Invitation to July 18th Multistakeholder Consultation
Multistakeholder Consultation on Food, Agriculture and Land Resources for the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development
Please Circulate to Interested Colleagues
In preparation for the World Summit on Sustainable Development
(Johannesburg, September 2002), you are invited to participate
in the first of a series of US citizens'preparatory multistakeholder
dialogues on the issues of food security, sustainable agriculture
and rural development (SARD) and land resources. We have invited
US government representatives (ie from relevant departments including
USDA, EPA, State Department, USAID) to hear our views and to take them
forward in official preparations at national, regional and international
levels.
Time and Place
Wednesday, July 18th, 2001, 10:30 am - 12:30 pm
Conference Room, 5th Floor
The Humane Society of the United States
2100 L Street, N.W. (corner 21st and L Streets, N.W.)
Washington, DC
Metro Stop: Foggy Bottom or Farragut West on blue/orange line
or Farragut North on the red line
Proposed Agenda
. Introductions
. Orientation to 2002 Summit and brief report from North
America/Europe and Countries in Transition preliminary meeting
. Process for giving substantive input during the 2002 preparations
. Substantive input to US government representatives by major group
stakeholders*
on issues of food security, SARD and land resources
US groups working domestically and/or internationally in food
security, agriculture and rural development, biodiversity, land
resources, trade and other related areas interested in raising these
issues in the 2002 Summit are invited to prepare comments on national
and international progress in achieving SARD and land resource goals
since the 1992 Earth Summit.
The immediate task is to respond to the draft papers prepared for the
September 24-25, 2001 ECE Regional Meeting for North America, Europe
and CIS Countries to be held in Geneva (see reference below.)
Questions to be addressed include:
- What are the priority issues related to US agriculture policies
and programs (domestic and international), rural development, land
resource management and food security that we want presented to the
upcoming ECE Regional Meeting and subsequently to other United Nations
preparatory meetings (January and March 2002) for the World Summit on
Sustainable Development?
- What progress has been made (or lost) in the past ten-year period
to meet sustainable development goals in this area?
- What success stories/case studies that point the way forward can
be identified as examples domestically and internationally?
- What is your organization/constituency focusing on to contribute
to
progress in this area?
References:
Official draft background papers assessing progress towards sustainable
development for the ECE region have been prepared and may be reviewed
at:
(very little attention is given to North America; specific comments
from
the meeting participants are needed)
http://www.unece.org/env/rio+10
(approximately 96 pages with some attention to agriculture)
http://www.unep.ch/roe/Reports/MinisterialStatement.PDF
(shorter piece with brief references to agriculture)
Additional Resources:
United Nations - http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/
UN Food and Agriculture Organization -
http://www.fao.org/wssd/SARD/index-en.htm
Regional Roundtable Report
http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/web_pages/regional_roundtable_europe.htm
US Citizens Network - http://www.citnet.org/worldsummit
*Agenda 21 identified the following nine Major Groups in society and
encouraged their role in achieving sustainable development: Women,
farmers, business & industry, youth, local authorities, non-governmental
organizations (NGOs),
indigenous peoples, trade unions & workers, scientists.
For further information and/or to rsvp, contact
Linda Elswick, International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture: 202
778-6119
Organized in cooperation with the Sustainable Food Systems Working
Group,
US Citizens Network for Sustainable Development
