UNOSD KM4SD Final Report March 2013
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Transcript of UNOSD KM4SD Final Report March 2013
UNOSD/2013/01
Meeting Report
Expert Consultation
on Knowledge and Capacity Needs
for Sustainable Development
in the Post Rio+20 Era
Convened by
United Nations Office for Sustainable Development Incheon, Republic of Korea
In Partnership With
United Nations Center for Regional Development
Nagoya, Japan
Asia-Europe Foundation
Singapore
Korean Environment Institute
Seoul
2
Executive Summary
Over fifty country representatives, together with over forty-five experts from United Nations
agencies and other institutions, gathered in Incheon, Republic of Korea, during a three-day
period, 6-8 March 2013. Through presentations, plenary discussions, working groups, and
small-group conversations, they explored the current state of the art in the area knowledge
and capacity building for sustainable development, taking into account the special needs of
countries in the post-Rio+20 era. They considered success stories, failures, gaps, and
strategies for meeting the complex and increasing needs expressed by member states and
other stakeholders. The conversations summarized and reported in this proceedings document
were rich and productive and captured a large diversity of views, reflecting a wide range of
international experience.
The deliberations of this Expert Consultation resulted in a consensus Framework for Action
whose purpose is to help align knowledge sharing and capacity building efforts with each
other, with present day needs and realities, and with the emerging needs of the future, as the
international community moves to finalize a new set of Sustainable Develop Goals for the
world as a whole.
This Framework for Action (Section 1) captures the essential conclusions of the Expert
Consultation, which were derived from careful analysis of input from the delegates. In
Section 2 of this report, a narrative summary describes the overall flow and content of the
Consultation, showing how the Framework for Action took form in relation to the
presentations and delegate discussions. Note that this summary narrative does not identify
presenters, speakers or questioners by name, with the exception of the dignitaries who spoke
during the opening ceremonies.
The Framework for Action first notes the progress as well as the gaps and challenges in the
field of knowledge sharing and capacity development for sustainable development (a phrase
shortened to the acronym “KCSD” throughout this report). The Framework then provides a
list of eight “Priority Action Areas”: all institutional actors and practitioners in the field of
KCSD are strongly encouraged to adopt these, spread them further, and implement them in
whatever way is most appropriate to their situation. These Action Areas include the
integration of KCSD into national, regional, and local planning processes; a focus on
long-term, institutional processes (instead of individuals); enabling legislative environments;
continuously updated tools for cooperation among programs and initiatives; better language
for communicating KCSD across boundaries of all kinds; and the pursuit of a truly integrated
approach, in anticipation of the adoption of new Sustainable Development Goals.
All presentations are summarized and the presenters are documented in Section 3. These
summaries are generally linked to presentation files, which may be downloaded and viewed
at this URL: http://unosd.org/index.php?page=view&type=13&nr=9&menu=177
The Expert Consultation was hosted at the Hyatt Hotel Incheon by the United Nations Office
for Sustainable Development, in partnership with three other institutions: The United Nations
Office for Regional Development, based in Nagoya, Japan; the Asia-Europe Foundation,
based in Singapore; and the Korea Environment Institute in Seoul.
3
Table of Contents
Table of Contents ....................................................................................................................... 3
Glossary of Acronyms and Shortened Terms ............................................................................ 4
Section 1. The Outcome Document ........................................................................................... 6
Section 2. A Narrative Summary of the Expert Consultation .................................................... 9
DAY 1: Wednesday, 6 March 2013 .................................................................................... 9
DAY 2: Thursday, 7 March 2013 ..................................................................................... 12
DAY 3: Friday, 8 March 2013 .......................................................................................... 14
Section 3. Presentation Summaries .......................................................................................... 19
Opening Session, March 6, 2013 [Day 1] ............................................................................ 19
Session 1 (Plenary): Knowledge and capacity needs and gaps for sustainable development
[Day 1] ................................................................................................................................. 21
Session 2: Parallel Working Group Sessions [Day 1] ......................................................... 22
Mapping of who is doing what and how: sharing of experiences and lessons learned ....... 22
Working Group 1: Experiences from different knowledge and capacity building
programmes and networks in sustainable development: what has worked and what has
not? .................................................................................................................................. 22
Working Group 2: SD knowledge management for capacity building in the post Rio+20
era .................................................................................................................................... 24
Session 3: Unlocking the potential of water-energy- agriculture nexus for poverty
eradication [Day 2] .............................................................................................................. 25
Session 4: Parallel Working Group Sessions [Day 2] ......................................................... 27
Bridging knowledge and capacity gaps in post Rio era ....................................................... 27
Working Group 3: Building capacities for adapting to climate change in water
management ..................................................................................................................... 27
Working Group 4: Knowledge and capacity needs for providing energy access to all .. 28
Working Group 5: Sustainable agriculture, food security and climate change .............. 29
Session 5: Implementing Rio+20 outcomes: the way forward for knowledge sharing and
capacity building [Day 3] ..................................................................................................... 30
Expert Panel 1: Sustainable development goals and a new architecture for sustainable
development governance .................................................................................................. 30
Expert Panel 2: Knowledge and capacity needs for accelerating transition towards
sustainability including green economy........................................................................... 32
Appendix A: Meeting Agenda ................................................................................................. 34
Appendix B: Remarks and Presentations ................................................................................. 44
Day 1 ................................................................................................................................ 44
Day 2 .............................................................................................................................. 120
Day 3 .............................................................................................................................. 292
Appendix C: Biographies of Speakers ................................................................................... 320
Appendix D: List of Participants ........................................................................................... 334
4
Glossary of Acronyms and Shortened Terms
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASEF Asia-Europe Foundation
ASEM Asia-Europe Meeting
Cap-Net Capacity Building for Integrated Water Resources Management
CEU Central European University
COMSATS COMSATS Institute of Information Technology (Pakistan)
CSO Civil Society Organization
DESA Same as UNDESA
DSD Division for Sustainable Development (within UNDESA)
ENVForum Asia-Europe Environmental Forum
ESD Education for Sustainable Development
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
GA General Assembly of the United Nations
GCF Green Climate Fund
GDP Gross Domestic Product
GDP+ GDP augmented or extended with other complementary indicators
GEC Green Economy Coalition
GEF Global Environmental Facility
GGGI Global Green Growth Institute
GHG Greenhouse gas
ICLEI Local Governments for Sustainability (before 2003, “ICLEI” stood for
“International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives”)
ICT Information and communications technology
IGES Institute for Global Environmental Strategies
IISD International Institute for Sustainable Development
IRDR Integrated Research on Disaster Risk
KCSD Knowledge and capacity building for sustainable development (also
Knowledge sharing and capacity building for sustainable development)
KEI Korea Environment Institute
KM Knowledge management
LEAP Long-range Energy Alternatives Planning System
Major Groups The nine sector groups officially identified by Agenda 21: Business and
Industry, Children and Youth, Farmers, Indigenous Peoples, Local
Authorities, NGOs, Scientific and Technological Community, Women,
Workers and Trade Unions
MDG Millennium Development Goals
NCSDS Global Network of Councils for Sustainable Development
nef new economics foundation (lower-case letters in the name and the acronym
are part of the organization’s brand)
NGO Non-Governmental Organization
ODA Official Development Assistance
ODI Overseas Development Institute
OWG Open Work Group on Sustainable Development Goals
Post-2015 The agenda of UN sustainable development activity expected after 2015,
when the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) are to be replaced by
new Sustainable Development Gaols (SDGs), among other changes
R&D Research and development
Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (2012)
5
RoK Republic of Korea
SD Sustainable Development
SDG Sustainable Development Goals
SDPlanNet Network for Integrated Planning and Sustainable Development Strategies
SEI Stockholm Environment Institute
SF Stakeholder Forum
SIWI Stockholm International Water Institute
SUNY State University of New York
UN United Nations
UNCRD United Nations Center for Regional Development
UNDESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UNEP United Nations Environment Program
UNESCAP United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(often shortened to “ESCAP”)
UNF United Nations Foundation
UNOSD United Nations Office for Sustainable Development
UNSG United Nations Secretary General (sometimes shortened to “SG”)
WEAP Water Evaluation and Planning System
6
Section 1. The Outcome Document
Bridging Knowledge and Capacity Gaps
for Sustainability Transition: A Framework for Action
1. We, representatives and experts of countries, the United Nations system, advocacy
networks, civil society, and academic and policy institutions, participated in the “Expert
Consultation on Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Sustainable Development in Post
Rio+20 Era” organized by the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development
(UNOSD) together with its partners in Incheon, Republic of Korea from March 6 to 8, 2013
(see participant list in Annex 1).
2. We took stock of existing knowledge and capacity building models, platforms and
initiatives contributing towards sustainability transition; examined how Member States and
other stakeholders could make best use of available resources and platforms to meet their
knowledge and capacity needs; assessed success stories, trends, needs, and gaps in
knowledge and capacity for advancing sustainable development in a post-Rio+20 context;
and examined ways to facilitate communication and collaboration between knowledge
providers and users.
3. We considered the impressive quantity and quality of knowledge already developed,
shared, and applied to policy innovation and implementation, and how such knowledge is
evaluated for further improvement in a continuous cycle of development, exchange and use.
A number of new knowledge sharing initiatives have emerged in the post-Rio+20 context.
4. We noted with concern the persistent gaps in certain areas of knowledge
development, exchange and application, particularly with respect to: the transformation of
knowledge management from treating knowledge as a stock to managing knowledge flows;
use of knowledge in sustainability governance; integrated planning methods; sustainability
measurement, monitoring and evaluation; and the lack of knowledge development, exchange
and use specific to sustainability transition policy processes, notably on stakeholder
engagement strategies and options for mobilising them towards accelerated transitions
towards more sustainable lifestyles and carbon footprints.
5. We recognized the urgent need for transitioning towards sustainability, especially in
the post Rio+20 era, because our path to progress is threatened with growing obstacles,
including exceeding several planetary boundaries – most prominent among them being
climate change. We are of the view that transition towards sustainability requires efforts on
several fronts, but knowledge sharing and capacity building should be the fundamental
platform for these efforts.
6. Accordingly, during this meeting, we discussed how to build further on existing
knowledge and contributed to defining future needs with regard to the mapping of
sustainability research and capacity building organisations; preparation for the
implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals; and facilitation of greater exchange
7
through tailored dissemination, training, mentoring, peer assistance, and other forms of
capacity building.
7. Against this background and the mandate that Member States have explicitly given
the UN System in paragraph 66 of the Rio+20 Outcome Document, The Future we Want,
which calls for identifying and matching knowledge sources and providers to the various
needs of Member States, we propose the following “Framework for Action”. We consider
this Framework for Action to be an essential step towards consolidating, aligning and
strengthening global efforts to advance knowledge and capacity building for sustainable
development.
8. This Framework for Action identifies a number of “Priority Action Areas” based on
our assessment of needs relative to knowledge sharing and capacity building for sustainable
development. We believe that these Priority Action Areas are of the utmost importance if the
pace of transition towards sustainability is to be accelerated. These actions are:
Priority Action Areas
a. Ensure inclusion of sustainable development knowledge and capacity building in
formal planning processes, such as National Sustainable Development Strategies,
for effective planning and implementation at the national, regional, and local
levels.
b. Spread the understanding that knowledge and capacity building for sustainable
development needs to be fully integrated from national to local levels, and broadly
across all relevant sectors of society
c. Focus capacity building efforts not on individuals, but on the long-term
development of organizations and institutions, to ensure continuity and
long-lasting impact
d. Create an enabling environment for knowledge sharing and capacity building by:
(i) integrating sustainability principles into legislative frameworks and actions, (ii)
revitalizing national sustainable development councils and roundtables, and (iii)
facilitating peer learning, whether between countries at similar levels of
development, cities, rural communities, or individual farmers
e. Maintain a continuously updated map of initiatives and programs, and facilitate
cooperation, collaboration, and partnership among them
f. Catalogue the most successful working models, and spread them, acknowledging
that all such models need to be tailored and adapted to national and local
conditions, including the areas where peace building and conflict resolution
efforts are underway
g. Develop a concrete and practical language to communicate about knowledge
sharing and capacity building across different cultures, disciplines, and institutions
h. Emphasize an integrated approach to addressing the core sustainability challenges
of climate change adaptation and mitigation, water management, food security,
and sustainable energy in anticipation of the adoption of Sustainable Development
Goals.
9. Implementation of these recommendations should be pursued by practitioners and
organizations at all levels, including regional and sub-regional levels, through their own
modeling of these practices as well as in the development of partnerships among them, to
accelerate the spread of these principles to others. Moreover, implementation of these
recommendations should be backed by strengthened international resolve and cooperation.
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10. The UNOSD, together with other interested partners, can serve as a point of meeting
and collaboration to support the mapping of initiatives and to help spread these principles
further, as well as by providing access to a wide variety of knowledge and capacity building
tools and services that will advance the implementation of these principles globally.
11. The above Framework for Action represents a shared consensus among the
participants of this Consultation. Therefore, we recommend that all relevant ministries,
agencies, departments, organizations, and other institutional stakeholders engaged in the
pursuit of sustainable development consider this Framework when devising their own work
programs and agendas for action. We further recommend that UNOSD should collaborate
with other knowledge providers, and both promote and facilitate the linking and sharing of
data and knowledge through open networks, avoiding the duplication of existing initiatives.
12. We call upon the UNOSD to disseminate this Framework for Action to all
governments, United Nations agencies, multi-lateral organizations, and other institutions and
stakeholders and to propose that they embrace it as an agenda for the advancement of
knowledge and capacity building for sustainable development. The UNOSD should also
submit this Framework for Action to the high-level political forum on sustainable
development upon its establishment, as well as to the Open Working Group on Sustainable
Development Goals, the Expert Committee on a Sustainable Development Financing Strategy,
and other appropriate fora.
Incheon, Republic of Korea
March 8, 2013
9
Section 2. A Narrative Summary of the Expert Consultation
DAY 1: Wednesday, 6 March 2013
The meeting opened with a series of short speeches and welcome messages from dignitaries,
including Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, Division for Sustainable Development, UNDESA; Mr.
Mohamed Aslam Chaudhry, Director, UNOSD; Mr. Song Jae-Young, Deputy Minister of
Environment, Republic of Korea; and Mr. Young-Gil Song, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan
City. All speakers stressed the importance of this meeting and its topic, in the context of the
challenges of sustainable development.
These challenges noted stretched from global resource, food, energy, water, economic, and
ecosystem stresses such as climate change, to the local problem of transboundary air
pollution experienced in Incheon (described in telling detail by Mayor Song). “We all know
how urgent this is,” said Mr. Seth. Increasingly extreme weather and hydrological events “are
all reminders of our perilous state.” Mr. Song Jae-Young, who summarized also the evolution
of his own country’s steadily increasing engagement with sustainable development over more
than a decade, expressed certainty that the Expert Consultation would be a “very meaningful
meeting.”
Mr. Seth noted that this meeting was a call for the participants’ “candid observations and
analysis.” Mr. Chaudhry, in welcoming participants to UNOSD’s second formal expert
consultation, emphasized that the discussions should be “open and frank” and that there were
“no political stakes involved here.” These comments set an honest and welcoming tone that
quickly carried over into the presentations and discussions.
In Session 1, the presentations focused on the “state of the art” with regard to knowledge and
capacity building for sustainable development, and considered the needs and gaps that
characterize the field today. (For simplicity, we will use the acronym “KCSD” for the
remainder of this report.)
Two short keynotes set the scene. The first
focused on the central importance of
knowledge-sharing and the transfer of
technology to sustainable development, as
well as south-south cooperation. The second
used a metaphor to describe the predicament
of sustainable development in the early 21st
century, likening the current state of the
global economy to a gondola or balloon. The
economy aspires to go higher and higher,
attempting to meet the needs and aspirations
of the world. But as it rises, it is increasingly
weighed down by ballast in the form of debts
and risks, economic, social, and ecological. Bailouts work for a time shed the economic debts
(as though one were casting out ballast) and keep the balloon rising; but the social and
ecological debts and risks continue to grow. The balloon needs better instruments and
Slide courtesy László Pintér
10
indicators to help it understand what is happening and to navigate this challenging situation;
but ultimately, it also may need a new strategy, one that is not dependent on rising endlessly
higher, since social and ecological debts cannot be “bailed out.”
The opening panelists then mapped out the extremely complex topical, institutional, and
network terrain that characterizes knowledge for sustainable development. Professionals must
navigate effectively through dozens of demanding intellectual topics ranging from human
rights to poverty eradication to climate change, while also being familiar with the hundreds of
different programs, institutions, agencies, networks, tools, and methodologies on offer. They
must then apply that knowledge to their own complicated national or local contexts.
Meanwhile, the quantity and complexity of this information continues to grow exponentially.
Faced with this enormous challenge, it is possible to see topics such as Green Economy,
Green Growth, Education for Sustainable Development and other current concepts as
clustering strategies for managing complexity. These clusters are used in different contexts
and attract different supporters and constituencies; and yet they all “belong” to the concept of
sustainable development. For users, these clusters help to define aspects of sustainable
development in somewhat more narrow terms, without losing its systemic and cross-cutting
nature, to support action within their domains of interest.
Clustering makes the complexity more manageable, but other new concepts are needed to
make sense of the changes caused by the accelerating production of knowledge, its expanding
availability through Internet-enabled media devices, and the way this fuels the expectations
of citizens who want to have a greater say in how decisions are made. Drawing on
background studies performed by UNOSD, several key phrases and metaphors were
introduced to the participants, who quickly adopted them in their own questions and
interventions during the remainder of the meeting. These phrases and metaphors are
increasingly shaping the practice of KCSD (and indeed the practice knowledge management
and capacity development generally). They include:
The shift in knowledge management from “stock” to “flow.” It is more important to focus
on the movement of knowledge through systems and to people, rather than on its
accumulation within knowledge bases and institutions.
The increasing emphasis on “boundary work.” The spread of sustainable development
knowledge and capacity requires better two-way communication across sectoral and
disciplinary boundaries of all kind.
The rise of “networked governance.” Policy formation and implementation increasingly
depend on governance processes that extend far beyond governments to more actively
include other institutions and civil society.
The need for improved integration in decision-making. Integration was a recurring theme
throughout the Consultation and refers to very practical considerations, such as how to
optimize policy making at the nexus of water, energy, and agriculture in the context of
climate change.
These terms and ideas are spreading relatively quickly. However, even among experienced
practitioners and network managers, managing the flow of knowledge — and linking this
flow effectively to integrated policy making and decision processes — is very challenging.
11
Significant problems were reported in establishing and maintaining vital “communities of
practice” for KCSD, where knowledge, tools, and experience are exchanged and commented
on, usually in a virtual or online environment.
Partnership was identified as a key strategy for success by several speakers, and the metaphor
of “dancing” was introduced as a way to describe how partnership works in practice. Partners
must learn each other’s dance steps and rhythms, avoid stepping on each other’s toes, and
even learn to change partners once in a while.
While the focus of the Expert Consultation was on the present and future of KCSD,
participants were also reminded that there are many important lessons to be harvested from
the past. The 1990s in particular, in the aftermath of the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio and
Agenda 21, saw an explosion of experimentation in the form of national councils of
sustainable development, round tables, and Local Agenda 21s, each with their own
approaches to learning, sharing knowledge, building capacity, and assessing performance.
These lessons should not be lost as the world moves deeper into the post-Rio+20 period; and
indeed, some of those models might need to be revived and updated for a new era of
sustainable development policy and practice.
The dialogue session after the presentations focused on practical concerns. Ideas such as
these must be expressed in clear terms with practical examples, and applied at the regional
level. They must also be translated into local languages and made more accessible, especially
to grassroots and civil society groups. KCSD does not immediately solve the problem of
perceived trade-offs, especially when there appear to be winners and losers on shorter time
scales. The gap between policy makers and KCSD practitioners needs to be bridged — or
even erased entirely, as one country representative noted, so that “all policy makers become
practitioners” of sustainable development.
Finally, despite the growing importance of more group- and institution-based
capacity-building approaches, the role of leaders and champions is still crucial to advancing
sustainable development. “Unless we have that, we won’t have people focusing on [KCSD].”
The afternoon session divided the meeting in two, with Working Group 1 focused on lessons
learned from current practice (what makes KCSD initiatives successful or not), and Working
Group 2 looking a bit more forward toward the changing landscape of SD practice in the
post-Rio+20 era, including the impact of new technologies and institutional as well as other
social relationships. These Working Groups (sometimes working in small discussion group
formats) produced a set of insights that proved important to the development of the
Framework for Action, including the need for:
High-level government commitment to capacity building efforts.
Including sustainability principles into national constitutional or legislative
frameworks.
Greater integration between capacity building efforts at international, regional,
national and local levels.
Clear public reporting on the results of sustainability initiatives.
Coordinating capacity building programs so that successful approaches are spread and
so that coalitions can leverage the strengths of diverse partners.
Focusing capacity building efforts on the organization rather than the individual.
Integrating capacity development into planning process (which requires political
12
will).
Supplementing online interactions with face-to-face meetings to sustain network
relationships over the long term.
DAY 2: Thursday, 7 March 2013
After a recap of the previous day’s main points, the Consultation turned its attention to the
KCSD needs in the specific topical areas of water, energy, and food, and to their systemic
inter-linkages in the context of poverty eradication — a concept increasingly known by the
term “nexus.”
The day opened with a cautionary keynote address on the severity of global challenges, using
photographic images. These images (showing, for example, mountains of plastic and its
effect on wildlife) reminded the participants that use of the term sustainable development can
often lack precision or even meaning, and labeling a thing as “green” does not make it so.
Even education itself may not be unambiguously “good” if it is equipping people to be forces
of more efficient destruction. But there are many relevant competencies that are inherent in
approaches to Education for Sustainable Development (ESD), and these can inform an
overall approach to KCSD, including ESD’s emphasis on integration, innovation, and a
systems orientation.
Panelists then presented perspectives on KCSD in the context of water, energy, and food
production. The cautionary tone persisted: while great progress has been made in building
capacity for integrated water resource management, for example, real impacts from these
approaches are still lagging in transboundary water management. The UN Sustainable Energy
for All campaign sets new and important goals, and shows great promise to deliver on those
goals, but it has taken up to forty years for awareness of energy’s centrality (in the context of
sustainable development and poverty eradication) to reach this level of global attention. And
while focusing on the “nexus” to address food security is a rising and promising area of
practice, working tools and good examples are still relatively scarce.
Tools and success stories do exist, in all of these domains, and they can be built on. With a
long-term approach, meaningful partnerships, a focus on “big win” areas of action (such as
the deployment of more efficient technologies), and prioritizing the building of more capacity
and tools for systemic approaches tackling these problems, real and more accelerated change
is possible. The potential in energy efficiency alone is truly enormous, because energy
systems are so hugely inefficient: a car, for example, can be as little as 1% efficient in
transporting a person from point A to point B.
Knowledge management and knowledge sharing is a key foundation in any of this work, and
good practice examples abound, from FAO’s knowledge-oriented “Share Fairs” to the
decades-old Japanese practice of “Satoyama,” which uses cultural practices to ensure a long
term, sustainable approach to food production, combining low-carbon agriculture with good
stewardship of forests in mountainous regions. (Satoyama is enjoying a comeback lately, as
increasing numbers of Japanese young people choose to leave the cities and take up smaller
scale rural lives that they find more meaningful and satisfying. The transfer of knowledge
from Satoyama’s mostly elderly practitioners to this new generation is happening “just in
time.”)
13
Effective tools for integration are also being used in practice, from Stockholm Environment
Institute’s “LEAP” and “WEAP” modeling software — which model energy and water
scenarios respectively, and which can talk to each other to make sure the water and energy
policy choices make sense when operating together — to the “Sustainable Food Lab,” which
brings both systems insights and multi-sectoral decision-makers together in the “nexus”.
The dialog among delegates after this second set of plenary presentations focused mainly on
“how to” questions, such as:
How do we integrate cultural and religious practices?
How can the interlinked “nexus” approach be made to work in practical terms?
How do we engage the business sector while avoiding “greenwashing”?
How have working models like Satoyama been sustained so long, and what can we
learn from them?
How do we optimize capacity building given the multiple challenges at the nexus,
such as water management and climate change?
Respondents noted that many of the “how to’s” in this area were highly dependent on the
local context, including local value sets, which can be very “sustainable” in another sense
(i.e. resistant to change) themselves. Focusing on the working models that do exist — such as
successful efforts to model the “nexus” with integrated modeling tools for policy
development, or changes in economic price signals that have unlocked innovation and change
— is a place to start, adapting these to local needs, conditions, languages, etc. We cannot
avoid addressing the complex nexus between domains if sustainable development is to
become an operational concept; but much more needs to be done to achieve such integration.
Improved, accelerated knowledge flow and capacity building, adapted to local conditions, is
critical.
The afternoon Working Groups focused on three key aspects of the “nexus” and the special
knowledge and capacity needs attached to them: water management, sustainable energy
access for all, and sustainable agriculture and food security. Climate change severely impacts
both the urgency and the difficulty of meeting global needs in all three domains.
Presentations in the water group cautioned against an over-reliance on traditional water
control mechanisms, and for adopting a more flexible risk-management approach, given
multiple challenges such as urban flooding and the need to adapt agricultural practices to new
precipitation regimes.
In the energy group, presenters noted that energy access for the poor is still advancing much
too slowly, but that existing mechanisms for technology development, transfer and finance
restrict the available diffusion pathways and provide limited alternative options.
The food security group considered the enormous complexity of the challenge now put
forward by the UN Secretary-General: zero hunger by 2030. Declining land and resources
plus the increasing pressure of climate change is pushing humanity to accelerate innovation
toward ever more efficient agricultural technologies and food distribution regimes. These can
be supported by intensified information and telecommunications, to spread knowledge of all
kinds (from technology advances to market shifts) faster, all the way to small farmers.
14
The discussions in these Working Group sessions also underscored the extreme diversity of
conditions that confront different countries on all of these issues, from dealing with local
post-conflict (or current conflict) conditions to grappling with the turbulent economic
demands of a globalized world market. However, in spite of that diversity, and also because
of it, all groups recognized the urgent need for greater levels of international cooperation,
coordination, and tapping into local and indigenous wisdom in the provision of knowledge
and capacity building; and for doing this across sectors, among countries, and vertically from
national to local level.
Key conclusions from the Working Group sessions on Day 2 included the need to:
Focus on resilience in order to cope with a wide range of climate change scenario
impacts
Incorporate local and indigenous knowledge
Consider adaptation and mitigation together, and to include indigenous knowledge as
well as the private sector when doing so
Optimise and integrate training, facilitation and networking
Involve a wide range of actors
Help countries acquire the key competencies necessary to implement Sustainable
Energy for All
Increase institutional cooperation and partnership, including expanding partnerships
across sectoral and international boundaries
Identify key actors in any KCSD process, including educational centers, small and
medium-sized enterprises, local community groups, and the media
Continuously map the needs and available resources
Carefully monitor emerging innovations in fields such as “agro-ecology”,
biotechnology, synthetic biology, and more.
DAY 3: Friday, 8 March 2013
The final day of this Expert Consultation focused on the Post-Rio+20 process itself, and
specifically on the relationship between the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that are
now in development, and the needs that these goals would generate for knowledge and
capacity building. The presenters, working in two Expert Panels, provided delegates with an
executive briefing on the status of the SDG process and related governance issues. They also
provided a set of diverse perspectives on those topics, stretching from UN headquarters in
New York to grassroots NGOs in Asia.
Expert Panel 1 This panel focused on the Sustainable Development Goals themselves and on issues related
to SD governance. (See the attached Meeting Agenda, Issues Note 1, for more details.)
The SDG process, which was mandated by the outcome document from Rio+20, The Future
We Want, is just getting started. (Indeed, it had still not formally started at the time of this
Expert Consultation.1) The SDG agenda, and the vision the SDGs must reflect for the 21st
century, is hugely ambitious: all human needs met, and zero poverty, by 2030, combined with
the protection of Earth’s ecosystems. The long-lived dichotomy between development and
1 The first meeting of the UN Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals was held on March 14-15, 2013.
15
environment must be closed — and it must be closed by a global population that is rapidly
aging as well: by 2030, one-third of humanity will be 60 years of age or older. This
demographic shift, dubbed by some the emergence of the “wisdom generation,” creates
additional challenges, but also opportunities to learn from experience and make change.
The development of new Sustainable Development Goals means that we must also have new
Sustainable Development Indicators. Efforts to produce these should learn the lessons of
recent history and not be relegated to statistical offices, leaving little contact with policy
making. The indicators must be fully integrated with SD visions and goals, firmly wedded to
implementation mechanisms, and acceptable to multiple audiences. The recent developments
in the “Beyond GDP” movement are promising, as new complementary indicators are being
developed around the world covering different aspects of sustainable development such as a
Green Economy or National Wellbeing. But we must avoid creating an indicator “Tower of
Babel,” and use our experience and our existing knowledge to fashion indicators for the
SDGs that truly meet our needs. This will, of course, require significant knowledge sharing
and capacity building.
These processes could be effectively supported by civil society organizations (CSOs), which
have played an increasingly important role and have been integrated into UN processes more
effectively over time. In the spirit of “boundary work” and “networked governance,” CSOs
would be essential partners in anchoring the SDGs through regions and sub-regions down to
the local level, and in spreading the essential knowledge and capacity needed for
implementation.
But getting the Goals “right” is a critical first step, because otherwise the priorities for other
things, including finance and investment, will not be aimed in the right direction. The Goals
will have to deal with “the dilemma of growth”: some places need significantly more of it,
while others need to significantly shrink their material footprints, even as they grow their
economies in GDP terms.
The question of financing the SDGs is an important puzzle to solve. The MDGs had no
explicit financing mechanism. Money flows were indirectly related, and this could end up to
be the same for the SDGs; but that would not likely be sufficient to achieve the necessary
results. A more integrated approach to finance and implementation is called for, one that is
much larger scale and that “bakes in” the need for climate adaptation and resilience, as well
as proven transformation strategies such as feed-in tariffs for renewable energy. There is a
strong possibility that Official Development Assistance (ODA) might increasingly be
“performance based” — tied to key indicators and outcomes — in order to increase the
willingness of donor countries to provide the levels of investment needed. Clearly, all these
issues signal a need for greater knowledge and capacity building.
The interactive discussions after the first morning panel added the following insights from the
delegates:
There are already many indicators and conceptual policy frameworks available to
support a more expanded and integrated view, but incentives to use these in working
policy frameworks are still lacking.
Policy frameworks alone are not enough, as the achievement of SD goals is
intertwined with capacity building needs, especially in developing countries.
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CSOs are a vital and increasingly important part of the process, both in formulating
policies and in implementing them. But they are underfunded, and creative, integrated
financing mechanisms are needed to support their effective participation. (Even some
governments have trouble paying for participation in processes such as the Open
Working Group on the Sustainable Development Goals.)
It is important that money from new sources such as the Green Climate Fund not act
as a replacement for Official Development Assistance, as many countries are still
struggling with structural adjustment. The private sector also needs to be integrated
more effectively.
The “Major Groups” system developed after Agenda 21 may be in need of reform to
include other groups that are currently marginalized in official consultations.
It may be difficult to link new financing to performance outcomes when many of
those outcomes are intangible and difficult to measure, especially in the area of
capacity development.
Expert Panel 2
This panel dealt with “Accelerating transition towards sustainability including green
economy”; and it focused on concepts, procedural mechanisms, and financing challenges.
(See the attached Meeting Agenda, Issues Note 2, for more details.)
The presenters in this panel took up the issues of Green Growth, the Green Economy, and
their relationship to Sustainable Development. These concepts often get “mixed up in the
literature,” but one increasingly sees the following formulation taking root: Green Growth
is one strategy for achieving a Green Economy, which in turn is one necessary (but not
sufficient) element of Sustainable Development. These concepts can, in turn, be viewed in
light of the increasing emphasis on moving “beyond GDP” to new measures of economic
progress that include human well-being and happiness and that do not assume the necessity
of ever-expanding resource use on a finite planet. (United Nations statisticians may initially
have been resistant to such formulations, but acceptance of “GDP+” has grown, and work is
beginning on a post-2015 formulation for indicators attached to the Sustainable Development
Goals.2)
But new concepts such as the Green Economy are not the only tools available. Other
implementation mechanisms were also a significant focus of discussion, picking up on
themes from earlier in the day: CSOs have an increasingly important role to play, and there
were lessons to be learned from the previous twenty years of work on sustainable
development. Some of the mechanisms invented after the 1992 Earth Summit — most of
which died away at the end of the 1990s — may have some value going forward, at least in
terms of what their intent was at the time: to enhance citizen participation and anchor the
global Agenda 21 outcomes in regional and local practice.
Financing and investment, as noted earlier in the day, is a particularly important piece of the
2 Note that at the recent World Forum on Measuring Well-Being for Development and Policy-Making, hosted by the OECD
and the Government of India, it was widely reported by many national statisticians that numerous country governments are
also moving solidly in this direction. See: http://www.oecd.org/site/worldforumindia/
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puzzle. One of the biggest puzzles is how to deal with existing capital investments in
high-carbon infrastructure: should those be retired early in favor of low-carbon
infrastructure? Yes, if we are to have any hope of protecting the climate. But how? By
looking closely at two key factors: the discount rates that determine their present and
perceived future value (these are too high given the damage they will cause over time); and
consideration of the net benefit of shifting to a low-carbon economy while preserving a
perceived high quality of life. Changes here would make early retirement of apparently
“locked-in” capital investment more attractive, and other similar policy and investment
mechanisms could make the alternatives more attractive as well.
Changes such as these are, however, demanding and difficult. One of the demands included
in such approaches is a shift to more evidence-based policy-making — a general need in
many sustainability domains. While the Consultation discussions were mostly focused on
knowledge flow up to this point, the issue of knowledge creation (e.g. research) now entered
the dialogue, but in a similarly collaborative spirit. Involving decision-makers more actively
in relevant research processes (e.g. on how to retire high-carbon infrastructure and replace it
with the low-carbon variety, or how to develop climate-smart agriculture) could increase
confidence in the results of those research efforts and speed their path to implementation.
This is an example of what “networked governance” looks like in practice.
Returning to the issue of Green Growth and the Green Economy, regardless of how one
interprets these concepts, it remains the case that there is “a lack of capacities at all levels:
knowledge, finance, institutional, etc.” Things are moving in the right direction, but “not fast
enough” — though there are good examples of knowledge sharing and capacity building
programs in a number of countries. The host country for this meeting, Republic of Korea,
received special appreciation for the many programs and initiatives it has sponsored to help
accelerate change in this direction.
The dialog sessions in connection with this plenary discussion focused mainly on the needs
of countries in implementing sustainable development and related policy approaches such as
Green Growth and Green Economy. Delegates who spoke sought clarification and help in
order to:
Involve civil society effectively, not just in giving input but in doing real policy
implementation
Not just define what a Green Economy looks like, but receive real guidance on how to
get there
Bridge the gap between policy and implementation, and also build genuine
national-level support for both the policies and the implementation (it was noted that
perhaps Green Growth approaches can provide part of the answer to this, in a
developing country context)
Secure sufficient financing, not only to implement strategies associated with the
Sustainable Development Goals, but even just to participate in the Open Working
Group and the other processes that will define the SDGs (many countries lack budgets
for this)
Reach out beyond the “Major Groups” defined twenty years ago to include other
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groups and sectors of society that are not yet represented adequately in these
processes
Ensure that the financing that accompanies the SDGs is additional and not a
replacement for existing Official Development Assistance.
Do the “boundary work” between the statistical community and the policy making
process (since engagement in policy making is not the mandate of the statisticians)
The Closing Plenary
Over lunch, a draft of the Framework for Action — whose core Priority Action Areas had
been distilled from the Working Group discussions and plenary inputs — was circulated to
the delegates for review. In the final plenary itself, Working Group Rapporteurs first
presented short summaries of the key findings from each discussion. Then Mr. Nikhil Seth,
chair of the session, opened the floor for comments and suggestions on the draft Framework
for Action. He requested that suggestions be provided in written text form to the UNOSD
staff.
The general tone of the comments was very positive. Delegates approved of the text, and
offered several suggestions by way of addition and improvement. No requests to remove any
part of the draft text were received.
On this sense of general approval of the outcome document, and with the promise of the
UNOSD staff to carefully consider all the suggestions for improvement that had been
received, Mr. Seth warmly thanked all the delegates as well as the UNOSD staff for their
hard work and their active participation, and adjourned the meeting.
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Section 3. Presentation Summaries
Opening Session, March 6, 2013 [Day 1]
Opening remarks: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/UNDESA, New York
Mr. Seth welcomed the participants and described this Expert Consultation’s purpose in the
context of Rio+20 and the post-2015 agenda. He summarized the threats and challenges
facing humanity and underscored the urgency of leadership, engagement and action,
especially in the area of knowledge and capacity building (KCSD). He noted that the UN is
generally responding to this call and described the close cooperation between the UNOSD
and the Division for Sustainable Development in enhancing knowledge exchange. This
consultation was important, he said, for three reasons: (1) responding to the Member States’
request at Rio+20 for more support on KCSD; (2) learning what needs and gaps exist that
UNOSD can fill; and (3) providing guidance on the development of UNOSD’s programming
in the future. The Consultation was also a chance for the sharing of experiences among
countries and the exploration of how to integrate policy making more effectively, as well as
how to close the gap between policy and implementation. He noted that there were many
experienced people in attendance who could contribute to this exploration and to the
development of the proposed “Framework for Action.” He also thanked the two other
partners for this event, the Asia-Europe Foundation, and the United Nations Center for
Regional Development.
Introduction of the expert consultation: Muhammad A. Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD
Mr. Chaudhry extended a warm welcome to all the participants and noted that the purpose of
the consultation was to explore what technical and policy knowledge and capacities were
needed to foster transition towards sustainability. He noted that many of the delegates in
attendance had also participated in UNOSD’s November, 2012 expert consultation on
national sustainable development planning, and that the number of practitioners attending
UNOSD’s events was growing. Progress on sustainable development generally was,
however, slow and uneven. Actions outlined in The Future We Want were intended to speed
up that progress, but they would also require new knowledge, ideas and skills, as well as
effective approaches to capacity building. The purpose of this multi-stakeholder dialogue was
therefore to take stock of the present situation in KCSD, examine how countries can make
used use of available resources, identify gaps and needs, and find ways to increase
collaboration among stakeholders to fill those needs. He described the flow of the meeting
over three days and the intent to produce a “Framework for Action”, those areas which
should assume “center stage” in the development of KCSD going forward. He encouraged
the participants to be open and frank in sharing their views.
Welcoming remarks: Mr. Song Jae-Young, Deputy Minister of Environment, Republic of
Korea
Mr. Song Jae-Young also welcomed the participants on behalf of the Republic of Korea and
described the meeting and its purpose as “very meaningful.” He described the Republic of
Korea’s history of engagement with sustainable development, starting with its national
Commission on Sustainable Development in 2000, the “National Vision on Sustainable
Development” launched in 2005, and the launch of its low-carbon green growth strategy in
2008. These efforts were paradigm-shifting in RoK, and will continue under the new
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government’s administration, which has made a “clean and sustainable environment” one of
is 23 key strategies. He further asked for the continued support and engagement of all
participants in building better understanding between countries and pursuing this very
important agenda. He offered a well-known Korean saying, “Great things are done by a series
of small things brought together,” and offered his sincere wish that this Expert Consultation
would be a contribution to the overall goal of sustainable development.
Welcoming remarks: Mr. Song Young-Gil, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City.
Mr. Song Young-Gil welcomed participants to Incheon and, departing from his prepared
remarks, described some of the challenges his city is grappling with now, such as
transboundary air pollution. He also described several of the initiatives that Incheon is
pursuing in order to “transform ... into a green city.” To underscore the importance of
sustainable development, he described how deforestation in neighboring regions have left
some mountain areas denuded, so that “even small rainstorms can cause big floods.” It is
important to break the “vicious circle” of environmental damage causing economic problems,
which in turn drive more unsustainable harvesting of natural resources. Incheon is becoming
a hub of United Nations activity, with the latest addition being the Green Climate Fund
(GCF), whose secretariat will be opened in Incheon next year. He hoped that UNOSD would
work closely with the GCF in the years to come.
Keynote remarks: Mr. Byung-Wook Lee, President, Korea Environment Institute, Seoul,
ROK
Mr. Lee expressed strong support for UNOSD’s focus on knowledge and capacity building of
practitioners around the world. He noted that four years after the financial crisis began, we
are still facing great challenges economically; and that while progress was made on the
Millennium Development Goals, there remains much to be done. The interlinked nature of
sustainable development issues makes them especially challenging, requiring strong political
will, effective financing, technological development, strengthened institutional capacities,
international cooperation, and strong governance at all levels. He stressed the importance of
technology transfer. The Green Economy, he noted, should be flexible and tailored to
accommodate each nation’s circumstances. He expressed appreciation to UNOSD and the
other sponsoring partners in hosting this Expert Consultation.
Keynote remarks: Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences
and Policy, CEU, Budapest, Hungary.
Mr. Pintér addressed the importance of using stories and metaphors to convey the challenging
complexity of sustainable development problems. When asked to explain his work to school
children, for example, he uses the metaphor of being an astronaut: we are all astronauts on
“Spaceship Earth” and must take care of it. To the explain the challenge of economic growth
on a finite planet, he uses the metaphor of a balloon voyage. We want to go higher and
higher, but we are weighed down by increasing debts and risks, economic as well as social
and ecological. The economic debts can be dealt with through bailouts, which are like
shedding ballast from the balloon; be we cannot shed the social and ecological debts and risks
so easily. Meanwhile, the balloon is heading into storm conditions (climate change, water
shortages, etc.). We need better instruments (indicators, goals, a map), as well as better
knowledge and capacity for our pilots: hence the importance of this meeting for helping the
world change course and head for sustainable outcomes.
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Session 1 (Plenary): Knowledge and capacity needs and gaps for
sustainable development [Day 1]
Chair: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Ms. Chikako Takase, Director, UNCRD, Nagoya
Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD Consultant, Stockholm: Knowledge and capacity needs for
sustainable development in post Rio era
Mr. AtKisson presented a summary of the background global review he prepared for this
meeting (available at the UNOSD.org website). The field of knowledge for sustainable
development is enormous and is growing exponentially (as is all knowledge). This is
prompting important shifts in how knowledge is managed, shared, and validated, including a
fundamental shift from seeing knowledge as a “stock” to managing it as a “flow”. He also
introduced two key terms of increasing importance: “boundary work” for managing the
transfer across sectors, disciplines, etc.; and “networked governance” for making the policy
process more inclusive and effective. Terms such as “Green Economy,” “Green Growth” or
“Education for Sustainable Development” can be seen as reflecting different knowledge
management strategies, linked to different constituencies. He reviewed the global data
gathered for UNOSD on KCSD providers, programs, and networks, and emphasized that
partnership among these diverse actors was an important key to success going forward.
Mr. François Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD, Incheon:
Mapping of issues, strategies and initiatives in sustainable development: a preliminary
analysis
Mr. Fortier began with the essentials: knowledge is what we use to change reality, and
knowledge management processes enhance the building, exchange, and use of knowledge.
He presented a knowledge management (KM) model for the UNOSD, in three main parts: the
production and organizing of knowledge; its dissemination (“knowledge sharing”); and its
application in decision and design processes. This circular model was surrounded by an
enabling environment, which includes all the institutional and technological elements that
make the KM cycle possible. He noted that there are large stocks of knowledge, but it does
not flow where it needs to, in order to accelerate sustainability transition. He reported on
UNOSD’s preliminary network mapping of KM institutions and programs and on how these
reflect the ongoing shift to networked governance in policy formation, formulation, and
implementation. He also showed how the UNOSD will be responding to these needs, through
further mapping and matching exercises, knowledge brokering, training, guiding, networking
and sharing.
Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok: Strengthening
knowledge-policy-practice interface towards sustainable development.
Mr. King reported on the efforts of his organization to maintain a vital knowledge sharing
platform for sustainable development practitioners in Asia. It is challenging: the secretariat of
“SDPlanNet” has made 40 tools available and over 100 articles, but the blog attached to its
web portal has received no comments (as an indicator of engagement). He noted that
knowledge of SD is abundant, but practice is scarce. Moreover, SD practitioners are so
spread out into different types of ministries and sectoral positions that “they may not actually
recognize each other as peers.” In sum, the challenge of doing KCSD even among
professionals in the SD community should not be underestimated, and we do not really know
how to do it effectively yet, even though it remains essential. Passive online portals are no
longer effective. Reducing the totality of SD to “bite-size bits” such as Green Economy could
22
help.
Ms. Grazyna Pulawska, Project Executive, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Singapore:
Knowledge sharing and capacity building for sustainable development: lessons learned,
challenges, and opportunities
Ms. Pulawska reported on her organization’s efforts to “make knowledge flow” between
diverse stakeholders, through programs such as ENVForum, which brings together actors
from Asia and Europe in a knowledge exchange setting. She invoked the metaphor of
dancing: it involves learning steps, matching speed, signaling clearly to each other, etc.
Collaboration in a knowledge-sharing context requires similar adjustments. The Asia-Europe
Environmental Forum (also know as ENVForum, a project of the Asia-Europe Meeting, aka
ASEM) has been “dancing” since 2003, with 49 country partners, and two international
organizations: ASEAN and the European Commission. She also affirmed that the shift from
“stock” to “flow” in knowledge management was real and tangible in the exchange programs
she manages. Not only is the knowledge itself changing constantly; so are the people, the
“dance partners.” One has to be aware of and adapt to this continuous change to make
conferences, case study exchanges, and other collaboration processes work effectively. She
also shared numerous recommendations for the SDG process that have emerged through
ASEM’s exchanges (see the slide presentation at UNOSD.org).
Mr. Felix Dodds,Tellus Institute, USA: Stakeholder engagement in knowledge sharing and
capacity building for sustainable development: experiences and lessons learned
Mr. Dodds drew on his personal experience over twenty years to make links between the
knowledge sharing challenges of today, and those that were experienced in earlier “post-Rio”
era (the 1990s after the Earth Summit in Rio, 1992). Processes were created then, many of
which no longer exist, whose purpose was to facilitate capacity development for the
implementation of Agenda 21. In some ways these were most effective at the local level,
mediated by NGOs such as ICLEI. The NGO he formerly ran, Stakeholder Forum, was
involved in many similar efforts, such as a “Toolkit for Women” after the Johannesburg
meeting of 2002. He called for re-invigorating some of these earlier efforts, such as the
Capacity 2015 program that was created to support the MDGs. “Maybe we need a Capacity
2030 process,” said Dodds, focused around the SDGs and the post-2015 agenda. This
initiative would build on the lessons of 1993-2012 build capacity, share experience, and focus
on clear deliverables linked to the SDGs.
Session 2: Parallel Working Group Sessions [Day 1]
Mapping of who is doing what and how: sharing of experiences and lessons
learned
Working Group 1: Experiences from different knowledge and capacity building
programmes and networks in sustainable development: what has worked and what
has not?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD consultant
Rapporteur: Mr. Khalid Riaz, Professor of Management Sciences, Comsats University,
Islamabad
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Mr. Felix Dodds, Tellus Institute, USA: Growth of SD knowledge and trends in its
dissemination — are knowledge networks competing or complementing?
Mr. Dodds used the experience of Stakeholder Forum (SF) in creating the Global Transition
2012 initiative, in the run-up to Rio+20, as a case study. With partners at the New Economics
Institute and new economics foundation [lower case letters for “nef” are on purpose and are
part of the foundation’s brand], a well as support from the Green Economy Coalition, SF had
created platform for the exchange of papers, the development of common principles for a
Green Economy (built from previous UN declarations), and an interactive mapping function
which he demonstrated live on the web (http://gtne.org). This worked reasonably well but
experienced challenges that are common to all such efforts. He noted that bottom up
approaches like Global Transition 2012 depend on constant promotion; if they do not achieve
self-sustained “virality,” they are difficult to maintain. Working with UN and partner
governments to ensure common database structures is also important. Finally, Mr. Dodds
introduced a new initiative, the newly formed “Global Network of National Councils for
Sustainable Development” (http://ncsds.org) which is also being administered by Stakeholder
Forum.
Mr. Kees Leendertse, Cap-Net UNDP, South Africa: Revisiting capacity building
approaches and models: successes and failures
Mr. Leendertse focused on “what works”, drawing on over ten years of experience with
UNDP’s “Cap-Net” program, which is focused on developing capacity in the water sector.
His presentation picked up on earlier themes such as the need to focus more on institutions
than individuals, and to integrate capacity building vertically “from local to global.” He
suggested focusing on “challenges and solutions” rather than successes and failures. He listed
many challenges, including limited access to knowledge generally as well as to formal
relevant degree programs. Once capacity is raised, management regimes may also need to
change, which can be an obstacle. But he listed equally many solutions, such as partnership
development, study tours, mentoring, awards for performance, and the assembling of
multi-discipinary teams and networks. Cap-Net has its own knowledge cycle as well
(somewhat different than the one presented by Mr. Francois Fortier), noting that the specific
choice of model was less important than having a model. He detailed some tools for
managing networks effectively, and extended an invitation to participants to engage with
such networks and with Cap-Net’s dialogues and programs.
Ms. Jane Rovins, Executive Director, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk, Beijing: Have
knowledge platforms helped in strengthening capacities of developing countries in
sustainable development?
Ms. Rovins proposed that lessons from the disaster risk and preparedness community were
highly relevant to sustainable development, and noted that many capacity building programs
in that domain suffer from similar challenges, including lack of interest, capacity, knowledge,
continuity (officials change jobs frequently), investment, planning, and commitment. The
speed and scale of the growing problems in disaster risk are also similar to the situation in
SD: disaster losses (in human and in financial terms) have rocketed up over the past twenty
years. She raised the question: why do losses increase, when we already know so much, and
are continually adding to our knowledge? One of the answers she pointed to was a lack of
integration of such knowledge, especially at the local level where it is mostly needed. We
have good data now proving that risk reduction strategies work; what is needed is to build a
culture of prevention that fully integrates this learning into daily practice, from school
children to senior officials. To this end, she has been working to establish common principles
for disaster research and risk reduction that can be adopted and integrated internationally as
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well as vertically, from national to local level.
Working Group 2: SD knowledge management for capacity building in the post
Rio+20 era
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and
Policy, Central European University, Budapest
Rapporteur: Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom
Mr. Kimo Goree, Director Reporting, IISD: Impact of knowledge platforms and networks
in advancing sustainable development
Mr. Goree’s presentation focused on the changing knowledge management terrain and on
what it takes to become a trusted source of information. He quoted author Clay Shirky: “It’s
not information overload. It’s filter failure.” He described IISD’s many years of building trust
as an information provider, reporting from countless UN meetings and negotiating sessions,
and demonstrated its most recent offerings in knowledge management, which take advantage
of recent concepts and technologies in the field. He emphasized the critical role of open
linked data, and described a possible role for UNOSD as the curator of a central open linked
database of SD information to which other actors could relate themselves.
Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Université du Québec:
Challenges in connecting traditional capacity building models to new agendas and
knowledge
Mr. Prescott focused on the issue of empowerment as a critical success factor, emphasizing
that can “only be achieved through local ownership and participation.” He took the example
of the Seychelles’ national self-assessment of its own readiness to implement mutlilateral
environmental agreements as an example: knowledge and capacity issues were at the heart
of several “key challenges.” This result, said Mr. Prescott, can likely be extrapolated to many
other countries. He detailed some of the solutions or needs identified, such as multi-party
agreements on data sharing and joint research, as well as the general need to upgrade
education and awareness programs with better tools, technology, and equipment. Returning
to the theme of empowerment, he noted that sustained capacity advances depend on
endogenous development of five key capabilities: self-organization, generating development
results, establishing supportive relationships, adapting and self-renewing, and achieving
coherence. KCSD programs should therefore focus on reinforcing these national (local) level
capabilities and supporting the empowerment of local actors.
Ms. Patrizia Cocca, Communication Officer & KM Coordinator, Global Environment
Facility, Washington: Informing global stewardship from local experience: the GEF KM
strategy
Ms. Cocca reported on the experience of the Global Environment Facility and its Knowledge
Management Strategy, which is closely tied to GEF’s mission of helping countries to
implement policies and programs that are funded by GEF to achieve outcomes with
agreed-upon global benefits. These benefits, tied to international conventions, can include
reducing desertification, mercury pollution, and biodiversity loss among others. GEF’s role
has turned it into “a champion of the global commons” and an engine for innovation, using its
extensive funding power. KCSD activities are essential to achieving its goals, as GEF has
experienced the common challenges related to integrating knowledge of new policies and
practices into institutions. Ms. Cocca described GEF’s extensive KCSD activities as well as
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its future priorities: focusing on global-level solutions, promoting innovation, prioritizing a
smaller number of key topics, staying practical, and building partnerships.
Session 3: Unlocking the potential of water-energy- agriculture nexus for
poverty eradication [Day 2]
Chair: Mr. Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD
Rapporteur: Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok
Keynote address: “Education and Capacity Building for Sustainability”. Speaker: Mr.
Arjen Wals, Professor of Social Learning and Sustainable Development, Wageningen
University, The Netherlands
Mr. Wals began his address with a set of shocking photographic images illustrating the scale
of just one sustainable development problem: plastics in the environment. We plainly can
what is not sustainable, he noted; defining what is sustainable is more difficult. Wikipedia,
for example, identifies “sustainable development” as a form of “growth”, which is a sharply
contested way to think about it. He noted that education may be equipping people to be more
effective at destroying natural resources and consuming, rather than to be good stewards of a
sustainable future. He presented several “lenses” for a more holistic educational approach
which could also be applied to professional training and competence building: it should be
“integrative, critical, and transformative.” Mr. Wals described sustainability competencies,
which include understanding the dynamics of SD from an integrative, systems-oriented
perspective, as well as from an innovation perspective. Sustainability, he said, needs more
space, not just in formal curricula, but also in informal learning processes that blur the
boundaries between institutional, community, and workplace-based learning.
Mr. Anton Earle, Director, Capacity Development, SIWI, Stockholm: Capacity building in
strengthening water cooperation for sustainable development - trends and results
Mr. Earle linked his talk to the previous day’s discussions on the shift from “stock” to “flow”
in knowledge management, and he noted that the same could be said of river management.
Rivers, he said, are still managed as stocks rather than flows, even though flowing is “the
essence of what it means to be a river.” He described the Stockholm International Water
Institute’s approach to capacity building, to increase that “flow” sensibility among over 1,000
water management officials in transboundary contexts. Water, he noted, is too scarce, too
plentiful (flooding), or too dirty in too many parts of the world. To address these challenges
SIWI pursues an integrated approach to KCSD which involves technical water management
issues; the politics of building trust and confidence; and institutional development. Training,
facilitation, and networking are critical skills. But, he asked, will we be able to recognize
success when we achieve it? Indicators globally are still moving in the wrong direction, when
it comes to water withdrawals and water quality. However, water-based conflict has been
reduced considerably over the past 50 years, and cooperation has increased — a very
positive trend, but one whose obvious benefits are harder to measure. He advocated a
long-term approach to capacity building in organizations, working for years, using multiple
formats, in partnership with several institutions, and rooted in ongoing processes such as
institution-building or relevant political negotiations.
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Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, United Nations Foundation,
USA: Providing sustainable energy for all: need for additional knowledge and capacities
Mr. Hopkins noted at the outset that access to energy was at the heart of humanity’s major
advances over thousands of years, and especially the rise of industrial societies in the past
two hundred years. This historic underscores the need for the UN Secretary-General’s
Sustainable Energy for All initiative, and its ambitious goals to make energy access universal,
to double the global rate of improvement on energy efficiency, and to double share of
renewable energy in the global mix by 2030. We have a tremendous stock of knowledge, said
Mr. Hopkins, that has been assembled over decades. What’s missing is the effective
communication of that knowledge, the capacity to use and implement it at the country level,
and a global platform linking the global finance sector to national government leaders
attempting to reform policy. He provided introductions and links to several of the best sites
and organizational sources for energy information (see his slide presentation), and made a
strong argument for a focus on energy efficiency, because of the enormous gains that remain
to made there.
Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Director and Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute,
Bangkok: Managing the water-energy-agriculture nexus for poverty eradication: evidence
from the field
Mr. Kemp-Benedict reflected on the tools available for managing the water, energy and
agriculture nexus for poverty eradication. He gave several examples of using WEAP and
LEAP, two widely available software tools developed by the Stockholm Environment
Institute that deal with water and energy respectively, and described how the models “talk to”
each other to help policy makers develop optimal planning scenarios. He described the
benefits of solving water, energy, and agriculture problems in this more integrated way: for
example, linking night-time illumination (which expands time for work and learning) and
expanding pumping capacity can contribute to better agricultural yields and poverty
eradication. He provided a conceptual model and some additional examples of this approach
in his slide presentation, as well as an extended case study from northern Thailand where an
integrated approach assisted local decision makers in evaluating options regarding biofuels
production.
Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Université du Québec:
Learning from best practices in water, energy and sustainable agriculture
Mr. Prescott described several initiatives he is working on that attempt to model best practice
at the “nexus”, including work with the Sustainable Food Laboratory
(http://sustainablefoodlab.org). He called for the promotion of energy efficiency as a
high-leverage strategy for improving integrated performance, and emphasized the need to use
knowledge management techniques specifically to improve and facilitate access to
technologies. He applauded the work of FAO’s knowledge forum, which facilitates and
promotes collaboration using “Share Fairs” and other innovations. FAO also has excellent
training to build awareness and competence, and provides knowledge sharing toolkits.
Explaining these complex and necessary relations between water, food and energy is a
critical task, so that people can adapt to changing situations. Existing tools need to be
promoted, people need to be empowered, all the way down to smaller farmers. Prof. Prescott
described several initiatives to do that; see his slides for details and web links.
27
Mr. Masao Takano, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environment Studies,
Nagoya University, Japan: Advancing sustainable development: mainstreaming
water-energy-sustainable agriculture in regional development planning context
Mr. Takano presented a case study of regional KCSD in a sustainable context from Japan, the
“Satoyama” movement. He emphasized the need to share not just knowledge, but a vision or
image of a sustainable community. Satoyama communities, which practice a form of
sustainable agriculture integrated with forest management in mountainous terrain, are one
such image. The Satoyama process is low-carbon and promotes restoration of natural
habitats, among other benefits. It had been close to dying out in Japan, but a recent influx of
young people escaping from the cities to a more “meaningful life” in rural areas has breathed
new life into it. The transfer of knowledge is happening “just in time,” before the older
generation dies out. He showed “before and after” photos of abandoned lands transformed by
Satoyama techniques, and models indicating how human interventions — including
small-scale electricity and biogas production, in addition to agricultural and forest practices
— are critical to such transformations and to achieving sustainability goals.
Session 4: Parallel Working Group Sessions [Day 2]
Bridging knowledge and capacity gaps in post Rio era
Working Group 3: Building capacities for adapting to climate change in water
management
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Anton Earle, Director Capacity Development Office, SIWI,
Stockholm
Rapporteur: Mr. Mr. Kees Leendertse, Cap-Net UNDP, South Africa
Mr. Michael Douglass, Professor, University of Singapore: Capacity building needs for
water management vis-à-vis current practices
Mr. Douglass described the transition to urbanization in Asia and the enormous implications
for water management attached to this demographic shift. Dam building, for example, is
exploding in many sensitive areas, such as in the Himalayas and along the Mekong.
Meanwhile, climate change will bring sea level rise and other challenges to low-lying areas.
We have entered an “Age of Chronic Flooding,” he noted, and he used the recent experiences
in Jakarta as a case study. “Megaprojects” (large scale developments) and peri-urban sprawl
in the region have exploded, creating many pressures and increasing vulnerability of both
people and economic development to flooding and water pollution. He emphasized that these
issues could not be treated as “water sector issues” alone. They are linked to environment,
livelihood, and social welfare concerns as well. More integrated, coordinated, and
participatory approaches to planning are called for.
Mr. Khalid Riaz, Professor and Head of Management Sciences Department , COMSATS
Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad: Strengthening linkages between research
and farmers for improving agricultural water management
Mr. Riaz began by reflecting that the role of water use in climate change adaptation is
“pivotal”, and agricultural water management — accounting for 90% of water use in many
countries — is therefore doubly central. Current responses generally favor “trying to increase
control over water” (e.g. through reservoirs, groundwater use, evaporation control), but this is
a limited approach leaving many vulnerabilities and risk factors in place. He described some
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strategies for “risk transfer” and risk minimization, such as weather insurance, livelihood
diversification, drought-tolerant plants, and conversation techniques at appropriate scale.
Research into such methods as well as government implementation needs to be done in
collaboration with farmers (another example of both “boundary work” and “networked
governance”).
Working Group 4: Knowledge and capacity needs for providing energy access to all
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, UNF, USA
Rapporteur: Mr. Kang Sang-In, Senior Development Management Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
Mr. Arjen Wals, Prof of Social Learning and SD, Wageningen University, The
Netherlands: Knowledge and capacity needs and solutions for sustainability transition in
post Rio era
Once again making use of arresting images, Mr. Wals reflected on the importance of relevant
and realistic knowledge and capacity development for engaging younger people in
sustainability. He suggested bringing an integrative, critical and transformative lens to
understanding sustainability in post Rio era, as the issue is globally and locally
interconnected. He also proposed that we should be critical of consumption and
consumerism, and cautious about the quality of the information placed in front of us. His
vision of education and capacity building for sustainable development was a vision of
transformation — of oneself of the people around us. He advocated sharing not just
knowledge, but wisdom.
Mr. Dilip Ahuja, Prof of Science & Technology Policy, Nat. Institute of Adv. Studies,
Bangalore: Addressing the energy gap in developing countries through capacity building
and knowledge sharing
Mr. Ahuja described the different kinds of “energy gaps” that exist in our world, for example
rural and urban, as well as showing data on the different levels of energy access that can still
correspond to a relatively high quality of life (as measured by the Human Development
Index). He focused most of his talk on India as a case study. At current rates of growth,
India will not reach the Universal Energy Access until 2051. Though the access gap between
urban and rural does seem to be narrowing, the consumption gap is widening, as urban
dwellers consume more and more of the available electricity. Addressing such gaps requires
having an historical as well as a social analysis of the development and problems of rural
electrification. The knowledge and capacity needs are many, ranging from analysis skills for
matching technology to available resources, to effective methods of collecting bill payments.
Once again integration is key: including local employment opportunities, cross-subsidies,
and local capacity for maintenance and repair in rural electrification planning can make the
difference between success and failure.
Mr. Johng-Ihl Lee, Prof of Technology & Society, SUNY Korea: Technology transfer and
capacity building for enhancing access to energy
Mr. Lee presented a Korean case study in technology transfer and commercialization. He
provided details of how incentives, legislation, research and other factors worked together,
through multiple institutions, including government, universities and research institutes. In
general, technology acquisition happens through different channels depending on the
development stages of an economy: concessional production, foreign direct investment,
technology transaction, and domestic and international R&D activities. Public technology
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policies also follow the life cycle of technological innovation ranging from experimental and
applied R&D to final commercialization of developed technology. Mr. Lee concluded, based
on his analysis, that there is no “King’s way” (standard approach) for enhancing and
providing energy access to all.
Working Group 5: Sustainable agriculture, food security and climate change
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment
Institute, Bangkok
Rapporteur: Mr. François Fortier, Senior SD Expert, UNOSD
Mr. David O’Connor, DSD/DESA, UN, New York: Food security and sustainable
development in post Rio+20 era
Mr. O’Connor provided a “big picture” overview, noting first how food security is framed in
The Future We Want. Food is named as a right, and is acknowledged to be a “pressing global
challenge.” The world’s predominantly industrial agricultural systems are seen as
problematic and many areas in need of improvement were highlighted, especially with regard
to rural development issues. Mr. O’Connor detailed the challenge set by the UN Secretary
General — no hunger, malnutrition, or starvation by 2030 — and our present-day starting
point of one billion living in food insecurity, with another one billion deficient in
micro-nutrients. Climate change poses the biggest challenge, but land degradation, land
scarcity, water insecurity and other issues are important as well (and often linked to climate
change). Responses currently fall into two categories: science and technology improvements
(intensification, new crops varieties, efficiency, etc.) and changes linked to markets and
institutions (land tenure, knowledge sharing, risk insurance among many others). He
identified three critical action areas for knowledge sharing: sustainable agricultural
techniques (appropriate to local conditions), sustainable water management, and
“climate-smart” agriculture linked to global climate finance mechanisms. UNOSD could
partner with other more topic-specific institutions to enhance such knowledge sharing.
Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom: Sustainable agriculture
and adaptation to climate change: knowledge gaps and needs
Ms. Ludi spoke of a “triple challenge” to agriculture. The first is economic, social, and
demographic. With rising and urbanizing populations, food and feed production will need to
rise by around 70% (cereals 33-50%, meat 43-85%) to feed 9 billion people by 2050.
Production is still rising, but prices are falling, land is getting more degraded, and there is
increasing competition over water. The second is climate change: the world must adapt its
agricultural systems to higher temperatures and variable precipitation regimes. The third
challenge is greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation: agriculture contributes up to 15% of GHGs,
land clearance for 18%. Ms. Ludi showed numerous models and examples for more
sustainable resource management, but noted that many questions remain regarding how to
finance, build capacity, collaborate, develop the right policy mixes, and help people to adapt.
Mr. Gerard Sylvester, Knowledge and Information Management Officer, FAO, Bangkok:
Knowledge management for agriculture: FAO Experience
Mr. Sylvester spoke on the use of information technology in KCSD for agriculture, and the
FAO’s “eAgriculture” initiative, a global online community of 10,000 practitioners,
supported by fifteen institutional partners. Forum discussions on topics such as climate-smart
agriculture attract hundreds of participants. Drawing on a forum discussion about information
and communications technology (ICT) and Green Growth, Mr. Sylvester listed many benefits
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of using this technology to improve adaptation, resilience, reform initiatives, and much more
(see slides). He spoke of putting “big data” to the service of small farmers, to help them find
resources and information and link to markets, as well as “hyper-local” information flows.
These build local capacity as well as trust. Challenges they face include analyzing complex
climate data, making hyper-local data available, building local capacity to access and use the
information, providing incentives for knowledge producers to participate in these information
flows, and managing the costs of these systems. (See http://e-agriculture.org)
Session 5: Implementing Rio+20 outcomes: the way forward for knowledge
sharing and capacity building [Day 3]
Expert Panel 1: Sustainable development goals and a new architecture for sustainable
development governance
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Thierry Schwarz, Director for Intellectual Exchange, ASEF,
Singapore
Rapporteur: Mr. Simon Olsen, IGES, Tokyo
Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Special Advisor and Focal Point for SDGs, United Nations
Environment Programme, New York: Post-2015 challenges
In introducing the process for defining the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr. Shrestha
spoke of closing the perceived dichotomy between environment and development, and of
articulating a vision for where we want to go in terms of development over the next 15 to 30
years. He provided a timeline of planned milestones on the SDG process and noted several
challenges that must be overcome along the way, including the facilitation of a convergence
of views from international, national, and local levels; differences among members regarding
the process of defining the SDGs; and the need to find SDGs that inspire the public, integrate
all the various inputs, and generate positive political capital. He offered a framework for
moving forward that consisted of (1) articulating a clear vision for the 21st century (one that
reconciles human wellbeing with planetary wellbeing; (2) developing a clear methodology
that integrates the many priorities and goals endorsed at Rio+20 and translates them into a
smaller number of east-to-communicate goal statements; and (3) following a strict timeline
keyed to the General Assembly meetings in 2013, 2014, and 2015 (GA68-70). He also
expressed a set of personal wishes, that the world would shift from individual to collective
perspectives, from “greed to need,” from competition to collaboration, from reactive policies
to preventative ones, and generally from rhetoric to transformative change.
Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, CEU,
Hungary: Indicators and the SDGs
Mr. Pinter emphasized the importance of developing SD indicators aligned with the SDGs,
and noted that the indicators should be fully integrated with SD visions and goals, firmly
wedded to implementation mechanisms, and acceptable to multiple audiences. The recent
developments in the “Beyond GDP” movement are promising, as new complementary
indicators are being developed around the world covering different aspects of sustainable
development such as a Green Economy or National Wellbeing. But he warned against
creating an indicator “Tower of Babel,” and said we must use our experience and our existing
knowledge to fashion indicators for the SDGs that truly meet our needs. This will, of course,
require significant knowledge sharing and capacity building — relevant tasks for UNOSD.
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Ms. Ella Antonio, President, Earth Council Asia Pacific, Philippines: Post-2015
imperatives for civil society participation
Ms. Antonio argued that, while the space afforded to civil society organizations (CSOs) and
the quality of their participation have both improved, more improvements could be made to
enhance the relevance, effectiveness, and legitimacy of CSO participation post-2015. She
reminded us that current challenges to effective CSO participation in decision making relate
mostly to financial means, representation, accountability, and political fallout. She also
argued that the current system of CSO participation (i.e. the Major Groups) is not fully
inclusive and needs to be revamped to allow more access to groups that are currently
marginalized. She suggested that future participation could be theme-based rather than
defined by groups, as this could enhance the relevance of CSO inputs; but that such change
might require additional knowledge sharing and capacity development.
Ms. Zeenat Niazi, Vice President, Development Alternatives (India): Stakeholder
participation and engagement for sustainable development
Ms. Niazi shared information about the situation in India and emphasized that a great many
CSO initiatives exist, at many levels, to define and implement sustainable development and a
green economy. These include programs to promote jobs skills, technology, finance, equality,
and information sharing, among others. She demonstrated the vitality of such programs at all
the different levels of engagement (sub-province, province, national, regional) with relevant
case studies but emphasized that knowledge gaps still exist on how SD plans (and related
initiatives) can be implemented on the ground. She shared ways that powerful
communication technologies can help to engage people, such as community radio,
participatory learning platforms, face-to-face platforms (meetings, award ceremonies etc.),
and much more. Successful initiatives, she said, start with a clear and relatively narrow focus
before trying to broaden out to the whole sustainable development agenda. Simple
communications using media engages people — and engaging both the mind and the heart
(does this touch me? affect my village? make me angry? give me hope?) is an essential
ingredient.
Mr. David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Analysis Branch, DESA, United Nations, New York:
Financing and the SDGs
Mr O’Connor shared that the MDGs did not have a clear financing element, at least not
upfront, but because they were accepted they indirectly generated financial support. He
remarked that this could be the same in the case of the SDGs, but that a formal process is in
place to respond to Rio+20’s call for a financing strategy. He described the SDGs as “MDGs
plus” for the poor countries, to finish the “unfinished work” of poverty eradication and lifting
human development; and “Beyond the MDGs” for all people, to deal with the problem of
growth within ecological limits while preserving natural, human, and physical capital. He
argued for a “2-pronged financing strategy” that reflects this dual aspect of the SDGs: (1)
supporting “development with a difference (low-carbon, low impact, inclusive), and (2)
mobilizing resources to the protect the global commons of the atmosphere, oceans, climate,
and biodiversity. He reflected that the implications of such a strategy might include a change
in how official development assistance (ODA) is conducted, “baking in” climate adaptation
and resilience and other factors, while assuring that financing for low-carbon development
was systematically made part of ODA (while being additional and without replacing
traditional ODA flows). Clearer policy frameworks would be necessary to attract funding,
and he wondered whether the new Green Climate Fund (to be based in Incheon) might “bring
coherence to a crowded field.” He also noted that the UNOSD could play a role in helping
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countries develop SD financing strategies, perhaps in synergy with the Green Climate Fund.
Expert Panel 2: Knowledge and capacity needs for accelerating transition towards
sustainability including green economy
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Mr. François Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD,
Incheon
Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, USA/Bangkok: Can the green economy help
to eradicate poverty?
Mr. King asked what evidence existed that Green Growth contributed to poverty eradication,
and how could that evidence be put to use? He listed a number of Green Growth’s benefits as
a stabilizing influence in resource, employment, climate adaptation and other areas. He noted
that Green Growth could therefore contribute to poverty eradication while also being “a way
to a Green Economy,” but that these terms get mixed up in the literature. They all need to be
seen at the intersection of the three pillars of sustainable development (which he
diagrammed, see slides). For this shift in perspective to happen, however, growth must be
reconceptualized, and jobs must be “greener”. Current GDP-defined growth must shift
towards quality of life objectives such as happiness and wellbeing, because growth as
currently defined is unsustainable. Policies that favor employment in sectors such as
agriculture can be seen as pro-poor growth policies in poor countries that are nonetheless in
alignment with a green economy. The role of indicators and measurements in assessing both
the “greenness” and the poverty reduction benefits of various policies is crucial here.
Mr. Felix Dodds, Tellus Institute, USA: Matching KCSD needs to supply
Mr. Dodds first addressed some of the issues raised in previous session, notably the inclusion
of CSOs and the problem of exclusion caused by the system of Major Groups. He recounted a
conversation with a senior UN official (at the time the Major Groups were formed after Rio
‘92) that demonstrated that the Major Groups were in response to the vocal demands of the
time, rather than any well-considered framework. There are certainly gaps to fill as a result.
CSOs could be better financed, perhaps even by governments, if there were political will. He
noted that the Rio+20 outcomes included a lot of ideas on how to more forward, and that
knowledge needs to be better managed. He saw a need “not so much for a one-stop-shop, but
for a clearing house” that would map, connect, and direct flows of information to address the
needs.
Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute, Bangkok:
How to green investments?
Mr. Kemp-Benedict read a prepared statement dealing with the difficult problem of existing,
high-carbon capital investments (such as coal-fired power plants or low efficiency production
facilities). More drastic action to preserve climate stability would require countries to retire
such investments early. How and why would they do so? Mr. Kemp-Benedict proposed
stepping back from the ordinary operations of the economy to consider two key factors: (1)
the discount rates that determine the present and perceived future value of those investments,
because these rates are currently too low given the damage that such infrastructure will cause
over time; and (2) finding ways to highlight the net (financial) benefit of shifting to a
low-carbon economy, while preserving a perceived high quality of life. He noted that
transitions away from high-carbon development could involve some sacrifices, but that they
would be transitory and would lead to higher qualities of life in the long run. Mr.
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Kemp-Benedict noted that “no country is doing as well as it must to reduce emissions” but
that some countries, as well as cities, are doing better than others. These examples can be
studied and scaled up. Yes, there would be uncertainties; but the developing countries
themselves are living case studies of building up economic systems under conditions of
uncertainty.
Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom: Knowledge exchange to
accelerate sustainability: the need to bridge evidence-bases research with policy-making
Ms. Ludi explored the need to bridge the evidence-base research with the policy-making
process, starting by contrasting the two worlds of research and policy. Standards of evidence,
for example, are quite different in the research and policy worlds: research is “scientific”
(context-free), demands empirical proof, is slow-moving, and embraces caveats and
qualifications. Policy is colloquial (contextual), accepts informal but reasonable evidence, is
time sensitive, and demands clarity without caveats. For these two world to meet requires a
trans-disciplinary research approach that would open the space for co-construction of
knowledge, with participation from the scientific community, policy-makers and other parts
of society. In practice, this means involving decision-makers in the research process (eg ODI
in Ethiopia), which also improve knowledge flows and resources along the policy-making
and implementation channels. Bringing researchers and others together in this way, often
from different parts of the world, contributes to knowledge building, transfer, and testing of
good strategies in various contexts, such as in climate change research and adaptation
strategy). (The Rapporteur for this session noted that this description was an example of what
networked governance and policy formation looks like.)
Mr. Lee Myung Kyoon, Director, Capacity Building and Knowledge Integration, GGGI,
Seoul: Green growth and the green economy
Mr. Lee noted that, being from the Global Green Growth Institute, he also saw Green Growth
as a way of developing less harmful activities and getting to a green economy. Green Growth
is the transformation strategy. The chief problems, however, are lack of capacities to
implement it at every level, in terms of knowledge, finances, institutions, etc. So KCSD is
essential to moving Green Growth strategies and speeding up the sustainability transition.
GGGI has a program in knowledge sharing (see http://www.greengrowthknowledge.org)
directed at government officials and experts. Mr. Lee gave the example of Cambodia, where
GGGI is helping to identify opportunities, raise awareness, build capacity, and develop
institutions and policies through a national Green Growth Master Plan, to be adopted this
March. Other countries they are working close with include Viet Nam, Laos and Ethiopia.
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Appendix A: Meeting Agenda
Day 1 (6 March, Wednesday)
Registration of participants: 08:00 to 09:00 hrs
Opening Session (09:00 to 09:40 hrs)
Venue: The Ballroom B, C
Opening remarks: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/UNDESA, New York
Introduction of the expert consultation: M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD, Incheon
Welcome remarks:
- Mr. Yoon Jong-Soo, Vice Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea (tbc)
- Mr. Young-Gil Song, Mayor of Incheon City
Keynote remarks:
- Mr. Byung-Wook Lee, President, Korea Environment Institute, Seoul, ROK
- Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, CEU,
Budapest
Coffee/Tea Break and departure of guests (09:40 to 10:00 hrs)
Session 1: Knowledge and capacity needs and gaps for sustainable development
(10:00 to 13:00 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Venue: The Ballroom B, C
Chair: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Ms. Chikako Takase, Director, UNCRD, Nagoya
Chair’s remarks/reflections
Presentation 1: Knowledge and capacity needs for sustainable development in post Rio era
Speaker: Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD Consultant, Stockholm
Presentation 2: Mapping of issues, strategies and initiatives in sustainable development: a
preliminary analysis
Speaker: Mr. François Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
Presentation 3: Strengthening knowledge-policy-practice interface towards sustainable
development
Speaker: Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok
Presentation 4: Knowledge sharing and capacity building for sustainable development: lessons
learned, challenges, and opportunities
Speaker: Ms. Grazyna Pulawska, Project Executive, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF),
Singapore
Presentation 5: Stakeholder engagement in knowledge sharing and capacity building for
sustainable development: experiences and lessons learned
Speaker: Mr. Felix Dodds,Tellus Institute, USA
Interactive discussion will focus, inter-alia, on the following questions: o How close is your perception of the needs and gaps to what you have heard presented? Is there some
important aspect that has been missed or overlooked?
o Can the needs and gaps identified so far be clustered into categories? What are those categories?
o This meeting’s goal is, in part, to produce a Framework for Action for knowledge sharing and Capacity
Building. What would make such a framework particularly useful to you?
Lunch Break (13:00 to 14:30 hrs),Venue: Restaurant, 1st Floor
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Session 2: Parallel Working Group Sessions:
Mapping of who is doing what and how: sharing of experiences and lessons learned
(14:30 to 17:30 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Working Group 1
Experiences from different knowledge and
capacity building programmes and
networks in sustainable development: what
has worked and what has not?
Venue: The Ballroom A
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Alan AtKisson,
UNOSD Consultant, Stockholm
Rapporteur: Mr. Khalid Riaz, Professor of
Management Sciences, Comsats University,
Islamabad
Chair’s/Facilitator’s reflections
Presentation 1: Growth of SD knowledge
and trends in its dissemination-- are
knowledge networks competing or
complementing?
Speaker: Mr. Felix Dodds,Tellus Institute,
USA
Presentation 2: Revisiting capacity
building approaches and models: successes
and failures
Speaker: Mr. Kees Leendertse, Cap-Net
UNDP, South Africa
Presentation 3: Have knowledge
platforms helped in strengthening
capacities of developing countries in
sustainable development?
Speaker: Ms Jane Rovins, Executive
Director, Integrated Research on Disaster
Risk, Beijing
The Working Group will focus its discussions,
inter-alia, on the following questions:
o What are 3-5 key takeaways (reflections
and insights) from the presentations that
can inform the development of knowledge
and capacity building programmes going
forward?
o Are there any common patterns in the
examples of what has “not” worked?
o What do the “most effective and
successful” examples have in common?
What can we learn from these?
Summary Question: What appear to be the key
elements of a successful programme for
knowledge and capacity building?
Working Group 2
SD knowledge management for capacity
building in post Rio+20 era
Venue: The Ballroom B
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. László Pintér, Professor,
Department of Environmental Sciences and
Policy, Central European University, Budapest.
Rapporteur: Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas
Development Institute, United Kingdom
Chair’s/Facilitator’s reflections
Presentation 1: Impact of knowledge
platforms and networks in advancing
sustainable development
Speaker: Mr. Kimo Goree, Director Reporting,
IISD
Presentation 2: Challenges in connecting
traditional capacity building models to new
agenda and knowledge
Speaker: Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate
Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Université
du Québec
Presentation 3: Informing global
stewardship from local experience: the GEF
KM strategy
Speaker: Ms. Patrizia Cocca,
Communication Officer & KM Coordinator,
Global Environment Facility, Washington
DC
The Working Group will focus its discussions,
inter-alia, on the following questions:
o The landscape for SD knowledge
management and capacity building is
changing rapidly, in complex ways. In order
to address this, what key messages need to be
communicated to decision makers?
o What new technologies and methods appear
to be most important in putting SD
knowledge to use, and in increasing our
capacity to use it?
o What is different about knowledge and
capacity for SD in the post-Rio+20 era? What
has changed?
Summary Question: How can these insights be
translated into effective strategy and
programming?
Reception hosted by the Korea Environment Institute (18:00 to 20:00 hrs)
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Venue: Main Bar Room, 1st Floor
Day 2 (7 March, Thursday)
Session 3: Unlocking the potential of water-energy-agriculture nexus for poverty eradication (09:00 to 13:00 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Venue: The Ballroom B, C
Chair: Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD, Incheon
Rapporteur: Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok
Recap of day 1 and organization of day 2: Mr. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD
Keynote address: “Education and Capacity Building for Sustainability”. Speaker: Mr. Arjen Wals,
Professor of Social Learning and Sustainable Development, Wageningen University, The
Netherlands
Chair’s/Facilitator’s reflections
Presentation 1: Capacity building in strengthening water cooperation for sustainable
development - trends and results
Speaker: Mr. Anton Earle, Director, Capacity Development, SIWI, Stockholm
Presentation 2: Providing sustainable energy for all: need for additional knowledge and
capacities
Speaker: Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, United Nations
Foundation, USA
Presentation 3: Managing water-energy and agriculture nexus for poverty eradication:
evidence from the field
Speaker: Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment Institute, Bangkok
Presentation 4: Learning from best practices in water, energy and sustainable agriculture
Speaker: Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Université du
Québec
Presentation 5: Advancing sustainable development: mainstreaming water-energy-sustainable
agriculture in regional development planning context
Speaker: Mr. Masao Takano, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environment Studies,
Nagoya University, Japan
Interactive discussion will focus, inter-alia, on the following questions:
o Food security: How can we use the extensive knowledge that we already have (on how to
increase food security) more effectively?
o Climate change: Despite ample knowledge and great efforts in the area of capacity
development, most observers agree that progress on climate change remains too slow, in every
dimension of the issue. Is there something we can do differently, in the area of knowledge and
capacity development that will help us overcome roadblocks and accelerate change?
o Poverty eradication: What specific types of knowledge and capacity are most needed now, in
your experience? And needed by whom?
o The nexus: Our “capacity for capacity development” is already limited, and the complex
interactions among these areas (water, energy, food, poverty, climate) stretch us even further.
What are the most effective ways of “integrating” knowledge and capacity building programmes
to advance progress in several areas at once?
Lunch Break (13:00 to 14:30 hrs)
Venue: Restaurant, 1st Floor
37
Session 4: Parallel WG Sessions: Bridging knowledge and capacity gaps in post Rio era (14:30 to 17:30 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Working Group 3
Building capacities for
adapting to climate change
in water management
Venue: The Ballroom A
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Anton
Earle, Director Capacity
Development Office, SIWI,
Stockholm
Rapporteur: Mr. Kees
Leendertse, Cap-Net UNDP,
South Africa
Chair’s/Facilitator’s
reflections
Presentation 1: Capacity
building needs for water
management vis-à-vis
current practices
Speaker: Mr. Michael
Douglass, Professor,
University of Singapore.
Presentation 2: Strengthening linkages
between research and
farmers for improving
agriculture water
management
Speaker: Mr. Khalid Riaz,
Professor of Management
Sciences, Comsats
University, Islamabad
Working Group 4
Knowledge and capacity needs for
providing energy access to all
Venue: Regency Room A
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Mark
Hopkins, International Energy
Efficiency Director, UNF, USA
Rapporteur: Mr. Kang Sang-in,
Senior Development Management
Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
Chair’s/Faciliator’s reflections
Presentation 1: Knowledge and
capacity needs and solutions for
sustainability transition in post Rio
era
Speaker: Mr. Arjen Wals, Prof of
Social Learning and SD,
Wageningen University, The
Netherlands.
Presentation 2: Addressing the
energy gap in developing countries
through capacity building and
knowledge sharing
Speaker: Mr. Dilip Ahuja, Prof of
Science & Technology Policy, Nat.
Institute of Adv. Studies, Bangalore
Presentation 3: Technology
transfer and capacity building for
enhancing access to energy
Speaker: Mr. Johng-Ihl Lee,
Professor of Department of
Technology and Society, SUNY
Korea, Incheon
Working Group 5
Sustainable agriculture, food
security and climate change
Venue: Regency Room B
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Eric
Kemp-Benedict, Centre Director,
Stockholm Environment Institute,
Bangkok
Rapporteur: Mr. François Fortier,
Senior SD Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
Chair’s/Facilitator’s reflections
Presentation 1: Food security
and sustainable development in
post Rio+20 era
Speaker: Mr. David O’Connor,
DSD/DESA, UN, New York
Presentation 2: Sustainable
agriculture and adaptation to
climate change: knowledge gaps
and needs
Speaker: Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas
Development Institute, United
Kingdom
Presentation 3: Knowledge
management for agriculture:
FAO Experience
Speaker: Mr. Gerard Sylvester,
Knowledge and Information
Management Officer, FAO,
Bangkok
One key objective of this expert consultation is to gain a better understanding about the “Framework
for Action for Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building”. Towards this aim:
o What are the key competencies (both the knowledge and capacity to use that knowledge) that are most needed, to help countries adapt to climate change in water management?
o What are the top priorities for action (maximum three), in order to make knowledge sharing and capacity building more effective? What needs to happen?
o There are several key actors, in addition to the gov’ts, who will contribute towards the implementation of this framework for action. What are your views as to who can do what?
o What are the key competencies (both the knowledge and capacity to use that knowledge) that are most needed, to help countries to accelerate the provision of sustainable energy for all?
o What are the top priorities for action (maximum three), in order to make knowledge sharing and capacity building more effective? What needs to happen?
o There are several key actors, in addition to the governments, who will contribute towards the implementation of this framework for action. What are your views as to who can do what?
o What are the key competencies (both the knowledge and capacity to use that knowledge) that are most needed, to help countries to secure food supplies sustainably in an era of climatic change?
o What are the top priorities for action (maximum three), in order to make knowledge sharing and capacity building more effective? What needs to happen
o There are several key actors, in addition to the governments, who will contribute towards the implementation of this framework for action. What are your views as to who can do what?
38
Day 3 (8 March, Friday)
Recap of day 2 and organization of day 3: Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD
Session 5: Implementing Rio+20 outcomes: the way forward for knowledge
sharing and capacity building
(09:00 to 13:00 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Venue: The Ballroom B, C
Expert Panel 1
Sustainable development goals and new architecture for
sustainable development governance
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Thierry Schwarz, Director for Intellectual Exchange, ASEF, Singapore
Rapporteur: Mr. Simon Olsen, IGES, Tokyo
Panel:
Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Director, United Nations Environment Programme, New York
Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, CEU,
Hungary
Ms. Ella Antonio, President, Earth Council Asia Pacific, Philippines
Ms. Zeenat Niazi, Vice President, Development Alternatives, India
Mr. David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Analysis Branch, DESA, United Nations, New York
See Annex 1 for Issues Note
Expert Panel 2
Knowledge and capacity needs for
accelerating transition towards sustainability including green economy
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Mr. François Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
Panel:
Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, USA/Bangkok
Mr. Felix Dodds, Tellus Institute, USA
Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment Institute, Bangkok
Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, UK
Mr. Lee Myung Kyoon, Director, Green Growth Planning and Implementation, GGGI,
Seoul
See Annex 2 for Issues Note
Lunch Break (13:00 to 14:30 hrs)
Venue: Restaurant, 1st Floor
Closing session (14:30 to 16:30 hrs)
Chair: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Presentation of working groups reports
Discussion on summary of conclusions and recommendations
Closing statements and next steps
39
Annex 1
Issues Note on
Expert Panel on Sustainable Development Goals and New Architecture for
Sustainable Development Governance
8 March 2013 from (09:00 to 11:20 hrs)
Context
The expert panel will discuss the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) state of play
including the political framework of the process.
Coherent action to achieve sustainable development is an important factor to advance global
discussions on sustainability. The development of goals could also be useful for pursuing
focused and coherent action on sustainable development. In Rio, leaders “recognize the
importance and utility of a set of sustainable development goals, based on Agenda 21 and the
Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, which fully respect all the Rio Principles, taking into
account different national circumstances, capacities and priorities, are consistent with
international law, build upon commitments already made, and contribute to the full
implementation of the outcomes of all major summits in the economic, social and
environmental fields, including the present outcome document.” The development of these
goals should build upon the lessons learnt from the achievements of the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs).
The SDGs can offer a coherent vision for sustainable development and be an effective tool for
addressing wider development challenges in a comprehensive manner. They can ultimately do
so by capitalising on the successes and learning from the shortcomings of the entire MDGs
process and integrating efforts with the on-going process to develop a post-2015 development
framework.
Determining a new development agenda must be an urgent priority for the international
community.
The ultimate aim over the next two and half years for the post-2015 and SDGs process must
be to ensure that a single set of global goals which are action-oriented, concise and easy to
communicate, limited in number, aspirational, global in nature and universal in application
are agreed in the year 2015. As stated in the Rio+20 outcome document, it is imperative that
the Rio+20 and post-2015 processes fully converge to arrive at one post-2015 UN
development agenda, with sustainable development at its center.
The political coherence needs to be ensured and the process on post 2015 and SDGs should
come to a joint position on post-2015 agenda.
Issues to be discussed
Issue 1, Status of on-going negotiations: Many countries have already expressed their
viewpoints on what should be the guiding principles to be applied to SDGs and how they
should be articulated with MDGs. The High Level Panel and the Open-Ended Working Group
have been established. Now what is the discourse development regarding SDGs and
40
post-MDGs? Questions to be discussed are:
How are countries positioning themselves, what are the main lines of divides, what will be
the main obstacles to the finalization of an agreement?
Discussant: Mr. Surendra Shrestha
Issue 2, SDGs, SDGs’ Indicators (SDGIs) and the green economy: One of the reasons why
MDGs were successful was their simplicity. Anyone could understand them and no one could
disagree with them. Therefore, the same rule is recommended for SDGs creation. In parallel,
the Rio+20 established a connection between the promotion of the green economy concept
and the development of SDGs. The development of new indicators creates a big opportunity
for mainstreaming growth related indicators beyond GDP. Questions to be discussed include:
What are the possibilities and concepts that are relevant for this discussion? Is this a right
moment to define new measurement for development?
What could be the conceptual framework for creating SDGs and SDGIs? And what kind of
existing approaches could be used for making it happen?
Could SDGs be an opportunity to promote new indicators incorporating externalities
and/or promote the use of “green accounts”? What can be taken from existing statistics
(for example bi-yearly Eurostat report)?
Discussant: Mr. László Pintér
Issue 3, Political framework of the process and Stakeholder involvement: Rio+20
outcome document encourages to “acknowledge the role of civil society and the importance
of enabling all members of civil society to be actively engaged in sustainable development.
(We) recognize that improved participation of civil society depends upon, inter alia,
strengthening access to information and building civil society capacity and an enabling
environment. Participation is considered as a key for building up consensus on SDGs and to
ensure successful implementation. Key questions to be discussed include the following:
What are the processes in place to ensure stakeholders participation?
What are the initiatives taken by the UN, international organizations, regional
organisations, countries, NGOs to encourage participative processes?
Are there good case studies of stakeholders’ participation in Asia or in Europe? What are
the existing initiatives on the country level concerning SDGs?
Discussants: Ms. Ella Antonio and Ms. Zeenat Niazi
Issue 4, Funding SDGs: The Rio Declaration states: “In view of the different contributions
to global environmental degradation, States have common but differentiated responsibilities.
The developed countries acknowledge the responsibility that they bear in the international
pursuit of sustainable development in view of the pressures their societies place on the global
environment and of the technologies and financial resources they command.”
Similar language exists in the Framework Convention on Climate Change; parties should act
to protect the climate system “on the basis of equality and in accordance with their common
but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities.”
It can be taken for granted that a large part of the negotiations on SDGs will focus on the
means of implementation. In times of crisis and rising new economies, it is very unlikely that
developed countries will accept to commit additional funding for the implementation of
SDGs. Emerging countries will be required to do more and new forms of financing that are
41
not restricted to transfers from “ rich countries” to “ poor countries”(but also by rich people in
poor countries) will have to be examined: Tax on airlines tickets, Tax on financial
transactions, trading of carbon credits, carbon tax or end to subsidized fossil fuels… Key
questions requiring some insights include:
Will financial issues be the main obstacle to an agreement on SDGs?
Is the divide between the so-called group of 77 and the rich countries still relevant?
Are the new forms of financing likely to be supported by a sufficient number of countries?
Discussant: Mr. David O'Connor
Process
The discussion will be organized in three rounds.
First round: The Chair/Moderator will invite each expert to reflect his/her thoughts on one of
the above issues. There will be no provision for Power Point overheads. (5 minutes per
speaker, total 25 minutes).
Second round: The Chair/Moderator will invite each panel member to comment on the views
expressed by other members of the panel, especially their agreement/disagreement and
important issues not touched upon. (5 minutes per panelist, total 25 minutes).
Third round: Participants will engage into an interactive dialogue with the panel based on the
discussions of the first two rounds.
Finally, the Chair will summarize the key points of discussion.
Panel
Chair: Mr. Thierry Schwarz, Director for Intellectual Exchange, Asia-Europe Foundation
Rapporteur: Mr. Simon Olson, IGES
Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Director, United Nations Environment Programme, New York
Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy at the
Central European University (CEU) in Budapest, Hungary
Ms. Ella Antonio, President, Earth Council Asia Pacific, Philippines
Ms. Zeenat Niazi, Vice President, Development Alternatives, India
Mr. David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Analysis Branch, DSD/ UN DESA, New York
42
Annex 2
Issues Note
Expert Panel on Knowledge and Capacity Needs for
Accelerating Transition towards Sustainability including Green Economy
(8 March 2013 from 11:40 to 13:00 hrs)
Context
The expert panel will discuss knowledge and capacity needs for making successful transition
towards green economy. The importance of this subject could hardly be overemphasized
given that countries are attempting to translate outcomes mentioned in Rio+20 outcome
document into their national contexts. However, evidence shows that most countries are
facing many challenges and obstacles in moving their economies to more environmentally
friendly paths. Some of these challenges and obstacles relate to target setting, formulating
strategies to achieve these targets, and mobilizing institutions and resources to support the
transition. In this regard, knowledge sharing and capacity building can be instrumental in
accelerating the transition process.
Issues
The panel will discuss the following issues:
Issue 1: Eradicating poverty is one of the most pressing issues of our times. Advocates of
green economy are of the view that moving towards green economy could help in eradicating
poverty in a number of ways. What is the evidence from the real world and how can such
evidence translate more efficiently into pro-poor green policies?
Discussant: Mr. Peter King
Issue 2: Paragraph 66 of the Rio+20 outcome document called upon the UN system and its
partners “to coordinate and provide information about matching interested countries with the
partners best suited to provide requested support.” There are several initiatives that either
provide or can potentially provide technical support and advice, but these remain dispersed.
Will a one-stop shop or portal be more useful or if the current mix of sites and initiatives be
the best option to meet countries' needs? In other words, how shall we move ahead with this
process of matching supply and demand?
Discussant: Mr. Felix Dodds
Issue 3: Over the years, developing countries made huge investments in technology and
infrastructure with support from international financing institutions, but some of these
investments were not green. A more drastic climate action will require these countries to
abandon existing high carbon capital stock. Will it make sense? Also, how to steer future
infrastructure build-out away from high carbon intensity to low, especially if such investments
remain unattractive (unless international concessional carbon finance is available)? What
should both developing countries and their developing partners do to deal with this dilemma
and, towards this aim, what sort of knowledge sharing and capacity building programs are
needed?
Discussant: Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict
Issue 4: Despite numerous SD-specific knowledge building and capacity development
initiatives over the past 25 years, progress has been slow, and the situation is now urgent as
43
we are crossing several planetary boundaries, notably climate change. What key
knowledge-generation and exchange process should be strengthened to accelerate transitions
towards sustainability?
Discussant: Ms. Eva Ludi
Issue 5: At Rio+20, Several Major Groups and some governments criticized the green
economy for not moving fast enough, even though it goes in the right direction. Is this the
case, and how can knowledge sharing and capacity building speed-up transitions to
sustainability?
Discussant: Mr. Lee Myung Kyoon
Process
The discussion will be organized in three rounds.
First round: The Chair/Moderator will invite each expert to reflect his/her thoughts on one of
the above issues. There will be no provision for Power Point overheads. (5 minutes per
speaker, total 25 minutes).
Second round: The Chair/Moderator will invite each panel member to comment on the views
expressed by other members of the panel, especially their agreement/disagreement and
important issues not touched upon. (5 minutes per panelist, total 25 minutes).
Third round: Participants will engage into an interactive dialogue with the panel based on the
discussions of the first two rounds.
Finally, the Chair will summarize the key points of discussion.
Panel
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Mr. Francois Forteir, Sr. Sustainable Development Expert, Incheon, ROK
Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES
Mr. Felix Dodds, Tellus Institute, USA
Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment Institute
Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, UK
Mr. Lee Myung Kyoon, Director, Director, Green Growth Planning and Implementation,
GGGI
44
Appendix B: Remarks and Presentations
Day 1
Opening Remark: By Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/UNDESA, New York
Excellency, Mayor Song
Deputy Minister of Environment, Mr. Song
Dr. Lee, President of the Korea Environment Institute
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen
It is my great pleasure to welcome you all to this “Expert Consultation” being organized by
the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development, which is affiliated with my Division,
the Division for Sustainable Development of the UN Secretariat in New York. This Expert
Consultation is taking place 8 months after Rio+20 at a time when Governments and other
actors are gearing up for translating the outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference into action.
Implementation, integration, coherence and engagement were the key messages of Rio+20
Conference.
We all know how urgent this is. Our path to progress is threatened by resource scarcities,
notably of water and fertile land; food and energy insecurity; persisting social and economic
crises; and ever growing stresses on ecosystem and planetary life-support systems like the
climate, manifesting in extreme weather and hydrological events. These are all are reminders
of our perilous state.
To address these challenges effectively will require leadership and engagement. It calls for
support on several fronts, especially in knowledge sharing and capacity building. In response,
an increasing number of global institutions, think tanks and research institutes are putting in
place knowledge management as a core strategy to facilitate access to knowledge for
achieving development goals and objectives.
The UN is also responding to this call, and this includes the work of UNOSD, in close
cooperation with the rest of the Division for Sustainable Development, in enhancing its
capacity to act as sustainable development knowledge hub, brokering knowledge between
sources and users, and enhancing science-policy interface.
This is the broad canvas for this Expert Consultation. And we are most grateful that you have
accepted our call to gather here and take stock of knowledge and capacity needs, learn
45
lessons from our collective experiences, debate priorities, and guide the development of a
“framework for action” describing where to go next and how.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We see this Expert Consultation as important for several reasons.
First, this responds to the explicit request of Member States at the Rio+20 Conference, for
matching countries that seeks support in knowledge and capacities with the partners best
suited to assist.
Second, through sharing experiences, we want to learn 3 things: what has been done, what is
most needed, and what are the gaps that UNOSD and other similar organizations must
endeavor to bridge.
And third, as the Office is now getting up to speed in mapping and brokering sustainable
development knowledge, and connecting sources and users, this Consultation will inform and
steer its programme on the tools, contents, and services it should provide to its clients.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
There is a huge amount of technical knowledge already available, exposing sustainability
challenges, and proposing sustainable solutions. UNOSD is an integral part of the knowledge
sharing capacity of the Division for Sustainable Development. UNOSD’s efforts complement
those based on Division’s Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform. For its part,
UNOSD aims to facilitate access to sustainable development knowledge-- much of which
already sits with you in your countries and institutions. This means finding and sharing
success stories and examples of good practice, often directly between developing countries.
So, this meeting provides us a great opportunity to share our experiences and insights for
identifying critical knowledge needs of national decision makers and developing the means to
respond effectively to those needs.
One critical challenge faced by policy makers is how to improve integrated decision making,
taking into account cross-disciplinary and cross-sectoral perspectives, and giving due weight
to the three dimensions of sustainable development –the economic, the social and the
environmental.
46
Over the years, much has been said about the importance of such integrated decision making,
but I would venture to say that we still need to tap better the wealth of knowledge and
experience on how to do it practically.
That is why this meeting provides the opportunity to explore the knowledge dimensions of
such integration and cross-sectoral linkages for moving sustainable development from an
abstract concept to an operational reality.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
We expect this event to be a learning experience for all of us, improving our understanding of
pressing issues, and of solutions that have worked or not. But the next important step is to
plot the road ahead for bridging critical knowledge and capacity gaps. We are very fortunate
to have the presence of high level experts and senior government policy makers representing
key disciplines and areas of knowledge in this Consultation. So this is a great opportunity to
learn and be informed on ways to contribute to filling the knowledge and capacity gaps.
It is also a good opportunity to evaluate our own knowledge management and knowledge
sharing strategies, and strengthen our capacity building programmes. For this partnerships
can be very valuable. So, it is good to have to have so many knowledge partner organizations
in the room, to learn from your wisdom and experience but also to see what sorts of
partnerships we may wish to forge going forward.
In concrete terms, this Consultation will produce documented observations, lessons learned,
good practices, and most importantly a “framework for action” for knowledge sharing and
capacity building. In this regard, we very much look forward to your candid observations,
analyses, and actionable recommendations to guide and inspire our respective organizations
both individually and collaboratively.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Before concluding, I would like to take this opportunity to thank our partners for their
invaluable contributions to this event, namely: the Asia-Europe Foundation, the Korea
Environment Institute, and the UN Centre for Regional Development in Nagoya, Japan.
I look forward to a lively and enlightening discussion. Thank you, and with this I declare the
meeting open.
47
Introduction of the Consultation
By Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of Office, UNOSD, Incheon
Excellency, Mayor Song
Mr. Song, Deputy Minister of Environment
Dr. Lee, President of the Korea Environment Institute
Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/UNDESA
Colleagues, Ladies and Gentlemen
On behalf of the United Nations Office for Sustainable Development, I would like to extend
you very warm welcome for coming here to Incheon to participate in this Expert Consultation
on “Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Sustainable Development in Post Rio+20Era”.
The purpose of this consultation is to serve several objectives, but mainly to support the
implementation of Rio+20 outcomes by exploring what technical and policy knowledge and
capacities are needed to foster transition towards sustainability.
I am very pleased to see colleagues and delegations who also attended our last event in
November on NSDS planning and implementation capacities. And it is promising that the
community of sustainable development practitioners with whom UNOSD started working a
few months ago is gradually growing.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Rationale for this Expert Consultation stems from one very important reality. And that reality
is--that despite notable efforts made over the last few decades, the progress in advancing
sustainable development has been slow and uneven.
Therefore, Rio+20 Conference reaffirmed the need to maintain course and accelerate
transition to sustainable development through implementation of wide ranging actions
outlined in the Conference’s outcome document: The Future We Want.
However, experience tells us that this will not be as straightforward as it may sound.
There is already a strong recognition that we need innovative thinking and approaches to deal
with the challenges at hand. This means that post-Rio implementation, in addition to political
will and new commitments, will require new sets of knowledge resources, creative ideas and
skills, as well as effective approaches to capacity building.
48
This context, Ladies and Gentlemen, sets the stage for this Expert Consultation.
Let me now walk you through the objectives, methods and what we expect in terms of results
of this meeting. In terms of the objectives to be achieved, this meeting will focus on the
following four issues:
1. take stock of adequacy of existing knowledge and capacity building models and initiatives
contributing towards sustainability transition;
2. examine how Member States and other stakeholders could make best use of available
resources to meet their knowledge and capacity needs;
3. assess critical knowledge and capacity gaps for advancing sustainable development; and,
finally
4. examine possible ways to facilitate communication and collaboration between knowledge
providers and users.
In terms of the methodology, the Consultation will follow the format of a multistakeholder
dialogue. Colleagues present in this room include senior policy-making officials of
governments and experts representing a broad spectrum of organizations such as: civil
society, private sector, knowledge providing networks, academic institutions, multilateral and
bilateral agencies, and international NGOs. This mix of experts makes this meeting a perfect
setting for a multi-stakeholder dialogue.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The Consultation will consist of 3 thematic-based plenary sessions, to be further enriched
through in-depth discussions in 5 working group sessions. In addition, we will have two
panel discussions with reference to major outcomes of the Rio+20 Conference—one dealing
with the SDG and the other in relation to transition towards sustainability, including through
green economy.
As you probably have noticed from the detailed agenda, each session will start with a set of
presentations aimed at introducing different aspects to be covered under the session, followed
by an interactive dialogue on 3-4 key questions. These questions were developed through an
extended exchange of ideas and deliberations with experts and other relevant stakeholders.
49
Ladies and Gentlemen:
The schedule over the next 3 days will be intensive, yet I’m sure will be extremely
productive.
Today’s program is devoted to provide an initial mapping of sustainability transition
knowledge assets, activities and actors. This will help us in defining the needs and priorities
in policy-making knowledge and capacity that better reflect the post-Rio+20 institutional
context and the ever evolving sustainable development parameters.
Tomorrow, we will move from more generalized level of discussion to the empirical
coverage of three thematic areas: water management, energy access, and sustainable
agriculture. All these areas are closely related and will be crucial for eradicating poverty and
achieving sustainable development.
The first half of the final day could be seen in a more forward-looking context in the form of
two panel discussions, while the second half will see wrapping up of the meeting including
discussions on key recommendations emanating from the Consultation and next steps for
following up the recommendations.
Finally, Ladies and Gentlemen:
In terms of results, in line with the overall theme of this meeting, our intent is to produce a
framework for action for bridging knowledge and capacity gaps consistent with the needs and
demands of post-Rio+20 era. In this regard, we do not aim to come up with a long list of
generic actions. Instead, the idea is to identify 3-4 critical areas which should assume the
centre stage for knowledge sharing and capacity building for accelerating progress through
multiplier effects, especially in the three areas to be discussed during this meeting. These
needs, in turn, will guide the design and delivery of products and services by the knowledge
and capacity building service providers.
Before closing, let me say that we look forward to your active participation in this debate.
This is not an intergovernmental meeting, so please feel free to share your ideas and thoughts
openly and frankly.
I hope you will enjoy the discussions as much as we are looking forward to benefit from this
meeting. I thank you.
50
Welcome Remark 1:
By Mr. Jae-Yong Song, Deputy Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea
Good morning, Your Excellencies and distinguished guests!
I am honored to welcome distinguished delegates and experts who have traveled far to
Incheon city from abroad.
Especially, I would like to express my deepest gratitude to Director Nikhil Seth of Division
for Sustainable Development within DESA and Mr. Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry, Head of
UNOSD, for hosting this significant workshop.
My special appreciation also goes to Mayer Song Yong-Gil of Incheon Metropolitan City
who spares no effort in supporting smooth operation of the office, and president Lee
Byung-Wook of KEI who supported organizing this workshop.
It is a great privilege and pleasure for me to have the opportunity to deliver congratulatory
remarks at the workshop of UNOSD, for which we have long had a special affection even
before it launched.
"Sustainable development" has become the priority goal of the entire humanity regardless of
nationality or region, since 1992 when it was first incorporated in Rio Declaration. 20 years
later, RIO+20 also reaffirmed the importance of "green economy" as a critical tool for
sustainable development and set forth Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs), providing a
new starting point of the future discussion.
And today, we are embarking on a very meaningful workshop, for it will enable us to get the
picture of up to date trend of international discussion by reflecting RIO+20 outputs.
In particular, we will be more keen-eyed in the area of sustainable development, by
integrating various studies which have been conducted independently so far and searching for
measures to connect those studies with newly required knowledge and capacities
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Despite the global consensus on the necessity of sustainable development, delivering it into
reality is never an easy work.
51
Korea, for example, achieved a rapid economic development over the debris of the Korean
War only in half a century, surprising the entire world and successfully shifting itself from an
aid recipient to a donor country.
In the process of the unprecedentedly rapid economic growth famously-called "miracle on the
Han river," however, Korea society did not afford to pay much attention to environmental
conservation and social equity which previously were hardly believed to go hand in hand
with economic development.
In order to confront the difficulties, the Korean government launched the "Commission on
Sustainable Development" in 2000 and declared the "National Vision on Sustainable
Development" in 2005, thereby fundamentally shifting the paradigm of national policies.
Furthermore, Korea set up a new national vision for the next 60 years - "low carbon green
growth" in 2008.
Thanks to the implementation of green growth policies, Korea has become the first
non-Annex I country to introduce the Emissions Trading Scheme, which will be enforced
from 2015. In addition, Korea made many achievements at the international level such as
hosting GCF secretariat.
Sustainable development policy will continue to be a top priority of the 18th administration
of ROK, as “Clean and sustainable environment” is one of the 23 major national strategies set
by the newly launched administration.
Distinguished guests,
Although sustainable development is a common challenge of the entire humanity, we should
recognize the differences in each country's situation and capacity.
Last year, the biggest obstacle standing on the way of the creation of the Rio+20 outcomes in
respect to “green economy” and “institutional frameworks for sustainable development” was
difference of views between developed and developing countries.
Against this backdrop, the most needed is having as many opportunities of communication as
possible to gather, share each country's experience and understand each other.
52
In that sense, Korea is willing to share its experience in sustainable development so that the
international community can find the way for co-prosperity of the global community.
I have no doubt that UNOSD will play ever more important role in the future as a channel of
international cooperation and knowledge sharing. Seeing much larger audience than the first
workshop in last November makes me think that UNOSD is already getting on the right track
even less than a year since it launched.
I sincerely hope that UNOSD will grow into a flagship organization in the sustainable
development area by expanding the role and scope of business. To that end, I would like to
kindly ask for continued attention and support of all the participants here.
MOE of Korea will do its part as a host nation representative of UNOSD by actively sharing
the experience of growing into a developed country and providing every support to the office
along with Incheon City and Yonsei University.
Distinguished Guests,
Sustainable development and green economy are not options anymore but musts for every
country to cope with the global climate change.
There's a well-known saying that "Great things are done by a series of small things brought
together." It is my sincere hope that this workshop will be meaningful one step towards the
ultimate goal of sustainable development.
And on a personal note, I wish that you will take time to visit Songdo area which is evolving
into a state-of-the-art green city, and enjoy beautiful scenery and food of Korea during your
stay.
Once again, I would like thank all of you to be here today and share your precious time with
us. I wish you all the happiness and wellness.
Thank you very much.
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Welcome remark 2:
By Mr. Young-Gil Song, Mayor of Incheon Metropolitan City
Good morning.
On behalf of 2.9 million Incheon citizens, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to all
the attending government representatives and UN officials. I also wish to express my
particular gratitude to Director Nikhil Seth of UN DESA and Aslam Chaudhry of UNOSD
for arranging this 3-day workshop.
I hope that the participants will have productive discussions on the knowledge and capacity
needs for sustainable development in post-Rio and NSDS during this workshop.
At the UNCED, which was held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the leaders of the world adopted
the Rio Declaration and Agenda 21, which set sustainable development as the common goal
of the humankind. However, over the past 2 decades environmental problems have become
worse despite our best efforts.
At the same time, the gap between the richer and the poorer nations has continued to widen,
while within each of our countries the issue of social inequality has become more serious.
These crises are intertwined, and the seriousness of the situation is becoming ever more
acute. Moreover, the nature of their impact is completely different from that experienced in
the past.
In this context, there is great expectation that this workshop will produce solutions that will
raise awareness of the severity of these crises and at the same time find ways out of them.
Accordingly, I hope you are successful in sharing your knowledge and experiences to achieve
the outcome we are all looking for.
Distinguished guests!
As you know, last year our city succeeded in its efforts to invite the UNGCF Secretariat to
our city. To us, it was something of a miracle. It still seems remarkable that the core
organization to resolve the world's biggest challenge - climate change - will be operating in
Incheon. The UNCED which was held in Rio in 1992 established the concept of "sustainable
development" as a goal for humanity, a goal which the GCF is now pursuing.
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I hope that UNOSD and the GCF will work closely together in jointly responding to climate
change, developing green technologies and renewable energies, and addressing the many
issues which concern us all.
Our city will do its best by making Incheon a model city of low carbon and green growth.
To achieve this, we will spare no efforts in getting the GCF Secretariat operational as early as
possible. At the same time, we will continue to transform Incheon into a global green city
befitting the GCF.
We will transform Incheon into a green city by setting a new 5R campaign as our top priority:
Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle; Revitalization; and Renewable energy. In addition, we will
partner global companies and civil groups to create the 'Incheon Hope Forest' in Mongolia to
prevent desertification.
Incheon was hit hardest during the Korea War, with 80% of the land destroyed in the early
1950s. But now it is the third largest city in Korea with 2.9 million people. It is also home to
Incheon International Airport - the best airport in the world - and Incheon Port.
These, along with Incheon Free Economic Zone, are making Incheon a business-friendly
ubiquitous city. Beginning with the opening of UNAPCICT in 2006, Incheon has attracted 10
international organizations to the city, including the UNESCAP Sub regional Office and
UNOSD.
More international organizations, global companies and universities will move to Incheon in
the future, making it possible for Incheon to play a significant role in realizing the ideals of the
UN.
Distinguished guests!
The 17th Asian Games will be held in Incheon for 16 days from September 19th next year.
We are making an unprecedented effort to prepare for this festival of sport which will be
enjoyed by almost 4 billion Asians.
In addition to making it a cutting-edge, eco-friendly event, we especially wish to make it a peace
festival at which North and South Korea will be united. For this, I need your strong support.
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In closing, I once again express my wish that this event will generate innovative ideas and
solutions to the environmental problems which concern us all.
In addition to wishing you success in this endeavor, I would like to finish my remarks by
wishing you all good health and happiness.
Thank you.
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Keynote remark 1:
By Mr. Byung-Wook Lee, President, Korea Environment Institue, Republic of Korea
It is a great pleasure for me to deliver keynote remarks for today’s event, “Expert
Consultation on Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Sustainable Development in
Post-Rio+20 Era”, organized by UNOSD in partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation
(ASEF), the Korea Environment Institute (KEI) and the UN Centre for Regional
Development (UNCRD).
Since officially launched in October 2011, UNOSD is devoting it efforts to promote
sustainable development through knowledge exchange, research and policy analysis, capacity
development, and partnership and networking activities. As someone who has been both
scholar and practitioner in my career, I firmly believe in the power of knowledge as a tool to
enhance the effectiveness of policies, and in that sense I am very much in support of OSD’s
focus and also of today’s Expert Consultation. As the President of Korea Environment
Institute which also endeavors to produce high-quality research on sustainable development
and to share it with the sustainable development practitioners around the world, I would like
to express that it is our great pleasure to support and co-organize this Expert Consultation in
partnership with OSD.
Sustainable development has been at the forefront of international discussion now for more
than two decades. Since the Rio Summit in 1992 officially recognized the sustainable
development as a key to relieve global environmental problems, the concept of sustainable
development has continually evolved upon numerous discussions.
One of the major achievements in the conceptual discussion of sustainable development is the
integration of so-called “three pillars” of economic growth, social development, and
environmental protection. On account of such integrated approach, sustainable development
can be an effective solution to the multi-faceted crises that our world is facing today.
The world economy is still struggling to recover after four years since the eruption of the
global financial crisis; although the world leaders committed themselves to achieving the
Millennium Development Goals more than a decade ago, the hunger, lack of universal
primary education, and gender inequality still remain global challenges; suffering of our
global environment continues, with rapid buildup of greenhouse gases and erosion of
biodiversity.
One of the challenges of today’s crises is that the problems are complex and interlinked. The
global financial crisis is hampering the alleviation of poverty; lack of universal education is
restricting the social development in many other aspects; global climate change is affecting
natural habitats and agricultural activities, complicating the effort to improve food security
and relieve hunger. The integrated approach of sustainable development encompassing the
economic, social, and environmental dimensions can be an effective means to address such
complicated and interconnected nature of today’s global crises.
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Despite such conceptual evolution, realization of sustainable development takes so much
more than a well-refined idea. It calls for strong political wills and commitments from each
nation, effective financing mechanisms, technological development, strengthened
institutional capacities, international cooperation with knowledge sharing and capacity
building, and strong governance structure in international, national, and sub-national levels.
Among those many factors, today I would like to stress the importance of knowledge sharing
and capacity development. In order to implement the sustainable development at the global
level, the transfer of technologies and experiences from developed to developing countries
and also through South-South cooperation, and the communication among diverse groups as
policymakers, research communities, non-governmental organizations, and local
communities can be critical factors. Sharing the development experience of one country with
another, and sharing scientific, technological, and empirical knowledge from research
communities with policymakers and practitioners are valuable activities that can accelerate
the implementation of sustainable development. Providing such venues and opportunities is a
critical contribution to sustainable development, and I firmly hope this Expert Consultation
will stimulate such flow of knowledge.
The green economy was adopted as one of the main themes of last year’s Rio+20
Conference, and is being recognized as an effective tool to achieve sustainable development.
In this post-Rio+20 era, it is on the forefront of development agenda, and the role of
knowledge sharing and capacity building is even further emphasized.
Rather than being a rigid set of rules, the green economy should be flexible means tailored to
accommodate each nation’s circumstances. Developing such country-specific green economy
strategies can be greatly facilitated by flow of knowledge in technologies, developmental
experiences, and policy research.
Distinguished participants, Ladies and Gentlemen,
This Expert Consultation we are holding today is providing valuable opportunities for
exchanging views on knowledge sharing and capacity building towards sustainable
development. I sincerely hope that this Expert Consultation will produce in-depth and lively
discussions and many valuable lessons, which will show us the way forward.
Last but not least, I would like to express once again my deep appreciation to UNOSD and
our partner, ASEF and UNCRD for organizing and supporting this Expert Consultation, and I
also would like to recognize the great effort of UNOSD staff who have worked very hard to
prepare for this event. At the same time, I wish ladies and gentlemen, experts, scholars,
researchers and distinguished participants good health, and great success of the Expert
Consultation’s activities.
Thank you for your kind attention.
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Keynote remark 2: By Mr. Laszlo Pinter, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, CEU
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Session 1 - Presentation 1: By Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD Consultant
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Presentation 2: By Francois Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
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Presentation 3: By Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok
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Presentation 4: By Ms. Grazyna Pulawska, Project Executive, ASEF, Singapore
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Presentation 5: By Mr. Feliz Dodds, Tellus Institute, USA
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Day 2
Working Group 1 - Presentation 1: By Mr. Felix Dodds, Tellus Institute, USA
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Working Group 1 - Presentation 2:
By Mr. Kees Leendertse, Cap-Net UNDP, South Africa
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Working Group 1 - Presentation 3: By Ms. Jane Rovins, Executive Director, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk
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Working Group 2 - Presentation 1: By Mr. Kimo Goree, Director Reporting, IISD
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Working Group 2 - Presentation 2: By Mr. Jacquest Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Universite du Quebec
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Working Group 2 - Presentation 3: By Ms. Patrizia Cocca, Communication Officer & KM Coordinator,
Global Environment Facility, Washington DC
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Session 3 - Presentation 1: By Anton Earle, Director, Capacity Development, SIWI
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Presentation 2: By Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, United Nations Foundation
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Presentation 3: By Eric Kemp-Benedict, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute, Bangkok
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Presentation 4: By Mr. Jacquest Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Universite du Quebec
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Presentation 5: By Mr. Masao Takano, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environment Studies,
Nagoya University
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Session Four
Working Group 3 - Presentation 1: By Mr. Michael Douglass, Professor, University of Singapore
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Working Group 3 - Presentation 2: By Mr. Khalid Riaz, Professor of Management Sciences, Comsats University, Islamabad
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Working Group 4 - Presentation 1: By Mr. Arjen Wals, Professor of Social Learning and SD, Wageningen University,
The Netherlands
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Working Group 4 - Presentation 2: By Mr. Dilip Ahuja, Professor of Science & Technology Policy, Nat. Institute of Adv.Studies
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Working Group 4 - Presentation 3: By Mr. John-Ihl Lee, Professor of Department of Technology and Sociiety, SUNY Korea,
Incheon
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Working Group 5 - Presentation 1: By Mr. David O’Connor, DSD/DESA, UN, New York
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Working Group 5 - Presentation 2: By Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom
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Working Group 5 - Presentation 3: By Mr. Gerard Sylvester, Knowledge and Information Management Officer, FAO, Bangkok
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Day 3
Session 5 - Expert Panel 1:
Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Director, United Nations Environment Programme, New York
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Ms. Ella Antonio, President, Earth Council Asia Pacific, Philippines
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Ms. Zeenat Niazi, Vice President, Development Alternatives, India
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Mr. David O'Connor, Chief, Policy Analysis Branch, DESA, United Nations, New York
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Session 5 - Expert Panel 2:
Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, USA/Bangkok
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Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, UK
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Appendix C: Biographies of Speakers
Opening Remarks: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/UNDESA, New York
Mr. Nikhil Seth is the Director of the Division for Sustainable
Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
During his career with the United Nations since 1993, Mr. Seth has
served as Special Assistant and Chief of Office to the
Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs, as Secretary
of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the Second
Committee of the General Assembly, and, most recently, as Director of
the DESA Office for ECOSOC Support and Coordination (OESC). Prior to joining the
United Nations, Mr. Seth served in the Indian diplomatic service, where his diplomatic
assignments included Geneva, DRC, Central African Republic, Gabon and Equatorial
Guinea, as well as the Permanent Mission of India, New York.
Introduction of the Consultation: Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of Office, UNOSD
Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry is the Head of Office of United Nations
Office for Sustainable Development, administered by the Division for
Sustainable Development, Department of Economic and Social Affairs
(DESA). Mr. Chaudhry is an experienced Programme Manager and
Natural Resources Economist with expertise in development,
management, implementation, and evaluation of sustainable
development programs. His career with the United Nations Secretariat
spanned over more than 22 years. Prior to joining the UNOSD, he was the Chief of Global
Policy Branch of DSD/DESA, and Head of the intergovernmental cluster of Rio+20
Secretariat.
Welcome Remarks: Mr. Yoon Jong-Soo, Vice Minister of Environment, Republic of Korea
(*Deputy Minister Jae-yong Song delivered remarks on his behalf)
Mr. Yoon Jong-soo is the Vice-Minister of Environment and an
environmental expert in sustainable development and green growth.
With over 15 years at the Ministry of Environment, he has focused on
the establishment and delivery of policies through various projects in
planning and budget, personnel management and other major
tasks. Previous roles include Director of the Environmental Policy
Department, Chief of Water Supply and Sewerage Bureau and Director
of the Waste Policy Division, among many others. Yoon has also contributed at the
international platform on environment as an Environmental Counsellor at the Permanent
Mission of the Republic of Korea to the United Nations. He has also played a pivotal role for
the successful establishment of the second National Strategy for Sustainable Development
(2011-2015). Yoon is a PhD holder in Environmental Engineering from Seoul University.
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Welcome Remarks: Mr. Young-Gil Song, Mayor of Incheon City
Mr. Young-Gil Song is the mayor of Incheon. Before going into
politics, he started his career working as a human rights lawyer and a
labour movement activist. In 2000, Song was elected as the
16th
National Assemblyman, with a determination to serve in the
interests of the general public. He continued as a member for three
terms during which time he played a crucial role in creating a law on the
National Human Rights Commission. With two publications and various
awards from the National Assemblyman and the Order of Legion d’honneur from the French
Government, Mr. Song’s top priority as current mayor is to enrich his city in economic terms.
Along with his political career, Song is actively involved in various other positions including
President of Ethical Committee at the Korea National Open University, Chief Educational
Advisor of Dongseonambuk Forum, Vice Chairman of Foundation of Inter-Korea
Cooperation, Advisor of Asia Peace and History Education Network, among others.
Keynote Remarks: Mr. Byoung Wook Lee, President, Korea Environment Institute, Seoul
Mr. Byoung Wook Lee is currently the President of Korea Environment
Institute, Professor at Sejong University, and the Chairman of Korea
Environmental Policy and Administration Society. Mr. Lee is a former
Vice Minister of the Ministry of Environment, and has held senior
positions including chairing and membership of several international and
national committees and forums. Notable positions included: President,
LG Environmental Strategy Institute; President, Business Institute for
Sustainable Development, Korea Chamber of Commerce & Institute; Director, Environmental
Management Center, POSCO Research Institute, among others. He also served as Chairman
and Director of several Korean research and development institutes.
Keynote Remarks: Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Central European University (CEU)
Mr. László Pintér is a professor with the Department of Environmental
Sciences and Policy at Central European University (CEU) in Budapest,
Hungary. Mr. Pintér lectures on sustainable development, integrated
environmental assessment and adaptation at graduate levels, and leads
summer courses on adaptive management and green industry. He joined
IISD in 1994 and served as the Director of the Measurement and
Assessment Program between 2003 and 2010. During his time at the
Institute he conceptualized, contributed to and led projects with emphasis on the state of the
environment and sustainability reporting, sustainable development indicators and scenarios,
performance evaluation, and integrated assessment in place-based, sectoral or global
contexts.
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Session 1: Knowledge and Capacity Needs and Gaps for Sustainable Development
Chair: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York (please see
previous page)
Presentation 1: Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Sustainable Development in Post Rio
Era
Speaker: Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD Consultant, Stockholm
Mr. Alan AtKisson is a Consultant with the UN Office for Sustainable
Development, and also the President and CEO of AtKisson Group. He
draws on over twenty years of leadership experience in sustainable
development and advises large companies, governments, cities,
foundations, NGOs, and the United Nations in the areas of sustainability
indicators and reporting, climate change strategy, renewable energy
finance, green economic transformation, and multi-stakeholder process
facilitation. He also coaches executives on how to sharpen their knowledge, capacity, and
effectiveness at leading change. Alan is the author of several books on sustainability theory
and practice, as well as dozens of articles and reports.
Presentation 2: Mapping of Issues, Strategies and Initiatives in Sustainable Development: A
Preliminary Analysis
Speaker: Mr. François Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD, Incheon
Mr. François Fortier is Senior Specialist with the UN Office of
Sustainable Development. Over the past 20 years, he has worked with
the UN and NGOs in over 40 countries, notably as Chief of Knowledge
Operations (PAHO/WHO), Chief of Evaluation and Knowledge (WFP
Bangladesh), Senior Regional Advisor (UNDP Bratislava), as well as
programme consultant with ADB, FAO, IFAD, UNFPA and several
other agencies. He has also taught at the University of Ottawa in Canada
for six years and lectured at the Institute of Social Studies in The Netherlands in areas of
information technologies for development, knowledge management and, more recently, on
the climate, energy and food security crises.
Presentation 3: Strengthening Knowledge-Policy-Practice Interface Towards Sustainable
Development
Speaker: Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok
Mr. Peter King is the Senior Policy Advisor for the Institute for Global
Environmental Strategies (IGES) and has been an avid environmentalist
for more than 30 years. King started his career by joining the Soil
Conservation Authority of Victoria and then as a Research Fellow in the
Environment and Policy Institute, East West Center in Hawaii. From
1982-1990, his consulting companies, Terra Firma Environmental
Consultants and ACIL Australia, worked on environmental issues
throughout Asia and the Pacific. In 1991, he joined ADB as an Environment Specialist,
Office of Environment. Mr. King was appointed Manager, and subsequently Director, Pacific
Operations, ADB. He currently holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Environmental Science)
degree from Murdoch University in Perth.
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Presentation 4: Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building for Sustainable Development:
Lessons Learned, Challenges, and Opportunities
Speaker: Ms. Grazyna Pulawska, Project Executive, Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF),
Singapore
Ms. Grazyna Pulawska is the Project Executive at the Asia-Europe
Foundation (ASEF). Her priority is for the Asia-Europe Environment
Forum programme, which aims to strengthen co-operation between
Asian and European stakeholders in the field of international framework
for sustainable development. Most recently, she has been working on
inter-regional consultations with regard to research on sustainable
development governance. Prior to joining ASEF, Ms Pulawska worked
for the Ministry of Economy in Poland in the field of regional development. She is active in
the NGO community and has been working as a freelance trainer specialising in project
management, citizenship and volunteering for the different international youth organizations.
Presentation 5: Stakeholder Engagement in Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building for
Sustainable Development: Experiences and Lessons Learned
Speaker: Mr. Felix Dodds,Tellus Institute, USA
Mr. Felix Dodds is an independent consultant focusing on stakeholder
engagement in the sustainable development process. He was the
Executive Director of Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future from
1992-2012, and is an Associate Fellow at Tellus. He has been active at
the UN since 1990, attending various forums including the World
Summits of Rio Earth Summit, Habitat II, Rio+5, Beijing+5,
Copenhagen+5, the World Summit on Sustainable Development, and
chairing the 64th UN DPI NGO Conference on Sustainable Societies Responsive Citizens
feeding into Rio +20. He has written or edited nine books; his latest book, Only One Earth:
the Long Road via Rio to Sustainable Development (2012) with Michael Strauss and Maurice
Strong, covers the last forty years and the challenges for the future.
Session 2, Working Group 1: Experiences from Different Knowledge and Capacity Building Programmes and Networks in SD: What Has Worked and What Has Not?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD Consultant, Stockholm (please see previous
page)
Presentation 1: Growth of SD Knowledge and Trends in its Dissemination-- Are Knowledge
Networks Competing or Complementing?
Speaker: Mr. Felix Dodds,Tellus Institute, USA (please see previous page)
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Presentation 2: Revisiting Capacity Building Approaches and Models: Successes and
Failures
Speaker: Mr. Kees Leendertse, Cap-Net UNDP, South Africa
Mr. Kees Leendertse is the Human Resources Specialist and Deputy
Director at Cap-Net UNDP. He specialized in rural and economic
development issues, with special focus on aquatic resources. Mr.
Leenderste has contributed to international forums and published
several position papers on social, economic and institutional aspects of
water resources management. His previous positions include Ministry
of Foreign Affairs in the Netherlands, FAOs Fisheries Department in
Rome, and WL|Delft Hydraulics in Egypt. He also worked as an independent consultant on
projects related to resources management and knowledge transfer on relevant subjects.
Presentation 3: Have Knowledge Platforms Helped in Strengthening Capacities of
Developing Countries in Sustainable Development?
Speaker: Ms. Jane Rovins, Executive Director, Integrated Research on Disaster Risk,
Beijing
Ms. Jane Rovins is the Executive Director for the Integrated Research
on Disaster Risk and Head of Office for the International Programme
Office in Beijing, China. She has over 16 years of experience in
international development and disaster management. Her role includes
coordinating and implementing disaster risk research globally and
developing and establishing international networks. Previous positions
include Associate Professor at the American Military University,
President of Global Disaster Solutions, LLC, and Coordinator at Center of Disaster
Management and Humanitarian Assistance (CDMHA), among others. In addition, she
serves on global advisory boards for a variety of hazard and disaster projects and
programmes, and is a chair and member of various committees.
Session 2, Working Group 2: SD Knowledge Management for Capacity Building in Post Rio+20
Era
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and
Policy, Central European University, Budapest (please see previous page)
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Presentation 1: Impact of Knowledge Platforms and Networks in Advancing Sustainable
Development
Speaker: Mr. Kimo Goree, Director Reporting, IISD
Mr. Langston James Goree VI, also known as "Kimo", directs IISD's
Reporting Services and is responsible for building and maintaining the
relationships between IISD and the various programs and agencies of
the UN and other multilateral organizations. His expertise is in the use
of the emerging information technologies to provide information and
knowledge products for decision makers in the areas of environment
and sustainable development policy. Goree is also a senior advisor to
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for information and communication.
Presentation 2: Challenges in Connecting Traditional Capacity Building Models to New
Agenda and Knowledge
Speaker: Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Université du
Québec
Mr. Jacques Prescott is an Associate Professor at the University of
Quebec, and also an international consultant in the field of biodiversity,
sustainable development and environmental governance. He started his
career as the curator and director of the Quebec zoological garden and
subsequently joined the Quebec Department of Environment to
coordinate the implementation of the UN biodiversity Convention and
the development of the province’s sustainable development framework
and strategy. He is a well-known author, and has published books and hundreds of articles on
zoology, biodiversity, environment and sustainable development.
Presentation 3: Informing Global Stewardship from Local Experience: the GEF KM
Strategy
Speaker: Ms. Patrizia Cocca, Communication Officer & KM Coordinator, Global
Environment Facility, Washington
Ms. Patrizia Cocca joined the GEF's External Affairs team, on May 5
2008, as Communications Officer. She is responsible for managing the
GEF website and coordinates the development and dissemination of
electronic content, including social media. More recently she has been
coordinating the development and implementation of the GEF
Knowledge Management Initiative. Previously, she worked in Costa
Rica as coordinator for Regional Unit for Technical Assistance
(RUTA), and World Bank's EXT Development Communication (DevComm) division,
focusing on free trade and rural development issues in Central America.
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Day 2, Session 3: Unlocking the Potential of Water-Energy-Agriculture Nexus for Poverty
Eradication
Chair: Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of Office, UNOSD (please see previous page)
Keynote Address: Education and Capacity Building for Sustainability
Speaker: Mr. Arjen Wals, Professor of Social Learning and Sustainable Development,
Wageningen University, The Netherlands
Mr. Arjen Wals is a Professor and holds the UNESCO Chair of Social
Learning and Sustainable Development as well as an Associate
Professor in Environmental Education. In addition he is an Adjunct
Faculty member at Cornell University and a Visiting Professor at the
University of Gothenburg. His teaching and research focuses on
learning processes that contribute to a more sustainable world. He has
(co)published and (co) edited over 150 articles, chapters and books on
topics like: action research & community problem-solving, whole school approaches to
sustainability, biodiversity education, multi-stakeholder social learning, and sustainability in
higher education.He is also a co-editor of “Learning for Sustainability in Times of
Accelerating Change” which was launched at the Rio+20 Earth Summit.
Presentation 1: Capacity Building in Strengthening Water Cooperation for Sustainable
Development - Trends and Results
Speaker: Mr. Anton Earle, Director, Capacity Development, SIWI, Stockholm
Mr. Anton Earle joined SIWI in 2008 as Programme Director of
Capacity Building. He is responsible for organising, facilitating and
lecturing at SIWI’s International Training Programmes (ITPs) in
Transboundary Water Management (Global, MENA and Lake Victoria)
and the Integrated Water Resources Management (Global, Zambezi and
West Africa). Prior to his work at SIWI, Mr. Earle was Director of the
African Centre for Water Research and Deputy Head at the African
Water Issues Research Unit (AWIRU) at the University of Pretoria, where he led projects and
research on diverse water resource management and governance issues on rivers.
Presentation 2: Providing Sustainable Energy for All: Need for Additional Knowledge and
Capacities
Speaker: Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, United Nations
Foundation, USA
Mr. Mark Hopkins is an internationally recognized expert in energy
efficiency, with more than 30 years of experience in policy and program
development. He is the former executive vice president of the Alliance
to Save Energy, where he developed an international program that
helped to improve energy efficiency in 20 transitional and developing
countries. More recently, Mr. Hopkins served in the private sector,
developing a new clean-energy business model for Lockheed Martin.
He is leading the UN Foundation’s new initiative to organize the energy efficiency business
community to help UN member countries set specific energy efficiency improvement goals
and implement quantifiable policies to achieve those goals.
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Presentation 3: Managing Water-Energy and Agriculture Nexus for Poverty Eradication:
Evidence From the Field
Speaker: Mr. Eric Kemp-Bendict, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment Institute,
Bangkok
Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict is a Centre Director at the Stockholm
Environment Institute. His work focuses on sustainable development
planning and scenario analysis. Past and current projects include
scenario development for the Center for International Forestry
Research, the Global Scenario Group, UNEP’s Global Environment
Outlook, the Comprehensive Assessment of Freshwater in Agriculture,
and studies in West Africa, the Baltic Sea, and China. In his facilitation
and capacity-building work, Dr. Kemp-Benedict actively develops and applies tools and
methods for participatory and study-specific sustainability analyses. As a scenario modeler,
he specializes in the development of application-specific models within a participatory
framework. In addition to scenario analysis and scenario modeling in general, Dr.
Kemp-Benedict’s particular areas of interest include water, livestock, and land use; poverty
and income distribution; and social dynamics.
Presentation 4: Learning from Best Practices in Water, Energy and Sustainable Agriculture
Speaker: Mr. Jacques Prescott, Associate Professor, Chair on Eco-Advising, Université du
Québec (please see previous page)
Presentation 5: Advancing Sustainable Development: Mainstreaming
Water-Energy-Sustainable Agriculture in Regional Development Planning Context
Speaker: Mr. Masao Takano, Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environment Studies,
Nagoya University, Japan
Mr. Masao Takano is an Associate Professor at Nagoya University’s
Graduate School of Environment Studies, which he helped establish. He
is also an associate professor at the Graduate School of Science.
Takano’s earlier research at the University, The Decoding Earth
Evolution Program, was to investigate the history of the earth and
approach geohistory from the concept of the co-evolution of life and
earth. He is currently working with experts to launch the Millennial
Sustainability Studies program, designed to create systems for societies to survive in a
thousand years’ time. Mr. Takano envisions a Millennial Sustainable Society in his
community within Nagoya thus contributes in his capacity through collaboration with
government and local NPOs.
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Session 4, WG 3: Building Capacities for Adapting to Climate Change in Water Management
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Anton Earle, Director Capacity Development Office, SIWI,
Stockholm (please see previous page)
Presentation 1: Capacity Building Needs for Water Management vis-à-vis Current Practices
Speaker: Mr. Michael Douglass, Professor, National University of Singapore
Mr. Michael Douglass is a Professor at the National University of
Singapore. Prior to 2012 he was the Executive Director of the
Globalization Research Center at the University of Hawai’i. He is also
Co-Editor of the journal, International Development Planning Review.
He previously taught at the Institute of Social Studies (Netherlands) and
at the University of East Anglia (U.K.). He has also been a Visiting
Scholar/Professor at Stanford University, UCLA, Tokyo University,
Thammasat University and the National University of Singapore. He has joined numerous
research and planning projects and has been a consultant for international development
institutions as well as national and local governments in Asia.
Presentation 2: Strengthening Linkages between Research and Farmers for Improving
Agriculture Water Management
Speaker: Mr. Khalid Riaz, Professor of Management Sciences, Comsats University,
Islamabad
Mr. Khalid Riaz is the Head of Management Sciences Department at
COMSATS Institute of Information Technology, Islamabad, Pakistan.
His work has focused on issues at food, agriculture and water nexus. He
has studied rural food consumption patterns, agricultural productivity
growth, dairy cooperatives, and integration of agricultural commodity
markets. As Chief Technical Advisor for UNDESA water program in
Yemen, he was engaged in water policy and regional water resources
management planning. He was one of the main contributors to Yemen’s National Water
Sector Strategy and Investment Plan (2004-08). He served as Natural Resource Economist at
the World Bank, and as Agricultural Economist at the International Irrigation Management
Institute (now IWMI). He has 15 journal publications and about 30 research reports to his
credit.
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Working Group 4: Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Providing Energy Access to All
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, UNF, USA
(please see previous page)
Presentation 1: Knowledge and Capacity Needs and Solutions for Sustainability Transition
in Post Rio Era
Speaker: Mr. Arjen Wals, Professor of Social Learning and SD, Wageningen University, The
Netherlands (please see previous page)
Presentation 2: Addressing the Energy Gap in Developing Countries through Capacity
Building and Knowledge Sharing
Speaker: Mr. Dilip Ahuja, Professor of Science and Technology Policy, National Institutes of
Advanced Studies, Banglore
Mr. Dilip Ahuja is the ISRO Professor of Science and Technology
Policy and Anchor of the Energy and Environment Policy Programme
at the National Institute of Advanced Studies. Previously, he was a
Senior Policy Advisor to the Global Leadership for Climate Action at
the UN Foundation in Washington, DC. Earlier, Mr. Ahuja worked as a
Senior Environmental Specialist at the Global Environment Facility
Secretariat in Washington, DC. He has carried out research at notable
institutions, and his research included estimating global warming potentials of greenhouse
gases, energy savings from changes in Indian Standard Time, emission factors from
small-scale biomass burning and national inventories of greenhouse gases.
Presentation 3: Technology Transfer to and Capacity Building of Developing Countries
Speaker: Mr. Johng-Ihl Lee, Professor at the Department of Technology and Society, State
University of New York (SUNY), Korea
Mr. Johng-Ihl Lee is a Professor of DTS(Department of Technology
and Society), at SUNY Korea located in Incheon. His professional
interest is in international technology cooperation and R&D project
evaluation. Dr. Lee has played a major role in developing Korea’s
technology policy and led Korea to become an associate member of
EUREKA network. He laid the foundation of Korea’s international
programs by developing and implementing many R&D programs such
as the Korea-US Technology Program(KORUS). As a CE(chief executive) of the
KORIL-RDF(Korea-Israel Industrial R&D Foundation) and the first Korea’s NPC(National
Project Coordinator) for EUREKA, he has contributed to the R&D globalization in Korea. He
is also consulting many developing countries for technology policy and international
cooperation strategy, taking advantage of rich experiences on international collaboration and
technology transfer.
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Working Group 5: Sustainable Agriculture, Food Security and Climate Change
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment
Institute, Bangkok (please see previous page)
Presentation 1: Food Security and Sustainable Development in Post Rio+20 Era
Speaker: Mr. David O’Conner, Chief of Policy and Analysis Branch, DSD/DESA, UN
Mr. David O'Connor is Chief of the Policy and Analysis Branch of the
Division for Sustainable Development at the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs. He led the substantive support to the
negotiation of the Rio+20 outcome document, The Future We Want.
Before joining the UN, O’Connor was Senior Economist at the OECD
Development Centre, researching the many areas of sustainable
development. He has also published extensively on climate policies and
their co-benefits in developing countries. O'Connor and his team are now centrally engaged
in supporting the Rio+20 processes to define sustainable development goals (SDGs), to
develop a financing strategy for sustainable development and to explore options for a
technology facilitation mechanism to encourage international cooperation in development
and transfer of clean and environmentally sound technologies.
Presentation 2: Sustainable Agriculture and Adaptation to Climate Change: Knowledge
Gaps and Needs
Speaker: Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom
Ms. Eva Ludi is Research Fellow in the Water Policy Programme at
the Overseas Development Institute. She is a member of the Protected
Livelihoods and Agricultural Growth (PLAG) Programme and the
Water Policy Programme (WPP). She is a geographer with a diverse
project portfolio. She has over ten years of experience in research and
policy with a special focus on Ethiopia and other East African
countries particularly related to sustainable rural development and
sustainable natural resource management, having previously worked at the Centre for
Development and Environment, Bern University.
Presentation 4: Knowledge Management for Agriculture: FAO Experience
Speaker: Mr. Gerard Sylvester, Knowledge and Informational Management Officer, FAO,
Bangkok
Mr. Gerard Sylvester is the Knowledge and Information
Management Officer at the FAO office in Bangkok. He is responsible
for initiating and managing collaborations with partners around the
Asia and Pacific region to improve sustainable development through
the application of modern information and communication technology
(ICT). Gerard has worked on ICT related projects in many countries in
the Asia-Pacific region and Africa. He is pursuing his PhD in
Knowledge Management with expertise in Semantic Technologies in
support of Knowledge Management, Information and Communication Technology for
Development (ICT4D), e-Learning technologies, IT & Network security.
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Day 3, Session 5:
Implementing Rio+20 Outcomes: The Way Forward for Knowledge Sharing and Capacity
Building
Panel 1: Sustainable Development Goals and New Architecture for SD Governance
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Thierry Schwarz, Director for Intellectual Exchange, ASEF,
Singapore
Mr. Thierry Schwarz is the Director for Intellectual Exchange at
ASEF by being nominated by the French government in 2012. Prior to
his secondment to ASEF, he was Adviser to the Council for
Administrative Reform and Founder and Director of the Joint Master
Degree program of Public Management between the French National
School of Public Administration (ENA) and the Royal University of
Law and Economics in Phnom Penh. From 2001 to 2007, Thierry was
Regional Counsellor for Cooperation in South-East Asia with the French Embassy in
Bangkok and Deputy Counsellor for Cooperation with the French Embassy in Beijing.
Thierry’s other prior experiences include CEO Asia-Pacific Region of the Waste
Management Division, Suez Environment in Singapore, CEO Moulinex-Krups North
America in New Jersey and Executive Vice President International Operations,
Moulinex-Krups in Paris, among others.
Panelist 1: Mr. Surendra Shrestha, Director, United Nations Environment Programme, New
York
Mr. Surendra Shrestha is the Director of Strategic Resource
Mobilization and Special Initiatives with UNEP. Working closely with
various development partners, he oversees their strategic resource
mobilization and relevant policy development projects. Before joining
UNEP, he held senior positions at the Asian Institute of Technology
(AIT) and the International Centre for Integrated Mountain
Development (ICIMOD). He brings to UNEP more than twenty years of
expertise in mobilizing political and financial support for UNEP's programmes and leading
multi-disciplinary teams in the areas of assessment, policy development and multilateral
agreements at regional and global level. Prior to his current position, Shrestha worked as
UNEP's Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific where he spearheaded
the formulation of the UNEP Asia Pacific strategy and implementation plan.
Panelist 2: Mr. László Pintér, Professor, Central European University (CEU), Budapest
(please see previous page)
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Panelist 3: Ms. Ella Antonio, President, The Earth Council Asia Pacific, Philippines
Ms. Ella Antonio is the President of Brain Trust: Knowledge and
Options for Sustainable Development, Inc., a Philippine-based think
tank that has been conducting research studies and capacity building
projects for government, private sector and international development
institutions. She has been very much involved in NGO work as
President of Earth Council Asia-Pacific, Inc; Vice President of EARTH
Institute Asia, Inc.; and Founding Trustee of pagbabago@pilipinas.
Formally, Ms Antonio had an extensive career in the public service, primarily at the National
Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the national planning agency of the
Philippines.
Panelist 4: Ms. Zeenat Niazi, Vice President, Development Alternatives, India
Ms. Zeenat Niazi is the Vice President and Head of Communications
Solutions Branch at Development Alternatives in India. With over 22
years of experience in the field of habitat processes and housing
technology involving women construction workers, masons and
Women’s Self Help Groups, she has managed, coordinated and built
capacities in numerous projects in both social housing and post-disaster
situations. Her engagement with climate change issues has included
coordination of knowledge development and dissemination for low carbon rural construction
in India and South Asia with the support of the Climate and Development Knowledge
Network, as well as GHG reduction and climate change capacity building for the semi-arid
Bundelkhand region in collaboration with the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation.
Panelist 5: Mr. David O’Conner, DSD/DESA, UN, New York (please see previous page)
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Panel 2: Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Accelerating Transition Towards Green Economy
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
(please see previous page)
Panelist 1: Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok (please see previous
page)
Panelist 2: Mr. Felix Dodds,Tellus Institute, USA (please see previous page)
Panelist 3: Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict, Centre Director, Stockholm Environment Institute,
Bangkok (please see previous page)
Panelist 4: Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom (please see
previous page)
Panelist 5: Mr. Lee Myung Kyoon, Director, Green Growth Planning and Implementation,
GGGI, Seoul
Mr. Lee Myung Kyoon is the Director of Green Growth Planning and
Implementation at Global Green Growth Institute. Previously, he has
been a professor at Keimyung University in the faculty of environment
as well as Senior Economist at UNEP Risoe Center for Energy, Climate
and Sustainable Development, where he managed its “Capacity
Development for the CDM (CD4CDM)” programme and led its Climate
Change cluster. He previously worked for LG Economic Research
Institute and Korea Environment Institute and has published widely on energy, environment
and development issues.
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Appendix D: List of Participants
Country Delegations
Albania
Mr. Rrezart Fshazi
Head of Integration Unit
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Water Administration
Tel: (355) 67 2051 962ⅠFax: (355) 4 2270 627
E-mail: rezart.fshazi [at] moe.gov.al
Angola
Mr. Milton Reis
Head of Department
Ministry Planning and Territorial Development
Tel: (244) 222 390 001ⅠFax: (244) 923 588 383
E-mail: miltonreisk [at] gmail.com
Azerbaijan
Mr. Shahin Allahverdiyev
Chief Advisor of Monitoring Department
Ministry of Emergency Situations, State Water Resources Agency
Tel: (994) 50 3818 685ⅠFax: (994) 12 512 4802
E-mail: sh.allahverdiyev [at] gmail.com
Belize
Ms. Tanya Santos
Forest Officer, Forest Department
Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development
Tel: (501) 802 1524ⅠFax: (501) 802 1523
E-mail: sfm.fd [at] ffsd.gov.bz
Bhutan
Mr. Tenzin Dhendup
Director General, Department of Agriculture
Ministry of Agriculture and Forests
Tel: (975) 2 322805ⅠFax: (975) 2 323562
E-mail: tenzind10 [at] yahoo.com
Burundi
Mr. Faustin Habimana
Program Director
Ministry of Finance and Planning
Tel: (257) 79 92 6897
E-mail: habi_f [at] yahoo.fr
Dominican Republic
Mr. Jefrey Lizardo
Director General of Economic and Social Development
Ministry of Economy, Planning and Development
Tel: (809) 221 5140 ext. 2276ⅠFax: (809) 221 8627
E-mail: jlizardo [at] economia.gov.do, jefreylizardo [at] gmail.com
335
Egypt
Mr. Atwa Hussien
Head
Egyptian National Secretariat for Sustainable Development
Tel: 01227190225
E-mail: dr_atwaatwa [at] yahoo.com
Finland Ms. Kaisa Leidy
Deputy Head of Mission, First Secretary
Embassy of Finland, Seoul
Tel: (82) (0)2 732 6737 ext. 203ⅠFax: (82) (0)2 732 4969
E-mail: kaisa.leidy [at] formin.fin
France Mr. Eric Sanson
Counsellor
Embassy of France, Seoul
Tel: (82) (0)10 9385 3273ⅠFax: (82) (0)2 3149 4327
E-mail: eric.sanson [at] diplomatie.gouv.fr
Gabon
Mr. Erick Rona Ntchorere
Permanent Member of the Committee on Sustainable Development
Ministry of Economy and Sustainable Development
Tel: (241) 74 30 65, (241) 06 26 75 25ⅠFax: (241) 74 30 65
E-mail: ntchorere [at] yahoo.fr
Ghana
Mr. Rudolf Sandy Kuuzegh
Director
Ministry of Environment, Science and Technology
Tel: (233) 24 415 8319ⅠFax: (233) 30 266 0005
E-mail: sandykuuz [at] yahoo.co.uk
Guyana
Mr. Veetal Rajkumar
Head of Policy Planning Coordination Unit
Ministry of Natural Resources and the Environment
Tel: (592) 612 8652
E-mail: vrajkumar [at] nre.gov.gy
Honduras Mr. Marco Lainez Ordonez
Sub-secretary of Environment
Secretary of National Resources and Environment
Tel: (504) 9719 5465
E-mail: cooperacionserna [at] gmail.com, marco_lainez [at] hotmail.com
Indonesia
Ms. Dra. Liana Bratasida
Special Assistant Minister for Sectoral Cooperation
336
Ministry of the Environment
Tel: (62) 21 580 9633
E-mail: lianab125 [at] yahoo.com
Ms. Laksmi Dhewanthi Rustiawan
Assistant Deputy Minister for Environmental Data and Information
Ministry of Environment, Republic of Indonesia
Tel: (62) 21 858 0081ⅠFax: (62) 21 858 0081
E-mail: ldhewanthi [at] gmail.com
Iran
Mr. Javad Momeni
Expert, Councillor
Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Tel: (98) 21 6115 4450ⅠFax: (98) 21 6115 4515
E-mail: javadmomeni2012 [at] gmail.com
Israel
Mr. David Levy
Deputy Chief of Mission
Embassy of Israel to Korea
Tel: (82) 2 3210 8502ⅠFax: (82) 2 3210 8555
E-mail: dcm [at] seoul.mfa.gov.il
Kenya
Mr. Charles Konyango
Director of Infrastructure and Physical Planning
Ministry of State for Development of Northern Kenya and Arid Lands
Tel: (254) 020 2214339
E-mail: konyangonet [at] yahoo.com
Korea, Republic of
Mr. Ho-Joong Lee
Director, Policy Coordination Division
Ministry of Environment
Tel: (82) 44 201 6640ⅠFax: (82) 44 201 6654
E-mail: hohojoong [at] hanmail.net
Mr. Song-Jun Ohm
Ambassador for International Relations
Incheon Metropolitan City
Tel: (82) (0)32 440 3020ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 440 8606
E-mail: songjunohm [at] hotmail.com, songjunohm [at] gmail.com
Mr. Jun Wan
Deputy Director, Policy Coordination Division
Ministry of Environment
Tel: (82) 44 201 6645ⅠFax: (82) 44 201 6654
E-mail: moejw [at] naver.com
Laos
Mr. Boonsri Phuthavong
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Deputy of Head of Division
Lao Academy of Social Sciences
Tel: (856) 20 56917876ⅠFax: (856) 21 900814
E-mail: boonsri22 [at] gmail.com
Liberia
Mr. Lee Mason
Development Planning Coordinator
Ministry of Planning and Economics Affairs
Tel: (231) 886 546346
E-mail: lmason [at] mopea.gov.lr, leesonnymason [at] yahoo.com
Mauritius Ms. Davetee Rajkoomar
Divisional Environment Officer
Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development
Tel: (230) 212 0589ⅠFax: (230) 208 7866
E-mail: drajkoomar [at] mail.gov.mu
Mongolia
Ms. Manaljav Turbayar
Adviser to the Minister
Ministry of Environment and Green Development
Tel: (976) 51 262830ⅠFax: 976 11 326595
E-mail: turbayar_lawyer [at] yahoo.com
Ms. Bayasgalan Naranzul
Officer of the Environmental Protection Fund
Ministry of Environment and Green Development
Tel: (976) 51 262830ⅠFax: (976) 11 326595
E-mail: naranzulb [at] yahoo.com
Montenegro Ms. Bosiljka Vukovic
Head of Division for the Support to the National Council for Sustainable Development
Ministry of Sustainable Development
Tel: (382) 67 634 248, (382) 20 241 536
E-mail: bosiljka.vukovic [at] kor.gov.me
Morocco Mr. Rachid Tahiri
Head of Service, National Council of Environment
Ministry of Energy, Mines, Water and Environment
Tel: (212) 661550043ⅠFax: (212) 537716730
E-mail: r_tahiri [at] yahoo.fr
Nepal
Mr. Nabaraj Gautam
Graduate School of International and Area Studies Hankuk University of Foreign Studies Tel: (82) (0)10 4486 3137
E-mail: nabarajgautam [at] gmail.com
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Philippines
Ms. Maria Diosa L. de Mesa
Senior Economic Development Specialist
Natural Resources Division - NEDA Agriculture Staff and Coordinating Secretariat for the
Philippine Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD)
Tel: (63) 2 631 0945 local 305ⅠFax: (63) 2 6317345
E-mail: MLdeMesa [at] neda.gov.ph
Rwanda Mr. Peter Katanisa
Sector Wide Approach (SWAP) Coordinator
Ministry of Natural Resources
Tel: (250) 788 414 201ⅠFax: (250) 252 582 628
E-mail: katanisapeter [at] gmail.com
Senegal Mr. Antoine Faye
Consultant and Member
Senegalese Committee on Climate Change
Tel: (221) 77 120 7014
E-mail: fayan1161 [at] yahoo.com
Seychelles Ms. Jeanette Larue
Technical Advisor for Environmental Education
Ministry of Environment and Energy
Tel: (248) 272 3997ⅠFax: (272) 461 0648
E-mail: j.larue [at] env.gov.sc
South Sudan
Mr. Paul Demetry
Inspector for Biodiversity
Ministry of Environment
Tel: (211) 95 660 0801
E-mail: ladolodemen [at] yahoo.com
Sri Lanka
Mr. K.D. Perera
Director
Department of National Planning
Tel: (94) 11 2484567ⅠFax: (94) 11 2448063
E-mail: pererar [at] npd.treasury.gov.lk
Swaziland
Mr. Stephen Zuke
Director of Policy, Research and Information
Swaziland Environment Authority
Tel: (268) 24 04 7893ⅠFax: (268) 24 04 1719
E-mail: stephen_zuke [at] hotmail.com, szuke1959 [at] gmail.com
Sweden
Mr. Petter Lycke
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Second Secretary, Embassy of Sweden
Tel: (82) 2 3703 3700ⅠFax: (82) 2 3703 3701
E-mail: petter.lyke [at] gov.se
Tanzania
Mr. Albinus Mugonya
Principal Economist, Prime Minister's Office
Regional Administration & Local Government
Tel: (255) 26 2322848ⅠFax: (255) 26 2322116
E-mail: nyegolo [at] yahoo.com
Tajikistan
Mr. Umed Davalatzod
Deputy Minister
Ministry of Economic Development and Trade
Tel: (992) 37 221 52 07ⅠFax: (992) 37 227 34 34
E-mail: umed75 [at] mail.ru
Togo
Mr. Oyetounde Djiwa
Coordonateur de Programme
Ministere de l'Environnement et des Ressources Forestieres
Tel: (228) 900 93551ⅠFax: (228) 222 10333
E-mail: oyedjiwa [at] hotmail.fr
Turkey
Ms. Ayse Yildirim Cosgun
Head of Division
Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs
Tel: (90) 312 207 63 97ⅠFax: (90) 312 207 51 87
E-mail: aycosgun [at] ormansu.gov.tr
USA
Mr. Matthew Steed
Second Secretary
United States Embassy
Tel: (82) 2 397 4484
E-mail: steedmm [at] state.gov
Uzbekistan
Mr. Salamat Erejepov
Head of Logistics Department
Center of Hydro Meteorological Service at Cabinet of Ministers of Uzbekistan
Tel: (998) 71 150 86 05ⅠFax: (998) 71 235 8359
E-mail: erejepovs [at] gmail.com, uzhymet [at] meteo.uz
Vietnam
Ms. Tran Thu Huong
Agenda 21 Official
Ministry of Planning and Investment
Tel: (84) 4 3747 4824ⅠFax: (84) 4 3747 3602
340
E-mail: huongtran [at] mpi.gov.vn
Yemen Mr. Ibrahim Sharafuddin
Director General of International Organizations
Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation
Tel: (967) 773879090ⅠFax: (967) 1 250 630
E-mail: iuddin1957 [at] yahoo.com
Zambia
Mr. Ackim Mwape
Natural Resources Management Officer
Ministry of Lands, Natural Resources and Environmental Protection
Tel: (260) 211 251927ⅠFax: (260) 211 224765
E-mail: ackimsdream [at] yahoo.com
United Nations United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD)
Ms. Chikako Takase
Director
Tel: (81) 52 561 9377ⅠFax: (81) 52 561 9374
E-mail: takase [at] un.org, takasec [at] uncrd.or.jp
United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA)
Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) Mr. Nikhil Seth
Director
Tel: (1) (212) 963 1811ⅠFax: (1) (212) 963 4260
E-mail: seth [at] un.org
Mr. David O’Connor
Chief, Policy Analysis and Networks Branch
Tel: (1) (212) 963 4677ⅠFax: (1) (212) 963 4260
E-mail: oconnor3 [at] un.org
Capacity Development Office (CDO) Ms. Marie Oveissi
Head of Office
Tel: (1) (212) 963 0215
E-mail: oveissi [at] un.org
United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD)
Mr. Muhammad Aslam Chaudhry
Head of Office
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9084ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: chaudhry [at] un.org
Mr. Francois Fortier
Senior Sustainable Development Expert
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9085ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: fortier [at] un.org
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Mr. Sang-In Kang
Senior Development Management Expert
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9086ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: kangs [at] un.org
Mr. Ola Goransson
Expert
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9088ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: goransson [at] un.org
Ms. Ilae Kim
Administrative Assistant
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9087ⅠCell: (82) (0)10 4434 7282ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: kim23 [at] un.org
Ms. Shelley Choi
Team Assistant
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9088ⅠCell: (82) (0)10 8620 2140ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: choi9 [at] un.org, choi9un [at] gmail.com
Ms. Jee Hae Jun
Consultant
Tel: (82) (0)32 822 9088ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 822 9089
E-mail: jeehae.jun [at] gmail.com
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Mr. Kees Leendertse
Senior HRD Specialist and Deputy Director, Cap-Net
Tel: (27) 12 3309074ⅠFax: (27) 12 3314860
E-mail: Kees.leendertse [at] cap-net.org
Mr. Seong-Min Cho
Energy Policy Research Assistant UNDP Seoul Policy Centre
Tel: (82) (0)2 3290 5203ⅠFax: (82) (0)2 3290 5210
E-mail: seong.min.cho [at] undp.org
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
Mr. Surendra Shrestha
UNEP Office, New York
Tel: (1) (212) 963 8210ⅠFax: (1) (212) 963 7341
E-mail: Surendra.Shrestha [at] unep.org
United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
(UNESCAP)
Mr. Sangmin Nam
Environmental Affairs Officer, Subregional Office for East and North-East Asia
(SRO-ENEA)
Tel: (82) (0)32 458 6602ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 458 6699
E-mail: nams [at] un.org
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United Nations Foundation (UNF)
Mr. Mark Hopkins
Director of International Energy Efficiency
Tel: (1) (202) 778 3518ⅠFax: (1) (202) 650 5350
E-mail: mhopkins [at] unfoundation.org
Ms. Lauren Gritzke
Program Associate, Energy Efficiency
Tel: (1) (202) 778 1625ⅠFax: (1) (202) 650 5350
E-mail: lgritzke [at] unfoundation.org
United Nations Disaster Risk Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR) Mr. Glenn Dolcemascolo
Head of Office, Office for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute
(GETI)
Tel: (82) (0)32 458 6551 ext. 182ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 458 6598
E-mail: dolcemascolo [at] un.org
Mr. Armen Rostomyan
Programme Officer, Office for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute
(GETI)
Tel: (82) (0)32 458 6551 ext. 185ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 458 6598
E-mail: rostomyan [at] un.org
Mr. Yongkyun Kim
Institute Coordinator, Office for Northeast Asia and Global Education and Training Institute
(GETI)
Tel: (82) (0)32 458 6580ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 458 6599
E-mail: kim68 [at] un.org
Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations Regional Office for Asia
and the Pacific (FAORAP)
Mr. Gerard Sylvester
Knowledge and Information Management Officer
Tel: (66) 2 697 4000ⅠFax: (66) 2 697 4445
E-mail: gerard.sylvester [at] fao.org
United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
Mr. Dal-ho Chung
Executive Director, Centre Int’l de Formation des Autorités/Acteurs Locaux (CIFAL) Jeju
Tel: (82) (0) 64-735-6580ⅠFax: (82) (0) 64 738-4626
E-mail: dhchung49 [at] gmail.com
International Institutions, NGOs, Other Experts
Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF)
Mr. Thierry Schwarz
Director, Intellectual Exchange
Tel: (65) 6874 9700ⅠFax: (65) 6872 1125
E-mail: Thierry.schwarz [at] asef.org
Ms. Grazyna Pulawska
Project Executive, Intellectual Exchange
Tel: (65) 6874 9738ⅠFax: (65) 6872 1207
343
E-mail: grazyna.pulawska [at] asef.org
Asia Europe Meeting Small & Medium Enterprises Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC)
Mr. Hong-Ju Park
Senior Manager, Green Business & Technology Support Department
Tel: (82) 2 769 6861 ⅠFax: (82) 2 780 3892
E-mail: itogod [at] sbc.or.kr
Ms. Yae Rin Oh
Assistant Programme Officer
Tel: (82) 2 769 6969ⅠFax: (82) 2 769 6919
E-mail: oyr118 [at] sbc.or.kr, oyr118 [at] hanmail.net
AtKisson, Inc.
Mr. Alan AtKisson
President, Consultant to UNOSD/UNDESA
Tel: (46) 70 992 6979
E-mail: Alan.AtKisson [at] AtKisson.com
Development Alternatives Mr. Zeenat Niazi
Vice President
Tel: (91) 11 2656 4444ⅠFax: Fax: (91) 11 2685 1158
E-mail: zniazi [at] devalt.org
Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI)
Mr. Myung Kyoon Lee
Director of Green Growth Planning and Implementation
Tel: (82) (0)70-7117-9958ⅠFax: (82) (0)2-2096-9990
E-mail: mk.lee [at] gggi.org
Global Environment Facility
Ms. Patrizia Cocca
Communication Officer and KM Coordinator
Tel: (1) (202) 458 0234ⅠFax: (1) (202) 522 3240
E-mail: pcocca [at] TheGEF.org
Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES)
Mr. Peter King
Senior Policy Advisor
Tel: (66) 85811948ⅠFax: (82) 2 6518798
E-mail: king [at] iges.or.jp
Mr. Simon Olsen
Policy Researcher, Governance and Capacity Team
Tel: (81) 46-826-9603ⅠFax: (81) 46-855-3809
E-mail: olsen [at] iges.or.jp
Integrated Research on Disaster Risk (IRDR)
Ms. Jane Rovins
Executive Director
Tel: (86) 10 8217 8905
E-mail: jane.rovins [at] irdrinternational.org
344
International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)
Mr. Langston James Kimo Goree VI
Vice President, Reporting Services and United Nations Liaison
Tel: (1) 973 273 5860
E-mail: kimo [at] iisd.org
Korea Environment Institute (KEI)
Mr. Byung Wook Lee
President
Tel: (82) (0)2 380 7777ⅠFax: (82) (0)2 380 7799
E-mail: bklee [at] kei.re.kr
Ms. So Hyun Kim
Researcher, Global Strategy Center
Tel: (82) (0)2 6922 7871ⅠFax: (82) (0)2 6922 7866
E-mail: shkwon [at] kei.re.kr
Overseas Development Institute
Ms. Eva Ludi
Research Fellow
Tel: (44) 20 7922 0401, (44) 77 24 980 192
E-mail: e.ludi [at] odi.org.uk
Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC)
Ms. Dora Almassy
Expert
Tel: (36) 26 504 000 ext. 309ⅠFax: (36) 26 311 294
E-mail: dalmassy [at] rec.org
Stockholm Environment Institute
Mr. Eric Kemp-Benedict
Centre Director
Tel: (66) 225 144 15
E-mail: eric.kemp-benedict [at] sei-international.org
Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI)
Mr. Anton Earle
Director, Capacity Building
Tel: (46) 8 121 360 83
E-mail: anton.earle [at] siwi.org
The Earth Council Asia Pacific
Ms. Ella Antonio
President
Tel: (632) 4014023, 5710485ⅠFax: (632) 7484620
E-mail: ella.antonio [at] gmail.com
Tellus Institute
Mr. Felix Dodds
Fellow
Tel: (1) 347 2073919
E-mail: felix [at] felixdodds.net
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Academic and Research Institutions
Central European University
Mr. László Pintér
Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy Tel: (36) 1 327 3000, ext. 2017
E-mail: lpinter [at] iisd.ca
Hankuk University of Foreign Studies
Mr. Ekra Miezan
Assistant Professor
Tel: (82) (0)2 2173 3943ⅠFax: (82) (0)2 2173 3369
E-mail: ekra [at] hufs.ac.kr
Nagoya University
Mr. Masao Takano
Associate Professor, Graduate School of Environmental Studies
Tel: +81-90-4182-7306
E-mail: masao [at] nagoya-u.jp, takanomasao7306 [at] gmail.com
National Institute of Advanced Studies
Mr. Dilip Ahuja
Dean, Academic Affairs, ISRO Professor of S&T Policy
Tel: (91) 80 2218 5135ⅠFax: (91) 80 2218 5028
E-mail: drahuja [at] gmail.com
National University of Singapore
Mr. Michael Douglass
Professor, Asia Research Institute
Tel: (65) 6516 5243ⅠFax: (65) 6779 1428
E-mail: arimike [at] nus.edu.sg
SUNY (The State University of New York) Korea
Mr. Johng-Ihl Lee
Professor, Department of Technology and Society
Executive Director, International Center for Innovative Policy and Regional Development
Tel: (82) (0)32 626 1314ⅠFax: (82) (0)32 626 1198
E-mail: anothermile [at] sunykorea.ac.kr
Universite du Quebec a Chicoutimi
Mr. Jacques Prescott
Associate Professor
Tel: (1) 819 772 4723
E-mail: jacquesprescott [at] sympatico.ca
University of Comsats
Mr. Khalid Riaz
Professor and Head of Management Sciences Department
Tel: (92) 51 90495151, (92) 321 534 2636
E-mail: kriaz100 [at] gmail.com
Wageningen University
Mr. Arjen Wals
Professor and UNESCO Chair of Social Learning and Sustainable Development, Education
and Competence Studies
Tel: (31) 317 484184
E-mail: arjen.wals [at] wur.nl