•  http://www.un.org/en/events/observances/days.shtml

 

 

 

 http://worldviewmission.nl/?page_id=5656

 

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Sustainabi​lity and Environmen​tal Education:  The Nantucket Project:  Footprint Value Propositio​n – What’s the Nature of the Problem

Dear Community of Educators,

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SEA (Strategic Environmen​tal Assessment​) in the Greater Mekong Subregion – resources from a regional forum

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  SDSN Newsletter – October 2014

http://unsdsn.org/?utm_source=SDSN&utm_campaign=3cf2f88037-SDSN_October14_Newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2302100059-3cf2f88037-177808657

 

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Hello everybody!

The web-site of the European Days on Environmental Education is now on-line and active!

www.europe.environmental-education.org/index.html

You will find on the web-site the initial program as well as the registration form, documents related to the event and information regarding accommodation.

The international organizing committee of the European Days has been defining different subject suggestions for the workshops, based on three major matters:

Göteborg’s themes: the subjects that will be proposed in the 8th edition of the World Environmental Education Congress WEEC 2015 (http://weec2015.org ) have been integrated with the international commitee’s proposals.

Building a Network: The need to build not only a European network but also a worldwide network led us to propose this workshop in order to discuss a Political Document on EESD in Europe and to continue creating a European area for consultation on environmental education.

European programs: introduce and discuss different European and worldwide programs with the participation of experts such as European functionaries in order to give the participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of a specific program and begin to identify partners and themes for European projects.

But this is not all: we also want your point of view. Therefore, in the registration form you will be able to give us your opinion and suggest us new themes for the workshops, as well as propositions for the development of the program and ideas for the event.

We thank you for your collaboration!

Kind regards

Bonjour à tous/toutes,

Le site des Journées Européennes pour l’Education à l’Enviornnement est maintenant en ligne et active!

www.europe.environmental-education.org/index.html

Sur le site vous trouverez le programme initial ainsi que le formulaire d’inscription, les documents sur l’evenment et informations sur l’accomodation.

Le comité d’organisation internationale de ces Journées Européennes a identifiés diffèrent propositions de sujets pour les ateliers, en se basant sur trois questions principales:

Les thèmes de Göteborg: les thèmes qui seront proposés pendant la 8ème édition du Congrès mondial d’éducation environnementale WEEC 2015 (http://weec2015.org ) ont été intégrés aux propositions du Comité international.

 Construction du réseau: la nécessité de construire non seulement un réseau européen, mais également un réseau mondial nous a conduit à proposer cet atelier afin de discuter sur un Document Politique sur l’EE en Europe et de continuer à créer un espace européen de concertation sur l’éducation environnementale.

Programmes européens: présenter et discuter différents programmes Européens (et mondiales) avec la participation d’experts comme fonctionnaires européens, afin de donner aux participants l’occasion d’approfondir leur connaissance sur un programme spécifique et de commencer à identifier des partenaires et des thèmes pour de projets européens qui seront présentées.

Mais nous voulons aussi votre point de vue. A cet égard, vous pourriez, à travers le formulaire d’inscription, nous donner  vos suggestions sur les thèmes pour les ateliers, vos propositions pour le développement du programme et des idées pour l’événement.

 Nous vous remercions pour votre collaboration et votre patience.

 Bien Cordialement

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Hola a todos/todas!

La página web de las Jornadas Europeas para la Educación Ambiental esta ahora en línea y activa!

www.europe.environmental-education.org/index.html

Encontrarán en el sitio web el programa inicial, como también el formulario de inscripción, los documentos relacionados con el evento y la información sobre el alojamiento.

El comité organizador internacional de las Jornadas Europeas ha estado delineando diferentes sugerencias para las temáticas de los talleres, basándose sobre tres cuestiones principales:

Temas de Gotemburgo: los temas que se propondrán en la octava edición del Congreso Mundial de Educación Ambiental WEEC 2015 (http://weec2015.org ) se han integrado con las propuestas del comité.

La constitución de una red: La necesidad de construir no sólo una red europea, sino también una red mundial nos llevó a sugerir este taller con el fin de discutir sobre un documento de política sobre el ambiente y desarrollo sustentable en Europa y continuar con la creación de un espacio europeo de concertación sobre la educación ambiental.

Programas europeos: introducir y discutir diferentes programas europeos (y mundiales) con la participación de expertos tales como funcionarios europeos, con el fin de dar a los participantes la oportunidad de profundizar  el conocimiento de un programa específico y comenzar a identificar socios y temas para proyectos europeos o mundiales.

Pero queremos también vuestro punto de vista. Por lo tanto, en el formulario de inscripción podrán darnos vuestra opinión sugerencias sobre nuevos temas para los talleres, como también propuestas para el desarrollo del programa y ideas para el evento.

Agradecemos vuestra colaboración y vuestra paciencia

Saludos cordiales

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OECD’s Development Co-operation Report 2014: Mobilising Resources for Sustainable Development

 

The OECD launched  its Development Co-operation Report 2014: Mobilising Resources for Sustainable Development.
At the Development Assistance Committee’s High-Level Meeting (HLM) in December 2012, DAC Ministers called for modernizing the DAC statistical system and devising a new, broader measure of total official support for development. In the context of the challenges of funding the post-2015 Sustainable Developemnt Goals, the Development Co-operation Report (DCR) 2014 complements this mandate by:
• providing an overview of the sources of finance available to developing countries, including – among others – official development assistance (ODA), foreign direct investment, resources from institutional investors, domestic revenues, philanthropy, resources raised by civil society, and remittances
• making recommendations on how to mobilise further resources, as for example through smart use of ODA to leverage additional resources and mitigate risks; policy reform to improve the environment for investment in developing countries to mobilise domestic resources and to combat illicit flows; and innovative mechanisms such as a levy on airline tickets or a financial transaction tax.
• exploring how to finance the provision of global public goods, for example by combatting climate change, promoting peace and security, and creating a fair and equal trading system.
The report brings together expertise and lessons for sustainable development from diverse communities of practice and policy. It finds that official development assistance (ODA) will reamin an important instrument in the post-2015 framework, but only if it is made “smart”with relation to the other considerable resources that will be required.
For instance, to help mobilise the many resources beyond ODA that could help to finance sustainable development and global public goods, ODA can provide incentives and help to reduce risk. It can also be used to promote policy reform in developing countries, for example to strengthen tax policies and create an enabling environment for investment. And finally, it can be targeted to countries that have few other financing sources to rely on.
The Development Co-operation Report is the yearly flagship publication of the Chair of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). It addresses important challenges for the international development community and also reports the profiles and performance of DAC development co-operation providers. Finally, it presents DAC statistics on official and private resource flows.
The DCR 2014 is the second report in a trilogy (2013-15) focusing on “Global Development Co-operation Post-2015: Managing Interdependence”. The DCR 2013 looked at Ending Poverty by 2030; next year’s report will analyse how to enable effective partnerships through Coalitions of Action.
The DCR 2014 will be launched on 7 October in the context of the DAC Senior Level Meeting, in Paris. Further launch events will take place in London, in co-operation with the Overseas Development Institute  (9 October) and in Washington D.C., hoseted by the Center for Global Development (10 October).
Follow #DCR 2014 on Twitter for live coverage.
More information: oe.cd/DCR

Ibrahim SIDIBE

Coordinator of the Initiative for Agricultural and Rural de Development in Mali (ARD)

Country Representative Young Professionals’ Platform for Agricultural Research for Development in Mali (YPARD)

BP-E: 4630 Bamako, Mali

Kalaban coura Ext South Street 325 Door 69

Phone: (00223) 20284223  /  Mobile: (00223) 76312529

Skype: sidhibe  /  E-mail: ibrahimsidhibe@gmail.com  /  Site: www.ypard.net.

 

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  “Call For Input” Public Consultation on the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development – Deadline October 15th

Dear colleagues,  

This summer UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon established the Independent Expert Advisory Group (IAEG) to provide concrete recommendations on how to achieve a Data Revolution for sustainable development. The IEAG report – due in early November – will be a crucial opportunity to explain how better quality and more timely data can transform development. The group is also looking for innovative approaches to data collection, publication, and use.
To solicit input from all communities of practice – particularly academia – the IAEG is hosting a public consultation at undatarevolution.org to solicit input into its work until October 15, 2015. In spite of the short notice, we strongly encourage you to submit your ideas and suggestions for the data revolution. Please share this message widely and provide your comments on the IEAG website.
Let me take this opportunity to let you know that we will issue an updated and revised SDSN Indicator Report towards the end of the month. The revised report will update the proposed indicator framework for the SDGs and explore how high-quality data can become available annually. If you have comments on the existing draft or would like more information you can visit unsdsn.org/data or contact us directly at info@unsdsn.org.

Best regards,
Guido Schmidt-Traub
SDSN Executive Director

http://unsdsn.org/resources/towards-a-data-revolution/?utm_source=SDSN&utm_campaign=9cd0f23464-data_rev_public_consul_10_10_2014&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_2302100059-9cd0f23464-177770913

 

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SADC Regional News 

 

   

WEEC2015_callrevised

 

The web-site of the European Days is now on-line; Le site des Journées Européenne​s est maintenant en ligne; La página web de las Jornadas Europeas esta ahora en linea

Volume14 Number 5 (September 2014) 

Monthly Environmental Education (EE) News Flash of the SADC Regional Environmental Education Programme 

CONTENTS

1. NEWS         2. TRAINING      3. EVENTS/OPPORTUNITIES

4. PUBLICATIONS 5. NETWORKING

 Please note:  Kindly address any emails to

sadc-reec@wessa.co.za.  

1.    NEWS 

1.1   New UN CC:Learn Resource Guides Promote Advanced Learning on Climate Change & Health and on Climate Change Education

The UN CC: Learn Secretariat has launched two new Resource Guides providing a tour of the best and most relevant resources, mostly drawn from within the UN System, on climate change & health and on climate change education.

The Resource Guide for Advanced Learning on Understanding the Climate Change and Health Interface, which was developed with technical advice of the World Health organization (WHO), has been developed for those interested in gaining a more advanced understanding of the linkages between climate change and health. 

The Resource Guide for Advanced Learning on Integrating Climate Change in Education at Primary and Secondary Level, which was developed with technical advice of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), provides resources relevant for learning about both formal and informal education on climate change at primary and secondary level.  

The guides are part of a series facilitating access to state-of-the-art materials relevant for climate change learning. Other two Resource Guides have been issued on the Fundamentals of Climate Change Science and on Predicting and Projecting Climate Change.

Read the full news article here: http://uncclearn.org/news/resource_guides_health_education 

About UN CC: Learn

UN CC: Learn is a partnership of 33 multilateral organizations which supports Member States in designing and implementing results-oriented and sustainable learning to address climate change. The Secretariat for UN CC: Learn is provided by the UN Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR). One of the objectives of UN CC: Learn is to facilitate access to existing climate change learning materials and to support the development of complementary learning resources, as appropriate. Funding for UN CC: Learn is provided by the Swiss Government. For further information please contact: uncclearn@unitar.org.

2.    TRAINING

2.1     Forthcoming training:

2.1.1. Environmental Educators NQF Level 5 Course, 10-14 November 2014

3    EVENTS/OPPORTUNITIES

3.1. Call for Expressions of Interest: The Sanitation Innovation Challenge – deadline 30 September 2014!

 Dear colleagues and comrades in the water and sanitation family

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), in partnership with the Water Research Commission (WRC), is launching an exciting new programme – the Sanitation Innovation Challenge (SanIC). Attached, please find more information on SanIC, inviting Expressions of Interest (EOIs) as well as the proposal should you be interested in applying.

The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) invites Expressions of Interest (EOI) from innovators, suppliers and specialists to theSanitation Innovation Challenge (SanIC). The objectives of the challenge are to mobilise innovative sanitation technologies and solutions towards providing more appropriate solutions to South Africa’s sanitation challenge. Sanitation innovations are regarded as those systems or solutions which are alternative to conventional waterborne sewerage and onsite ventilated improved pit latrines. The proposed technologies should provide sustainable sanitation services to urban, peri-urban and rural areas and take into account effectiveness, social preferences, water resource availability, and affordability, possible beneficiation of waste products, economic development and cost reduction in the sanitation delivery chain.

The Challenge will provide a vehicle for evaluation and demonstration of the technology. The outcomes of the evaluations will be used to provide strong recommendations to national and local government on the appropriateness and effectiveness of the assessed technologies.

Requirements

The proposer should demonstrate the underlying scientific principles behind the technology, demonstrate the rationale behind design features, fabrication and implementation cost, O&M requirements, level of readiness, number of units installed, target location (rural, peri-urban and/or urban), and detail any previous demonstrations (location, scale, partners, outputs). Preference will be given to those solutions that are demonstration ready. The EOI should be concise (not more than 20 pages) and include diagrams and photos. Brochures can be added as additional information.  Contact

Requirements for the EOI can be obtained from the Water Research Commission (WRC). Expressions of Interest (EOI’s) must be emailed to the WRC by no later than Tuesday, 30 September 2014.

Project Coordinator: Jay Bhagwan

Email Subject Title: Sanitation Innovation Challenge

Email: challenge@wrc.org.za

Queries: Stuart Woolley / Sudhir Pillay / Jay Bhagwan

Phone: 012 330 9057 / 9007

All applications welcome! Please also distribute to your networks.

Kind regards,

Dr. Inga Jacobs (PhD, MA)

Executive Manager

Business Development, Marketing and Communications

Water Research Commission

Private Bag X03, Gezina, 0031, South Africa

Email: ingaj@wrc.org.za

Tel:  +27 12 330 9014  /  Fax: +27 12 331 2565  /  Cell: +27 83 401 7625

www.global-water-conference1.com

3.2 8th International World Environmental Education Congress Gothenburg, Sweden, June 29-July 2, 2015 http://weec2015.org   Call for Abstract Submissions   About the WEEC 2015 Congress .

The 8th World Environmental Education Congress (WEEC2015), “PLANET & PEOPLE”, is an international congress addressing education for environment and sustainable development. The congress is directed towards everyone working on environmental and sustainability education in different contexts. The congress will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden between the 29th of June and 2nd of July 2015. The Centre for Environment and Sustainability will be hosting the conference together with the WEEC Permanent Secretariat. We are expecting around 1200 participants from a wide range of countries.  

WEEC2015 is an opportunity to learn more about the latest in environmental and sustainability education, to discuss with people from all over the world, to share your own work and to learn from others.  

Invitation for Abstract Submissions:

The congress will discuss 11 themes, of which you can read more on the website: http://weec2015.org/congress-themes;    

Abstracts written in English, Spanish or French, should be no longer than 3000 characters. The authors of the selected abstracts are invited to present their work through one of the following presentation formats:  

• · Oral
• · Poster
• · Workshop
• · Roundtable

For further instructions, please consult the WEEC 2015 website http://weec2015.org/

The abstract submission will be open between September 15 and November 15, 2014. The abstract will be reviewed by the National Scientific Committee and the International Scientific Committee. The authors will get information of the acceptance status of their abstract(s) on February 15, 2015. 

Accepted abstracts will be published in the Congress Abstract Book or/and made available on the website. To submit an abstract, please go to the congress website.  

We look forward to seeing you in Gothenburg at WEEC 2015!  

Sincerely,

Professor Ingrid Pramling Samuelsson National Program Chair, WEEC 2015,  

Professor Arjen Wals  International Program Chair, WEEC 2015 

Should there be any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us: 

Centre for Environment and Sustainability (for content):  Rebecka Hallén, rebecka.hallen@gu.se  

Conference Secretariat (for practicalities):  MCI Scandinavia, info@weec2015.org, +46(0)8-54651500

4.    PUBLICATIONS

4.1. ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN Newsletter – September 2014

The edition of the ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN Newsletter takes you on an e-learning journey across the globe. It introduces you to the Norwegians pioneering mobile micro learning; how Ireland’s early school leavers are re-engaging with education; capacity building in emerging markets; open innovation in German universities and more. All this plus the latest commentary from this year’s ONLINE EDUCA BERLIN speakers on industry trends and developments, as well as other OEB 2014 programme highlights. Keep an eye out over the coming weeks for more OEB news and announcements!

To read more on the news visit: (www.online-educa.com)

5.    NETWORKING

An experience from the 32^nd EEASA Conference, by Phindile Sithole

This year I had the opportunity to participate in the 32^nd EEASA Conference in Windhoek, Namibia. It was my first time out of the country (South Africa) and I was very excited to attend a conference outside my country for the first time ever. I have always heard about EEASA but had little understanding of what EEASA was all about, however this has changed since I have attended the conference.

The EEASA conference is about members supporting environmental and sustainability education processes coming together for information sharing, exchanging ideas, and sharing their experiences and showcasing their work in environmental and sustainability education. It was also an opportunity to develop a strong professional network. Personally I am not a born networker, however the conference gave me an opportunity to gain networking skills which I will be able to refine and use throughout my career. The EEASA conference was my starting point of initiating, developing and maintaining a strong regional and international network of connections.

There was so much to learn, I was like a sponge absorbing all the information and what I can say is even today I am still reflecting and using some of the information I have received to strengthen my professional work. The presentations by the EEASA members motivated me to present my own professional work at the next EEASA conference and show case my work and contribution to environmental education.

There was change and shift on my way of thinking and how I view the world. I had opportunity to see other peoples’ views and perspectives of the environment, the kind of work being done out there by various people and institutions for a common purpose. The conference gave me an opportunity to see diversity in unity and also to see the role I can play in environmental education.

The conference exposed me to the work, contributions and challenges in environmental education facing people from various countries and backgrounds. I also had an opportunity to meet colleagues in the SADC REEP and wider EE and ESD communities of practice whom I have been communicating with via emails, telephone, and Skype for the first time in person. 

I must say that I enjoyed the conference as much as I was learning. I also had chance to have some Namibian fun, with people whom I have never met before; I enjoyed the excursion to the Habitat Research and Development Centre where they address issues of housing by applying new methods and ideas of science and technology for sustainable development of the Namibian housing centre. This excursion exposed me to a range of simple sustainable technologies I have never thought of, and motivated me to try out a mini project of one of the sustainable technologies.

 I must say there is a gradual change in me due to the learning and knowledge I have acquired during the EEASA conference. What I learnt there I wouldn’t have learnt elsewhere, it was a once off opportunity to learn from various disciplines, institutions and people in just a few days.

Compiled by Phindile Sithole

Please submit other relevant EE/ESD activities to the SADC REEP Monthly News Flash and feel free to forward this message to people who might be interested.

Please inform us if you do not wish to receive this EE News Flash.

SADC Regional Environmental Education Centre
E-mail: sadc-reec@wessa.co.za

Web Site: www.sadc-reep.org.za
Tel: +27-33-330 3931, Fax: +27-33-330 4576;

PO Box 394, Howick 3290, South Africa

 

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TWN Info Service on UN Sust Dev.:United Nations: Rights Council condemns activities of vulture funds

TWN Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Sept14/05)
30 September 2014
Third World Network
www.twn.my

United Nations: Rights Council condemns activities of vulture funds
Published in SUNS #7884 dated 30 September 2014

Geneva, 29 Sep (Kanaga Raja) — The UN Human Rights Council on Friday condemned the activities of vulture funds “for the direct negative effect that the debt repayment to those funds, under predatory conditions, has on the capacity of Governments to fulfil their human rights obligations, particularly economic, social and cultural rights and the right to development.”
In a resolution (A/HRC/27/L. 26) adopted by a vote, the Council requested its Advisory Committee, composed of 18 experts, to prepare a research-based report on the activities of vulture funds and the impact on human rights, and to present a progress report of that research to the Human Rights Council for its consideration at its thirty- first session.
The Human Rights Council held its regular twenty-seventh session from 8-26 September.
The resolution on the activities of vulture funds was adopted by a vote of 33 in favour, five against and nine abstentions.
Those that voted in favour were Algeria, Argentina, Benin, Botswana, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Chile, China, Congo, Costa Rica, Cote d’Ivoire, Cuba, Ethiopia, Gabon, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kuwait, Maldives, Mexico, Morocco, Namibia, Pakistan, Peru, Philippines, Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela and Viet Nam.
The Czech Republic, Germany, Japan, United Kingdom and the United States voted against the resolution, while Austria, Estonia, France, Ireland, Italy, Montenegro, Republic of Korea, Romania and the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia abstained.
The draft resolution was introduced at the Human Rights Council by Argentine Foreign Affairs Minister Hector Timerman on behalf of Argentina, Algeria, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, Pakistan, Russia, Uruguay, and Venezuela.
Pointing out that a total of 74 co-sponsors have supported this draft resolution, the Argentine Minister told the Council on Friday that the issue of foreign debt and its effects on the enjoyment of human rights has been on the agenda of various UN human rights bodies for over two decades.

Since 1990, the Human Rights Commission and subsequently the Human Rights Council, in various resolutions and decisions, highlighted the challenges represented by the burden of foreign debt on the full enjoyment of human rights, in particular economic, social and cultural rights, he said.
Along these lines, he noted, the independent expert on foreign debt, Mr Cephas Lumina, had referred to vulture funds, describing their activities as those that managed to divert a country’s financial resources that was saved from debt cancellation, thereby undermining the capacity of governments to guarantee the human rights of their people.
For the most part this has happened in Africa, where the activities of vulture funds have endangered or even removed the capacity of these states to carry out their development and poverty reduction programmes.
The Argentine Minister highlighted the need for financial reform along ethical lines that would produce in its turn economic reform to benefit everyone.
It is not only developing countries that have highlighted the threat of vulture funds to the full enjoyment of human rights. As far back as 2002, the then finance minister (Chancellor of the Exchequer) of the United Kingdom, and subsequently Prime Minister, Mr Gordon Brown, had referred to the severity of the problem in a special session of the UN General Assembly.
According to Mr Timerman, a legal vacuum exists in terms of debt restructuring and it leaves sovereign states vulnerable to the abuse of speculators.
In some general comments before the vote, Algeria, referring to a report of the independent expert Mr Lumina, said that vulture funds have negative effects on debt relief measures that have been adopted by the international community and these funds have a destabilising effect on the economies of countries that are the victims of these vulture funds.
Algeria said that among the main messages of the draft resolution are the fact that the international financial system is inadequate today and therefore needs to be reformed; that the debt burden has a major impact on developing countries and their development; and that there is need to shed an objective light on the activities of vulture funds and their impact on the right to development.
Cuba said that the draft resolution brings before the Council a subject of vital importance to developing countries, namely, the negative effect of vulture funds on the enjoyment of human rights.
Venezuela said that for many years it has been hearing in international fora, in particular in the Human Rights Council about the negative effects on the enjoyment of human rights of the excessive and unjust debt burden. Today, this is exacerbated by the global crisis of capitalism, it added.
Pakistan said that all countries have a sovereign right with regards to their debt restructuring. Highlighting for this to not be influenced by political and extraneous pressure tactics, it said that these tactics undermine the capacity of states particularly developing countries to fulfil their human rights obligations and to achieve sustainable development.
Pakistan further said that vulture funds reflect the inherent flaws in the current financial system and could be used to challenge the sovereignty of indebted countries through economic pressure and huge financial implications.
In an explanation of the vote before the vote, the United States said that it will call for a vote and will vote ‘no’ on the resolution.
It said that it remains committed to the stability of the international financial system. It however said that this resolution raises serious concerns.
Discussions on mechanisms to advance orderly debt restructuring are technical in nature and if not handled appropriately, risk creating uncertainties which could drive up borrowing costs or even choke off financing for developing countries, it maintained.
There are already active discussions underway in other more appropriate fora that take these complex technical considerations into account, it said, adding that the issue that this resolution purports to address falls outside of the scope and mandate of the Human Rights Council and does not belong in this forum.
Italy, on behalf of the European Union members of the Human Rights Council, said that there should be no doubt over its solidarity with countries that have faced or are still facing economic and financial crisis. However, in its view, the Human Rights Council is not the appropriate forum for discussing issues related to financial policy.
France, announcing its intention to abstain on the vote, said that the effectiveness of international mechanisms for the restructuring of sovereign debt is a core concern of France. It said its stance and position of amicus curiae in the dispute between Argentina against litigious creditors before the US Supreme Court clearly demonstrates France’s commitment.
However, it considers that the issue of restructuring of sovereign debt does not fall within the mandate of the Human Rights Council. The issue of sovereign debt restructuring should be discussed within the competent international bodies, which is already the case, it said, citing as examples the International Monetary Fund and the Paris Club.
In the resolution adopted on Friday, the Human Rights Council noted the concern expressed in the declaration that Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 and China issued on the occasion of the summit entitled “For a New World Order for Living Well”, held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia, on 14 and 15 June 2014, that reiterates the importance of not allowing vulture funds to paralyse the debt restructuring efforts of developing countries, and that these funds should not supersede the State’s right to protect its people under international law.
It affirmed that debt burden contributes to extreme poverty and hunger and is an obstacle to sustainable human development, to the realization of the Millennium Development Goals and to the right to development, and is thus a serious impediment to the realization of all human rights.
The Council also noted that “the international financial system does not have a sound legal framework for the orderly and predictable restructuring of sovereign debt, which further increases the economic and social cost of non-compliance.”
It expressed its concern about the voluntary nature of international debt relief schemes which has created opportunities for vulture funds to acquire defaulted sovereign debt at vastly reduced prices and then seek repayment of the full value of the debt through litigation, seizure of assets or political pressure.
Condemning the activities of vulture funds, the Council reaffirmed, in this context, that “the activities of vulture funds highlight some of the problems in the global financial system and are indicative of the unjust nature of the current system, which directly affects the enjoyment of human rights in debtor States.”
It called upon States to consider implementing legal frameworks “to curtail predatory vulture fund activities within their jurisdictions”.
The Council encouraged all States to participate in the negotiations aimed at establishing a multilateral legal framework for sovereign debt restructuring processes, as referred to in General Assembly resolution 68/304, and invited States participating in the negotiations to ensure that such a multilateral legal framework will be compatible with existing international human rights obligations and standards.

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Info Service on UN Sust Dev.: Greater flexibilit​ies, policy space needed to meet post-2015 goals

Title : TWN Info Service on UN Sust Dev.: Greater flexibilities, policy space needed to meet post-2015 goals
Date : 22 September 2014

Contents:

TWN Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (Sept14/04)
22 September 2014
Third World Network
www.twn.my

Greater flexibilities, policy space needed to meet post-2015 goals
Published in SUNS #7878 dated 22 September 2014

Geneva, 19 Sep (Kanaga Raja) — Meeting the global development goals of a post-2015 development agenda will not be feasible without the availability of greater flexibilities in policymaking, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) has said.

In the chapters of its Trade and Development Report 2014 (TDR) focusing on the key theme of policy space and global governance, UNCTAD underscored that in order to pursue rapid and inclusive economic growth and meet future global development goals, developing countries will need sufficient policy space at the national level to undertake the necessary structural transformation of their economies.

“At the international level, the multilateral governance framework will need to be more permissive and coherent if it is to facilitate such structural transformation,” it said.

According to the TDR, the discussions now under way on a post-2015 development agenda are aiming for an ambitious narrative that goes beyond “business as usual” to establish a more universal, transformative and sustainable approach than the one advanced through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). As such, it will play a key role in setting new goals and targets for policymakers, both at the national and international levels.

The international community faces three principal challenges in fashioning this new approach, said UNCTAD.

The first challenge is aligning goals and targets to a policy paradigm that can help raise productivity and per capita incomes everywhere, generate decent jobs on a scale needed to meet a rapidly growing and urbanizing global labour force, establish a stable international financial system that boosts productive investment, and deliver reliable public services that leave no one behind, particularly in the most vulnerable communities.

The TDR said that the second challenge facing any new development agenda is the massive rise in inequality, which has accompanied the spread of market liberalism. This is important because, in addition to ethical considerations, and unlike the simple textbook trade-off between growth and equality, growing inequality can threaten economic progress and social stability, and undermine political cohesion.

The third challenge is to ensure that effective policy instruments, and the space to use them, are available to countries to enable them to achieve the agreed goals and advance the development agenda.

According to UNCTAD, addressing these three challenges would be a formidable task even under ideal circumstances, but it is all the more daunting now because of changes to the global economic environment resulting from the financial crisis in 2008-2009.

The new development agenda is likely to face a harsher external environment in the years ahead. The financial crisis also revealed a set of persistent and highly interrelated economic and social imbalances that will inevitably have a strong bearing on efforts to design new development strategies aimed at tackling issues relating to a growing urban-rural divide, formal and informal livelihoods, access to affordable energy sources that minimize environmental damage, and food and water security.

“Rebalancing on these many fronts will require an integrated policy framework encompassing more viable and inclusive national development strategies, along with changes in the governance of the global economic system to accommodate and support them,” said UNCTAD, noting that its report of last year had argued that mobilizing greater domestic resources and building markets at the national and regional levels were likely to be key to sustained growth in many developing countries in the years ahead.

Maximizing the contribution of national resources for achieving the economic and social goals envisaged in the post-2015 agenda will certainly require a more assertive macroeconomic policy agenda. Such an agenda would need to include the use of a broad array of fiscal, financial and regulatory instruments in support of capital accumulation, proactive labour market and incomes policies to generate more decent jobs, and effective control of the capital account to limit potential damage from external shocks and crises.

Building more competitive firms, moving resources into higher value-added sectors and strengthening national technological capabilities cannot rely on market forces alone; effective industrial policies and dedicated efforts to support and coordinate private- and public-sector activities will also be crucial, the report underlined.

Restoring a development model that favours the real economy – and the constituencies that depend on it for their livelihoods and security – over financial interests, will almost certainly require adding more instruments to the policy toolkit than is currently contemplated by economic orthodoxy.

“There are valid concerns that the various legal obligations emerging from multilateral, regional and bilateral agreements have reduced national policy autonomy by restricting both the available range and the efficacy of particular policy instruments. At the same time, multilateral disciplines can operate to reduce the inherent bias of international economic relations in favour of countries that have greater economic or political power.”

Those disciplines can simultaneously restrict (particularly de jure) and ease (particularly de facto) policy space, said the report. It found that for the more developed countries, globalization a la carte has been the practice to date, as it has been for the more successful developing countries over the past 20 years. By contrast, many developing countries have had to contend with a more rigid and structured approach to economic liberalization.

This one size-fits-all approach to development policy has, for the most part, been conducted by or through the Bretton Woods institutions – the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) – whose surveillance and influence over domestic policymakers following the debt crises of the 1980s were considerably extended giving them greater authority to demand changes to what they deemed to be “unsound” policies.

Countries seeking financial assistance or debt rescheduling from the Bank or the IMF had to adopt approved macroeconomic stability programmes and agree to “structural” and political reforms, which extended the influence of markets – via liberalization, privatization and deregulation, among others – and substantially reduced the economic and developmental roles of the State.

Similarly, said UNCTAD, the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations extended the authority of the World Trade Organization (WTO) to embrace services, agriculture, intellectual property and trade-related investment measures, thereby restricting, to varying degrees, the policy space available to developing countries to manage their integration into the global economy.

“Emphasizing the role of policy, and of the international economic institutions in promoting one set of policies over another, is an important correction to the view that globalization is an autonomous, irresistible and irreversible process driven by impersonal market and technological forces. Such forces are undoubtedly important, but essentially they are instigated by specific policy choices and shaped by existing institutions.”

The report further said that the system that has evolved under finance-led globalization has led to a multiplicity of rules and regulations on international trade and investment that tend to excessively constrain national policy options. At the same time it lacks an effective multilateral framework of rules and institutions for ensuring international financial stability and for overseeing extra-territorial fiscal matters.

“Within this imperfect system, policymakers in developed countries are aiming to tackle a series of interrelated macroeconomic and structural challenges, while those from developing countries are trying to consolidate recent gains and enter a new phase of inclusive development. It is therefore more important than ever before for national policy space to be made a central issue on the global development agenda.”

Looking at the origins of the post-Second World War multilateral system and, in particular, at efforts to ensure that the space for a new State-led policy consensus that avoided the mistakes of the inter-war years would be consistent with multilateral arrangements and disciplines in support of a more open, stable and interdependent world economy, the TDR contended that the partial efforts to internationalize the New Deal in the 1940s eventually gave rise to a more inclusive multilateral agenda that was championed by the developing world.

“As the international community rethinks its goals for a post-2015 development agenda to succeed the Millennium Development Goals, it is imperative to ensure that effective policy instruments are available to countries to enable them to achieve the agreed goals and advance the agenda.”

UNCTAD argued that recent experience, historical evidence and theoretical insights all point to the role that proactive trade and industrial policies must play in that agenda.

It noted that developed countries adopted a variety of industrial policies during their period of industrialization, and continued to do so after the Second World War in their pursuit of sustained economic growth, full employment and accelerated technological progress. Subsequently, industrial policy was also high on the agenda of many developing-country governments that saw industrialization as key to unlocking under-utilized resources, addressing long-standing structural weaknesses and social deficits, and closing the technological gap with the developed economies.

This post-war policy consensus on the utility of proactive trade and industrial policies also informed the debates about reforming the multilateral trade and financial systems in a way that would allow developing countries the policy space to adopt the measures and instruments they deemed necessary to foster rapid productivity growth and industrial development.

From the early 1980s, industrial policy largely disappeared from the development agenda of many countries, particularly in Africa and Latin America. This was partly a reaction to evidence of specific policy mistakes and abuses, but it was also due to a more ideologically driven debate that blamed government failures much more than market failures for slow economic development and emphasized the need for market liberalization.

Just as important, in several developing economies the debt crisis eroded the ability of States to pursue proactive policies. Not only did they suffer from macroeconomic and fiscal constraints, but they also had to submit to the growing policy conditionality attached to loans extended to them by the Bretton Woods institutions.

According to the TDR, many countries reduced or abandoned proactive trade and industrial policies and began to favour unfettered markets and transnational firms, as endorsed by the so-called “Washington Consensus”.

Interest in proactive trade and industrial policies has revived since around the turn of the millennium, for a variety of reasons. First, and probably most important, was the accumulation of overwhelming evidence that the most successful developing countries – notably the newly industrializing economies in East Asia followed by China – were the ones that had systematically followed a pragmatic approach to promoting industrial development through a combination of macroeconomic and structural policies as well as measured protectionism while gradually opening up to trade and investment, and effective collaboration between the private and public sectors.

Second, it was increasingly recognized that the policies associated with the Washington Consensus were doing little to support economic upgrading and diversification, which meant that countries would risk falling into a “middle-income trap”.

Third, mainstream economists started to accept some of the insights into economic development from classical economics, such as the recognition that economic development has a “structural” dimension, the importance of linkages and learning for accelerating productivity growth, and the key role of demand.

“It is clear that specific policy measures adopted by some of the successful industrializing countries cannot easily be replicated by other countries. This is not only because individual countries’ success stories are invariably linked to special economic and institutional conditions that are unlikely to exist in other countries; it is also because changes in the external economic environment affect both the availability and effectiveness of specific policy instruments.”

It is well known that export-led industrialization strategies must sooner or later reach their limits when many countries pursue them simultaneously, as competition among economies based on low unit labour costs and taxes faces a fallacy of composition that leads to a race to the bottom.

At the present juncture, said UNCTAD, when developing countries’ opportunities to increase exports of manufactures to developed countries are likely to remain weak for some time, the limitations of such a growth strategy are becoming even more obvious. A re-balancing of developing countries’ growth strategies towards a greater emphasis on domestic and regional demand could reduce this risk.

The TDR went on to discuss the impacts of the various trade, investment and comprehensive economic partnership agreements on national trade and industrial policy space, highlighting in this regard areas where provisions in Uruguay Round (UR) Agreements and RTAs (Regional Trade Agreements) have constrained such policy space for developing countries, as well as areas where flexibilities remain intact.

It examined the constraints faced by developing countries in adopting the trade and investment policies they deem to be the most suitable for structural transformation, focusing in particular on the multiplicity of trade agreements (multilateral, bilateral and regional) and how they restrict national policy space.

“Multilateral agreements maintain some flexibilities and incorporate some special and differential treatment (SDT) for least developed countries (LDCs); however, they typically limit or forbid the kinds of policies that played an important role in successful processes of structural transformation in the past,” it said, noting that this process of limiting national policy space began with the UR Agreements, which included several rules that were not directly related to trade flows.

Subsequent bilateral and regional trade agreements have increasingly included rules that can be important for the design of comprehensive national development strategies, such as government procurement, capital flows, trade in services, and environmental and labour issues. Many of them have also included disciplines concerning IPRs and investment-related measures that are more stringent than those already incorporated in multilateral agreements.

Analysing several UR Agreements such as the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures (TRIMs), the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), and the Agreement on Subsidies and Countervailing Measures (SCM), the TDR argued that the UR Agreements have reduced the policy space available to WTO member States, even as the multilateral trade regime has preserved policy space in some areas.

In terms of constraints, the UR Agreements have placed restrictions on the imposition on foreign investors of performance requirements on exports, on domestic content and on technology transfer, all of which have historically been very important in promoting late industrialization. They also make it more difficult or costly for domestic producers to undertake reverse engineering and imitation through access to technology that is covered by patent or copyright protection, said the TDR.

However, the TDR added, WTO members retain the possibility of using tariffs to protect certain sectors, and have some flexibility in the use of both IP and regulatory measures concerning FDI. Perhaps most importantly, WTO members can continue to use certain kinds of subsidies and standards aimed at fostering structural transformation that involves the generation of new productive capacity by helping to promote R&D and innovation activities.

Turning to RTAs, the TDR said that since the early 1990s, a wave of RTAs (i. e. regional trade agreements with reciprocal commitments between two or more partners) has eroded a considerable degree of policy space that was preserved under the multilateral trade regime. This has happened by strengthening enforcement, eliminating exceptions or demanding commitments not included in the UR Agreements. RTAs also have increasingly incorporated investment provisions, which, traditionally, were dealt with in separate bilateral investment treaties (BITs).

Regarding the scope of RTA provisions, the TDR said that the evidence shows that they have become more comprehensive over the past 20 years, and many are now formally described as comprehensive economic partnership agreements.

It also seems that North-South agreements generally contain a larger number of both WTO-plus (i. e. more stringent provisions than those already covered by the multilateral trade regime) and WTO-extra (i. e. deal with provisions that go beyond current multilateral trade agreements) provisions than either North-North or South- South agreements.

Regarding TRIPS-plus commitments, the TDR noted that RTAs generally include more stringent enforcement requirements or provide fewer exemptions (such as allowing compulsory licensing only for emergency situations). They also prohibit parallel imports, and extend obligations to cover additional IP issues (such as life forms, counterfeiting and piracy) or exclusive rights to test data (such as those relating to pharmaceuticals). Furthermore, they may contain more detailed and prescriptive IP provisions, and reduce the possibility for States to tailor their IP laws to their specific domestic environments or adapt them to changing circumstances.

Turning to industrial policy, the TDR said that in recent years there has been a global revival of interest in such policies. A number of developing countries, including the largest ones, have reassessed the benefits of industrial policy for structural transformation and economic growth.

Reassessments of the potential benefits of industrial policy have not been limited to developing countries only. Many developed countries have begun to explicitly acknowledge the important role that industrial policy can play in maintaining a robust manufacturing sector, with the associated benefits in terms of productivity growth, innovation and employment creation.

The wide variation across countries in the pace and scale of development of their manufacturing activities indicates that country-specific factors – such as resource endowments, size of the domestic market, geographical location and institutional development – are likely to have a strong bearing on the timing and extent to which labour shifts towards more productive activities, both across and within economic sectors.

According to the TDR, evidence shows that the impact of developed economies’ GDP growth on their imports is becoming smaller, and that the positive effect of their income growth on developing-country exports is also weakening. The challenges that developing countries face in achieving structural transformation under favourable global demand conditions are even greater when they are unable to rely as much as before on growing manufactured exports to developed countries to support such transformation.

“This may require a rebalancing of their growth strategies by according greater importance to domestic and regional demand, with the ensuing need to align their production structure more closely with their demand structure, as discussed in TDR 2013. In other words, the current global economic situation increases the policy challenges facing developing countries and necessitates the deployment of creative industrial policies.”

Addressing the issue of production networks and the role of industrial policies, the report said that taken together, international production networks may provide opportunities for countries at an early stage of structural transformation to accelerate industrial development in some sectors. But participating in such networks should not, in most cases, be seen as the only element in a country’s industrial development strategy.

“Developing countries that have achieved some degree of industrial development will need to weigh very carefully the costs and benefits associated with renouncing remaining policy flexibility when participating in international production networks, particularly in terms of the extent to which this contributes to economic and social upgrading.”

Moreover, the importance of international production networks may well shrink to the extent that there is a prolonged period of slow growth in developed countries and/or a decline in the positive effects from their income growth on developing-country exports. This is more than a transitory phenomenon, said the TDR.

The benefits that developed-country enterprises reaped from off-shoring have declined as a result of higher transportation costs following the rising price of oil since the early 2000s. This may reinforce tendencies towards re-shoring manufacturing activities back to developed countries and efforts in those countries to strengthen their own manufacturing sectors.

On the other hand, said the TDR, the importance of South-South production networks, which are currently poorly developed in most developing regions, will increase if developing countries rebalance their growth strategies by giving greater importance to domestic and regional demand. The main point is that none of these shifts provides a rationale for renouncing policy space to the benefit of developed-country firms.

“Implementation of effective policy strategies with a view to meeting the global development goals that are likely to emerge from discussions on a post-2015 development agenda will not be feasible without the availability of greater flexibilities in policymaking,” UNCTAD underlined.

Building sustainable and inclusive growth paths will certainly require devising a more effective macroeconomic policy mix and addressing the major systemic issues in the financial system. However, improving the governance of global trade will need to be part of a more comprehensive and integrated package to help preserve the policy space for proactive trade and industrial policies, and should complement the macroeconomic and financial reform agenda.

On the steps that could be taken towards strengthening global trade governance in support of development, the TDR suggests that the most important would be a strengthening of multilateral mechanisms. Multilateral rules provide a compass for national policymakers to ensure the consistency of rules across countries.

Capitalizing on the new momentum from the WTO’s Bali Ministerial Conference in December 2013, the Doha Round negotiations should progress in a manner that would justify its being dubbed a “development round”.

The TDR said that steps in this direction would include an emphasis on implementation issues (paragraph 12 of the Doha Ministerial Declaration). They would also need to maintain the principle of a single undertaking (as stated in paragraph 47 of the Doha Declaration), rather than moving towards a variable geometry whereby a range of mandatory core commitments is supplemented by plurilateral agreements among only some members.

“The most important benefit from all this may well be simply maintaining the public good character of multilateral rules and precluding powerful countries from coercing others into competitive liberalization that may be ill-suited to their development prospects.”

Second, said UNCTAD, refocusing trade negotiations on multilateral agreements would imply a reconsideration of WTO-plus and WTO-extra provisions, as well as allowing greater flexibility in the application of the UR Agreements. This could respond to a number of recent developments. In the area of IPR protection, for example, the role of patents in promoting innovation (i. e. the commonly cited basic rationale for the adoption of strict rules on such protection) has increasingly been challenged.

According to the TDR, it may be advisable for developing countries to maintain a flexible system of IPR protection while being given appropriate technical support to make full use of the available flexibilities in order to support technology adoption and innovation at all stages of structural transformation.

A reconsideration of WTO-plus and WTO-extra provisions would also imply renouncing investment provisions that go beyond the TRIMs Agreement. Arguments that international production networks provide a rapid path to structural transformation, and that joining such networks requires a hands-off approach to international business, have recently given new impetus to making such provisions more restrictive.

“Yet, for countries at early stages of structural transformation, it is far from clear how adopting far-reaching investment provisions would allow, or even foster, the developmental gains to be had from their industries joining such networks, particularly beyond the benefits of increased low-skill employment and initial experience in producing manufactures.”

The risk of being trapped in some low-level niche of the value chain, and not being able to upgrade, may be too high for countries to give up the possibility of using instruments that in the past have proved to be effective in supporting industrialization and overall production, UNCTAD concluded. +

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WMG response to Report of the Sust. Development Financing Committee

WMG response to Report of the Sus. Development Financing Committee

Dear all,

I’m happy to share with you our collective analysis of the Report of the Intergovernmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Financing, which was published in August. 

We hope that you’ll find this to be a useful tool in your analysis and advocacy during the upcoming GA session and beyond (including in relation to the next global Financing for Development Conference to be held in July 2015).

Many thanks to all who contributed. 

Warmest wishes, 

Tessa Khan Programme Officer Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) Ph:+66 53 284 527 Skype:apwldsec

http://youtu.be/1I2cEDbIW04

WMG ICESDF Report analysis FINAL      

 

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New SDG-forest publicatio​n

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Critique articles_N​ew Land Use Policy Manipur & Paddy Land Conservati​on Bill 2014

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4th Structured Dialogue on Technology Facilitati​on – Wed, 23 July

Subject: 4th Structured Dialogue on Technology Facilitation – Wed, 23 July To: Laise Copolillo Ayres <copolilloayres@un.org>

Dear Colleagues,

The 4th Structured Dialogue on possible arrangements for a technology facilitation mechanism to promote the development, transfer and dissemination of clean and environmentally sound technologies will be held this Wednesday, 23 July at UNHQs in the Trusteeship Council Chamber at the UN Conference Building, with access through the 3rd floor.

All relevant documents can be accessed at the following web page: http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.php?menu=1822

You can also find attached the PGA letter that has been sent to all Member States and posted on our website listed above and on the PGA’s website, which intends to guide the discussions on Wednesday.

We look forward to the participation of MGoS with an annual ground pass.

Kind regards,
Laise Copolillo Ayres  Major Groups Programme  Division for Sustainable Development  United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs  Email: copolilloayres@un.org

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TWN Info on UN Sust Dev: SDGs – Developing Countries concerned over outcome and future of SDGs process

Title : TWN Info on UN Sust Dev: SDGs – Developing      Countries concerned over outcome and future of SDGs process Date : 18 July 2014
Contents:

TWN Info Service on UN Sustainable Development (July14/02)         18 July  2014         Third World Network www.twn.my

Developing Countries concerned over outcome and          future of SDGs process

New York 18 July (Ranja Sengupta) – The final session of the        Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals on 14 to 18        July in New York reveal that the fault lines between the North        and the South have become sharper.

The OWG, during its one and a half years of work is no        stranger to these conflicting positions. But standing at the        concluding week of negotiations, the conflict over means of        Implementation seems strong enough to topple the entire process        at the beginning of the week. A parallel concern of developing        countries is that the outcome on SDGs coming out of the OWG        process may be tinkered with or tweaked in its movement towards        the General Assembly discussions in September.

[The Thirteenth Session of the OWG is mandated by the Rio+20        Outcome Document “The Future We Want” to come up with a set of        Sustainable Development Goals. These are expected to feed into        the General Assembly negotiations on the Post-2015 Development        Agenda. The OWG is co-chaired by Ambassador Macharia Kamau of        Kenya and Ambassador Csaba Korosi of Hungary.]

DIFFERENCES OVER THE COURSE OF THE OWG

Differences are not new to the OWG. As expected, there have        been major differences between the developed and developing        countries over the inclusion of specific goals and the substance        of the targets under the goals. The debate over the “stand-alone        goal” as opposed to “mainstreaming” of targets is one that has        continued for quite some time. For example, the goals on “reduce        inequality within and between countries” (currently Goal 10),         “promote sustainable infrastructure and industrialization and        foster innovation” (Goal 9), “promote sustainable consumption        and production patterns” (Goal 12), “tackle climate change and        its impacts” (Goal 13), and “achieve peaceful and inclusive        societies, access to justice for all, and effective and capable        institutions” (Goal 16) have seen major debates over their        inclusion as stand-alone goals.

While the first three were resisted by the developed        countries, the last two have seen serious concerns from several        developing countries, and these last two continue to be a major        area of divide as the OWG inches towards the finish line on        Friday 18 July. During the morning session on Wednesday, some of        the developed countries threatened to bring back issues related        to inclusion of Goals 9 and 11 as a cross cutting rather than a        stand-alone goal if the list of goals is reopened (implying if        Goals 13 and 16 are dropped at the insistence of developing        countries).

Targets under many other goals, for example, the ones on         “conserve and promote sustainable use of oceans, seas and marine        resources” (Goal 14), “ensure sustainable energy for all” (Goal        7), and in particular Sexual and reproductive health and rights        (SRHR) related targets under Goals 3 and 5 (on health and gender        equality respectively) have continued to witness major debates.

MEANS OF IMPLEMENTATION: A DEAL BREAKER? 

However the battle over Means of Implementation (MOI) has been        the longest and hardest of them all. Informal discussions on MOI        took place from mid-week, and it is clear from several delegates        that most developing countries expect the developed countries to        not commit to MOI. It seems several finance ministries of the        developed countries are unhappy with the MOI targets as they        stood.

At a meeting called by Bolivia and Brazil to interact with        civil society groups on Monday 14 July, these and other        apprehensions were expressed by the delegates. Since the G-77        and China have repeatedly said that they cannot be expected to        commit to the other SDGs in the absence of concrete commitments        from the developed countries on MOI and a strengthened global        partnership for development, the talks looked to many as on the        verge of a collapse unless a solution appeared to what looked        like an insurmountable problem.

During the last OWG session in June (the 12^th        session), the developed countries had made it clear that they        will generally not support goal specific MOI and wanted only a        stand-alone Goal (No. 17). As a result of their demands, the        revised Zero Draft released on 30 June, saw stand alone goal        components on trade, finance, technology, capacity building,        policy and institutional coherence, data, monitoring and        accountability and a segment on multi stakeholder partnerships.        While the first few areas were much generalized and diluted, the        segment on partnerships emerged stronger with a major emphasis        on the role of the private sector. However, the goal specific        components of MOI, though much weakened, also remained in this        revised draft and have remained a hotbed of opposition from the        developed countries.

Reportedly, during the informal sessions in the week before        the current session and around the OWG 12 last month, most        developed countries had repeatedly made proposals to shift the        goal specific MOI to goal 17 under a stand-alone goal. During        the OWG 13, developed countries reportedly continued in the same        manner and while they proposed changes to the goal specific MOI,        they continued to first demand that these be either deleted or        moved to Goal 17. According to some sources, this may be one of        red lines for the developed countries.

As opposed to the reluctance by developed countries to pursue        and commit to MOI, the developing countries want MOI on both        goal specific components and the stand-alone Goal 17 to be        resolved this week. They want faster negotiations on this as        well as the entire set of SDGs which, they claim, developed        countries do not seem to want. The G-77 and China seem to be        worried that the developed countries will want to discard the        SDGs on the excuse that there is no agreement and go for fresh        and full negotiations on a Post-2015 global development agenda.

SANCTITY OF PROCESS FOLLOWING THE OWG

As the OWG 13 began its session on Monday, an apprehension was        also expressed repeatedly by the developing countries that the        process going into the Post-2015 negotiations following the OWG        should respect the OWG outcomes and the text jointly negotiated        by the Member States. There should not be any tweaking or        changing of the SDGs coming out from this process.

In this context it is important to keep in mind that the UN        Secretary-General is supposed to come out with a synthesis        report based on the OWG outcome report as well as reports from        other processes that will feed into the Post-2015 negotiations        in the General Assembly. The Post-2015 intergovernmental        discussions at the General Assembly will be launched in        September though actual negotiations are expected to take place        in December or later.

Reiterating this concern at the meeting with civil society        groups, Brazil and Bolivia asked for civil society’s support in        facilitating an agreed outcome to the OWG and if needed also a        freeze of the document until it is opened up at General Assembly        for further negotiations. Several civil society representatives        expressed serious misgivings as they did not feel they could        support the document as it stood at the beginning of the week.        In response, Brazil and Bolivia explained they were not asking        them to support the content but rather for a fair and open        follow up process leading to an intergovernmental process where        the SDGs arrived at or in process will not be reduced or changed        in any way.

Another apprehension expressed by several delegations was that        the SDG targets may undermine some of the commitments made at        other international fora. Co-chair Ambassador Kamau assured them        this was not so.

THE 13^th SESSION

After opening on Monday and some initial statements on        process, the 13^th session moved to the informal        format until Tuesday with the objective of covering discussions        on goals 12 to 17. Ambassador Kamau suggested that while there        were worries about the limited time left to reach an agreement        the beginning is not bad and they already had a comprehensive        document to work with. The revised texts on goals 1-11 was        circulated by Tuesday morning. The co-chairs promised to        circulate the revised goals 12-15 by Wednesday. The format        suggested for Wednesday-Friday was to go through the goal titles        first, reach an agreement and then to take up each goal and go        through the targets. If they ran into difficulties with any        specific goal, they will move on after giving it some time and        then come back to it at a later point of time.

In the interest of time he encouraged countries to talk among        themselves and speak in bigger groups. For example Mexico, Peru,        Colombia and Guatemala have combined voices and are making        single interventions. This will also help in resolving conflicts        over difficult issues, he suggested, and urged countries to talk        bilaterally or in groups to resolve these conflicts.

Referring to the concerns expressed earlier about OWG targets        conflicting with agreed international commitments, he said that        while it is impossible to correlate every single target with        every single legal instrument or treaties or international        agreement, they will do their best to keep an eye out for such        conflicts and asked the UN agencies to assist in this process.

Ambassador Kamau expressed optimism that they will reach an        agreement, by affirmation, by the end of this session.

Notably, in a break from earlier tradition, the 13^th        session has no organized interactions between the co-chairs and        civil society. However a combined set of recommendations across        the 17 goals by Major Groups and other stakeholders were sent to        the Co-Chairs and Member States by UN DESA on Tuesday. Civil        society organizations continued their hectic lobbying with        Member States. Following Bolivia and Brazil’s meeting with civil        society the United Kingdom and the European Union held meetings        with civil society respectively on Tuesday and Thursday.

So while the last Session of the Open Working Group moves        towards the end of its 1.5-year tenure, uncertainties still loom        large over the outcomes. While many developing countries want a        conclusion, and if not, a freezing of the document and further        negotiations on its basis at the General Assembly, the developed        countries may set up red lines with regard to MOI that may put        the process back to square one. While the content of the SDGs as        it stands now suffers from major shortcomings, it has been a        long and hard process that needs to show some results. For it to        contribute to sustainable development it requires the commitment        and honesty from all Member States as it tumbles into the larger        post 2015 process.+

Copyright Third World Network –           www.twnnews.net All Rights Reserved

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No Sustainabl​e Developmen​t Goals without Sustainabl​e Developmen​t Budgets [New GPF Report]

Dear colleagues,

Global Policy Forum is pleased to share our new report, No Sustainable Development Goals without Sustainable Development Budgets. 

As the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals finishes its last session this week as a key input into the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, this report examines the primary responsibility of governments ​in implementing the new agenda, including through fiscal policies and the allocation of public resources. Governments will have to formulate Sustainable Development Budgets in order to implement Sustainable Development Goals, facing the challenge of interdependencies between environmental and social policy goals. A consistent integration of different perspectives in budget policy and analysis will be needed to implement SDGs and avoid unwanted side-effects. The new GPF publication describes possible entry points for shaping fiscal policy in accordance with sustainability criteria and shows how to use them in order to achieve environmental-social budgets. It uses the budget cycle as a tool in identifying such entry points, from the drafting of the budget to policy implementation and monitoring of the results. Download the guide here

Thank you for reading. To sign up for the Global Policy Forum listserv, please click here.  Best regards,Kathryn (Katie) Tobin kathryntobin@globalpolicy.org www.globalpolicy.org @globalpolicy @uncharteredKT

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Open Letter Of Bolivian Chancellor on SDGs – Carta Abierta Canciller de Bolivia sobre ODS

Having trouble reading this email? View it in your browser.   /     Problemas para leer el correo electrónico? Véalo en su navegador.

From: Silvia Ribeiro <silvia@etcgroup.org>     To: Women Major Group Listserve <women_major_group@googlegroups.com>

Subject: {Women_Major_Group} Open Letter Of Bolivian Chancellor on SDGs – Carta Abierta Canciller de Bolivia sobre ODS

 

Multi-year Campaign to Guarantee Tight to Healthy Environmen​t – Case Study Canada

There’s a problem in Canada’s heartland

Dear Community of Educators,

“Broken Ground” marks the launch of a multi-year campaign to guarantee the right to a healthy environment for every Canadian by every level of government. Read the stories, share them with your friends and become part of a growing movement of Canadians who are standing up for the people and places they love.

Visit www.brokenground.ca now.

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Internatio​nal Politics and environmen​tal disasters

—————————————————————————————-

“Call for hosting” the 9th WEEC in 2017–Appel à candidatur​es pour l’organisa​tion du congrès mondial WEEC en 2017–Convo​catoria de candidatur​as para la organizaci​ón del 9° Congreso Mundial WEEC en el 2017

http://a6c6b.s28.it/f/rnl.aspx/?fie=sxn/xxy:&x=pv&fj=vxcf:=pwwz0&x=pv&1&x=pv&&x=pv&=f&akaj&x=pp&rwk.&x=pv&48579gNCLM

 —————————————————————————————-

A participat​ory approach for tracking community-​based adaptation​: Introducin​g the revised PMERL Manual

—————————————————————————————————

MEA negotiatio​ns: issue briefs template

Dear Community of Educators,

—————————————————————————————-

World Environmen​tal Education Congress –  2nd Pan-Europe​an Days of Environmen​tal Education toward Sustainabi​lity “Call For Input”

Hello everybody!

The web-site of the European Days on Environmental Education is now on-line and active!

www.europe.environmental-education.org/index.html

You will find on the web-site the initial program as well as the registration form, documents related to the event and information regarding accommodation.

The international organizing committee of the European Days has been defining different subject suggestions for the workshops, based on three major matters:

Göteborg’s themes: the subjects that will be proposed in the 8th edition of the World Environmental Education Congress WEEC 2015 (http://weec2015.org ) have been integrated with the international commitee’s proposals

Building a Network: The need to build not only a European network but also a worldwide network led us to propose this workshop in order to discuss a Political Document on EESD in Europe and to continue creating a European area for consultation on environmental education.

European programs: introduce and discuss different European and worldwide programs with the participation of experts such as European functionaries in order to give the participants the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of a specific program and begin to identify partners and themes for European projects.

But this is not all: we also want your point of view. Therefore, in the registration form you will be able to give us your opinion and suggest us new themes for the workshops, as well as propositions for the development of the program and ideas for the event.

We thank you for your collaboration!

Kind regards

This email is sent from newsletter@environmental-education.org

—————————————————————————————–

Worldwide Environmen​tal Impact – What are the Challenges Facing African Communitie​s?

Dear Community of Educators,

 

FYI…

 

Having the ability and innate willingness to help others is a unique gift. Some come by the opportunity by chance, while others take a step further and reach out to help wherever possible. Morris Koffa, is a special individual who did just that. He helped establish a non-profit organization, Africa Environmental Watch, whose purpose is to educate African citizens on environmental issues such as solid waste, toxic waste, community school awareness, hygiene and more. His group also works with the local governments in Africa to provide better education for its citizens through curriculum’s, some that he helped to create, as well as helping to look for ways to improve conditions on drinking water.  

http://apus-stream.com/worldwide-environmental-impact/

 

             Worldwide Environmental Impact

Morris Koffa established a non-profit organization, Africa Environmental Watch, to educate African citizens on environmental issues. By working with local governments, he provides better education and improved conditions on drinking water. He accomplishes these while studying at American Public University.
Learn more in this podcast.

 

—————————————————————————————-

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

—————————————————————————————-

——————————————————————————————-

Dear Community of Educators,

——————————————————————————————

——————————————————————————————————

http://post2015.iisd.org/post2015-update/2013-02-27/

 

http://www.un.org/en/events/observances/days.shtml

http://climate-l.iisd.org/daily-feed/2013-02-27/

 

• http://www.unep.org/documents.multilingual/default.asp?documentid=78&articleid=1163

• http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/

 

•  http://www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities

 

Dr. P. J. Puntenney

Environmental & Human Systems Management

1989 West Liberty

Ann Arbor, MI  48103  USA

 

E-mail:  pjpunt@umich.edu

Cell:  (734) 330-0238

Voice/Fax: (734) 994-3612

 

============

 

 

 

Dear Ed. Colleagues,

 

For those of you interested in a very useful human rights & environment civil society & classroom tool, I call your attention to an International Rivers (with Oxfam Australia support) guidebook launched today. Titled “Dam Standards: A Rights-based approach” – content and resources include a nuanced discussion of legal mandates, policy, culpability gaps, and strategies to secure justice and are broadly applicable to an array of human rights/environment contexts.

 

http://www.internationalrivers.org/files/attached-files/intlrivers_dam_standards_final.pdf

 

Barbara Rose Johnston

 

———————————————————————————————-

 

Side Event

Achieving Sustainable Development  through the Sound Management of Chemicals and Waste

Date:                 Wednesday, 8 January 2014, 1:15-2:30 PM

Venue:         Trusteeship Council Chamber, Conference Building

Organized by:        Switzerland, Sweden and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

 

Jim Sniffen Programme Officer UN Environment Programme

 

New York tel: +1-212-963-8094 sniffenj at un.org/jsniffen88 at gmail.com www.unep.org

Flyer for chemicals and waste side event 7th OWG

 

————————————————————————————————

 

Climate Forum

http://climate-l.iisd.org/

 

https://lists.iisd.ca/read/?forum=climate-l

african-permaculture-network@googlegroups.com

general@africa.ecovillage.org;  

worldview-mission-country-coordinators@googlegroups.com;    

yve-ghana-members@googlegroups.com;

ghana-alliance-for-clean-cookstoves@googlegroups.com

 

— Severin Koffi APEDJAGBO

Climate  Change Officer

Risks management & Community Based Adaptation

ONG Jeunes Volontaires pour l’Environnement 131,rue Ofé,Tokoin Casablanca

08 BP: 8823, Lome,Togo, skype : sevekoff

www.jve-international.org

Tel : +228-22 20 01 12 / Cel: +228-90 84 58 27

 

 Vous recevez ce message, car vous êtes abonné au groupe Google Groupes JVE International coordinators. Pour vous désabonner de ce groupe et ne plus recevoir d’e-mails le concernant, envoyez un e-mail à l’adresse jve-international-coordinators+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com. Pour plus d’options, visitez le site https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out .

— You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups “Worldview Mission Country Coordinators” group.

To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to worldview-mission-country-coordinators+unsubscribe@googlegroups.com.

To post to this group, send email to worldview-mission-country-coordinators@googlegroups.com.

Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/worldview-mission-country-coordinators?hl=en-US.

 

————————————————————————————

 

The Belgrade Charter

A Global Framework for Environmental Education

• Evironmental Edu

—————————————————————————————

•  PDF-File Doha Cop 18 South Centre Bulletin

 

—————————————————————————————

 

                         

ISO 31000:2009

Risk management – Principles and guidelines

Risk management – Principles and guidelines

World We Want pdf Water Consultation Invitation

 

•  Risk management – Principles and guidelines   ISO 31000:2009   provides principles

 

http://www.theirm.org/publications/documents/rm_standard_nl_15.11.04.pdf

 

http://www.theirm.org/publications/PUstandard.html

 

Risk management – Principles and guidelines   ISO 31000:2009 provides principles and

generic guidelines on risk management.

ISO 31000:2009 can be used by any public, private or community enterprise, association,

group or individual. Therefore, ISO 31000:2009 is not specific to any industry or sector.

ISO 31000:2009 can be applied throughout the life of an organization, and to a wide range

of activities, including strategies and decisions, operations, processes, functions, projects,

products, services and assets.

ISO 31000:2009 can be applied to any type of risk, whatever its nature, whether having

positive or negative consequences.

Although ISO 31000:2009 provides generic guidelines, it is not intended to promote

uniformity of risk management across organizations. The design and implementation of

risk management plans and frameworks will need to take into account the varying needs of

a specific organization, its particular objectives, context, structure, operations, processes,

functions, projects, products, services, or assets and specific practices employed.

It is intended that ISO 31000:2009 be utilized to harmonize risk management processes in

existing and future standards. It provides a common approach in support of standards

dealing with specific risks and/or sectors, and does not replace those standards.

ISO 31000:2009 is not intended for the purpose of certification

 

Global Institutue for Risk Managements Standards G31000 Brochure 24 Jan 2013

Please Join !!

The conferences,   Get 10% discount,

Using Worldview Mission Unique code nr: MPFSPB

Fore more please contact Mrs. Madeleine Leblanc: Madeleine.leblanc@G31000.org

 

ISO 31000 DAY ONE-DALI-Riskconference-Istambul-version1

 

 

http://www.linkedin.com/groups/Invitation-Second-International-Conference-on-1834592.S.214632672?qid=b9cb0a11-b251-44e9-97fa-b1d4c1d1a795&trk=group_most_popular-mc-rr-ttl&goback=.gmp_1834592

 

 

http://www.cvent.com/events/second-international-conference-on-iso-31000-standard/invitation-7e97ce339ac7448c9930a5a0e12cf62a.aspx

 

————————————————————————————————————

 

Dear All,

THE 22 ND INTERNATIONAL  CHILDREN’S  PAINTING  COMPETITION  ON THE  ENVIRONMENT

UNEP has launched the 22nd International children’s painting competition. The Competition is organized annually by the UNEP and the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.

The theme of the 22nd  painting competition will be ” Water” and participants will have until 29th  February, 2013 to submit their entries.

Sub themes of the competition are:

Water: Where does it  come from? Water : Source  of  life

The selection process will be in two stages; the regional selection which will be done by UNEP Regional Offices and their partners, and the global selection which will be done by UNEP and its partners, Foundation for Global peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.

For more details on the Competition please visit :

http://unep.org/tunza/children/int_comp.aspx

For more information, send an email to    children.youth@unep.org.

——————————————————————————————-

Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE):

http://taiseen.org.tw/en/active_areashow.php?cid=202

———————————————————————————————————–

tvebiomovies team

www.tvebiomovies.org

46 Bloomsbury Street

London WC1B 3QJ UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7147 7420

————————————————————————————————————-

http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/articles/869/1/Wings-for-Earth-Charter-in-Amsterdam/Page1.html

————————————————————————————————————

Dear All,

Due to the hard work and efforts put in your various projects for the past years in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development   otherwise called Earth Summit and beyond  to ensure a sustainable future, we at The ENERGY GLOBE Foundation would be very pleased to have your project submitted for competition in the ENERGY GLOBE Award.

The ENERGY GLOBE Award is today’s most prominent environmental award worldwide. It is awarded on a local, national and international level every year. The international award under the title ENERGY GLOBE World Award for Sustainability is awarded in the 5 categories Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth where each of the winners receive 10,000 euro in prize money.

In addition, the national awards annually distinguish the best projects in each of more than 100 participating nations. Under patronage of UNESCO, Energy Globe presented winners from 151 countries this year on 5 June 2012 which marks the  World Environment Day . Have a look at those outstanding projects and get inspired! www.energyglobe.info

The submitted projects are reported worldwide via television and internet. International award presentations took place in the realm of ceremonies recently held  in Japan, Canada, Rwanda, Czech Republic, Belgium (at the European Parliament), Austria etc. Prominent Award presenters included Kofi Annan, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Presidents of EU Commission and EU Parliament, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner as well as show stars and actors like Martin Sheen, Aamir Khan, Alanis Morissette,  and many others. Currently talks are been held with the UN  to ensure that ,  next International ENERGY GLOBE Award ceremony takes place  at  the UN  headquarters in New York.

Join the global Energy Community and bring your project to a global public attention! Any sustainable project is welcome. No project is too large or too small.

We are attaching the submission documents, which you will also find at www.energyglobe.info.

Please submit your project online under http://www.energyglobe.info/participation or send yourproject documents by  October 12,2012 to: contact@energyglobe.infoor via snail mail to: EnergyGlobe, Muehlbach 7,  4801 Traunkirchen, Austria

We look forward to your participation! Please feel free to contact the Energy Globe office in Austria, if you have any questions

(+43 7617 2090-31; contact@energyglobe.info).

—————————————————————                                       

 

World Water Day 22 March 2012

http://www.undppc.org.fj/pages.cfm/events/ http://www.unric.org/nl/links-in-belgie-en-nederland

 

The Climate for Change

OWS Young Girl HAS MORAL Silences the UN 1992 Brazil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf-cFKS4V_4&NR=1&feature=endscreen

http://rioplussocial.com.br/en/

Keynote: Severn Cullis-Suzuki address: Climate Change and Water issues at the United Nations giving her message out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F26UqJaOUEQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf-cFKS4V_4&NR=1&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKbnZT8Z6HU&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Severn Cullis-Suzuki on Earth Summit 2012 – We Canada Champion

about the upcoming Earth Summit 2012 and how can Canadians get involved.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=tbbSDmjBWi4

 Climate Crisis

http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/

http://hqweb.unep.org/GreenEconomy/InformationMaterials/News/PressRelease/tabid/4612/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentId=2661&ArticleId=8990

———————————————————————————————————

——————————————————————————————————-

http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=fa9cf38799136b5660f367ba6&id=899befa7ea&e=1e33eb2f1a

——————————————————————————————————–

Date:                 Wednesday, 8 January 2014, 1:15-2:30 PM

Venue:         Trusteeship Council Chamber, Conference Building

Organized by:        Switzerland, Sweden and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

***********************************

 

Jim Sniffen Programme Officer UN Environment Programme

 

New York tel: +1-212-963-8094 sniffenj at un.org/jsniffen88 at gmail.com www.unep.org

 

 

 

 Flyer for chemicals and waste side event 7th OWG

 

————————————————————————————————

 

http://switchboard.nrdc.org/blogs/jscherr/2014_the_year_of_glocalization.htm

 

 

•  http://mapeo-rse.info/sites/default/files/Business_and_the_Millennium_Development_Goals.pdf

 

• http://www.iied.org/cba7-seventh-international-conference-community-based-adaptation
•  UN FCCC TEC BULLETIN UN FRAMEWORK CLIMATE CHANGE PDF
• http://www.unep.org/ccac/
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf-cFKS4V_4&NR=1&feature=endscreen
•  http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/technology/2013workshops
•  UN FCCC Framework Confention Int Climate Change

 

•  http://www.unep.org/documents.multilingual/default.asp?documentid=78&articleid=1163
• http://www.stakeholderforum.org/sf/index.php/news/510
• http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=785c636068bceae1e01c92425&id=285db16321&e=eb9aeef31f

 

•  http://web.undp.org/gef/document/UNDP-GEF%20Gender%20Report%202012.pdf

 

• http://www.japanfs.org/en/mailmagazine/
•  http://www.worldwewant2015.org/inequalities

 

 

 

 

                           The Kindom Of The Netherlands  (NL) 

                                           https://www.agentschapnl.nl/

Ministerie van Economische Zaken, Landbouw en Innovatie

 

• http://www.dutchwatersector.com/

 

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn2mDS-WNJs&list=UUjmYi-q2Psp8QYXLTAen8Xg&index=8&feature=plcp

 

—————————————————————————————

          Doha Cop 18 South Centre Bulletin

• WM PDF Doha Cop 18 South Centre Bulletin

—————————————————————————————

The formal Prime Minister Ruud Lubbers Holland Co-founder

of The Earth Charter UN High Commissioner for Refugees

 

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FntRVRzwCu4b

 

—————————————————————————————-

 

 

ISO 31000:2009
Risk management – Principles and guide Lines P. Point Press  ISO 31000 DAY ONE-DALI-OpRiskconference-Istambul-version1

 

http://www.theirm.org/publications/documents/rm_standard_nl_15.11.04.pdf

 

http://www.theirm.org/publications/PUstandard.html

Risk management – Principles and guidelines   ISO 31000:2009 provides principles and

generic guidelines on risk management.

ISO 31000:2009 can be used by any public, private or community enterprise, association,

group or individual. Therefore, ISO 31000:2009 is not specific to any industry or sector.

ISO 31000:2009 can be applied throughout the life of an organization, and to a wide range

of activities, including strategies and decisions, operations, processes, functions, projects,

products, services and assets.

ISO 31000:2009 can be applied to any type of risk, whatever its nature, whether having

positive or negative consequences.

Although ISO 31000:2009 provides generic guidelines, it is not intended to promote

uniformity of risk management across organizations. The design and implementation of

risk management plans and frameworks will need to take into account the varying needs of

a specific organization, its particular objectives, context, structure, operations, processes,

functions, projects, products, services, or assets and specific practices employed.

It is intended that ISO 31000:2009 be utilized to harmonize risk management processes in

existing and future standards. It provides a common approach in support of standards

dealing with specific risks and/or sectors, and does not replace those standards.

ISO 31000:2009 is not intended for the purpose of certification

—————————————————————————————-

 

Dear All,

THE 22 ND INTERNATIONAL  CHILDREN’S  PAINTING  COMPETITION  ON THE  ENVIRONMENT

UNEP has launched the 22nd International children’s painting competition. The Competition is organized annually by the UNEP and the Japan-based Foundation for Global Peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.

The theme of the 22nd  painting competition will be ” Water” and participants will have until 29th  February, 2013 to submit their entries.

Sub themes of the competition are:

Water: Where does it  come from? Water : Source  of  life

The selection process will be in two stages; the regional selection which will be done by UNEP Regional Offices and their partners, and the global selection which will be done by UNEP and its partners, Foundation for Global peace and Environment (FGPE), Bayer and Nikon Corporation.

For more details on the Competition please visit :

http://unep.org/tunza/children/int_comp.aspx

For more information, send an email to    children.youth@unep.org.

——————————————————————————————-

Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy (TAISE):

http://taiseen.org.tw/en/active_areashow.php?cid=202

————————————————————————————-

tvebiomovies team

www.tvebiomovies.org

46 Bloomsbury Street

London WC1B 3QJ UK

Tel: +44 (0) 20 7147 7420

——————————————————————————————

http://www.earthcharterinaction.org/content/articles/869/1/Wings-for-Earth-Charter-in-Amsterdam/Page1.html

——————————————————————————————-

Dear All,

Due to the hard work and efforts put in your various projects for the past years in preparation for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development   otherwise called Earth Summit and beyond  to ensure a sustainable future, we at The ENERGY GLOBE Foundation would be very pleased to have your project submitted for competition in the ENERGY GLOBE Award.

The ENERGY GLOBE Award is today’s most prominent environmental award worldwide. It is awarded on a local, national and international level every year. The international award under the title ENERGY GLOBE World Award for Sustainability is awarded in the 5 categories Earth, Fire, Water, Air and Youth where each of the winners receive 10,000 euro in prize money.

In addition, the national awards annually distinguish the best projects in each of more than 100 participating nations. Under patronage of UNESCO, Energy Globe presented winners from 151 countries this year on 5 June 2012 which marks the  World Environment Day . Have a look at those outstanding projects and get inspired! www.energyglobe.info

The submitted projects are reported worldwide via television and internet. International award presentations took place in the realm of ceremonies recently held  in Japan, Canada, Rwanda, Czech Republic, Belgium (at the European Parliament), Austria etc. Prominent Award presenters included Kofi Annan, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Presidents of EU Commission and EU Parliament, UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner as well as show stars and actors like Martin Sheen, Aamir Khan, Alanis Morissette,  and many others. Currently talks are been held with the UN  to ensure that ,  next International ENERGY GLOBE Award ceremony takes place  at  the UN  headquarters in New York.

Join the global Energy Community and bring your project to a global public attention! Any sustainable project is welcome. No project is too large or too small.

We are attaching the submission documents, which you will also find at www.energyglobe.info.

Please submit your project online under http://www.energyglobe.info/participation or send yourproject documents by  October 12,2012 to: contact@energyglobe.infoor via snail mail to: EnergyGlobe, Muehlbach 7,  4801 Traunkirchen, Austria

We look forward to your participation! Please feel free to contact the Energy Globe office in Austria, if you have any questions

(+43 7617 2090-31; contact@energyglobe.info).

—————————————————————————————————             

                                                   World Water Day 22 March 2012

http://www.undppc.org.fj/pages.cfm/events/
http://www.unric.org/nl/links-in-belgie-en-nederland

 

                       The Climate for Change

OWS Young Girl HAS MORAL Silences the UN 1992 Brazil

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf-cFKS4V_4&NR=1&feature=endscreen

http://rioplussocial.com.br/en/

Keynote: Severn Cullis-Suzuki address: Climate Change and Water issues at the United Nations giving her message out

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F26UqJaOUEQ&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Kf-cFKS4V_4&NR=1&feature=endscreen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKbnZT8Z6HU&NR=1&feature=endscreen

Severn Cullis-Suzuki on Earth Summit 2012 – We Canada Champion

about the upcoming Earth Summit 2012 and how can Canadians get involved.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=tbbSDmjBWi4

                            

                                     Climate Crisis

http://www.unep.org/greeneconomy/

http://hqweb.unep.org/GreenEconomy/InformationMaterials/News/PressRelease/tabid/4612/language/en-US/Default.aspx?DocumentId=2661&ArticleId=8990

 

 

 

*WM is Standing Up ,* Taking Action* , **Making Noise for the UN MDGL’s !!!**