Sustainable Development Needs You

1. Sustainable Development Needs You CSD-15 Grassroots Academy New York 26-27 April 2007 Tonya Vaturi CSD Major Groups Programme Division for Sustainable Development UN-DESA

2. Presentation Overview • CSD and how it works • The role of major groups at CSD • How the Major Groups Programme operates • How can you contribute to CSD? • What can CSD offer you? • Partnerships • Accreditation

3. Sustainable Development: definition • In the last thirty years, sustainable development has emerged has one of the most prominent development paradigms • In 1987, the World Commission on Environment and Development concluded with a report containing the well known definition of sustainable development: “Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

4. What is the Commission on Sustainable Development?... • The United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) was established by the UN General Assembly in December 1992 to ensure effective follow-up of United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the Earth Summit • CSD serves as the UN high-level forum for sustainable development issues, to promote dialogue and build partnerships for sustainable development among Governments, the international community and major groups

5. …What is the Commission on Sustainable Development? • CSD reviews progress on the implementation of Agenda 21 and the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, adopted in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 at the Earth Summit • CSD provides policy guidance on follow-up to: • the Barbados Plan of Action for Small Island Developing States (1994) • the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 (1997) • the 2002 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) • the Mauritius Strategy for Small Island Developing States (2005)

6. How does CSD work?... • The CSD is composed of 53 members who are elected by the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) from among the Member States of the United Nations and its specialized agencies: • 13 from Africa • 11 from Asia • 10 from Latin America and the Caribbean • 6 from Eastern Europe • 13 from Western Europe and other countries • Each year CSD elects a five-member, regionally balanced Bureau to provide guidance in CSD preparations

7. …How does CSD work? • The CSD meets annually at United Nations Headquarters in New York for a period of two weeks • It reports to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and, through it, to the General Assembly • CSD outcome (not legally binding) provides framework for national action to advance the sustainable development agenda

8. …How does CSD work? • CSD has a multi-year Programme of Work (2004-2017) consisting of two-year cycles of review and policy years, with an emphasis on implementation • Each cycle addresses a specific thematic cluster of issues, including a set of cross-cutting issues • Five Regional Implementation Meetings (RIMs) are held every two years, during the Review Year

9. CSD Multi-year Programme of Work

10. Cross-cutting issues • Poverty eradication • Changing unsustainable patterns of consumption and production • Protecting and managing the natural resource base of economic and social development • Sustainable development in a globalizing world • Health and sustainable development • Sustainable development of SIDS • Sustainable development for Africa • Other regional initiatives • Means of implementation • Institutional framework for sustainable development • Gender equality • Education

11. Who are the major groups? Agenda 21 recognizes nine sectors of civil society as key major groups. These are: • Women • Children and Youth • Business and Industry • NGOs • Indigenous People • Farmers • Scientific and Technological Communities • Local Authorities • Workers and Trade Unions

12. The role of major groups at the CSD “One of the fundamental prerequisites for the achievement of sustainable development is broad public participation in decision-making.” -Agenda 21, Chapter 23

13. What is the Major Groups Programme? The Major Groups Programme of the Division for Sustainable Development is responsible for engaging and liaising with major groups sectors and for enhancing your participation in the work of CSD and in its intersessional processes.

14. What does the Major Groups Programme do? • We disseminate CSD-related information to major groups networks • We issue annual guidelines for the participation of major groups and post them on the Web • We consult with major groups organizations and research and analyze trends on the participation of major groups • We facilitate the participation of major groups’ representatives in CSD meetings • We have access to limited financial resources to support major groups–related work, including research and publications

15. Who are the major groups organizing partners? • Each sector of the major groups is represented by one or more organizing partners • Organizing partners include reputable and credible international networks that can effectively represent their major group sector on a global scale

16. Who are the major organizing partners? • Organizing partners are invited by the CSD Bureau to facilitate the engagement of their individual major group sector • The Major Groups Programme of the CSD secretariat collaborates closely with organizing partners in preparation for each CSD session

17. The organizing partners’ main tasks include… • Organizing, managing and disseminating data and information on major groups and CSD • Consulting with major groups networks to prepare written inputs for the review and policy sessions, reflecting their sector’s views on: • the status of implementation deliverables (for the review session) • the mobilization of concrete and tangible actions to advance implementation (for the policy session)

18. …the organizing partners’ main tasks include • Consulting with major groups networks to identify knowledgeable representatives to serve on their respective delegations • Coordinating and facilitating their sector’s participation throughout the CSD sessions • Collaborating with other major group sectors’ representatives present at CSD sessions

19. How can you contribute to the CSD?... • Since its creation, CSD has engaged with non-State actors using consultation mechanisms that are unique, and is continuously exploring innovative formats for civil society participation • From 1998 to 2002, multi-stakeholder dialogue segments enabled direct consultation and information-sharing between CSD members and major groups’ representatives

20. …how can you contribute? • Following the Johannesburg Summit in 2002, CSD decided to enhance the contribution and participation of major groups further by integrating them in all aspects of CSD • Major groups can provide written inputs and collectively prepare “position papers” called discussion papers and priorities for action which are made available as official documents in all six UN official languages

21. What does CSD offer you?... • Inform, lobby and influence the UN high-level forum on sustainable development • Stimulate the debate by providing new information, innovative solutions and new ideas • Network and build partnerships

22. …what does CSD offer you?... • Develop coordinated views and positions with other major groups through thematic and sectoral caucus groups • Participate in high-level discussions and multi-stakeholder dialogues • Share your organization’s concerns, findings and hands-on knowledge

23. …what does CSD offer you? • Raise awareness on the challenges and obstacles you face in your daily work • Contribute to the identification of appropriate international policy options that will best address these issues

24. CSD Review session The discussions at this session focus on identifying barriers, constraints and best practices in implementation of agreed commitments, goals and targets in the selected thematic areas.

25. You can… • Contact the national level sustainable development focal point to contribute to the national reporting inputs in accordance with the CSD guidelines • Participate in the regional implementation meetings (RIMs) • Share your practical experiences in implementation

26. …you can… • Submit written examples of case studies, best practices and lessons learned, identifying obstacles and constraints to progress in these areas • Contribute to written discussion papers used by CSD as common points of departure for discussions involving major groups (through the facilitation of the major groups organizing partners)

27. …you can Participate in CSD review meetings through: • Interactive dialogues, including with Ministers during the High-level Segment • Thematic and regional discussions, as well as discussions on SIDS • Partnerships Fair, Learning Centre activities, and side events organized during CSD sessions

28. CSD Policy session The focus of this session is on measures to speed up implementation and mobilize action to overcome the obstacles and constraints as identified during the review session.

29. You can… • Submit your priorities for action for consideration by CSD during policy discussions (through the facilitation of the major groups organizing partners) • Participate in the intergovernmental preparatory meeting (IPM), held prior to the policy session, which shapes the framework for negotiations during the policy session

30. …you can Participate in the CSD policy session through: • Interactive dialogues, including with Ministers during the High-level Segment • Thematic and regional discussions, as well as discussions on SIDS • Advocating and lobbying for policy decisions to expedite implementation • Partnerships Fair, Learning Centre activities, and side events organized during CSD sessions

31. Away from the CSD meetings you can… • Work with parliamentarians/local authorities • Monitor and implement decisions • Encourage national Governments and International Agencies to act on their promises • Partner with other stakeholders and implementing actors

32. What are Partnerships? Voluntary multi-stakeholder initiatives that contribute to implementation of inter-governmental sustainable development commitments in: Agenda 21 Programme of the Further Implementation of Agenda 21 Johannesburg Plan of Implementation

33. Mandate on Partnerships Acknowledging that no single actor, government, civil society or private sector, could achieve sustainable development on their own. In 2002, partnerships were recognized as an important complementary outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD). The WSSD designated the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) as the focal point for discussions on partnerships for sustainable development.

34. Criteria and Guidelines • At CSD-11 in 2003, the partnerships criteria and guidelines were agreed. • Currently out of the 321 registered partnerships, 141 include major groups.

35. What is unique about Partnerships? As outlined in the Criteria and Guidelines, partnerships for sustainable development have: • An integrated approach to addressing economic, social and environmental aspects of sustainable development • A sectoral and geographic balance • A transparent and accountable design • Concrete value addition to implementation of sustainable development

36. Partnership Example: REEEP Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Partnership (REEEP) REEEP aims to be an enabler, multiplier and catalyser of institutional change, and have a real impact over the next decade with the following objectives: • increase of investments in renewable energy • increase of energy efficiency measures • increase in access to sustainable energy services for the poor

37. Partnership Example: GVEP Global Village Energy Partnership (GVEP) • Aims to catalyse country commitments to energy for poverty reduction projects and programmes. • Works to bridge the gap between investors, entrepreneurs, and customers in developing rural and peri-urban energy projects. • Provides information, best practices, and lessons learned on energy for poverty reduction projects and programmes.

38. Partnership Example: WASH Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) for all Initiative • Promotes teaching basic sanitation and hygiene as a necessary complement to water and sanitation infrastructure projects. • Focuses on demand-creation, behavioural change, capacity building and implementation, to reach 15 million people with sanitation and hygiene by 2015.

39. Benefits of Registering Share information through the CSD Partnerships database. Network, present updates and showcase progress at the CSD Partnerships Fair. Provide input to summary reports prepared for the Commission on Sustainable Development.

40. Building a knowledge network Through online resources, information tools, publications and meetings… • Facilitate communication and exchange • Promote practical learning • Encourage replicability and scaling up To cultivate the creation of communities of practice on partnerships for sustainable development.

41. Accreditation: who can attend CSD? • Formal relations with non-State actors, such as participation in CSD meetings, are governed by ECOSOC resolution 1996/31 • Only those organizations that are in consultative status with ECOSOC, including those in the CSD roster, can send representatives to CSD meetings • Non-accredited organizations may wish to refer to the ECOSOC and CSD rosters to see if they belong to any accredited networks, and explore the possibility of being included as part of their delegations to CSD sessions.

42. Accreditation weblinks FAQ on accreditation/registration: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/help_faq.htm#MG Apply to ECOSOC: http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo/ List of NGOs in consultative status with ECOSOC: http://www.un.org/esa/coordination/ngo/pdf/INF_List.pdf NGOs in the CSD roster:http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/mgroups/csd_roster.pdf

43. Other useful weblinks • Major Groups Programme: • http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/mgroups/mgroups.htm • Partnerships for sustainable development: • http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/partnerships/partnerships.htm • Commission on Sustainable Development: • http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/aboutCsd.htm • National Information: • http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/natlinfo/natlinfo.htm

44. Contact Federica Pietracci, Coordinator Tonya Vaturi, Associate CSD Major Groups Programme Division for Sustainable Development UN-DESA Two UN Plaza, Room 2210, New York, NY 10017 USA E-mail: csdmgregister@un.org Fax: +1 917 367 2341