Parallel and Side Events Contents Page

The intelligent ecosystem: Integrating e-knowledge, e-empowerment and e-governance for sustainable development

Presented by The World Conservation Union (IUCN)

This event focused on information access and sharing in order to improve biodiversity management, and multi-stakeholder participation in decision-making and governance.

Daniel Tunstall, World Resources Institute (WRI), explained that information and technology can help to plan for the future, support decision making, better understand policies, and set priorities to achieve sustainable goals. He said that the use of technology: contributes to increasing stakeholder participation; facilitates communication amongst civil servants; improves the capacity of NGOs in storing and sharing data; and enables better dissemination of legislation-related information. Tunstall highlighted that knowledge infrastructure and built infrastructure are equally important for promoting sustainable development.

Silvio Olivieri, Conservation International, highlighted the need for more information in order to promote multi-stakeholders' involvement in environmental conservation. He emphasized the challenges of integrating and sharing information and knowledge on: biodiversity management; species; protected areas; biodiversity corridors; and socioeconomic factors that contribute to ecosystem protection and the prevention of species extinction.

François Odendaal, Eco-Africa, said that local communities should learn how to share information, and criticized initiatives promoting top-down approaches with the aim of empowering communities.

Panelists presented various aspects of the Distant Learning and Information Sharing Tool (DLIST) site.

Ian Turner, Eco-Africa, noted that the DLIST site offers free access to literature, case studies and courses. He highlighted that the DLIST site focuses on community needs and encourages partnership on sustainable development in South Western Africa, including: mining, fishing, coastal activities and management.

Cristella Guriras, Eco-Africa, explained that long-distance courses provided by the DLIST site address coastal activities and management, good governance, and management of natural living resources.

Ilyas Omar, Eco-Africa, announced that the DLIST will make available a course on environmental engineering recognized by the South African education system, which will be available on the DLIST site from January 2003 onwards.

Sustainable development: From concept to action

Presented by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED)

At this event the OECD/UNDP Resource Book on Sustainable Development Strategies was launched.

Jean-Claude Faure, OECD, noted that the book represents a tool to implement the WSSD outcomes and enables countries and organizations to develop sustainable development strategies and form partnerships for strategy implementation.

Olivier Deleuze, Belgium, shared Belgium's experiences of involving the public in the development of the federal plan for sustainable development. He stressed the responsibility of all societal actors as the key for implementing the WSSD outcomes.

Elsbeth Tronstad, Norway, called for improving coordination between national environmental protection and poverty reduction frameworks, and for ensuring national ownership of sustainable development strategies.

Alvaro Umaña, UNDP, stated that the Resource Book is a comprehensive encyclopedia of experiences of formulating national sustainable development strategies, and represents an important tool to ensure rapid implementation of the WSSD outcomes. He noted that the book will be utilized and tested under the UNDP Capacity 2015 programme.

Domenic Kwaku Fobin, Ghanean Minister of Environment and Science, described challenges in developing a sustainable development framework in Ghana, and said that the book is a useful reference tool for countries developing national sustainable strategies.

Dakar Djiri, Minister of Environment of Burkina Faso, shared Burkina Faso's experience of developing a national sustainable development strategy and welcomed the publication.

Berry Dalal-Clayton and Stephen Bass, International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), explained that the book was developed on the basis of a multi-stakeholder knowledge exchange. Bass noted that the book integrates the best available mechanisms for participation, analysis and financing, and represents a menu of tools and approaches, as well as examples of developing strategies. The book explains how to: generate data; start and improve strategy; ensure public involvement; communicate between stakeholders; take decisions; secure a financial basis; and monitor the process and outcomes of national sustainable development strategies.