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LINKAGES UPDATE
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a fortnightly e-update of new additions to IISD’s Linkages
website
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9 Dec 2002 |
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CURRENT
MEETINGS COVERED BY ENB
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LINKAGES UPDATE
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Linkages Update is our means of keeping you informed of what’s
new on IISD Reporting Services’
Linkages website.
This page is updated on a fortnightly basis, while the website
continually posts new information provided by our seven new
Issue Cluster Experts.
If you wish to submit relevant materials, e-mail
prisna@iisd.org
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COMINGS
AND GOINGS
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 Jan
Pronk to Chair IIED
The Board of
Trustees of the International Institute for Environment and
Development (IIED) announced that, effective 18 November 2002,
Jan Pronk will serve as its Chair. Pronk was recently UN
Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s Special Envoy for the WSSD.
Click here for more.
Global
Carbon Project seeks
Executive Officer
FAO
seeks
Senior Programme Officer
for
Resources and Strategic Partnerships Unit
ECN
seeks
Senior Expert in International Climate
Policy
FAO
seeks
Financial Chief
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UPCOMING
MEETINGS
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Recently added meetings:
28th Session of
the IPCC Bureau:
9-11 Dec 2002. Geneva, Switzerland.
European
Seminar on Finance, Environment and Sustainable Development:
10 Jan 2003. Paris, France.
22nd Session of
the UNEP Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum:
3-7 Feb 2003. Nairobi, Kenya.
Contribution of
Criteria and Indicators to Sustainable Forest Management – The
Way Ahead: 3-7 Feb 2003. Guatemala City, Guatemala.
International
Conference on Building the Information Commonwealth: Information
Technologies and Building Prospects for the Development of Civil
Society Institutions in the CIS Countries:
22-24 April 2003. St. Petersburg, Russia.
ITTC-34: 12-17 May 2003, Panama City, Panama.
International
Conference on Rural Livelihoods, Forests and Biodiversity:
19-23 May 2003. Bonn, Germany.
IV
International Convention on Environment and Sustainable
Development:
30 May -12 June 2003. Havana, Cuba.
International
Conference on the Impact of Global Environmental Problems on
Continental and Coastal Marine Waters:
16-18 July 2003. Geneva, Switzerland.
International
Conference on Tropical Savannas and Seasonally Dry Forests –
Ecology, Environment and Development: 14-20 Sept 2003. Edinburgh, UK.
Fourth
International Symposium on Wastewater Reclamation and Reuse: 12
Nov 2003.
Mexico City, Mexico.
Download complete calendar
of upcoming meetings (pdf).
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BASEL CONVENTION COP CONVENES THIS WEEK TO
CONSIDER
CONTROL OF HAZARDOUS WASTES
9-13 December 2002 | Geneva,
Switzerland
The Conference of the Parties
to the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movement of
Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal will be convening in Geneva this
week. Discussions will focus on implementation of the Basel
Declaration on Environmentally Sound Management, the 10-yr Strategic
Plan, establishment and functioning of Regional Centers, and
establishment of a mechanism for compliance.
Click here for ENB's daily reports and web
coverage.
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RECENT KEY MEETINGS
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 WETLANDS CONVENTION COP
CONCLUDES ITS WORK
18-26 November 2002 |
Valencia, Spain
With the theme of
“Wetlands: Water, Life, and Culture,” the Eighth Meeting of the
Conference of the Contracting Parties to the Ramsar Convention on
Wetlands convened from 18-26 November to consider the management one
of the world’s most important freshwater ecosystems. Delegates
adopted over 40 resolutions addressing a broad range of policy,
technical, programme and budgetary matters, including on wetlands
and agriculture, climate change, cultural issues, mangroves, water
allocation and management, and the Report of the World Commission on
Dams. Governments also approved the Convention’s budget and Work
Plan for 2003-2005, and its Strategic Plan for 2003-2008.
Click here for ENB’s web coverage, summary and
analysis of Ramsar COP-8.
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 GOVERNMENTS AGREE TO $573
MILLION FUND FOR CUTTING CFCS IN DEVELOPING COUNTRIES
25-29 November 2002 | Rome, Italy
Governments attending the 14th
Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal Protocol and the sixth
Conference of the Parties to the Vienna Convention have agreed on a
US$573 million funding package aimed at phasing out
chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in developing countries. The funds will
also finance projects that reduce other ozone depleting substances
targeted for phase-out under the Montreal Protocol.
Click here for ENB’s web coverage, summary and
analysis of this meeting.
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GLOBAL FORUM ADDRESSES PPPS FOR RURAL ENERGY
DEVELOPMENT
27-29 November 2002 | Graz,
Austria
The Global Forum on
Sustainable Energy addressed public-private partnerships for rural
energy development, examined the relevant outcomes of the WSSD and
discussed further development of initiatives to promote
implementation, such as the EU initiative on Energy for Poverty
Eradication and Sustainable Development.
Click here for Sustainable Developments’
detailed report on this forum. |
COMMITTEE MEETS TO REVIEW IMPLEMENTATION OF
DESERTIFICATION CONVENTION
11-22 November 2002 | Rome, Italy
The first meeting of the Convention
to Combat Desertification’s (CCD) Committee for the Review of the
Implementation of the Convention (CRIC-1) convened to review and
assess the implementation of the Convention. A
drafting group negotiated “conclusions and concrete
recommendations on further steps in the implementation of the CCD,”
which will be forwarded to the sixth session of the COP, to be held
from 1-12 September 2003 in Havana, Cuba.
Click here for more information.
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WORLD HERITAGE CONVENTION
TURNS
30
14-16 November 2002 | Venice, Italy
Some 500 delegates, representing
governments, IGOs, NGOs, research institutions and the media, met in
Venice, Italy from 14-16 November 2002 to celebrate the 30th
anniversary of the UNESCO Convention Concerning the Protection of
the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
Click here for more information.
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EVENT CONSIDERS THE FUTURE OF
THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
14 November 2002 | New York, US
Participants considered the future of
the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) at a side event
convened during the 57th session of the UN General Assembly’s
follow-up discussion about the WSSD. Click
here for more information.
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PARLIAMENTARIANS COMMIT TO
ACTIONS ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT
21-22 November 2002 | Ottawa, Canada.
Over 100 parliamentarians from 70
countries met at the Canadian Parliament to identify actions to
safeguard women’s reproductive rights, improve access to
reproductive health services (including family planning), reduce
maternal mortality and prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS. The meeting
resulted in a
Statement of
Commitment that outlines specific domestic actions.
Click here for more information.
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UNFPA HOLDS WORKSHOP ON
CONFLICT
RESOLUTION
18-22 November 2002 | Bratislava,
Slovakia
Highlighting the role of women in
rebuilding war-torn communities, the United Nations Population Fund
(UNFPA) organized a five-day workshop to assist women’s NGOs from
around the world in dealing with conflict or post-conflict
situations. The outcomes included, management and organizational
skills training, and increased awareness about conflict resolution,
project development and monitoring, budgeting and administration of
programmes, and fundraising, including drafting donor proposals.
Click here for more information.
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UNEP RECEIVES BOOST IN
FUNDING FROM THE DUTCH
The Netherlands has announced an
increase in funding for UNEP. This increase in funding explicitly recognizes UNEP’s role
in reducing poverty and delivering sustainable development.
More information.
UN COMMITTEE RECOGNIZES
RIGHT TO WATER
The UN
Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights recently adopted a
General Comment on the right to water, stating that water is a
limited natural resource and a public commodity fundamental to life
and health.
More information.
MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR EDUCATION
EFFORT LAUNCHED TO CONSERVE
ARID AREAS OF AFRICA
The UN has launched a
multi-million dollar project to help nomads and communities in three
African countries conserve and boost the prospects for native
flowers, shrubs and trees.
More information.
EDUCATION FOR ALL INITIATIVE
RECEIVES FINANCING
The
international donor community has agreed to assist seven developing
countries in Africa and Latin America in making their education
goals a reality.
More information.
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PROGRESS MADE ON NEW RIGHT-TO-KNOW TREATY ON
POLLUTION
Progress has
been made in drafting a new UN treaty that will strengthen public access
to information on pollution and its sources through a mandatory system of
reporting by companies. This treaty will be a protocol to the Ǻarhus
Convention.
More information.
EU TO WITHDRAW 320 PESTICIDES
IN JULY 2003
Some 320 substances used in
plant protection products – including insecticides, fungicides and
herbicides – are to be withdrawn from the European market by 25 July
2003.
More information.
FSC CERTIFICATION SYSTEM
CHALLENGED
The Rainforest Foundation has
reported flaws in the certification system used by the Forest
Stewardship Council (FSC), responsible for auditing timber
companies worldwide and for certifying that wood and paper is
produced in an environmentally and socially acceptable way. More
information.
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WOMEN’S REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH KEY
TO POVERTY REDUCTION
Ensuring women’s reproductive health
and rights, and targeting development efforts at the poor are
essential for poverty eradication, according to a recent UN Population Fund
report.
More information.
WORLD BANK LAUNCHES KIDS DEVNEWS
In an effort to educate
young people about the latest issues on development, the World Bank
has launched Kids DevNews, a monthly online publication geared
toward 10-15 year olds.
More information.
EU LAUNCHES STRATEGY TO CUT
AIR
POLLUTION FROM SHIPS
The European Commission recently
adopted a new strategy aimed at reducing atmospheric emissions from
seafaring ships.
More information.
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Sustainable
Development
Post-Johannesburg: The Future of the UN Commission
on Sustainable Development
(WHAT Governance Programme 2002) This paper provides an overview of
the CSD’s history, successes and failures and offers several ideas to
improve its effectiveness in promoting Agenda 21 and the WSSD's Plan of
Implementation.
Evaluating Sustainable Development Policy
(Greenleaf Publishing 2002) This special issue of �Greener Management
International� represents a step towards initiating a scientific exchange
of the different approaches and methods available to evaluate sustainable
development policy.
The Right To Tell - The Role
of Mass Media in Economic Development
(World Bank 2002)
Published by the World Bank, this volume explores the role of the media as
a watchdog of government and the corporate sector, and considers policies
that can prevent the media from exercising that role.
Knowledge for Sustainable
Development - An Insight into the Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems
(UNESCO 2002) With contributions from more than 5,000 scientists, these
three volumes present a selection of articles covering every aspect of
sustainable development and includes bibliographies, glossaries, an index
and a special section called �Knowledge in Depth� introducing other topics
and articles available as part of the online Encyclopedia. |
Trade
and Investment
Taking the Doha Language Seriously: The WTO as if
Sustainable Development Really Mattered
(IISD May 2002) This paper is based on an address prepared by Aaron Cosbey
for the Royal Institute of International Affairs conference on Sustainable
Development in the New Trade Round: Trade, Investment and Environment
after Doha.
WTO Rules and Procedures and their Implication for
the Kyoto Protocol
(US Council for International Business November 2002) Based on
statements by the EU, Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth, this study
discusses the possibility that US exports could face sanctions under WTO
rules if the US were to experience �unfairly� low energy costs in light of
Kyoto non-compliance.
Initial Environmental Assessment - Trade
Negotiations in the WTO
(Government of Canada 2002) In this assessment report, the
Government of Canada concludes that Doha Round of trade negotiations will
not adversely affect the Canadian environment.
Environment and Trade: A Handbook
(IISD and UNEP
2000) This publication is a primer on trade and environment and was
developed to highlight the relationship between environment and trade.
An International Investment Regime? Issues of
sustainability
(IISD 2000) In this
publication, IISD Senior Fellow Konrad von Moltke explores the possibility
of a binding international investment agreement that takes the issues of
sustainable development seriously.
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Climate
and Atmosphere
Protecting the Ozone Layer
(Earthscan
2002) This book considers the role of UNEP in global efforts to
protect the Earth's ozone layer through the Montreal Protocol.
Global Warming and Social Innovation
(Earthscan 2002) This book
envisions a climate-neutral society.
Human
Development
Selfish Altruist - Relief Work in Famine and
War
(Earthscan 2002) This book addresses the possibility of �being true
to the humanitarian principle of concern in a world where much of
the suffering is man-made, and where political divides do not neatly
separate good and evil.� |