WSSD News for US NGOS
February 14, 2002 issue
Produced by CitNet for the US Citizens Preparatory Committee for WSSD
Summit Themes Emerge at PrepCom 2
The World Summit process is now in full swing, with PrepCom 2 in New York City
wrapping up last Friday. The two weeks involved reports from governments and
UN agencies on their self-assessments and recommended actions meant to "re-commit"
to implementing Agenda 21. part of the effort to encourage a "from the
ground up" approach was a series of multi-stakeholder dialogues, held in
the first week.
The multi-stakeholder dialogues began as a cacophony of voices from every major
group, pushing to get their issues mentioned. As discussion continued, an agenda
for the Summit began to emerge, while NGOs hustled to focus their strategies
for the next six months.
As the multistakeholder dialogues of the first week wrapped up, several issues
came to the fore as several major groups highlighted similar concerns. Corporate
accountability, fresh water, education, subsidies, and a rights-based approach
to sustainable development were a few of the more oft-mentioned topics. During
week two, governments discussed issues and proposals from the dialogues as the
chairman and secretariat began writing the official summaries.
Things have been very busy in the past month, with US NGOs preparing their
strategies, documents, and publications for PrepCom 2. Also, previously uninvolved
NGOs are showing interest in the
process. It's also been a while since the last "WSSD News" issue,
and we have a lot to share. Thus, we'll be doing another issue next week, with
more stories on the PrepCom and the WSSD process. (To contribute, see end of
this email!)
A Call for Greater Corporate Accountability
NGOs, supported by several other major groups, highlighted the need for corporate
accountability as a priority for the Summit. One the weekend before the PrepCom,
the NGO Taskforce on Business and Industry (ToBI) and Friends of the Earth International
(FoEI) organized a three-day NGO/trade union strategy meeting on promoting corporate
accountability at the Summit. FoEI's draft position paper on a corporate accountability
convention [1] iniated the discussion, which broadened into a discussion of
an overarching campaign for corporate accountability which could include activities,
initiatives, and proposals of many NGOs in concert.
Throughout the following two weeks, the call for corporate accountability mechanisms
echoed in speeches, dialogues and papers, as well as a press conference. Included
in the Campaign for Corporate Accountability is a call for a legally binding
global agreement on corporate accountability.
Other priorities in the campaign are calls for greater public participation,
right to know and access to justice, and for improved corporate transparency
(reporting, verification, monitoring) and corporate welfare (subsidies) reform.
WEF versus PrepCom
Barricaded streets and a huge army of police, especially concentrated around
the UN, gave New York a somewhat "martial law" feel, with the unpublicized
PrepCom taking place at the same time as the highly publicized World Economic
Forum, held February 1-4 at the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel. While thousands protested
and several people were arrested, the violence was minimal. Subsequently, media
coverage of the deeper issues of globalization and corporate accountability
was also minimal, at best.
Inside the UN, however, neither protests, police nor politicians at the WEF
interfered with the two week flow of words, paper and people at the Second Preparatory
Committee meeting for the World Summit on Sustainable Development.
[1] FoEI's draft position paper presented at weekend meeting:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/5
The World Summit Process: News and Updates
Dates for World Summit confirmed!
The new dates for the World Summit in Johannesburg have been confirmed as
August 26 to September 4, with the participation of heads of State and
Government during September 2 to 4.
Solid implementation and commitments of SD demanded
A large focus at PrepCom 2 was on practical implementation of sustainable development
practices, rather than more recommendations and commitments
that are not adequately acted upon.
Read the article on the Summit's website:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/6
PrepCom 2 US summary documents available
The Chairman's Summary, Chairman's Paper and other UN documents from
PrepCom 2 have been released. They cover general observations, progress
achieved, obstacles, "hotspots", major groups proposals, and opportunities
for implementation that emerged during the PrepCom.
PrepCom 2 summaries:
- Chairman's Summary of PrepCom 2
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/7
- Chairman's Paper on PrepCom 2
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/8
- Chairman's Summary of Multistakeholder Dialogues
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/9
These are also available in MS Word format at the Summit website:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/10
Day-by-day summaries of PrepCom 2
IISD again was very busy documenting PrepCom 2 on a daily basis with
their Earth Negotiations Bulletin two page summaries, as well as photos and
audio clips of the official segments.
For example, listen to the opening dialogue statements from each major group
and read the day's ENB here:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/11
The 14 page ENB summary of the entire PrepCom can be found at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/12
Download the World Summit logo for your publications
Planning to produce publications or promo items for the Summit? The
official Summit logo is now available in several formats for informational
or fundraising use.
For use guidelines and logo downloads, visit:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/13
Upcoming Events
Friday, February 15:
Online chat with Anne Platt McGinn, SOW2002 toxics author
On Friday at 12:00-13:00 EST (17:00-18:00 GMT), the Worldwatch
Institute will present the fourth of eight online discussions with the
authors of State of the World 2002. Anne Platt McGinn, author of Chapter 4,
"Reducing Our Toxic Burden."
You can participate in Friday's chat at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/14
Friday, February 22:
Workshop on implementation of UN forest proposals
The Pinchot Institute for Conservation, USDA Forest Service and the Roundtable
on Sustainable Forests, will host a participatory workshop on implementation
of the UN's IPF/IFF Proposals for Action, on Feb. 22 in DC.
An immediate RSVP is requested. For details, visit:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/15
Tuesday, February 26, Thursday, February 28:
Brown bag discussions on national forest report
The Roundtable on Sustainable Forests is also sponsoring two Brown Bags on
National Report on Sustainable Forest, scheduled for Feb 26 and 28, in Washington,
DC.
RSVP is requested. For details, visit:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/16
Saturday, March 2:
Conference on trade, sustainability, & global governance
The Environmental Law Society of Columbia Law School is hosting scholars and
practitioners from multilateral institutions, NGOs, US government,
thinktanks, and academia to participate at the Conference on Trade,
Sustainability, & Global Governance, being held March 2 in New York at
Columbia Law School.
For conference info and registration:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/17
March 25-April 5, May 27-June 7:
Plan for PrepCom 3 and 4 now
PrepCom 3 (New York City) will be held March 25-April 5. This meeting will
aim to arrive at an agreed text of a document containing the results of the
review and assessment during the regional processes and PrepCom 2, as well
as concrete conclusions and recommendations for future action. (Remember to
register by March 4th to attend.)
PrepCom 4 (Jakarta) will be held May 27-June 7 and will further define the
final documents to be considered for adoption at the World Summit
(Johannesburg), from August 26 to September 4.
For more info:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/18
New Publications
"State of the World 2002" now available
Worldwatch Institute's newest "State of the World", a special edition
for
the Summit, is now available. If you didn't get your free copy at their
PrepCom side event in New York, you can purchase a copy online.
More info about SotW 2002 at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/19
Useful guide for WSSD participation and lobbying
At PrepCom 2, Stakeholder Forum released a booklet written to introduce NGOs
to the CSD and WSSD process, providing a roadmap on how to get involved, and
tips on who and how to lobby governments. US NGOs unfamiliar with CSD or
the UN will find this a good resource to quickly become effective at future
PrepComs;
You can find it online as an Acrobat PDF(330K):
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/20
Related News
Univ. of Minnesota holds WSSD lecture series
"Passport to Earth Summit 2002:Exploring Sustainable Development",
is an
8-part lecture series at the University of Minnesota bringing together
experts in sustainable development to examine key issues on the agenda of
Earth Summit 2002 to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa. Each lecture
focuses on sustainable development practices and local, national, and
international action. The most recent lecture, "Global Warming: Has the
Heat
Been Turned Up?", was held December 5th.
For lecture series schedule and info:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/21
US youth form SustainUS to mobilize for Summit
Formed by a group of US youth attending the Borgholm Youth Conference last
year, SustainUS is the US youth planning network for WSSD. Created to
increase youth participation in sustainable development and make US youth's
voices heard in government and at WSSD, they held an organizing meeting in
NYC before PrepCom 2 and are currently planning a larger "Youth PrepCom"
for
March to involve more campus leaders in their efforts.
Find out more about the network at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/22
Results from NYC energy panel discussion
UNA-New York and CitNet held a panel discussion on sustainable energy
options, "Changing Power in New York: Energy Options for National Security
and Environmental Protection", in New York on January 17.
Summary of the panel discussion is online at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/23
Useful Resources Around The Web
World Sustainability Hearings in Joburg
The partners of the World Sustainability Hearings are planning to bring
ordinary people directly affected by successes and failures of the past ten
years from around the world to share their experiences in a series of daily
issue-specific hearings parallel to the Summit. In addition, participants in
the Hearings, together with panels of scientific, religious, civic,
business, and political leaders, will make their own assessment of the 10-
year history since the Earth Summit in Rio.
To find out more or get involved with the hearings, see:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/24
Business Action for Sustainable Development
This site is the primary "showpiece" for the multinational corporation-led
World Business Council for Sustainable Development and Int'l Chamber of
Commerce. It pays to find out what other major groups are thinking and
planning; here you can find press releases and information about the
initiatives big business will be pushing at the Summit. The agenda and
summary notes from the BASD Strategy Meeting in Paris (held in October) are
also worth looking at.
Stay informed on business/industry's SD activities at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/25
US Forest Service's website for WSSD
The US Forest Service has developed a site to provide announcements and info
about the government's preparations for the Summit related to forests and
SARD(Sustainable Agriculture, Rural Development, and Land).
Visit USFS's site at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/26
Corrections
"American Heat" published by Roman and Littlefield
The correct publisher of "American Heat: Ethical Problems with the United
States' Response to Global Warming" by Donald A. Brown is Roman and
Littlefield, not ELI. The book is scheduled for release in March.
Get order and book details at:
http://citnet.org/WssdNewsLink.aspx/27
In The Next Newsletter...
Have an analysis of PrepCom 2? Holding an event? Let us know!
If your organization is publishing an analysis of PrepCom 2, let us know!
We'd like to publicize as many US NGO views on the Summit process as
possible.
If you're holding meetings on the World Summit in your community or region,
also let us know! Our resources are currently limited to holding meetings
mainly in the DC area, but we'd love to help publicize discussions and
meetings in other parts of the country.
If you have something you would like to contribute, announce, or include,
send it to uscpc-info@citnet.org for consideration in the next issue.
ABOUT THIS NEWSLETTER:
WSSD News for US NGOs is a semi-weekly publication produced by CitNet for the
US Citizens Preparatory Committee. WSSD News shares what other US NGOs are doing
related to the Summit and disseminates relevant information about the Summit
process itself. It's the best way for US NGOs to get involved, stay informed,
or get up to speed on the issues surrounding the World Summit.
Archives available at: http://citnet.org/uscpc/newsletters/
If you would like to contribute, have news to publicize, or would like to share
your comments and suggestions, email us at uscpc-info@citnet.org.
Thanks to Citizens Network for Sustainable Development for hosting and maintaining
the listserve, and to all organizations and individuals who contributed content
and news to this issue.
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