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Don EdwardsStakeholder Forum Major Groups Training Session un economic commission for europe geneva, Switzerland November 30, 2001

“All Roads Lead to Rio”

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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

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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'.

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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

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Two themes :

a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication;

the institutional framework for sustainable development;

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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

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The UN resolution emphasizes:

The Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD)

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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Understanding the UN

Yet most people consider these treaties as tools that help protect and safeguard something that needs to be protected.

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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

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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

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The 9 major groups are

WomenChildren and

youthIndigenous

PeoplesFarmersNGOs, non

governmental organisations

Trade unionsLocal

authoritiesScience and

technologyBusiness and

industry

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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.

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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;

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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

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Rio +20Challenges and Opportunities

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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)

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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

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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

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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

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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

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What’s positively new?

G-77 is to a large extent driving the process

Civil society/ major groups have been given an active role

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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

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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

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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 ?

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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?

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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.

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All Roads Lead to Rio

End of session one