LINKAGES UPDATE - a fortnightly e-update of what’s new on IISD’s Linkages website  - 26 April 2003

RECENT COVERAGE BY IISD REPORTING SERVICES

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UNFCCC CONVENES WORKSHOP TO CONSIDER ENABLING ENVIRONMENTS
FOR TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER 
9-10 April 2003 | Ghent, Belgium
Fifty-three representatives of governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-governmental organizations, business and industry groups, and academic institutions met in a workshop organized by the UNFCCC Secretariat in collaboration with Ghent University’s Center for Sustainable Development. The workshop was convened in response to a request by the UNFCCC’s Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) at its 17th session, held in October 2002. The SBSTA also requested the Secretariat to prepare a technical paper on enabling environments for the transfer of environmentally-sound technology (ESTs) for consideration by the UNFCCC Expert Group on Technology Transfer (EGTT) at its third meeting in late May 2003. In response to this request, the Secretariat commissioned the Tata Energy and Resource Institute (TERI) to develop a draft technical paper on the issue. The workshop reviewed the TERI draft technical paper and addressed technology transfer issues, such as barriers to technology transfer and the role of multilateral lending institutions, bilateral programmes and the private sector in assisting governments overcome them. Click here for the Earth Negotiations Bulletin report summarizing these discussions in detail.

RECENT MEETINGS

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UN COMMISSION CONSIDERS LINKAGES BETWEEN POPULATION, EDUCATION AND DEVELOPMENT
31 March – 4 April 2003 | New York, US
The UN Commission on Population and Development convened for its 36th session from 31 March – 4 April 2003 in New York under the theme “population, education and development.” Delegates adopted a resolution on the theme of this year’s session, and a decision on the special theme of “Population, development and HIV/AIDS, with particular emphasis on poverty” for the 38th session of the Commission to be held in 2005. The session considered: follow-up actions to the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994; national experiences in population matters; programme implementation; and the future programme of work of the Secretariat with regard to population issues. More information.

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AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON
UN CONFERENCES AND SUMMITS 
12 and 27 March 2003 | New York, US
The Open-ended ad hoc working group of the General Assembly on the integrated and coordinated implementation of and follow-up to the outcomes of major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic and social fields met on 12 March and 27 March at UN Headquarters in New York. The Working Group, established at the 57th Session United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), addressed implementation and follow up issues regarding various UN conferences and summits, as well as the work of the +5 and +10 reviews. The group also discussed implementation of the Millennium Development Goals and other internationally agreed development goals. More information.

ICPM ADOPTS GUIDELINES – CONCERNS EXPRESSED OVER TERMINOLOGY
7-11 April 2003 | Rome, Italy
The fifth session of the Interim Commission for Phytosanitary Measures (ICPM) of the International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC) adopted several guidelines, including on the use of irradiation as a phytosanitary measure and on environmental risks in relation to pest risk analysis for quarantine pests. It was noted that the negotiations generally went smoothly, however the use of terminology remained a challenge and a concern to delegates. The ICPM mainly utilizes terminology used under the Convention on Biological Diversity, and some delegates were concerned over the use of these definitions in different fora. The Commission made recommendations for future work at both national levels and between secretariats to clarify the terms used. More information.

CODEX COMMITTEE AGREES ON
RISK ANALYSIS PRINCIPLES
7-11 April 2003 | Paris, France
The 18th session of the Codex Alimentarius Committee on General Principles approved a set of draft working principles for risk analysis. The draft principles were finalized by consensus and will be formally adopted by the Commission in July, to be applied by the numerous Codex committees that elaborate international food safety standards. Another set of principles for risk analysis, to be used by member governments, is in the early stages of discussion. The Committee further agreed to begin working on a definition of traceability/product tracing in a new working group open to interested countries. The status of the EC as a member of the Codex Alimentarius Commission was forwarded for clarification by the FAO Committee on Constitutional and Legal Matters. More information.

EXPERTS MEET TO DISCUSS IMPLEMENTATION OF ACTIONS TO PROMOTE SFM
24-30 March 2003 | Wellington, New Zealand
One hundred participants gathered at this meeting, which was convened to support the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) in the implementation of actions to promote sustainable forest management. The programme included three keynote papers and four plenary sessions. The plenary sessions covered the benefits and challenges associated with planted forests, and considered how to ensure and facilitate sustainable forest management (SFM). Each session included up to four papers on the subject and was followed by working groups that addressed questions related to the papers presented. The working groups’ conclusions were presented to a plenary session. Full meeting report.

IPCC EXPERTS MEET TO DISCUSS CLIMATE CHANGE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
4-6 March 2003 | Colombo, Sri Lanka
Approximately 40 experts met in Colombo, Sri Lanka from 4-6 March to attend an IPCC scoping meeting on climate change and sustainable development. Participants included representatives from research institutions, universities, two governments, and co-chairs from IPCC Working Groups 2 and 3. Participants noted that the issue of climate change and sustainable development related to both developing and developed countries, with some emphasizing the link between income wealth and emissions. Participants also noted the need for a more integrated approach in addressing responses to climate change, urging that mitigation and adaptation be considered as complementary elements of development strategies. Also underscored was the need to regard all three pillars of sustainable development, ensuring social development, economic growth in addition to environmental protection, to mainstream sustainable development into decision making. Participants proposed tackling the issue of climate change and sustainable development by: working off conclusions reached at the WSSD; simultaneously addressing other relevant international issues such as financing, and trade and environment conventions; and effectively integrating the issue with other cross cutting themes identified for the Fourth Assessment Report.

MEDIA REPORTS

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MILESTONE MADE IN DECODING GENETIC-ENVIRONMENTAL LINKS TO DISEASES
Scientists will soon be able to identify which human genes can increase a person’s susceptibility to environmentally-linked diseases. The initial phase of the Environmental Genome Project is now completed, with 200 environmentally responsive genes re-sequenced and catalogued, and links to vascular disease, leukemia and other illnesses identified. This accomplishment provides the foundation for researchers to study the potential links between environmental exposure, human genes and disease development. More.

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UNEP CALLS FOR DEPLETED
URANIUM STUDY IN IRAQ
The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is calling for an international field study to assess alleged depleted uranium (DU) sites in Iraq. More.

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HARVARD STUDY FUELS CLIMATE CHANGE CONTROVERSY
The significance of unprecedented global warming has been challenged by a recent review carried out by a team of Harvard scientists. Results of an extensive examination of temperature proxies, such as tree rings, ice cores, and global historical accounts, suggest that global warming took place between the ninth and 14th centuries followed by a “small ice age,” when the world cooled significantly. More.

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WATER AND SANITATION COUNCIL PARTNERS WITH GLOBAL WATER PARTNERSHIP
The Water and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC) and the Global Water Partnership have recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding that seeks to enhance collaboration between the two organizations. More.

COMINGS AND GOINGS

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Appointments and Departures
LEN GOOD RECOMMENDED AS NEW GEF CEO/CHAIR
Having completed the selection process for the new CEO/Chair of the Global Environment Facility, the heads of UNDP, UNEP and the World Bank - the GEF’s three implementing agencies - have recommended Len Good (right) to succeed outgoing CEO/Chair Mohammed T. El-Ashry. Good will assume his new position after El-Ashry leaves the GEF in July 2003.

GENERAL ASSEMBLY CONFIRMS SECOND TERM FOR UNDP CHIEF MARK MALLOCH BROWN
The United Nations General Assembly has confirmed the head of the UN Development Programme, Mark Malloch Brown, to another four-year term beginning 1 July 2003.
 

JAN PRONK NAMED NEW WSSCC CHAIR
Jan Pronk (left), former Dutch Minister for Development Cooperation and previous Dutch Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment, has been designated as the new Chair of the Water Supply and Sanitation Collaborative Council (WSSCC). Pronk will replace the current Chair, Sir Richard Jolly, at the Council’s first WASH Global Forum to be held in Dakar, Senegal in December 2003.

Vacancies
UNU/IAS SEEKS PHD AND POSTDOC FELLOWS
The Institute of Advanced Studies (IAS) of the United Nations University, based in Tokyo, has 10 PhD and Postdoc Fellowship openings. More.

 Click here for more information on new appointments and vacancies