to the SMEs needs.

Ina Andreasen, Procter and Gamble (P&G), presented on Sustainable development, linking opportunity with responsibility making everyday life a little better. She outlined P&Gs sustainability projects and illustrated how products could make a difference to sustainability. Andreasen explained that P&G had a commitment to sustainable development and improved quality of life for consumers. She noted that this was important since P&G sells 300 brands to five billion consumers in over 180 countries. She said that P&G aims to go beyond sustainability and to provide social opportunities for consumers. This involves identifying new products, markets, business opportunities, and improving quality of life for consumers. P&G projects focus on water, health and hygiene guided by the MDG target to halve the proportion of people without safe water and sanitation by 2012. She described one of the companys successful products: a purifying drinking water powder (PuR) which cleans drinking water at low cost. PuR removes bacteria, viruses and heavy metals including arsenic and lead. She explained that the marketing of PuR through country organizations and in partnership with local NGOs, combined with efforts to promote health education, had been successful.

SUMMING UP: Roundtable Chair Bohn summed up the morning session and introduced working groups. Three working groups were formed to discuss how to promote SCP through improved collaboration between business and developing agencies to ensure:

Working Group A: Gunilla Blomquist, Nordic Ad Hoc Group on Sustainable Consumption and Production, Swedish Ministry of Sustainable Development, chaired this working group. Participants discussed, inter alia, innovations to support the South, the role of business and development agencies in implementing SCP, life-cycle costs, the quality of labeling, and governance of SCP, marketing of SCP and budgets, education and cross-sectoral planning.

Working Group B: The working group was chaired by Riina Loukola, Finnish Ministry of the Environment. Participants discussed SCP issues and problems related to market conditions, education and technical infrastructure, including: life-cycle costs; public/private partnerships; the role of the development agencies; infrastructure; education and awareness raising; achieving correct pricing; public procurement; standardisation of labeling; regulations; policies; corruption; and subsidies.

Working Group C: This working group was chaired by Brita Slettermark, Ministry of Environment, Norway. Participants highlighted the need to: make SCP something tangible; focus on the consumption aspects of SCP; ensure stakeholder participation; find innovative ways to access people; establish networks which involve developing countries; educate at various levels; and adopt a holistic approach to SCP. Participants also considered how to involve business in SCP and highlighted that SMEs do not have the resources to consider sustainability.

STRUCTURING IDEAS AND PLANNING ACTION: On Thursday March 10, working group chairs reported to plenary, and participants engaged in a discussion and roundtable. Chair Bohn summarized key lessons identified at the roundtable.

WORKING GROUP REPORTS: Blomquist reported from working group A, which addressed issues of shared responsibility, the need for strong political will and courage to promote SCP, the importance of product availability, and the need to change consumer habits. On the issue of infrastructure, she said participants identified the need for better institutional frameworks in developing countries and functioning governance systems. She noted that development agencies and other agencies had an important role to play here. Also adding that business has a role, she highlighted its contributions to education, skills training and in giving value to SCP. Participants identified the importance of partnerships between local organizations, NGOs and Clean Production Centers in developing local products and markets. The group also discussed prices and their impact on consumer purchasing. She explained that life cycle costs are often not considered and commented on the lack of economic incentives to encourage SCP. On labeling, the group highlighted the importance of securing quality systems and the need for incentives to innovate change. Blomquist also noted that awareness raising and implementation are complementary, marketing budgets are important, and companies require more than just an environmental message. She highlighted that joint efforts between development agencies and business are required. On skills, Blomquist underscored the importance of planning processes, the need to integrate SCP approaches across sectors, and the need to communicate SCP in a way that reaches people.

Riina Loukola, Ministry of Environment, Finland, reported from working group B. Loukola noted that there is enough information and awareness of what should be done and of available solutions, but that political and economic interests remain a challenge.

She said the group discussed how to change consumption demand for sustainable products. Consumption was divided into three categories: public, private, and household. In the public sector challenges include corruption, trade rules (or perception of them), procurement skills and lack of tools, awareness, segmented budgets, costly loans (especially in developing countries), and lack of standards. Challenges in the private sector and, in particular SME, consist of lack of awareness, accounting for life-cycle costs, budget and financing, language barriers, and mainstreaming innovative solutions. At the household level challenges include price and availability of products, lack of awareness, distribution infrastructure and marketing issues. She noted that in Nordic countries there is increasing awareness of the non-price characteristics of products, variable pricing (peak time electricity), road usage; and of increasing the impact of children and teenagers on household decisions and consumption. On production, she noted that some organic labeling systems discriminate against developing countries.

She put forward a list of recommendations including:

• Establishment of a rotating fund for investment loans in eco-efficient technology, for example, the Grameen bank initiative on mobile phones in Bangladesh.

• Increased and simpler labeling of electronic devices.

• Ethanol labeling similar to that overseen by the Forest Stewardship Council for wood products.

• Quality assurance systems for public procurement, especially when financed by development agencies.

• Increased use of partnerships in business and NGOs for awareness raising.

• Greater public awareness of developing country challenges such as labeling of organic foods from outside the European Union.

• Increased use of NGOs for awareness and training in public and private organisations and especially those working with procurement.

• Better inclusion of SCP-relevant topics in the school system.

Slettemark reported back from working group C. She said the group had considered the availability of necessary SCP skills noting the need for: training development agencies; focusing on the consumption side of SCP; encouraging SCP in SME; encouraging SCP courses in business management schools; and demonstrating the social and economic benefits for business and development agencies. Referring to SCP and development agencies, the group noted the need to inform development agencies how their programmes and measures can influence and work as a precondition for SCP implementation. Participants suggested that UNEPs best practices be communicated to the development agencies and that agencies be updated through newsletters. In considering the role of consumers the group underscored the importance of including all consumers (private, public and business) and of distinguishing between low income countries and economies in transition. Participants also specified the need to raise the awareness of NGOs and creating meeting points for different NGOs. In order to raise SCP skills and find innovative solutions participants suggested various collaborations among UNEP, UNDP, universities, business schools, NGOs, development agencies, businesses and governments.

DISCUSSION: In introducing the discussion Chair Bohn highlighted the issue of guilt in SCP. She suggested that participants consider ways to work with development agencies and underscored the need for collaborations among development agencies. Participants, referring to guilt, agreed on the need to communicate SCP measures as positive actions for both private consumers and business. Referring to information on SCP, participants stressed the need to simplify the language employed and to use different language for different actors. Some participants underscored the need to allow consumers (private and business) to choose which methods of SCP suits them best. Others suggested not to overwhelm consumers with SCP options and information.

Participants emphasized the need to find new ways of cooperation between and among development agencies, governments and business while drawing attention to communication difficulties. Participants highlighted the need to consider SCP as a cross-cutting issue. One participant encouraged development agencies to think outside the box. Another participant indicated instead the necessity for governments or business to ensure that their projects become relevant to development agencies work. There was disagreement on the need to define SCP. One participant highlighted the need to evaluate implemented measures.

CLOSING COMMENTS

In summing up, Chair Bohn said that discussions had reached a new level of understanding. She noted that there exists strong political will for SCP in Nordic countries, but that there still remain economic and political conflicts of interest. Emphasizing the need to establish better dialogue with development agencies, Bohn proposed further internal national dialogue on SCP. At the international level she urged UNEP to continue strengthening efforts with UNDP. She also recommended that development agencies engage in staff training on SCP. She noted that participants had agreed not to redefine SCP, but to work on making it a more concrete concept. She said that roundtable participants could help in this respect by reaching out to their networks. She also stressed that environmental aspects need to be included in procurement of projects, cost-benefit analysis should be considered in the life cycle of products, and the ways of including polluter-pays principle in behaviour considered. Finally, she emphasized the importance of education at all levels. She noted that children are one important target group for SCP, while young designers and business also need to look further into how they can contribute to SCP.

CLOSE OF THE MEETING

Roundtable Chair Bohn thanked participants for their active engagement. She indicated that conclusions from this meeting would be summarized by GRIP and circulated for comments among participants. Bohn conveyed thanks to speakers for their presentations and contributions to the discussions and closed the meeting at 12:00.

UPCOMING MEETINGS

INFORSE-EUFORES-EREF SEMINAR 2006: 29 March 2006, Brussels, Belgium. Organized by the International Network for Sustainable Energy (INFORSE), the European Renewable Energy Federation (EREF) and the European Forum for Renewable Energy Sources (EUFORES). The seminar will highlight current sustainable energy policies with discussions amongst NGOs, politicians, EU officials and other experts. For more information contact: Gunnar Boye Olesen, INFORSE-Europe Secretariat; fax: +45-86-227096; e-mail: ove@inforse.org; Internet: http://www.inforse.org/europe/seminar06_BXL.htm

GLOBE 2006: 29-31 March 2006, Vancouver, Canada. Organized by the GLOBE Foundation, this business and environment event is expected to host nearly 10,000 participants, 2,000 conference delegates, 400 exhibits, 200 speakers and dozens of international delegations. For more information contact: GLOBE Foundation; tel: +1-604-775-7300; fax: +1-604-666-8123; e-mail: info@globe2006.com; Internet: http://www.globe2006.com

CARIBBEAN CLIMATE CONFERENCE 2006: 10-12 April 2006, Montego Bay, Jamaica. This regional climate change conference will feature innovative technologies, clean and renewable energy systems, international speakers and exhibitors in a networking oriented setting. Participants will consider opportunities and obstacles for the regions tourism, transportation, manufacturing, public and other sectors. For more information contact: Chinyere Nwaogwugwu; tel: +876-955-8177/8; fax: +876-955-8791; Internet: http://www.c3conference.org

ECOSOC HIGH-LEVEL MEETING WITH BRETTON WOODS INSTITUTIONS, WTO AND UNCTAD: 24 April 2006, New York, United States of America. The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) will hold its ninth Special High-Level Meeting with the Bretton Woods institutions, the World Trade Organization and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. For more information contact: Sarbuland Khan, UN DESA; tel: +1-212-963-4628; fax: +1-212-963-1712; e-mail: ecosocinfo@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/

FOURTEENTH SESSION OF THE UN COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: 1-12 May 2006. New York, United States of America. CSD-14 will begin the second cycle of the Commissions new work programme and will review progress on atmosphere/air pollution, climate change, energy and industrial development. For more information contact: UN DSD; tel: +1-212-963-2803; fax: +1-212-963-4260; e-mail: dsd@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/index.html

TWENTY-FOURTH SESSIONS OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODIES OF THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE: 15-26 May 2006, Bonn, Germany. The twenty-fourth Sessions of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB-24) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will take place in Bonn, Germany, from 15-26 May 2006. 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

BUSINESS FORUM ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: 19-20 May 2006, Shirakawa, Japan. This Forum is organized by the World Sustainable Development Forum (WSDF), which was created by The Energy Research Institute (TERI). The invitation-only Forum will discuss the role of science and technology and the need to bridge the divide between developed and developing countries in this field. For more information contact: Annapurna Vancheswaran, TERI; tel: +91-11-2468-2100 (Ext. 2509); e-mail: avanche@teri.res.in; Internet: http://static.teriin.org/dsds/2006/index.htm

OECD FORUM ON HOW TO BALANCE GLOBALISATION: 22 May 2006-23 May 2006, Paris, France. This meeting is organized by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). The meeting will bring together business, labour and civil society representatives with government and international organizations officials, to discuss key issues such as solving global economic imbalances, ensuring that trade and investment are effective and ethical motors for development, and managing natural disasters and other risks. For more information contact: John West, OECD; tel: +33-1-45-24-80-25; fax: +33-1-44-30-63-46; e-mail: oecd.forum@oecd.org; Internet: http://www.oecd.org/site/0,2865,en_21571361_35842076_1_1_1_1_1,00.html

THE FOURTH AFRICAN ROUNDTABLE ON SUSTAINABLE CONSUMPTION AND PRODUCTION (ARSCP-4): 2931 May 2006, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Fourth African Roundtable on Sustainable consumption and Production (ARSCP-4) is jointly organized by UNEP and the Secretariat of the African Roundtable on Sustainable Consumption and Production (ARSCP). The overall objective is to provide an input to the further development and implementation of the African 10-Year Framework Programme on Sustainable Consumption and Production at the sub-regional and national levels. For more information contact: Cleaner Production Centre of Tanzania, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania; tel: +255-22-2602338/40; fax: +255-22-2602339; e-mail: cpct@arscp.org; Internet: http://www.arscp.org/events.asp?menu=id7&eventid=14&Month=5&Day=29&Year=2006

WORLD URBAN FORUM III: 19-23 June 2006, Vancouver, Canada, is organized by UN-HABITAT and the Canadian government. For more information contact: Lars Reutersward, Information Services Section, UN-HABITAT; tel: +254-20-623120; fax: +254-20-623477; Internet: http://www.unhabitat.org/wuf/2006/default.asp

SECOND INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON QUANTIFIED ECO-EFFICIENCY ANALYSIS FOR SUSTAINABILITY: 28-30 June 2006, Egmond aan Zee, the Netherlands. This conference will address issues such as: applications and user contacts; philosophy, concepts and quantified tools; methods framework; modeling and operational methods; motives and drivers; and consensus and standardization. For more information contact: Eco-Efficiency Secretariat; tel: +31-71-527-7477; e-mail: ee-conf@eco-efficiency-conf.org; Internet: http://www.eco-efficiency-conf.org

TWENTY-FIFTH OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: 3-6 July 2006, Montreal, Canada. This meeting of the Open-ended Working Group is scheduled for the first week of July 2006, in Montreal, Canada. For more information contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62-3851; fax: +254-2-62-4691; e-mail: ozoneinfo@unep.org; Internet: http://hq.unep.org/ozone/Events/meetings2006and2007.asp

ECOSOC 2006 SUBSTANTIVE SESSION: 3-28 July 2006, New York, United States of America. The High-level segment will consider the theme, Creating an environment at the national and international levels conducive to generating full and productive employment and decent work for all, and its impact on sustainable development. The dialogue with the Executive Secretaries of the regional commissions will convene on 6 July and take up the theme, The regional dimension of creating an environment conducive to generating full and productive employment, and its impact on sustainable development. The coordination segment will convene from 6-10 July and consider Sustained economic growth for social development, including the eradication of poverty and hunger. The operational activities segment will convene from 11-13 July, the humanitarian affairs segment will convene from 14-19 July; the general segment will convene from 19-27 July; and the conclusion of the Councils work will be conducted on 27 and 28 July. For more information contact: Sarbuland Khan, UN DESA; tel: +1-212-963-4628; fax: +1-212-963-1712; e-mail: ecosocinfo@un.org; Internet: http://www.un.org/docs/ecosoc/

THIRD GEF ASSEMBLY: 29-30 August 2006, Cape Town, South Africa. The third GEF Assembly will be hosted by the Government of South Africa. As the principal governing body of the GEF, the Assembly will chart the forthcoming years agenda and work program for the GEF. For more information contact: GEF Secretariat; tel: +1-202-473-0508; fax: +1-202-522-3240/3245; e-mail: assembly@thegef.org; Internet: http://www.gefweb.org/participants/Assembly/3rd_Assembly/3rd_assembly.html

GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON RENEWABLE ENERGY APPROACHES FOR DESERT REGIONS: 18-22 September 2006, Amman, Jordan. This conference will present a range of information regarding the development of wind, solar, biomass and geothermal energy in desert regions. For more information: gcreader@ju.edu.jo; Internet: http://www.ju.edu.jo/confernces/gcreader/index.htm

UNEP FINANCIAL INITIATIVES ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING: 25-26 October 2006, New York, United States of America. For more information contact: UNEP DTIE (Economics and Trade Branch); tel: +41-22-917-8298; fax: +41-22-917-8076; e-mail: etu@unep.ch; Internet: http://www.unep.ch/etu

EIGHTEENTH MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: 30 October-3 November 2006, New Delhi, India. MOP-18 is scheduled to take place in New Delhi. For more information contact: Ozone Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62-3851; fax: +254-2-62-4691; e-mail: ozoneinfo@unep.org; Internet: http://hq.unep.org/ozone/Events/meetings2006and2007.asp

TWELFTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE UNFCCC AND SECOND MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: 6-17 November 2006, Nairobi, Kenya. These meetings will also coincide with the 25th meetings of the UNFCCCs subsidiary bodies. 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

INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE ON SCIENCE AND PRACTICE IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: LINKING KNOWLEDGE WITH ACTION: 23-27 January 2007, Chiang Mai, Thailand. This dialogue is expected to bring together scientists and practitioners involved in global, regional and sub-regional sustainable development activities to discuss the quantity and effectiveness of collaborations on sustainable development pursued around the world and to enhance the worlds capacity to establish and implement such activities. For more information contact: Jill Jger, Sustainable Europe Research Institute (SERI), Austria; tel: +43-1-263-2104; fax: +43-1-263-2104; e-mail: jill.jaeger@seri.at; Internet: http://www.scidev.net/events/index.cfm?fuseaction=readevents&itemid=672&language=1