Between The Summits: Down To Earth Conference Produces Global
Action Briefings
March 28, 1994
In December 1993, an international NGO (nongovernmental
organization) conference was held in Copenhagen to develop
specific political action and media strategies to deal with
the failure of the UN Conference on Environment and
Development (UNCED) in 1992 to push governments towards
sustainable development. Held mid-way between the Earth
Summit (UNCED) and the next major gathering of heads of
state, the World Summit on Social Development (March 1995 in
Copenhagen), the Down to Earth Conference in December brought
together over 150 representatives of environment and
development groups, observers from international agencies,
and potential donors. Discussions at the conference centered
on how activists can mobilize public opinion and influence
international decision-makers on critical issues ranging from
biodiversity to international financial mechanisms.
Participants met in 19 working groups to develop one or two
key policy actions or capacity-building strategies on which
to focus attention and coordinate efforts. The groups were
charged with developing a series of Global Action Briefings
intended to serve both as educational tools for the general
public and as a framework for coordinated NGO action.
The Global Action Briefings are divided into four main parts:
1) an overview of a particular issue area in the context of
how it was addressed at UNCED;
2) a review of the relative current international
negotiations by NGOs, governments and other actors;
3) a summary of NGO positions on the issue from the Women's
Action Agenda 21 developed in Miami, 1991; "Agenda Ya
Wananchi: Citizens' Action Plan for the 1990s" from the
Roots of the Future Global NGO Conference in Paris, 1991; and
the Alternative Treaties from the International NGO Forum
(INGOF), Rio, 1992;
4) proposed NGO action strategies for implementing these
historic NGO documents.
The first Global Action Briefings to be published will focus
on the following topics: sustainable agriculture and food
security; poverty; consumption patterns; human settlements;
trade, environment and development; trans-national
corporations; alternative economic strategies; implementation
of environment and development conventions; small island
states; and financial resources for NGOs.
Results of the capacity-building working groups will also be
available. These groups addressed the NGO Code of Conduct,
education, communication and information, financing,
monitoring and lobbying, and media strategies, as well as
participation and information strategies for Central and
Eastern Europe.
The conference was coordinated by the Brussels-based
Environment and Development Resource Centre (EDRC) with the
cooperation of the Council of Europe's North-South Centre and
the Danish United Nations Association. Plans are underway to
ensure wide distribution of the Global Action Briefings and
other conference materials, including NGO Strategy papers for
media and involvement in post-UNCED negotiations developed by
EARTHACTION.
EDRC is currently distributing a Global Action Survey
Questionnaire to gather information about groups involved in
various sustainable development strategies outlined in the Global
Action Briefings. The results will be published in a Global Action
Guide to assist citizen-based organizations in building and
strengthening global alliances.
Strategies for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security
listed in the questionnaire include:
7.02 Research, document and promote positive examples of
sustainable agriculture programs and practices, using both quantitative
and qualitative data, to be used as educational and lobbying
tools.
7.09 Lobby key international and national institutions.
7.20 Convene a sustainable agriculture and food security NGO
Working Group on the Beijing Women's Conference to insure
inclusion of these issues.
7.25 Establish new and strengthen existing, issue-specific
international action networks to coordinate action and disseminate
information effectively.
If you are interested in participating in the survey, please
contact the WSAA or EDRC.
Source/contact: Linda Elswick, World Sustainable Agriculture
Association; phone (202) 347-0637; fax (202) 347-0654; email
wsaadc@cdp.apc.org. Environment and Development Resource
Centre, Bld Brandwhitlock, 146 1200, Brussels, Belgium;
phone (32-2) 736-8050; fax (32-2) 733-5708; email
edrc@gn.apc.org.
The Global Action Briefing on Sustainable Agriculture and
Food Security will be available on the IGC Environmental
Gopher in both English and Spanish. Watch PANUPS for the
posting date.
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