/linkages/journal/ Vol. 5 No. 3
Kimo Goree
27 March 2000
Published by the International Institute for Sustainable
Development (IISD)
The PDF (formatted and printable with wall calendar)
version is available at
http://www.iisd.ca/journal/link0503e.pdf
EDITOR'S NOTE
A message from Linkages Journal's Editor.
FULL-STEAM AHEAD FOR NEGOTIATIONS
As you'll notice from the amount of information packed into
this issue of Linkages Journal, it's been a busy month in
the field of international environment and development
negotiations. Looking at the calendar, it's clear this is
just the start of what seems set to be a hectic year.
Climate change negotiations are reaching a major milestone,
the five year reviews of the Social Summit (Copenhagen+5)
and Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing+5) are due
mid-year, and the World Trade Organization is taking steps
to reinvigorate international trade talks. Yet these are
just a few of the processes that are likely to see a great
deal of activity.
To ensure that Linkages Journal provides the most useful
information during this busy year, we'll be sending a
questionnaire asking for your views on the new sections and
other changes we've introduced here in recent months. The
questionnaire is user-friendly and will take only a minute
or two to fill out. We'll be posting it to our electronic
mailing list on Friday, 31 March. We look forward to
receiving your views.
Sincerely,
Chris Spence
Editor, Linkages Journal
SPECIAL NOTICE
OBITUARY - ARTHUR H. CAMPEAU
The International Institute for Sustainable Development
notes with deep regret the passing away of Arthur Henry
Campeau Q.C. on Friday, 10 March 2000. He was 57. Arthur
Campeau practiced law in Canada for many years and was
appointed to the Queen's Counsel in 1986. During the
following 15 years, he co-founded the Harmony Foundation,
which develops environmental education programmes, and
served in a number of senior positions within the Canadian
government, culminating with his appointment as Canada's
first Ambassador of Environment and Sustainable
Development. He was also appointed to the board of the
International Institute for Sustainable Development, in
1990.
RECENT MEETINGS
Information on recent conferences, workshops and symposia
in the field of environment and development negotiations.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
SECOND WORLD WATER FORUM AND MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE: The
Second World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference were
held in The Hague, the Netherlands, from 17-22 March 2000.
The Forum and Ministerial Conference aimed to consider the
challenges of water resources management and mobilize
political support for addressing global water issues. Four
and a half thousand people from 150 countries participated,
including senior politicians, government officials, water
experts and representatives from non-governmental
organizations, youth organizations, academic institutions
and the private sector. Key issues raised included: actions
at the global, regional, national and local levels to
address the challenges of water management; water security;
the costs and benefits of dams; the pricing of water
services; rights to access; sanitation and hygiene
education; participation; and privatization. Participants
at the Forum considered a Framework for Action that sets
targets to ensure safe and adequate fresh water worldwide
and a Vision document for water management prepared by the
World Water Council. The Ministerial Conference resulted in
a Ministerial Declaration of The Hague on Water Security in
the 21st Century, which establishes the goal of achieving
water security in the 21st Century. The Declaration
outlines the major challenges in terms of achieving water
security and sustainable water resources management, as
well as measures to address these challenges. While some
participants expressed support for the Framework for
Action, Vision document and Ministerial Declaration as
valuable steps forward, others, including representatives
of non-governmental organizations and trade unions, called
for stronger language to reflect the urgency of global
water problems and for a greater commitment to action,
particularly to address the needs of people in developing
countries. During the Forum, the Global Environment
Facility announced that it would be doubling to US$500
million the funds it makes available to support water-
related projects. The Third World Water Forum is scheduled
to take place in Japan in 2003. For more information
contact: Ministry of Foreign Affairs, P.O Box 20061, 2500
EB The Hague, the Netherlands; tel: +31-70-348-5402; fax:
+31-70-348-6792; e-mail: secre...@worldwaterforum.org;
Internet: http://www.worldwaterforum.org/
FIRST SESSION OF THE AD HOC INTERGOVERNMENTAL GROUP OF
EXPERTS ON ENERGY AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: The Ad Hoc
Open-Ended Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Energy and
Sustainable Development, established by the UN General
Assembly to prepare input for the ninth session of the
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD-9), met in New
York from 6-10 March 2000. The Expert Group considered
Reports of the UN Secretary-General on Energy and
Sustainable Development: Key Issues, and on National
Submissions, and produced a Co-Chairs' Summary of the
discussions. Delegates also agreed on an intersessional
programme of work and a provisional agenda for their next
session, prior to CSD-9. Even though the mood and pace at
the meeting was less than energetic, delegates left with a
clearer sense of what was expected of the Expert Group.
Factors that colored the week's deliberations included the
low level expert representation, resistance to consider
heavily politicized issues and tensions over the status of
inputs. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin report outlining
these discussions in detail can be found at:
http://www.iisd.ca/csd/enrexpert1/index.html
INTERNATIONAL LANDCARE 2000 CONFERENCE: The International
Landcare 2000 Conference took place from 2-5 March 2000 in
Melbourne, Australia. More than 1200 delegates from
Australia and overseas attended, including representatives
of governments, non-governmental organizations, and the
private sector. Participants heard presentations and
discussed key issues relating to the landcare movement,
including: the value of sharing responsibility through
planning management at the catchment and regional levels;
the need for governments to support landcare and provide
links to policy makers; the importance of networking within
the local, regional and international community to enhance
communication within the landcare movement; and the crucial
role of facilitation and technical support. The outcomes of
this conference will be presented in a report to the UN
later this year and will highlight Australia's
recommendations for sustainable land and water management
and practice. Other outcomes from the conference included:
a forum to allow indigenous communities to showcase their
land management practices and skills to the broader
landcare community; and the creation of a task force to
build on conference outcomes and enhance key partnerships.
For more information contact: Joanne Safstrom; tel: +61-3-
9412-4382; fax: +61-3-9412-4442; e-mail:
j.saf...@dce.vic.gov.au; Internet:
http://www.nre.vic.gov.au/conf/landcare2000/Round%20Up%20Re
port.doc
CSD INTERSESSIONAL WORKING GROUP ON INTEGRATED PLANNING AND
MANAGEMENT OF LAND RESOURCES & SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE AND
RURAL DEVELOPMENT: The Commission on Sustainable
Development's (CSD) Intersessional Ad Hoc Working Group on
Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources &
Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Development, serving as a
preparatory meeting for CSD-8, met from 28 February - 3
March 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Working
Group produced Co-Chairs' summaries of discussions on the
two clusters of issues, land resources and sustainable
agriculture, and two documents outlining possible elements
for action-oriented decisions at CSD-8. The Co-Chairs'
summaries and elements papers were attached to their Report
of the Meeting of the Working Group. There was a consensus
at the Working Group that delegates had taken the advice of
CSD-8 Chair Juan Mayr (Colombia) and held back from
embarking on full negotiations on some of the difficult
issues surrounding the linkages between land resources,
agriculture and trade. Nevertheless, a number of "hot
spots" emerged, including: the multifunctional character of
agriculture and land, women and equal access to land tenure
rights, application of the precautionary principle in the
context of biotechnology, good governance, responses to
trade liberalization, and financing Agenda 21
implementation. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin report
outlining these discussions in detail can be found at:
http://www.iisd.ca/csd/csdint8/index.html
CSD INTERSESSIONAL WORKING GROUP ON FINANCIAL RESOURCES AND
MECHANISMS & ECONOMIC GROWTH, TRADE AND INVESTMENT: The
Commission on Sustainable Development's (CSD)
Intersessional Ad Hoc Working Group on Financial Resources
and Mechanisms & Economic Growth, Trade and Investment,
serving as a preparatory meeting for CSD-8, met from 22-25
February 2000 at UN Headquarters in New York. The Working
Group produced Co-Chairs' summaries of discussions on the
finance and trade clusters and two documents outlining
possible elements for action-oriented decisions at CSD-8.
The Co-Chairs' documents were attached to their Report of
the Working Group. At the outset of discussions, CSD-8
Chair Juan Mayr (Colombia) noted the major conflicts of the
past year on the issues of finance, trade, agriculture and
the environment. He urged delegations to come up with the
key building blocks for agreements to be implemented by
other forums rather than attempt to find definitive
solutions. The Earth Negotiations Bulletin report outlining
these discussions in detail can be found at:
http://www.iisd.ca/csd/csdint8/index.html
WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS - REGIONAL CONSULTATION FOR EAST
AND SOUTHEAST ASIA: The World Commission on Dams held its
regional consultation for East and Southeast Asia from 26-
27 February 2000 in Hanoi, Vietnam. The meeting aimed to
consider experiences and lessons learned relating to dams,
water and energy development across the region.
Participants heard more than 30 presentations and discussed
how to balance the benefits, costs and impacts of large
dams. The importance of sharing benefits and ensuring more
informed, open discussion during the consultative process
was raised, as was the need to incorporate social and
environmental considerations in decision-making. This
meeting was the last of four regional consultations to
reflect on regions' experiences and practices with regards
to large dams and related water and energy management
issues. The Commission will prepare a report drawing from a
knowledge base developed during the last two years,
including information from the four regional consultations.
For more information contact: Saneeya Hussain, World
Commission on Dams, 5th Floor Hycastle House, 58, Loop
Street, PO Box 16002, Vlaeberg 8018, Cape Town, South
Africa; tel: +27-21-426-4000; fax: +27-21-426-0036; e-mail:
shus...@dams.org; Internet:
http://www.dams.org/default.asp
BIODIVERSITY
CONFERENCE ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED FOOD SAFETY: FACTS,
UNCERTAINTIES AND ASSESSMENT: This conference took place
from 28 February - 1 March 2000 in Edinburgh, Scotland. It
was organized by the OECD and attended by 400 participants
from more than 40 countries representing governments,
industry and civil society groups, including non-
governmental organizations. The meeting aimed to seek
common ground on whether and in what ways technologies
relating to genetically modified (GM) food and crops serve
society's needs. Many participants endorsed the need for a
more transparent and inclusive debate and policy process.
On many issues, however, participants expressed differing
views. Contentious issues included the question of whether
individual countries should be permitted to develop GM
technology for food production to meet their own needs, or
whether there should be a global moratorium on GM crops.
Participants also diverged on the issue of mandatory
labeling of GM foods and the process of assessing consumer
concerns. The conference concluded with a call from
conference Chair Sir John Krebs, Professor of Zoology at
Oxford University, for the creation of an international
consultative panel to address all views in the debate and
continue international dialogue. Conclusions from the
conference will serve as an input into an OECD report to be
submitted at the Group of Eight industrial countries summit
scheduled for July 2000 in Okinawa, Japan. For more
information visit:
http://www.oecd.org/news_and_events/release/nw00-23a.htm
CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
FOURTH MEETING OF THE INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATING
COMMITTEE ON PERSISTENT ORGANIC POLLUTANTS (POPS-4): The
fourth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating
Committee (INC-4) for an International Legally Binding
Instrument for Implementing International Action on Certain
Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) met from 20-25 March
2000, in Bonn, Germany. Approximately 500 representatives
from 121 countries, international organizations and non-
governmental organizations participated in INC-4, and
continued preparation of an international legally binding
instrument on POPs grouped into three categories: 1)
pesticides: aldrin, chlordane, DDT, dieldrin, endrin,
heptachlor, mirex and toxaphene; 2) industrial chemicals:
hexachlorobenzene (HCB) and polychlorinated biphenyls
(PCBs); and 3) unintended byproducts: dioxins and furans.
Contentious issues at the center of debate at INC-4 were
measures to reduce or eliminate releases, technical
assistance, and financial resources and mechanisms.
While INC-4 succeeded in drafting articles on technical
assistance and financial resources and mechanisms, these
texts are heavily bracketed and positions between
developing and developed countries on these topics continue
to diverge. INC-4 also addressed and made progress on
articles relating to: national implementation plans;
listing of substances; information exchange; public
information, awareness and education; and research,
development and monitoring. Participants agreed to
establish an intersessional working group on finance that
will meet in June. INC-4 was unable to allow adequate time
for discussion on the preamble, objective and definitions,
leaving these articles to INC-5. The Earth Negotiations
Bulletin report outlining these discussions in detail will
be available from 28 March 2000 at:
http://www.iisd.ca/chemical/pops4/
CLIMATE CHANGE
WORKSHOPS ON FCCC ARTICLE 4.8 AND 4.9: ADVERSE EFFECTS OF
CLIMATE CHANGE AND THE IMPACT OF IMPLEMENTATION OF RESPONSE
MEASURES: Two workshops on Article 4.8 and 4.9 of the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) were held
from 9-11 and 13-15 March 2000 at the Internationales
Kongresszentrum Bundehaus in Bonn, Germany. The FCCC
Secretariat and the Chairs of the FCCC subsidiary bodies
organized these workshops. Approximately 85 participants
attended each workshop, including representatives of
governments, intergovernmental organizations, non-
governmental organizations and academic institutions.
The first workshop was held from 9-11 March to consider
initial actions to meet the specific needs and concerns of
developing country Parties and the specific needs and
special situations of the least developed countries (LDCs)
arising from the adverse effects of climate change.
Participants heard presentations and engaged in discussions
on the adverse effects of climate change on food security,
water resources, economic activities, coastal zones and
human health. They also considered initial actions related
to funding, insurance and the transfer of technology to
meet the needs and circumstances of developing countries.
Other issues addressed included actions to: enhance
capacity for monitoring, systematic observation and
vulnerability assessment in developing countries; build
capacity in environmental management and integrated
assessment; and identify adaptation options and facilitate
appropriate adaptation.
The second workshop was held from 13-15 March to consider
the impact of the implementation of response measures to
climate change. Participants heard presentations and
engaged in discussions on methodological approaches and
what actions are necessary under the FCCC relating to the
impact of implementation of response measures on, inter
alia, terms of trade, international capital flows and
developmental efforts, in accordance with FCCC Article 4.8
and 4.9 and in the light of matters related to Kyoto
Protocol Article 3.14 (adverse effects). Participants also
considered the nature, content and sources of information
required in relation to this issue, procedures and
modalities for the provision of information, and what
actions are needed, including those relating to funding,
insurance and the transfer of technology. The specific
needs and special situations of LDCs were considered.
The outcome of these workshops will be a report from the
Chairs of the FCCC subsidiary bodies that will provide an
input for discussions on these issues at the twelfth and
thirteenth sessions of the subsidiary bodies (SB-12 and SB-
13), to be held in June and September 2000 respectively.
Negotiations at SB-12 and SB-13 will lead to a decision at
the Sixth Conference of the Parties to the FCCC (COP-6), to
be held in The Hague in from 13-24 November 2000. The Earth
Negotiations Bulletin report outlining these discussions in
detail can be found at:
http://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop6/tech_ws/4.8&4.9/index.html
WORKSHOP ON COMPLIANCE UNDER THE KYOTO PROTOCOL: The
Workshop on Compliance under the Kyoto Protocol to the
Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC) was held from
1-3 March 2000 at the Wissenschaftszentrum, Bonn, Germany.
The Workshop was designed to assist in the development of
elements of procedures and mechanisms relating to a
compliance system for in-depth consideration at forthcoming
meetings of the Joint Working Group on Compliance (JWG).
The workshop was organized by the FCCC Secretariat and the
Co-Chairs of the JWG. Eighty-one participants attended the
workshop, including representatives of governments, inter-
governmental organizations and non-governmental
organizations. Participants heard presentations and
discussed various issues related to the creation of a
compliance system under the Protocol, including: linkages
between Articles 5 (methodological issues), 7
(communication of information) and 8 (review of
information) and the compliance system; institutional
design; outcomes or consequences of non-compliance or
potential non-compliance; general provisions; and a
framework. On the basis of discussions during the workshop
as well as their working paper resulting from the
consultations held in Montreux in February, the Co-Chairs
will endeavor to develop a text that could form the basis
for negotiations at the twelfth session of the subsidiary
bodies (SB-12). The Earth Negotiations Bulletin report
outlining these discussions in detail can be found at:
http://www.iisd.ca/climate/cop6/tech_ws/compliance/index.ht
ml
DESERTIFICATION
SECOND AFRICA-LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN FORUM ON
IMPLEMENTATION OF THE UN CONVENTION TO COMBAT
DESERTIFICATION: This meeting took place from 6-8 March
2000 in Bamako, Mali. Attended by over 60 representatives
of 30 countries, the meeting saw the launch of a programme
of technical and scientific exchanges between Africa and
Latin America and the Caribbean. Under the programme,
experts will participate in cross-regional training courses
and exchanges on issues relevant to desertification. In
addition, participants called on bilateral and multilateral
institutions to strengthen their support for the needs of
countries affected by desertification. Participants also
adopted a Declaration of Principles and Commitments for
consideration at the Summit of the G-77/China, which will
take place in Cuba in April 2000. The role of traditional
knowledge in sustainable resource management was also
considered. For more information contact: Sonia Filippazzi,
UNCCD Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-2807; Internet:
http://www.unccd.de/publicinfo/press/press%2008%2003%2000%2
0E.html
OCEANS AND COASTS
SHARK CONFERENCE 2000: This conference took place from 21-
24 February 2000 in Honolulu, Hawaii. It brought together
representatives of the fishing industry, scientific
community, governments and conservation groups from 14
countries to consider shark management and conservation
issues and to present research results. Meeting in both
plenary sessions and workshops, those in attendance
highlighted the significant declines in many shark
populations due to over-fishing, excessive bycatch,
environmental factors, and finning. They also noted a
decline in the quantity and quality of data collected.
Participants called for the creation of a global strategic
plan to conserve and manage sharks, skates and rays within
the framework of the UN International Plan of Acton for
Sharks. This proposed strategic plan would include, inter
alia: an operational plan to improve stock assessments and
data collection that would contribute to decision-making
processes; a programme to assist developing countries; the
development of artificial bait to discourage shark bycatch;
a media-based education campaign to raise awareness of
threats to sharks, as well as to reduce bycatch and demand
for shark fins; the establishment of international criteria
for vessel monitoring systems; and the development of a
biodiversity initiative to further research and protect the
1200 species of sharks, skates and rays. For more
information contact: Carol Stimson, 1113 Hui Street,
Kailua, Hawaii, HI 96734; tel/fax: +1-808-262-0789; e-mail:
sti...@aloha.net; Internet:
http://www.westpacfisheries.net/sharkcon/summary.html
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
38TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT: This
meeting was held at UN Headquarters in New York during
February and March 2000. The Commission focused on a review
and appraisal of implementation of commitments made at the
World Summit for Social Development (WSSD) held in
Copenhagen in 1995. The Commission's work on this issue
will feed into the Copenhagen+5 Special Session of the
General Assembly, due to take place in Geneva in late June
2000. Originally scheduled for 8-17 February, the
Commission's 38th Session was extended to include
additional sessions in March, as delegates sought to reach
agreement on a draft resolution transmitting the Committees
conclusions on progress and obstacles in implementing the
commitments made at the WSSD. One area of dispute with
regards to the conclusions related to a paragraph stating
that some countries' social development is adversely
affected by unilateral measures not in accordance with
international law and the UN Charter, which, inter alia,
impede social and economic development and hinder people's
well-being. Disagreement also surfaced over proposed text
relating to mobilization of resources for social
development. The Committee finally agreed on text and
concluded its work on 17 March 2000. The agreed conclusions
are contained in a seven chapter document. The document
notes that, although efforts have been made to achieve WSSD
goals, progress has been uneven and further attention is
required. The conclusions address issues relating to:
poverty eradication; full employment; social integration;
Africa and the least developed countries; mobilization of
resources; and capacity building. For more information
contact: the Secretariat of the United Nations Commission
for Social Development; tel: +1-212-963 7763; e-mail:
theun...@un.org; Internet:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/geneva2000/events/csd/index.ht
ml
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT
MEETING OF THE WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION'S COMMITTEE ON
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT: The World Trade Organization's
Committee on Trade and Environment met from 29 February - 1
March 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Committee addressed
the issue of market access, in particular, the benefits of
removing subsidies in the fisheries sector in terms of
trade, development and the environment. Delegates
considered, inter alia: market access for exports from
developing countries; environmental reviews of trade
agreements at the national level; the Biosafety Protocol;
and the relationship between the Biodiversity Convention
and the TRIPS Agreement. The Committee agreed to hold two
information sessions with the secretariats of ten
multilateral environmental agreements around the time of
the Committee's meetings scheduled for 5-6 July and 24-25
October 2000. Delegates also expressed support for a second
round of regional seminars on trade and environment with
developing country government officials, to be held during
2000. For more information visit:
http://www.wto.org/wto/new/webenv.htm
WOMEN
44TH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN: The
Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) held its 44th
session at UN Headquarters in New York from 28 February -
17 March 2000. The Commission's session was divided into
two parts: in the first (28 February-2 March), the
Commission followed up on the Fourth World Conference on
Women (FWCW), and in the second (3-17 March), the
Commission acted as the Preparatory Committee (PrepCom) for
the Beijing+5 Special Session of the General Assembly
entitled "Women 2000: Gender equality, development and
peace for the 21st century." The session was attended by
over 2000 participants, including high-level government
officials, UN agency representatives, international
organizations, non-governmental organizations and the
media. Delegates had before them the task of negotiating
the proposed outcome document for the Special Session
(E/CN.6/2000/PC/L.1/ Rev.1), which includes an introduction
and three sections on: achievements and obstacles in the
implementation of the 12 critical areas of the Platform for
Action (PFA); current challenges affecting the full
implementation of the Beijing Declaration and the PFA; and
actions and initiatives to overcome obstacles and to
achieve the full and accelerated implementation of the PFA.
Delegates also discussed the draft provisional agenda and
organizational matters (E/CN.6/2000/PC.8) and the list of
speakers (E/CN.6/2000/PC.9) for the Special Session. After
a slow start, delegates negotiated their way through a
limited portion of the text during the last week of the
PrepCom and only succeeded in lifting brackets from a few
paragraphs in each section of the outcome document. In the
end, despite many efforts in Working Groups and among group
consultations to finish an initial reading of the entire
heavily bracketed text, many issues remain unresolved. The
Earth Negotiations Bulletin report outlining these
discussions in detail can be found at:
http://www.iisd.ca/4wcw/csw44/index.html
MEDIA REPORTS
The latest news from the field of international environment
and development negotiations, with links to relevant media
coverage and press releases
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
WORLD WATER FORUM CONCLUDES WITH MINISTERIAL DECLARATION
The Second World Water Forum and Ministerial Conference
drew to a close on 22 March with agreement on a Ministerial
Declaration establishing the goal of water security in the
21st Century. However, while some participants have praised
the Declaration and other key documents as a valuable step
forward, others have expressed concern that they are
inadequate. Forum participants considered a Framework for
Action that sets targets to ensure safe and adequate fresh
water worldwide and a Vision document for water management
prepared by the World Water Council. The Ministerial
Conference - held in parallel to the Forum - resulted in a
Ministerial Declaration, which establishes the goal of
achieving water security in the 21st Century. In responding
to these documents, representatives of some non-
governmental organizations and trade unions called for
stronger language to reflect the urgency of global water
problems and for a greater commitment to action,
particularly to address the needs of people in developing
countries. It was also noted the Declaration referred to
water security as a goal rather than a right. WWF, the
conservation group, said the Forum's Framework for Action
was flawed, and called for a review of the document by
August 2000 to ensure that the targets adequately address
sustainable development considerations.
Links to further information
Second World Water Forum press releases, March 2000
http://www.worldwaterforum.com/journalist/frameset.html
BBC news report, 22 March 2000
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid%
5F686000/686091.stm
WWF press release, 22 March 2000
http://www.panda.org/news/press/news.cfm?id=1897
GEF DOUBLES FUNDING FOR GLOBAL WATER ISSUES
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) is set to double its
funding for addressing global water and related land
degradation issues. It will programme US$500 million over
the next five years for international waters projects in
developing countries and countries with economies-in-
transition. The announcement - which coincided with the
Second World Water Forum held in The Hague - reflects a
growing recognition that water and land degradation present
one of the major barriers to sustainable development. GEF's
Chairman and CEO, Mohamed El-Ashry, urged governments to
step-up efforts to generate revenues and attract private
investment for better provision of urban water, sanitation,
and irrigation services. He also called for better water
pricing policies.
Links to further information
GEF press release, 21 March 2000
http://www.gefweb.org/PUBLIC/water%20forum%20draft%20releas
e.htm
PLAN TO STRENGTHEN WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT LAUNCHED
The United Nations Development Programme and the
International Institute for Infrastructural, Hydraulic and
Environmental Engineering have launched a joint initiative
to build developing countries' capacities in water
resources management. The International Network for
Capacity Building for Integrated Water Management (CAPNET)
was announced on 17 March at the Second World Water Forum
and Ministerial Conference held in The Hague. CAPNET will
focus on global networking training programmes and will
target developing country professionals working in water
management, decision makers active in related fields, and
future managers of water resources, including post-graduate
students. It will also address the lack of women
professionals active in water resources management. The
initiative will operate initially in southeast Asia, Latin
America and southern Africa using funding provided by UNDP
and the Dutch Government. Additional donor support is being
sought to expand the programme to other regions.
Links to further information
UNDP press release, 17 March 2000
http://www.undp.org/dpa/pressrelease/index.html
SUSTAINABLE TOURISM INITIATIVE ANNOUNCED
An initiative for tour operators to improve their
environmental performance has been announced. The Tour
Operators' Initiative for Sustainable Tourism Development
is a cooperative arrangement between the UN Environment
Programme, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural
Organization, and the World Tourism Organization. Under the
initiative, participating tour operators will be able to
share information about best practices in environmental
management, conduct audits to cut harmful environmental
impacts, and collaborate with other stakeholders in
developing sustainable tourism. The initiative is a
voluntary and non-profit scheme open to all tour operators.
Links to further information
UNEP press release, 12 March 2000
http://www.unep.org/unep/per/ipa/pressrel/r03-1300.001
BIODIVERSITY
FAO OUTLINES POSITION ON BIOTECHNOLOGY, GMOS
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization has come out in
favor of biotechnology and genetic engineering, noting the
potential to increase production and productivity in
relation to agriculture, forestry and fisheries. However,
it has also noted the controversy over genetically modified
organisms (GMOs), and called for caution to reduce risks to
human and animal health and to the environment. The FAO
said it supported a "science-based evaluation system that
would objectively determine the benefits and risks of each
individual GMO." It noted that this would require a
cautious case-by-case approach to address legitimate
concerns prior to a product's release. Careful post-release
monitoring would be essential to ensure continued safety to
humans, animals and the environment. The FAO also called
for increased public funding for biotechnological research,
which is currently concentrated in the private sector.
Links to further information
FAO press release, March 2000
http://www.fao.org/biotech/state.htm
CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
PROTOCOL ON HAZARDOUS WASTE ACCIDENT
LIABILITY OPENS FOR SIGNATURE
The Protocol on Liability and Compensation for Damage
resulting from the Transboundary Movement of Hazardous
Wastes and their Disposal opened for signature earlier this
month. Adopted on 10 December 1999 by the Fifth Conference
of the Parties to the Basel Convention on the Control of
Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their
Disposal, the Protocol provides a regime for determining
liability and ensuring compensation from damages resulting
from these activities. The agreement at the December
meeting marked the culmination of negotiations that began
in 1993.
Links to further information
UNEP press release, 6 March 2000
http://www.unep.org/unep/per/ipa/pressrel/r03-0600.001
Above: Delegates attending COP-5 to the Basel Convention
celebrating the adoption of the Protocol on Liability and
Compensation, 10 December 1999
Photograph by Kenneth Tong, IISD
CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERE
OCEANS HAVE WARMED SIGNIFICANTLY DURING LAST 40 YEARS, SAYS
STUDY
A study by the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration (NOAA) suggests that the world ocean has
warmed significantly during the past 40 years. The largest
increase took place in the upper 300 meters of ocean, which
increased by an average of 0.56 degrees Fahrenheit.
However, the studies also show temperature increases at far
greater depths. The study measured temperatures from the
surface to depths of 3000 meters in the Atlantic, Indian
and Pacific ocean basins. It concluded that global ocean
warming is likely to be due to "a combination of natural
variability...and human-induced effects."
Links to further information
NOAA press release, 23 March 2000
http://www.noaanews.noaa.gov/stories/s399.htm
GM AND TEXACO LEAVE GLOBAL CLIMATE
COALITION
General Motors and Texaco - a US oil company - have both
announced that they are leaving the Global Climate
Coalition, an industry lobby group that has cast doubt on
evidence for global warming and on the usefulness of the
Kyoto Protocol. Other departures from the Coalition include
Daimler Chrysler, Ford, Shell and BP Amoco.
Links to further information
Ozone Action press releases, 14 March and 28 February 2000
http://www.ozone.org/mr031400.html
http://www.ozone.org/mr022800.html
Texaco announcement, 25 February 2000
http://www.texaco.com/shared/position/docs/gc_coalition.htm
l
UK UNVEILS BLUEPRINT FOR MEETING KYOTO
EMISSIONS TARGETS
UK Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has announced the
UK's blueprint for meeting Kyoto Protocol emissions
targets, while also urging the European Union to agree on
ratifying the Protocol as soon as possible. The UK's
programme will aim to cut greenhouse gas emissions by
21.5%, which is above the 12.5% target set at Kyoto. The
programme contains a number of specific measures aimed at
cutting emissions in all sectors.
Links to further information
UK Government press release, 9 March 2000
http://www.press.detr.gov.uk/0003/0169.htm
BBC news report, 9 March 2000
http://news2.thls.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid%5F67
1000/671677.stm
EC SETS OUT VIEWS ON EMISSIONS TRADING
The European Commission has outlined its support for the
establishment of an international emissions trading system.
In a recent Green Paper, the Commission stated that,
together with other policies and measures, emissions
trading will be an "integral and major part of the
(European) Community's implementation strategy." The Green
Paper makes clear the Commission's view that the European
Community will need to use all the tools at its disposal in
respect to meeting its international commitments.
Links to further information
European Commission Green Paper, March 2000
http://www2.unimaas.nl/~jlefever/docs/0087_en.pdf
GLOBAL ICE MELTING ACCELERATES, SAYS REPORT
The world's ice cover is melting more quickly and in more
places than at any other time on record, according to a
report compiled by the Worldwatch Institute. The report
notes the suspicion within the scientific community that
ice cover melting is one of the first observable signs of
human-induced global warming. The report warns that ice
cover loss will raise sea levels and cause regional
flooding. It also notes that the Arctic Sea ice shrank by 6
percent between 1978 and 1996 - losing on average an area
larger than the Netherlands each year. In addition, the
thickness of the ice reduced. The report states that
Antarctica's ice mass is also melting, although experts
have yet to agree on how quickly this is taking place.
Links to further information
Worldwatch Institute press release, 6 March 2000
http://www.worldwatch.org/alerts/000306.html
DESERTIFICATION
SOUTH SOUTH COOPERATION PROGRAMME
APPROVED
A programme of technical and scientific exchanges between
Africa and Latin America and the Caribbean to combat
desertification has been launched. Under the programme,
more than 60 experts will participate during 2000-2001 in
cross-regional training courses and exchanges on water
management, soil conservation, reforestation, and other
issues relevant to desertification. The programme was
approved by regional representatives at the Second
Africa/Latin America and the Caribbean Forum on
implementation of the UN Convention to Combat
Desertification, which took place from 6-8 March in Bamako,
Mali. The Government of Venezuela has pledged US$1 million
for South-South cooperation to combat desertification.
Links to further information
UNCCD press release, 8 March 2000
http://www.unccd.de/publicinfo/press/press%2008%2003%2000%2
0E.html
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
REPORT CLAIMS IMF POLICIES CAN HURT ENVIRONMENT
The model of development being used by the International
Monetary Fund and some other international financial
institutions is unsustainable and can negatively impact the
environment, according to a recent report released by the
Friends of the Earth environmental group. The report,
written by a team of environmentalists and economists,
assessed IMF lending programmes and their effect on eight
countries. It concluded that the IMF's approach seeks
economic growth without factoring in ecological limits,
which can have negative environmental consequences. The
report called on the IMF to: refocus on its original
mandate of short-term stabilization and leave longer-term
economic adjustment to other institutions; commission
Environmental Impact Assessments as part of its structural
adjustment programme (SAP) agreements; include
environmental ministers in negotiations on IMF programmes;
consult more widely with civil society; and publish
environmental spending figures in a clear, disaggregated
manner. The recommendations follow other recent proposals
for changes to be made to IMF's policies and approach.
Links to further information
Friends of the Earth report, March 2000
POPULATION
ACTION URGED TO COMBAT "GLOBAL THREAT" OF TUBERCULOSIS
Action is needed to combat tuberculosis worldwide,
according to representatives of 20 countries attending a
Ministerial Conference on TB and Sustainable Development.
Participants at the conference, held on 24 March - World TB
Day - endorsed a declaration calling for action to stop TB
worldwide. The declaration states that global access to
effective TB treatment is a human right. It also announces
the 20 participating countries' intention to ensure
availability of anti-TB drugs, unhindered access to
treatment, affordable medicines for those who have
developed drug-resistant TB, and the development of
stronger drugs and an effective vaccine. The declaration
announces that a global partnership agreement to stop TB
will be established, along with a global fund to mobilize
new and additional resources. The 20 participating
countries made a commitment to expand coverage of the WHO-
recommended anti-TB strategy, known as DOTS, to provide for
at least 70% detection of all infectious cases by 2005.
Endorsing this initiative, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF)
called TB a "global threat" that causes two million deaths
each year, including 250,000 children. TB is the world's
leading infectious killer of young people and adults. Two
billion people worldwide are infected with TB, although
only a relatively small percentage develop the disease.
Links to further information
News conference summary, 24 March 2000
http://www.stoptb.org/conference/summary.news.conference.ht
ml
UNICEF press release, 23 March 2000
http://www.unicef.org/newsline/00pr24.htm
ACTION URGED TO SAVE ONE BILLION CHILDREN FROM MALNUTRITION
Urgent action is needed to prevent the health of one
billion children being permanently damaged by malnutrition
over the next 20 years, according to a report from the
Commission on the Nutrition Challenges of the 21st Century.
The Commission - which was set up by the United Nations
three years ago - says existing efforts to address ongoing
malnutrition are inadequate. Its report, Ending
Malnutrition by 2020: an Agenda for Change in the
Millennium, proposes new initiatives to resolve what it
says is a preventable problem, including: adoption of a
code of conduct on the right to adequate food; the setting
of a new goal to end malnutrition by 2020; steps to
strengthen the UN's nutrition sub-committee; the
establishment of regional task forces involving the UN,
non-governmental organizations, agencies and governments;
and creation of national nutrition councils. The report
proposes a key role for the UN in mobilizing nutrition
action worldwide.
Links to further information
Commission press release and report, 20 March 2000
SIGNIFICANT IMMIGRATION NEEDED TO MAINTAIN POPULATION
LEVELS IN DEVELOPED COUNTRIES, SAYS UN'S POPULATION
DIVISION
Substantial levels of immigration will be needed to
maintain population levels in many developed countries
during the next half century, according to a report by the
UN's Population Division. The report, Replacement
Migration: Is it a Solution to Declining and Aging
Populations?, considers the international migration needed
to prevent population decline and aging resulting from low
fertility and mortality rates. It suggests that populations
in Japan and most of Europe are likely to drop by as much
as one third in some cases, although the population in the
US is expected to rise by almost one quarter. It also finds
that populations will age significantly; in Italy, the
median age could rise from 41 in 2000 to 53 in 2050.
The report notes that an aging population has significant
implications in terms of the ratio of those of working age
to those in retirement. It concludes that population
decline is inevitable without replacement migration. It
also notes that that the levels of migration needed to
prevent population aging are far greater than those
required to prevent population decline. The report says
these challenges will require a comprehensive reassessment
of many established policies and programmes, and a long-
term perspective. Issues that will need to be considered
include: the retirement age; the extent and type of
retirement and health care benefits for the elderly;
contributions needed from workers and employers to support
retirement and health care benefits; and policies relating
to international migration.
Links to further information
UN press release, 17 March 2000
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2000/20000317.dev2234.doc
.html
UN Population Division report, 17 March 2000
http://www.un.org/esa/population/migration.htm
BBC news report, 21 March, 2000
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/europe/newsid_684000
/684803.stm
READINGS
New and recent book titles, articles and other literature
on environment and development.
Compiled by Peter Doran
Humanities Department, University of Ulster at Magee
College, Derry, Northern Ireland
Suggested readings may be sent to: pe...@iisd.org
JOURNALS
/Climate Change
"Activities Implemented Jointly: another look at the
facts." Ecological Economics, 2000, Vol.32, No.2, pp.255-
267. R. Schwarze (California) revisits the pilot phase of
Activities Implemented Jointly (AIJ), established in 1995
by the First Conference of Parties (COP-1) to the UN
Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC). Schwarze
notes that the pilot phase was extended in 1998 by COP-4
for an undetermined period beyond 2000. This paper is an
empirical study of AIJ experience in the first five years
(1995-1999) based on 96 AIJ projects listed on the FCCC
website, and a separate study on seven AIJ projects
involving Japan. The main results are:
(1) AIJ investment shows a pattern of regional specificity
with divergent regional investment portfolios in the United
States, Japan and Europe. This pattern can be traced back
to differences in the national AIJ programmes of investors
and hosts, on the one hand, and to specific ways of
minimizing transaction costs on the other, for instance by
attaching AIJ to established institutional links with
development co-operation or by 'trading in the
neighborhood'; and
(2) AIJs are overwhelmingly no regret measures with almost
zero or negative cost. Transaction costs of reporting have
been minimized by applying simple and straightforward
methods of baseline determination. The exception to this is
the verification procedure where expensive external
verification prevails.
"Advanced bottom-up modeling for national and regional
energy planning in response to climate change."
International Journal of Environment and Pollution, 1999,
Vol.12, No.2-3, pp.191-216. A. Kanudia and R. Loulou
(Canada) describe an advanced bottom-up approach for
modeling the energy-environment sector to study greenhouse
gas abatement. Three new features are described that give
significant new capabilities to this class of models. These
are: endogenization of end-use demands, which allows
computation of partial equilibria in energy markets;
modeling future uncertainties using multi-stage stochastic
programming; and combining several bottom-up models as a
multi-region model to explore issues of cooperation and
burden-sharing. Each of these new features is illustrated
by results taken from large-scale extended MARKAL models
based on data from Quebec and Ontario. The authors believe
that a very promising avenue of research lies in exploring
the role of multiple advanced bottom-up models in the
integrated assessment of climate change.
/Trade, Business and Environment
"Do codes make a difference?: The case of bank lending and
the environment." Journal of Business Ethics, 2000, Vol.24,
No.2, pp.165-178. C.J. Cowton and P. Thompson (England)
explore the doubts raised about the efficacy of business
codes of conduct in ensuring high standards of behavior.
The paper seeks to make a contribution to a sparse body of
empirical literature by studying the policies and
procedures of a sample of banks, which have signed a
statement on banking and the environment as promulgated by
the United Nations Development Programme. While some
differences are found when compared with a sample of banks
that have not signed the statement, the differences are not
extensive. The implications of the findings for codes of
conduct and for future empirical studies are discussed in
detail.
"International trade and environmental quality: a survey."
Ecological Economics, 2000, Vol.32, No.2, pp.175-194. R.
Jayadevappa and S. Chhatre (Philadelphia) note that
international trade has been incorporating various aspects
of environmental issues since 1970. The extent to which
environmental problems might affect facets of trade, or
vice versa, has been the subject of considerable debate
during this period. In this article, the authors attempt to
establish some of the links between international trade and
environmental quality by performing a comprehensive
literature review. They discuss issues such as the direct
and indirect effects of international trade on
environmental quality, the effects of trade on economic
development, environmental quality, and energy, and how
they relate to each other. Finally, they discuss the role
of governments and international organizations in this
context. Their studies reveal some linkages using
conventional trade theory. However, the authors believe
that interactions between international trade and types of
pollution, their sink and assimilative capacity need to be
analyzed using a general equilibrium approach. They
conclude that, for the moment, very little knowledge and
agreement exists on the nature of interactions between
trade theories, development process and environmental
quality. Existing studies show that the structure of
environmental regulations should be modified to reflect the
existence of trade under imperfect competition. Further
research is, therefore, required on the interaction between
new trade theory and environmental regulation. The authors
go on to identify additional research gaps.
/Sustainable Tourism
"Tourism and the Environment – a social movements
perspective." Annals of Tourism Research, 2000, Vol.27,
No.2, pp.468-489. M. Kousis (Greece) provides evidence of
local environmental mobilizations against tourism
activities in Greece, Spain, and Portugal from the early
1970s to the mid 1990s. The article sets out to introduce a
social movements approach to the sociology of tourism and
environment. The paper focuses on active host community
environmental groups and the groups they challenge. The
authors also examine the environmental groups' approaches
and actions, their impact on tourism, local ecosystems, and
sustainable development. The paper further highlights the
determining factors of such conflicts and their deeper
implications for the socio-environmental aspects of
Southern European societies.
/Forests
"The Changing Regime: Forest property and Reformasi in
Indonesia." Development and Change, 2000, Vol.31, No.1,
pp.91-129. J.F. McCarthy (Australia) explores the dominant
explanations of the failure of forest management in
Indonesia within the public discourse of the late New Order
period. Drawing on a review of salient literature and
relevant case studies, the article focuses on the
underlying historical, institutional and political causes
of the failure of the state property regime. It observes
that, by taking a narrow view of the issues, public
discourse during the New Order period (1966-98) avoided
discussion of the structure of property relations and the
power relations that supported them. However, the forest
fires of 1997-98 and the ensuing crisis have revealed that
the forest policy that allocated property rights over vast
areas of the nation's forests to well-connected
conglomerates and politico-business families was
inequitable and lacked legitimacy. While new legislative
initiatives open up possibilities for co-management, the
reforms so far barely engage with the underlying structure
of property rights, according to the author. These issues
will need to be more thoroughly addressed if Indonesia is
to tackle the bitter legacy of the Suharto era.
"Sticks and Stones: environmental narratives and discursive
regulation in the forestry and mining sectors." Antipode,
2000, Vol.32, No.1, p.10. G. Bridge and P. McManus (United
States and Australia). The authors note that forestry and
mining continue to be successful and profitable despite a
significant increase in environmental awareness and
activism in the latter half of the twentieth century. To
understand the relative stability and growth of the sectors
in the face of overt contradictions arising from their use
of the environment, the authors revisit the work of
regulation theorists who posed similar questions about the
persistence and maintenance of capitalism in general. Two
case studies are presented: forestry in British Columbia
and gold mining in California and Nevada. These demonstrate
how the political economy of forestry and mining is subject
to contradictions arising out of the technological and
organizational mechanisms through which nature is
appropriated during production. Analysis of the case
studies demonstrates that the regulation of these
contradictions is increasingly achieved through the
deployment and co-option of sustainability narratives. The
case studies juxtapose the recent proliferation of
sustainability narratives within the forestry and mining
sectors with the sectors' persistent challenges to concepts
of sustainable development.
"Development and discourses and peasant-forest relations."
Development and Change, 2000, Vol. 31, No.1, pp.11-34. A.
Nygren (Finland) examines the changing role of forests and
the practices of peasants in a Costa Rican rural community.
The study underlines the complex articulation of local
processes and global forces in tropical forest struggles.
Deforestation is seen as a process of development and power
involving multiple social actors, from politicians and
development experts to a heterogeneous group of local
peasants. The local people are not passive victims of
global challenges, but are directly involved in the changes
concerning their production systems and livelihood
strategies. The article underlines the multiplicity of the
causes of tropical deforestation, and the intricate link
between global discourses on the environment and
development and local forest relations.
/Fisheries
"Science arrangements for the regional management of tuna."
Marine Policy, 2000, Vol.24, No.2, pp.93-108. P. Ward, B.
Kearney, and N. Tsirbas (Australia) note that Pacific,
metropolitan and distant-water fishing nations are
negotiating a regional regime for managing the western and
central Pacific tuna fishery. The regime will require an
arrangement that delivers high-quality scientific advice.
The authors observe that regional science arrangements have
often developed without the benefit of planning and without
close attention to management requirements. They use the
western and central Pacific fishery to highlight the types
of science functions and attributes required for effective
regional fishery management. In establishing science
arrangements, the authors argue, nations will need to
balance national interests, such as participation in stock
assessments, against the wider interests of resource
management which requires unbiased scientific advice.
/Biotechnology
"The Contrasting Roles of Government in the Development of
Biotechnology Industry in the United States and Germany."
Research Policy, 2000, Vol.29, No.2, pp.205-223. S.
Giesecke (Austria) notes that, during the last thirty
years, biotechnology development has taken different paths
in the US and Germany. The article compares the two
national science and technology policies and analyzes the
political, economic and social factors that determine the
different paths. The paper concludes that an indirect
science and technology policy that tries to spread the
factors, thereby enabling a preferable "economic ecology"
for biotech development, is more successful than an
interventionist policy. Political action, however, is
limited and can only enhance science and technology
development if the policies mesh with the social and
economic dispositions.
WHAT'S NEW ONLINE
In October 1999, the Institute for Economy and the
Environment at the University of St.Gallen (IWOe-HSG),
Switzerland, organized two international seminars on the
Kyoto Protocol Mechanisms and Business Opportunities. The
first seminar dealt with aspects and the second with
verification and certification of JI/CDM projects. The
presentations are now available at the Institute's web
site: www.iwoe.unisg.ch/kyoto
The Inventory of United States Greenhouse Gas Emissions and
Sinks (1990-1998) is now available at the US Environmental
Protection Agency's website:
www.epa.gov/globalwarming/publications/emissions/
A reprint of Peter Gleick's article, "The Human Right to
Water", published originally in Water Policy, 1(5), 1999,
is now available at the website of the Pacific Institute
for Studies in Development, Environment and Security:
www.pacinst.org/gleickrw.pdf
BP Amoco has launched a new climate change website with
details about the company's positions and actions,
including its emissions trading system. Access the site at:
www.bpamoco.com/climatechange/
COMINGS AND GOINGS
Information on key appointments, departures and vacancies
at United Nations agencies, international organizations,
government departments and non-governmental organizations
active in the field of international environment and
development negotiations.
APPOINTMENTS
NEW IMF MANAGING DIRECTOR APPOINTED
The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) unanimously agreed on 23 March to select Horst Köhler
of Germany as its Managing Director and Chairman. Köhler is
currently President of the European Bank for Reconstruction
and Development. Previously, he was President of the German
Savings Bank Association, and has also served as Germany's
Deputy Minister of Finance. At the IMF he will succeed
Michel Camdessus, who resigned last month. Köhler's
nomination follows a six-month high-level political process
and some intense lobbying by member countries on who should
be appointed. Köhler's appointment continues a precedent of
Europeans heading the IMF, while a US citizen traditionally
runs the World Bank. For more information visit:
http://www.imf.org/external/np/sec/pr/2000/PR0021.HTM
WORLD BANK APPOINTS NEW CHIEF ECONOMIST
Nicholas Stern of the United Kingdom has been appointed
Senior Vice President, Development Economics and Chief
Economist of the World Bank. He replaces Joseph Stiglitz,
who served as the Bank's Chief Economist from 1996 -
February 2000. Stern was most recently School Professor at
the London School of Economics and Chair of the London
Economics consultancy. He has also worked at the European
Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and has experience
in policy advisory work in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and
Eastern Europe. He will take up his position in late Spring
2000. Stern's brother, Richard Stern, is also employed by
the Bank as its Vice President for Human Resources. For
more information visit:
http://wbln0018.worldbank.org/news/pressrelease.nsf/ (press
release 2000/24l/S, dated 8 March 2000)
VACANCIES
GREENPEACE SEEKS POLITICAL, SCIENCE DIRECTOR
Greenpeace International is looking for a Political,
Science Director to supervise the work of its Political,
Science, and European Units. This is a senior management
position based at Greenpeace International Headquarters in
Amsterdam. The closing date for applications is 31 March.
Application forms should be submitted by e-mail to:
PSD.R...@diala.gl3. More information is available online
at: http://www.greenpeace.org/jobs.shtml
UNAIDS ANNOUNCES VACANCIES
The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS)
recently announced four new vacancies, all designated as P-
5 United Nations positions. The posts are:
- Policy Analyst and Speechwriter in the Executive
Director's Office in Geneva, Switzerland (closing date for
applications is 10 April);
- Manager of Finance and Administration in the Programme
Support Department in Geneva (closing date for applications
is 20 April);
- Programme Officer, South Asia Programme Development and
Management, based in Dhaka, Bangladesh (closing date for
applications is 20 April); and
- Country Programme Adviser in the Department of Country
Planning and Programme Development, based in Port-au-
Prince, Haiti (closing date for applications is 20 April).
More information on all four positions is available online
at:
http://www.unaids.org/about/jobs/index.html
UNIDO SEEKS SENIOR INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT OFFICER
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization
(UNIDO) is seeking a Senior Industrial Development Officer
for the Quality, Standardization and Metrology Branch of
its Investment Promotion and Institutional Capacity-
Building Division. The post is designated as a P-5 United
Nations position and is based in Vienna, Austria. The
closing date for applications is 12 April. More information
is available online at:
http://www.unido.org/doc/330916.htmls
VACANCIES AT THE INTERNATIONAL SEABED
AUTHORITY
The International Seabed Authority, an organization
established under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea,
is seeking a Chief for the Office of Administration and
Management. The post is designated as a P-5 United Nations
position. The organization is also seeking a Webmaster (a
P-3 position), a Budget and Internal Oversight Officer (P-
4), and a Marine Biologist (P-4). The positions are based
in Kingston, Jamaica. The deadline for these applications
is 15 April 2000. More information is available online at:
http://www.isa.org.jm/en/vacancy/default.asp
ESCAP SEEKS HEAD OF PACIFIC OPERATIONS CENTER
The United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia
and the Pacific (ESCAP) is seeking a Head of its Pacific
Operations Center. The post is designated as a D-1 United
Nations position and is based in Port Vila, Vanuatu. The
closing date for applications is 6 May 2000. More
information is available online at:
http://www.un.org/Depts/OHRM/eescx051.htm
UPCOMING MEETINGS
Information on upcoming conferences, workshops and symposia
in the field of international environment and development
negotiations.
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
WORLD COMMISSION ON DAMS (WCD) MEETINGS: The WCD Forum will
meet from 7-8 April in Cape Town, South Africa. The Forum
is a consultative mechanism that acts as a vehicle for
involving the widest possible range of key actors in the
WCD process. It will prepare a global initiative and
strategy for dissemination of WCD recommendations and final
report by June 2000. The Seventh WCD Commission Meeting
will be held from 8-9 April 2000 in Cape Town, South
Africa. The Eighth WCD Commission Meeting will be held from
7-9 July 2000 and the Ninth will be held from 25-27 August
2000, both at locations yet to be determined. For more
information on these meetings contact: Ms. Saneeya Hussain,
World Commission on Dams, 5th floor, Hycastle House, 58
Loop Street, PO Box 16002, Vlaeberg, Cape Town, South
Africa; tel: +27-21-426-4000; fax: +27-21-426-0036; e-mail:
shus...@dams.org; Internet: www.dams.org
INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES
MANAGEMENT: This meeting is scheduled for 9-12 April 2000
in Davis, California, USA. Issues to be addressed include:
water resources policy; innovative water resources
management; hydrologic extremes and related social issues;
water science and its role in water management; integrated
river basin planning; and integrated management of water
quality and quantity with ecosystem protection. For more
information contact: Miguel A. Marino, 139 Veihmeyer Hall
(LAWR), University of California, Davis, CA. 95616-8628,
USA; tel: +1-530-752-0684; e-mail: mama...@ucdavis.edu;
Internet: http://www-
cwwr.ucdavis.edu/hydrology/symposium.html
SIXTH ANNUAL INTERNATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT RESEARCH
CONFERENCE: This conference will take place on 13-14 April
2000 at the University of Leeds in Yorkshire, England.
Sponsored by ERP Environment, the conference will bring
together an international interdisciplinary audience to
consider ways to develop policies and practices consistent
with sustainable development. Participants will share
experiences and begin to identify the necessary steps to
achieve a sustainable future. For more information contact:
Elaine White, ERP Environment, PO Box 75, Shipley, West
Yorkshire BD17 6EZ, United Kingdom; tel: +44-1274-530408;
fax: 44-1274-530409; e-mail: ela...@erpenv.demon.co.uk;
Internet: http://www.erpenvironment.org/cfrence/sd.htm
Eighth African Ministerial Conference on the Environment:
This meeting is tentatively scheduled to take place in
April 2000 in Cairo, Egypt. For more information contact:
C. O. Sow, UNEP Regional Office for Africa; tel: +254-2-62-
4285; fax: +254-2-62-3928; e-mail: cheik...@unep.org
EIGHTH SESSION OF THE COMMISSION ON SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT: CSD-8 will meet in New York from 24 April - 5
May 2000 to consider integrated planning and management of
land resources, agriculture, and financial resources/trade
and investment/economic growth. The CSD Ad Hoc
Intersessional Working Groups met in New York from 22
February - 3 March 2000. For more information contact:
Andrey Vasilyev, Division for Sustainable Development; tel:
+1-212-963-5949; e-mail: vasi...@un.org; Internet:
http://www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd8/csd8_2000.htm For major
groups information contact: Zehra Aydin-Sipos, Major Groups
Focal Point, Division for Sustainable Development; tel: +1-
212-963-8811; fax: +1-212-963-1267; e-mail: ay...@un.org
CONFERENCE ON LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT – Tools for
Sustainability: This international conference will be held
from 25-27 April 2000, in Arlington, Virginia. It will
bring together practitioners and decision-makers to discuss
how Life Cycle Assessment can be used to: create marketing
advantages; improve environmental decision-making; save
organizations money; organize environmental management
systems; measure environmental performance; and communicate
within and outside organizations. For more information
contact: InLCA Conference; tel: +1-206-463-7431; fax: +1-
206-463-7432; Internet:
http://www.epa.gov/ttbnrmrl/inlca.htm
OECD MILESTONE CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE
TRANSPORT AND STRATEGIES: This conference will be held from
3-5 May 2000 in Vienna, Austria. It will mark the
culmination of the OECD project on Environmentally
Sustainable Transport and serve as a forum to consider how
OECD Member Countries can implement the necessary changes
in their transport systems in order to achieve more
sustainable development patterns. For more information
contact: Peter Wiederkehr, Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development, OECD Environment Directorate,
2, rue Andre Pascal, 75775 Paris Cedex 16, France; tel.
+33-1-45-24-78-92; e-mail: peter.wi...@oecd.org;
Internet:
http://www.oecd.org/env/ccst/est/curract/vienna2000/viennai
ndex.htm
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE FUTURE OF THE MEDITERRANEAN
RURAL ENVIRONMENT: PROSPECTS FOR SUSTAINABLE LAND USE AND
MANAGEMENT: This conference will be held in Menemen, Turkey
from 8-11 May 2000. The conference will bring together
socio-economic experts, scientific researchers and
government policy makers, with a view to having a full and
informed discussion on the future and sustainable
development of Mediterranean rural areas. For more
information visit:
http://www.silsoe.cranfield.ac.uk/ForthcomingEvents/turkish
_conference.htm
PLANETWORK CONFERENCE ON GLOBAL ECOLOGY AND INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY: This conference will be held from 12-14 May
2000 in San Francisco, USA. It is being organized by
PlaNetwork, which is a project of the Social and
Environmental Entrepreneurs, a California-based non-profit
organization. This multidisciplinary conference will
explore ways that information technology - including the
Internet - can help create a sustainable future. For more
information contact: PlaNetwork, 1230 Market Street, Suite
517, San Francisco, CA 94102, USA; tel: +1-415-436-0123; e-
mail: in...@planetworkers.com; Internet:
http://www.planetworkers.org/planet.html
International Seminar on Sustainability of Tourism in the
Islands of the Mediterranean: This meeting will be held
from 17-20 May 2000 in Capri, Italy. It is being organized
by the World Tourism Organization (WTO) and hosted jointly
with UNEP and Blue Plan. The Seminar is intended as a
regional Mediterranean follow-up to the 1998 WTO/UNEP
Conference on Sustainable Tourism in Small Island
Developing States and Other Islands. It will focus on the
growing relationship between tourism competitiveness and
sustainability. For more information contact: World Tourism
Organization, Capitán Haya, 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain; tel:
+34-91-567-8100; fax +34-91-567-8218; e-mail: omtweb@world-
tourism.org; Internet: http://www.world-tourism.org/
International Conference on Environmental Management
Information Systems: This conference will be held from 21-
24 May 2000, in Anchorage, Alaska and is being organized by
the Information Resources Management Association (IRMA). It
will address the need to help companies take environmental
issues into account in strategic decisions, as well as in
operations. Topics to be covered include: eco-controlling
and eco-balances; environmental reporting; material flow
management; life cycle management; decision support; meta-
information systems; recycling and remanufacturing; waste
management and environmental accounting. For more
information contact: Mehdi Khosrowpour, Programme Chair,
2000 IRMA International Conference; e-mail: mehdi@irma-
international.org; Internet: http://www.irma-
international.org/call2000.htm
FIFTH INTERNATIONAL MEETING OF FRANCOPHONE PROFESSIONALS IN
IMPACT ASSESSMENT: This meeting will be held from 22-24 May
2000 in Paris, France. It is being organized by the
Francophone Secretariat of the International Association
for Impact Assessment (IAIA) and the Ministere de
l'Aménagement du Territoire et de l'Environnement of
France. The main theme of the meeting will be strategic
environmental assessments (SEA). For more information
contact: Francophone Secretariat of IAIA, 380, Saint-
Antoine Street West, suite 3200, Montreal (Quebec) H2Y 3X7,
Canada; tel: +1-514-288-2663; fax: +1-514-987-1567; e-mail:
ia...@secretariatfranco.org
Millennium International Children's Conference on the
Environment: This conference will be held in Eastbourne,
UK, from 23-24 May 2000. It is being jointly organized by
UNEP and other agencies. For more information contact:
Millennium Conference Secretariat, Eastbourne. UK; tel:
+44-1323-415431; fax: +44-1323-430093; e-mail:
ebou...@pavilion.co.uk
Workshop for the Application of Sustainable Tourism
Indicators in Asia: This meeting will be held in Beruwala,
Sri Lanka, from 4-11 June 2000, and will coincide with the
39th Meeting of the World Tourism Organization's Commission
for South Asia, to be held from 4-6 June in Colombo, Sri
Lanka. The workshop is open only to qualified officials
from Asian states members of the World Tourism
Organization. For more information contact: World Tourism
Organization, Capitán Haya, 42, 28020 Madrid, Spain; tel:
+34-91-567-8100; fax +34-91-567-8218; e-mail: omtweb@world-
tourism.org; Internet: http://www.world-tourism.org/
NINTH ANNUAL CORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL LEADERSHIP SEMINAR:
This seminar will be held from 4-15 June 2000 at Yale
University in New Haven, Connecticut, USA. For more
information contact: Michelle Portlock, Programme
Coordinator, The Corporate Environmental Leadership
Seminar, Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies;
tel: +1-203-432-6953; fax +1-203-432-5556; e-mail:
michelle...@yale.edu; Internet:
http://www.yale.edu/cels
ASIA DEVELOPMENT FORUM MEETING: The ADF will meet in
Singapore from 5–8 June 2000. The theme for this event will
be "From Crisis to Opportunity: The Way Forward for East
Asia." This meeting will address three issues: the
relationship of national economies with the regional and
global economy; governments' relationships with the
corporate sector; and the implicit social contract between
citizens and their governments. For more information
contact: World Bank Institute, Economic Policy for Poverty
Reduction Division; tel: +1-202-458-2498; fax: +1 -202-676-
9810; e-mail: wbi...@worldbank.org; Internet:
http://www.worldbank.org/wbi/wbiep/asia.html
SIXTH WORLD CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH: HEALTHY
ENVIRONMENTS – THE LOCAL CHALLENGE: The International
Federation for Environment and Health will hold its Sixth
World Conference from 5-9 June 2000 in Oslo, Norway. For
more information contact: the Norwegian Forum for
Environment and Health; tel: +47-67-569-012; e-mail:
cha...@online.no; Internet:
http://www.fmh.no/ifeh/English/hovedframe.htm
International Conference on Groundwater Research: This
conference will be held from 6 - 8 June 2000, in
Copenhagen, Denmark. It will provide an interdisciplinary
forum for the presentation and exchange of the most recent
advances in groundwater research. For more information
contact: The Conference Secretariat, MiaCon, Meeting and
Conference Services, Helsingevej 23, DK-2830 Virum,
Denmark; tel: +45-45-85-97-27; fax: +45-45-83-97-27; e-
mail: gw2...@isva.dtu.dk or
m...@miacon.dk; Internet: http://www.isva.dtu.dk/grc/gw2000/
SIXTH CIRCUMPOLAR SYMPOSIUM ON REMOTE SENSING OF POLAR
ENVIRONMENTS: This symposium will be held from 12-14 June
2000, in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Canada. It
will provide an international forum for the discussion of
work currently being carried out on remote sensing in the
circumpolar regions of the world in the following areas:
forestry and fire management; environmental monitoring;
wildlife management and habitat protection; mineral and oil
and gas exploration; oceanography; pollution control;
archaeology; data processing; and geographic information
systems. For more information contact: the NWT Center for
Remote Sensing, Department of Resources, Wildlife &
Economic Development, Government of the Northwest
Territories, 600, 5102 - 50th Avenue, Yellowknife NT, X1A
3S8; Canada; tel: +1-867-920-3329; fax: +1-867-873-0221; e-
mail: circump...@gov.nt.ca; Internet:
http://www.gov.nt.ca/RWED/rs/circumpolar2000/
INES 2000 Conference on Global Responsibility: The annual
conference of the International Network of Engineers and
Scientists for Global Responsibility (INES) will be held
from 14-18 June 2000, in Stockholm, Sweden. Plenary
lectures and workshops will address four themes: developing
the culture of science and engineering; engineering and
science for a finite world; humanizing the economy in a
global context; and taking steps towards comprehensive
security and lasting peace. For more information contact:
INES Conference Secretariat, Gutenbergstr. 31, 44139
Dortmund, Germany; tel: +49-231-575202/05; fax: +49-231-
575210; e-mail: INES...@t-online.de; Internet:
http://www.ines2000.org/
EcoEfficiency 2000 -Towards Sustainable Economic Growth:
This conference and exhibition will be held in Malmo,
Sweden, from 19-21 June 2000. EcoEfficiency 2000 will
present strategies for attaining sustainable economic
growth on the societal, company and product level, and will
explore how profit can be increased and environmental
impact reduced by applying the EcoEfficiency concept to
infrastructure, corporate strategy, product development,
and use of materials and energy. For more information
contact: Anette Blomstrand or Petra Kvist, Conference &
Congress Planning, BokningsBolaget, Torstenssonsgatan 3,
114 56 Stockholm, Sweden; tel: +46-8-660-8595; fax: +46-8-
663-1745; e-mail: cong...@bokningsbolaget.se; Internet:
http://www.nutek.se/information/ecoefficiency2000/index.htm
l
Fifth International Conference on Health, Safety and the
Environment in Oil and Gas Exploration and Production: This
meeting is being organized by UNEP's Production and
Consumption Unit and will be held in Stavanger, Norway,
from 26-28 June 2000. For more information contact: Fritz
Balkau, UNEP TIE-P&C, Paris, France; tel: +33-1-44-37-14-
50; fax: +33-3-44-37-14-74; e-mail: une...@unep.fr
GLOBAL CITIES21: The International Council for Local
Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) World Congress of Local
Governments will take place in Sachsen-Anhalt, Germany,
from 28 June - 2 July 2000. For more information contact:
Congress Secretariat; tel: +49-761-368-9220; fax: +49-761-
368-9229; e-mail: world.c...@iclei.org; Internet:
http://www2.iclei.org/gc21/
NEW TRENDS IN WATER AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING FOR
SAFETY AND LIFE: ECO-COMPATIBLE SOLUTIONS FOR AQUATIC
ENVIRONMENTS: This meeting will be held from 3-7 July 2000
in Naples, Italy. For more information contact: Rossella
Monti, Terra Dipartimento IIAR, Sezione Idraulica,
Politecnico di Milano, Piazza Leonardo da Vinci 32, 20133
Milan, Italy; tel: +39-02-2399-6293; fax: +39-02-2399-6298;
e-mail: te...@marina.iar.polimi.it
URBAN 21 - GLOBAL CONFERENCE ON THE URBAN FUTURE: This
conference will be held from 4-6 July 2000 in Berlin,
Germany. It is one of the key elements of the Global
Initiative on Sustainable Development, sponsored by Brazil,
Germany, Singapore and South Africa. For more information
contact: Federal Office for Building and Regional Planning,
Am Michaelshof 8, D - 53177 Bonn, Germany; fax: +49-1888-
401-2315; e-mail: in...@urban21.de; Internet:
http://www.urban21.de/english/index.html
SHAPING THE SUSTAINABLE MILLENNIUM, COLLABORATIVE
APPROACHES: This meeting will be held from 5-7 July 2000 in
Brisbane, Australia. Themes to be discussed include:
sustainable communities in the built environment;
industrial and construction ecology; green design and
architecture; and information, communication and education.
For more information contact: Jodie Doolan, Conference
Secretariat, Faculty of Built Environment and Engineering,
Queensland University of Technology, 2 George Street, GPO
Box 2434, Brisbane, Queensland 4001, Australia; tel: +61-7-
3864-1764; e-mail:
cibcon...@qut.edu.au; Internet:
http://olt.qut.edu.au/int/selby/events/Conference/default.h
tm
ISEE 2000: People and Nature – Operationalizing Ecological
Economics: The International Society for Ecological
Economics will hold its annual conference from 5-8 July
2000 in Canberra, Australia. The conference will focus on
operational applications and achievements of ecological
economics, dealing with major conceptual challenges and
practical problems. For more information contact: Beth
Stoodley, Centre for Continuing Education, The Australian
National University, Canberra, ACT 0200, Australia; tel:
+61-2-6249-3806; fax: +61-2-6279-8066; e-mail:
Beth.S...@anu.edu.au; Internet:
http://www.anu.edu.au/cce/isee/
ELECTRONIC CONFERENCE ON BUSINESS, THE ECONOMY AND
SUSTAINABILITY: This conference will be held in Canberra,
Australia from 5-8 July 2000. For more information contact:
e-mail: b...@green-innovations.asn.au; Internet:
http://www.green-innovations.asn.au/isee2000-bes.htm. To
subscribe to the free announcement e-mail list, send a
blank e-mail message to: isee2000-bes-involve-
subs...@onelist.com
SEMINAR ON SUSTAINABLE USE OF WATER: QUALITY AND QUANTITY:
This seminar will be held from 16-21 July 2000 in
Guildford, England. For more information contact: the
Information Manager, International Networking Events, The
British Council, 1, Beaumont Place, Oxford, OX1 2PJ, UK;
tel: +44-1865-316-636; fax: +44-1865-557-368 or 516-590; e-
mail: network...@britishcouncil.org; Internet:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/networkevents (and click on
the Calendar of Events).
Fourth Ministerial Conference on Environment and
Development in Asia and the Pacific: This conference will
be held in Kitakyushu, Japan, from 31 August - 5 September
2000. For more information contact: Mr. Nirmal Andrews,
Director UN Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific
(ROAP); tel: +66-2-288-1870-4; fax: +66-2-280-3829; e-mail:
andr...@un.org
Sixth International High-level Seminar on Cleaner
Production: This seminar will be held in Montreal, Canada,
from 16-17 October 2000. It is being organized by UNEP's
Consumption and Production Unit. For more information
contact: Fritz Balkau, UNEP TIE-P&C, Paris, France; tel:
+33-1-44-37-14-50; fax: +33-1-44-37-14-74; e-mail:
une...@unep.fr
ISLANDS OF THE WORLD SIXTH CONFERENCE - "SMALL ISLANDS IN
THE THIRD MILLENNIUM: SHARING SOLUTIONS TO COMMON
PROBLEMS": This international conference will be held from
16-20 October 2000 on the Isle of Skye, Scotland. It is
being organized by the International Small Islands Studies
Association (ISISA). Conference sessions will focus on
political issues, economic affairs, cultural matters,
community development, biodiversity and protected areas,
renewable energy, waste minimization, coastal zone and
fisheries management, sustainable tourism, and health care.
For more information contact: Graeme Robertson, Secretary
for the ISLANDS VI Conference; tel: +44-1478-612-898; e-
mail: gra...@islandstudies.org; Internet:
http://www.islandstudies.org
SECOND ENVIRONMENTAL CONFERENCE ON INDUSTRY AND
ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE – EURO ENVIRONMENT 2000: This
conference will be held in Aalborg, Denmark, from 18-20
October 2000. For more information contact: Else Herfort or
Steffen L. Thomsen, Euro Environment Secretariat, PO Box
149 DK-9100 Aalborg; tel: +45-99-355-555; fax: + 45-99-355-
580; e-mail: eu...@akkc.dk; Internet:
http://www.akkc.dk/uk/euro/envire/
BIODIVERSITY
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON THE CONSERVATION OF
BIODIVERSITY IN ARID REGIONS: This conference is being held
from 27-29 March 2000 in Kuwait. For more information
contact: Mohammad Al-Sarawi, Chairman, PO Box 24395, Safat,
Kuwait 13104; tel: +965-565-0554; fax: +965-565-3328; e-
mail: mu...@epa.org.kw
AD HOC WORKING GROUP ON CBD ARTICLE 8(J): The Ad Hoc
Working Group on Article 8(j) is meeting from 27-31 March
2000 in Sevilla, Spain. For more information contact: CBD
Secretariat; World Trade Center, 393 Jacques St., Suite
300, Montreal, Quebec, Canada H2Y 1N9; tel: +1-514-288-
2220; fax: +1-514-288-6588; e- mail:
secre...@biodiv.org; Internet:
http://www.biodiv.org/indig/Wg8j1/index.html
WORKSHOP ON BIOSAFETY - SCIENCE AND POLICY IN RISK
ASSESSMENT OF TRANSGENIC ORGANISMS: This meeting is being
convened by the International Center for Genetic
Engineering and Biotechnology and is being held from 27-31
March 2000 in Trieste, Italy. The workshop will evaluate
biosafety issues using a case study approach. For more
information contact: Giovanni Ferraiolo, ICGEB, Trieste,
Italy; tel: +39-40-375-7364; e-mail:
ferr...@icgeb.trieste.it; Internet:
http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/crs00biosafe1.htm
BIODIVERSITY AND BUSINESS - PUTTING PRINCIPLES INTO ACTION:
This meeting will be held from 3-4 April 2000 in London,
England, and will be hosted by the Royal Institute of
International Affairs and Flora and Fauna International.
For more information contact: Georgina Wright, RIIA,
London, England; tel: +44-171-957-574; fax: +44-171-321-
2045; e-mail: gwr...@riia.org
WORKSHOP ON BIOSAFETY - ADVANCED RESEARCH AND PROCEDURES:
This meeting will be held from 3-8 April 2000 in Florence,
Italy. It is being co-organized by Istituto Agronomico
Oltremare of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and
the International Center for Genetic Engineering and
Biotechnology. Designated experts and officers in relevant
government agencies will attend. The workshop will consider
biosafety and risk assessment for the environmental release
of genetically modified organisms, as well as impact
assessment procedures and regulatory frameworks. For more
information contact: Marcello Broggio, Head of
Biotechnology, Istituto Agronomico Oltremare of the Italian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs; e-mail:
bro...@iao.florence.it; Internet:
http://www.icgeb.trieste.it/biosafety/bsfnews.htm#1099bsf1
CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY: The fifth Conference of
Parties to the Convention on Biodiversity will be held from
15-26 May 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information
contact: CBD Secretariat, World Trade Center, 393 St.-
Jacques W., Suite 300, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1N9, Canada;
tel: +1-514-288-2220; fax: +1-514-288-6588; e-mail:
c...@biodiv.org; Internet: http://www.biodiv.org
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE IN THE
NEXT MILLENNIUM - THE IMPACT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY ON DEVELOPING
COUNTRIES: This conference will be held from 29-31 May 2000
in Brussels, Belgium. It is being organized by Friends of
the Earth, Oxfam Solidarity Belgium and the Dag
Hammerskjöld Foundation, with support from the European
Commission. The meeting aims to bring together policy
makers, scientists and other experts involved in the rural
development and environment field. Participants will
examine the potential contribution modern biotechnology may
offer developing countries and will compare it with other
technologies and development approaches. For more
information contact: Olivier Christ, Friends of the Earth
Europe, 29, rue Blanche, B-1060 Brussels, Belgium; fax:
+32-2-537-55-96; e-mail: Olivier...@foeeurope.org
NAFTA CEC meeting on Biodiversity Conservation: From 1-2
June 2000, in Mexico, the Commission for Environmental
Cooperation of the North American Free Trade Agreement will
hold its Priority Regions Workshop for the CEC Biodiversity
Conservation Strategic Plan. The meeting is open only to
invited participants. For more information contact: Hans
Herrmann, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 393
St.-Jacques W., Suite 200, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1N9,
Canada; tel: +1-514-350-4340; fax: +1-514-350-4314; e-mail:
hher...@ccemtl.org; Internet: www.cec.org
The third Agricultural Biotechnology International
Conference (ABIC 2000): This conference will be held from
5-8 June 2000 in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. More than 1,000
participants are expected from business, academia,
government and international organizations. Under the
theme, Agbiotech: The Science of a New Century,
participants will consider the opportunities agricultural
biotechnology can offer. For more information contact:
Sharon Murray, ABIC Conference Coordinator, The Signature
Group Inc., 489 Second Avenue North, Saskatoon, SK, Canada
S7K 2C1; tel: +1-877-925-2242 (North America) or +1-306-
934-1772; fax: +1-877-333-2242 (North America) or +1-306-
664-6615; e-mail: sigg...@sk.sympatico.ca; Internet:
http://www.abic.net/
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY FOR
MANAGING PLANT GENETIC DIVERSITY IN THE 21ST CENTURY: The
conference will be held from 12-16 June 2000 in Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia. For more information contact: Patti
Sands, Assistant to the Deputy Director, IPGRI, Rome,
Italy; fax: +39-6-575-0309; e-mail: p.s...@cgiar.org;
Internet: http://www.cgiar.org/ipgri/sosindex.htm
WORLD BOTANIC GARDENS CONGRESS AND SIXTH INTERNATIONAL
BOTANIC GARDENS CONSERVATION CONGRESS: These meetings are
scheduled to be held from 26-30 June 2000 in Asheville,
North Carolina, USA. For more information contact: Nan
Guthrie, Congress Coordinator, 100 Frederick Law Olmsted
Way, Asheville, NC 28806-9315, USA; tel: +1-828-665-2492;
fax: +1-828-665-2371.
IFOAM 2000: This meeting of the International Federation of
Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM) will be held in
Basel, Switzerland from 25 August – 2 September 2000. IFOAM
2000 will include the: 13th International IFOAM Scientific
Conference; Third IFOAM Organic World Exhibition/Bio
Marché; Second International Seminar on "Organics in the
Supermarket"; and the Sixth International Congress on
Organic Viticulture; and First International Seminar on
"Organic Food Processing." For more information contact:
IFOAM 2000, Research Institute of Organic Agriculture,
Ackerstrasse, CH-5070 Frick, Switzerland; tel: +41-62-865-
7297; e-mail: ifoa...@fibl.ch; Internet:
http://www.ifoam2000.ch/
BIOTECHNOLOGY 2000 - 11TH INTERNATIONAL BIOTECHNOLOGY
SYMPOSIUM: This meeting will be held from 3-8 September
2000 in Berlin, Germany. For more information contact:
DECHEMA eV, German Society of Chemical Apparatus, Chemical
Engineering and Biotechnology, Theodor-Heuss-Allee 25, D-
60486 Frankfurt am Main, Germany; tel: +49-69-7564-235; e-
mail: biotechn...@dechema.de; Internet:
http://www.dechema.de/englisch/veransta/ibs11/pags/ibs11_1.
htm
WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS (IUCN): This meeting will be
held from 4-11 October 2000 in Amman, Jordan. For more
conservation contact: Ursula HiltBrunner, IUCN, Gland,
Switzerland; tel: +41-22-999-0001; fax: +41-22-999-0002;
Internet: http://www.iucn.org
THIrd APEC Agricultural Technical Cooperation Workshop on
Conservation and Utilization of Animals and Plants' Genetic
Resources: This Experts Meeting is to be held in October
2000 in Taipei, Chinese Taipei. For more information
contact: Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC)
Secretariat, 438 Alexandra Road, #14-00, Alexandra Point,
Singapore 119958; tel: +65-276-1880; fax: +65-276-1775; e-
mail: in...@mail.apecsec.org.sg; Internet:
http://www.dpie.gov.au/dpie/apec/atc/
PARTNERSHIPS FOR PEOPLE & PLANTS - FIRST EUROPEAN BOTANIC
GARDEN EDUCATION CONGRESS: This meeting will be held in
Birmingham, UK, from 13-17 October 2000. For more
information contact: BGCI, Descanso House, 199 Kew Road,
Richmond, Surrey TW9 3BW, UK; tel: + 44-020-8332-5953/4;
fax: +44-020-8322-5956; e-mail: bg...@rbgkew.org.uk
DESERT FISHES COUNCIL: The Desert Fishes Council, an
organization dedicated to preserving the biological
integrity of desert aquatic ecosystems and their associated
life forms, will hold its 32nd Annual General Meeting in
Death Valley National Park, California, USA, from 16-19
November 2000. Its 33rd AGM is scheduled for 15-18 November
2001 in Alpine, Texas, USA. For more information contact:
Phil Pister, Executive Secretary; tel/fax: +1-760-872-8751;
e-mail: phild...@telis.org; Internet:
http://www.utexas.edu/depts/tnhc/.www/fish/dfc/ (visit the
"Meetings" section).
CHEMICAL MANAGEMENT
HEALTHY AGRICULTURE FOR HEALTHY FOOD: This conference,
organized by the Pesticide Action Network, will take place
in Dakar, Senegal, from 18-21 May 2000. For more
information contact: Pesticide Action Network Africa, tel:
+221-825-4914; fax: +21-825-1343; e-mail:
pana...@telecomplus.sn
PANEL OF EXPERTS ON PESTICIDE SPECIFICATIONS, REGISTRATION
REQUIREMENTS, APPLICATION STANDARDS AND PRIOR INFORMED
CONSENT: The 16th Session of this Panel of Experts will
convene from 29-30 May 2000 in Granada, Spain. At this
session, FAO specifications under the new procedure for a
range of individual pesticides will be considered. The 17th
session is scheduled for 3-6 June 2000 in Rome and will
consult on progress made on updating the International Code
of Conduct on the Distribution and Use of Pesticides. It
will also prepare recommendations for updating the Code.
The 18th Session is scheduled to meet from 5-9 March 2001
in Rome. Participants will consider new provisions of the
Code of Conduct and update various guidelines in support of
the Code. The 19th Session will be held from 27-29 October
2002 in Rome and will recommend procedures for the
preparation and revision of guidelines and manuals and for
updating the Code of Conduct. For more information contact:
Gero Vaagt, FAO; tel: +39-6-5705-5757; e-mail:
Gero....@fao.org; Internet:
http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pestic
id/Events/c.htm
JOINT FAO-WHO MEETING ON PESTICIDES RESIDUES: The 25th
Session of the Joint Meeting of the FAO Panel of Experts on
Pesticide Residues in Food and the Environment and the WHO
Expert Group on Pesticide Residues will be held from 20-29
September 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland. The 26th Session
will take place from 10-28 September 2001 in Rome. The 27th
Session is scheduled for 20-29 September 2002 in Rome.
These meetings are expected to produce reports and
monographs summarizing the assessments of certain
pesticides. For more information contact: Amelia Tejada,
FAO; tel: +39-6-5705-4010; fax: +39-6-5705-6347; e-mail:
Amelia...@fao.org; Internet:
http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pestic
id/Events/c.htm
SEVENTH INC/PIC MEETING: The seventh session of the
International Negotiating Committee (INC) for the
Preparation of the Conference of Parties of the Rotterdam
Convention for the Application of the Prior Informed
Consent (PIC) Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and
Pesticides in International Trade is tentatively scheduled
for 25-29 September 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland. The
purpose of the meeting is to prepare for the Conference of
Parties. For more information contact: Niek Van der Graaff,
FAO; tel: +39-6-5705-3441; fax: +39-6-5705-6347; e-mail:
Niek.Van...@fao.org ; Internet:
http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pestic
id/Events/c.htm
THIRD MEETING OF THE INTERNATIONAL FORUM ON CHEMICAL
SAFETY: The Third Meeting of the International Forum on
Chemical Safety will be held from 14-20 October 2000 in
Salvador (Balina), Brazil. For more information contact:
Executive Secretary, Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical
Safety; tel: +41-22-791-3650; fax: +41-22-791-4875; e-mail:
if...@who.ch; Internet: http://www.ifcs.ch
GOVERNMENT CONSULTATION ON UPDATING THE FAO CODE OF CONDUCT
ON THE DISTRIBUTION AND USE OF PESTICIDES: This
consultation is tentatively scheduled for 16-20 October
2000 in Rome and will consider the draft revised FAO
International Code of Conduct on Distribution and Use of
Pesticides. For more information contact: Niek Van der
Graaff, FAO; tel: +39-6- 5705- 3441; fax: +39-6- 5705-
6347; e-mail: Niek.Van...@fao.org; Internet:
http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pestic
id/Events/c.htm
FIFTH CONSULTATION ON THE PREVENTION AND DISPOSAL OF
OBSOLETE AND UNWANTED STOCKS OF PESTICIDES: This meeting is
scheduled for October 2000 in Rome to consider new
provisions for the prevention and disposal of obsolete
stocks and to update/prepare various technical guidelines
in support of the FAO Code of Conduct. For more information
contact: Ale Wodageneh, FAO; tel: +39-6-5705-5192; fax:
+39-6-5705-6347; e-mail: A.Wod...@fao.org; Internet:
http://www.fao.org/waicent/FaoInfo/Agricult/AGP/AGPP/Pestic
id/Events/c.htm
MEETING OF the Interim Chemical Review Committee OF THE
ROTTERDAM CONVENTION: This committee will meet from 14-18
February 2001, in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information
contact: Jim Willis, UNEP Chemicals, Geneva, Switzerland;
tel: +41-22-917 81 11; fax: +41-22-797-3460; e-mail:
chem...@unep.ch
POPs Diplomatic Conference (DIPCON): This conference will
be held from 21-23 May 2001, in Stockholm, Sweden. For more
information contact: Jim Willis, UNEP Chemicals, Geneva,
Switzerland; tel: +41-22-917 81 11; fax: +41-22-797-3460;
e-mail: chem...@unep.ch
Intergovernmental Forum on Chemical Safety (IFCS-3): This
forum will take place in October 2001, in Brazil. For more
information contact: Jim Willis, UNEP Chemicals, Geneva,
Switzerland; tel: +41-22-917 81 11; fax: +41-22-797-3460;
e-mail: chem...@unep.ch
CLIMATE AND ATMOSPHERE
UNITED NATIONS CLIMATE CHANGE CONVENTION WORKSHOPS: A
number of workshops are being organized in accordance with
decisions by the Fifth Conference of Parties to the United
Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (FCCC), held
last year. These workshops will contribute to preparations
for the Sixth Conference of Parties, which will be held
from 13-24 November 2000 in The Hague, the Netherlands.
Participation at these workshops is by invitation only.
Several workshops have already been held during March 2000
in Bonn, Germany. Other workshops will include:
- technology transfer for the Latin America & the Caribbean
region (29-31 March in El Salvador);
-best practices in policies and measures (11-13 April in
Copenhagen, Denmark); and
- non-Annex I communications for Latin America & the
Caribbean (1-5 May in Mexico City).
Workshops and informal meetings will also precede meetings
of the Subsidiary Bodies of the FCCC in June and September.
For more information contact: the FCCC Secretariat; tel:
+49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail:
secre...@unfccc.de; Internet:
http://www.unfccc.de/sessions/index.html
EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE MULTILATERAL FUND UNDER THE
MONTREAL PROTOCOL: The 30th Meeting of the Executive
Committee of the Multilateral Fund under the Montreal
Protocol will be held in Montreal, Canada from 27–31 March
2000. The Executive Committee's 31st Meeting is scheduled
for 3-7 July 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland. The 32nd Meeting
will be held from 4-8 December 2000 in Ouagadougou, Burkina
Faso. For more information contact: the Ozone Secretariat;
UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya; tel: +254-2-62-1234; fax: +254-2-62-
3601; e-mail: ozon...@unep.org; Internet:
http://www.unep.org/ozone/meet2000.htm
CTI/INDUSTRY JOINT SEMINAR ON TECHNOLOGY DIFFUSION IN LATIN
AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN: This seminar will be held from
27-28 March 2000 in San Salvador, El Salvador. It will
focus on the role of the private sector in the diffusion of
climate friendly technology. For more information contact:
Megan Gardiner, CTI Secretariat at the International Energy
Agency; tel: +331-4057-6684; e-mail:
megan.g...@iea.org; Internet:
http://www.ClimateTech.net
Seattle Summit on Protecting the World's Climate: This
summit will be held from 3-5 April 2000 in Seattle,
Washington, USA. The summit recognizes an emerging
alignment between the environmental urgency of global
warming and economic opportunities in the rapidly-changing
energy industry. For more information contact: Rhys Roth,
Climate Solutions, 610 4th Ave E, Olympia, WA 98501-1113;
tel: +1-360-352-1763; fax: +1-360-943-4977; e-mail:
in...@climatesolutions.org; Internet:
http://www.climate.org/seattlesummit
PACIFIC ISLANDS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE: This meeting
will be held from 3-7 April 2000 in Rarotonga, Cook
Islands. The meeting is being organized by the South
Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) in
partnership with the National Tidal Facility, UNDP and GEF
through the Pacific Islands Climate Change Assistance
Programme. For more information contact: SPREP; fax: +685-
202-31; e-mail: kal...@sprep.org.ws; Internet:
http://www.sprep.org.ws
CLIMATE POLICY WORKSHOP: FROM KYOTO TO THE HAGUE - EUROPEAN
PERSPECTIVES ON MAKING THE KYOTO PROTOCOL WORK: This
workshop will take place from 18-19 April 2000 in
Amsterdam, the Netherlands and is being organized by the
European Forum on Integrated Environmental Assessment. The
workshop will review scientific information relevant for
the EU and its member states in preparing for FCCC COP-6
and will aim to enhance the policy relevance of climate-
related research in Europe. For more information contact:
Albert Faber, RIVM; the Netherlands; tel:+31-30-274-
3683/3728; fax: +31-30-274-4435; e-mail:
albert...@rivm.nl; Internet:
http://www.vu.nl/english/o_o/instituten/IVM/research/efiea/
announce.htm
CONFERENCE ON INNOVATIVE POLICY SOLUTIONS TO GLOBAL CLIMATE
CHANGE: This conference will be held on 25 and 26 April
2000 in Washington, DC. It is being co-hosted by the Pew
Center on Global Climate Change and the Royal Institute of
International Affairs. The meeting will consider innovative
policies currently being implemented by industrialized
country governments and the private sector to address the
issue of climate change. Key issues for discussion will
include common policy approaches, cross-cutting issues,
energy and transport sector policies and state and local
level programmes. For more information visit:
http://www.pewclimate.org/forms/innov_conf.html
11TH GLOBAL WARMING INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE AND EXPO: This
meeting, entitled "Kyoto Compliance Review - Year 2000
Conference" will be held from 25-28 April 2000 in Boston,
USA, and is being sponsored by the Global Warming
International Program Committee and the Global Warming
International Center. For more information contact: Sinyan
Shen; tel: +1-630-910-1551; fax: +1-630-910-1561; e-mail:
sys...@megsinet.net; Internet: http://GlobalWarming.Net
NATIONAL POLICY ASSOCIATION BREAKFAST SEMINARS ON GLOBAL
WARMING: The US National Policy Association is holding a
series of breakfast seminars during 2000 in Washington, DC.
The seminars aim to provide an opportunity for
representatives of the business, labor, agricultural,
academic, government and environmental sectors to address
various policy issues relating to climate change. The
remaining meetings are scheduled for 26 April, 23 May and
13 July. For more information contact: Kaylin Bailey,
National Policy Association; tel: +1-202-884-7628; e-mail:
kba...@npa1.org
FOURTH ANNUAL SPRING MEETING OF THE EMISSIONS MARKETING
ASSOCIATION: This meeting will take place from 7-9 May 2000
in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. The Emissions Marketing
Association's mission is to promote market-based trading
solutions for environmental control. Issues to be
considered at its meeting will include: expectations for
FCCC COP-6; recent activity in the greenhouse gas emissions
market; and an assessment of how alternative and local
markets are functioning. For more information visit:
http://www.emissions.org/
SIXth National Clean Cities Conference: This conference
will be held from 7-10 May 2000 in San Diego, California.
Clean Cities is a programme sponsored by the U.S Department
of Energy that is designed to encourage the use of
alternative fuel vehicles (AFVs) and their supporting
infrastructure throughout the nation. This conference will
address how AFV use can help achieve energy security and
environmental quality goals at both the national and local
levels. For more information contact: Kim Cresencia, the
Clean Cities Hotline; tel: (North America only) 1-800-
CCITIES; fax: +1-703-934-3183; e-mail: cci...@nrel.gov;
Internet: http://www.ccities.doe.gov or
http://www.ccities.doe.gov/conference.shtml
APEC ENERGY WORKING GROUP: The Asia Pacific Economic
Cooperation's (APEC) Energy Working Group will meet in San
Diego, California, from 10-12 May 2000. This meeting will
include a Meeting of Senior Energy Officials (10 May); an
APEC Energy Minister's Dialogue with Business (11 May); and
the Fourth Meeting of APEC Energy Ministers (12 May). For
more information contact: APEC Secretariat, 438 Alexandra
Road, #14-00, Alexandra Point, Singapore 119958; tel: +65-
276-1880; fax: +65-276-1775; e-mail:
in...@mail.apecsec.org.sg; Internet:
http://www.isr.gov.au/resources/apec-ewg/index.html
Carbon Finance CONFERENCE: This conference will be held
twice: in London, England from 4-5 May 2000 and also in New
York, USA, from 16-17 May 2000. Organized by the publisher
of Environmental Finance, the Carbon Finance Conference
will examine risks, investment opportunities and trading in
the evolving carbon market. For more information contact:
Jane Hughes, Environmental Finance, 22-24 Corsham Street,
London N1 6DR; tel: +44-20-8997-3023; fax: +44-20-7251-
9161; e-mail: ja...@hughesmartin.freeserve.co.uk or
in...@environmental-finance.com; Internet:
http://environmental-
finance.webserver.org/envfin/conferen.htm
Ninth Annual Energy Conference 2000: This conference will
be held from 15-16 May 2000 in La Jolla, California. The
Institute of the Americas Ninth Annual Energy Conference
will focus on the continuing demand for new power projects
and the rapid consolidation of the oil industry, which is
affecting rates and competition throughout the hemisphere.
For more information contact: Patricia Bennett, Program
Director - Energy Programs, Institute of the Americas, San
Diego, California, USA.; tel: +1-858-453-5560 ext120; fax:
+1-858-453-2165; e-mail: pben...@iamericas.org; Internet:
http://www.iamericas.org/events/event.html?eid=14&isnw=1
Sustainable Energy – New Challenges for Agriculture and
Implications for Land Use: This conference will be held
from 18-20 May 2000, at Wageningen University, The
Netherlands. Its main objective is to bring together
economists and scientists working in the area of
sustainable energy and land use modeling, to discuss the
implications for agriculture of a transition toward a
society that relies on sustainable energy. For more
information contact: Will Bodde, Congress Office,
Wageningen University, Costerweg 50, 6701 BH Wageningen,
The Netherlands, fax: +31-317-485309, e-mail:
will....@alg.vl.wau.nl; Internet:
http://www.sls.wau.nl/congresme/default.htm
12TH ASIA-PACIFIC AND THIRD COMMONWEALTH CONGRESS OF
ENVIRONMENTAL JOURNALISTS: This meeting will be held in
Suva, Fiji from 5-9 June 2000 and will focus on climate
change and small island states. For more information
contact: Nina Ratulele, Secretary, Pacific Islands News
Association, Level 2, Damodar Centre, 46 Gordon Street,
Suva, Fiji; tel: +679-303-623; fax: +679-303-943; e-mail:
pi...@is.com.fj; Internet:
http://www.oneworld.org/slejf/fiji.htm
FIRst World Conference and Exhibition on Biomass for Energy
and Industry: This conference will be held in Sevilla,
Spain, from 5-9 June 2000. It is being jointly organized by
the European Conference on Biomass for Energy and Industry,
and the Biomass Conference of the Americas. For more
information contact: Angela Grassi, tel: +39-055-500-2174;
fax: +39-055-57-3425; e-mail: eta...@etaflorence.it;
Internet: http://www.etaflorence.it/sevilla.htm
12TH SESSION OF THE FCCC SUBSIDIARY BODIES: SB-12 will be
held in Bonn, Germany, from 12-16 June 2000. It will be
preceded by one week of informal meetings, including
workshops. For more information contact: the FCCC
Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999;
e-mail: secre...@unfccc.de; Internet:
http://www.unfccc.de
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON CLIMATE CHANGE COMMUNICATION:
This conference will be held from 22-24 June 2000 in
Kitchener-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It will be hosted by
Environment Canada and the University of Waterloo and is
intended to support effective communication as a means of
strengthening the climate change science-policy process.
For more information contact: Jean Andrey, Department of
Geography, University of Waterloo; tel: +1-519-888-4567
ext. 3629; e-mail: jan...@fes.uwaterloo.ca or contact
Daniel Scott, Adaptation and Impacts Research Group,
Environment Canada, tel: +1-519-888-4567 ext. 5497; e-mail:
dj2s...@fes.uwaterloo.ca; Internet:
http://geognt.uwaterloo.ca/c3confer/
WORLD RENEWABLE ENERGIES CONGRESS: This meeting will be
held from 1-7 July 2000 in Brighton, England. Hosted by the
World Renewable Energy Network, it is being co-sponsored by
several organizations, including UNESCO, UNDP and the
European Economic Commission. For more information contact:
A. Sayigh, 147 Hilmanton, Lower Earley, Reading RG6 4HN,
UK; tel: +44-1189-611-364, fax: +44-1189-611-365; e-mail:
asa...@netcomuk.co.uk; Internet:
http://www.wrenuk.co.uk/brighton/topics.html#topics
20TH SESSION OF THE OPEN-ENDED WORKING GROUP OF PARTIES TO
THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: OEWG-20 will be held in Geneva,
Switzerland from 11–14 July 2000. For more information
contact: the Ozone Secretariat; UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya; tel:
+254-2-62-1234; e-mail: ozon...@unep.org; Internet:
http://www.unep.org/ozone/meet2000.htm
International Conference on Climate and Health in Small
Island States: This conference will be held from 24-25 July
2000, in Nadi, Fiji, and is being organized by the Inter-
agency Network on Climate and Human Health, the World
Health Organization, the United Nations Environment
Programme and the World Meteorological Organization. For
more information contact: H. Ogawa, World Health
Organization, Regional Office for the Western Pacific; fax:
+632-521-1036 or 526-0279; e-mail: oga...@who.org.ph; or C.
Corvalán, Department of Protection of the Human
Environment, World Health Organization, CH-1211, Geneva 27;
tel: +41-22-791 4208; fax: +41-22-791-4123; e-mail:
corv...@who.int; Internet:
http://www.who.int/peh/climate/climate_and_health.htm
FIFTH INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON GREENHOUSE GAS CONTROL
TECHNOLOGIES (GHGT-5): This conference will take place from
13-16 August 2000 in Cairns, Northern Queensland,
Australia. It will provide a forum for the discussion of
recent advances in the area of greenhouse gas control
technologies, including CO2 capture, storage and
utilization. For more information contact: GHGT-5
Secretariat, Colin Paulson, CSIRO Energy Technology , PO
Box 136, North Ryde, NSW 1670, Australia; tel: +61-2-9490-
8790; e-mail: c.pa...@det.csiro.au; Internet:
www.ieagreen.org.uk
12TH REGIONAL CENTRAL EUROPEAN CONFERENCE OF IUAPPA
(INTERNATIONAL UNION OF AIR POLLUTION PREVENTION AND
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION ASSOCIATIONS) AND FOURTH
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT
ASSESSMENT: This meeting will take place from 11-14
September 2000 in Prague, Czech Republic. For more
information contact: the Conference Secretariat: Czech
Medical Association J. E. Purkyne, P.O.Box 88, Sokolska 31,
120 26 Prague 2, Czech Republic; tel: +420-2-297-271; fax:
+420-2-294-610; e-mail: send...@cls.cz; Internet:
http://congress.cls.cz/iuappa2000/
13TH SESSION OF THE FCCC SUBSIDIARY BODIES: SB-13 will be
held from 11-15 September 2000, preceded by one week of
informal meetings, including workshops. For more
information contact: the UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-
815-1000; fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail:
secre...@unfccc.de; Internet: http://www.unfccc.de
EARTH TECHNOLOGIES FORUM: This meeting, organized by the
Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric Policy, will be held
in Washington, DC, from 25-28 September 2000. Both ozone
and climate change issues will be discussed. For more
information contact: Alliance for Responsible Atmospheric
Policy: tel: +1-703-243-0344; fax: +1-703-243-2874; e-mail:
allia...@aol.com; Internet: http://www.earthforum.com/
Southern Cone Energy Roundtable: This meeting will be held
in Bariloche, Argentina and has been tentatively scheduled
for 28-29 September 2000. Organized by the Institute of the
Americas, it will discuss regulatory issues facing the
Southern Cone countries and the energy policies of the
newly-elected governments in Argentina and Chile. For more
information contact: Patricia Bennett, Programme Director -
Energy Programs, Institute of the Americas, San Diego,
California, USA.; tel: +1-858-453-5560 ext120; fax: +1-858-
453-2165; e-mail: pben...@iamericas.org; Internet:
http://www.iamericas.org/events/event.html?eid=16&isnw=1
SIXTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE FRAMEWORK CONVENTION
ON CLIMATE CHANGE: COP-6 will be held in The Hague, the
Netherlands, from 13-24 November 2000. For more information
contact: the UNFCCC Secretariat; tel: +49-228-815-1000;
fax: +49-228-815-1999; e-mail: secre...@unfccc.de;
Internet: http://www.unfccc.de
Andean Countries Energy Roundtable: This meeting will be
held in Lima, Peru, and has been tentatively scheduled for
16-17 November 2000. For more information contact: Patricia
Bennett, Program Director - Energy Programs, Institute of
the Americas, San Diego, California, USA; tel: +1-858-453-
5560 ext 120; fax: +1-858-453-2165; e-mail:
pben...@iamericas.org; Internet:
http://www.iamericas.org/events/event.html?eid=15&isnw=1
NAFTA CEC Tri-national Air Quality Improvement Initiative -
North American Trade and Transportation Corridors: This
meeting will be held in Winnipeg, Canada on 6 December
2000. It will be hosted by the Commission for Environmental
Cooperation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). Government agencies and non-governmental
organizations will consider scenarios and opportunities for
cooperation. For more information contact: Nick Nikkila,
Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 393 St.-Jacques
W., Suite 200, Montreal, Quebec, H2Y 1N0, Canada; tel: +1-
514-350-4337; fax: +1-514-350-4314; e-mail:
nnik...@ccemtl.org; Internet: http://www.cec.org
12TH MEETING OF THE PARTIES OF THE MONTREAL PROTOCOL: MOP-
12 will be held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from 11-15
December 2000. For more information contact: the Ozone
Secretariat; tel: +254-2-62-1234; fax: +254-2-62-3601; e-
mail: ozon...@unep.org; Internet:
http://www.unep.org/ozone/meet2000.htm
DESERTIFICATION
For more information relating to the Convention to Combat
Desertification contact: the CCD Secretariat, P.O. Box
260129, D-53153 Bonn, Germany; tel: +49-228-815-2800; fax:
+49-228-815-2899; e-mail: secre...@unccd.de; Internet:
http://www.unccd.de
FOURTH BIENNIAL CONGRESS OF THE AFRICAN DIVISION OF THE
INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR HYDROLOGIC ENGINEERING AND
RESEARCH: Entitled "Conserving and Sharing Water Resources
in a Water Scarce Environment," this meeting will be held
from 7-9 June 2000 in Windhoek, Namibia. Topics to be
covered include: groundwater supplies, water demand
management, desalination, wastewater treatment, rain
harvesting, the sea as a source, international cooperation
and environmental problems in arid countries. For more
information contact: Kai A.H. Lund, Congress Chairman, Lund
Consulting, P.O. Box 3106, Windhoek, Namibia; fax: +264-
612-3478; e-mail: l...@lce.com.na
International Symposium on Desertification: This event will
be held from 13-17 June 2000 at the University of Selçuk,
in Konya, Turkey. The symposium will provide a forum for
presenting and discussing current research, new
technologies, recent accomplishments and practical
applications in all aspects of desertification. For more
information contact: Fikret Eyüpo_lu, ISD Secretary, Soil
and Fertilizer Research Institute, PO Box 54, Yenimahalle,
06172 Ankara, Turkey; tel: +90-312-315-5056; fax: +90-312-
315-2931; e-mail: feyu...@superonline.com; Internet:
http://www.khgm.gov.tr/isdesertification.htm
FOURTH SESSION OF THE CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE
CONVENTION TO COMBAT DESERTIFICATION: COP-4 is tentatively
scheduled to meet from 16-27 October 2000 in Bonn, Germany.
For more information contact the CCD Secretariat (see
above).
FORESTS
28TH SESSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL TROPICAL TIMBER COUNCIL:
This meeting will take place from 24-30 May 2000 in Lima,
Peru. For more information contact: International Tropical
Timber Organization; e-mail: in...@itto.or.jp; Internet:
http://www.itto.or.jp/Index.html
FOREST PRODUCTS SOCIETY: The 54th Annual Meeting of the
Forest Products Society will convene from 18-21 June 2000
at Lake Tahoe, Nevada, USA. For more information contact:
Forest Products Society; tel: +1-608-231-1361; fax: +1-608-
231-2152; e-mail: in...@forestprod.org; Internet:
http://www.forestprod.org/confannu.html or
http://www.ucfpl.ucop.edu/fps2000.htm
XXI IUFRO WORLD CONGRESS: The International Union of Forest
Research Organizations' (IUFRO) World Congress will be held
in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia from 7-12 August 2000. For more
information contact: Congress Secretariat IUFRO 2000, Putra
World Trade Center, 41 Jalan Tun Ismail, 50480 Kuala
Lumpur, Malaysia; e-mail: iufr...@frim.gov.my; Internet:
http://iufro.boku.ac.at/iufro/congress/
International Conference on Forest Ecosystems – Ecology,
Conservation and Sustainable Management: This conference
will be held in Chengdu, Sichuan, China, from 15-21 August
2000. The conference aims to share the knowledge and
technologies needed for sustainable management of forest
resources and biodiversity conservation, and to promote
multifunctional management and forest resources
utilization. For more information contact: Shi Zuomin &
Dong Na, Institute of Forest Ecology, Environment &
Protection, Chinese Academy of Forestry, Wanshoushan,
Beijing, 100091 China; tel: +86-10-62888308 or 62889513;
fax: 86-10-62884972; e-mail: Sh...@fee.forestry.ac.cn or
Keya...@fee.forestry.ac.cn; Internet:
http://www.agnic.org/mtg/2000/icfeecsm.html
HABITAT
"ISTANBUL+5" - SPECIAL SESSION OF THE UN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
FOR AN OVERALL REVIEW AND APPRAISAL OF THE IMPLEMENTATION
OF THE HABITAT AGENDA: This Special Session of the UN
General Assembly will be held in June 2001. It will review
and appraise progress made on the implementation of the
outcome of the second UN Conference on Human Settlements
(Habitat II), which was held in Istanbul, Turkey in 1996.
The Commission on Human Settlements will act as the
preparatory committee for this Special Session and will
hold its first substantive preparatory session from 8-12
May 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya. The second substantive
preparatory session is scheduled for February 2001. For
more information contact: Axumite Gebre-Egziabher,
Coordinator, Istanbul+ 5, United Nations Centre for Human
Settlements (UNCHS-Habitat), P.O. Box 30030, Nairobi,
Kenya; tel: +254-2-623831; fax: +254-2-624262; e-mail:
Axumite.Geb...@unchs.org; Internet:
http://www.istanbul5.org/
INTERGOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS
EU Council Of Ministers Meetings on Environment and
Development: The European Council of Ministers' Environment
Council will meet twice in 2000, on 30 March and from 22-23
June. The Development Council will meet once, on 18 May.
These meetings will take place in Brussels, Belgium. For
more information visit: http://www.europa.eu.int
WORLD BANK & INTERNATIONAL MONETARY FUND: The Spring
Meetings of the IMF/World Bank will be held from 16-17
April 2000 in Washington DC. The IMF/World Bank Joint
Annual Meetings will take place from 26-28 September 2000
in Prague, Czech Republic. For more information contact:
World Bank/IMF Conferences Office; tel: +1-202-473-7272 or
+1-202-623-4100; e-mail: bfco...@worldbank.org; Internet:
http://www.imf.org/external/am/index.htm
GEF MEETINGS: NGO Consultations will take place on 8 May
and 31 October 2000 at GEF Headquarters in Washington, DC.
The GEF Council will meet from 9-11 May and 1-3 November
2000. For more information contact: GEF Secretariat, 1818 H
Street, NW, Washington DC, 20433, USA; tel: +1-202-473-
0508; fax: +1-202-522-3240; Internet:
http://www.gefweb.org/
WORKING GROUP OF EXPERTS ON ENFORCEMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION
OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONVENTIONS: This working group is
scheduled to meet in May 2000 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Organized by UNEP, the meeting will address the issue of
international environmental regulation for international
environmental agreements. The aim is to continue to make
progress on this issue following an earlier meeting held in
December 1999. For more information contact: Michael
Williams, UNEP Information Unit for Conventions (UNEP/IUC),
Geneva; tel: +41-22-917-8242/8244/8196; fax: +41-22-797-
3464; e-mail: mwil...@unep.ch; Internet:
http://www.unep.ch/iuc/
UNEP GOVERNING COUNCIL SIXTH SPECIAL SESSION: The Sixth
Special Session of the United Nations Environment
Programme's Governing Council will convene from 29-31 May
2000 in Malmo, Sweden. The meeting will consider major
challenges to environmental policies in the new century,
the future role of UNEP in the UN system, and preparations
for the Earth Summit in 2002. The 21st regular session of
UNEP's Governing Council is scheduled for 5-9 February
2001, in Nairobi, Kenya. For more information contact:
Beverly Miller, UNEP, Nairobi, Kenya; tel: +254-2-62-3411;
fax: +254-2-62-3748; e-mail: Beverly...@unep.org
INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANIZATION: The 88th Session of the
International Labour Conference will take place from 30 May
- 15 June 2000. The ILO's Governing Body meets for its
277th Session from 16-31 March 2000, with subsequent
sessions scheduled for 16 June and 2-17 November. For more
information contact: Official Relations Branch, ILO; tel:
+41-22-799-7732; e-mail: REL...@ilo.org; Internet:
http://www.ilo.org/public/english/standards/relm/ilc/ilc88/
index.htm
55TH SESSION OF THE UNITED NATIONS - "THE MILLENNIUM
ASSEMBLY": The 55th Session of the UN - designated the
"Millennium Assembly" - will open on 5 September 2000 at UN
Headquarters in New York. It is expected that the meeting
will be attended by a large number of world leaders and
provide an opportunity to articulate and affirm an
animating vision for the United Nations in meeting the
challenges of the twenty-first century. The role of the UN
in promoting peace and sustainable development in the era
of globalization has been identified as one of the key
themes for the session. As a companion event, civil society
organizations will hold a "Millennium Forum" from 22-26 May
2000, also at UN Headquarters. For more information visit:
APEC Ministerial and senior officials Meeting: The Asia
Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) group will hold its
Annual meetings for 2000 in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
Darussalam, from 10-19 November. For more information
contact: APEC Secretariat, 438 Alexandra Road, #14-00,
Alexandra Point, Singapore 119958; tel: +65-276-1880; fax:
+65-276-1775; e-mail: in...@mail.apecsec.org.sg; Internet:
http://www.apecsec.org.sg/whatsnew/calend/calendar.html#Dec
99
FAO GOVERNING BODIES: The 119th Session of the FAO Council
is scheduled for 20-25 November 2000 in Rome, Italy.
Subsequent sessions are provisionally set down for 18-23
June, 30 October - 1 November and 14 November 2001. The
31st FAO Conference is tentatively scheduled for 2-13
November 2001. To see the provisional calendar of all FAO
Governing Bodies meetings, Regional Conferences and
Committee Sessions for 2000-2001, visit:
http://www.fao.org/docrep/meeting/x3837e.htm For more
information on specific meetings, visit:
http://www.fao.org/events/default.htm
OCEANS AND COASTS
AQUA 2000: This international conference on aquaculture
will be held from 2 -6 May 2000 in Nice, France. The
conference and a trade show, organized by the European
Aquaculture Society and the World Aquaculture Society, will
focus on "Responsible Aquaculture in the New Millennium".
For more information contact: Conference Secretariat, EAS
Conference Office, Slijkensesteenweg 4, B-8400 Oostende,
Belgium; tel: +32-59-32-38-59; fax: +32-59-32-10-05; e-
mail: 2000con...@aquaculture.cc; Internet:
http://allserv.rug.ac.be/~jdhont/eas/conf/indexf.htm
FIFTH CONGRESS ON MARINE SCIENCES: This meeting will be
held in Havana, Cuba, from 19-23 June 2000. Topics for
discussion will include integrated coastal zone management,
marine resources management, marine biodiversity, and the
global ocean observing system. For more information
contact: MarCuba'2000 Organizing Committee, National
Oceanographic Committee of Cuba; tel: +537-23-64-01; e-
mail: mar...@unepnet.inf.cu; Internet:
http://ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/news/external/marcuba2000_e.ht
m
IOC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE AND ASSEMBLY: The International
Oceanographic Commission Executive Council is scheduled to
meet for its thirty-third session from 20-30 June 2000 in
Paris, France. For more information visit:
http://ioc.unesco.org/iocweb/about_ioc/structure/govbodies/
ec33/ec33home.htm
"LITTORAL 2000": The Fifth International Littoral
Conference will be held from 13-17 September 2000 in Cavtat
– Dubrovnik, Croatia. The meeting's theme will be
"Responsible Coastal Zone Management – The Challenge of the
21st Century." Issues to be addressed will include:
environmental assessment; responsible use of natural
resources; coastal engineering; financing sustainable
coastal development; and national and international legal
aspects. For more information contact: Maja Radoševic,
LITTORAL 2000 – EUROCOAST, c/o Faculty of Science,
University of Zagreb, Rooseveltov trg 6, 10000 Zagreb,
Croatia; tel/fax: +385-1- 4826-263; e-mail:
litt...@zg.biol.pmf.hr; Internet:
http://zg.biol.pmf.hr/~eurcoast/littoral/
NINTH INTERNATIONAL CORAL REEF SYMPOSIUM: This symposium
will be held from 7-11 October 2000 in Denpasar, Bali,
Indonesia. For more information contact: the Secretariat of
the 9th ICRS; e-mail: cor...@indosat.net.id; Internet:
http://www.cep.unep.org/news/calendar.html#Oct2000
SIXTH INDO-PACIFIC FISH CONFERENCE: This conference will be
held from 20-25 May 2001 in Durban, South Africa. It will
address various aspects of the ichthyology of Indo-Pacific
fishes, including evolution, genetics, systematics,
ecology, biology, behavior and biogeography. For more
information contact: IPFC 2001, Oceanographic Research
Institute, P O Box 10712, Marine Parade, Durban 4056, South
Africa; tel: +27-31-337 3536; fax: +27-31-337 2132; e-mail:
seaw...@dbn.lia.net; Internet:
http://www.seaworld.org.za/ippfc.asp
POPULATION
COMMISSION ON POPULATION AND DEVELOPMENT: The 33rd Session
of the Commission on Population and Development is being
held in New York from 27-31 March 2000. For more
information contact: e-mail: popul...@un.org; Internet:
http://www.undp.org/popin/unpopcom.htm Documentation for
the meeting is available at:
http://www.undp.org/popin/unpopcom/33rdsess/official.htm
SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
COPENHAGEN+5: The Preparatory Committee for the Special
Session of the General Assembly on the Implementation of
the Outcome of the World Summit for Social Development
(WSSD) and Further Initiatives will hold its second
substantive session in New York from 3-14 April 2000. The
Special Session will be held from 26-30 June 2000 in
Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact: Gloria
Kan, Chief, Intergovernmental Policy Branch, Division for
Social Policy Development, Department of Economic and
Social Affairs, United Nations, Room DC2-1362, New York, NY
10017, USA; tel: + 1-212-963-5873; fax: + 1-212-963-3062;
e-mail: k...@un.org; Internet:
http://www.un.org/esa/socdev/geneva2000/
GENEVA 2000 FORUM: This meeting will be held in conjunction
with the Copenhagen+5 Special Session in Geneva,
Switzerland from 26-30 June 2000. Its aim is to enable
representatives of non-governmental organizations,
parliaments, trade unions, business and industry,
professional associations, academic institutions,
governmental and intergovernmental organizations, civil
society and the media to join in the debate on social
development. For more information contact: The Geneva 2000
Secretariat, c/o Ambassador Daniel Stauffacher, Delegate of
the Swiss Government for the Follow-up Conference of the
World Summit for Social Development, Geneva 2000, Rue de
Varembé 9-11, P.O. Box 125, CH-1211 Geneva 20, Switzerland;
tel: +41-22-749-2570; fax:+41-22-749-2589; Internet:
http://www.geneva2000.org
TENTH WORLD CONGRESS OF RURAL SOCIOLOGY – Sustainable Rural
Livelihoods: Building Communities, Protecting Resources,
Fostering Human Development: The International Rural
Sociology Association's annual congress will be held from
30 July - 5 August 2000, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. For
more information contact: Andrea Couto, X IRSA World
Congress Secretariat, Brazil; tel: +55-21-509-4080; fax:
+55-21-509-1492; e-mail: ir...@congrex.com.br; Internet:
http://www.ag.auburn.edu/irsa/
Ethnobiology, Biocultural Diversity, and Benefits Sharing:
The International Society of Ethnobiology's (ISE) 7th
Congress will be held from 23-27 October 2000, in Athens,
Georgia, USA. The theme of the Congress is ethnobiology's
role in maintaining biocultural diversity and ensuring
equitable benefits sharing and open dialogue with
traditional and indigenous research collaborators. For more
information contact: 7th International Congress of
Ethnobiology, c/o LaBau Bryan, Department of Anthropology,
The University of Georgia, 250 Baldwin Hall, Athens, GA
30602-1619; tel: +1-706-542-3922; fax: +1-706-542-3998; e-
mail: lbr...@arches.uga.edu; Internet:
http://guallart.dac.uga.edu/ConReg.html
WORLD CONFERENCE AGAINST RACISM, RACIAL DISCRIMINATION,
XENOPHOBIA AND RELATED INTOLERANCE: This UN conference will
be held in 2001 in South Africa and will focus on practical
steps to eradicate racism, including prevention, education
and protection measures and the provision of effective
remedies. The UN Commission on Human Rights will act as the
Preparatory Committee. Two preparatory meetings are
planned, the first from 1-5 May 2000, with a second
scheduled for May 2001. Both preparatory meetings will be
held in Geneva, Switzerland. For more information contact:
Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights World
Conference Secretariat, United Nations, 1211 Geneva 10,
Switzerland, tel: +41-22-917-9290; e-mail: husb...@un.org;
Internet: http://www.unhchr.ch/html/racism/racism.htm
TRADE AND ENVIRONMENT
CONFERENCE ON GENETICALLY MODIFIED PRODUCTS – THE NEXT
TRADE WAR? This conference will take place on 5 April 2000
in London, England, and will be hosted by the Royal
Institute of International Affairs and Flora and Fauna
International. For more information contact: Georgina
Wright, RIIA, London, England; tel: +44-171-957-574; fax:
+44-171-321-2045; e-mail: gwr...@riia.org
CONFERENCE ON ENVIRONMENT IN THE FTAA PROCESS: WHAT CAN WE
LEARN FROM THE NAFTA MODEL? This meeting will be held from
26-27 April 2000 in Washington, DC, and is being hosted by
the Yale Center for Environmental Law and Policy and the
National Wildlife Federation. The meeting will be attended
by government officials, policy analysts, academics, and
representatives of non-governmental organizations from
Canada, the US, Mexico and the Latin American region. It
will provide an opportunity to consider NAFTA's experience
on integrating trade and environment concerns and examine
NAFTA's environmental provisions and their relevance to the
FTAA process. For more information contact: Juliette
Moussa, c/o National Wildlife Federation; tel: +1-202-797-
6669; e-mail:
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE ON TECHNICAL BARRIERS TO
TRADE: The Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade will
meet on 19 May, 12 July, 6 October, and 10 November 2000.
It is scheduled to complete the Second Triennial Review of
the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement. Meetings dates
are provisional and subject to change. For more information
contract: Vivien Liu, Technical Barriers to Trade Committee
Secretary, World Trade Organization, 154 rue de Lausanne,
1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland, tel: +41-22-739-5455, e-mail:
vivie...@wto.org
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION TRIPS COUNCIL: The World Trade
Organization's Council on Trade-Related Aspects of
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will meet from 26-30
June, 21-22 September, and 27 November - 1 December 2000.
All meetings will be held in Geneva, Switzerland. Meetings
dates are provisional and subject to change. For more
information contact: Peter Ungphakorn, WTO Information and
Media Relations Division, World Trade Organization, 154 rue
de Lausanne, 1211 Geneva 21, Switzerland; tel: +41-22-739-
5412; e-mail: peter.un...@wto.org; Internet:
http://www.wto.org/wto/intellec/intellec.htm
WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION COMMITTEE ON TRADE AND
ENVIRONMENT: The World Trade Organization's Committee on
Trade and Environment is scheduled to meet from 5-6 July
and 24-25 October 2000, in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting
to be held from 5-6 July will include an information
session with selected Secretariats of Multilateral
Environmental Agreements. The meeting scheduled for 24-25
October will consider issues relating to market access, as
well as the linkages between the multilateral environment
and trade agendas. For more information contact: Sabrina
Shaw, Secretary of the CTE, WTO, 154 rue de Lausanne, 1211
Geneva 21, Switzerland; tel: +41-22-739-5482; e-mail:
Sabrin...@wto.org; Internet:
http://www.wto.org/wto/environ/te030.htm For schedule
updates visit: http://www.wto.org/wto/about/meets.doc
IIFET 2000 – microbehavior and MacroBenefits: The
International Institute of Fisheries, Economics and Trade
(IIFET) will hold its 2000 Conference from 10-14 July 2000
in Corvallis, Oregon USA. IIFET is an international group
of economists, government managers, private industry
members, and others interested in the exchange of research
and information on marine resource issues. IIFET 2000 will
deepen understanding of market behavior, its effect on
fisheries, and the consequences of public policies – from
resource management to international trade. For more
information contact: Pam Garland, IIFET 2000 Conference
Coordinator, PO Box 2423, Corvallis OR, 97339-2423, USA,
tel: +1-541-754-9080; fax: +1-541-752-5450; e-mail:
garl...@peak.org; Internet:
http://osu.orst.edu/dept/IIFET/2000/
FIRST North American Symposium on the Linkages between
Trade and Environment: This symposium will be held in
Montreal, Canada, from 11-12 October 2000. It is being
organized by the NAFTA Commission for Environmental
Cooperation (CEC). For more information contact: Scott
Vaughn, Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 393 St.-
Jacques W., Room 200, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2Y 1N9;
tel: +1-514-350-4302; fax: +1-514-350-4314; e-mail:
sva...@ccemtl.org; Internet: www.cec.org
WETLANDS
"LIMNOLOGY AND WATER BIRDS 2000" - THIRD CONFERENCE OF THE
AQUATIC BIRDS WORKING GROUP OF SOCIETAS INTERNATIONALIS
LIMNOLOGIAE (SIL): This conference will be held from 1-5
May 2000 in Trebon, Czech Republic. Main topics to be
addressed include: methods of measurement of habitat
quality for water birds; the carrying capacity of wetland
habitat; and the role of water birds in wetland ecosystems.
For more information contact: Petr Musil, Institute of
Applied Ecology, Kostelec nad Cernymi lesy, CZ-28163, Czech
Republic; fax: +420-203-697500; e-mail: trebo...@post.cz
or petr_...@hotmail.com; Internet:
http://www.lf.czu.cz/trebon2000
RESTORING AN URBAN COASTAL WETLANDS: THE FIRST ANNUAL
BALLONA WETLANDS SYMPOSIUM: This meeting will be held on 17
and 18 May 2000 in Los Angeles, California, USA. It is
being organized by the Ballona Wetlands Foundation. For
more information contact: Wendy Rains or Rosemary
Sostarich; tel: +1-310-574-0700; e-mail: bwf@ballona-
wetlands.org; Internet: http://www.ballona-wetlands.org/
MANGROVE 2000: SUSTAINABLE USE OF ESTUARIES AND MANGROVES -
CHALLENGES AND PROSPECTS: This conference will be held from
22-28 May 2000 in Recife, Brazil. Participants will
consider key issues relating to sustaining or enhancing the
productivity and functions of estuarine ecosystems. For
more information contact: Henrique de Barros,
Administrative Secretary, FADURPE, UFRPE – Recife, Brazil;
fax: +55-81-441-3520; e-mail: deba...@elogica.com.br;
Internet: http://www.crs-brasil.org.br/mangrove2000/
MILLENNIUM WETLAND EVENT: The Millennium Wetland Event will
consist of meetings by four associations from 6-12 August
2000 in Quebec, Canada. The Ninth International Mire
Conservation Group (IMCG) Field Symposium, Congress and
Conference will gather under the theme "Implementing the
Ramsar Global Action Plan for Peatlands (GAPP)." The
International Association of Ecology's (INTECOL) Sixth
International Wetland Symposium has selected the theme of
"Global Wetlands at the Millennium." The Society of Wetland
Scientists (SWS) will hold its 21st Annual Conference and
the International Peat Society will discuss "Sustaining our
Peatlands." For more information contact: Elizabeth MacKay,
c/o CQVB; tel: +1-418-657-3853; fax: +1-418-657-7934; e-
mail: cq...@cqvb.qc.ca; Internet: www.cqvb.qc.ca/wetland2000
RAMSAR CONVENTION ON WETLANDS: COP-8 is scheduled to
convene in Spain in 2002. For more information contact:
Ramsar Secretariat, Rue Mauverney 28, CH-1196, Gland,
Switzerland; tel: +41-22-999-0170; e-mail:
ram...@ramsar.org; Internet: http://www.ramsar.org
WILDLIFE
ELEVENTH CONFERENCE OF THE PARTIES TO THE CONVENTION ON
INTERNATIONAL TRADE IN ENDANGERED SPECIES: CITES COP-11 is
scheduled for 10-20 April 2000 in Nairobi, Kenya. For more
information contact: CITES Secretariat; tel: +41-22-917-
8139; fax: +41-22-797-3417; e-mail: ci...@unep.ch;
Internet: http://www.wcmc.org.uk/CITES
EUROBATS MOP-3: The Third Meeting of the Parties to
EUROBATS will convene from 24-26 July 2000 in Bristol,
England. For more information contact: Andreas Streit,
EUROBATS; tel: +49-228-815-2420; fax: +49-228-815-2445; e-
mail: euro...@uno.de; Internet: http://www.eurobats.org
2nd Tri-national Meeting of the North American Birds
Conservation Initiative (NABCI): This meeting will be held
from 6-8 December 2000 in Morelia, Michoacan, Mexico. It
will be hosted by the Commission for Environmental
Cooperation of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA). For more information contact: Hans Herrmann,
Commission for Environmental Cooperation, 393 St.-Jacques
W., Room 200, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, H2Y 1N9; tel: +1-
514-350-4340; fax: +1-514-350-4314; e-mail:
hher...@ccemtl.org; Internet: www.cec.org
WOMEN
Reaching Women and Children in Disaster: This workshop will
be held from 4-6 June 2000, in Miami, Florida. It will
attract policy makers, practitioners, and researchers, and
intends to improve disaster response though a better
understanding of the needs of women and children. For more
information contact: Betty Morrow, the International
Hurricane Center, Miami, Florida; tel: +1-305-348-1607; e-
mail: mor...@fiu.edu; Internet:
www.anglia.ac.uk/geography/rwcidconference
WOMEN 2000: GENDER EQUALITY, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE FOR THE
TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY - GENERAL ASSEMBLY SPECIAL SESSION:
This special session of the UN General Assembly will be
held from 5-9 June 2000 in New York. For more information
contact: DAW, Room DC2-1216, UN, New York, NY 10017, USA;
fax: +1-212-963-3463; e-mail: tim...@un.org; Internet:
http://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw
CONFERENCE ON Gendering Ethics/The Ethics of Gender: This
international interdisciplinary conference will be held
from 23-25 June 2000, in Leeds, UK. For more information
contact: Centre for Interdisciplinary Gender Studies,
University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK; e-mail: gender-
stu...@leeds.ac.uk; Internet:
http://www.leeds.ac.uk/gender-studies
Facing the New Millennium: Gender in Africa and the African
Diaspora – Retrospection and Prospects: The Third
International Conference on Women in Africa & the African
Diaspora (WAAD III) will be held from 6-13 October 2000, in
Antananarivo, Madagascar. For more information contact:
Convenor, Third WAAD Conference, Women's Studies Program,
Cavanaugh Hall Room 001C, Indiana University, 425
University Boulevard, Indianapolis, IN 46202, USA; tel: +1-
317-278-2038 or +1-317-274-0062; fax: +1-317-274-2347; e-
mail: nnae...@iupui.edu; Internet:
http://www.iupui.edu/~aaws/ (and click on "Action Alert").
STAFF
Editor: Chris Spence, MA (Hons)
Managing Editor: Langston James "Kimo" Goree VI
Assistant Editor: Tom Rotherham
Advisor: Chad Carpenter, LL.M
Submissions, corrections, requests for subscription
information and correspondence should be sent to the
editors at ch...@iisd.org. The opinions expressed in
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Excerpts from /linkages/journal/ may be used in other
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The Sustaining Donors of IISD Reporting Services
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Environment, Forests and Landscape (SAEFL), the United
Kingdom Department for International Development (DFID) and
the European Commission (DG-ENV). General Support during
2000 is provided by the German Federal Ministry of
Environment (BMU) and the German Federal Ministry of
Development Cooperation (BMZ), the Danish Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Environment of Austria,
the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Environment of
Norway, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of
Environment of Finland, the Government of Sweden, the
Government of Australia, the United Nations Development
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