Parallel and Side Events Contents Page

Participatory democracy and good governance as fundamental tools for a human rights approach to sustainable development

Presented by the Council of Europe, the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE)

Brigita Schmögnerová, UNECE, described the process of developing the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. She pledged support for developing guidelines on public access to information in the Asia-Pacific region.

Cheryl Gillwald, South Africa, said that the greatest challenge in South Africa is to make people aware of their rights and of the importance of exercising them. She stressed the need to address inequality in order to bridge the gap between ambitious human rights goals and delivery on the ground.

Bo'o Kovacevic, Croatian Minister of Environmental Protection and Physical Planning, explained that a wide range of instruments is needed to achieve good governance goals, and described Croatia's progress towards ratifying the Aarhus Convention.

Víctor Lichtinger, Mexican Minister of Environment and Natural Resources, highlighted the need for new institutions and noted costs involved in enabling access to information and public participation. He called for cooperation mechanisms to facilitate implementation of existing legislation in developing countries.

Olivier Deleuze, Belgium, described a participatory process for formulating a federal plan for sustainable development in Belgium.

Gabriella Battaini-Dragoni, Council of Europe, introduced a political message from the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to the WSSD, which promotes a human rights-based approach to sustainable development. She also described the Council's efforts to develop legal instruments for environmental protection, including laws to combat corruption.

Svitlana Kravchenko, European ECO Forum, described the unique role of civil society in the development, ratification and implementation of the Aarhus Convention.

Alexander Juras, REC, outlined preconditions for good governance, including: new and independent institutions; internationally binding agreements; and the recognition of a fundamental human right to good governance.

Shafqat Kakakhel, UNEP, stressed the urgency of promoting human rights in the context of globalization, and outlined joint efforts of UNEP, the Aarhus Convention Secretariat and the Commission for Human Rights to identify mechanisms for implementation of Rio Principle 10 (Access to Information) and the linkages between human rights and environmental protection.

Ben Turok, South Africa, noted the need to create new institutions and reform public services in addressing good governance. He expressed concern that the current global order will remain exploitive and unequal, and called for greater equality and respect for human rights.

Alan Meale, UK, underscored the success of the European Union in enabling democratic processes and implementing Agenda 21. He stressed the need to further engage the public in decision-making.

Theory and practice of environmental governance at the regional and global levels

Presented by the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies and the Environmental Law Institute

James Gustave Speth, Yale University, said that global environmental governance is a key to sustainable development and that it requires both government and civil society involvement. He called for a virtual, fully funded global environmental organization, acting as the focal point for the development of environmental norms.

Dan Esty, Yale University, highlighted the link between global environmental governance and people's interdependence as a result of transboundary threats and shared resources. He stressed the need for cooperation and collective actions, and urged identification of a systematic and coordinated environmental governance framework.

Maria Ivanova, Yale University, underscored the need for: better information gathering and flow through a clearing-house mechanism; an appropriate forum for negotiation; human and institutional capacity; and financing mechanisms. She highlighted concrete activities needed, including: creating a global environmental clearing-house on information and technology; launching an initiative on financing for sustainable development; and establishing a commission on global environmental governance.

Barbara Gemmill, Environment Liaison Centre International, emphasized the need for civil society participation in global governance and called for an international instrument on this issue. She identified several roles for civil society, including: information gathering and dissemination; providing input into policy making; service delivery; monitoring; and contribution to environmental justice.

Edward Ayensu, the World Bank Inspection Panel, described the World Bank Inspection Panel as an example of an independent accountability mechanism to ensure that the Bank follows internal regulations and that civil society's voice is heard. He noted the inadequacies of international dispute resolution mechanisms and called on local groups to disseminate information on available mechanisms.

Kaj Bärlund, UNECE, highlighted the contribution to global governance of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation, Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, including improved public participation and transparency, and creation of domestic democratic governance.

Elizabeth Dowdeswell, University of Toronto, described the Commission on Environmental Cooperation framework for public involvement. She highlighted the use of accountability, coherence, cooperation, and coordination in the Commission.

James William Futrell, Environmental Law Institute (ELI), stressed public participation and access to information and justice as key elements of environmental governance. Carl Buch, ELI, introduced the book "The New Public: The Globalization of Public Participation," presenting regional and national examples of environmental governance, and stressed the need for increased transparency and participation in domestic mechanisms worldwide.

Environmental governance and sustainable development in the Asia-Pacific region

Presented by UNDP and the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP)

Kim Hak-Su, UNESCAP, introduced a report entitled "Environmental Governance and Sustainable Development in the Asia-Pacific Region." He stressed the need for integrated, coherent and time- framed policies and a comprehensive, balanced approach to combating environmental degradation. Kim noted that governments should act as facilitators rather than providers of solutions.

Hafiz Pasha, UNDP, noted the report's finding that the failure of environmental governance in the Asia Pacific region results from lack of implementation and enforcement of policies. He explained that weak implementation stems from a high level of corruption, lack of political will, and insufficient institutional means to ensure integrated and sustainable approaches to development. He presented some of the report's recommendations, including: the need to integrate environmental plans into development strategies; stronger accountability and transparency; rationalization; discussions with all stakeholders at sub-regional levels; and collaborative efforts.

Cielito Habito, Ateno de Manila University, noted that environmental governance is likely to be successful if it: uses market-based instruments, including pricing policies; addresses externalities; and employs regulatory mechanisms such as command and control measures. Habito stressed the need for participatory mechanisms at all levels.

Mere Pulea, University of the South Pacific, emphasized the role of law in implementing sustainable development, and the need to strengthen institutions. Noting the interlinkages between environmental protection, economic development and human rights, Pulea said that countries should determine their environmental agenda according to local contexts. She noted the natural, social and political constraints of the Asia Pacific region and recommended, inter alia: multistakeholder cooperation; setting objectives and targets; defining rights and responsibilities; updating laws; adopting enforcement mechanisms; and institutional coordination.

Rajendra Singh, Tarun Bharat Sangu, introduced a project in which a local Indian community was empowered to efficiently utilize water resources by building capacity and employing common sense and traditional wisdom. He stressed that good governance starts at the community level, and not at the international level.

Forest law enforcement, governance and trade

Presented by the European Commission (EC)

Ralf Arneberg, EC, recommended clear targets for halting the loss of biodiversity, and stressed that developed and developing countries have a shared responsibility to address illegal logging and related trade.

Poul Nielson, EU Commissioner for Development, noted the EC's commitment to combat illegal logging and trade by developing an action plan to: propose EU legislation that would only allow import of legally sourced timber; improve transparency of logging companies' operations; and promote consumption of legal wood products.

Dan Nielsen, Denmark, speaking on behalf of the EU, noted the complex socioeconomic and political causes of illegal logging.

David Kaimovitz, Center for International Forestry Research, called for law reform and enforcement to achieve sustainable forest management.

Pekka Patosaari, United Nations Forum on Forests, called for more action from governments to combat illegal logging, and highlighted forest certification as a tool against illegal forest practices.

Boen Purnama, Indonesia, called for: regional cooperation on law enforcement; involvement of all stakeholders in combating illegal logging; and adoption of domestic measures to address corruption.

Michael Meacher, UK Minister of the Environment, noted that approximately US$12 billion of revenues are lost annually as a result of illegal logging, and highlighted the UK's commitment to ensuring legality of all imported timber.

Jan McAlpine, US, noted that recent conferences in Asia and Africa on forest law enforcement and governance constituted important steps towards addressing these issues.

Kevin Gray, Royal Institute of International Affairs, noted the difficulties in defining illegality, and emphasized that legal forest management may not always be sustainable.

Agus Purnomo, WWF-Indonesia, highlighted greed and poverty as the main causes of illegal logging, and underscored the need to address corruption.

Estheringe Lisinge, WWF-Cameroon, called for independent monitoring of forest concessions, and stressed the need for efficient involvement by civil society.

Henson Moore, American Forest and Paper Association, noted the industry's limited capacity to combat illegal logging, and called for partnerships with governments and NGOs.

Ubuntu - World Forum of Civil Society Networks

Presented by the UBUNTU Forum of Civil Society Networks (UBUNTU Forum)

Josep Xercavins, UBUNTU Forum, presented the Forum's world campaign for in-depth reform of the system of international institutions to promote a more humane, just, diverse and sustainable world. The campaign's objectives include: creating public awareness on the need for the proposed reform; promoting actions supporting the campaign; establishing a Study Commission to draft proposals for the reform; and creating a World Panel on global democratic governance in order to set up a multi-stakeholder dialogue on governance system reform. Xercavins highlighted that the UBUNTU Forum will create capacity for a dialogue amongst civil society networks to address the main challenges of establishing a good governance system.

Frederico Mayor, UBUNTU Forum, stressed two main challenges in ensuring good global governance. The first constitutes of creating new mechanisms to ensure that governments comply with international agreements and fulfil fundamental human rights. The second challenge is to address the needs of all people, including future generations, and to transit from the current "oligocratic" global order dominated by few nations to international governance, which is based on the culture of peace, dialogue, freedom, equality and solidarity. Mayor explained that the UBUNTU Forum aims to facilitate this transition, as well as to create international mechanisms to ensure implementation of the WSSD outcomes. He noted that one of the WSSD achievements includes highlighting the importance of the holistic approach to development.

Discussion: Participants highlighted the need to: ensure consensus within civil society; discuss the role of UN organizations in the UBUNTU Forum; create synergies amongst civil society networks; incorporate the Earth Charter into the reform; and create public awareness about the campaign.

Beyond Johannesburg: Ensuring policy coherence and integration for sustainable development

Presented by OECD

Donald Johnston, OECD, identified the OECD's role in sustainable development as a catalyst of intergovernmental debate. He highlighted OECD's work on policy integration, including a report on sustainable development and a check-list on policy coherence. He stressed that while the trade agenda, and information and communication technologies offer new policy tools, political commitment by governments remains the main precondition for policy coherence.

Christine Todd Whitman, US, emphasized that the WSSD should deliver practical solutions to sustainable development challenges, and outlined the US financial contribution to implementing the Millennium Development Goals. She highlighted US partnerships, including on: access to safe drinking water and sanitation; clean vehicles and fuels; and combating indoor air pollution. She called for better analysis of the economic cost of environmental degradation, including health expenditure and loss of productivity.

Serhii Kurikin, Ukrainian Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources, described areas of OECD's cooperation with non-member countries, in particular: assistance in developing environmental strategies for countries in Eastern Europe, Caucasus and Central Asia (EECCA); development of an environmental action plan task force for the Ukraine; and the application of economic instruments in EECCA. He stressed debt-for-nature swaps as key financial instruments for sustainable development in EECCA.

Jean Claude Faure, OECD, outlined key agenda areas for OECD's work on policy coherence, including: work on trade policies, official development assistance, and subsidies; analytical work, including indicators and a possible index for policy coherence; cross-sectoral integration of policies; public-private partnerships; strengthening capacities; and facilitating implementation activities worldwide.

Discussion: Participants questioned the coherence of US policy and its stance on the renewable energy target in the WSSD outcomes. Whitman explained that the US considers the agreed text on renewable energy as strong and inspirational, and stressed that the US ensures coherence through budget planning. Participants highlighted the challenge of measuring progress in policy coherence, and debated ways of ensuring the absence of corruption in partnerships. Some advocated mutual trust between governments and the private sector as the key premise for effective partnerships, while others stressed the responsibility of governments in formulating clear strategies to ensure absence of corruption. An OECD representative highlighted an OECD study on conditions for effective voluntary agreements and on environmental performance review processes for ensuring effective corruption-free partnerships.

Frontier governance and sustainable development in Amazonia

Presented by the Amazon Institute of Environmental Research (IPAM), the Instituto Socioambiental and the Amazon Working Group (GTA)

Ana Barros, IPAM, highlighted the importance of the Amazon for biodiversity and for the regional and global climate and noted that deforestation, logging and fire are the region's greatest threats. She said that the Brazilian government provides incentives for continued destruction of natural resources, and criticized the government's plans for the region to increase infrastructure instead of focusing on enforcement. She said that current plans for improving roads would result in increased logging and suggested frontier governance as an alternative. She called for better governance through, inter alia: stakeholder involvement in the decision-making process; effective solutions to land tenure problems; sustainable use of legal reserves; demarcation of indigenous lands; and land use monitoring.

Adilson Vieira, GTA, explained that the GTA is a civil society attempt to fight inequalities within the Rio conventions. He noted continuing threats to and pressure on local communities and called for a more ethical approach in order to secure the natural and cultural diversity of the Amazon.

Juliana Santilli, Instituto Socioambiental, presented a report on the protection of traditional knowledge in Brazil. She described a recent presidential decree establishing principles and directives to implement the national policy on biodiversity. Santilli stated that two bills currently discussed by the National Congress would make biopiracy illegal and increase NGO participation in genetic resources management.