Upload
traci
View
39
Download
0
Tags:
Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
“All Roads Lead to Rio”. D on E dwards Stakeholder Forum Major Groups Training Session un economic commission for europe geneva , Switzerland November 30, 2001. What will we consider today?. Session 1: The UN and the Role of Major Groups Session 2: - PowerPoint PPT Presentation
Citation preview
1
Don EdwardsStakeholder Forum Major Groups Training Session un economic commission for europe geneva, Switzerland November 30, 2001
“All Roads Lead to Rio”
2
What will we consider today? Session 1:
The UN and the Role of Major Groups
Session 2: Stakeholder Processes and
Participation
Session 3: The Rio+20 Agenda-What It Means
3
The UN decided that
On 24th December 2009 the UN General Assembly adopted a Resolution (A/C.2/64/L.59) agreeing to hold the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) in 2012 - also referred to as 'Rio+20' or 'Rio 20'.
4
One Objective via Three elements :1. Secure renewed political
commitment for sustainable development,
2. Assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major SD
3. Address new and emerging challenges
5
Two themes :
a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication;
the institutional framework for sustainable development;
6
What is in the UN resolution?
Themes are defined, not contentThe conference at the highest
political level, not yet a summit, but perhaps…?
Operationalize the three elements in sustainable development, central to the UN-track
7
The UN resolution emphasizes:
The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)
Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)
8
What is in the UN resolution?
That civil society, via the Major Groups shall participate in all meetings and at all levels of the preparatory process including the conference itself, and at all geographical levels, nationally, regionally and globally
9
Tasks of the UN - a major function
One of the major functions of the UN is global standard setting and developing norms, rules, procedures and conventions that govern the global community
10
Tasks of the UN – a major dilemma
One of the major challenges of the UN is the need to implement the standards and to create the global political will to support and abide by these standards
11
Understanding the UN
However, the impression is often that many tend to consider UN agreements as obstacles, tools that hinder the free will and spirit of creative forces, jeopardize national sovereignty
12
Understanding the UN
Yet most people consider these treaties as tools that help protect and safeguard something that needs to be protected.
13
And for the record
The major groups and civil society have been given a role in the process by being referred to in 8 of the 29 paragraphs of the GA resolution calling for the UN CSD in Rio in 2012
At all levels of the process, nationally regionally and globally including at the conference
14
What are the 9 major groups? The concept was coined in 1992 and
Chapter 23 in Agenda 21 identifies them; The 9 major groups is a mechanisms
through which civil society and business interact with the UN system, and it is the mechanism that will be used during and at the Rio plus 20 process.
Only UN accredited organisations may qualify as major groups at UN meetings
15
The 9 major groups are
WomenChildren and
youthIndigenous
PeoplesFarmersNGOs, non
governmental organisations
Trade unionsLocal
authoritiesScience and
technologyBusiness and
industry
16
Engaging with and through the major groups - 1 The major groups have two overarching
functions – a service function and a representative function;
The service function is carried out by an Organising Partner (OP) of the major group
Each of the 9 Major Groups have their OP, appointed by the Bureau of CSD after being screened by the CSD secretariat.
17
Engaging with and through the major groups - 2 The OP function is not a political one. It
serves the constituency of the major group, helps set up meetings, liaises with the UN secretariat, etc;
OPs chair the morning information meeting, where the entire major group community, all civil society present at a UN meeting, can come to be informed of what takes place during the, the state of negotiations, report back from plenaries, etc;
18
Engaging with and through the major groups - 3 The representative function, where policy is
presented to the intergovernmental system, is carried out and decided by each of the present major group’s constituency at any given UN meeting;
Each of the 9 major groups has its own policy meetings daily, separate from the morning information meeting. The policy meeting is where statements are agreed upon, speakers are nominated. These meetings are run by the present constituencies, and not by the OPs
19
Rio +20Challenges and Opportunities
20
Any visible problems?
Process is picking up “dynamics”, e.g.Developed countries have used
brakes instead of accelerators; are not entirely prioritising sustainable development
Developed countries upgrading other processes, other than the UN, (Davos, G-8 etc)
21
Visible problems
The process working in the shadow of a number of UN “failed” conferences and processes
Thus far, the process lack visions of how the a sustainable world might look in 2030
22
Process challenges
Countries have been slow in developing basic positions, EU this summer
Compared to Rio in 1992, there is little time for the preparatory work
Unclear roles between various units of the UN,
Lack of resources from donors and from financial institutions
23
What’s missing in the resolution?
There is no definition of or direction for the discussion concerning the Green Economy concept
Does not indicate in any way how to strengthen the institutional architecture
24
What’s missing in the resolution?
Does not deal with or reflect the changing political realities in the world today
Does not recognize unique role of UNEP
25
What’s positively new?
G-77 is to a large extent driving the process
Civil society/ major groups have been given an active role
26
What’s positively new?
The US has a government from the that is more engaged in the UN system and international governance
The themes are looking for content, and proposals are actively sought and are positively welcome
27
Our reality 20 years later
The condition of developing nations are not the same today as they were in the 1970s
Political blocks are changing, old ones are fragmenting
28
How do we understand our world?
Is the UN no longer a priority? Is Davos is more important than
Geneva, New York and Nairobi?Is the global financial crisis a
legitimate excuse for not giving priority to sustainable development ?
29
Is the UN system outdated?Is our understanding of the world
today, its problems and solutions in reality based on how we saw the world as it was back in the 1970s and we thought all what we did then, actually worked? Are we still using the same mechanisms?
30
Our under-utilized opportunity
The intergovernmental system in general and the UN in particular offers unprecedented opportunities for people to participate actively in these processes and influence their own fate at home.
31
All Roads Lead to Rio
End of session one