Frank Lavin is now Chairman, Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, at Edelman – the largest PR company in the Asia-Pacific region. He previously was Under Secretary for International Trade at the US Department of Commerce and Ambassador to Singapore. In those capacities he was responsible for Trade agreements with China, India, Singapore – among his other imprint on US Asian commerce policy. Now he lives in Hong Kong.

When the US was in a position that there might not have been a US pavilion at this year’s -  six months long – May 1 to Oct 31, 2010 – World Fair in Shanghai, he volunteered to organize one with the help of business companies, and the friendly assistance of Secretary of State Hilary Clinton. Now he can look and say – we did it! It took him a mere one year to put up a respectable “Great Hall of the American People” pavilion.

This fair will have three times as many visitors as the New York World Fair and will be the largest ever in every respect – in size – number of countries exhibiting – 189, number of heads of State visiting 100. There are 240 pavilions that include 57 that are not by governments – such as IOs, NGOs, and businesses. 40 million visitors have already seen it by August 14th. It is expected that 60 million Chinese and 10 million foreigners, will have seen the Fair by the time it closes.

I found it extremely interesting that the Fair includes pavilions for Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macao – very nice and non-controversial -  and the Chinese go and see them. Also interesting that in their statistics these lands are counted as foreign. I wonder how are displayed the Chinese provinces and how the competition between them is handled? Is a decentralized vuew of China allowed in the Chinese huge and very beautiful red and white Chinese pavilion?

The main item in the US pavilion is a film that shows a girl that sees through her window the need to plant a tree in order to beautify the neighborhood. This is a subtle way to tell the visitors – mainly Chinese – that with initiative and cooperation, one can change the world for the better. It is not a government, but the individual human spirit that does it. You learn that you are responsible for the environment and your actions count. The overall theme of this year’s Fair is “Better City , Better Life, so there is nothing revolutionary in the US story here except this interpretation that it calls for an individual response to environmental needs.

It is hoped that this will be appreciated by the average person in the region – the fact that the US did not come to toot its horn by showing off achievements of the past – the US makes rather attempts at cooperation with the Chinese in many areas of common interest. That reminded me of the G2 approach that President Obama initiated ahead of going to Copenhagen – now we see that it could also be a people’s action if people are ready to do what is right for their communities. Maybe we should recommend that Americans also go to see this US pavilion in Shanghai.

Asked what else he could have done for the pavilion, Frank Lavin said that besides the content for the 30 minutes he planed for there are several minutes of waiting time in line that could have been used. For the people in lines outside – there is entertainment that changes – visiting bands – so on. Several people in the Asia Society audience have already been to see the pavilion, quite a few more said that they are scheduled to go. Michael Roberts, Executive Director, New York Public Programs at Asia Society chaired the event.

Aid only trickles to Pakistan’s monsoon disaster.

August 18, 2010

Islamabad, Pakistan (CNN) — Pakistan is reeling from a natural disaster affecting 20 million people but relief groups say donors have been painfully slow in helping.

When a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Haiti in January, donors responded with $13 billion in aid. Within 24 hours Hollywood mega-stars like George Clooney, Madonna, Tom Cruise and Beyonce had signed up for a telethon to raise money for Haiti’s quake victims.

By contrast nearly three weeks after flood waters inundated one-fifth of Pakistan, the United Nations has collected roughly half of the $460 million it has called for to meet the immediate needs of 20 million flood victims.

This week Oscar winner and U.N. goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie made a high-profile plea to ask the international community to give more aid to Pakistan.

Pakistan’s flood-affected areas

Pakistan flood: Before and after

“Hopefully there are a lot of people ready to give money,” Jolie told British television network ITN.

Aid workers and analysts say there are several possibilities why governments, individual donors and celebrities are not giving to Pakistan the way they’ve done with other disasters. None, they add, is a good excuse.

The relatively low death toll — roughly 1,500 killed — may have created the impression that Pakistan’s floods are not as severe as the Haiti quake and the Indian Ocean Tsunami where tens of thousands were instantly killed.

U.N. officials say the death toll in Pakistan’s floods belies the desperate and often life-threatening conditions of the 20 million victims. Many of them have lost their homes, their belongings and their sources of income.

Analysts say governments may also be suffering from “donor fatigue” with Pakistan. For years now Pakistan has been on a seemingly constant round of donor needs — money to revive its feeble economy, fight the Taliban, recover from the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, the 2009 refugee crisis and now these floods.

“A donor never gets fatigued,” Islamabad-based political analyst Mosharraf Zaidi told CNN.

“A donor, just as an idea, is not about ‘I’m fresh so I’ll give.’ You don’t give because you’re fresh. You give because of humanity.”

There’s also the perception that Pakistan is run by corrupt politicians and the aid won’t get to those who need it.

This week Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani insisted all aid would be transparent. Aid professionals say if you don’t trust the Pakistani government, then give to an international aid group you do trust.

“There are so many ways people can give that doesn’t have to be rooted in the government if that was a concern,” said OXFAM’s country director in Pakistan, Neva Khan.

Aid groups and analysts say the worst excuse not to give is the perception among many in the west that Pakistan is just not a good place, a country full of militants. It’s an image reinforced by the media’s obsession with extremism in Pakistan, says Mosharraf Zaidi.

“I think that coverage is fundamentally one of great reasons why it’s been hard for people to reach into their wallet.”

The cooling global economy may also have governments and individuals reluctant to give but analysts say the consequences of not giving to Pakistan could be costly.

In the short run people will go hungry, suffer from disease, and lose their fight to survive. In the long run a nation that’s critical in the fight against extremism may face a political crisis that could further destabilize the region.

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Except for Kuwait  and the UAE – the Islamic States are not on the donor list – Why? Is this not Ramadan time – if nothing else?

Seemingly, it is all coming from the US, UK, EU, Japan, Australia, Denmark, Switzerland. We  find China at less the $2 million – and we learned that Pakistan refused $5 million from India. At the pledging we learned that Georgia is contributing $1oo,ooo and there are small amounts from around the world.

All of the above seems strange but clear to us. It is the US that fights to keep Pakistan in one piece as it did in Iraq. Can Pakistan hold when the real enemy is climate change?

We are engaged in a project which seeks to address the problem of climate change displacement.
The focus of our project is a proposal for a convention for persons displaced by climate change.

Please find attached a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) about our climate change displacement convention.
The FAQs can also be found at the ‘Documents’ page of our project website – www.ccdpconvention.com.

Our proposed convention would largely operate prospectively; assistance to climate change displaced persons would be based on an assessment of whether their environment was likely to become uninhabitable due to events consistent with anthropogenic climate change such that resettlement measures and assistance were necessary.  In other words, displacement is viewed as a form of adaptation that creates particular vulnerabilities requiring protection as well as assistance through international cooperation.

If you have any questions about the paper please contact me at d.hodgkinson@hodgkinsongroup.com or on +61 402 824 832.

Best wishes
David

___________________________

David Hodgkinson

The Hodgkinson Group

+61 402 824 832 (international)

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www.ecocarbon.org.au

www.ccdpconvention.com

The 170 million people of Pakistan are in serious trouble, Besides the war in Afghanistan and the internal wars of secession, they got stricken also by tremendous floods that covered 20% of the land and made at least 20 million people homeless. Estimates are even higher. The UN says $460 million are needed for an initial reaction and supposedly only $80 million were subscribed according to Luis Morago of Avaaz.org – a good intended western NGO. In this context please read the following:

The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) approves $11 million humanitarian package of emergency relief and rehabilitation for Pakistan.

Expressing profound sympathy with the Pakistani government and nation on the unprecedented deadly and devastating flooding in the country which shows no signs of abating, the 269th meeting of the Board of Executive Directors of the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, approved a humanitarian package of $11 million to provide immediate financial assistance to the victims of the tragic environmental disaster. In addition to that, an IDB mission will leave for Pakistan immediately to assess the situation on the ground and discuss the relevant details of the package.

The $11 million humanitarian package, a combination of relief and rehabilitation operations, envisages immediate emergency relief and contribution to the rehabilitation efforts aimed at restoring normal functioning of community services in different sectors in Pakistan, including education, health, agriculture, water and sanitation facilities.

It consists of a $1.00 million grant to the government of Pakistan to finance some of the urgent relief activities in the disaster-stricken areas as well as the equivalent of $10.00 million in concessionary loan / soft-istisnaa’ for the rehabilitation and reconstruction of social services and food security facilities devastated by the floods in disaster areas.

Long-term reconstruction requirements, meanwhile, are expected to be included under the normal programming cycle in consultation with the government of Pakistan and in coordination with the donor community.

President Obama was supposed to go to Jakarta, but first postponed, then canceled the trip. Whatever the official explanation – Jakarta responded and was a no-show at the Washington meeting of the large economies (in effect we did raise the question with the US Department of State and on the record – we did not get a satisfactory answer and reported accordingly).

We saw a series of missteps that eventually will have to be corrected. We wrote about that earlier and moved Indonesia into the front page of our website with the understanding that the largest Muslim country that is a democracy with a growing middle class, will eventually live up to its potential of being a world leader. The following article strengthens us in above belief.

We also expect Indonesia to move on issues of Sustainable Development and Climate Change as it stands only to gain by becoming home to clean technologies. Indonesian leaders understand that much of their recent environmental disasters are global warming related – they also can be counted upon in efforts to restrain the forces of aggressive extreme Islam.

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After Years of Inefficiency, Indonesia Emerges as an Economic Model.

Enny Nuraheni/Reuters

After years of being known for inefficiency, corruption and instability, Indonesia is becoming an economic powerhouse in Asia.

By AUBREY BELFORD, an Independent journalist based in Indonesia. //

JAKARTA — After years of being known for inefficiency, corruption and instability, Indonesia is emerging from the global financial crisis with a surprising new reputation — economic golden child.

Adi Weda/European Pressphoto Agency
In Jakarta, worsening traffic and a proliferation of megamalls are seen as signs of the growing strength of the middle class.

The country’s economy, the largest in Southeast Asia, grew at an annual rate of 6.2 percent in the second quarter of this year, data released Thursday showed. That is an acceleration from 2009, when gross domestic product expanded 4.5 percent.

The stock market hit a record high last week and has been among the best-performing equities markets in Asia this year, rising more than 20 percent since Jan. 1. The country’s currency, the rupiah, has appreciated nearly 5 percent this year against the dollar, among the strongest showings in Asia besides that of the yen.

Foreign direct investment, which was held in check for years after the 1997 economic crisis in Asia, is also returning. The country had 33.3 trillion rupiah, or $3.7 billion, in foreign direct investment in the second quarter of this year, a 51 percent rise from a year earlier, the Investment Coordinating Board in Indonesia said last week. The country is on track to attract more foreign investment this year than it did in 2008, when it lured in $14.87 billion.

Such statistics have some here cautiously saying that the country, a Muslim-majority democracy and one of the world’s most populous countries, could soon merit the kind of attention that investors now lavish on China and India.

“Indonesia is one of the most interesting, most attractive destinations in the world,” said Lanang Trihardian, an analyst at Syailendra Capital, a fund management firm based in Jakarta. “Foreign investors have been flowing to Indonesia from maybe around mid-2009. We are seeing a lot of liquidity coming into Indonesia, and it is mostly going to capital markets, to bonds, to stocks.”

Undoubtedly, significant obstacles to sustained growth remain. Despite progress on corruption, investors complain of confusing regulations and labor laws that make it difficult to dismiss employees. Little infrastructure has been built since the Asian economic crisis in 1997, and rolling blackouts have plagued the country for years. While the education system has been successful in fulfilling basic requirements like literacy, the universities and colleges in the country are widely considered archaic.

But more than a decade after the chaotic overthrow of the Suharto dictatorship in 1998 — and subsequent fears of disintegration at the hands of separatist groups, as well as the threat of Islamic militancy — the country seems to have stabilized. It is rich in natural resources like palm oil, copper and timber, commodities that are in great demand in China.

The administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has won plaudits for reducing debt and has achieved some success fighting graft. Mr. Yudhoyono was resoundingly re-elected to a second five-year term in 2009, and changes aimed at introducing more democracy have seen power devolved to local governments, where elections have been largely peaceful, orderly affairs.

In one sense, Indonesia appears more attractive these days because much of the rest of the global marketplace looks so gloomy. Its low debt, high growth and a sense of optimism compare favorably with a mood of despondency in developed markets like the United States, Japan and Europe.

The huge consumer market in the country, accounting for more than two-thirds of G.D.P., has largely been credited for maintaining growth. Although the global economic crisis crimped confidence, Indonesia’s relatively young population of 240 million and government stimulus policies, as well as a popular program of direct cash transfers to the poor, have kept consumption humming.

In Jakarta, worsening traffic and a proliferation of megamalls are seen as signs of the growing strength of the middle class. At the center of the capital, the huge Grand Indonesia mall opened in 2007 and expanded during the global downturn, adding theme areas with mockups of New York, Japan, the Arabian Peninsula and Paris, complete with a miniature, spinning Moulin Rouge windmill.

“We’re selling international brands here so Indonesians don’t have to shop abroad for them,” said Teges Prita Soraya, a spokeswoman for the mall, adding that trade, largely in imported luxury brands, had surged ahead despite the global crisis.

The mall is home to the country’s first branch of Harvey Nichols, the upscale British department store, and has boutiques for luxury brands like Chanel, Armani and Dolce & Gabbana — which already have branches in other malls across the city.

Yet there is criticism that economic growth has had less effect than it should have for the majority. About 15 percent of the population lives below the country’s official poverty line of around $1 a day, but advocates for the poor say the percentage would be larger if Indonesia set the bar a little higher, say, at $1.25. Relatively sluggish growth in labor-intensive industries has meant slow progress in curbing unemployment, which is over 7 percent.

The New York Times

The government believes that one solution to moving to a higher level of sustained growth is foreign investment, particularly in industries like manufacturing. The government’s investment coordinating board, known as BKPM, is hoping to attract $30 billion to $40 billion in annual foreign investment by 2015 — three to four times as much as it achieved last year, said Gita Wirjawan, head of the agency.

In an economy currently worth $650 billion a year and expected to grow to $1 trillion in five years, that is not terribly much. But it is “optically” very important for establishing Indonesia as a serious investment destination, he said.

“It’s not a slam-dunk, but it’s achievable,” he said.

Indonesia gets the largest share of its foreign investment from within the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, with non-Asean states like Japan and South Korea, as well as European countries, making up much of the rest.

Indonesia is working to change rules to make it easier to acquire land for infrastructure and is seeing interest in infrastructure investment, Mr. Wirjawan said.

The government recently eased investment rules in areas including health care, construction and electricity generation. At the same time, it is working to put the flow of “hot,” or speculative, money to better use, passing rules on government bonds requiring foreign investors to keep their money in the country for longer.

Such efforts seem to be paying off. The government announced this week that China’s sovereign fund, China Investment Corp., was hoping to invest $25 billion in infrastructure projects in Indonesia. Posco, the South Korean steel giant, signed a $6 billion deal on Wednesday to build a plant in Indonesia with the local producer Krakatau Steel.

While investment in manufacturing still lags behind other sectors, Mr. Wirjawan said that Indonesia, with its relatively low labor costs, was reaping the benefits of rising costs in regional competitors.

“We’re seeing an increasing relocation of factories by the Taiwanese, the Koreans and Japanese from Vietnam and China, given their rising labor costs and given the increased stability that people are seeing in Indonesia from an economic and political standpoint,” he said.

The Indonesian Footwear Association has said that major brands including Asics, Mizuno and New Balance have shifted part of their production to Indonesia this year because of rising costs elsewhere. Indonesia’s footwear industry employs 640,000 people and exported $1.8 billion worth of goods in 2009, said the association’s chairman, Eddy Widjanarko. Producers are hoping to increase that figure to $2 billion this year.

Katja Schreiber, a spokeswoman for Adidas — which has also been aggressively expanding production in Indonesia — said the country, its third-biggest supplier, offered “abundant labor availability, good quality, competitive prices and political stability.” Although production here is growing rapidly, she said, it is not happening at the expense of its top suppliers, China and Vietnam.

The local stock market has reflected the perceived strengths of the economy. Shares related to commodities, Indonesia’s main export sector, have been strong earners. Banking stocks have risen along with the generally upbeat mood on consumption and the relatively good health of the sector, which, for the most part, weathered the credit crisis reasonably well. Major consumer shares like Unilever Indonesia and the car distributor Astra International have been consistent leaders on the local index.

All this exuberance has raised some fears that inflation could become a big problem. The country’s central bank, Bank Indonesia, decided to hold its benchmark interest rate at 6.5 percent this week, despite a jump in annual inflation to 6.22 percent in July.

Regardless, many feel that Indonesia’s time has come again.

“In Asia there is a feeling that after you invest in China and after you invest in India, where are you going to invest? said Fauzi Ichsan, senior economist for Standard Chartered in Indonesia.

“It’ll have to be Indonesia. It’s a natural destination.”
 http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/06/busine…

Fareed mentioned that on this day, nine years ago, he took the Oath of Naturalization and became a US citizen – clearly a tremendous gain for the US.

He mentioned this while showing 57 military personnel serving with the US forces in Afghanistan who took today their oath of Naturalization right there in Afghanistan swearing that they will be ready to take up arms in the defense of the United States – this please note while they are already fighting on behalf of US Government even though they were not yet US citizens.

This might have been an expressive thing that caught my eye on the CNN/GPS  program – sort of corollary to the main meat of the program that dealt with the G-20 meeting on the World Economy and the US position on the conclusions of the meeting.

Our clear decision watching the program is that the US is far from being united and one. In effect it is divided in two, and it was Fareed Zakaria – the newest American – who tried to bind the two parts into one. But what is even worse, the two opposing parts – both of them – are not purely American – but rather still beholden to the British outreach – this after all of these 234 years.

So, as Fareed would say – “let us see:”

The G-20 decided (that is except for Japan) that we must start decreasing debt because otherwise the cost of borrowing money increases prohibitively. Today is Greece – tomorrow it’s us.

The stakes are the future of US and Global Prosperity and the two opposing points of view are:

(A) As presented by Paul Krugman – an American steeped in Keynesian (English) economics – said that our reaction today is like it was in the 30s and we will face similar consequences – a similar large depression which he calls The Coming Third Depression.

We need increased stimulus now – a la Keynes – and he told us so earlier that the $800 Billion were just not enough. He does not want to see unemployment keeping  workers out of a job for 3-4 years as it becomes harder for them to return ever to a job. They will be lost into a structured unemployment reality.

Also, people will be afraid to spend enough to keep the economy going. In uncertainty they will hold on to their money as this will seem the right thing to do, but it will cause drop in prices and deflation.

So, if we do not increase spending now – in the next 1-2 years – in the short term – we drift into The Third Depression.

A trillion dollars spending now will cause $26 Billion in interest per year but this is not so much.

(B) On the other side was Niall Ferguson, himself British of Glasgow, and we do not know if he ever started steps to become American.

He points a finger at the US debt and says the US must start to decrease spending and have also some increase in taxes if it wants to get back some credibility in the world. He said the financial crisis is already happening – right now – and we will not have a Keynesian answer of stimulus in the future.

The US Treasuries are safe heaven like Pearl Harbor was until something happened. Imagine something happening – then what?

Ferguson talks of a rationalized new tax structure that is a serious option. He was reminded by Fareed that this is the Republican approach that was presented by Congressman Paul Ryan from Wisconsin, and was told that in the Meeting with him, there were two more Congressmen present. So, what we are talking here is a Policy Change but Fareed is skeptical. If we cannot even raise the retiremment age by one year, how will we achieve radical change?

The answer was that when an international Bond market crisis hits – there wil be a radical restructure of policy. It seems that the Republican answer to Keynes is to create first a total collapse that will radicalize the wealth divide before readiness to do anything at all. That smells of the 30s all-right.

Fareed added that American companies have a lot of cash at hand from earnings that they do not spend – to which Ferguson reacted that confidence is low. if you look at China, India, Indonesia, Brazil, growing very fast and you sit on money at a US company, so what are you to do?

The Chinese had it very well when keeping out of a Western Crisis, but they over-heated and have wage unrest as a consequence. If we do the right thing – they will do the right thing – he said.

(C) The Fareed Zakaria Unifier Proposal:
That seems easy – Go for a second stimulus coupled with an announced 10 year program or what we say all the time – do now what should have been done then – Give money to companies only so that they work with you on betterment and problem solving – not as giveaway and bailouts.

Clearly he says – the US never had a problem borrowing money – this until we will!

Further – the issue is not Small Government or Big Government – But Smart Government.

———————–

Back to Afghanistan, Fareed Zakaria noted that having been told that the number of Al Qaeda men in Afghanistan is 100, and the yearly expenditure on the war by the US is $100 Billion – this comes to $1 Billion/Al Qaeda man/year. At the same time -  legally, at Afghan airports, $2.7 Million declared money leaves daily, and this is by far much more then all the taxes that the Afghan Government collects. The illegal exit of money is obviously much much higher – so what is the US doing there?

———————-

Also, today, July 4, 2010 is DAY 76 of the BP oil-spill and the TV showed a huge ship called “A WHALE” that was refitted specifically for the purpose of collecting water and oil mixtures in order to retrieve the oil from the water. This does not yet make the US independent of its oil industry strongmen.

VENICE, La., July 4 (UPI) — The world’s largest skimming vessel, A Whale, could play a crucial role in oil cleanup efforts in the Gulf of Mexico if tests succeed, maritime experts say.

The tanker, which can skim about 21 million gallons of oil a day by taking in water with oil and separating it, was conducting tests in a 5-square-mile area north of the underwater spill Sunday, CNN reported.

The ship is capable of skimming at least 250 times the amount of oil that modified fishing vessels now in the gulf are able to contain, said Taiwanese shipping company TMT, the ship’s owner.

Initial test results could be available Monday, TMT spokesman Bob Grantham said. A Whale arrived in the gulf Wednesday and was waiting approval to join in cleanup operations.

A Whale is a Liberian flagged oil tanker built in 2010 by Hyundai Heavy Industries, Ulsan, South Korea. She was refitted and converted in Portugal into a so-called “super skimmer” to assist in the clean up of the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill. A Whale arrived in the Gulf of Mexico on 30 June 2010, while financial agreements were yet pending.

The “WHALE” is thus capable to retrieve some of the oil – clearly a financial gain for BP.

FOCUS ON LOCAL DEVELOPMENT COULD AID CAMBODIA OVERALL, SAYS UN REPORT .

A national strategy for local development in Cambodia could bridge the rural-urban divide and bring the Southeast Asian country closer to achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), according to a report released today by the United Nations.

Beyond the Midpoint: Achieving the MDGs and by the Local Development Outlook on Cambodia, produced by the UN Capital Development Fund (UNCDF), is the first publication of its kind to provide a comprehensive overview of local development trends in Cambodia.

It shows that decentralization would allow local governments to respond more appropriately to the needs of local communities.

“A strong consensus is emerging that a new policy approach is needed, one that builds on local knowledge to tailor public policy to specific circumstances,” UN Resident Coordinator Douglas Broderick told some 340 people who attended the launch of the report.

Such an approach would help guide Cambodian decision-makers “harness local potential and exploit opportunities for economic diversification and development,” he said at the gathering, which drew Government officials, representatives of academia and civil society, and development partners.

The report’s release comes two months ahead of the MDG Summit to be convened by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in September in New York.

With the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs looming, Mr. Ban has been urging world leaders to try to accelerate progress towards achieving the eight development goals, which include targets for slashing poverty, boosting school enrolment rates, improving maternal health and increasing access to clean water and decent sanitation.

Sergio had vision, good will, and the stamina of drive to high value achievements. He knew how to fit in the UN system but also was ready to pull the system in directions he considered right. Coming from Brazil, but having had also a thorough European upbringing in an intellectual global oriented home, he saw the potential in Kofi Annan’s Global Compact, its potential importance to Human Rights, and as such was ready to help. Without him around anymore, not even this UN organization has performed as the initiator’s envisioned.

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

Article by Sergio Vieira de Mello, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

‘Leader to leader’ commentary to Special Edition on Business and Human Rights.
New Academy Review, 5th Edition, 2003

www.unglobalcompact.org/docs/news_events/9…/bshop_unhchr.pdf

We found the following article and could not resist posting it – these days when the Global Compact, in New York City, at the Marriott hotel across town from the UN, had its 10th year celebratory meeting – under UN regulations that took it practically off its purpose and of the attention of the public.

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When the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was adopted more than 50 years ago, the nation-state was the principal actor in the international arena. Today, in what has became known as the globalized world, transnational corporations have assumed significantly expanded roles, in some ways even superseding the roles of nation states. As the corporate role has grown, so have expectations for corporate responsibility. A company’s investment choices can make the difference between growth and decline for an entire country; how a company manufactures its products can make the difference between healthy economic growth and environmental devastation. Such power brings responsibility.

—
In the field of human rights — my particular concern as High Commissioner — there are growing expectations that corporations should do everything to promote and respect universally agreed standards. The parameters, however, are still being defined, and uncertainties remain about what is expected from corporations with regards to human rights.

Governments continue to possess primary responsibility for their citizens and for the protection of human rights.

Corporations, even as they accept greater responsibility in the human rights field, do not have the same legal duties as States under international law. Corporations cannot be expected to substitute for governments.

Nonetheless, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights calls upon all individuals and all organs of society to protect, uphold and promote human rights. This applies to governments and companies, individuals and groups.

Parts of the UN human-rights system are now addressing the role of the business sector. Several standard-setting initiatives, recently concluded or underway, will reinforce this trend. Indirect obligations for corporations will be strengthened through new or proposed treaties that deal with anti-corruption and tobacco control, for example — both of which touch on human rights issues.

Governments are negotiating and endorsing other standards that place indirect obligations on companies, for example with respect to the sale of diamonds from areas of armed conflict and the illicit trade in small arms. The Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights — an expert body of the inter-governmental Commission on Human Rights — is in the process of developing human-rights principles for companies under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other universally accepted norms. These principles are expected to place direct obligation on companies.

The European Parliament has called on the European Union to adopt binding human-rights regulations to govern the conduct of transnational corporations based in Europe.

It is often assumed that companies would oppose the development of legal standards to respect human rights. Recourse to law suggests (expensive) compliance procedures and possible litigation. However, companies committed to respecting rights will want to have some guidance in fulfilling that commitment; and all companies will benefit from clarity in international law. When the scope of duties is doubtful, companies cannot easily defend themselves or prevent criticism. Beyond that, corporate commitments to human rights should not carry market penalties. Where commitments are purely voluntary, pioneering companies might lose out to competitors who aren’t as committed to human rights. International standards provide a level playing field.

I believe that binding standards are crucial to enable the enforcement of minimum norms. But that is different, of course, from making a business case for change. We must provide incentives so that doing the right thing also makes good business sense. By focusing exclusively on setting standards, business is driven toward the logic of managing the costs of compliance. Society will then fail to benefit from the tremendous power of business to innovate and establish new forms of behaviour.

Business leaders don’t have to wait – indeed, increasingly they can’t afford to wait – for governments to pass and enforce legislation before they pursue “good practices” in support of international human rights standards within their own operations and in the societies of which they are part.

The Global Compact offers one possible vehicle for corporations to engage in achieving public goals. Formally launched by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in July 2000, the Global Compact calls on business leaders, trade unions and NGOs to join forces behind a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labor standards and the environment and to enact these principles within their spheres of influence. The Secretary-General picked these three areas because he was worried by a severe imbalance in global rule-making: while there are extensive and enforceable rules for economic priorities, there are few strong measures for these other concerns that have such a direct impact on human welfare.

Several hundred companies, from a very wide range of countries, have responded to the Global Compact. They are working with labour federations, civil society and the UN to make the Global Compact principles part of the strategic vision and everyday practices of companies in all regions.
With respect to human rights, corporations signing up to the Global Compact should, first, ensure that they support and respect human rights within their sphere of influence as set out in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and, second, ensure they are not themselves complicit in human rights abuses.
More specifically, once a company has signed up to the Global Compact, it should set in motion changes to business operations so that the Global Compact and its principles become part of strategy, culture and day-to-day operations. The company is expected to publicly advocate the Global Compact and its principles via corporate communications such as press releases and speeches. It is further expected to publish in its annual report or similar document (e.g., sustainability report) describing the ways in which it is supporting the Global Compact and all its nine principles.

The Global Compact is developing a learning forum which will serve as an information bank of the disparate experiences — some successful, some not — companies have had in trying to implement the Compact’s principles. The idea is to move toward a system of performance-based good practices, reflecting the judgment of the broader international community, rather than
asking companies simply to adhere to varied and often weak local standards and legislation. It is too early to say whether this initiative will bring about large-scale improvements in business practices around the world. But I believe it is an experiment worth trying.

The corporate pioneers in this field have already shown there is much a company can do within its spheres of influence. For instance:

• HIV/AIDS: Volkswagen in Brazil and DaimlerChrysler in South Africa have introduced expanded “Aids Care” programs;

• Corporate culture: Companies such as Novartis, Pearson and Spedpol have incorporated the Compact’s principles into employees’ job responsibilities and criteria for success through their worldwide operations;

• Tolerance: Volvo and five other companies are combating discrimination and promoting diversity with a joint report and awareness campaign.

What does the Global Compact mean for involving the private sector in our human-rights work at the UN? Allow me to give you a few brief examples. At the 2001 World Conference against Racism, the Global Compact provided the framework for analysis and reflection on some very interesting initiatives by six companies from five continents on diversity, equality and non-discrimination in the workplace and surrounding communities. A multi-stakeholder workshop looked at partnership approaches to fighting discrimination and fostering diversity; a panel co-hosted by the OHCHR and the ILO brought together trade union, company and UN representatives to share experiences of implementing equal-opportunity and diversity policies within organisations. The resulting report of company experience, called ‘Discrimination is Everybody’s Business’, is available on the Global Compact website. The initiative has inspired a number of national initiatives between business and civil society that are getting underway this year.

My Office is also developing its role as a facilitator of dialogue with the private sector. In December 2001, for example, we hosted a workshop between representatives of indigenous peoples and natural-resource, energy and mining companies. There was a lively discussion at the workshop which led to recommendations for joint action.

The Global Compact is a voluntary initiative to promote good corporate citizenship. I want to stress that it is not, and must not be, a mere public relations exercise. A commitment to the Global Compact has to lead to concrete actions in support of the core principles.

A two-part approach – standard setting and voluntary action – to me is the right one if we are, in the words of Secretary-General Kofi Annan, “to reconcile the creative forces of private entrepreneurship with the needs of the disadvantaged and the requirements of future generations.”

——————————————-

This article appeared in the Spring 2003 edition of the ‘New Academy Review’, with over twenty articles focusing on ‘business and human rights’. For subscription details please e-mail:  info at new-academy-review.com.

 http://www.unutki.org/news.php?news_id=9…

The UN University – Traditional Knowledge Institute.

From The Indigenous Peoples.

Guest Article: The Road Ahead in Climate Change.

Date: 7/Apr/2010

Under the Traditional Knowledge Bulletin, the UNU-IAS TKI is currently running a series of guest articles/ commentaries on topical issues in traditional knowledge. If you would like your research to be considered for inclusion in this series, please contact us with details.

This opinion piece focuses on the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) and possible priorities for 2010 from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples.

Published online: 7 April 2010

Summary

This article provides an analysis of the outcome of the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 15) and possible priorities for 2010 from the perspective of Indigenous Peoples. Key gaps in the negotiated text include lack of reference to the UNDRIP in developing REDD methodologies, limitations in addressing the drivers of deforestation, and no specific mention of Indigenous Peoples in the Copenhagen Accord. Five priorities are proposed to ensure that Indigenous Peoples and their issues are promoted and they secure adequate representation and protection in the developing climate change regime. The annext provides a list of references to relevant issues in the outcomes of COP 15.

Introduction
Key gaps in the text
Political consequences
Indigenous participation
Next steps
Annex – References to Indigenous Peoples issues in the outcomes of COP-15
Footnotes
Acronyms

You can also download a pdf of this document by following this link.

On the eve of the resumption of the climate change negotiations, we thought it useful to reflect on the outcome of the 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009) (COP 15) and possible priorities for 2010 from the perspective of Indigenous People.

Many Indigenous People arrived at COP 15 with high expectations. There were important references to their rights, interest and their role in addressing climate change in the draft negotiating texts before the meeting. Also there was a high level of awareness amongst many of the participants, and critically the negotiators, about the importance of Indigenous People issues.

However the overall outcomes of COP 15 may be characterized, the texts adopted by the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (LCA) still contains important references to Indigenous People interests and positions. Useful references for Indigenous People issues are in the decisions on adaptation, technology development and transfer, REDD, capacity-building, MRV and sectoral approaches and sector-specific actions in agriculture (see the annex for these references). These references provide a basis on which to build and ensure that Indigenous People have an adequate role in the UNFCCC regime and their interests and rights are protected.

Key gaps in the text

As with any negotiated text improvements are possible. Key gaps in these texts identified by Indigenous People include, a reference to the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in developing methodologies on REDD Plus and their full and effective engagement in REDD plus activities should not only be limited to monitoring and reporting, but should also include engagement in the design of REDD Plus as well. Another issue has been the reference to addressing the drivers of deforestation in the SBSTA and LCA documents being limited to developing countries only. As the international timber trade and international mining operations are significant drivers of deforestation it makes sense to look at the drivers not only within developing countries but also beyond. The need for a UNFCCC expert workshop to discuss the guidance for the effective engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities has been emphasized as well.

The absence of any specific mention of Indigenous Peoples in the Copenhagen Accord, as well as the overall impact of the Accord on the UNFCCC process, is an important outcome of COP 15. The effect the Accord will have on the UNFCCC process and hence the absence of any specific reference to Indigenous Peoples is not, however, foreseeable at the moment. The Accord has two main elements, a substantial commitment for adaptation funding and a mechanism whereby countries individually propose their greenhouse gas emission target without reference to any overall global target. The Accord doesn’t contradict or add to the KP or LCA texts. Its main concepts are present as options in the LCA and the KP texts. Indeed, the text of the Accord doesn’t have any specific or obvious effect on the detailed issues in the UNFCCC text that are of direct concern to Indigenous Peoples. So, for example, the Accord recognises the role of REDD + but the details of what this means are contained in the UNFCCC text and it is the detailed safeguards in the UNFCCC text which are of concern to Indigenous Peoples. Furthermore, the Accord was “noted” by the COP and as such it is not an official part of the UNFCCC process (although it does create obligations for those countries that have associated themselves with it – the commitment to funding therefore is of some interest to Indigenous People).

Political Consequences

There have been many calls from developing countries to restart the negotiations on the LCA and KP texts and in effect ignore the Accord and for the UNFCCC process to resume as quickly as possible. Key developed countries such as the US, Japan, the UK, Germany and France have heavily promoted the Accord and stated that it provides a framework for tackling climate change and a vital input to the UNFCCC process. The countries promoting the Accord have been largely silent about the LCA and KP process and the detailed official texts coming from COP 15. Some like, the US, have argued that the UNFCCC is unable to effectively develop a response to climate change and are looking to other fora, such as the Major Economic Forum, to develop robust meaningful international policies. Until the UNFCCC process resumes its negotiation process on 9 April 2010 it will be difficult to predict the significance of this silence and the real impact of the Accord.

Additionally, the pledges given so far under the Copenhagen Accord do not have the capacity to meet the target of a 2 degree temperature rise (which would still be damaging enough to the environment). The scientific group Ecofys and the World Resource Institute (WRI) have estimated that even with the commitments under the Accord, there will still be a 3 degree rise in temperature or more. Thus the pledges made do not even meet the Accord’s own standard.

Another important but unknown result from COP 15 is the political consequences of engaging the world leaders in a failure. One can only speculate what the various presidents, prime ministers, and other leaders made of their COP 15 experience, but it surely will not be altogether positive and may undermine their views about the usefulness of the UN and its ability to address climate change. The recent decision by the UN Secretary General to review the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) process is in part due to the lack of confidence in the UNFCCC arising from this COP 15 experience.

The UNFCCC process since COP 13 has seen the emergence of various successful indigenous lead initiatives. The International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) became very active and engaged over the course of the negotiations since COP 13.

Indigenous participation

Tebtebba brought to the negotiation sessions many indigenous partners from various countries who are engaged in REDD readiness activities. Through this initiative they were able to develop a core of Indigenous Leaders who are knowledgeable about the global processes and who are linking the local to the global and the global to the local.

Successful initiatives like these and the active participation of Indigenous People in the negotiations have played a large part in ensuring the recognition of indigenous rights in the texts.

The UNFCCC process, along with various REDD projects, has also provided opportunities for indigenous people at the national and local level. For example, the Centro para la Autonomía y Desarollo de los Pueblos Indígenas (CADPI), or the Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development, in Nicaragua have played an important role in designing the REDD projects in Nicaragua and developed a diploma course on “Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples” at the University of the Autonomous Regions of the Caribbean Coast of Nicaragua. In Indonesia, the Aliansi Masyarakat Adat Nusantara (AMAN) or Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago, are actively working to persuade the Government of Indonesia to convince the Indonesian Government to reform its forest policy to recognize indigenous peoples’ rights over their traditional forests. In Kenya, the Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development (MPIDO) is now involved in negotiations for a new Kenyan constitution. These success are in part due to their visibility in the international REDD processes and the UNFCCC negotiations.

Next Steps

The goals of Indigenous People at COP 13 in Bali, were to ensure that text that updated or replaced the Kyoto Protocol contained meaningful references to Indigenous People rights and issues, with a view to then using these references as a basis for developing a mechanism that engaged and respected Indigenous Peoples, their rights and their role in the regime in the subsequent implementation (like in the CBD).

Realizing these goals is still possible. The current text still contains adequate references to Indigenous People issues, albeit different in substance to what some had initially hoped for (i.e. weak representation on the Adaptation Board but a possibility to be involved in the Technology Executive Committee). It is important for Indigenous Peoples to ensure that these references remain. Furthermore, the decisions adopted at COP 15 to guide the future negotiations have not ruled out the possibility of further suggestions to the text. Therefore at the next meeting of the LCA, Indigenous People may be able to address some of the gaps that emerged from the negotiation process so far.

The failure of COP 15 has highlighted what many seasoned observers had been saying before the meeting, that COP 15 not an end in itself but merely another step in a long process. The lack of leadership from the UNFCCC process creates a vacuum and highlights the importance of action at other levels and in other areas. As a result leadership from Indigenous People becomes more important after COP 15. Leadership from other sectors of society also assumes a greater importance.

Given the post COP 15 landscape the following goals are priorities to ensure that Indigenous People and their issues are promoted and they secure adequate representation and protection in the developing climate change regime:-

• Maintaining presence and participation in UNFCCC process to defend the existing references and to address gaps in the text. It will be important though to follow the process till COP 16 to make sure that the gains made so far are retained and the gaps addressed. To stop participating in the UNFCCC meeting now would jeopardize the investment made by Indigenous Peoples and others in the process so far. COP 16 will be held in Cancun in December 2010. This will be a more Indigenous People friendly location and venue than Copenhagen, which will allow Indigenous Peoples to have a greater impact on the meeting than they had at COP 15;
• Raising awareness about Indigenous People and TK in other relevant national and international processes to support action in the UNFCCC process. Here the CBD process is important, due to its strong recognition of Indigenous People and Traditional Knowledge, along with its influence as a sister Rio Convention of the UNFCCC and the fact that 2010 is a high profile year for biodiversity, especially at the high-level segment of the UN General Assembly on “Biodiversity: Challenges and Responses” and COP 10. The UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, the Expert Mechanism on Indigenous Peoples’ Rights and the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous peoples are important other mechanisms for promoting Indigenous Rights in the climate change regime;
• Promoting indigenous participation in the numerous REDD initiatives, the deforestation fund proposed at COP 15 and relevant carbon trading initiatives such as the World Banks Forest Carbon Partnership Facility. Billions of dollars are being invested in these initiatives over the next few years and their impact at the local level for Indigenous People will probably be greater than any other international initiative;
• Ensuring Fifth Assessment report of IPCC includes Indigenous People views and TK. The IPCC has highlighted the need for greater use of TK in its next report. Also the challenges facing the UNFCCC process and the vacuum created by COP 15, means that the IPCC will be looked to by many countries as a process to provide policy and legal leadership; and
• Mobilizing more local action among Indigenous People by promoting awareness about success stories (eg the work of MPIDO, CADPI and AMAN mentioned above or the fire abatement project in Northern Australia being developed by NAILSMA). The nature of the negotiations within the UNFCCC process means that real life case studies have a powerful impact on the negotiations. There are many Indigenous People and TK case studies full of great ideas and potential that the UNFCCC process is still totally unaware of or only partially aware of. Bringing these case studies to the attention of the negotiators is still an important and effective way of supporting the goals of Indigenous Peoples in these emerging climate change regime.

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Annex – References to Indigenous People issues in the COP 15 outcomes

1: Report of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention on its eighth session (FCCC/AWGLCA/2009/17)

Draft decision A.

Outcome of the work of the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention

Further recognizing that a broad range of stakeholders needs to be engaged on global, regional, national and local levels… and the effective participation of women and indigenous peoples are important for effective action on all aspects of climate change,

Noting resolution 10/4 of the United Nations Human Rights Council on human rights and climate change, which recognizes that human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development, and the importance of respecting Mother Earth, its ecosystems and all its natural beings

Draft decision B.

Enhanced action on adaptation

4. Invites all Parties, taking into account their common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities and specific …. development priorities…to undertake, inter alia:

(f) Enhancing disaster risk reduction, … early warning systems; risk assessment and management; and the establishment of risk sharing and transfer mechanisms and insurance schemes at local, national, subregional and regional levels to address loss and damage associated with climate change impacts in developing countries that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change;

5.

Option 1

Decides that developing country Parties should be provided with long-term, scaled up, adequate, new and additional to official development assistance commitments and predictable grant-based finance in the order of at least [x billion] [x per cent of the gross domestic product of developed country Parties] as part of the repayment of their climate debt as well as with support for technology, insurance and capacity-building to implement urgent, short-, medium- and long-term adaptation actions, programmes and projects at local, national, subregional and regional levels, in and across different economic and social sectors and ecosystems, including the activities referred to in paragraph 4 above;

6.

Option 1

Establishes [a] [an] [Adaptation Committee6] [Subsidiary Body on Adaptation] [Advisory Body on Adaptation] … to guide, supervise, support, administer and monitor the operation of the Copenhagen Adaptation [Framework] [Programme] by:

(c) [Enhancing the sharing of information, knowledge, including traditional knowledge, experience and good practices, at local, national, regional and international levels;]

13. Invites relevant … stakeholders to undertake and support enhanced action on adaptation at all levels, as appropriate, in a coherent and integrated manner, building on synergies among activities and processes, and to assist in the implementation of the Copenhagen Adaptation [Framework] [Programme].

Draft decision D.

Enhanced action on technology development and transfer

10. [Decides that the Technology Executive Committee is hereby defined and shall have the following functions:

(a) Provide, upon request, analysis on policy and technical issues related to the development and transfer of technology for mitigation and adaptation, and consider and recommend, as appropriate, actions that may be necessary to promote technology development and transfer in order to enable action on mitigation and adaptation;

(b) Prepare criteria on activities and/or outcomes of activities eligible for technological, financial and capacity-building support;

(c) Seek cooperation with relevant international technology initiatives, relevant stakeholders and organizations, promote coherence and cooperation across technology activities including activities inside and outside of the Convention, liaise with other bodies under the Convention and facilitate networking;

(d) Catalyse the development and use of technology road maps or action plans at international, regional and national levels through cooperation by relevant stakeholders, particularly governments and relevant organizations or bodies, including the development of best practice and guidelines, as facilitative tools for action on mitigation and adaptation;

Technology Centres and Network

15. Decides that a Climate Technology Centre [and Climate Technology Network] is hereby defined with the following functions to support and accelerate the diffusion of environmentally sound technologies for mitigation and adaptation to developing country Parties through the provision, upon request, of technical assistance and training:

(a) Provide advice and support to developing country Parties and their stakeholders for the identification of technology needs and the implementation of environmentally sound technologies, practices and processes;

Draft decision E.

Enhanced action on capacity-building

4. [Also decides that action on capacity-building should be enhanced in order to: ... address emerging capacity-building needs in the areas of adaptation, mitigation and technology development and transfer, as outlined [under the agreed outcome of the building blocks of the Bali Action Plan] [under the agreed outcome for the enhanced implementation of the Convention] through, inter alia:]

(c) Developing and/or strengthening national and/or regional networks for the generation, sharing and management of information and knowledge, including local and indigenous knowledge, experiences and best practices of developing countries, through, inter alia, South–South and triangular cooperation;

(e) Strengthening climate change communication, education, training and public awareness at all levels, including at the local and community levels, taking into account gender issues;

(f) Encouraging and strengthening participatory and integrated approaches, including the participation of various stakeholders, including [women and] youth, taking climate change considerations into account, to the extent feasible, in relevant social, economic and environmental policies and actions;

Draft decision G.

REDD decision

2. Further affirms that when undertaking activities referred to in paragraph 3 below, the following safeguards should be [promoted] [and] [supported]:

(c) Respect for the knowledge and rights of indigenous peoples and members of local communities, by taking into account relevant international obligations, national circumstances and laws, and noting that the General Assembly has adopted the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples;

(d) Full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, including in particular indigenous peoples and local communities in actions referred to in paragraphs 3 and 5 below;

(e) Actions that are consistent with the conservation of natural forests and biological diversity, ensuring that actions referred to in paragraph 3 below are not used for the conversion of natural forests, but are instead used to incentivize the protection and conservation of natural forests and their ecosystem services, and to enhance other social and environmental benefits;

6. Requests developing country Parties when developing and implementing their national strategy or action plan …. to address, inter alia, drivers of deforestation and forest degradation, land tenure issues, forest governance issues, gender considerations and the safeguards identified in paragraph 2 above, ensuring the full and effective participation of relevant stakeholders, inter alia, indigenous peoples and local communities;

11. [Requests that the promotion and implementation of all activities referred to in paragraphs 3, 5, 6 and 7 above, including consideration of the safeguards referred to in paragraph 2 above, and early action, be supported in accordance with [paragraph 1 (b) above and] relevant provisions agreed by the Conference of the Parties including:

(a) [Decision x/CP.15 (Finance);]

(b) [Decision x/CP.15 (1 (b) (v)),] [for result-based activities a flexible combination of funds and market-based sources subjected to modalities to be agreed by the Conference of the Parties at its [xx] session];

(c) [through existing bilateral and multilateral channels;]]

12. Requests Parties, [relevant international organizations and stakeholders] to ensure coordination of the activities referred to in paragraph 11 above, including of the related support, particularly at the country level;

Draft decision J.

Cooperative sectoral approaches and sector-specific actions in agriculture

Recognizing the interests of small and marginal farmers, the rights of indigenous peoples and traditional knowledge and practices, in the context of applicable international [instruments][obligations] and national [legislation][laws][, and national circumstances],

Noting resolution 10/4 of the United Nations Human Rights Council on human rights and climate change, which recognizes that human beings are at the centre of concerns for sustainable development, and the importance of respecting Mother Earth, its ecosystems and all its natural beings,

2: Draft decision -/CP.15

Methodological guidance for activities relating to reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation and the role of conservation, sustainable management of forests and enhancement of forest carbon stocks in developing countries (adopted by COP)

…

Recognizing the need for full and effective engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities in, and the potential contribution of their knowledge to, monitoring and reporting of activities relating to decision 1/CP.13, paragraph 1 (b) (iii),

3. Encourages, as appropriate, the development of guidance for effective engagement of indigenous peoples and local communities in monitoring and reporting;

—-

Footnotes:

(1) Sam Johnston is a Senior Research Fellow at UNU-IAS and is leading the development of the Traditional Knowledge Initiative. Vicky Tauli-Corpuz is the Executive Director of the Tebtebba Foundation and was the Chairperson of the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues between 2005-2009.

Acronyms:

• AMAN – Indigenous Peoples Alliance of the Archipelago
• CADPI – Center for Indigenous Peoples’ Autonomy and Development
• CBD – Convention on Biological Diversity
• COP-10 – 10th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (Nagoya, 18-29 October 2010)
• COP-13 – 13th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Bali, 3-15 December 2008)
• COP 15 – 15th United Nations Climate Change Conference (Copenhagen, 7-18 December 2009)
• IIPFCC – International Indigenous Peoples Forum on Climate Change
• IPCC – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change
• KP – Kyoto Protocol
• LCA – Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention
• MPIDO – Mainyoito Pastoralists Integrated Development
• MRV – Measurement, Reporting, and Verification
• NAILSMA – North Australia Indigenous Land and Sea Management Alliance
• REDD – Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation
• TK – Traditional knowledge
• UNDRIP – UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• UNFCCC – United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
• UNU-IAS – United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies
• WRI – World Resources Institute

 http://ipsterraviva.net/UN/currentNew.as…

South-South Cooperation Key to MDGs
IPS Correspondents

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 7 (IPS) – Member states meeting here Thursday called for the immediate implementation of development commitments made during the Nairobi high-level U.N. conference on cooperation between developing countries.

UNDP Administrator Helen Clark highlighted the importance of the Nairobi meeting on South-South cooperation in sharing information, technologies, and experiences across the South. The Nairobi outcome document calls for concrete measures to mainstream support for South-South and triangular cooperation in the U.N.’s work.

“I can assure you that we in UNDP have received that loud and clear message,” Clark said. “We have long proudly hosted the Special Unit for South-South Cooperation and fully supported its work.” On the heels of Thursday’s General Assembly High-level Committee on South-South Cooperation (HLC) meeting, focal points of South-South cooperation at 29 U.N. agencies met Friday at headquarters to discuss follow-up to the Nairobi conference.

“South-South cooperation is an expression of solidarity that has proven its relevance by a rapid growth,” said Ambassador Abdullah M. Alsaidi of Yemen, the chair of the Group of 77 developing countries.

“Cooperation across the South has been transformed by the growth of the emerging economies,” Clark explained.

The share of global GDP generated by low and middle income countries has grown from 15 percent to 25 percent over the last 50 years according to UNDP estimates, and analysts predict that emerging markets will outperform developed markets over the course of the next decade.

“Strengthening of regional integration and improved networking among members of regional blocs and organisations has a multiplier effect to South-South cooperation,” said Ambassador Zachary Muburi-Muita of Kenya, who was elected president of the HLC meeting here.

“The emerging economies in the South are attracting international attention and will increasingly acquire the muscle to influence the course of economic growth and development,” said Ambassador Gyan Chandra Acharya of Nepal, stressing that the recent successes of the developing world are in danger of being reversed and are not being felt equally across countries or regions.

Despite the gains achieved through trade and finance, delegations noted the deepening economic asymmetries among developing countries, particularly in regard to the least developed countries (LDCs) and landlocked developing countries.

The HLC stressed that the current financial, food and energy crises have exacerbated the vulnerabilities of developing countries that lack the capacity to withstand shocks.

There is an “implementation gap” that has been looming over the recommendations of the major U.N. conferences in the economic and social areas, delegates agreed.

It is only with “political will towards fulfilling the commitments that parties have undertaken in Nairobi that we can make real progress,” an Egyptian delegate stressed.

“South-South cooperation is immensely important at this time for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other internationally agreed goals, and for tackling climate change,” said Clark.

Clark urged delegations to take a particularly close look at the gender aspects of achieving the MDGs.

“Progress is lagging behind particularly on MDG5 on maternal health; on MDG3 on empowering women; and on MDG2 with respect to gender parity in access to education,” Clark said, “To achieve the MDGs and indeed other internationally agreed development goals, women have to be an equal part of the equation.”

In order to effectively implement the Nairobi outcome with demonstrable results, stakeholders need to identify “quick wins” whose implementation should be devoid of unnecessary red tape and bureaucracy, said Muburi-Muita.

The government of Brazil and the International Labour Organisation (ILO) have signed agreements on South-South cooperation to prevent and combat child labour and to promote good practices and lessons learned in Latin America and Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and Asia.

“This is an excellent example of how member states are able to engage entities of the U.N. system through a South-South and triangular partnership in support of their national development strategies,” according to the ILO delegation.

The HLC stressed local ownership of solutions as a key component of South-South cooperation.

“Now, as UNDP positions itself to be of the greatest possible relevance and support to developing countries in the 21st century, we see facilitating South-South exchanges of experience and knowledge as absolutely central to what we do,” Clark explained.

A growing priority of the U.N. will be to share experience on climate change adaptation and mitigation. This could include sharing knowledge on growing drought-tolerant crops, on reforestation, or on providing low-cost access to clean energy and transport technology.

Clark emphasised that a very wide range of developing countries make contributions to South-South cooperation. In the recent weeks “we have seen least developed and low-income countries, along with middle-income and net-contributing countries, digging deep into their pockets for Haiti,” she said.

ON THIS DAY – On Dec. 21, 1988, a terrorist bomb exploded aboard a Pan Am Boeing 747 over Lockerbie, Scotland, killing 270 people; now, 21 years later, remembering what addiction to oil can do to us, the New York Times starts to discern a path to a better future for the planet.

NEW YORK TIMES EDITORIAL OF December 21, 2009
Copenhagen, and Beyond.

The global climate negotiations in Copenhagen produced neither a grand success nor the complete meltdown that seemed almost certain as late as Friday afternoon. Despite two years of advance work, the meeting failed to convert a rare gathering of world leaders into an ambitious, legally binding action plan for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. It produced instead a softer interim accord that, at least in principle, would curb greenhouses gases, provide ways to verify countries’ emissions, save rain forests, shield vulnerable nations from the impacts of climate change, and share the costs.

The hard work has only begun, in Washington and elsewhere. But Copenhagen’s achievements are not trivial, given the complexity of the issue and the differences among rich and poor countries. President Obama deserves much of the credit. He arrived as the talks were collapsing, spent 13 hours in nonstop negotiations and played hardball with the Chinese. With time running out — and with the help of China, India, Brazil and South Africa — he forged an agreement that all but a handful of the 193 nations on hand accepted.

Mr. Obama aside, there were two keys to the deal. One was a dramatic offer of $100 billion in aid from the industrialized nations to poorer countries to help them move to less-polluting sources of energy and to deal with drought and other consequences of warming. The offer had an instant soothing effect on many poorer nations that had been threatening to walk out all week.

The other was China’s willingness to submit to a verification system under which all countries would agree to report on their actions and — assuming details could be worked out — open their books to inspection. Transparency is a huge issue in Congress, and Mr. Obama made clear in his opening remarks on Friday that he would not agree to a deal unless China gave ground.

An enormous amount of work lies ahead, both for the president and for the other signatories to what is now being called the Copenhagen Accord. In order to deliver on his promises to reduce America’s greenhouse gas emissions by 17 percent by 2020 and provide a chunk of that $100 billion in aid, Mr. Obama must persuade the Senate to approve a cap-and-trade bill — a huge task.

Meanwhile, there can be no letup by the rest of the world’s negotiators, no matter how tired and beat up they may be. These talks have been so chaotic and contentious that some people believe the United Nations machinery has outlived its usefulness, and real progress will henceforth be made in smaller gatherings of the big players.

There may be some truth to this, but at the moment it is hard to see how many of the arrangements agreed to in principle at Copenhagen — the verification system, for instance — can be made to work without detailed agreements. There must also be some mechanism that holds all countries responsible for doing everything they can to tackle climate change. As it is, the pledges now on the table, from both rich and poor countries, are nowhere near enough to keep atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide from rising above dangerous levels.

But for the moment it is worth savoring the steps forward. China is now a player in the effort to combat climate change in a way it has never been, putting measurable emissions reductions targets on the table and accepting verification. And the United States is very much back in the game too. After eight years of playing the spoiler, it is now a leader with a president who seems to embrace the role.

NEW YORK TIMES RECENT FURTHER ARTICLES ABOUT THE UN FRAMEWORK CONVENTION ON CLIMATE CHANGE

Mixed Bag for Obama on Climate Change Deal Amid the Recession

By JOHN HARWOOD

A victory for President Obama in Copenhagen will not necessarily help his popularity at home.

December 21, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: FOREIGN AID, GLOBAL WARMING, UNITED STATES ECONOMY, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, PELOSI, NANCY, OBAMA, BARACK, KERRY, JOHN

An Air of Frustration for Europe at Climate Talks

By JAMES KANTER

Caught off guard by the Copenhagen accord, European leaders felt pressure to back it even though they thought it did not go far enough and had a process in which they had little influence.

December 21, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, COPENHAGEN (DENMARK),EUROPEAN COMMISSION

Copenhagen’s One Real Accomplishment: Getting Some Money Flowing

By JAMES KANTER

The accord in Copenhagen was “a big step forward” after previous talks offered no financial support mechanisms, Ban Ki-moon, the U.N. secretary general, said.

December 21, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, ENERGY AND POWER,COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

Compromising on 2 Issues, Obama Gets Partial Wins

By PETER BAKER

From Copenhagen to Capitol Hill, the president determined the outer limits of what he could accomplish on climate change and health care and decided that was enough, for now.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, HEALTH INSURANCE AND MANAGED CARE, REFORM AND REORGANIZATION, OBAMA, BARACK

A Grudging Accord in Climate Talks

By ANDREW C. REVKIN and JOHN M. BRODER

After delays, theatrics and deal-making, climate talks ended with an agreement to “take note” of a pact shaped by five nations.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, TREATIES

• Science and Politics of Climate Change
• Who’s at the Climate Talks, and What Do They Seek?
• Climate Change Conversations

U.N. Climate Talks ‘Take Note’ of Accord Backed by U.S.

By ANDREW C. REVKIN and JOHN M. BRODER

The agreement left open the question of whether the accord would gain the full support of the countries involved in the talks on limiting the risks of climate change.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: COPENHAGEN (DENMARK)

• Science and Politics of Climate Change
• Who’s at the Climate Talks, and What Do They Seek?
• Climate Change Conversations

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Off to the Races

By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN

A competitive Earth Race led by America can be a more self-sustaining way to reduce carbon emissions than a festival of nonbinding commitments at a U.N. conference.

December 20, 2009

MORE ON THE UNFCCC AND: GLOBAL WARMING, GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS, UNITED STATES, UNITED NATIONS

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Updated Dec. 18, 2009

Representatives of 192 nations gathered in Copenhagen to seek a consensus on an international strategy for fighting global warming, in a series of meetings between Dec. 7 and Dec. 18, 2009.

Leaders concluded a climate change deal the Obama administration called “meaningful” but which fell short of even the modest expectations for the summit. The maneuvering that characterized the final week of the talks was a sign of their seriousness; never before have global leaders come so close to a significant agreement to reduce the greenhouse gases linked to warming the planet.

President Obama injected himself into a multilayered negotiation that was far more chaotic and contentious than anticipated – frozen by longstanding divisions between rich and poor nations and a legacy of mistrust of the United States, which has long refused to accept any binding limits on its greenhouse gas emissions.

The accord drops what had been the expected goal of concluding a binding international treaty by the end of 2010, which leaves the implementation of its provisions uncertain. It is likely to undergo many months, perhaps years, of additional negotiation before it emerges in any internationally enforceable form.

Read More…

Finally a second shoe comes of at the UN Department of Public Information that services the Ban Ki-moon UN Administration. After the replacement of the officer in charge of Media Accreditation, now also a new Spokesperson.

November 30, 2009 UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon is getting a new Spokesperson – a real professional – Martin Nesirky – that will hail from Vienna where he was not just spokesman for over three years at the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) but was also Head of Press and Public Information.

Nesirky will replace Michele Montas of Haiti who served since the beginning of the term of Mr. Ban Ki-moon, January 1, 2007, till now, November 30, 2009, thus leaving one month ahead of the end of a three years contract. Ms. Montas is retiring from the UN.

Mr. Nesirky came to OSCE from Reuters where he served over two decades as an international correspondent and editor. He covered issues the like of  the fall of the  Berlin Wall, events in the Balkans, and nuclear non-proliferation issues. Further, he had a stint as the Moscow Bureau Chief of Reuters with responsibility for coverage of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) and as senior editor in London handling political stories, including the Middle East and Africa. He has been posted in Berlin, The Hague, and Seoul, though it is not known if he also speaks Korean, the language of the current UN Secretary- General – the subject of a question from one of the correspondents that remained unanswered.

More recently Mr. Nesirky in his Spokesman capacity at OSCE was instrumental in navigating the Russia backed OSCE Chairmanship for Kazakhstan for 2010. At the UN he may find his personal talents helpful in creating a new persona for the UN Secretary-General whose popularity with parts of the UN have hit a low, at a time that his reelection for a second term will be put on the table.

Ms. Montas whom he replaces had none of such credentials. Prior to her appointment, Montas headed the French unit of UN Radio. From 2003 to 2004, she served as the Spokesperson for UN General Assembly President Julian Robert Hunte, of Saint Lucia, soon after she fled to New York from Haiti. In Haiti, she and her husband were also radio journalists and activists. Her husband was killed in Haiti, and she escaped to New York. We can vouch that in her first several months in the job Mr. Ban Ki-moon set her up, she had no understanding or patience for subjects of climate change – not even when the subject was raised in connection to killings going on in Africa, or the dangers to Small Island Member States of the UN. Not even in matters of the Middle East – she seemed as a fish out of water and effectively harming  positions that the SG might have been more forthcoming. In press conferences of the SG she allowed only questions that she thought he would be interested in while guarding him from such questions as climate change.

The real question is now if Mr. Martin Nesirky will find it acceptable to fit in her shoes and submit to further layers of UN functionaries in a UN Department of Public Information where the Director of News and Media Division is Mr. Ahmad Fawzi who acts as a factotum on Press Accreditation and also whenever there is the need to talk to the press upon fighting in the Middle East. We feel that Mr. Nesirky may be inclined to become his own man in those areas while serving the needs of the Secretary-General.

The announcement about the new Spokesperson was made by Mr. Farhan Haq, of Pakistan, an Associated Spokesperson, third in the ranking below Mr. Nesirky (The second ranking Spokesperson is the Deputy Spokesperson Marie Okabe of Japan). Farhan started the announcement by saying: “And finally, a message that you’ve been waiting for some time. The Secretary-General today has named Martin Nesirky of the United Kingdom as the new Spokesperson for the Secretary-General,” but when asked by a correspondent if there will be in parallel an appointment for a position called Strategic Communications, he also gave no answer and showed impatience by mentioning that “our guests are here.”

Another correspondent asked nevertheless about the Small Pacific Developing Island States that called upon the Security Council to take up the issue of climate change “as a matter of security, because they say that their islands, their countries, could potentially disappear together for the first time in history, and they’re looking for the Council to develop enforceable emission targets. What does the SG think of this call to the SC to take up the Climate Change issue?”

The anemic answer was: “As you know, the SG has been encouraging all of the relevant bodies to deal with climate change and its effects across a variety of fields.At this stage, however, what the SG is concerned with is making sure that Member states and leaders at the highest level will come to Copenhagen to deal precisely with all of the challenges of climate change and seal a deal that can help resolve all the various problems that member States face.” That was quite a lame answer from the source of “Hopenhagen” and a clear show why finally the UN deserves a professional Spokesperson it was denied during the first three years of the Ban Ki-moon Administration of the UN.

The Correspondent continued with his insistence for an answer:
“There is nothing about the council taking up this matter?”

Final answer from the Associate Spokesperson: “It’s always up to the Security Council which matters it chooses to take up under rubric of peace and security issues.”

From our point of view, will Mr. Martin Nersirky accompany Mr. Ban Ki-moon to Copenhagen, or will it be Marie Okabe?

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N.B. - to be fair to Michele Montas -
Montas was one of the producers of Jonathan Demme’s documentary, The Agronomist, which depicted the life and death of her husband Jean Dominique and his career at Radio Haiti-Inter, the radio station that he founded. She was also involved with MINUTASH – the UN mission to Haiti. Montas worked  as a journalist at that Radio-station and has been  a human rights activist in Haiti and later a consistent international lecturer on Haiti – but the subject matter of the UN extends beyond Haiti and the Aristide government interests. We do not imply that Montas was a negative person as such, only that she was not the right person for her job which allowed Mr. Ahmad Fawzi of Egypt to take over some of the responsibilitires that were hers, and the Under Secretary-General for the UN DPI, Mr. Kyotaka Akasaka, another strange appointment in the Ban Ki-moon cabinet, could really not care less.

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P.S. – On November 23, 2009 Martin Nesirky met the media correspondents to the UN and said:

A couple of things I just wanted to mention.  First of all, I’m really looking forward to working with all of you; getting to know you.  This is a huge challenge, of course, and I’m very keen to try to get to know you so I can help you the best that I can.  That’s the first thing.

The second thing is that, needless to say, I do read what’s being written.  And I think there are a couple of things I’d like to make absolutely clear and very straight at the beginning.  My language skills: I speak German, I speak Russian, I speak English after a fashion, I speak a little bit of Korean and an even smaller amount of French.  I realize that it’s very, very important to be able to speak French. I’m going to be doing as the Secretary-General has done, which is to take extra French classes to improve on that. And that’s really all I wanted to say on that matter.

The other is that I really believe that coming from outside the UN has advantages and disadvantages.  You will have to bear with me as I get to know the system that you, many of you, know far better than I probably will ever do.  But I am very keen to work with you so that you can help me to help you to have the stories that you need to write.

Also, it seems that the UN expects Mr. Nesirky to start his work at the UN on only December 7th, which is coincidentally the day the Copenhagen Conference opens officially, does it mean that he will be there, or it means that Marie Okabe will be there and he will be in New York? We shall see!

Climate Change Adaptation: It’s about Water! 
— Global Water Partnership’s contribution to the climate change dialogue

Water is central to the world’s development challenges. Whether it is food security, poverty reduction, economic growth, human health—water is the nexus. Climate change is the spoiler. No matter how successful mitigation efforts might be, people will experience the impacts of climate change through water.

The Global Water Partnership is participating in ‘Water Day’ at the climate change negotiations in Barcelona. GWP Executive Secretary Dr Ania Grobicki will be the lead speaker on water and transboundary issues on Tuesday, November 3. The venue is the Fira Congress Hotel, opposite the conference centre. The opening session starts at 9 am and lunch will be provided.

Recently, the GWP’s Technical Committee released its 14th Background Paper: “Water Management, Water Security and Climate Change Adaptation.” It argues that investments in water are investments in adaptation. The paper can be downloaded on www.gwpforum.org or ordered free at gwp@gwpforum.org.

Climate Change: How can we Adapt? – a one-pager about GWP’s key messages on this subject – is available here: http://www.gwpforum.org/gwp/library/GWP_Briefingnote_climatechange.pdf.

GWP has been accepted as an Inter-Governmental Organisation with Observer Status at  COP 15 in Copenhagen in December and has submitted an article to the delegate publication. But more information on that will follow later. 

More resources about climate change and water and more information on GWP’s involvement in the global dialogue on climate change is available on this page: http://www.gwpforum.org/servlet/PSP?iNodeID=205&itemId=442.

——————————————————–Steven DowneyHead of CommunicationsGlobal Water Partnership (GWP)Drottninggatan 33SE-111 51 Stockholm, SWEDENPhone:   +46 8 522 126 52Fax:      + 46 8 522 126 31E-mail: steven.downey@gwpforum.orgWebsite: www.gwpforum.org
A water secure world – the mission of the Global Water Partnership is to support the sustainable development and management of water resources at all levels.

      From:          sam_milton at harvard.edu
      Subject:       Fellowship announcement: Energy Technology Innovation Policy at Harvard University
Date:                     November 20, 2008

Dear Colleagues,

The Energy Technology Innovation Policy (ETIP) research group in the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School is soliciting applications for post-doctoral fellowships in the following areas:

1)             Carbon capture & storage technology and policy;
2)             Energy technology and policy in India;
3)             Energy technology and policy in China;
4)             U.S. transportation policy;
5)             Climate policy, and
6)             Energy-technology innovation policy

ETIP strives to determine and then seek to promote adoption of effective policies for accelerating the development and deployment of cleaner and more efficient energy technologies, primarily in China, India, and the United States.

Fellowship 1: Carbon Capture & Storage Technology and Policy

ETIP is seeking to fill a Research Fellowship or Visiting Scholarship with a focus on carbon capture and storage (CCS).   The Research Fellow or Visiting Scholar for CCS will contribute to ETIP’s efforts to identify and to promote policies that will enhance carbon capture and storage activities mainly in the United States.   The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: geological mapping for carbon storage areas, regulation and legislation affecting CCS, legal liability and insurance issues, international cooperation, and opportunities and challenges for CCS in China and/or India.   The Research Fellow or Visiting Scholar will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present her findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Applications for the Research Fellow for CCS are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree.   University faculty members, and employees of government, military, international, humanitarian, and private research institutions may be considered for visiting scholarships. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience examining issues related to carbon capture and storage technologies, and what policies might be designed to incentivize their development.   Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered.

Fellowship 2: Energy Technology and Policy in India

ETIP is seeking to fill a Research Fellowship with a focus on energy technology and policy in India.   The Research Fellow will contribute to ETIP’s efforts to identify and to promote policies that will enhance India’s adoption of cleaner and less carbon-intensive energy technologies.   The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: identifying opportunities for enhanced efficiencies in Indian thermal power plants, better understanding of available energy resources, institutional development in the Indian energy sector, opportunities for carbon capture and storage in the Indian context, cleaner transportation, or climate policy.   The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present her findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings, which could include interactions with policymakers in both the United States and India.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Applications for the Research Fellowship for Energy Technology and Policy in India are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent. He/she will have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences and will be able to take initiative in interacting with other researchers and policymakers. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered.

Fellowship 3: Energy Technology and Policy in China

ETIP is seeking to fill a Research Fellowship with a focus on energy technology and policy in China.   The Research Fellow will contribute to ETIP’s efforts to identify and to promote policies that will enhance China’s adoption of cleaner and less carbon-intensive energy technologies, especially cleaner coal or cleaner vehicle technologies.   The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: analyzing barriers to development or deployment of cleaner energy technologies, assessing costs of cleaner energy technologies in the Chinese context, identifying RD&D strategies for cleaner energy technologies in China, including for CCS, or other energy or climate policy topics.   The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present her findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings, including interacting with policymakers or other people of influence in the United States and China.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Applications for the Research Fellowship for Energy Technology and Policy in China are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent.   The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience of 3-5 years minimum.   Candidates will have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences and will be able to take initiative in interacting with other researchers and policymakers. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered.

Fellowship 4:   U.S. Transportation Policy

ETIP is seeking a Research Fellow to contribute to work related to assessing and promoting policy options for reducing oil consumption and greenhouse gas emissions associated with the U.S. transportation sector.   The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director and may lead research efforts in one or more of the following subject areas: modeling economic, environmental and other impacts of policy options, examining regulatory scenarios related to various policy options, exploring the role of consumers in reducing the impact of transportation sector, and examining the role of biofuels.   The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present his findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Applications for the Research Fellowship on U.S. Transportation Policy are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience analyzing policy for the U.S. transportation sector; investigating specific transportation-related challenges, and/or developing strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions from the transportation sector. Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates will ideally hold a Ph.D. in public policy, economics, political science, or a related field. A clear focus on transportation will be a plus. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered.

Fellowship 5: Climate Policy

ETIP is seeking pre-and post-doctoral research fellows to work on domestic or international climate policy. The Fellow will report directly to ETIP’s Director. Candidates interested in working on climate policy in China, India, or the United States are particularly encouraged to apply, as well as candidates with a special focus on the intersection between climate policy and energy technology development and deployment.   Technology transfer/cooperation for low-carbon technologies is of special interest. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present his findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings. The Research Fellow will be expected to produce at least one publishable article, present his findings before internal and external audiences, and play a substantive role in the dissemination process of any findings.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Applications for the Research Fellowship on Climate Policy are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. The ideal candidate will have academic and/or professional experience analyzing climate.   Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates will ideally hold a Ph.D. in public policy, economics, political science, or a related field. A clear focus on transportation will be a plus. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered.

Fellowship 6: Energy Technology Innovation Policy

ETIP is seeking fellows to work on energy technology innovation (ETI) policy. The ETI fellows will be committed mainly to a three-year project with three related but distinct goals: 1) producing a comprehensive set of recommendations for the next U.S. administration for a greatly expanded federal energy innovation budget; 2) preparing annual budget commentaries and recommendations to policy makers on current ERD&D spending priorities ; 3) producing a report comparing energy-technology innovation activities in the public and private sectors in the United States and internationally. Fellows will work toward one or several of the above goals.

ETI fellows participate in Congressional briefings, meetings with relevant stakeholders in business, industry, academia, and elsewhere, and interviews with the media.

Required Education, Experience and Skills

Applications for ETI fellowships are welcome from recent recipients of the Ph.D. or equivalent degree. The ideal candidate will have professional experience analyzing policy for publicly-funded ERD&D; developing and analyzing federal budgets for ERD&D; or strategic planning for ETI. Candidates will also have excellent skills in presenting complex material to a wide range of audiences. Candidates will ideally hold a Ph.D. in public policy, economics, political science, or a related field. A clear focus on ETI will be a plus. Candidates who have focused on other aspects of energy policy in their doctoral work, or who hold a Master’s degree and have extensive experience, will be considered.

Application procedures

Applications are due January 15, 2009. ETIP fellowships are for a one-year period, though they may be renewed.

Please visit http://belfercenter.org/fellowships/ for complete application information.

For more information about the Energy Technology Innovation Policy research group, please visit www.energytechnologypolicy.org.

We encourage applications from women, minorities, and citizens of all countries.   Although we are mainly interested in the above topics and regions, other applications will be considered.

_______________________________________________

Sam Milton, MALD
Project Coordinator, Energy Technology Innovation Policy
Belfer Center for Science & International Affairs
Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
79 JFK Street, Box 53, Cambridge, MA 02138 USA
(617) 496-5584 phone, (617) 495-8963 fax
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Posted in Bangkok, China, European Union, India, Job Offers, Massachusetts, Reporting from UNFCCC Meetings, Reporting from Washington DC

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ENVIRONMENT-CHINA: Coal Far Costlier Than Thought – Study
By Antoaneta Bezlova from Beijing, for IPS (The Frontline of Environment).

BEIJING, Oct 29 (IPS) - Often criticised for its massive coal-based industries that jeopardise international efforts to combat global warming, China is undoubtedly the biggest victim of its voracious coal consumption.

Even more significantly, they calculate the hidden cost of environmental and social damage caused by China’s coal mining industry to be seven percent of the country’s 2007 gross domestic product.

***

If the so-called external, or hidden costs, were added to current coal tariffs, prices would rise by 23 percent, ‘The True Cost of Coal’ predicted.

***

Commissioned by Greenpeace, the U.S.-based Energy Foundation and WWF, the study was researched by Chinese economists for over two years. They sought help from experts in the country’s biggest coal producing region — Shanxi province — and from the national Centre for Disease Control.

“It is far too complicated to calculate those costs accurately,” said Mao, adding that if the costs of the impact of climate change resulting from coal combustion were factored in, China’s coal bill would be significantly higher.

***

China maintains that richer, developed nations should take the lead in reducing greenhouse gas emissions while helping poor nations with money and technology to fight climate change.

But even if China wants the developed world to shoulder the historic burden of reducing carbon dioxide emissions responsible for climate change, the uncomfortable truth remains that its people are most exposed to the effects of what Mao termed an “excessive use of coal”.

***

Inhaling soot particles from coal-fired power plants is causing an epidemic of chronic respiratory diseases among Chinese. Without providing exact figures, the study estimated that the death rate per one million tonnes of coal produced and consumed in China was 70 times higher than in the U.S., and seven times higher than in Russia and India.

The report suggests the introduction of coal tax by 2009, which is expected to raise prices by nearly a quarter but reduce consumption only by seven percent. This means that coal would continue to dominate the country’s energy mix.

Yang Ailun, Greenpeace climate and energy campaign manager who helped coordinate the study, saw the bright side.

“Recognising the true cost of coal would create incentives to develop cleaner and more sustainable energy sources,” she said. “This would reduce China’s environmental pollution and show its leadership in fighting climate change.”

Harmonious Cities – a Social and Environmental Solution.
Mario Osava, IPS, October 23, 2008.

RIO DE JANEIRO – Sao Paulo emits only a tenth of the greenhouse gases that San Diego produces, even though this Brazilian metropolis is four times larger than that city in California, according to a report released today by the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat). Based on such comparisons, the State of the World’s Cities 2008/2009 — a report published every two years by the UN agency, which in this new edition focuses on “Harmonious Cities” — concludes that the contribution of cities to global warming has more to do with consumption patterns and gross domestic product (GDP) per capita than it does with the level of urbanisation.

The most urbanised region in the developing world is Latin America and the Caribbean, with 77 percent of its population living in cities — a proportion expected to increase to 85 percent within the next two decades, Cecilia Martà nez, UN-Habitat’s Latin America regional director, highlighted at a press conference.

The report, which contains analysis and recommendations on spatial, social and environmental harmony, was also launched in Bangkok and London. Prosperity alone does not produce harmony; cities also need equity and sustainability, said UN-Habitat Executive Director Anna Tibaijuka.

Latin America is also the region with the highest number of unequal cities.

The Gini inequality index, which measures the degree of income disparity, marked a 0.55 average coefficient for a selection of 19 Latin American cities, exceeding even the levels for Africa, which has the cities with the largest number of poor people and the greatest proportion of slum communities.

UN-Habitat considers a 0.4 coefficient as the alert line, with anything above that level indicating an unacceptable level of inequality. Western Europe, with averages ranging from 0.25 to 0.30, presents the largest number of most equal cities, but the city with the highest equality level in the world is Beijing, with a Gini coefficient of 0.22.

Not only does inequality within cities or between cities, and between regions in the same country, directly affect urban harmony, it also creates more inequality by having a dampening effect on economic growth and contributing to a less favourable environment for investment, Tibaijuka pointed out at the presentation of the report.

Latin America and the Caribbean also stand out for the faster growth rate registered in many small cities, which have gone from having tens of thousands of inhabitants to populations numbering in the hundreds of thousands in just over a decade. An example of this rapid growth is Itaquaquecetuba, on the outskirts of Sao Paulo, which in the 1970s was a city of 30,000 and has since grown to 334,000, with an annual growth rate of ten percent in the last decade.

Some 70 Brazilian cities have experienced a similar phenomenon in the past 15 years, as a result of a boom in tourism in many areas, the installation of large corporations, and other factors of economic prosperity or quality-of-life enhancement, Martínez explained.

As of 2007, the world has stepped into an “urban century,” as last year for the first time ever the number of urban dwellers in the world surpassed the number of people living in rural areas, she added.

***

However, there are still sharp differences from one region to another, with Asia and Africa having only 41 and 39 percent, respectively, of their populations in urban areas, while the level of urbanisation in other continents and regions is above 70 percent.

But the current trend makes it possible to forecast that by 2050 these differences will be less pronounced, with Asia, for example, bringing its urban population up to 63 percent, chiefly driven by the growth of Chinese cities, which will account for 70 percent of that country’s total population, offsetting a slower rate of urbanisation in India.

The report and several UN-Habitat officers agree that while cities are an environmental problem and one of the great causes of global warming, they are, and must be, “part of the solution” as well.

***

Better planning in the use of energy-efficient means of transportation, less dependence on motorised vehicles, an increase in urban density and policies aimed at reducing waste and spatial and social inequality could work to curb carbon emissions and contribute to mitigating climate change, they say.

The disparity in the rates of greenhouse gas emissions per person that exists between the large cities of the world is more a reflection of the patterns of consumption, in particular energy use, than of the levels of income or visible pollution.

The report’s findings reveal that Mexico City generates 2.9 tonnes of carbon emissions per person per year, and that Sao Paulo produces double that amount. San Diego is at the top of the list of carbon emitters, with 11.7 tonnes per capita — more than double the amount produced by Tokyo and three times the emissions generated by Stockholm and Seoul, but followed closely in volume of emissions by Toronto and Shanghai.

With 3,351 coastal cities located in low-altitude areas — that is, under 10 metres above sea level–, and therefore threatened by the rise in sea level, there is an enormous urban population that will suffer severe consequences as a result of climate change, the report underlines.

In addition, there are human agglomerations that are facing the risk of water shortages and natural disasters, such as those caused by the El Niño climate phenomenon in the Andean region and hurricanes in the Caribbean, Martínez said.

Adapting cities to mitigate the consequences of climate change is one of UN-Habitat’s chief concerns, and, in association with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the agency is encouraging cities to “observe the phenomena” which are taking place and implement integrated urbanisation and environmental plans to address foreseeable challenges, Martínez concluded.

————

Major cities call for dramatic emission cuts by all nations – Mayors and officials from 32 major cities from around the world urged “all nations” Thursday to achieve “drastic cuts” in greenhouse gas emissions under a global climate accord to succeed the Kyoto Protocol in 2012.

Kyodo News, October 24, 2008.

“The international community must cooperate in making an abrupt shift in direction for drastic cuts in greenhouse gas emissions,” Tokyo Gov. Shintaro Ishihara and Toronto Mayor David Miller said in a joint statement issued after a two-day meeting in Tokyo of the so-called C40 group of major international cities.

Stressing national governments’ crucial role in curbing global warming, delegates at the C40 Tokyo Conference on Climate Change said cities are “acting now” and “showing leadership on combating climate change” in the runup to high-level U.N. climate talks in Copenhagen slated for December 2009, where global negotiations for a post-Kyoto framework will be concluded, the statement said.

The United Nations is set to begin the final phase of negotiations on the post-Kyoto deal at ministerial talks in December in Poland.

The C40 will hold a summit next May in Seoul to advance climate change initiatives.

Since its inception in London in 2005, the C40 has been working to accelerate programs by the participating cities to combat climate change by sharing effective practices and taking action to reduce greenhouse gases.

THEN ESCAP URGES the SPECA CENTRAL ASIA TO STRENGTHEN TIES WITH REST OF CONTINENT FOR GREATER SECURITY. The above has clearly political implications by bundling non-Arab Islamic States.

Greater cooperation between Central Asia and the rest of Asia is essential to achieve sustainable development for the whole continent, given the current climate of global financial instability and food and energy insecurity, a senior United Nations official, ESCAP’s Executive Director   stressed today of all places – right in Moscow.

The UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) stands ready to facilitate technical and regional cooperation and provide a neutral forum for engaging in policy dialogue, Executive-Secretary of ESCAP Noeleen Heyzer told a gathering of senior Central Asian policymakers in Moscow.

“We are gathering here against the backdrop of a gloomy economic environment with pressing challenges in food and energy security, as well as the need for greater financial stability,” Under-Secretary-General Heyzer warned participants at the UN Special Programme for the Economies of Central Asia (SPECA) meeting.

“By adopting the South-South cooperation modality, SPECA can provide home-grown solutions and policy options to achieve inclusive and sustainable development,” she told officials from the seven SPECA member states – Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan.

SPECA aims to strengthen sub-regional cooperation, mainly in the areas of energy and water, transport, trade, technology, gender and the economy, in Central Asia, as well as its integration into the world economy with support from the UN Economic Commission for Europe (ECE).

IOM Press Briefing Notes
Friday 5 September 2008

INDONESIA – Religious Teachers Carry Ramadan Message of Community Policing to Aceh – IOM is working with the Ar-Raniry State Islamic Institute and the Aceh Provincial Police (Polda NAD) through the Holy month of Ramadhan to promote community policing in the Indonesia’s northernmost province through the use of Islamic cultural values unique to the area.

The 15-day Safari Kemitraan Ramadhan (Ramadhan Partnership Road show), which kicks off today, is funded by the European Commission and the Royal Netherlands Embassy, and aims to inform villagers about the value of community policing using religious messages.

IOM is providing logistical support, transport and printed materials for the team of religious teachers from the Institute and police officers implementing the scheme.

“Communities in Aceh will benefit from all the positive values embodied in community policing. The roadshow will help to endorse the program and will be an effective tool to build partnerships with Acehnese across the province,” says Dr. Abdul Rani, Msi, a professor of Ar-Raniry.

Located at the northernmost tip of the island of Sumatra, Aceh is also known colloquially as Mecca’s Veranda. For hundreds of years it served as the final port of call for pilgrims making the long sea voyage from Indonesia, the most populous Moslem nation on earth, to Mecca. It is the most devout area in Indonesia, and proud of its Islamic heritage.

Aceh Senior Police Commissioner Setyanto says he supports the use of a culturally sensitive approach to informing a public that is deeply suspicious of the police. Aceh was the scene of a violent, decades-long separatist conflict that drew to a close in 2005, with the signing of a peace agreement between rebels and the central government.

{As it happens, Aceh is also home of large oil fields with international oil companies having had involvement here. Aceh once was sponsored from the outside in its attempt of becoming independent from Indonesia – thus the announcement and the backing are quite interesting.}

IOM is in the midst of a two year programme to training more than 7,200 of the roughly 9,200 police officers in Aceh in community policing and human rights. The trainings aim to reduce conflict and underpin a return to peace and security in the province.

For further information, please contact Jihan Labetubun at IOM Jakarta. Tel. +62 8111907028. Email:  jlabetubun at iom.int

From:  media at avaaz.org
Subject: Release: global Olympic handshake to reach Beijing
Date: August 22, 2008

The August 23, 2008 – PRESS RELEASE – Will Appear In the International Herald Tribune and China’s Ming Pao, on the Day of The Beijing Olympics’ Closing. It Willl Say – Love China / Love Tibet / Love Burma / Love Darfur – and Will Promote Human Rights For China – a Hanshake to the World.

175,000 STRONG GLOBAL HANDSHAKE TO LAND IN BEIJING AHEAD OF OLYMPIC CLOSING CEREMONY see avaaz.org

A virtual global handshake will land in Beijing tomorrow ahead of the Olympic Closing Ceremony.

Since the beginning of the Olympics, Avaaz.org has taken actions worldwide to promote a dual message of friendship with China and the need for renewed dialogue and action on human rights post Olympics. Aside from the handshake website, they have launched a sister website in China www.onevoicechina.org, and have run an ad campaign which has made a splash in London, New York, Hong Kong, San Francisco and Sydney using print media, adwalkers, and mobile billboards to carry the message Love China / Love Tibet / Love Burma / Love Darfur. You can see images of these ads at avaaz.org

To culminate the campaign, this weekend, Avaaz.org has taken out an advertisement in Saturday’s International Herald Tribune and China’s Ming Pao to deliver the handshake to the world.

“Some in China have slandered human rights activism as violent and anti-Chinese. Our handshake campaign is an attempt to reach out to Chinese people and show that our call is for peaceful and respectful dialogue”, said Avaaz Executive Director Ricken Patel.

However, Avaaz is concerned that the end of the Olympics may herald an era of further oppression.

“People around the world are concerned that the Olympics are coming to a close without any changes in Chinese policy on Tibet, Burma or Darfur — will things get better or worse?” said Patel.

***

The global handshake petition reads:

“With this handshake, we reach out to one another as citizens round the world in the Olympic spirit of friendship and excellence, committing to hold all our governments to a higher standard of peace, justice and respect for human dignity wherever they fall short – be it in Tibet, Iraq, Burma or beyond. Dialogue is the best way forward, for China, and the world.”
For more information, see www.avaaz.org

***

AVAILABLE FOR INTERVIEW

Ricken Patel, Executive Director,  ricken at avaaz.org, +1 646 229 5416
Brett Solomon, Campaign Director,  brett at avaaz.org, +61 407 419 320

***
ABOUT AVAAZ:

Avaaz is a global web movement with over 3.3 million members worldwide, working to ensure that the views and values of people everywhere inform global decision-making. Avaaz means “voice” in many languages.

The World Values Survey is available at: www.worldvaluessurvey.org www.happyplanetindex.org

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Download the Happy Planet report (2006, pdf)
Download the European Happy Planet report (2007, pdf)

See the Global HPI map:  http://www.happyplanetindex.org/map.htm