by Jovin Hurry, Singapore; originally from Mauritius
More than 4800 participants met in Bangkok, Thailand, from 17-25 November 2004 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, for the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC). The Congress convened under the theme of “People and Nature: Only One World in three parts: the Commissions at Work to assess the progress of IUCNâ€TMs six commissions; followed by the World Conservation Forum, a reality check of the biodiversity world; and finally the Membersâ€TM Business Assembly, to delve into policy and governance issues of the IUCN. Ministers, business people, scientists, lawyers, students and NGO/NPO representatives discussed a gamut of conservation and sustainable development issues during round-tables, plenary sessions and training workshops. IUCN members elected Mohammed Valli Moosa as their new President. They also elected their new Council, new members for the six Commissions, and approved 118 resolutions and recommendations.
About IUCN
IUCN — the World Conservation Union — was established in 1948 as an independent scientific organization devoted to “influence, encourage, and assist societies throughout the world to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.â€
Today, IUCN members total 1063, including 82 state members, 112 government agencies, 33 affiliates, and 836 NGOs, of which 79 are international organizations. The IUCN Secretariat consists of about 1000 staff, with some 100 individuals at its headquarters in Gland, Switzerland, and approximately 900 staff working in offices located in 42 countries around the world. IUCN has six Commissions, constituting a network of some 10,000 volunteer experts on biodiversity conservation.
IUCN is governed by its Council, whose members are elected by the World Conservation Congress. The Council typically meets at least once a year to set the annual budget, discuss major policy issues, and review the IUCN Programâ€TMs implementation. The Congress also elects the IUCN President, who chairs the Council and guides IUCNâ€TMs work between Congresses. IUCN member organizations form national or regional committees that play an important role in priority setting, programming, membership coordination and program implementation.
The opening ceremony
On 17 November, the Prime Minister of Thailand, Thaksin Shinawatra highlighted Her Majestyâ€TMs Royal Projects and announced that IUCN was to award Queen Sirikit the IUCN Gold Medal in recognition of her contribution toward biodiversity conservation. Her Imperial Highness Princess Takamado of Japan presented the Gold Medal. Accepting the award, Queen Sirikit stressed the need for the global community to increase efforts in conservation and said that her dream was for all people around the world to become stewards of the environment.
Yolanda Kakabadse, IUCN President, pointed out four tough issues for the participants: information and technology, loss of biodiversity, the role of the private sector, and the connection between biodiversity conservation and human well-being.
She emphasized, for the private sector, the need for corporate responsibility in relation to sustainable development and biodiversity conservation, mentioning that companies are increasingly aware of the interdependence of biodiversity and their own long-term growth, and recognized that some conservationists are not comfortable with working with profit-making organizations.
Activities of the Commissions at the Congress
Commission on Education and Communication: Developed strategies for the three priority areas of work: education and communication, the Decade on Education for Sustainable Development, and the World Conservation Learning Network
Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy: Held joint meetings with the Collaborative Management of Natural Resources Working Group and the Sustainable Livelihoods Working Group, and focused on poverty and the social impacts of conservation
Commission on Environmental Law: Analyzed, among other things, judiciary ethics, public interest litigation, “judicial activism,†and the role of judges concerning the links between environmental, human rights, and poverty issues
Commission on Ecosystem Management: Identified ecosystem management beyond protected areas as a key priority for biodiversity conservation, contributing to the Commissionâ€TMs core task of identifying, testing, and disseminating tools for managing and restoring ecosystems, including seascapes
Species Survival Commission: Discussed ways to improve the usability of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species and the Species Information Service, underscoring the need for compatibility of the service and the Conservation and Management Planning database, improving information flows from specialists to the Red List, enhancing training, and improving communication of the Red List Criteria
World Commission on Protected Areas: Identified priority areas including improving management and financing of protected areas, involving youth and local communities, establishing a global representative system of protected areas, and managing protected areas against the impacts of global change and invasive species
The World Conservation Forum
The Opening Forum consisted of several speeches, a keynote address, a video presentation, a theatrical performance, and a panel discussion.
Suwit Khunkitti, Thailandâ€TMs Minister of Natural Resources and Environment, stressed the Forumâ€TMs role in information exchange and the importance of the inter-relationship between the four themes of the Forum: Ecosystem Management; Health, Poverty, and Conservation; Biodiversity Loss and Species Extinction; and Markets, Business, and the Environment.
Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa, conveyed, in a video message, three requests to the Congress, appealing to participants to balance development and environmental needs; not to “turn their backs†on rural economies; and to “uphold the power and majesty of nature.â€
Anand Panyarachun, former prime minister of Thailand, reminded the audience that while environmental issues have become increasingly “mainstream,†they remain less influential in political decision-making processes. He stressed how government decisions have been mainstreamed at the international level, how decision-making authority has been decentralized, and how public resources and responsibilities have shifted to civil society, in particular to the private sector. He emphasized the need for IUCN to engage the private sector.
More than 350 sessions under the four themes were scheduled in different tracks: Global Synthesis Workshops, Sponsored Workshops, Futures Dialogues, Conservation Platforms, Training Workshops, Knowledge Marketplace Roundtables, and Cultural Events.
Achim Steiner concluded the opening session of the Forum with a call for participants to “reflect, rethink, refocus, and reposition†the conservation agenda.
Markets, Business, and the Environment: Strengthening Corporate Social Responsibility, Law, and Policy. This Global Synthesis Workshop considered how “markets can function more sustainably, companies can manage biodiversity in their operations, and new business based on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity can be developed.
The sub-theme entitled “Will Capitalism Conserve or Consume the Planet?†treated various aspects of voluntary initiatives aimed at improving the social and environmental performance of companies. “Corporate Social Responsibility,†“Business and Biodiversity Partnerships,†“Certification for Sustainability,†“Investing in Sustainability,†and “Business and Biodiversity Partnerships†were topics addressed in breakout sessions.
The sub-theme entitled “International Trade: Friend or Foe of Biodiversity?†delved into trade and the environment. The topics “Balancing the Benefits of Trade with the Risks Posed to Conservation†and “Reconciling the Shift towards the Liberalization of Trade in Public Services with the Sustainable Use of Natural Resources†were discussed.
The sub theme entitled “Ecosystem for Sale in an Unequal World†addressed the use of ecosystem services for poverty reduction and conservation. Breakout sessions explored “The Potential of Emerging Markets for Carbon Sequestration and Payments for Habitat Restoration and Offsets†and “Synergies between Incentives for Watershed Protection and Biodiversity Conservation,†and “Market Limits for Ecosystem Services and Poverty Reduction.â€
Wangari Maathai, 2004 Nobel Peace Prize recipient, in a video message in the closing plenary, invited the participants to share in the glory and spread the message of the importance of sustainable environmental management, good governance, and equity for peace.
The roundtables
Ecosystem services, business and conservation, development cooperation and conservation finance, the Mekong River, and international environmental governance were discussed in five informal high-level round tables during the forum:
Ministers from the Asia-Pacific region discussed the role of ecosystem services in addressing poverty eradication and biodiversity conservation.
Ministers and senior executives from the private sector and conservation NGOs explored the business case for biodiversity conservation.
Ministers, heads of bilateral and multilateral donor agencies, and senior executives from conservation NGOs explored innovative and strategic directions for the financing of conservation from development cooperation sources.
Ministers and high-level representatives from regional organizations, UN programs, and NGOs discussed water use and trans-boundary water management in the Mekong region.
Ministers and high-level representatives from conservation NGOs and the private sector discussed the future of international environmental governance, focusing on trade and the environment and identifying ways to make both systems mutually supportive.
The Members Assembly
On the agenda in the nine plenary sittings were reports from the President, Director General, and Commission; election of the new Council and approval of the new Commission mandates, the Program, the budget, membership related matters, and amendments to the Statutes and Rules of Procedure; and voting on motions for resolutions and recommendations.
In the plenary discussion on the Director Generalâ€TMs report, members addressed issues relating to governance and discussed IUCNâ€TMs objectives and challenges. A member of the audience shared the belief that cooperation with the private sector is IUCNâ€TMs greatest challenge.
Pierre Hunkeler, Resolutions Working Group Chair, presented the 114 draft resolutions and recommendations to the Congress. Following are some resolutions and recommendations voted on and approved by the Congress:
“Capacity-building of Young Professionals): The Congress requests that the Director General to establish a Young Professional Program within IUCN and a coordinating mechanism to assist member organizations in developing programs for Young Professionals.
Establishment of the World Conservation Learning Network: The Congress requests that the Director General and the Commission on Education and Communication facilitate the establishment of a network of universities and training institutes with the aim of working with IUCN to expand access to programs for professional development that integrate the problems of conservation and sustainable development.
IUCNâ€TMs interaction with the private sector: The Congress calls on the Director General to initiate an open and participatory process to strengthen the principles of engagement and develop guidelines to guide further dialogues, partnership agreements and other interactions with the private sector, and requests that the Director General prepare an annual report on the implementation of the Strategy for Enhancing IUCNâ€TMs Interaction with the Private Sector.
The Extractive Industries Review: The Congress calls on the World Bank to implement several recommendations from the World Bankâ€TMs Extractive Industries Review, including establishment of IUCN I-IV protected areas as “no go†zones for extractive industry development and revision of the International Finance Corporationâ€TMs Critical Natural Habitats Safeguard Policy to include IUCN I-IV protected areas as part of a minimum set of “no go†zones. The Congress also calls on other international financial institutions, including Export Credit Agencies, to support and implement the Extractive Industries Review through adoption of these recommendations.
Trans-boundary protected areas in Southeast Asia: The Congress urges governments in Southeast Asia to recognize the importance of trans-boundary forest and marine areas for conservation of national ecosystems. The Congress recommends that Southeast Asian governments formulate trans-boundary conservation strategies in collaboration with the international community for all important shared ecosystems.
The closing ceremony
President-elect Mohammed Valli Moosa underscored the importance of strengthening IUCN, in particular its Commissions. He drew attention to the role of the private sector in environmental degradation and the importance of mainstreaming conservation. He emphasized greater engagement with the private sector.
Yolanda Kakabadse highlighted the evolution of concepts and practices in the conservation movement, and noted the need to engage the private sector and to establish inclusive approaches in the development and implementation of policies.
Sat, Apr 23, 2005
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