Message
from Jeffrey Barber
Co-Coordinator
of the SPAC Caucus
Friday,
30 January 2004
Dear SPAC Caucus members and friends,
As you know, CSD-12 offers NGOs a number of
opportunities for our input into the intergovernmental discussion,
which this year focuses on water, sanitation and human settlements.
In particular, NGOs will have an opportunity to participate in
the general debate on 19 April 2004 (morning session), as well
as the discussion on water, sanitation and human settlements on
20 April (morning session), and the "interactive discussions"
during the High level Segment on 29 April (afternoon session).
For more on CSD-12, see the UN website: http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/csd12.htm
If you haven't already seen the report on Major Groups participation,
see http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/mgroups/csd_12/major_groups_guidelines_2003.pdf
-- which was updated January 21.
Although the main focus of CSD-12 will be on reviewing progress
in water, sanitation and human settlements, the SPAC Caucus
will be active there emphasizing the system and patterns
of consumption and production underlying these and other issues.
Last October Caucus members provided input to the Secretary-General's
paper on the overall review of implementation of Agenda 21 (see
statement at http://www.icspac.net/SPACCaucusStateme
nt-Oct312003.aspx ), making this and other more specific
points.
Note that among the official reports scheduled for CSD-12 is the
Report of the International Expert Group Meeting on a 10-Year
Framework of Programmes for Sustainable Consumption and Production
(E/CN.17/2004/10).
Recently, Pieter van der Gaag sent you the two draft NGO
Major Groups discussion papers on Human Settlements
and on Water and Sanitation, for your comments. As you know, this
will be one of the reference documents for the major group dialogues
on those topics at CSD-12 this April. For both topics, production
and consumption plays an essential role, so we encourage
you to share your comments and insights on this now, so they can
have the final versions done for the new February 9 deadline
(yes, it is no longer the 15th but moved up a week). You can contact
Pieter at pjvdgaag@anped.org for copies of the papers, if you
do not already have them.
Also, it would help very much to know who in the Caucus will be
attending CSD-12 and your priorities. There are a number of different
directions and activities on which the Caucus could focus as a
group (beyond the traditional orientation and discussion s with
new participants). If your organization is planning a SPAC-related
event, let us know so we can help publicize it. If you would like
to find groups to collaborate with on a particular activity or
project, perhaps someone in the Caucus can help. I f you would
like to propose that the Caucus as a whole focus on a particular
priority at CSD-12 or something in the future, tell us! So please,
let us know what you are doing and what you would like
the Caucus to do!
One item that came up recently is the need for translations
of Caucus documents, especially in the process of developing collective
statements. If you are willing to help with this, please contact
us.
ICSPAC (the International Coalition for Sustainable
Production and Consumption) will also be active at CSD-12. As
you may know, ICSPAC emerged from the SPAC Caucus during the WSSD
process, as a network of civil society groups working to improve
c ommunications, knowledge exchange, and opportunities for collaboration
in our overall efforts to promote sustainable production and consumption.
For the WSSD, ICSPAC members produced the report Waiting for
Delivery: A Civil Society Assessment of Prog ress Towards Sustainable
Production and Consumption (this is available for download
at http://www.icspac.net/files/WaitingForDeliveryReport.pdf
).
As part of the ongoing monitoring project, ICSPAC will produce
a SPAC Watch progress report for CSD-12, featuring
the results of NGO discussions and reports on national and regional
progress by governments in developing and implementing SPAC poli
cies. If you are interested in participating in or knowing more
about this report or the SPAC Watch project, contact Veena Ramani
at vramani@isforum.org You can also check on project developments
at http://icspac.net/spacwatch/
Among possible SPAC Caucus activities at CSD-12, in addition to
scheduled caucus meetings, is a SPAC Watch training workshop
for building skills and knowledge, especially within
civil society, needed for monitoring and assessing national and
gove rnmental progress in developing and implementing SPAC policies
-- as presented in Agenda 21 and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation.
This workshop could be organized as part of the Learning Centre
at CSD-12 (see http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd 12/CSD12_learning_centre.htm
). In the coming weeks we can explore this idea further with those
of you who are interested in participating.
Both the workshop and report are part of ICSPAC's contribution
to the "Ten Year Framework on Production and Consumption" (or
more recently described as the "Marrakech Process" (For
more on Marrakech, see the UN reports on this at http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/sdissues/consumption/marrakech.htm
.) In the past two years, ICSPAC members have
organized panels, roundtables and ot her activities promoting
the idea of a 10-year work programme on SPAC. The follow-up to
these efforts is the SPAC Watch project -- which hopes to provide
a series of reports and events highlighting what progress (or
lack of progress) is taking place.
We are hoping that CSD-12 will also offer opportunities to discuss
with government delegates and intergovernmental agencies plans
for further development of this framework, as well as how the
Marrakech Process will support NGO efforts to promote SPAC in
their countries and globally, such as at the CSD and other policy
fora. If there are no formal meetings planned, the Caucus could
invite appropriate people for this discussion.
So these are some of the items on the agenda for discussion between
now and April. If there is something we missed that should be
part of that agenda, or if you have other comments, observations
or proposals on how the Caucus can improve its effectivene ss
in promoting SPAC at the UN, share your thoughts on this listserver,
as that is what it is for.
Note: If you are not on the SPAC Caucus listserver but would like
to be, please contact Gary at gpupurs@isforum.org .
Looking forward to hearing from you,
Jeffrey Barber, Co-Coordinator
Sustainable Production & Consumption Caucus