Launched by the World Bank to discuss its future role in the extractive industries with concerned stakeholders, the Extractive Industries Review (EIR) aims to produce a set of recommendations that will guide involvement of the World Bank Group in the oil, gas and mining sectors. The independent review met recently from 11-13 December in Lisbon, Portugal to discuss the recommendations from the EIR's final report entitled "Striking a Better Balance."

The basic question addressed throughout the review process was whether extractive industries projects can be compatible with the Bank's goals of sustainable development and poverty reduction. Based on over two years of consultations and research, the EIR says it believes that there is still a role for the World Bank Group in the oil, gas, and mining sectors, provided that its interventions allow extractive industries to contribute to poverty alleviation through sustainable development. The review highlights three necessary enabling conditions: pro-poor public and corporate governance, including proactive planning and management to maximize poverty alleviation through sustainable development; much more effective social and environmental policies; and respect for human rights. The final report will be officially presented to World Bank President James Wolfensohn at the end of December, and the bank will decide whether to follow the EIR's recommendations in March 2004.

Noting that many of the EIR's recommendations signal the need for a shift from traditional support of extractive industries, Friends of the Earth International (FoEI) says the recommendations are likely to meet with strong resistance from the Bank's shareholder countries. The large environmental grassroots organizations also released a report entitled "Hands Off: Why International Financial Institutions Should Stop Drilling, Piping and Mining" at the Lisbon meeting, which highlights global and local resistance to large-scale mining projects funded by international financial institutions though analyzing 11 case studies.

Extractive Industries Review website

http://www.eireview.org/eir/eirhome.nsf/englishmainpage/about?Opendocument

Hands Off: Why International Financial Institutions Should Stop Drilling, Piping and Mining
http://www.foei.org/media/2003/handsoff.html

Friends of the Earth International press release, 11 December 2003

http://www.foei.org/media/2003/1208.html

INITIATIVE CHAMPIONS NOBEL PRIZE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
Over one million people and organizations from 106 countries have signed onto the call for a Nobel Prize on sustainable development. These signatures were posted online on 10 December, the day the official Nobel award ceremonies took place. Emphasizing that sustainable development is one of the most important conditions needed to guarantee quality of life, the initiative points out that the original Nobel prizes have been subject to change over time, allowing the institution to adapt to changing views, while preserving its original intention of awarding people who through their work improve the lives of mankind.

While calling for a new prize, the initiative also sees the possibility of revising current prizes, for example modifying the Economy Prize to a prize for sustainable leadership. Aware that the Nobel Foundation is "not enthusiastic" about a new Prize, the initiative will continue seeking support through the coming year. A new network on Sustainable Leadership will be established in 2004.

The initiative was first championed by Dutch parliamentarian Boris van der Ham, British Euro-MP Chris Davies and former UN-Youth Representative Ingrid Aaldijk.

The Nobel Prize for Sustainable Development

http://www.sustainable-prize.net/

http://www.thebookseller.com/?pid=4&did=9625

James & James website
http://www.jxj.com/

Earthscan website

http://www.earthscan.co.uk/

Environment News Service, 4 November 2003

http://www.ens-newswire.com/ens/nov2003/2003-11-04-02.asp

Among the innovative aspects of the Convention are provisions that make it more difficult for stolen assets to be stashed away. UN Office on Drugs and Crime Executive Director Antonio Maria Costa states that "a new major breakthrough of the convention is the importance governments have attributed to the recognition that assets that are stolen … should be repatriated. Not only does this mean recovery of assets is possible, but this is a very important element of deterrent: the idea money cannot hide anymore."

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan adds that this requirement "to return assets obtained through corruption to the country from which they were stolen … introduces a new fundamental principle, as well as a framework for stronger cooperation between states to prevent, detect and return the proceeds of corruption."
 

A record number of 125 countries took part in the negotiations of this treaty, which began in Vienna in January 2002. The Convention, which will require 30 ratifications for entry into force, will be open for signature at a conference to be held from 9-11 December 2003 in Mexico.

UN Wire, 3 November 2003

http://www.unwire.org/News/328_426_10012.asp

Website of the Ad Hoc Committee on the Negotiation of a Convention against Corruption

http://www.unodc.org/unodc/crime_cicp_convention_corruption_docs.html

The report entitled Implementation of the United Nations Millennium Declaration discusses progress towards the MDGs and addresses issues relating to peace and security, development, and human rights, democracy and good governance. In the report, Annan distinguishes between "hard" and "soft" threats, with the former being threats such as terrorism and the latter including threats posed by, inter alia, environmental problems, contagious diseases, economic dislocation, crime, domestic violence, and poverty. These soft threats he noted often form the root causes of armed conflict. The report's conclusions note that we can no longer take for granted that multilateral institutions can stand up to today's global challenges and suggest that radical reform of certain international institutions may be needed.

UN Wire, 8 September 2003

http://www.unwire.org/News/328_426_8160.asp

Implementation of the UN Millennium Declaration, 2 September 2003

http://daccess-ods.un.org/TMP/6955300.html

The DESD will begin 1 January 2005. UNESCO is currently seeking comments on the draft International Implementation Scheme it has prepared in its role as facilitator in the promotion of the Decade. The UN CSD Education Caucus is helping solicit comments and will submit them to UNESCO by October 2003. The draft can be obtained by contacting Pam Puntenney, Education Caucus, at pjpunt@umich.edu. Comments should be sent to Puntenney by 20 September 2003.

http://www.unesco.org/education/esd/

Robert Watson, Chief Scientist of the World Bank and a Co-Chair of the Consultative process, said the assessment would bring together farmers' local knowledge and the work of university, government and private sector laboratories. He added that "the proposed process would be conducted using an open, transparent, representative, and legitimate process, involving a representative set of experts from all relevant stakeholder groups. It will develop a consensus on what is known and unknown, explain different points of view, and identify the uncertainties."

International Assessment of Agricultural Science and Technology website

http://www.agassessment.org/

World Bank press release, 7 August 2003

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:20122638~menuPK
:34457~pagePK:64003015~piPK:64003012~theSitePK:4607,00.html

UN press briefing, 25 July 2003

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2003/UNDPbrf.doc.htm

UN news service, 23 July 2003
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=
7812&Cr=development&Cr1=commission

NORWAY AND SWEDEN CREATE FUND FOR POVERTY AND ENVIRONMENT
Norway and Sweden have jointly created a Poverty and Environment Fund focused on small-scale environment-related activities that promote poverty reduction. Both countries will contribute $3.6 million over the next three years, with Norway contributing $2.3 million and Sweden $1.3 million to the fund, which will be administered by the Asian Development Bank. The Fund will finance technical assistance projects and other activities in the areas of: protection, conservation and sustainable use of natural resources and ecosystem services; reduction of air and water pollution; and disaster prevention and reduction of vulnerability to natural hazards. The fund will also finance research and studies that have the potential to form the basis of policy dialogue, awareness-raising, and capacity building on poverty-environment linkages. It will also support dissemination of lessons learned and compilation of good practices for addressing the environmental dimensions of poverty.

ADB press release, 22 July 2003

http://www.adb.org/Documents/News/2003/nr2003099.asp

UN press release, 10 July 2003

http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=7695&Cr=ecosoc&Cr1=
 

APRIL 2003

TRADE UNIONS PRESS THEIR CASE TO G8 AND OECD

Trade union representatives presented their positions to French President Jacques Chirac about the upcoming G8 Summit in Evian and played a role in the three days of economic and social policy discussions held at the OECD annual Ministerial meeting and the related OECD Forum debates.

On 25 April 2003 a delegation of international and G8 trade union leaders led by Trade Union Advisory Committee (TUAC) and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney met with President Chirac, host of the G8 Evian Summit. Chirac said his main goal would be to launch a "plea for economic growth" at the June Summit. Regarding the rules needed to underpin a "responsible economy," the labor leaders suggested that the G8 adopt a Declaration setting out what these should be and called for a legally binding framework for corporate governance. Regarding the Summit theme of "solidarity," the trade union delegates urged that more be done to ensure that NEPAD connects with African workers and their unions. On this, President Chirac expressed concern that globalization risked creating a two-speed society. He wanted to launch a discussion at Evian on "how to make globalization more human." On "security" there was agreement on the need to create a "global democratic system" based on multilateralism, even if some of the multilateral institutions had to be modernized.

Following this meeting, a TUAC delegation held pre-Ministerial talks at the OECD with Helen Clark, Prime Minister of New Zealand and this year's chairperson of the OECD Council. In her official summary of the conference, presented on April 30, Prime Minister Clark referred to the dialogue with TUAC, which she said "had stressed the importance of confidence for promoting growth and in this context the need for good corporate governance, even if there were alternative views expressed about how this should be achieved."

TUAC news, 29 April 2003
http://www.tuac.org/News/default.htm#9
Links to statements made during the OECD Council Meeting and the Chair's Summary http://www1.oecd.org/subject/mcm/2003/press-releases.htm

Sustainable development information exchange forum, 3 April 2003

http://enb.iisd.org/whats_new/ILO.doc   

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has initiated a study to assess the status of the environment in Iraq. The study, requested by UNEP Executive Director Klaus Töpfer, is aimed at providing an overview of key environmental issues in the context of the current conflict and is in line with the mandate for UNEP's post-conflict activities set by its Governing Council. Drawing on information available from media, government and NGO reports on the unfolding conflict, the report will contain recommendations for avoiding, minimizing or mitigating risks to the environment and human health, and is likely to identify priorities related to the management of freshwater and waste, as well as means of preventing further ecosystem degradation in Iraq. It will also identify and suggest possible responses to environmental hazards arising directly from the ongoing military conflict. Of particular concern are Iraq's Hawr Al-Hawizeh marshlands, which are likely to disappear if urgent action is not taken to reverse wetland desiccation and achieve at least partial restoration. Töpfer said he hopes that the end of hostilities in Iraq and the rehabilitation of the country would include a full assessment and action plan for the restoration of the marshes.

UNEP has also made available on its website - http://www.unep.org - information on "Conflict and the Environment in West Asia (Iraq, Kuwait and the Gulf Region)." The website includes various statistics and assessments conducted after the 1991 Gulf War, as well as other relevant documentation.

UNEP Press Release, 22 March 2003

http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=298&ArticleID=3920

UNEP Press Release, 21 March 2003

http://www.unep.org/Documents/Default.asp?DocumentID=298&ArticleID=3918

UNESCO World Heritage report – Iraq

http://whc.unesco.org/nwhc/pages/news/main2.htm

ANNAN CHALLENGES WORLD'S SCIENTISTS TO ENGAGE IN DEVELOPMENT ISSUES
The way in which scientific endeavors are pursued globally is marked by clear inequalities, said UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in an editorial in Science Magazine. Noting that developing countries invest much less on scientific research and produce fewer scientists, Annan warned that this unbalanced distribution of scientific activity creates problems for both the scientific community in developing countries and for development itself. He urged scientists and scientific institutions around the world to resolve this inequity and bring the benefits of science to all. Annan also called on scientists to engage in conflict prevention, to help address international issues, such as the global water crisis, and to build technical capacity in developing countries by, inter alia, enhancing access to scientific knowledge.

Links to further information

Science Magazine editorial, 7 March 2003

http://www.itu.int/wsis/newsroom/news/kofi_annan1.html

UN press release, 13 February 2003
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2003/sgsm8604.doc.htm

Tim Wall, UN Department of Public Information; tel: +1-212-963-5851; e-mail: wallt@un.org

A survey carried out by UNEP, a leading member of the global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles, indicates that within five years most African countries will have phased out, or be close to phasing out, lead from petrol. Four countries – Egypt, Libya, Mauritius and Sudan – have completed the phase-out and four other nations or dependent territories – Morocco, Reunion, Tunisia and Western Sahara – will join them in 2003. Meanwhile, 22 additional states, including Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa, Togo and Uganda, have or are in the process of drawing up action plans to phase out leaded fuel by 2005-2006. Plans are underway to bring the remaining countries, many of which are in Central Africa, on board to deliver the goal of a lead-free continent and a lead free world.

Klaus Töpfer, UNEP's Executive Director, attributed the progress to work already underway as well as to the new impetus from the global Partnership for Clean Fuels and Vehicles. This voluntary partnership was launched at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) with funding and support from Governments, the private sector, including the oil and automobile industries, civil society and international organizations. Partners have pledged nearly $500,000 for the project. UNEP is acting as a "clearinghouse," through which the various partners will gather and exchange information on key issues including the status of phase-outs in developing countries.

Workshop On The Phase Out Of Leaded Gasoline in East Africa website

http://www.unep.org/dpdl/urbanenvironment/workshop