|
Sustainable development
SECRETARY-GENERAL’S
ADVANCE, UNEDITED REPORTS AVAILABLE
(UN, December 2004) The advance,
unedited reports prepared by the UN Secretary-General on the three
thematic clusters to be discussed at the April 2005 session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development have been released. The
reports identify policy options and possible actions to expedite
implementation on water, sanitation and human settlements.
The report on water suggests, inter alia, that: public
utilities are in need of support for strengthened governance; tariff
reform and better targeted subsidies are key areas for action; and a
public consensus could be sought on how best to involve the private
sector in water services. The report on sanitation highlights that:
providing small-scale service providers easier access to credit and
service contracts can contribute towards expanding coverage; the
adoption of low-cost technology options allows expanded coverage to
broad segments of society; and greater community involvement,
particularly of women, in water and sanitation management can
promote simple technology design for easy maintenance, facilitate
cost recovery, and help ensure equitable access. Finally, the report
on human settlements includes suggestions that governments consider
acquiring low-cost land on the urban periphery to set aside for
future development of housing affordable to low-income households.
It also proposes that local authorities give preference to small
local businesses in contracting for the provision of basic urban
services. The Secretary-General’s Reports on:
water,
sanitation
and
human settlements.
HUMANITARIAN EARLY WARNING SERVICE
WEBSITE LAUNCHED
A new website
providing early warning service to support humanitarian preparedness
has been launched. Developed by the World Food Programme, HEWSweb
provides the latest forecasts, reports and alerts on drought,
floods, tropical storms, locust infestation, El Nino, earthquakes
and volcanic activity. A one-stop shop for early warning
information, HEWSweb seeks to facilitate access to the latest early
warnings by bringing together information from multiple specialized
institutions. The resource will also soon provide a platform for
sharing information on sociopolitical crises. HEWSweb is a
partnership project developed by the Inter Agency Standing
Committee, and is supported by a range of partners including the FAO,
the World Food Programme, UNICEF, UNHCR, UNDP, OCHA, WHO, the
International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC),
and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), as well as
a consortium of international NGOs.
MDGs
INNOVATION: APPLYING KNOWLEDGE IN DEVELOPMENT
(UN Millennium
Project Task Force on Science, Technology and Innovation, January
2005) In this report, the authors underscore the importance of
knowledge and innovation for development, outlining how science and
technology can contribute to achieving the Millennium Development
Goals. It stresses the need to create space for policy
experimentation and learning in developing countries, noting that
development is a learning process and an expression of local
initiative and international partnership. The report highlights the
role of innovation in economic development and addresses how to
support and advance technology through providing adequate
infrastructure services, investing in education, and promoting
technology-based enterprises. The report also addresses means of
acquiring knowledge through capacity building, technology
prospecting, attracting FDI, conducting research, and forging
partnerships among others. It further highlights the role of
scientific advisory groups in advising governments on science,
innovation and technology, and addresses the issue of global
technology governance. The primary authors for this report were
Calestous Juma and Lee Yee-Cheong.
MILLENNIUM CAMPAIGN LAUNCHES
WEBSITE
The United Nations
Millennium Campaign has launched its global website seeking to
“inform, inspire and encourage involvement and action towards
achieving the Millennium Development Goals.” The website provides
information on what actions various countries and organizations are
taking to combat poverty. Comprising eight goals, 18 targets and
over 40 indicators, the MDGs made their first public appearance in
September 2001 in a Secretary-General’s report entitled the Road
Map towards the Implementation of the UN Millennium Declaration
(A/56/26), where they were formulated by members of the UN
Secretariat and others to help focus national and international
development priority-setting and to enable progress on the
development goals adopted by world leaders at the 2000 UN Millennium
Summit to be tracked. In September 2005, the United Nations General
Assembly will gather for a high-level meeting to review progress in
the implementation of the commitments made at the Millennium Summit.
PAYING THE
PRICE: WHY RICH COUNTRIES MUST INVEST NOW IN A WAR ON POVERTY
(Oxfam
International, December 2004) This Oxfam report makes the case for
the importance of aid for poverty reduction, underlining that aid
works and that it is a small price to pay for the benefits it brings
in lifting people out of poverty. The report also discusses how both
donors and developing country governments can make aid work more
effectively. The report further recommends actions and measures
regarding aid and debt to be undertaken by the OECD’s Development
Assistance Committee, the World Bank and the IMF, and developing
country governments. In 2005, Oxfam will participate in the Global
Call for Action Against Poverty coalition, which will bring together
a wide range of groups from the South and the North, including
national and regional civil-society networks, trade unions, faith
communities, and international organizations, that seek to eradicate
poverty. |
Climate change
UNEXAMINED RISK: HOW MUTUAL FUNDS VOTE ON GLOBAL WARMING SHAREHOLDER
RESOLUTIONS
(CERES,
December 2004) This report from Douglas G. Cogan of the Investor
Responsibility Research Center considers the use of shareholder
resolutions to bring about more corporate disclosure on the
financial impacts of global warming. Commissioned by CERES, a
coalition of
investment funds, environmental organizations, and public interest
groups, the report finds that “a mere two percent of the assets of
the largest 100 mutual funds in America voted in 2004 to support
shareholder resolutions calling for more corporate disclosure” on
global warming. The report suggested that a vast majority of
investment companies resisted or failed to act on shareholder
proposals on this issue. However, it noted that pension funds and
other investors are supporting shareholder resolutions in growing
numbers, reaching a record high of 37 percent at some recent annual
general meetings. CERES has recently claimed that mutual funds are
“a critical missing link in the push for better corporate disclosure
about climate risk.”
Water, wetlands, oceans, coasts
STATUS OF CORAL REEFS OF THE WORLD 2004
(Global
Coral Reef Monitoring Network and International Coral Reef
Initiative, 2004) This report documents how human activities
continue to be the primary cause of the global coral reef crisis.
The report details many new initiatives aimed at reversing this
degradation, including efforts to conserve the biodiversity,
economic value and beauty of coral reefs. It also identifies the
major stresses to coral reefs, including: natural forces that they
have coped with for millions of years; direct human pressures,
including sediment and nutrient pollution from the land,
over-exploitation and damaging fishing practices, engineering
modification of shorelines; and the global threats of climate change
causing coral bleaching, rising sea levels and potentially
threatening the ability of corals to form skeletons in more acid
waters.
TURNING THE TIDE – ADDRESSING THE IMPACT OF FISHERIES ON THE MARINE
ENVIRONMENT(RCEP, 2004) The UK
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution has recently released
its report on the impact of fisheries on the marine environment. In
preparing this report, the Royal Commission studied a wide range of
environmental impacts associated with a variety of commercial
fishing activities, including trawling, drift netting, industrial
fishing and fish farming. The report also examined regulatory and
management practices, the institutional and legal framework, and the
state of marine science and data.
Key recommendations
for the UK government include, inter alia:
establishing a large-scale network of
marine protected areas; developing a statutory system of marine
spatial planning that covers all major uses of the sea, including
fishing; introducing Marine Acts to set out the long-term goals for
protecting the marine environment and to provide the necessary
statutory underpinning for a marine planning system and marine
reserves; initiating a decommissioning scheme to reduce the capacity
of the UK fishing fleet to an environmentally-sustainable level and
move towards managing fisheries on the basis of controlling fishing
efforts; and halting any deep-sea trawling taking place in UK waters
or being carried out by UK vessels.
CATALYZING CHANGE: A HANDBOOK FOR DEVELOPING INTEGRATED WATER
RESOURCES MANAGEMENT AND WATER EFFICIENCY STRATEGIES
(GWP, 2004) This new
handbook from the Global Water Partnership (GWP) outlines practical
steps for developing national water management strategies to support
efforts to achieve the levels of sustainable economic development
required to reach the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The
handbook seeks to encourage progress by showing how national water
plans can contribute to meeting broader social and economic goals
and to resolving recurrent water-related problems, such as droughts
and floods. The book also offers ways to deal with potential
stumbling blocks, such as lack of support, capacity or financial
resources. Other topics covered in the handbook include an
explanation of key concepts, such as the meaning of integrated water
resources management (IWRM) and the role of an IWRM and water
efficiency strategy. It also covers issues such as how to decide on
the substance of a strategy, steps in developing a strategy and how
to avoid potential pitfalls, as well as tips for ensuring effective
implementation.
WOMEN AND WATER: AN ETHICAL ISSUE
(UNESCO, 2004) This
essay, one in a series on Water and Ethics published under the
International Hydrological Programme, is concerned with the ethical
issues arising from the special role of women in water use and from
related social and environmental problems. It discusses both the
nature of some of the key problems and the efforts in recent decades
by both intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations to
overcome these problems.
A DREAM OF WATER
(UNESCO and WWAP,
2004) This educational documentary film, produced under the auspices
of UNESCO and the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), was
presented to water experts and country delegations at the UNESCO
headquarters in Paris, France, on 30 November 2004. The documentary
was made to raise awareness on the sustainable uses of water
resources within the framework of the upcoming International Decade
for Action — Water for Life: 2005-2015. It is a prototype for a
series, which if produced would be used as part of awareness raising
campaigns on the problems generated by water mismanagement, and
would be distributed to different public broadcast services around
the world. |
Biodiversity and wildlife
MEASURING GLOBAL TRENDS IN THE STATUS OF BIODIVERSITY: RED LIST
INDICES FOR BIRDS
(PLoS Biology, December 2004) Researched and authored by
Stuart Butchart et al., this paper presents a method for
producing indices based on the IUCN Red List to chart the overall
threat status of the world’s bird species from 1988 to 2004. In
doing so, it provides a way to monitor progress towards achieving
the 2010 target of significantly reducing the rate of biodiversity
loss. Meanwhile, in a recent article published in Nature
magazine, “Conservation
biology: biodiversity barometers,” Brooks and Kennedy stress
that “the Red List Index proposed by Butchart et al. fills a
portion of ‘biodiversity indicator space’ that complements the
indicators already being tested. The index measures changes in
overall extinction risk for all species, worldwide, in an entire
class of organisms … It therefore has both fine ecological
resolution and comprehensive geographical representativeness.”
BIRDS IN EUROPE
(BirdLife
International, 2004) This is a second review of the conservation
status of all wild birds in Europe. Published ten years after the
first report, the latest review identifies species needing priority
attention to improve their status. It considers species across the
entire continent, with the increased political stability in the
Balkans and the Caucasus allowing data to be collected from all
European countries for the first time. The report concludes that 226
of the 524 species assessed, or 43% of the European avifauna, have
an unfavorable conservation status in Europe. One of the review’s
key messages is that birds in Europe continue to be threatened by
widespread environmental change, while the ongoing decline in the
numbers of so many species sends clear signals about the state of
European biodiversity and the health of the environment.
GLOBAL STATUS AND TRENDS IN INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY CLAIMS: GENOMICS,
PROTEOMICS AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
(UK Economic and
Social Research Council’s Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of
Genomics, 2004) Authored by Paul Oldham, this paper considers the development
of an international regime on access to genetic resources and
benefit-sharing under the Convention on Biological Diversity. It
provides a review and assessment of the implications of trends in
relation to genomics, proteomics and biotechnology for the
development of an international regime. The first section of the
paper examines the challenges and potential opportunities presented
by the growth of bioinformatics and international electronic
transfers of genetic data for the development of an international
regime. In section two, the author examines the challenges involved
in tracking intellectual property claims in relation to genetic
material at the global level, while section three considers the
complexity and scope of intellectual property claims in relation to
biological and genetic material in the context of the rise of
genomics, proteomics and biotechnology.
Oldham concludes
that the genomes and proteomes of biological organisms constitute a
significant gap within the existing international policy framework,
noting that genomes and proteomes may extend beyond individual
countries, regions, population groups and, ultimately, even
generations. He proposes that genomes and proteomes could usefully
be seen as “global public goods.” This, he says, may best be
achieved by recognizing the legitimate rights and interests of
indigenous and local communities, and of countries, as well as the
need to promote research and innovation that advances implementation
of the CBD and wider international policy goals.
INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN GMOS: LEGAL FRAMEWORKS AND DEVELOPING COUNTRY
CONCERNS
(UNCTAD, November
2004) Written by Simonetta Zarrilli of UNCTAD, this report examines
different regulatory approaches to GMOs,
recognizing that the proliferation of domestic biosafety schemes is
likely to further complicate international trade in
agro-biotechnology products and to indirectly affect international
trade in conventional agricultural products. The report suggests
that agricultural biotechnology is particularly challenging for
developing countries. It argues that they could be the main
beneficiaries if agricultural biotechnology “keeps its promises,”
but warns that they could also become the main losers if it
negatively affects biodiversity or if patented biotechnology makes
access to seeds more difficult or changes the structure of food
production systems.
WHO
OWNS THE KNOWLEDGE ECONOMY? POLITICAL ORGANISING BEHIND TRIPS
(The Corner House,
November 2004) In this paper, Peter Drahos and John Braithwaite
argue that when the
World
Trade Organization's agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property (TRIPS) was signed in 1994, the US, Europe and Japan dominated
the world’s software, pharmaceutical, chemical and entertainment
industries. The rest of the world had little to gain by agreeing to
these terms of trade for intellectual property. They did so, say the
authors, because a failure of democratic processes nationally and
internationally enabled a small group of men within the US to
capture the US trade-agenda-setting process, to draft intellectual
property principles that became the blueprint for TRIPS and to crush
resistance through US trade power.
PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
IN DECISION-MAKING REGARDING GMOS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: HOW TO
EFFECTIVELY INVOLVE RURAL PEOPLE
(FAO, December
2004) This FAO document provides a brief overview of the current
status regarding GMOs in crops, forests, fisheries, livestock and
agro-industry; discusses the decision-making areas where the public
could be involved; provides a brief overview of some relevant
international agreements; and discusses some of the specificities
regarding information access and participation for people in rural
areas in developing countries. It was published as the background
document for an upcoming FAO e-mail conference of the same title
(see upcoming meetings section). You can contact
biotech-admin@fao.org to request a copy of the report.
|
|
Click here for a complete listing of upcoming meetings
Change of dates:
20TH SESSION OF THE UN-HABITAT GOVERNING COUNCIL:
4 April 2005 - 8 April 2005. Nairobi, Kenya. Among the key issues to
be discussed are the UN-HABITAT work programme for 2006-2007, the
budget of the UN Habitat and Human Settlements Foundation for the
biennium 2006-2007, and the activities of the UN-HABITAT through a
progress report of the Executive Director. The two special themes of
the session are: involvement of civil society in improving local
governance; and post-conflict, natural and man-made disasters
assessment and reconstruction. For more information contact: Joseph
Mungai, Secretary to the Governing Council and Chief, External
Relations and Inter-; tel: +254-20-623-133; fax: +254-20-624-175;
e-mail:
Joseph.Mungai@unhabitat.org; Internet:
http://www.unhabitat.org/governingbodies/gc20/default.asp
CRIC-3: 2 May 2005 - 11 May 2005. Bonn, Germany. Following deliberations of the
Bureau of the Conference of the Parties, CRIC-3 will be held in
Bonn, Germany, from 2-11 May 2005. Consultations among country
Parties of the Regional Implementation Annexes will take place on 2
and 3 May 2005. For more information contact: UNCCD Secretariat;
tel: +49-228-815-2802; fax: +49-228-815-2898; e-mail:
secretariat@unccd.int; Internet:
http://www.unccd.int/cop/cric3/menu.php
FIRST MEETING OF THE AD HOC OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP ON LIABILITY
AND REDRESS UNDER THE BIOSAFETY PROTOCOL:
25 May 2005 - 27 May 2005. Montreal, Canada. This meeting is
organized by the CBD Secretariat. For more information contact: CBD
Secretariat; tel: +1-514-288-2220; fax: +1-514-288-6588; e-mail:
secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet:
http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/default.aspx
SECOND MEETING OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CBD SERVING
AS THE MEETING OF THE PARTIES TO THE CARTAGENA PROTOCOL ON
BIOSAFETY:
30 May 2005 - 3 June 2005. Montreal, Canada. The Cartagena Protocol
COP/MOP-2 is organized by the CBD Secretariat. For more information
contact: CBD Secretariat; tel: +1-514-288-2220; fax:
+1-514-288-6588; e-mail:
secretariat@biodiv.org; Internet:
http://www.biodiv.org/meetings/default.aspx
ITTC-38: 21 June 2005 - 24 June 2005. Brazzaville, Republic of Congo. The 38th
Session of the International Tropical Timber Council (ITTC) and
Associated Sessions of the Committees will convene in Brazzaville,
Republic of Congo in June 2005. For more information contact: Manoel
Sobral Filho, Executive Director, ITTO; tel: +81-45-223-1110; fax:
+81-45-223-1111; e-mail:
itto@itto.or.jp; Internet:
http://www.itto.or.jp/live/PageDisplayHandler?pageId=189
Venue confirmed:
UNFF COUNTRY-LED INITIATIVE ON IAF:
25 January 2005 - 28 January 2005. Guadalajara, Mexico. Mexico
proposed hosting this country-led initiative during the September
2004 meeting of the Ad Hoc Expert Group on Consideration with a view
to Recommending the Parameters of a Mandate for Developing a Legal
Framework on all Types of Forests (AHEG-PARAM). The meeting will
continue discussing the future of the international arrangement on
forests (IAF) in preparation for the fifth session of the UN Forum
on Forests in May 2005. For more information contact: Jorge Illueca,
UNFF Secretariat; tel: +1-212-963-3160; fax: +1-917-367-3186;
e-mail:
Illueca@un.org; Internet:
http://www.un.org/esa/forests/gov-cli-mexico05.html
The following are
upcoming meetings recently added to Linkages
website:
Sustainable development
2ND INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON PARTNERSHIPS FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT:
ADVANCING IMPLEMENTATION ON WATER AND ENERGY:
21 March 2005 - 23 March 2005. Marrakesh, Morocco. This Forum will
build on the outcomes of other international partnership
discussions, including the First International Forum on Partnerships
for Sustainable Development held in March 2004 in Rome, Italy. The
Second Forum will focus on the issue of “Advancing Implementation on
Water and Energy.” It is being organized by the Moroccan Ministry of
Territory Planning, Water and Environment in cooperation with the UN
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN/DESA). The meeting’s
outcomes will be presented during CSD-13, which will convene from
11-22 April 2005, in New York. For more information contact:
Moroccan Ministry of Territory Planning, Water and Environment; tel:
+212-37-77-26-62; fax: +212-37-77-26-40; e-mail:
forum@minenv.gov.ma; Internet:
http://www.minenv.gov.ma/forum-part.2005/
Biodiversity and
wildlife
ONLINE FORUM ON PUBLIC PARTICIPATION IN DECISION-MAKING REGARDING
GMOS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES – HOW TO EFFECTIVELY INVOLVE RURAL
PEOPLE:
17 January 2005 - 13 February 2005. Online forum, Internet. This
online forum is organized by FAO with the aim of providing quality,
balanced information on agricultural biotechnology in developing
countries and to provide a neutral platform for an exchange of views
and experiences. For more information contact: Internet:
http://www.fao.org/biotech/forum.asp
15TH MEETING OF THE CITES PLANTS COMMITTEE AND 21ST MEETING OF THE
CITES ANIMALS COMMITTEE: 17 May 2005 - 25 May 2005. Geneva, Switzerland. The 21st
meeting of the Animals Committee and the 15th meeting of the Plants
Committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered
Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) are scheduled to take place
back-to-back in May 2005 in Geneva. The AC and PC will address the
numerous resolutions and decisions that were directed to their
Committees at the 13th meeting of the Conference of the Parties
(CITES COP-13) held in Bangkok, Thailand, from 2-14 October 2004. In
addition, they will continue to undertake periodic reviews of
species, in order to ensure appropriate categorization in the CITES
Appendices; advise when certain species are subject to unsustainable
trade and recommending remedial action; and drafting new resolutions
on animal and plant matters for consideration by the Parties at the
next COP, to be held in the Netherlands in 2007. For more
information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-8139; fax:
+41-22-797-3417; e-mail:
cites@unep.ch; Internet:
http://www.cites.org
EIGHTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON MIGRATORY
SPECIES:
16 November 2005 - 25 November 2005. Nairobi, Kenya. CMS COP-8 is
scheduled to be held from 16-25 November 2005 in Nairobi. For more
information contact: UNEP/CMS Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-2409;
fax: +49-228-815-2449; Internet:
http://www.cms.int
Chemicals
management
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION CHEMICAL REVIEW COMMITTEE:
11 February 2005 - 18 February 2005. Geneva, Switzerland. The first
session of the Chemical Review Committee for the Rotterdam
Convention is scheduled for 11-18 February 2005 in Geneva. For more
information contact: Rotterdam Convention Secretariat; tel:
+41-22-917-8296; fax: +41-22-797-3460; e-mail:
pic@unep.ch; Internet:
http://www.pic.int
SECOND CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE ROTTERDAM CONVENTION (PIC
COP-2):
26 September 2005 - 30 September 2005. Rome, Italy. PIC COP-2 is
scheduled for 26-30 September 2005, in Rome, Italy. For more
information contact: Rotterdam Convention Secretariat; tel:
+41-22-917-8296; fax: +41-22-797-3460; e-mail:
pic@unep.ch; Internet:
http://www.pic.int
Climate change
23RD SESSION OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL PANEL ON CLIMATE CHANGE:
8 April 2005. Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. IPCC-23 is scheduled for 8
April 2005 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. It is expected to continue
preparations for the Fourth Assessment Report, scheduled for release
in 2007. For more information contact: IPCC Secretariat; tel:
+41-22-730-8208/84; fax: +41-22-730-8025/13; e-mail:
IPCC-Sec@wmo.int; Internet:
http://www.ipcc.ch/calendar2005.htm
22ND SESSIONS OF THE SUBSIDIARY BODIES TO THE UNFCCC:
16 May 2005 - 27 May 2005. Bonn, Germany. The twenty-second sessions
of the Subsidiary Bodies (SB-22) to the UN Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) is scheduled to take place from 16-27 May
2005, in Bonn, Germany. Following an agreement at the tenth
Conference of Parties to the UNFCCC in December 2004, SB-22 will be
preceded by a �Seminar of Government Experts,� which will seek to
promote an informal exchange of information on actions concerning
mitigation and adaptation, and on policies and measures adopted by
governments supporting implementation of existing commitments under
the UNFCCC and Kyoto Protocol. For more information contact: UNFCCC
Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail:
secretariat@unfccc.int; Internet:
http://www.unfccc.int
Forests
ITTO WORKSHOP ON PHASED APPROACHES TO CERTIFICATION:
1 April 2005. Bern, Switzerland. This workshop of the International
Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), which is tentatively scheduled
to take place in April 2005, will seek to promote the use of phased
approaches to certification in tropical timber exporting developing
countries. For more information contact: Manoel Sobral Filho, ITTO
Executive Director; tel: +81-45-223-1110; fax: +81-45-223-1111;
e-mail:
itto@itto.or.jp; Internet:
http://www.itto.or.jp
Human
development
WORLD MAYORS' CONFERENCE: 21 January 2005 - 23 January 2005. Kochi, Kerala,
India. The theme of this conference is �Millennium Development Goals
and Role of Cities.� For more information contact: Ranjit Chavan,
Director-General, All India Institute of Local Self-Government; tel:
+91-22-2620-6716; fax: +91-22-2623-5386; e-mail:
contact@aiilsg.org; Internet:
http://www.aiilsg.org/WMC.htm
Finance
EU
FUNDING AT YOUR FINGERTIPS SEMINAR: 27 January 2005 - 18 March 2005. Brussels, Belgium. Two-day
seminars on how to make the most of European grants and loans will
be held from 27-28 January, 21-22 February, and 17-18 March 2005.
For more information contact: tel: +32-2-737-7746; fax:
+32-2-732-7525; e-mail:
info@eutraining.be; Internet:
http://www.eutraining.be/external/Folder_EUFunding05.pdf
Water, wetlands,
oceans, coasts
THIRD INTERNATIONAL WOMEN AND WATER CONFERENCE:
25 February 2005 - 28 February 2005. Dehradun, India. This
conference seeks to bring together women who are concerned about
water issues, disseminate what is known about water privatization in
India and elsewhere, and explore partnerships for cleaner,
healthier, more accessible and affordable water. Participants will
also discuss how women can contribute to the UN Millennium
Development Goals. For more information contact: Sue Lennox, Oz
Green; tel: +61-2-9984-8917; e-mail:
jlennox@ozgreen.org.au; Internet:
http://www.ozgreen.org.au/womenwater/womenwater.htm
NEW CURRENTS IN CONSERVING FRESHWATER SYSTEMS: A BIODIVERSITY
SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM: 7 April 2005 - 8 April 2005. New York, US. This symposium,
hosted by the American Museum of Natural History, will highlight
recent successful initiatives in freshwater conservation, discuss
cutting-edge ideas and tools, and investigate how and where these
innovations might be implemented on the ground. The symposium will
showcase projects that are rooted in the best available science,
integrate scientific fields, and link science with other
disciplines. This cross-disciplinary integration is expected to
generate a way forward in freshwater conservation. For more
information contact: Fiona Brady, American Museum of Natural
History; tel: +1-212-496-3431; fax: +1-212-769-5292; e-mail:
brady@amnh.org; Internet:
http://cbc.amnh.org/symposia/freshwater/
EIGHTH INTERNATIONAL RIVER SYMPOSIUM:
6 September 2005 - 9 September 2005. Brisbane, Australia. River
Symposium 2005 will focus on some of the pressing issues in water
and food security, such as transboundary catchment conflicts and
resolutions, water scarcity and urban and rural tensions over
sharing water resources. Institutional and legal arrangements for
river management will be featured along with work on rivers as
corridors. For more information contact: International River
Festival; tel: +61-7-3846-7444; fax: +61-7-3846-7660; e-mail:
glenn@riverfestival.com.au; Internet:
http://www.riverfestival.com.au/2004/content/standard.asp?name=RiverSymposium
|
