Commission on Sustainable Development Background Paper No. 27
Sixth Session
20 April-1 May 1998
CASE STUDIES - MAJOR GROUPS IN
SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT EDUCATION
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION PAGES 3 - 4
WOMEN PAGES 5 - 14
CHILDREN & YOUTH PAGES 15 - 23
INDIGENOUS PEOPLES PAGES 24 - 38
NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS PAGES 39 - 50
LOCAL AUTHORITIES PAGES 51 - 61
WORKERS & TRADES UNIONS PAGES 62 - 70
BUSINESS & INDUSTRY PAGES 71 - 79
SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGICAL COMMUNITY PAGES 80 - 89
FARMERS PAGES 90 - 98
INTRODUCTION
The present collection of case studies on the Role of Major Groups in
Sustainable Development Education is prepared as a background paper for
the sixth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development which will
discuss sustainable development education among other topics.
The case studies were collected with two starting points in mind:
(i) the crucial importance of education and awareness raising in
achieving sustainable development, and
(ii) the particular role of Major Groups in sustainable development in
general, and in sustainable development education in particular.
For the purposes of this collection, sustainable development education
was defined broadly, as forms of learning for a sustainable future
whether concerned with knowledge, skills, awareness, or attitude.
Similarly, the cases studies include learning in all contexts, informal
and formal, as well as learning for all stages of life.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED, Rio
de Janeiro, June 1992), clearly indicated that participation of economic
and social actors from outside the governmental and inter-governmental
fora is crucial in achieving the goals of Agenda 21. To promote
partnership, Agenda 21 identified nine key economic and social sectors,
under the concept of major groups to underline the importance of broad-
based participation in follow up of the Rio results. The major groups
identified in Section III of Agenda 21 are women, children and youth,
indigenous peoples, non government organisations (NGOs), local
authorities, workers and trades unions, business and industry, the
scientific and technological community, and farmers. Distinct chapters
of Agenda 21 (from 23-32) put forth the framework of roles and
responsibilities for each major group as well as the kinds of support
they would need from Governments and UN Agencies to fulfill their tasks
as partners in sustainable development.
The nine major groups are the source and the authors of the case-studies
assembled here. Although certainly not exhaustive of all the major group
efforts in sustainable development education, the collection attempts to
be broadly representative of activities from a range of geographical
areas and socio-economic conditions. Additionally, it seeks to include
examples demonstrating the extent and diversity of the educational
activities being undertaken. To achieve this, the selection of material
was performed, whenever possible, in partnership with leading
organizations from the major groups concerned.
The case studies depict the major groups as much more than passive
recipients of education. They are revealed as dynamic and imaginative
providers of programmes that are of immediate relevance for building
sustainable development. It is hoped that the significance of the
enterprise and energy captured in these case-studies will be apparent to
all who read them. They present an eloquent case for support and
encouragement of the education initiatives of major groups.
The present collection is not a comprehensive or exhaustive volume but
gives a sense of the ownership major groups demonstrate about the goals
of Agenda 21 related to education. There are many more successes in this
area which need to be identified, absorbed from and disseminated for
replication.
The case-studies also point to an important factor regarding the support
needed by major groups for their positive initiatives. Major groups are
committed to carrying out their responsiblies in sustainable development,
but their continued success largely depends on enabling environments.
This is an area in which further and strategic action by governments and
international organizations is needed.
Sustainable development requires significant changes in the mind-set
whether it is about changing the way goods are produced and consumed, the
way we set our political and social priorities, or about the way we sense
the dangers to the planetūs ecosystem. In other words, sustainable
development is about learning to make different decisions than we have
made in the past. Education is the key if we are to learn to make the
right decisions today and in the future.
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The Division for Sustainable Development would like to thank all the
major group organizations who submitted materials for use in this
collection. The Division would also like to thank and recognize the
assistance of Trevor Harvey, the Northern Co-Chair of the CSD NGO
Education Caucus, with the collection of materials, consultations with
the submitting organizations and preparing the first draft.
WOMEN
Agenda 21, Chapter 24
PUTTING BREAST CANCER ON THE MAP
Awareness about Causes of Breast Cancer as a Key to Sustainable
Living for All
Introduction
The Women's Environmental Network (WEN) is a non-profit organisation
that aims to educate, inform and empower women who care about the
environment. It is the only environmental group in the UK representing
women that addresses not only environmental issues particularly
affecting women, but also and those affecting the wider population. We
are also one of the few groups in the country to make the connection
between health and the environment. This has been so since WEN's
launch in 1988.
WEN considers environmental issues from a female perspective. Our
campaigns and projects address issues that are directly relevant to
women's everyday lives - yet have an impact on us all. Some WEN
members are men, and organisations can affiliate. In all our
campaigns, raising public awareness of the issues covered, and
uncovering and disseminating information are integral components.
Through educational activities of this type WEN gives people a choice
of actions they can take at various levels, such as in their personal
lives, shopping habits, or by their own activism. Other current
campaigns include:
- Food Transport Campaign - (promotes locally produced food, farmers'
markets and local food projects);
- Waste Prevention Campaign (initiated the Waste Minimisation Bill which
now has Government support; this gives local authorities a new power
to address the sources of waste); and
- Test Tube Harvest Campaign adopting the precautionary principle, this
calls for a moratorium on genetically engineered crops
All of the above campaigns have a local as well as national focus and
fit well with gaining greater understanding and control over local
influences on health. WEN campaigns have generally had excellent
scientific backing.
Background to breast cancer project
WEN started soon after its launch in 1988 with a campaign to eliminate
chlorine bleaching from paper production to prevent dioxin
contamination around paper mills and in the paper products themselves.
The campaign was centred around sanitary protection and babies'
disposable nappies, and received an enormous response from women.
These products had been perceived as clean and sterile, but were
revealed to be industrial products that were causing considerable
pollution, and actually contained measurable amounts of dioxins from
the bleaching process. The campaign had a world-wide impact. It
achieved a drop in chlorine use throughout the range of paper
production. This included products in contact with food such as milk
cartons.
At that time, dioxin contamination in body-fat was just coming to the
notice of the Government, and concern was raised about levels in
breast-milk. WEN brought together a group of organisations concerned
with breast-feeding and held discussions with environmental
scientists. A published report Chlorine, Pollution and the Parents of
Tomorrow (1991) resulted. This looked at the sources for dioxins in UK
body-fat, and the possible health effects that might result
(especially on the foetus). It found that the main source of chlorine
in the UK was not bleaching, but incineration - mainly of municipal
waste. Many industrial products contain chlorine in forms such as
polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic. Incineration resulted in the
production of airborne dioxins that entered the food chain via grass
and cows. The report concluded that damage to the foetal nervous
system was likely in a small percentage of babies in the UK. In
addition, it concluded that breast-feeding did not add to this
problem. On the contrary, it had other health advantages. This report
helped many grassroots anti-incinerator campaigns and contributed to
the work Greenpeace is now doing on PVC phase out which now has
mainstream acceptance.
WEN's study of dioxins led to awareness of other synthetic chemical
hormone disrupters such as the oestrogen mimics. WEN gave lectures and
published articles on this at the time in 1993-4 when the first modern
studies of sperm count reduction were being published, and responded
to media interest in oestrogen mimics. These are now recognised to
include pesticides such as DDT and endosulphan; other chemicals that
can disrupt oestrogen pathways in the body include lindane, widely
used in the UK. Because of our concern that these chemicals might be
contributing to the high death rate from breast cancer in the UK, we
became involved with the UK Breast Cancer Coalition. WEN organised a
National Breast Cancer Petition that was submitted to the Department
of Health in October 1995. The petition called for the government to
pour more money into research into the prevention of breast cancer as
well as into treatment and aftercare. We had an amazing response from
people all over the country and collected 80,000 signatures. People
wanted to do something to publicise the breast cancer issue and they
wanted to do more than just sign their name on a piece of paper.
"Putting Breast Cancer on the Map" thus grew out of all the work we
had previously done on polluting chemicals. It aims to give people the
skills to investigate possible causes of high breast cancer incidence
and death rate in their areas.
Environmental pollutants seemed to have substantial links not only
with breast cancer but with a variety of other diseases and illnesses
that affect women. To campaign on each illness was beyond our scope,
both physically and financially, so a rational way of choosing a
manageable issue was needed. We chose breast cancer because it is a
serious and often fatal disease affecting one in twelve women, and
because tackling it would also help remove the causes of other health
problems. Polluted air, soil and water can contribute to a myriad of
health problems including allergies, male reproductive disorders,
fertility problems, asthma, cancer, etc. If we clean up the
environment for breast cancer then this will generate a healthier and
cleaner environment for all. Even the dietary changes that are
recommended for cancer prevention (eating lower in the food chain)
could improve the environment by reducing agricultural pollution.
Breast cancer could be an indicator that our way of living is
unsustainable. Perhaps it has been allowed to rise partly because the
opinions of women about illness and the environment have been shut out
of the mainstream of society. By beginning to reinstate them in this
project, we will bring in new ideas for action that will contribute to
a new sustainable culture.
Breast cancer rates vary from country to country, and immigrants
rapidly acquire the risks of their adopted country. This suggests that
there are factors we can change. Although known causes (heredity and
diet/hormonal factors) account for only 30 per cent of cases, other
factors are strongly suspected. These include chemicals, reproductive
history and breast-feeding, radiation and electromagnetic fields, and
factors such as alcohol, the Pill and hormone replacement therapy.
Last year we submitted a successful bid to the UK National Lottery
Charities Board, who granted us œ135,000 to undertake a two year
project.
The debate on what to do about breast cancer is usually confined to
medical and scientific experts. They are effectively taking decisions
about prevention and cure influenced by their own unspoken
assumptions. For example they frequently treat women as passive
patients who are not expected, for example, to be able to change their
lifestyles. In fact, our experience indicates that women want to be
active in tackling causes, and often find that experts are unwilling
to discuss them. A new channel of communication is needed.
The UK has the highest death rate from breast cancer in the world. If
we change the conditions and lifestyle that cause it, a more
sustainable society will be born.
Objectives of the Project
The objectives of "Putting Breast Cancer on the Map" are as itemised
below. The project aims to:
- act as a channel of communication for women concerned about the
environment in which they live and the adverse impact it is having on
their health and that of their family, friends and community;
- create a map of various "hot-spots" around the country which show a
specific increase in breast cancer incidence and death rates while
also mapping the local area for sources of pollution;
- raise awareness, stimulate discussion and participation and generate
a network of organisations, individuals and groups who want to prevent
breast cancer but who may be looking at different causes among the
range of likely contributors;
- increase access to information by sharing information between
groups: sometimes everyone has a different piece of the jigsaw;
- put emphasis on true prevention of breast cancer. Screening is often
portrayed as prevention but real prevention involves looking at the
causes and finding ways to change them;
- give information about all known aspects of breast cancer prevention,
including changes in diet, more exercise for young women and girls,
breast-feeding, as well as avoidance of suspect chemicals in the home
and workplace; and
- produce evidence and awareness that will result in a rapid phase out of
chemicals and pollutants suspected of instigating or promoting illness
especially those associated with breast cancer.
The ultimate vision of the project is to bring about a drastic
reduction in the incidence and deaths from breast cancer in this
country.
Project Activities
The objectives will be achieved by providing individuals and local
communities with information and a questionnaire to create a map of
their own locality.
The project has two full time staff (the co-ordinator and an
administrator with scientific knowledge and IT skills). There is also
a part-time local groups' co-ordinator who promotes the project to WEN
local groups, and works with them on other WEN issues.
There is a steering group of three women living with breast cancer,
who are activists on environmental issues and/or involved with
mainstream breast cancer organisations such as the UK Breast Cancer
Coalition. They became involved through the petition and through WEN's
past work.
The project has advice from research organisations, scientists and
medical statisticians who have vetted the questionnaire (and in one
case added questions), which will enable the results to be drawn upon
by university based researchers. Advice is also available from an
expert in geographical information systems (GIS), which will enable
the local maps to be made and put together into a UK map at the end of
the project.
The maps can be compiled from either a personal or community
perspective. They can be used as a campaigning tool for women who want
to make an extensive study of their own localities and any suspected
sources of pollution influencing health. All information collected
will be compiled onto a database and used to draw attention to certain
areas that display considerable circumstantial evidence of
environmental links.
An information pack will be provided covering mapping skills,
campaigning skills and positive preventative information as well as
relevant local and national organisations. Its contents are as
detailed below:
- Background to project
- Risk factors associated with breast cancer
- Questionnaire, with explanatory notes
- Steps to help people to map their area
- Contacts - useful organisations; groups already active; websites;
useful journals and directories; book list
- Publicity information: how to write press release and sample; poster
for local publicity
- Funding sources
- WEN's general advice sheet on healthy living with lower environmental
impact
- Evaluation sheet
Results Expected
The culmination of this part of the project will be the production of
a report and map that will highlight any links identified between
breast cancer and environmental pollution in the UK.
The results depend on the active groups that respond to it. This is an
open-ended project which may produce results we do not expect, and
creative ideas that surpass our expectations.
We hope that the project will build a cohesive network of groups that
support each other. We also hope that the project will stimulate other
awareness raising and campaigns. It could provide publicity, by
approaching the issue from a different angle, for the many existing
women's groups campaigning for something to be done about the high
toll from breast cancer
Lessons Learned
Over the course of our work on dioxins, we have become aware that it
is very difficult to interest illness support groups in the idea that
an environmental cause may be involved. Individuals may be receptive
to these ideas, but the group as a whole often resists them.
Likewise, research scientists and medical experts are generally
resistant not only to the suggestion that environmental pollution is
implicated, but also the idea that sufferers should discuss the causes
of their illnesses. Some are very sceptical about women's power to
change their own lifestyles.
The project started in April 1997, and time has been taken in
appointing staff and preparing the mapping system. During this time we
have modified our ideas about what is practicable in mapping.
Individual communities may also learn in a similar way and gain from
our experience, but the potential is there for them to invent new
techniques of their own that can be shared and publicised.
This project is like much of our previous work in that it involves a
fairly abstract purpose, but has a strong practical element (the
mapping) with which people can engage. This approach has generally
been successful for our organisation.
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Contacts for Further Information
Helen Lynn and Ann Link
Women's Environmental Network
87 Worship Street, London EC2A 2BE
Tel: (44) 171 247 3327
Fax (44) 171 247 4740
E-mail: wenuk@gn.apc.org
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PROJECT MORATA - Women Support Skills Training for Sustainable
Development in Papua New Guinea
Introduction
The Morata Local Community Development Foundation (MLCDF) and AIESEC -
Papua New Guinea have combined their efforts to help the people of Morata
help themselves. MLCDF, a grassroots NGO, primarily staffed by indigenous
women from Morata, is benefiting from the experience of AIESEC trainees,
within the framework of the Youth Development Exchange Program. These
trainees are developing the young people of Morata into entrepreneurs,
thereby fulfilling AIESECūs commitment of utilising exchange to train
individuals who have a real impact on the sustainable development of the
local community.
The majority of Morataūs population is under 25, and most of them are
6th-grade dropouts with little or no future prospects. The community is
in urgent need of providing the people of Morata, and most critically the
youths, with income-generating activities. However, to accomplish this
they need skills training that is unavailable to them.
Project Activities
The project provides women and youth from Morata with the skills and
attitudes they need in order to start their own small entrepreneurial
venture. It then assists them in the development of their business,
especially in terms of business design according to environmentally
sustainable practice, financing and monitoring principles. Close
monitoring of and assistance to these ventures once they have been
created represents an important stage of the project. The people
participating in the project will be developing into community leaders,
as their ventures will contribute to the common good, creating jobs,
satisfying needs and raising living standards.
The project activities also aim to raise the cultural and social
awareness of AEISECūs Youth Development Exchange Program (YDEP) trainees.
Through exchange programmes of the type described in this case, the
trainees are exposed to very different social and cultural realities.
These empower them to bring about positive change, both in the community
they visit and in their own communities after they return home.
The Morata Local Community Development Foundation planned Project Morata
for a duration of three years (1997-1999) in co-operation with AIESEC.
The time frame adopted is sufficient to see significant improvement in
areas. The evaluation of these improvements will be carried out on an
ongoing basis.
Objectives
Sustainable development issues specifically addressed by the project are
as follows:
- poverty eradication in indigenous communities
- capacity building for women, youth and local leaders, by providing
education and training in support of sustainable development
- partnership with local business
Further very important objectives of the project relate to the
empowerment of the community through the Morata Local Community
Development Foundation. This means that the project (and through it the
Foundation) must become sustainable by late 1999, in at least two ways:
- Financial sustainability: all costs unrelated to the YDEP trainees (but
including one full-time salary for a national person) must be met by the
project's generated revenues (training fees and interests on the credit
scheme).
- Human sustainability: the community must be able to manage all the
aspects of the project that they feel must continue after 1999. A
trained, full-time national person should be able to take over the
overall management.
Another important aspect of this project is the link that AIESEC
establishes between existing companies and the small businesses of
Morata, through a godparent system. Through this, Project Morata develops
a sense of social awareness and responsibility among Papua New Guinea's
business community who support the start-up businesses in Morata.
Results
The project started in February 1997 with the first AIESEC trainee
arriving in Papua New Guinea. Two more followed in July and August. A
pilot -Start Your Businessū (SYB) workshop was successfully organised
from 28 July to 12 August 1997, with nineteen participants. Another is
planned for early February 1998. As a result, eleven small businesses are
currently being set up, after which they will be monitored for a period
of at least one year. Assistance is being provided to the entrepreneurs
in terms of access to credit, for which a small scale credit scheme is
being implemented. Another very important aspect is that these small
businesses must answer a need in the Morata community, which will be
their primary market. In parallel with the SYB workshops, AIESEC is
running Micro Enterprise Development Workshops, specifically targeted
towards the women of Morata. These workshops have been mostly focused on
the development of vocational skills such as food processing, handicrafts
or gardening, and have been resulted in the creation of micro
enterprises, that require very little capital.
In order to determine those needs, a survey of the areas was carried out
by members of the MLCDF and AIESEC-PNG. The results of this survey were
used to carry out a preliminary feasibility study for each of the
businesses proposed during the pilot workshop. Before starting each of
the formal training phases, a series of informal sessions are run in the
community in order to work on the peopleūs mind-sets and attitudes,
especially emphasising vision-building, initiative, proactivity and the
integration of sustainable solutions on a community level.
Lessons learned
Implementing the project has taught us a lot:
- The concept of micro enterprise development fits the need of community
women, who often lack even basic education. It was a better approach than
the standard SYB scheme.
- The involvement of women in this project has helped to instil a sense
of responsibility and solidarity among the youth, and from there
strengthen the community links in Morata as a whole.
Partners
- International Association of Students in Economic and Business(AIESEC)
- Small Business Development Corporation (SBCD)
- University of Papua New Guinea (UPNG)
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Contact for Further Information
Mr. Frank Kepson, Project Co-ordinator
P.O. Box 326 - University of Papua New Guinea
Waigani, NCD, - Papua New Guinea
Tel: +675 326 2357
Fax: +675 3267187
E-mail: morataf@hotmail.com
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CHILDREN and YOUTH
Agenda 21, Chapter 25
YOUTH SUSTAINABILITY INDICATORS- A Rescue Mission Response to a CSD
Challenge
Introduction
The "Rescue Mission Network" is a loose affiliation of schools, eco-
groups and individuals who have worked on one of the Peace Child books
over the last five years. The network is continuously expanding as a
result of the success of the "Rescue Mission Planet Earth" book - a
children's edition of Agenda 21 that to date has sold 320,000 copies in
18 languages, generating new inquiries daily. Currently, many Rescue
Mission groups are engaged in the creation of a children's book of human
rights which attempts to link the disciplines of sustainable development
and the field of human rights. Most of our groups are composed of
activists with a keen interest in getting the job done. As such they are
generally not much impressed by UN conferences except insofar as they
free up new resources, point in new directions, and spur governments to
support them.
Rescue Mission has always followed closely the work of CSD, hoping to
persuade governments to do more to re-orient education towards teaching
sustainability studies as they promised in Agenda 21. In preparing for
the Youth Intersessional (for CSD in 1996), we decided to monitor whether
governments were fulfilling their promises effectively especially in the
area of enabling young people to participate in decision-making. The CSD
was then deep in discussion about Indicators for Sustainable Development
for the whole of Agenda 21. The CSD Secretariat invited Rescue Mission
to do for indicators what it had done for Agenda 21: that is, simplify
them, make them accessible to young people, and enable young people to
use them to participate in sustainable development processes. Although
the task was daunting, the young people of the Rescue Mission network
readily accepted the challenge. Thus, the Youth Sustainability indicators
project was born, directly inspired by the CSD.
The "Rescue Mission Youth Sustainability Indicators Project" has since
become a massive response from Children and Youth, one of the Agenda 21
Major Groups who have an immediate stake in the field of education for
sustainable development.
Objectives
The objectives of the project were to:
- help young people, especially those in the developing world, understand
the meaning of sustainable development in the context of their local
community,
- create a hands-on learning programme that leads directly to action for
community improvement,
- create new indicators that would enhance and bring new information to
the work of the CSD on Indicators,
- provide a fun activity for young people that would put them more in
touch with what is happening in their home community,
- get the indicators programme embedded in school systems so that every
student in school would, at some stage, get out and measure her/his
community's progress towards sustainability, comparing results with
previous year's findings.
By creating the indicators through a partnership between young people
from different parts of the world and top environment and development
experts, it was intended that the project would promote the concept of
partnership between youth and adults in decision-making.
Project Activity
- July/August 1995: Created First Draft Indicators Pack - questionnaires
arranged eco-regionally on environmental, economic, social and
attitudinal factors (stage I).
- February 1996: Prepared First Report, Mission Made Possible; and Second
Draft Indicators Pack in English, French and Spanish:- 16 questionnaires
arranged by topic to cover all issues related to sustainable development
covered in Agenda 21 (stage II).
- April 1996: Presented new Indicators Pack and reported to CSD 4 at the
Youth Intersessional Meeting.
- May-October 1996: Conducted training meetings throughout Africa, Asia
and Latin America on the use of the Indicators Pack.
- February 1997: Reviewed results from over 1,000 groups in 48 countries
and created Second Report, FutureWatch; prepared French & Spanish
editions.
- April 1997: Presented report and Indicators Stage III proposal at CSD5.
- June 1997: Continued to lobby for government support for indicators
programme, and the new components of Indicators Stage III - wider
outreach to countries that had not yet participated in the programme;
setting up of self-sustaining Sustainable Development Training Centres;
New Country-specific Indicator Packs for Secondary School students and
youth eco-groups; Junior Indicators Packs for Primary Schools; Action
Funds to support small action projects that groups wish to undertake
based on evidence discovered during indicator investigations.
Results Achieved
The impact of YSI has been enormous. An estimated 45,000 people took part
in the "Indicators for Action" project, learning about and monitoring the
sustainability of their communities. In 17 countries they organised
national evaluation meetings to share the results of their findings and
to discuss further plans. Results from a few countries include:
- Pakistan - the go-ahead has been given for a project called the
Pakistani Girl Child Project which will be setting up an Agenda 21 for
Pakistani girls. Nation-wide girl councils are being set up to empower
marginalised young girls and provide a platform for their opinions.
- Peru - the Rescue Mission group in this country has been working with
their national government to develop an environmental curriculum that
involves a monitoring function for young people. This will be officially
recognised by the local government,
- Benin - The local Rescue Mission Group, Mission Terre Benin, has
established a waste collection system as a result of doing the Indicators
programme. The group is recycling biodegradable waste to use as compost
for the village vegetables. The money generated from the vegetable sales
is paying for the cost of collecting the rubbish,
- Senegal - Rescue Mission group on this country published a report on
the sustainability of Senegal with the assistance of the Dutch Embassy,
which involved a nation-wide consultative process,
- Zanzibar, Tanzania - Rescue Mission has been working with local
village-women to implement a solar-box cooker project which was in
response to findings that the need for fire-wood has devastated forest
reserves on the island. The project was developed as a partnership
between the local women and this group of young Tanzanians who were
building the solar-box cookers.
These projects and many others have been carried out by dedicated young
people from around the world. The effects of their work in assisting
schools with education for sustainability is immeasurable and we hope
that generations of young people will grow up educated in the skills that
they need to build sustainable futures in their countries.
Feedback from thousands of students showed that the Youth Indicator Pack
helped them learn for the first time about Agenda 21 and sustainable
development as well as about concepts such as "Factor Four".
Lessons Learned
We learned three interesting things from the first two stages.
First, Secondary School Students do not have much time for extra-
curricular activities. Their minds are focused on their examination and
classes. At a Youth meeting held to discuss this two courses of action
were recommended, both of which we have taken up. These were to:
- prepare a Junior Indicator Pack for primary school students. They have
more time and are equally adept at getting out and finding out what is
happening in their local communities. This we have done, and have had the
joyous experience of working in partnership with some very talented 9-11
year olds, who have ideas every bit as practical about the disciplines
of sustainability as older young people with whom we have typically
worked,
- prepare an Examination Course in Sustainability Studies. Ten pilot
schools are being selected and the examination course will be created in
partnership between the teachers, students and examiners. New Text Books
are being created, and hands-on action projects based on the Indicators
Programme included as course-work which earn examination credits.
Both these initiatives are being prepared for the UK initially but may
be quickly adapted to other country situations. Another part of the
feedback, this time from the teachers, was that they would find it useful
to know how their local indicators related to national trends. Our new
indicator packs and exam courses are linked directly to national
information and conditions.
The second lesson that we learned was that getting young people to create
their own indicators and take action based on their findings is hard.
Like pulling teeth!! The representatives of participating groups
discussed this at length at last year's planning meeting: they were all
extremely frustrated as they are all from activist backgrounds and they
had a problem with the indicators as young people and teachers felt that
just by doing them, they were contributing to sustainable development -
which of course, they were not! They might have learned the meaning of
sustainable development - but until they took action, they had not made
any contribution. Thus the idea of Action Funds was set up - small sums
of money($50-$500) for which groups could compete to do projects. The New
Indicator Packs were designed to build action integrally into the
programmes - and they have done, but, of course, the funds need to be
there to ensure it works.
The third lesson, however, was the most depressing; currently, we cannot
distribute these Indicator Packs, as we have no funding for the project.
We have learned from the past three years the enormous difficulty in
attempting to undertake a major international education programme without
commitments to "sustainable funding".
Many young people continue pressing for sustainable development education
and support from governments and international organisations for their
efforts in this direction. As Sheku Syl Kamara, co-ordinator of Rescue
Mission Sierra Leone said when he spoke to the Special Session of the
General Assembly on Agenda 21 in June 1997:
"Young people need to learn the principles of sustainable
development and we are anxious that Education for this noble concept
does not remain a "forgotten priority" for the next five years. In
the absence of a formal curriculum, we have found in Sierra Leone
that doing the Rescue Mission indicators of sustainable development
in our communities, we learn very well the meaning of the concept.
But I come here today to issue an ultimatum to governments:
particularly in Africa, you have to do more to educate us in this
concept. You are failing us. If we are going to learn how to sustain
life on this planet, you have to work education on this concept into
school curricula."
We continue responding to the challenge of sustainable development and
looking for new and innovative ways of delivering sustainable development
education to young people in the developing world. Through the World
Bank's InfoDev programme and the EU, we are hoping to receive funding to
set up Sustainable Development Training Centres - Internet Cafes which
provide sustainable development training to schools via the internet and
hands on activities, while at the same time earning their keep by
providing business services for profit to business and individuals. We
are also seeking to mainstream education for sustainable development by
making an attractive course for students to study alongside other
mainstream subjects. Without such mainstreaming, we fear the impetus for
education in this area will be lost.
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Contact for Further Information
David Woollcombe,
Director, Rescue Mission Planet Earth
Peace Child International Headquarters
The White House, Buntingford, Hertfordshire,
England SG9 9AH
Tel:+44 176 327 4459
Fax:+44 176 327 4460
E-Mail:100640.3551@compuserve.com
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Development Mission in TierradentRo Columbia: Youth Learn Leadership and
Entrepreneurial Skills for Sustainable Development
Introduction
The word Tierradentro signifies an obscure land, apart from civilisation,
where indigenous people buried their dead, making the land sacred, full
of rituals and myths that shape the regionūs identity. The Tierradentro
region is located in the south-western, mountainous part of Colombia,
about 15 hours from the countryūs capital Bogota'. The regionūs
population, mainly indigenous, lives off small scale (average 3 acres)
farming, growing coffee, corn and Colombian banana. An earth quake in the
1980s, coupled with guerrilla activity that continued until recently,
caused a virtual cessation of further development in the region. Despite
this hardship, Tierradentro was declared Cultural and Historic Patrimony
in 1996 by UNESCO. This recognised its archaeological richness and also
its cultural diversity (the regionūs population consists of a mixture of
black, white and indigenous people).
The project "Misio'n de Desarrollo en Tierradentro" is the result of an
initiative held by the indigenous student group "Protierradentro" and
"the International Association of Students in Economics and Management"
(AIESEC). The project contributes to the development of the Tierradentro
region, through the international action and co-operation of youth. The
focus of the project is community- and youth-based. After conducting a
joint investigation into the community needs, Protierradentro and AIESEC
decided to focus their work on:
- development of leadership and entrepreneurial skills among local youth;
- awareness building for sustainable use of natural resources; and,
- improvement of participation in local political institutions.
Objectives
- Developing training workshops on sustainable agriculture for local farmers
through partnerships
between the Federacion Nacional de Cafeteros (National Federation of Coffee
Farmers) and the
AIESEC trainees
- Developing entrepreneurship and leadership towards poverty
eradication in indigenous communities
- Educating local leaders, youth and women on sustainable
development
- Development of youth through international exchange
Project Activities
The projectūs core is the work of an interdisciplinary group of
international students who live and work in the Tierradentro
region. The students are selected from AIESECūs world-wide
exchange network. Upon their arrival in Bogota', AIESEC Andes
provided an intensive preparation and introduction module for
the international trainees. During the nine month duration of
the project, three teams of students worked for three months
each.
In co-operation with the local school board and the regionūs
government institutions, AIESEC trainees helped local youth to
develop leadership and entrepreneurial skills. These included
how to set up micro-enterprises, and how to become aware of the
potential for sustainable use of the natural environment. The
development of "leadership and entrepreneurial skills" stands
at the very top of the projectūs priorities. Entrepreneurship
is more than creation of enterprises, it empowers the community
to address local development issues for itself. The trainees
developed a complete cycle of leadership workshops with the
following groups: students, community leaders, and community
organisations. Main topics were the development of personal
potential, the motivation of others in teams, the strategies
for an independent assessment of community needs and education
about the ways and means of political participation such as
bringing community issues and claims to local and regional
government. Participants were taught how to effectively design
community based projects and how to access international and
national funding for those initiatives.
Results Achieved
The project provided an enormous learning and personal
development experience for everybody involved, including young
people, the greater community of Tierradentro, the projectūs
organisers from Protierradentro and AIESEC-Andes, and AIESECūs
international students from countries such as Italy, Germany
and Switzerland.
"Young people" of Tierradentro learned not only how to set up
small businesses and community projects but, as importantly, to
value their own initiative and creativity. The project helped
half a dozen micro-enterprises whose progress is being
monitored by AIESEC students.
The "local community" learned how to link their projects into
national, regional, and international efforts of government and
aid agencies, as well as basic skills such as application for
funding and technical support.
Community leaders learned effective techniques to integrate
their work in local government and to press for their
communityūs needs through the local political system.
"AIESEC trainees" gained experiences they can put to work in
their home countries - bringing southern community knowledge to
their northern social environments.
Lessons Learned
The project provided important experiences about the tremendous
power that can be generated when people of different
backgrounds (youth and indigenous people) co-operate with local
government and international agencies. Among the partners of
the latter type were the Universidad de los Andes, the National
Coffee Farmers Association, the Mayorūs office of Inza, and the
farmersū co-operative NAZAQUIWI.
Project Tierradentro clearly showed that youth initiatives can
have lasting impact on community development of communities and
on the development of the youth who participate in the process.
The importance of a continuing and built-in evaluation process
was recognised. On-going feedback from participating community
leaders, NGOs and trainees helped to resolve problems and
bottlenecks quickly.
The partner indigenous youth association, Protierradentro, has
been working on issues of community education before this
project, but it found that co-operation with AIESEC and its
global network and contacts made a significant difference.
All in all, the project showed the importance to develop
individuals as such and their communities in general. Personal
leadership development and business creation went hand in hand
with the development of local government involvement and the
formulation of civil-society needs and pressures.
--------------------------------------------------------------
For Further Information Contact
Protierradentro
Mr. Eliecer Morales
Guanacas - Inza
Tierradentro, Cauca
Colombia South America
Tel: +57-28-252546
AIESEC Andes - Mr. Carlos Sanchez Casas
Cra 1E No 18A-10, Universidad de los Andes
Santafe de Bogota', Colombia, South America
Tel: +57-1-286 9211 Ext. 2228, Tel: +57-1-256 8015
Fax: +57-1-284 1890
E-Mail: aiesec@uniandes.edu.co
E-Mail: car-sanc@uniandes.edu.co
URL: wwwprof.uniandes.edu.co/~aiesec/home.html
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INDIGENOUS PEOPLE
Agenda 21, Chapter 26
LEARNING TO VALUE TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE - Developing a Local Curriculum
in Mae Wang, Thailand
Introduction
The "Inter Mountain Peoples Education and Culture in Thailand
Association" (IMPECT) was founded with the intention of supporting,
promoting and revitalising the traditional belief systems, agricultural
systems and cultures of the hilltribes in Northern Thailand. At the heart
of this aim is the need to educate the youth, the future of the tribe,
in traditional knowledge. Therefore it was decided that IMPECT would
become involved in the development and implementation of local curricula,
to be taught alongside the Thai curricula already being taught in all
village schools. Obviously these curricula are incredibly complex and
completely different for each of the tribes concerned. They involve not
only the language and beliefs of each tribe but the site-specific
agricultural systems that have evolved within each community.
Throughout Northern Thailand there is a serious threat to the
"sustainability" of the hilltribesū distinct cultures. This threat is
posed by the influx of consumerism, lack of land security, large
migrations to the cities, and to the formal schooling being used at
present in these communities. This schooling has some very basic problems
that must be addressed if the children are to get the education they
need. Three main problems can be seen with formal schooling, (i) the
teachers are not hilltribe persons and lack basic understanding of the
traditions and way of life of the communities, (ii) the communities
themselves have no input into the education given them, and (iii) the
curriculum is biased towards industrialisation and has no provision for
the retention of traditional knowledge.
These problems with the existing curriculum have led to community
children becoming alienated from the local wisdom and values. In some
communities there are large gulfs between parents and their children in
terms of what is held as valuable and what is considered unworthy. Such
gulfs feed the "unsustainability" of the communities. Therefore it is
necessary to link the school into the life of the community, to make it
a valuable and relevant part of the communityūs life. One way to ensure
this was to institute a curriculum designed by members of the community
that can address the real and distinct problems facing hilltribe youth
as they try to become part of the Thai society while retaining the values
and wisdom of their culture.
In 1996 the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development at its
Fourth Session, focusing on education in support of sustainable
development, called for education programmes for indigenous peoples that
valued traditional knowledge. The present project contributes to the
implementation of that policy.
Objectives
The development and implementation of a locally based curriculum had
seven main objectives, namely;
- To provide the children with the educational opportunities as a basic
right.
- To make the children and youth proud of their culture and enable them
to master local wisdom and help them adjust to the multi-cultural society
of modern Thailand.
- To create a situation in which the children can be happy, have hope and
are proud of their locality.
- To prepare the children for their future careers and help them make
effective career decisions as they face the many choices now available.
- To prepare children and youth for taking leading roles in the
perpetuation of their cultural heritage and at the same time function
effectively as a member of the society
- To create a partnership between school and the community, making the
school system a relevant and valuable part of the community.
- To develop locally created curricula that best suits the local needs
of the community and to start pushing for educational policy concerning
these local curricula to be culturally relevant.
For each of the hilltribes of Northern Thailand, and especially for the
Pgakenyaw living in the villages where this project was implemented, the
relationship between the traditional lifestyle and the conservation of
their natural surrounding is integral. By supporting the retention of
these agricultural systems in the locally developed curriculum,
sustainable management of natural resources of the villages can be
ensured. It is hoped that the curriculum will ensure that these farming
practices are able to continue, by being supported by knowledge about the
importance of maintaining the environment. Towards this end additional
activities were held to educate the youth in environmental issues.
Project Activities
In the area of Mae Wang the idea of a local curriculum was new; therefore
the initial emphasis for the project was on educating and strengthening
the community organisations in the area. Once the support for the
curriculum was in place there were two distinct stages to be carried out.
Firstly the curriculum itself had to be developed, involving the
development of the learning media itself and the training of the teachers
who were to use it. The second stage was the actual implementation of the
new curriculum. In this state, it was found necessary that the curriculum
be used with not only the children still in school but also with young
people who had left the school system.
Details of Specific Activities towards the development and testing of the
curriculum:
- A series of meetings (six in total) were held with peoples'
organisations in the five villages of the project
- Data collection throughout the area and translation from the local
dialect into Thai and production of the teaching materials.
- A seminar with 100 youths from the five villages was held on
environmental education and study visits were organised for 25 of these
youths.
- Consultative meetings were held with 24 officials from governmental
institutions, NGOs, members of the academia and community leaders.
- The developed local curriculum was tested in five schools, for a total
of 12 periods.
Results Achieved
The process of implementing the curriculum is just beginning with the
project advancing to its completion in May 2000. The results expected at
the completion of the project will be far reaching with the knowledge
gained by the children standing them in good stead for the difficult
decisions that lie ahead.
To analyse the results at this early stage, then, is perhaps a little
presumptive. Nonetheless, it can be said that there is an increased
feeling of the value of traditional knowledge among the children and
youth in the target villages. Additionally, strengthening peoples'
organisations in the Mae Wang district has resulted in a revitalisation
of the traditional respect systems, such as the respect traditionally
accorded to the elders of the villages as the chief educators of the
young.
Lessons Learned
The process of formulating a local curriculum is long and difficult. Its
success in Mae Wang district must be taken as an encouraging sign.
However the very nature of "a local curriculum" means that there are no
rules for easy transfer to other communities, peoples or areas, as each
place different values on aspects of their cultures. Perhaps the most
valuable lesson learned was the importance of information collected on
which to base the curriculum. The community needs to see that the
curriculum is truly reflecting their culture and their needs for it to
foster a closer link between the schools and the communities.
It is also necessary to spend some time to strengthen organisations
already working in the areas, such as local peoplesū organisations and
traditional leadership systems. It was clearly seen in the Mae Wang area
that the local curriculum would succeed only if it had the support of the
community. This is a lesson that is transferable to other communities.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
For Further Information Contact
Prasert-Trakansuphakon
(Director)
Inter-Mountain People Education and
Culture in Thailand Assosication (IMPECT)
252 Moo 2, Amphur Sansai, Tambol Sansainoi
Chiang Mai 50210 THAILAND
Tel. 66 53 398591
Fax. 66 53 398592
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WE CAN DO IT! A Hope For Sustainable Development of Forest Resources in The
Solomon Islands
Introduction
The indigenous peoples of the Solomon Islands are forest dwellers and
depend heavily on their forests for survival. The forest provides them
with food, shelter, medicine and clothing. Unlike most other countries
where most of the land and forests are owned by the state, ownership by
people is more than 80 per cent.
Logging operations started in the 1960s, and by the 1980s it had become
a major concern for both the government and the indigenous peoples of the
Solomon Islands. Since then, despite many awareness campaigns on
sustainable development, both the number of logging companies, and the
unsustainable rate of harvesting of timber resources have been
increasing. The local communities (resource owners) are determined that
they can carry out sustainable logging and milling once proper training
and financial assistance are made available.
"Soltrust" is one of the major local indigenous non-government
organisations in the Solomon Islands dedicated to promote sustainable
forest management. Established in 1986, it has more than ten years of
experience in outreach, extension, training and awareness programmes in
eco-forestry.
In 1990, Soltrust established an Integrated Eco-Forestry Programme (IEFP)
to complement its awareness campaigns. Lack of investment capital to buy
the equipment necessary to start sustainable milling projects was
identified as a serious obstacle.
In 1992, the Eco-Forestry programme was launched to give communities
training on forest management, resulting in 17 projects being assisted.
In 1995, a small revolving fund was established to assist resource
owners. This has funded 9 community-based Eco-Forestry Model Projects
(EMPs).
This case is about Soltrustūs more recent effort involving the Rarade
Community of the Isabel Province. Although this island province has been
out of reach by loggers until recently, it is now threatened as logging
companies look for new forest resources. Its growing concern led the
Rarade Community to request Soltrustūs assistance. A partnership has been
created as a model for future eco-forestry activities, not only in Isabel
and in the Solomon Islands at large, but also for neighbouring countries
facing similar situations.
As part of its design, the partnership will also test the applicability
of the timber certification programme, initiated by the Forest
Stewardship Council in the Solomon Islands. The Smartwood Program of the
Rainforest Alliance an international NGO based in the USA, conducted a
preliminary certification assessment on this operation in December 1997.
Timber certification is envisaged by 1998.
Objectives
- To conduct a training programme for Rarade Community Timber Milling
Project.
- To train members of the Rarade community on how to manage their forests
properly.
- To produce 40 cubic metres of timber, initially, to cover costs of
machines and training
- To make the people understand what and why certification is important.
- To train the people in how to produce quality timber in an
environmentally friendly and sustainable manner.
- To have something concrete to prove to the people that there is a
substitute and better alternative to large scale logging.
Project Activity
The planned training and activities were conducted. Their progress was
covered in Soltrustūs newsletter, "Sol-Tree Nius", as well as being
broadcast on the Solomon Islands Broadcasting Co-operation (SIBC) through
the awareness and education programme "Can We Do It?" every Sunday at
8.30 - 9.00pm.
Five Officers engaged in this operation were sub-divided into three
groups, according to the three areas to be covered in the training (two
persons for forest management training, two persons for timber
milling/production and one person for chainsaw/equipment maintenance and
servicing training). These five officers had to spend the period of three
months (September - December 1997), training in all aspects of starting
and continuing their milling operations.
At the end of the three months, the community will be able to master the
skills needed for managing the project themselves. Also, this period of
time will give enough time to produce enough timber to meet the cost of
machines and part of the training costs. Training sessions were held on:
- Forest Management - land demarcation, forest inventory and selecting
the trees to be felled.
- Land Demarcation - setting up blocks using foresterūs compass and
linear tape measures.
- Forest Inventory - taking stock of the demarcated blocks to find out
the approximate volume of timbers that can be extracted from the area.
- Tree Selection for Felling - assessing trees for felling with emphasis
on standing volume, natural tree lean, topography and volume per hectare
stock.
- Timber Milling (Production) - how to fell a tree in a way that will
cause less damage to the surrounding vegetation and how to obtain maximum
and quality products out of trees. A production target of 40 cubic metres
was targeted which was an order for Holland. Recording of timbers
produced for timber certification purposes (chain of custody, etc) is
also part of this training.
- Chainsaw/Equipment - maintenance and servicing.
Results Achieved
- 28 m3 of timber was produced within the time specified. Of this 18 m3 was of
export quality and sold to Germany.
The remainder was sold locally.
- Rarade community is now able to obtain milling equipment for their
future operations.
- Six resource owners from Rarade Community were able to master skills
and techniques for sustainable milling operations, thus increasing their
commitment to harvest their own timber resources. The six trainees are
also able to identify among themselves which roles each of them will play
in their operations.
- Greater understanding by the people regarding sustainable development,
as they are able to physically see a sustainable milling operation.
- Resource owners able to see what quality control and eco-timber means,
(good and high quality timbers harvested in an environmentally friendly
manner, meaning better and competitive prices).
Rarade community is able to understand better what forest certification
is and why it is important.
Lessons Learned
As a result of this case study, a lot has been learned as important areas
to be considered for sustainable small scale milling projects. These
areas were identified during general discussions with members of the
Rarade Community in the course of training.
- "Training" is key in this type of operation. Such developments are new
to the people, and their operations as well as the success of their
projects depend on the training given. Follow-up training also has to be
organised and arranged according to need.
- "Monitoring and Evaluation" of the project on a regular basis is essential
to ensure that operations are in line with sustainable standards and also
to identify training needs.
- "Transportation" will become an issue as the project expands inland, because
a.bulldozer would be needed to construct road access (though not to use
in the management area). Such an operation would require planning and
training to minimise damage. Financial and technical expertise would also
be needed.
- "Financial & technical" assistance is an area of need by forest resource
owners of the Solomon Islands. The resource owners have the natural
resources but are unable to harvest them due to the lack of investment
capital to purchase the required equipment for their operations.
The resource owners are more than willing to harvest their own timber
resources in a sustainable manner. Thus it is not a question of their
willingness or commitment but lack of understanding among the donors
about the situation facing the indigenous people.
Soltrust believes that the approach it has developed is the only
effective means, if the forest resources of the Solomon Islands are to
be sustained for future generations. This will enable indigenous peoples
to take control over their own forest resources. With this kind of
approach, we can effectively work as partners with the people to achieve
sustainable management of their forest resources. Thus, training and
education will be incomplete without such support and assistance. The
export of the eco-timber provides the indigenous resource owners and the
country with better economic returns compared to income earned from
logging.
Finally, Soltrust concludes that experience including that of the Rarade
Community has shown that awareness programmes can only be effectively
carried out if attached to the financial and technical sources required
for actual establishment of indigenous peoplesū projects.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts for Further Information
Solomon Islands Contact
Soltrust, P.O.Box 748
Honiara
Solomon Islands
Phone: +677 30947/48
Fax: +677 30468
E-mail: soltrust@welkam.solomon.com.sb
London Contact
Ian Aujare
International Alliance of Indigenous Peoples
of the Tropical Forests
Phone: +44 171 587 3737
Fax: +44 171 793 8686
E-mail: morbeb@gn.apc.org
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A UNIVERSITY OF THE ARCTIC - Indigenous Peoples Participate in the
Creation of a Higher Education Institution in Support of Sustainable
Development
Introduction
The "Circumpolar Universities Association" (CUA) aims at encouraging co-
operation and promoting higher education and research in the northern
circumpolar region of the world. CUA was established in the late 1980s,
when the universities and colleges in the circumpolar north started
recognising that, in addition to their own scholarly work, co-operation
with other northern institutions would considerably enhance their
northern knowledge and ability to serve their regions. CUA, with a
current membership of well over 50 institutions from all over the
Circumpolar world, focuses its activities around the biannual
multidisciplinary Circumpolar Co-operation Conferences. The conferences
provide significant opportunities for higher education institutions and
researchers to seek information on and partners for institutional
development and co-operation. Between conferences, the Association,
through a Secretariat at the University of Lapland, Rovaniemi, Finland,
acts as a communication link for both member and non-member universities,
research institutes and individuals seeking contacts with each other on
issues relating to circumpolar education, research and institutional
development.
The initial proposal for the establishment of a University of the Arctic
came as one branch of the "Rovaniemi process".The concept of a University
of the Arctic so clearly matches the aims and objectives of the
Circumpolar Universities Association, that its General Meeting decided
to be actively involved with the development process of the concept.
Further, it determined that its membership should be committed to
conducting a feasibility study on the initiative. As a result of this,
CUA, representing the academic community in the circumpolar north, was
formally approached by the Government of Canada to conduct a Feasibility
Study. This would be undertaken in conjunction with the Permanent
Participant Indigenous Peoples Organisations of the Arctic Council during
1998.
The United Nations Conference on Environment and Development 1992, held
in Rio de Janeiro (Rio) provided a renewed impetus for the proposals.
Agenda 21, one of Rioūs major outcomes, devotes a chapter to the concern
for strengthening the role of indigenous peoples and their communities.
This identifies the need for the provision of capacity building,
education and research to enable indigenous peoples to contribute fully
to sustainable development practices. It was clearly seen that the
project was not only fully in accord with these, but was actively seeking
to implement them. Accordingly, we were encouraged to redouble our
efforts to bring our proposals to fruition. We felt that the immediacy
of the Arctic environment when combined with its strong influence on the
livelihoods of Arctic indigenous peoples and the character of their
political efforts made the need for sustainable development even more
obvious than it might otherwise be. As a result, it was acclaimed as the
guiding vision for the University of the Arctic.
Objectives
The long-term objective is to create a University of the Arctic that
serves the needs of people living in the northernmost regions of the
"Arctic Eight" countries (Canada, Denmark/Greenland, Finland, Iceland,
Norway, Russia, Sweden and United States). The University should, as far
as possible, be for the benefit of, and exist through, the efforts of
people living in the Arctic. Since many indigenous peoples not only
inhabit the Arctic, but often constitute the majority population of these
regions, a concept of a University of the Arctic is inconceivable without
the central engagement of indigenous peoplesū representatives.
The clear need for such a university can be found first of all in the
characteristics of the Arctic itself. By usual standards, everything
about the Arctic is extreme - the weather, climate, the long distances
and remoteness, the low population density, the richness of the natural
resources, the cultural diversity, to name only a few factors. As a
consequence, its inhabitants often experience a lack of attention from
the economic and power centres of their respective countries. Differences
in standard of living, provision of services and degree of infrastructure
are some of the main categories of inequality that Arctic communities
must cope with when attempting to develop education systems that prepare
them for the challenges and expectations of life in a globalizing world.
And in the Arctic at least as much as anywhere else, it is clear that
this situation is even more acute for its indigenous peoples. At the same
time, a number of new autonomy arrangements - land claims agreements,
home rule governments and new territories - are calling for the creation
of entire public services from amongst the indigenous peoples.
The short-term objective has therefore been to ensure the full
partnership of indigenous peoples of the Arctic from as early a stage as
possible in the process of envisioning and creating a University of the
Arctic. This objective has been challenged by the fact that the
Circumpolar Universities Association is a non-governmental transnational
organisation whose members are already-existing institutions of higher
education and research, without any specific indigenous peoplesū
participation, apart from various roles in some of those same
institutions. Thus, the objective has been re-stated as a question: how
can the Circumpolar Universities Association achieve the full partnership
of indigenous peoples of the Arctic in creating a new kind of university,
a University of the Arctic?
This objective has been broken down into several steps, or sub-
objectives, in order to cope with the complexity of the long-term goal.
The present case study concerns a clearly defined crucial step, which has
now been concluded, in this process.
Project Activity
Project Title: "Indigenous Peoples and the Formation of a Representative
Working Group for a University of the Arctic"
The long-term objective of creating a University of the Arctic has been
envisioned as requiring a number of clearly defined projects. These
should all contribute concrete results that strengthen the viability of
the overarching objective. Some of these have already been completed,
others remain to be developed and some are on-going.
The most significant project to date has been to secure appropriate and
interested representation, from the wide range of constituencies and
communities in the circumpolar north, on the Working Group that will
conduct the feasibility study of the University of the Arctic. This
representation will determine the essence of the Working Group, and in
turn, will determine the success or failure of this process. A
circumpolar university that did not represent the aspirations,
contributions and participation of indigenous peoples would be a failure,
as was indicated above. On the other hand, a feasibility study performed
by a Working Group composed of individuals who not only represent their
constituencies, but who are also strong academics committed to the
educational goals of indigenous peoples, has a much increased chance of
receiving support from funding agencies interested in creating a new and
different kind of university.
Although this understanding made our objectives clear, the key question
remained; to recapitulate, how could we be confident that the membership
on the Working Group was anchored not only with Arctic indigenous
peoples, but amongst indigenous people who were involved in matters of
higher education?
For guidance in assuring such a specific category of representation, we
followed the pattern of the circumpolar Arctic Councilūs composition. In
addition to the eight member countries, the Arctic Council also has three
Permanent Participant Indigenous Peoples Organisations, (PPIPOs). This
is widely felt to be appropriate representation at the circumpolar level.
These organisations are the Association of Minority Indigenous Peoples
of the North, Siberia and the Far East of the Russian Federation
(RAIPON), the Inuit Circumpolar Conference (ICC), and the Sami Council.
The task appeared simple: we simply needed to contact the three PPIPOs
and they would nominate their representatives to the Working Group. Since
we felt that the University of the Arctic proposal was so transparently
and obviously in the best interest of indigenous peoples, everything
should go smoothly.
Results Achieved
Although we were in the end successful in being joined by three
wonderfully qualified and capable academic representatives of each the
three indigenous peoples' organisations, the process of getting to this
point demanded that the preparations for the beginning of the Working
Group's activities have been radically altered.
The situation with communications was eventually solved. Although in one
instance, a representative was informed late in the afternoon that a
Working Group meeting had been called for the next day he braved a 600
km drive over icy roads across Lapland and arrived intrepid if slightly
late. Accounts of difficulties faced by other delegates could also be
related.
R
In spite of the difficulties and the resultant worry and expense, the
Working Group of the Circumpolar Universities Association is now formed
and has the strong commitment and engagement of the three largest and
most important indigenous peoples' organisations in the Arctic. It is
truly circumpolar. The representatives are highly qualified academics and
their organisations are feeling that they, too, own the process, and the
rest of us feel that we now have true partners in this endeavour.
Lessons Learned
The first round of contact was different from the experience of the
Circumpolar Universities Association. While the CUA is an organisation
of academics representing their institutions, indigenous peoplesū
organisations represent a vastly broader spectrum of interests and
concerns. Thus we noted that the usual forms of academic and educational
contacts were insufficient.
This was also part of the reason behind the communications problem. It
was eventually explained that our attempts at contact were not duly
recognised because they had not been preceded by interpersonal, real-
time, live communication. In other words, using meetings or telephone
calls rather than our approach of using written materials such as fax,
regular mail, and e-mail. Although the latter had their value for us as
records, and as formal, well-considered and serious statements of intent,
we eventually found that there was a need to personally convince key
individuals, often through intermediaries, about the merits of the
proposal on the University of the Arctic. Once convinced in this fashion,
the commitment was total.
Another issue is language. It is today very common in academia to rely
on English as a universal medium, but as we were to discover, this was
not the case especially for the Russian-based indigenous peoplesū
organisation. Even if that body appears to want to participate in
transnational discourse, it is a fact that its representativesū skills
in English, as they themselves have expressed it to us, are almost
completely insufficient for what they would like to achieve. We have been
attempting to translate all of our materials into Russian. This effort
seems to have made a great difference in establishing our credibility
with our new-found partners in proceeding down the path to an eventual
University of the Arctic.
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Contact for Further Information
Dr. Richard Langlais, Research Project Director, or
Ms. Outi Snellman, Secretary-General
Secretariat
Circumpolar Universities Association
University of Lapland
P.O.Box 122
FIN-96101 Rovaniemi
Finland
Tel.: +358-16-324-767
Fax: +358-16-324-777
E-mail: richard.langlais@urova.fi
E-mail: outi.snellman@urova.fi
Web: http://www.urova.fi/home/cua
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NON GOVERNMENTAL ORGANISATIONS
Agenda 21, Chapter 27
THE ETHICAL TRADING INITIATIVE - An NGO Helps Companies to Learn in
Partnership to Improve Supply Chain Ethics
Introduction
The "New Economics Foundation" (NEF) is a UK based NGO which for over a
decade has worked to identify, design and encourage the take-up of
socially just and environmentally sustainable approaches to economics and
business. It has been a leader in the development of the "Ethical Trading
Initiative", which it is currently chairing.
The Ethical Trading Initiative was developed in response to a growing
concern among consumers that the goods they buy should be produced in
conditions that are safe and decent, and that enable working people to
maintain their dignity and a reasonable standard of living. Consumers,
citizens' groups, non-governmental organisations and trades unions have
in recent years put pressure on companies to ensure that acceptable
working conditions are guaranteed in the production and distribution of
goods, including those of their contractors and subcontractors.
Many companies have drawn up codes of conduct that cover these basic
standards. For example, in the USA up to 85 per cent of large companies
now have codes of conduct. In the UK, seven out of ten of the top
supermarkets have adopted ethical sourcing policies. This is a positive
step. However, these written commitments need to be backed up by action -
monitoring working conditions and working with suppliers to improve them
- if they are going to improve the lives of workers.
For many, this is a new process. Companies accustomed to monitoring the
quality of products in their supply chain are beginning to think about
how they can monitor issues such as child labour and workersū rights.
Campaigning groups and NGOs accustomed to attacking companies through the
media are beginning to think how they can play a part in making this
monitoring effective. There is much to learn and much to be gained from
working together.
Thus, the Ethical Trading Initiative is based on a number of educational
elements: training, raising awareness, capacity building, and developing
resources. Essentially, the initiative is focused on "learning" about
ethical trading. It serves as a focus for mutual learning from the varied
experiences of its wide-ranging membership, as well as from other
stakeholders active in this area and from parallel initiatives.
Objectives
The Ethical Trading Initiative (ETI) aims to improve labour standards
down the supply chains of the retailers supplying into the UK market. It
is a unique "civil initiative" that brings organisations to the table
that have traditionally fought each other, whether over ethics or market
share. Participants include many of the largest retail companies trading
in Britain, the international trade union movement, major development and
human rights non-profit organisations, and the UK government.
ETI serves as a forum for experimentation, learning, dialogue, and
negotiation aimed at reaching agreement on how best to improve the
situation of workers in supply chains through the adoption of codes and
associated monitoring and verification processes.
Project Activities
ETI emerged from the work of an alliance of NGOs which formed in 1996
under the umbrella of the Monitoring and Verification Working Group. This
group's initial work culminated in the report, Open Trading: Effective
Options for Monitoring, published last year by The New Economics
Foundation, in association with the Catholic Institute for International
Relations. Following this, a series of consultations involving companies,
trade unions, and government, was brokered by this group, in the main
chaired by the New Economics Foundation and organised jointly with the
Fairtrade Foundation. Finally, after over a year of hard work, ETI was
born, greatly accelerated by the interest in labour standards generated
by the campaigns of Christian Aid, Oxfam, and the World Development
Movement, and also the support of the UK Government through the
Department for International Development.
ETI was formed as a response to the danger that, in the international
flurry of activity around codes of conduct, creative energy would be
unnecessarily dispersed and wasted through a fragmentation of efforts and
outputs. ETI was therefore set up as a forum in which companies, NGOs and
trades unions could:
- dialogue with key stakeholders internationally
- try different approaches to monitoring codes of conduct
- learn from these experiences and also from the experiences of others
working in this and related fields
- link this learning into the development of local institutions which
would have the capacity to deliver monitoring
- develop a practical tool-kit of meaningful labour standards, monitoring
and independent verification procedures and training processes which can
be widely used by companies to improve working conditions within their
supply chains; and
- develop a common framework of quality for monitoring and verification
Results Achieved
The Ethical Trading Initiative has developed and secured funding for a
three year program of work including pilot monitoring, regional seminars
and an international conference, publications and regular briefings and
training development. At the time of writing it is only two months into
this program of work so the final results are some way from being
realised. However, the collaborative development of this work plan
reflects the exchange of ideas and understanding within the diverse group
of organisations involved in the Initiative.
The potential for ETI to support real changes to people's lives is
underlined by the breadth of participation even at this early stage. For
example, the companies involved in the Ethical Trading Initiative extend
across the food, textiles and household goods, and telecommunications,
sectors. Each participating company deals with hundreds or thousands of
direct suppliers, many of which in turn buy from other companies further
down the supply chain. Taken together, the current businesses
participating in ETI purchase from upwards of 5 million factories, farms
and plantations in 50 countries. These therefore affect the lives of tens
of millions of workers, their families, and the communities in which they
live.
Lessons Learnt
The last decade has seen the emergence of a renewed and direct, dialogue
between business and civil institutions. The term, "dialogue", should of
course be used advisedly since it evokes a sense of calm interaction.
Often dialogue has been far from that. The business community is,
however, responding to civil pressure; the move towards adopting codes
of conduct and independent monitoring is just one example of how it is
doing this. Others include companies such as British Telecom. This has
announced that it will move towards measurement and public disclosure of
its social performance, following the path of innovators in this field
such as The Body Shop in the UK, Sbn Bank in Denmark, and Tata in India.
There is an emerging pattern in the manner in which companies and civil
actors work through their differences and move towards a common programme
of action. There is an increasingly typical cycle of public awareness
raising, civil action, corporate response, dialogue, remedial programmes,
and shifts in corporate performance. New structures and forms of
institution are evolving that are neither voluntary nor statutory. They
enable and help to stabilise what are otherwise volatile situations. The
Ethical Trading Initiative is one example of this type of institution.
The Ethical Trading Initiative offers an example of companies commencing
and maintaining a dialogue, and working together in partnership with
other sections of civil society. Partnerships are not made up of like-
minded people or similar institutions. Complementary differences,
together with understanding and respect for such differences, are more
important in building effective partnerships than mere sameness. Those
who are struggling against each other often have the most to learn from
each other and to gain from working in partnership.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact for Further Information
Maya Forstater
The New Economics Foundation
Tel: +44 (0) 171 377 5696,
Fax: +44 (0) 171 377 5720
E-mail: maya.forstater@neweconomics.org
------------------------------------------------------------------------
A CURRICULUM FOR GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP - An NGO Contribution to Education for
Sustainable Development
Introduction
"Oxfam" is a non-governmental development organisation (NGDO) with over
50 years experience in the field of poverty reduction and the alleviation
of suffering. It is based in Great Britain and has programmes in over 70
countries, working with the poorest people. Oxfam also works with policy
makers at a national and international level in order to promote the
interests of the poor. In Great Britain, it also has a strong campaigning
and education programme. This seeks to raise awareness about the nature,
causes and effects of poverty.
Oxfam has over 21 years experience of running a development education
programme which for the last 15 years has worked specifically with
educators in the formal sector to bring about curriculum change. This
programme is delivered through Oxfamūs own staff based in London,
Cardiff, Glasgow and Oxford, and by working with Development Education
Centres (DECs) and other like minded organisations and partners, on a
range of publication projects, lobbying and advocacy work.
Agenda 21 represented an acknowledgement by all the countries of the
world that poverty and environmental degradation are inextricably linked
and that sustainable development for all is not achievable without the
eradication of poverty. In the light of these concerns about poverty,
global equity and environmental destruction, Oxfam is seeking, by means
a "Curriculum for Global Citizenship", to show how education can
contribute to building a more equitable and sustainable world.
Oxfam sees the Global Citizen as someone who:
- is aware of the wider world and has a sense of his or her own role as
world citizen,
- respects and values diversity,
- has an understanding of how the world works economically, politically,
socially, culturally, technologically and environmentally,
- is outraged by social injustice,
- participates and contributes to the community at a range of levels from
the local to the global,
- is willing to act to make the world a more equitable and sustainable
place,
- takes responsibility for personal actions.
Few of us will feel that we yet measure up to this description of a
Global Citizen but most of us will wish to encourage this for the next
generation.
We also wish to emphasise that this is a local Great Britain (GB)
response, although we hope that it will also have resonance and relevance
for other countries. We recognise that many people in the South may
already be good Global Citizens, both through the contribution they make
to their local communities and by the fact that they are making only a
minute global footprint. But, at a time when most governments are
emphasising the importance of literacy and numeracy programmes, we also
feel that it is important to ask "What is the purpose of our current
education curricula?"
An increase in basic skills will not, on its own, bring about the change
required to ensure a safer and more sustainable future for us all. Most
education systems in the world have been designed for the needs of the
past, not of the future, and we believe that they need to be looked at
again with the needs of the 21st century in mind, and re-orientated
towards sustainable development for all.
A curriculum for Global Citizenship should, therefore, be based on:
- The importance of re-affirming or developing a sense of identity and
self-esteem
- Valuing all pupils and addressing inequality within the school and the
wider world
- The importance of relevant values, attitudes and personal and social
education
- Learning from the experiences of others around the world
- Relevance to young peoplesū interests and needs
- Supporting and increasing young peoplesū motivation to effect change
and a belief that anything is possible
- A holistic approach to the curriculum and the general ethos of the
school
Objectives of the Project
To incorporate global citizenship into the GB formal education curriculum
by:
- Producing and publishing a rationale and outline for a curriculum for
global citizenship,
- Setting up projects to demonstrate examples of good practice,
- Lobbying curriculum bodies,
- Organising a series of seminars for educationalists,
- Working in partnership with other development education and
environmental education practitioners to ensure wide dissemination of the
curriculum for global citizenship,
- Contributing to the work of development and environmental education
networks, such as the Education for Sustainability Forum (ESF) and the
UNED-UK/ESF Education Task Group,
- Producing and publishing relevant materials for teachers.
Project Activity
The first thing we had to do was develop a vision of a curriculum for
Global Citizenship. In order to do this, Oxfam education staff relied on
wide consultation with a range of key players in the field of education
in Great Britain. Inputs included comments from practitioners (teachers
and lecturers) as well as feedback from QCA (the Qualifications and
Curriculum Association) which is the lead body overseeing the curriculum
in England.
We were able to proceed to set up a range of projects to explore the
potential of Global Citizenship for the curriculum, and to develop
examples of good practice on which to build further support. Partners
include Local Education Authorities, Development Education centres, Local
Agenda 21 offices, and Initial Teacher Training colleges. These projects
build on Oxfamūs previous experience of working with teachers and other
educators. For most of the projects, teachersū groups are brought
together with training provided around the issues of Agenda 21. Following
this, projects are being set up in the relevant schools.
Once the projects have been successfully tested and evaluated, further
partnerships are planned.
In order to encourage acceptance and implementation of these policies
Oxfam has been active in a number of ways as detailed below.
- We are holding a series of seminars in different regions of Great
Britain to which educators at all levels are invited. The aim will be to
encourage them to become advocates for the Global Citizenship curriculum
and to explore the potential for further collaboration.
- A formal response to the review process of the national curriculum in
England and Wales has been made to the Advisory Group on Citizenship. The
Global Citizenship document has also been sent to the Scottish and Welsh
Curriculum bodies.
- Lists of development education resource materials are being produced
to support teachers who are interested in global citizenship. All new
Oxfam Education publications will support the Global Citizenship
curriculum.
- It is intended to try to encourage exam boards to take on some aspects
of the curriculum for global citizenship. For example, work has been
carried out with the Welsh exam board to place sustainable development
at the heart of the compulsory modules for geography in the A level
syllabus.
Results Achieved
Our work in developing a vision resulted in a publication entitled "A
Curriculum for Global Citizenship". This includes a rationale for global
citizenship and an outline curriculum for pre-school to post 16. The
curriculum demonstrated progression of the key skills, knowledge and
values that are essential for global citizenship. The publication has
been widely disseminated to educators throughout Great Britain and
Europe.
Our curriculum projects are steadily getting off the ground. A brief
account of the progress made in three of them follows.
"The Basic Rights Project" was based on a partnership with Sheffield
Development Education Centre in the area of personal and social
education. Working with a group of teachers, this has resulted in a
publication for secondary schools looking at the issues of basic rights
for all. It included case studies from the UK and from the South on, for
example, bullying and violence against children. One example encouraged
children in the UK to look at the common causes behind such violence and
to learn about conflict resolution. They learned from the experience of
street children in Brazil who had worked together to claim their rights
and establish legislation to protect them.
"The Global Footprint of Schools" is a partnership project being
undertaken by the Tower Hamlets Development Education Centre, Tower
Hamlets Local Agenda 21 Office and Oxfam Education. It aims to encourage
local schools to identify and then to reduce the environmental and social
impact that they are making both locally and globally by assessing their
Global Footprint. It is seeking to take the idea of the ecological
footprint one step further in order to include issues of social justice
and equity as well as the environmental perspective. It is a
groundbreaking project in that it aims to bring together the environment
and development agendas in a way that is accessible to teachers and
children and to develop activities for use in schools.
"The Global Citizenship in Croydon and Sutton Project" is being developed
in partnership with the relevant local authorities. The project seeks to
ensure that global citizenship becomes embedded in the curriculum and in
school policy. This work is building on previous collaboration when a
series of training courses on education for sustainability was run in
these boroughs by Oxfam Education staff in conjunction with Local Agenda
21 officers and Local Education Authority Advisers.
We have achieved results over a whole range of activities undertaken.
Examples of these are given below.
- A formal response by Oxfam to the national curriculum review has been
made and to the Advisory Group on Citizenship. To the latter we have been
asked to provide case studies of good practice.
- A training session on the GC curriculum was held with school
inspectors.
- Formal meetings have been held with the Qualifications and Curriculum
Association and the Department for International Development when the
document was very well received.
- The national geography advisers and inspectors group have discussed and
promoted the GC document.
- Oxfam has worked with the Geography Association Primary Group to
promote the GC curriculum document in an article for their journal.
- A paper was presented on the GC curriculum at the UNESCO / Government
of Greece conference in Thessalonika, Greece.
Lessons Learned
We learned a great deal about negotiating with competing agendas. Local
authorities have many priorities and education for global citizenship is
not at the top of their list. We have also learned that careful
strategies need to be put in place to bring them on board. For example,
linking with their Local Agenda 21 initiatives, and demonstrating how
global citizenship can help deliver other priorities in education, such
as literacy and numeracy.
Similar lessons apply to national government. Despite signing up to
Agenda 21 the UK government, like so may others, has many other
priorities for education. It has, therefore, been important to play a
part in all new debates and curriculum initiatives at a national level.
This has helped us to identify a niche for the GC curriculum within the
ongoing debates about citizenship and values. Achievements and success
need to be seen as incremental, building up over a period of time.
Whether at local authority or at national level, it is important to
identify key players and influentials and to bring them on board. For
example, key advisers and inspectors who are willing to support the GC
curriculum can make a huge difference to the success of the project.
The project has also reinforced our ideas about partnerships and
networking. Oxfam does not have the resources to make sufficient impact
on its own so working with a range of partners is essential. These need
to be relationships built up over a period of time, which can be tried
and tested. Partnerships need to be collaborative and flexible so that
we can learn from each other. Excellent communication is essential. An
inclusive agenda that does not seek to vaunt one NGO over another is
essential. This is not always easy as NGOs have their own internal
agendas too and there may be an element of competition between them.
Some of the difficulties in combining the development and environment
agendas have become very apparent as a result of the project. For
example, in the case of "trade": how do we make choices about products
on environmental and social grounds? In some cases this is fairly
straightforward as in Fair-traded tea or coffee, which is produced by
small communities with a view to developing sustainable lifestyles that
do not destroy the environment. However, with other products, such as
"mange tout" peas from Zimbabwe, the choices are less obvious. Do we buy
the peas and accept the environmental damage caused by intensive
agriculture and aviation transport, or do we refuse to buy and put the
community in Zimbabwe in jeopardy? There is little doubting that with
an increasingly globalised and interdependent world, such choices are
going to become more complex not easier. This underlines the need for
environmental and development practitioners to work together to find
common ground and mutual agendas.
Our final conclusion is that until governments are really prepared to
prioritise education for global citizenship within their education
agendas, it will always be an uphill struggle to achieve our long term
objective, of making this curriculum for global citizenship an
entitlement for every child in Great Britain. While there are numerous
directives on numeracy and literacy, the debate about citizenship and
values education goes on largely unheeded. Global citizenship needs to
be seen as an integral part of the curriculum with resources and training
to match. If we are to achieve the objectives of Agenda 21, this is no
longer an optional extra, it is an imperative.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact for further information
Ros Wade or Mary Young
Oxfam Education
4th floor
4 Bridge Place
London SW1V 1XY
Tel: +44 171 931 7660
E-mail: xch95@dial.pipex.com
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LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Agenda 21, Chapter 28
VISION 2020 - Community Education and Awareness are Essential Components
in Planning for a Sustainable Future by a Canadian Regional Municipality
Introduction
Located at the western end of Lake Ontario, "the Regional Municipality
of Hamilton-Wentworth" lies in the middle of Canada's manufacturing
heartland. The Region, which covers an area of 111,300 hectares, is home
to almost 469,000 people (1996). Regional functions and responsibilities
include waterworks, sewage, social services, public health, police
services, roadways, drainage systems, and transit systems. The Region is
also the central planning authority for the purposes of physical, social,
and economic planning and development. Like most municipalities in
Canada, Hamilton-Wentworth has a long history of community participation
in decision making and community involvement in addressing local issues
of concern.
This commitment to community participation is evident in the Region's
involvement in the "Local Agenda 21 (LA 21) Model Communities Programme"
(MCP), co-ordinated by the "International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives" (ICLEI). ICLEI is an association of approximately 300 local
governments dedicated to the prevention and solution of local, regional,
and global environmental problems through local action. The LA 21
Initiative was launched by ICLEI at the United Nations "Earth Summit" in
1992. To support the process of developing LA 21s at the municipal level,
ICLEI launched a world-wide action research project, the MCP, in early
1994. Fourteen communities, including the Regional Municipality of
Hamilton-Wentworth, from countries around the world participated in the
MCP. ICLEI has worked with these local governments to develop, test, and
implement sustainable development planning processes.
"VISION 2020", Hamilton-Wentworth's sustainable development planning
initiative, evolved from a new approach to decision making used by the
Region for the Hamilton Harbour Remedial Action Plan (RAP). The RAP
initiative started in 1986 and involved a multi-stakeholder round-table
approach to the development of the plan. The success of this initiative,
which continues today, showed that organizations with divergent views and
opinions could work together to address community concerns. After the
success of the RAP, the Region organized the Chair's Task Force on
Affordable Housing. This initiative, which met with mixed success, was
the Region's first effort in opening up the decision-making process to
greater community involvement. The lessons learned from this project and
the RAP provided the framework within which the Sustainable Community
Initiative, which developed into VISION 2020, was started.
In June 1990, Regional Council created the Chair's Task Force on
Sustainable Development. Following the model of the Hamilton Harbor RAP,
the task force was set up as a multi-stakeholder roundtable. There were
originally eighteen members of the task force, each representing various
key sectors in the community - agriculture, business, community
organizations, education, health services, labour, natural environment,
social services, and urban development. Its mandate was integrated into
the decision-making process of the Regional Council.
Objectives
The terms of reference for the Chairman's Task Force on Sustainable
Development required, as one of its six purposes, the establishment of
a public outreach program to increase public awareness of the concept of
sustainable development and to act as a vehicle for feedback on potential
goals, objectives, and policies for the Region. The nine goals of the
public outreach program fell into three general categories - education,
citizen input, and quality. The goals specific to education were:
- to inform the general population of the basic principles of sustainable
development and of the purpose and mandate of the task force;
- to inform citizens of the range of regional government activities, such
as public expenditures and investments, the Regional Official Plan, and
the Economic Strategy; and
- to communicate information generated by citizens back to the public.
These goals, which were developed by the task force at the early stages
of their mandate, were integrated into all subsequent phases of the
sustainable development planning process. This included partnership
formation; community consultation for issue identification and priority
setting; issue assessment and analysis; action planning; and
implementation, monitoring, reporting, and evaluation.
Project Activity
From 1990 through the present, Hamilton-Wentworth has incorporated a
public education component in all phases of defining and implementing its
sustainable development planning process. Specific avenues of action to
increase community awareness included a media campaign, individual
feedback opportunities, community workshops, focus groups, and community
forums.
A broad media campaign that included the use of local print, radio, and
television media, the development and delivery of information booths in
local shopping malls and other locations, and the preparation and
distribution of 150,000 copies of the first "Task Force Newsletter", was
initiated in late 1990. The campaign informed the community about the
purpose of the Task Force and the upcoming opportunities available to
people to become involved in the work of the Task Force.
The major activity held at the time was the convening of seven community
workshops or Town Hall Meetings. Approximately 160 people participated
in these meetings, which included a brief overview of sustainable
development followed by brainstorming sessions designed to identify which
issues needed to be addressed and which values should guide the work of
the Task Force. Citizens' responses to specific questions about their
community and the values that should guide decision making were recorded.
The results of each Town Hall Meeting were summarized into a report
provided to each member of the Task Force and made available upon request
to the public. People who did not wish to participate in the Town Hall
Meetings were provided with the opportunity to contribute their ideas by
submitting written comments or phoning the Ideas Telephone Line. Almost
1,200 citizens from all walks of life were eventually involved directly
or indirectly in the community consultation work of the Chair's Task
Force on Sustainable Development, which also served as a vehicle for
educating the public.
The resulting vision statement, VISION 2020, describes a concept for
sustainable development in Hamilton-Wentworth by the year 2020. It has
been adopted as the basis for regional decision-making in Hamilton-
Wentworth, including such policy documents as the Hamilton-Wentworth
Official Plan, the Regional Economic Strategy, and the capital budget
process.
Since 1993, the Region has annually held a VISION 2020 Sustainable
Community Day to bring the community together to examine the progress
made in relation to the goals of VISION 2020 and continue to educate the
public as to the importance of the environment and sustainable
development. Over the years, the event has turned into a month long
festival involving tours, workshops, a Children's Sustainability Fair
(attended by thousands of children), and various other special programs.
Another program, Young Citizens for a Sustainable Future, has been
developed in partnership with community organizations and is geared to
towards educating the youth of Hamilton-Wentworth on sustainable
development. Efforts are made to have exhibits at major community
festivals and staff are available to make presentations to interested
community groups. Other activities include special events such as the
Crazy Commute Challenge, which educates the public about transportation
issues and encourages them to leave their motor vehicle at home for the
day.
O
Results Achieved
Over 10,000 copies of VISION 2020 have been printed and distributed
throughout the community, leading to an increase in community awareness
about sustainable development initiatives. Within the community there is
a heightened awareness about environmental protection and the need to
find a balance between economic and environmental concerns. This is
influencing the community and the types of decisions and actions being
taken. Although implementation of VISION 2020 has been a bit sporadic,
events and activities sponsored by the Region have received excellent
support from the community and corporate sponsorship. For example, the
Sustainable Community Day and Children's Sustainability Fair held in 1996
cost around $60,000 to develop and deliver. Almost 70% of those costs
were covered by in-kind and financial contributions from the community.
In addition, over 150 local organizations and businesses became involved
in those events.
Unfortunately VISION 2020 is still seen as an initiative to guide the
decision making of Regional Council as opposed to the decision making of
everyone in the community. The community led review process that has been
proposed for 1998 and is being developed by Regional Staff will try to
address the issue of creating stronger community ownership.
Lessons Learned
Despite these efforts, the Region identified lack of community awareness
and understanding as probably the most significant barrier to the VISION
2020 Initiative, and one that the Region perhaps should have spent more
time on at the outset When the initiative started awareness was
extremely low. The efforts of the last seven years have increased the
proportion of people in the community who are aware of sustainable
development to between 10 and 15 per cent.
In addition to addressing the lack of initial community awareness, the
Region made a list of other recommendations for communities considering
a similar undertaking. Among these recommendations, Hamilton-Wentworth
identified the following key issues related to the public education
component:
- "Empowerment" - There must be a clear willingness on the part of
municipal staff and Council to allow the community to become directly
involved in the decision-making process. The process must include
components where the community is allowed to take direct responsibility
for initiating and implementing projects.
- "Patience" - Within the community, there is a wide range of abilities
and knowledge. Time is required to bring everyone's understanding to a
common level. Also, at many times it has been difficult for the "experts"
to not take control for the process and direct it in a manner that they
feel is appropriate. If community responsibility and ownership are to be
developed, it is imperative that the members of the community investigate
and develop their own solutions.
development of other initiatives. For example, the Region has, with the
direct input of the community, developed a series of sustainable
development indicators. These indicators, which are monitored on an
annual basis and presented in "report card" format during the Sustainable
Community event, serve as an ongoing evaluation of the Region's progress
towards the goals in VISION 2020.
Looking to the future, the Regional Council has developed a Web page to
provide current information on these and related activities.
Strategically, the Council has established the "VISION 2020 Progress
team" to renew the policies and processes, whilst perhaps more tangibly,
the Council has created a "Sustainable Community Recognition Awards
Programme" to mark significant achievements.
Through all the education and awareness processes described in this case-
study together with other ongoing public education, the Region hopes to
make the decision making process of government, especially as it relates
to sustainable development, more open and understandable to people in the
community.
-------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact for Further Information
Norman Ragetlie
Policy Analyst, Strategic Planning
Regional Municipality of Hamilton-Wentworth
Environment Department
35 King St. East, Main Floor
Hamilton, Ontario L8N 4A9
Canada
Tel: +1-905/546-2153
Fax: +1-905/546-4473
Email: rhwplan@interlynx.net
Sheilagh Henry
Local Agenda 21 Administrator
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
World Secretariat
City Hall, East Tower, 8th Floor
100 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2
Canada
Tel: +1-416/392-1462
Fax: +1-416/392-1478
Email: la21@iclei.org
Website: http://www.iclei.org
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EDUCATION INTO SCHOOL CURRICULUM IN PIMPRI CHINCHWAD, INDIA - A Municipal
Corporation Works in Partnership with NGOs
Introduction
Pimpri Chinchwad, located 150 kilometres west of Mumbai in the state of
Maharashtra, is one of the leading industrial cities in India with over
2,000 engineering, chemical, rubber, pharmaceutical, and automobile
factories. Many of the workers at these factories are recent migrants
into the city, and as a result, approximately 100,000 of the city's
population of 600,000 live in illegal slum settlements without basic
amenities such as safe drinking water and sewage systems. Although the
"Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation" (PCMC) and local non-government
organizations (NGOs) have put considerable effort into improving these
conditions, the lack of conscious environmental education and awareness
has hampered their initiatives.
For its part, the PCMC has addressed the conditions through its
involvement in the Local Agenda 21 (LA 21) Model Communities Programme
(MCP), co-ordinated by the International Council for Local Environmental
Initiatives (ICLEI). ICLEI is an association of approximately 300 local
governments dedicated to the prevention and solution of local, regional,
and global environmental problems through local action. The LA 21
Initiative was launched by ICLEI at the United Nations "Earth Summit" in
1992. To support the process of developing LA 21s at the municipal level,
ICLEI launched a world-wide action research project, the MCP, in early
1994. Fourteen communities, including the PCMC, from countries around the
world participated in the MCP. ICLEI has worked with these local
governments to develop, test, and implement sustainable development
planning processes. As part of its involvement with the MCP, PCMC
consulted with 12,500 citizens to identify and prioritise the issues the
community faces.
NGOs such as the "Centre for Environment Education" (CEE), "Regional Cell
for Central India", and the "World Wide Fund for Nature" - India (WWF-I),
have long recognized the need for environmental consciousness, especially
among those living without adequate housing or amenities. However, with
adult members of these households employed in different sectors, it has
traditionally proven difficult to develop effective, targeted, strategies
for environmental education and consciousness. Children are the next
logical target group for environmental consciousness raising, in the hope
that they will carry the message home. Thus to address the issues facing
the community, the CEE and the WWF-I undertook an environmental education
initiative in 90 municipal schools in Pimpri Chinchwad. The PCMC was
selected to participate in the pilot phase of this initiative due to its
involvement with the MCP.
Objectives
Recent trends in this region have shown a growing recognition by
governments of the importance of environmental education. Although there
have been significant efforts to infuse environmental education into
curricula, the results have not been very positive because of a lack of
community-specific environmental education resources, networking among
government and NGOs, overburdened teachers, and lack of funding. This
situation is far worse in schools catering for the needs of students
whose parents' incomes are below the poverty line.
Thus the two main objectives of the pilot phase of the environmental
education curriculum program were:
- to develop ways to overcome the obstacles mentioned above;
- to infuse environmental education into school curricula.
Project Activity
The pilot project, which received financial assistance from the Education
Department of the PCMC, began in July 1997. It was divided into the three
phases outlined below.
Phase 1: Production of Teachers Activity Handbooks
A series of handbooks was developed to provide teachers with a bank of
activities and reference materials in Marathi, the local language. The
CEE had already developed an activity handbook series, The Joy of
Learning, which outlined activities for students in standards 3 to 8. The
activities in the handbook series were developed in view of the meagre
resources available to most Indian schools; they had been tested by
several hundred teachers across the country, and therefore made an ideal
starting point. However, since this material was written in English, a
team of 25 primary, middle, and secondary school teachers and other
environmental resource people was assembled to oversee the translation
and adaptation of the handbook series for Pimpri Chinchwad. Three
handbooks were developed: Joy of Learning - Environmental Studies
(standards 3 to 5); Joy of Learning - Science (standards 6 to 8); and Joy
of Learning - various subjects (standards 3 to 8).
Phase 2: Dissemination
A series of ten workshops for teachers was organized through August and
the beginning of September. Each of the first nine workshops had between
25 and 30 participants from primary schools; the last had 12 participants
from the PCMC's secondary schools.
The aim of the workshops was to expose the participants to the need for
environmental education, distribute and discuss the handbooks, present
various approaches to environmental education, and encourage the use of
what they had learned during the school year. A field trip on the second
day of each workshop helped the teachers get an idea of how to use the
outdoors for creating environmental sensitivity among their students.
At the end of each workshop, the teachers were asked to select at lease
five or six activities, along with one long-term activity, to be
conducted in the upcoming year.
Phase 3: Trials and Feedback
Based on the activities the teachers outlined during the workshops, the
WWF-I/CEE team visited schools to discuss the project with the teachers
and maintain support for integrating environmental education
considerations in to these schools.
A more formal evaluation was undertaken later in the year to gather
information for further activities.
Results Achieved
In its pilot phase, the environmental education initiative achieved its
goals and led to areas for expansion of the project in the future.
An interesting aspect of the project was the working relationship of CEE,
WWF-I, PCMC, and the schools for a common cause. Because of diverse
experiences of each organisation, each one was able to play its role to
a fuller extent. Such strategic alliances are very important if
sustainable development is to be achieved.
The initiative also led to the development of Nature Clubs in each
school, and the beginning of an environmental education resource centre
and project newsletter, "Shrishti" (Creation). These activities will
continue to add support to environmental education in the schools, and
encourage the dissemination and sharing of knowledge between students,
teachers, the PCMC, and the larger community. Exhibitions, presentations,
and other activities by the students are planned for times when working
parents will be able to attend in order to further foster the
environmental message outside of the schools.
The nature clubs and the newsletter played a crucial role as a catalyst
for sustaining the program. It also helped in networking among the ninety
schools of the PCMC, which earlier were devoid of any channels of
communication.
Lessons Learned
Although the teachers were sceptical at the start of the project, they
started showing a keen interest on the importance of infusing
environmental education into the curriculum, once they became involved.
In their feedback, all stressed the need for a massive teacher training
initiative. They also identified the critical importance of having
specific environmental education resources for their communities and in
their first language. Given the activities planned for the coming years,
there are plans to further develop these suggestions.
The importance of communicating what is going on in the schools to the
parents was also realised during the pilot phase of the project. Unlike
in other areas, there are no Parent-Teacher Associations in the schools
where the pilot project was conducted. Parents are only available to come
to the schools during holidays when the factories are closed.
Exhibitions, presentations, and activities related to what students are
experiencing have been planned for these days, so that the parents can
understand the process.
In the long run, environmental awareness must move from the classroom to
the community, if the overall goal of increasing environmental education
in the community is to be achieved.
C
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Contacts for Further Information
Mr. Rohddas B. Konde
Deputy Municipal Commissioner
Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation
Pimpri Chinchwad, Pune
India 411018
Tel: +91-212/772970
Fax: +91-212/779999
Email: pcmc@giaspn01.vsn1.net.in
Mr. Rahul Barkataky
Programme Associate
Centre for Environment Education
Regional Cell for Central India
18 Green Park
Aundh, Pune
India 411007
Tel/Fax: +91-212/385875
Email: cee@giaspn01.vsn1.net.in
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-------------------------------------------------------------------------
A fuller account of this case can be found in
" Teachers in Charge: Environmentalizing the School Curriuculum"
by Rahul Barkatay, Sanskriti Menon and Ajit JagtapSheilagh Henry
Local Agenda 21 Administrator
International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives
World Secretariat
City Hall, East Tower, 8th Floor
100 Queen St. West
Toronto, Ontario M5H 2N2
Canada
Tel: +1-416/392-1462
Fax: +1-416/392-1478
EEmail: la21@iclei.org
Website: http://www.iclei.org
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WORKERS & TRADE UNIONS
Agenda 21, Chapter 29
THE TCO 6E CHALLENGE - Learning to Change Attitudes and Create a
Sustainable Workplace
Introduction
The "TCO 6E" is a working model for the development of the "sustainable
workplace", which embodies all of the major elements of the trade union
approach to environmental education designed for the workplace. It is
designed, produced and marketed by the "Development Unit of the Swedish
Confederation of Professional Employees" (TCO), and is the latest and
most all-encompassing in a series of successful projects undertaken by
the unit.
The 6 Es of the title are: Ergonomics, Economy, Ecology, Emissions,
Efficiency and Energy. The "challenge" is to implement high standards in
the 6 Es in the workplace. It accomplishes this through a step-by-step
method, which builds competence in the environment and 6E through the
phases of preparation, training, implementation, and evaluation.
Competence is built up progressively, through the process of carrying out
the 6E environmental work programme (compatible with ISO 14 001). Theory
is proved by practical application.
What is unique about the 6E is that everyone participates in establishing
and reaching the environmental goals of the company. All participants
receive some form of environmental education ranging from two to five
days, depending on their specific role in the programme. This is a new
approach for many companies, but as work progresses, they see that joint
ambition and high involvement are necessary ingredients to success.
Objectives
The 6E aims to lead the whole organisation, and the workplaces that are
a part of it, to a consensus on a common set of values and respect for
the environment. This is accomplished by imbuing everyone at the
workplace with the idea that personal development, a good working
environment, and a sociable working climate are integral components of
their environmental work. More specifically, it aims to:
- eliminate unhealthy or environmentally incompatible equipment and
practices from offices and other workplaces.
- combine environmental practice with sound economics
- provide a practical guide for integrating considerations relating to
ecology and the work environment into everyday decision-making and
setting standards for all decisions, from the purchasing of products and
services, to the work process and environment; and
- corporate basic principles of environmental practice into the workplace.
The last-mentioned objective, incorporating basic principles of
environmental practice into the workplace, is generic. It is composed of
the elements identified below:
- "The Recycling Principle" - moving away from a "linear material flow"
to "a recycling loop" for all materials.
- "The Precautionary Principle" - that lack of scientific proof is not
to be used as a reason for delaying measures to prevent damage to the
external and working environments.
- "The Substitution Principle" - that materials or processes are to be
replaced by less harmful ones in routines and purchasing; and
- "The Integration Principle" - that all influences of humans on the
environment are taken into account, and environmental considerations are
integrated into operational business strategy, and long-term development
plans.
Project Activities
Each 6E-project begins by engaging a "study circle" of Environmental Co-
ordinators from each company in a series of training seminars. They
report every second week on their company's progress to a Project
Manager, with copies to the TCO. These reports provide information about
improvements made to the work and the external environments, as well as
any new ideas and contacts taken with other organisations.
It begins with a vision of a better workplace and a better environment
built on an analysis of the working environment. It develops an overview
how operations inflow, resource use and outflow patterns impact on
Nature.
Environmental competence is then developed in every individual, to ensure
that they are capable of identifying, understanding and solving problems
that arise in the course of continual environmental improvement. This
increased understanding and commitment are pre-requisites for successful
environmental work. Training is carried through to active participation;
an "investigative working procedure" is employed in an influential
working procedure. This process occurs through working groups led by a
group co-ordinator and a project leader who manages the integration task,
and reports to management meetings.
Participating enterprises are provided with the following material to
guide and assist them at each stage of a systematic adaptation of the
organisationūs operations towards the vision. These include:
The Way to 6E: a manual describing the 6E, its aims and implementation;
- A Project Binder: to guide the project and group leaders through the
model;
- An Environment Binder: with instructional materials and articles on 6E
Elements.
- Private Binders: for all participant to collect material and use
Checklists and Calculation Sheets, as well as notes, reminders, contacts,
and educational material.
- Checklists: to help map out both the internal and external work
environments, and support routines and working procedures for sustaining
integration.
- Calculation Sheets: to account for quantities and costs of materials and
other inputs.
- Computer Support: software to permit mapping and analysis,including
computerized checklists, calculation sheets, and legal search tools.
- A 6E Library: containing documents and booklets on the environmental
world.
Results Achieved
The Project began in August 1997, and as many as 32 Swedish enterprises
are already working with the TCO 6E-model. Most notably, a group of 24
companies (SMEs) in the furnishing business has subscribed to the
Project. All are noticing a growing interest from competitors, customers
and governments.
The TCO is working with the "ECIC - European Continuous Improvement
Circle" (European Union Directorate General XIII - Innovation
programme), and is also one of the partners in an EC-project that aims
to improve the competitiveness of SMEs and SMOs in Europe.
Companies and organisations choosing to adopt the 6E concept can apply
for 6E-approval, which means acknowledgement of achieving several
requirements regarding the way that they have integrated a long-term
approach to natural and work environment questions in their operations.
The first companies are going to apply for the 6E-approval in the second
part of 1999.
Lessons Learned
The lessons to be gained from this Project are summarized in the 6E logo,
a symbol of "Responsible Practiceū that signifies total environmental
integration of the external and internal workplace environment. When 6E
Approval is given to a complete operation, or to just one part of it, it
shows that it has passed an important milestone in changing the way
business is done for the benefit of both humanity and the environment.
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts for further information
Bodil Ekstrom, 6E Project Co-ordinator,
or Per Erik Boivie, TCO Development Manager
The TCO Development Unit,
Swedish Confederation of Professional Employees (TCO),
Linnegatan 14,
S-114 94
Stockholm,
Sweden.
Tel: +46 8 782 91 00
Fax: +46 8 782 92 07
E-mailpererik.boivie@tco.se
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A MORE SUSTAINABLE ENVIRONMENT THROUGH EDUCATION AND TRAINING
A Czech Trades Union Project to Improve Working and Living Conditions
Introduction
"The Czech Mine, Geology and Oil Industry Workers Union" (OSPHGN) has
95,000 members in 207 employersū organisations in mining, construction,
engineering, transport and other industries that have a direct impact on
the environment. It is affiliated to the Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade
Unions (CMCTU) which links 34 trade unions with a membership of almost
2,000,000, as well as with the International Federation of Chemical,
Energy, Mine and General Workers Union and the International
Confederation of Free Trade Unions. After the political transition in
November 1989, newly created trade unions identified the environment as
a top priority, and vowed to participate in a process for better working
conditions and environmental action.
Objectives
The overall objective of this joint project was to improve the working
and community environment among the membership of the Union of Oil, Mine
and Geology Industry Workers by increasing environmental consciousness
of members and their relatives. The Project would eventually affect about
450,000 people in the Czech Republic, about 4 per cent of the population.
In addition, it would put pressure on the State and other institutions
in this area. Specific objectives included:
- showing how negative effects on the work and community environment are
caused by action of individual employees at their jobs and in their
private lives;
- identifying and correcting technical deficiencies through the
implementation of an eco-audit process involving workers;
- improving the ecological consciousness of workers' families and community
members by means of training and participation in environmental
activities; and
- making its members aware that their responsibility for improvements to
working conditions extends to environmental conditions in the communities
where they live.
Project Activity
Training activities commenced at the same time as detailed eco-audits of
the participating enterprises were conducted. External experts provided
initial training to members in safety. During 8 hours of regular safety
training, 2 hours were dedicated to problems of the environment. This
training started with specialists and activists, and expanded to the
other members and finally to the public. The aim was to reach 6,500
voluntary labour safety inspectors, who could then train members and
other employees in a short time. This method would reach approximately
120,000 employees, who could influence family members, eventually
improving the ecological behaviour of some 400,000 citizens. The already
existent structure of work safety inspectors was utilised as follows:
- Project and regional co-ordinators were trained at Prague Technical
University, with additional training at Cornell University.
- All work safety inspectors at other levels were trained in regular
inspectors training courses.
- All employees received training during regular courses given by work
safety inspectors to improve environmental consciousness.
- Work safety inspectors carried out eco-audits to evaluate the effects of
work processes on the environment. A system of self-controls was
implemented.
- Once every six months, an overall assessment of these activities is
carried out by all levels of the union structure.
Members of staff from the School of Industrial and Labour Relations at
Cornell University in Ithaca, New York were key partners in this Project.
They provided advice, training and other assistance through such manuals
as "Trade Unions and Audits of Living Environment", a recipe for trade
unions wishing to implement eco-audits and measures.
Results Achieved
Safety specialists are now in the first phase of eco-audits to evaluate
conditions in 12 companies with 30,000 employees, after which they will
conduct audits in other companies. The first audits have clearly
indicated a direction for education of the members, as well as the
problems that should be addressed in collective agreements, publication
activities and through the mass-media.
Eco-audits have resulted in a greater appreciation of the living
environment. While perhaps not at the same standard as those provided by
a specialized firm, they proved sufficient for the purpose of identifying
problems.
These activities led to pressure on employers through collective
agreements and media publicity to improve the working and living
environment, and illustrated the need for co-operation by employers.
Individual OSHGN unions and the OSHGN headquarters are exerting increased
pressure on lawmakers, the government, regional and local authorities,
management and environmental activists in order to improve work and
community environment globally. This can influence legislation and the
nature of technological change. It has led to activities designed to
promote eco-auditing and review eco-audits in already privatized
companies on the basis of their privatization projects. The results are
being published continuously in the media.
Lessons Learned
This Project is showing the feasibility of implementing a system of
environmental education and monitoring of work and community environment
as a part of education on safety at the work-site, making use of existent
organisation of work safety inspectors and their monitoring, lecturing
and prevention capacities.
It also shows that union members will not accept that environmental
protection or health and safety at work must be sacrificed or
compromised. Quite the contrary; they have a strong commitment to the
goals of sustainable development, especially the double dividend of
sustainable employment and a cleaner working and living environment. They
are impatient with solutions imposed from the top, as they have a shared
commitment to change and the creation of a new society.
In numerous enterprises, they have shown that they can promote realistic
programmes to clean up production without huge investment costs; e.g.,
saving energy, changing working practices, reducing waste by recycling,
etc.
In the changing political economy of Central and Eastern Europe,
enterprises that capture the knowledge and experience of workers have a
much better chance of survival. This is the focus of the Environmental
Action Programme. In October 1995, "Environment for Europe" the Sophia
Conference of Environment Ministers invited an EAP Task Force to draw up
a work programme, "to promote the implementation of cleaner production
programmes in all CEE countries by 1998 and to foster co-operation and
networking among all the stakeholders involved ..."
The overall objective of the EAP is to promote continuous improvement in
environmental performance and economic savings in industry in CEECs, by
means of the following:
- raising awareness among workers and their associations about benefits
deriving from Cleaner Production (CP) programmes and investments;
- multiplying the positive results of CP programmes by engaging workers and
trade unions in their design and implementation; and
- supporting a process to develop effective mechanisms for dialogue and co-
operation between national governments, managers and trade unions.
Although there are many examples of union-led initiatives in Central and
Eastern Europe, "there is a desperate need for more support". Assistance
at this stage constitutes a good investment in the global environment,
as it would lead to a more effective use of the knowledge, experience,
commitment and clear self-interest of workers and their unions. They are
still a virtually untapped resource.
To this point, most of the costs have been borne by OSPHGN. Projects
require extensive funding, especially at the beginning, when work
safety inspectors have to be trained on environmental issues. OSPHGN
welcomes participation of sponsors and non-government organizations in
at least part of the cost of training at Prague Technical University
and Cornell University. OSPHGN will make use of all available
resources to secure lecturing on this project including co-operation
with CMKOS and the FIM..
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts for further information:
Vlastimil Altner,
Executive Secretary,
Czech Mine, Geology and Oil Industry Workers Union (OSPHGN),
W. Churchilla 2 DOS,
113 59 Prague 3.
Tel: 0042-2-24462689
Fax: 0042-2-24226397
Linda Gasser,
Executive Director,
Central Europe Human Resource Education Initiative,
Rm. 158 Ives Hall,
School of Industrial and Labor Relations,
Cornell University,
Ithaca NY 14853 -3901
Tel: 607-255-1228
Fax: 607-255-7774
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BUSINESS & INDUSTRY
Agenda 21, Chapter 30
SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS CHALLENGE - Youth in Partnership with Business and
Industry for Sustainable Development
Introduction
A case of successful partnerships between major groups towards a
sustainable future is the Sustainable Business Challenge (SBC) - an
Internet-based examination for business school students (accessible at
http://www.wbcsd.ch/foundation). SBC is a co-operative initiative of
the "World Business Council for Sustainable Development" (WBCSD) and
"the International Association of Students in Economics and
Management" (AIESEC) in the promotion of WBCSD.
AIESEC has been working on responsible management of companies for
several years and aims to develop future business leaders through an
international traineeship exchange program and locally run projects in
this field. The SBC was launched by AIESEC at its Global Theme
Conference (Basel, Switzerland May 1997), using the presence of 300
youth leaders from over 70 countries.
The "Sustainable Business Challenge" fits well with AIESECūs efforts
to raise awareness for global and environmental issues among future
business leaders. The fact that the exam is Internet-based makes it
both available for a large range of events that are developed by local
AIESEC chapters and adaptable to specific local needs.
The SBC underlines the strong interest of WBCSDūs 122 international
member companies in including "sustainable development" into the
education of their future employees. WBCSDūs members recruit several
thousands of young people every year. Passing SBC will be a first step
for students at the beginning of their professional careers to
demonstrate that they take an interest in the environmentally sound
management of the organisations for which they intend to work. At the
same time WBCSD provides a valuable piece of education material with
the SBC, drawing from the field experience of its member corporations.
Objectives
The main objectives of SBC are to promote the development of:
- education towards Sustainable Development in Business Schools, and
- enabling partnership between Industry and Youth.
Project Activities
The exam tests a studentūs knowledge and practical skills in the field
of environmentally sustainable management and company decision making.
General environmental and societal issues are addressed as well,
making sure the student understands the background environmental
issues that corporations face today. Upon successfully passing SBC,
the student receives (by surface mail) a certificate issued by the
WBCSD.
AIESEC and the WBCSD plan to bring the SBC on a tour around Europe in
the spring of 1998 and host events related to Sustainable Development
and Responsible Entrepreneurship in 30 universities and business
schools. The tour will encompass an intensive week in Switzerland in
April on the issue of Corporate Social Responsibility with speakers
and workshop facilitators from the WBCSD membership. Similar events in
Scandinavia and the Netherlands will take place, this time mostly
integrated into the respective career-days and job-fairs of the AIESEC
local chapters, thus underlining the decisive role environmental
business skills will play today and in the near future. The SBC is
also being integrated into AIESECūs student internship exchange
programs as more and more AIESEC affiliates expect students to take
the SBNC before starting a traineeship, working for a company, or
working with an NGO in a country other than their own.
Results Achieved
Since its launch, SBC has been taken more than 4000 times! Of these,
around 30 per cent have passed the exam and have received their
certificate. The number of certificates awarded spreads equally around
the world. Any difficulties in accessing the exam due to insufficient
Internet access in some countries (such as in Africa and some parts of
Asia) are now compensated for with the paperback version of the SBC
Brief - an info package that serves as a basis for the exam. Designed
as a virtual corporate board meeting in the year 2017, the brief is
now being integrated by interested AIESEC groups or university
professors into local curricula and student activities.
The six most successful students from Canada, Kenya, India, New
Zealand, Italy and Sweden who took the SBC exam attended the annual
WBCSD Council meeting in Prague in the fall of 1997. At this high-
level meeting of WBCSD, the future business leaders presented to the
CEOs their views of a sustainable future and the role for business
towards a better world.
The successful co-operation of AIESEC and WBCSD in the course of the
SBC has laid the groundwork for future joint activities. These two
organizations who rally two important major groups of Agenda 21 (youth
and business) on a global scale, have demonstrated the ability to
bring global co-operation down to the local level. The dialogue
between the two organizations will continue with AIESEC students
contributing to WBCSD Commissions and WBCSD experts and speakers
helping AIESEC with local projects.
Lessons Learned
- The Internet based exam demonstrated two important features that
underline the success of the SBC: (i) the project is international,
accessible from any computer linked to the Internet anywhere in the
world, and (ii) by taking the form of a virtual board room meeting in
2017, the exam is interactive and hands-on which attracts the interest
of students.
- The SBC enjoys a great credibility among business students due to
the sponsorship of WBCSD and AIESEC. The issue of Sustainable
Development is often poorly understood and many business students
refuse to become aware of the issue if it is brought before them by
environmental groups at their campuses. The SBC allows a first
introduction to the concept and the importance of Sustainable
Development to a community of young people who are likely to shape the
future through decisions they make in their later business lives.
- The SBC demonstrated the growing need for management of knowledge
related to the environment and to the concept of sustainable
development in general. The integration of sustainable development
into university curricula will stay on the agenda of AIESEC and WBCSD
as students and businesses take an interest in a sustainable future
and in the environmentally relevant education of future employees.
- The fact that AIESEC is present at over 600 universities and
business schools around the world, coupled with the equally global
presence of WBCSDūs 122 member companies, provides the basis for
locally implemented projects with a global vision. The SBC has served
as a first case study of the synergism that can be fostered by such
partnership. Stand by for more co-operation in the future!
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Contacts For Further Information
AIESEC International
Mr. Johnni Kjelsgaard
Teilingerstraat 110 - 128
NL-3032 AW Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Tel: +31-10-243-0603
Fax: +31-10-265-1386
E-Mail: aiesec@ai.aiesec.org
Web: http://www.aiesec.org
Foundation for Business and Sustainable Development
Mr. Hans Christian Lillehagen
Postbox 301, N-1324 Lysaker, Norway
Tel: +47 67.58.95.29
Fax:+ 47-67.58.18.75
E-Mail: foundation@wbcsd.ch
Web: http://www.wbcsd.ch/foundation
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SUSTAINABLE BUSINESS NETWORK - An On-line Vehicle to Facilitate a Green
Economy
R
Introduction
"The Sustainable Business Network" (SBN) is a focal point for the
sustainable business community on the Internet. The people behind SBN
believe that change occurs through the slow accumulation of thousands
of individual and group actions, and then suddenly accelerates in a
great leap(s), when the pressure builds to a critical point. Our goal
is to fuel momentum toward a green economy by using a resource only
available through the Internet: the ability to broadcast information
across the world instantaneously. We then to invite those same people
to feed back their needs and interact with each other through SBN. It
is our hope that by building SBN to support a huge web of interaction,
we will contribute to the sustainable transformation we believe is
underway.
We use education and information for several purposes. First, when we
provide high quality information we attract sophisticated thinkers
from many disciplines who form the basis for the "sparks" of
connection we wish to foster.
Second, we offer succinct, compelling information that ties the field
of sustainable business together. People are overloaded with
information these days and are hard-pressed to keep up with activity
beyond their small niche. Yet we believe a wider perspective fosters
connections and new ways of thinking.
An example is the potential that exists between the Natural Foods and
Green Building sectors. Natural food stores are expanding and adding
multiple stores; a perfect customer for green buildings. The natural
food industry customer base is among the most environmentally aware,
and appreciates green buildings, materials, water conservation, indoor
air quality and so on. To stay apprised of developments in the field,
people in the natural food industry would need to subscribe to green
building publications and vice versa; an unlikely prospect. The same
is true for people involved in social investing, renewable energy, the
recycling industry and other green business sectors.
Third, we believe people are inspired and rejuvenated through positive
information. Unfortunately, the overwhelming negative information
available creates feelings of depression and helplessness rather than
mobilising constructive energy.
At present our programme consists of "The SBN Journal", "The SBN
Library", "Sustainable Business Opportunities" and "Green Dream Jobs":
- "The SBN Journal" is a monthly, on-line snapshot of thinking and
activity in the sustainable business community. Known for its "can-
do", high energy approach, it covers the gamut of green business
sectors from recycling to green building, from renewable energy to
organic products, from social investing to certified forestry.
- "Business Opportunities" supports the growth of sustainable
businesses by encouraging people to find investors/partners,
distributors/licensees, and capital through solicitations.
- "Green Dream Jobs" is the first job and internship listing to help
people with business skills find employment with sustainable
organisations.
This case study examines the viability of an on-line network focused
on the wide-flung field of sustainable business. We will discuss the
strategy behind its evolution, its successes, and barriers it is
working to overcome.
Objectives
The Sustainable Business Network aims to:
- Inspire - rejuvenate - educate: people involved in or interested in
sustainable business around the world.
- Cross-fertilise - connect: people across the various sectors of
sustainable business.
- Create opportunity: for sustainable businesses to grow and increase
green employment.
Project Activities
The vehicle we chose for education and information is "The SBN
Journal". It is a free, on-line-only monthly publication. It unifies
the field by culling the most compelling news and articles from a wide
variety of leading trade publications in sustainable business. The
accent is on the positive, so that while people who are deeply
involved in their sector know the problems they face, they will also
sense the field as a whole moving forward. The information is high
level and sophisticated without being technical. It is comprehensible
to everyone from students to researchers to business people.
We developed our visitor base through the quality of this journal.
When the numbers of visitors were high enough to sustain interaction
between them, we developed sections to further partnerships and links.
The listings in "Business Opportunities" come from our visitors. We
identified the need based on our visitor feedback and requests they
made in their letters to us. The section was immediately successful
with many very high quality listings sent in from people around the
world.
We also received many letters asking how to find a job with a green
company or organisation. Until recently, unless you were an engineer
or a forester, environmental jobs were not available. A very positive
indication of green economic growth is that enough sustainable
business jobs now exist to create a viable listing service. Green
Dream Jobs is a clearinghouse of job and internship listings to help
people with business skills find employment consistent with their
values, thus creating a better life for themselves and the earth.
Lastly, the SBN Library is a thorough collection of resources on
sustainable business. It includes organisations, government agencies,
publications, databases, mailing lists, funding sources, and
university programs.
Results Achieved
After only a year of operation, SBN attracts over 400,000 visitors per
month. This was greatly aided by our immediate access to a very large
visitor base. SBN is part of The EnviroLink Network, which receives
over 6 million hits per month. Being on EnviroLink's Home Page gives
us visibility that would be otherwise difficult to achieve.
SBN's consistent, subtle public relations effort is paying off.
Thousands of people have elected to be on our e-mail mailing list and
the editor sends them a letter updating the site each month. Through
concentrated effort replying to visitor mail, informing people when
they have been written up on the site, creating links with other
websites, and making all sorts of connections, the word continues to
spread.
We have developed a loyal following. SBN visitors return again and
again. Judging from the mail received, visitors include high level
people from environmental agencies, non-profit organisations,
businesses, and universities around the world. We have a file full of
letters lauding us on the quality of our work.
The SBN Journal "hums" along, the "Business Opportunities" and "Green
Dream Jobs" sections are full of listings and up-to-date. One of SBN's
greatest achievements is that much of its content comes from its
visitors. Many people have been contacted through Business
Opportunities posts and the Jobs section is very actively used.
Lessons Learned
It is indeed possible to start something from scratch, and quickly
develop an extensive network using the Internet. This project would
have taken much, much longer using traditional means (and, of course,
many more natural resources). It was possible for us to create
(maintain, and grow) this extensive service with few resources in
terms of staff and money.
For a small staff, the most difficult aspect of our work relates to
mainstream public relations. The press is slow to pick up on our work
and we do not have the time to properly reach out to them on an on-
going basis. To keep our interactive areas working, we need to attract
many more people, especially investors interested in the businesses
listed in Business Opportunities.
Our income depends on corporate sponsors and they also, have been slow
in signing on. Those of us in this field know that advertisers do not
jump onto environmental business sites. We believe as our field grows,
people who benefit from SBN will reciprocate and support us.
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact For Further Information:
Rona Fried, Ph.D.
Executive Editor
Tel: +516-423-3277
Fax: +516-423-4725
E-Mail: rfried@bccom.com
Web: http://www.envirolink.org/sbn
----------------------------------------------------------------------
SCIENTIFIC & TECHNOLOGICAL COMMUNITY
Agenda 21, Chapter 31
COASTWATCH EUROPE - A Europe-wide Educational Contribution to
Sustainable Development by the Scientific Community
Introduction
"Coastwatch Europe" is an initiative currently involving around 20
countries: Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Greece,
Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Netherlands, Norway,
Poland, Portugal, Russia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom and the
Ukraine. It was established in 1988 by the Dublin Bay Environment
Group with core funding from the European Commission through
Directorate General XI. It is essentially a large-scale, science-based
"education through participation" project that involves the general
public, educational establishments and scientific communities in
coastal management. The Europe-wide aspects are managed by a co-
ordinating group of scientists drawn from each of the participating
countries.
The participation of an educated and aware public is a key element for
successful sustainable coastal zone management, and is of direct
relevance to Agenda 21. It is clear from Agenda 21 that governments
cannot do everything required to implement the objectives it contains;
public participation at the local level is vital for success. A major
strength of activities linked to Agenda 21 is that they allow people
to be involved in local action to realise that they are part of a much
wider effort with a global impact. This helps to motivate them to take
their own responsibility in environmental improvement seriously.
Coastal management is an area of environmental action in which the
public can play an important part. In particular the public can be an
essential part of beach litter management and control. It is an issue
that requires specific management given its potential impacts for
sustainable recreation and tourism.
Objectives
The project was initiated with the following aims in mind:
- to gather a large amount of baseline data in a form that is
comparable throughout Europe,
- to identify problems that threaten the sustainability of the coastal
zone of Europe,
- to raise public awareness throughout Europe,
- to aid formal and informal environmental education throughout
Europe,
The project gathers a large amount of information concerning the
quality of the European coastal zone. Many of these data can be used
as "indicators" for:
- sustainable recreation,
- sustainable tourism development,
- maintenance of sustainable coastal zone ecosystems.
Project Activity - Europe
"Coastwatch Europe" organisation receives core funding from the
European Commission but individual countries are required to raise
national funds to organise their own survey. In the UK funding was
received from a commercial sponsor between 1989 and 1994. Since 1994
regional funding has been obtained through a consortium of local
authorities and through funding from the education sector. Funding is
the major constraint for the project expansion.
Creating links with schools is an important aim for many of the
participating countries. In several countries, such as Denmark,
Belgium, Iceland and Spain, over 80 per cent of the groups involved
are from schools (in the UK it is around 50 per cent). In addition, a
number of higher education establishments participate in the project
along with local and national environmental and interest groups.
Involvement of such groups, who are experienced in survey work,
ensures that volunteers are under strict supervision and well
organised. Each participating country has a national co-ordinator who
has a scientific background. They are based at a variety of
institutions, primarily universities and non-governmental
organisations.
Project Activity - UK
The specific content of this case study relates to the activities of
"Coastwatch UK", which is co-ordinated from the Robens Centre for
Public and Environmental Health, University of Surrey, where the
national co-ordinator is based.
National co-ordinating scientists meet twice a year to refine the
questionnaire and to discuss national variations in the survey. The
survey is carried out annually over a two-week period between the end
of September and beginning of October in each country. Surveyors are
recruited by a variety of methods. Increasingly, a network of core
surveyors has been established who are familiar with the format of the
survey and their site. Currently, between 60 and 70 per cent of groups
have participated in at least one Coastwatch UK survey before.
Where possible, the same sites are allocated as a priority each year.
Each group of participants is designated a 5 Km block of coastline in
the location of their choice. On allocation, the volunteers receive
written notification of the name of the block, a six-figure map
reference of the start and finish of the block, the block code and
county code. All details of the block together with the contact name,
address and telephone number of the surveyor group are recorded in a
database.
Training is important. Surveyors are provided with guidance to ensure
that, so far as possible, the questionnaires are completed with the
same degree of accuracy by each group. Where possible, regional
training events are held. However, due to staffing constraints these
are limited. All materials required to complete the survey are mailed
to volunteers approximately three weeks before the start date.
Telephone instructions are issued where appropriate. In addition,
surveyors are provided with the contact number of a regional co-
ordinator whom they can contact during the survey period in case of
difficulties.
All participating European countries are issued with identical core
questionnaires translated as necessary. Detailed instructions on how
to complete the questionnaires are issued by each country to ensure
consistency in methodology. In the UK this takes the form of a
ūresource fileū containing all the materials required for completion
of the survey and support materials. The instruction sheets are
updated as necessary and each volunteer group receives additional
educational information in the form of fact sheets on marine issues
and ideas for follow-up activities. The fact sheets provide background
information on the issues covered by the questionnaires and with
completion of the survey.
Follow-up activities encourage surveyors to investigate the issues
further and to continue their involvement in related activities
throughout the year. The activities are designed to be adapted to suit
various age ranges and, where appropriate, the materials are
referenced to the UK National Curriculum to aid formal education and
cover a range of cross-curricular subjects. In addition, training
guides for environmental health officers have been provided.
Following completion of the survey, volunteers return the
questionnaires to the Coastwatch UK national co-ordinating office
where they are checked and analysed. A report is written and
distributed to all volunteer groups, central Government and all local
authorities with coastal responsibilities. The data is also made
available to other interested parties. The report of the survey is
made available within three months of completion of the fieldwork,
providing an accessible source of information on marine pollution.
Feedback to surveyors helps maintain the network. This is further
assisted by the extensive attention of the media in the release of the
results. In raising the profile of the issues surrounding the project,
this extends public awareness to a greater proportion of people than
would otherwise have been the case.
Results Achieved
Coastwatch Europe network has promoted educational exchanges between
schools in a variety of countries. For example, St Cyrus School,
Penarth, South Wales has travelled to both Russia and Sweden for
educational summer camps, undertaking environmental fieldwork and
exchanging cultural viewpoints.
Environmental information is a key element in achieving a good level
of public involvement and participation in the process of sustainable
development. To extend this beyond the annual Coastwatch event, a
number of groups have adopted a section of coastline and monitor it on
a regular basis. Results are recorded and used to monitor changes in
pollution levels. Groups are encouraged to submit these results to
their local authority, to the Environment Agency, or to other
appropriate bodies for action.
The large amount of media publicity that the project attracts has also
had a positive outcome in promoting action. Following publication of
the results several local authorities undertook beach cleanings in
problem areas.
The network organised a number of national and international
conferences extending the educational value to the project. In the UK
these have discussed such issues as public participation in coastal
zone management and pollution in the Solent; in Spain a conference was
organised concerning coastal zone management; and in Ireland dune
management is amongst the numerous seminars arranged. In addition, the
data collected through the project has been presented at a number of
national and international conferences, the most recent being the
Third International Conference on the Mediterranean Environment
(November 1997).
Coastwatch UK has recently been asked by the World Health Organisation
to help produce a balanced overview of recreational water use and
health in Europe. The results will be presented at the forthcoming
London Conference in 1999.
In summary, Coastwatch UK has provided an opportunity for thousands of
volunteers to participate in coastal management issues. By involving
as many people of varying ages, occupations and interests as possible
it has raised public awareness about coastline conditions. The
volunteers have no political, economic or personal motives for
influencing the data, which is therefore completely impartial, and
very influential. The establishment of local monitoring and evaluation
programmes using volunteers has been supported by a number of local
authorities and the Environment Agency in the UK. The practical
involvement of school and college groups, which are large and well
organised, promotes education for sustainable development in the
public sector.
Lessons Learned
The project generates a huge amount of enthusiasm from volunteers
throughout Europe and the data gathered is requested by numerous
organisations and regulatory bodies. However, despite the obvious
value of the project for education and sustainable development the
future of the project depends on securing adequate funding.
The project has grown to its limit with the current staffing capacity.
There is the potential to expand the project considerably both in
terms of the data-gathering exercise and its associated educational
activities. However, currently further activities are constrained
financially.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contact for Further Information
Coastwatch UK
Dr Kathy Pond,
Robens Centre for Public and Environmental Health,
University of Surrey,
Guildford,
Surrey GU2 5XH
Fax: +44 1483 259971
Email: k.pond@surrey.ac.uk
---------------------------------------------------------------------
INFORMATION AND AWARENESS SUPPORT SUSTAINABLE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Scientists and Technologists Educate for Effective Management of
Intellectual Property
Introduction
"Intellectual Property Management Capability" is an essential pre-
requisite for developing countries to attain sustainable economic
development. In recognition of this, the "Committee on Science and
Technology in Developing Countries" (COSTED) has identified
Intellectual Property Management as one of its major thrust areas for
intensive activities in developing countries.
COSTED, a special interdisciplinary scientific organisation, was
established by the Paris based "International Council of Scientific
Unions" (ICSU) in 1966. COSTED is a non-government and non-profit
organisation, co-sponsored by UNESCO. The primary mandate of this
organisation is to promote science and technology in developing
countries by serving as the conscience of ICSU in ensuring the
interests of these countries are represented. COSTED acts as an
advisory group to ICSU and UNESCO on the range of their activities in
science and technology for developing countries, on their potential
applications to social and economical development, and how both relate
to other international development efforts.
The uniqueness and strength of COSTED lie in its ability to foster
both North-South and South-South Co-operation in science and
technology. Its affiliation to ICSU and its access to ICSU's
repository of intellectual expertise of the highest order
internationally enables COSTED to make this available to the science
and technology communities in the developing world. In the same
spirit, COSTED's outreach in the developing world enables it to
reflect the needs, priorities and problems as perceived by the
communities to the international efforts of ICSU and other
international bodies.
The present case study is typical of activities that are now high on
the COSTED agenda. These support sustainable development by exploiting
science and technology to satisfy local and regional needs. In an era
characterised by the advent of new generic technologies, and
unprecedented dynamism in the field of international economic
activity, developing countries will have to overcome many difficulties
if their development agendas are not to be compromised.
Many of the developing countries as signatories to the recently
concluded GATT agreement are grappling with the challenges now posed,
some of which offer tremendous opportunities. One such opportunity is
the new "Intellectual Property Regime" (IPR). Under IPR, intellectual
property now represents, a major national resource for developing
countries. Properly managed, intellectual property can make a major
contribution to sustainable economic growth. Yet, currently it is not
valued as it should be, and its potential will only be realised if
countries build capacity for its effective management
It is clear then that management of IPR will only be effective if this
is supported by a programme of education that disseminates
information, creates awareness, trains key people, sensitises policy
makers, and changes attitudes. Likewise, in the longer term, it is
vitally important that knowledge of IPR reaches students at
universities and schools. This aspect receives strong emphasis in
Costedūs work-plan.
Objectives
- To create/enhance awareness of the recent IPR related developments
and the implications that these have for developing countries.
- To understand the linkages between IPR, scientific and technological
endeavours, and natural resources.
- To identify steps for institutional preparedness to meet the IPR
challenges for 2005 including human resource and legislative
development.
- To study the relevance of IPR to the scientific and technological
communities, and to decision makers in developing countries.
- To encourage the percolation of awareness of IPR into university and
school curricula.
- Finally, to provide a service that gives information and advice to
developing countries on request.
Project Activity
This is an on-going programme that commenced in September 1996. The
activity comprises the following elements:
- Round Tables on IPR
- Regional Conferences/Workshops
- Information and Advisory Service
Round Tables on IPR
Four Round Tables were organised in India during I996-97, essentially
to provide a forum for free exchange of views and issues. Each Round
Table focused on a specific industrial sector namely Chemicals and
Agro-products, Pharmaceuticals, Electronics and Electrical industry
and Biological Resources and Natural products. These meetings helped
to "raise awareness" on the complex and urgent issues relating to
intellectual property management. They also highlighted the need for
capacity building, creation of IP professionals, reforms in the
educational and legal systems and above all sensitisation of
politicians and decision makers. The primary targets for these
meetings were the science and technology communities, members of which
are considered to be the principal generators of intellectual
property. Mechanisms to stimulate innovation and creativity by this
community were also discussed.
COSTED participated in a national IPR meeting in Sri Lanka, in
February 1998 and assisted in the sensitisation efforts and national
plan of action.
Regional Conferences/Workshops
Two regional meetings have been successfully organised on this subject
to pave the way for regional co-operation in addition to raising
awareness and preparedness of the participating countries in the
region. A regional workshop for Asian countries was organised in
October 1997 in Chiang Mai, Thailand in conjunction with the Council
Meeting of the Federation of Asian Scientific Association and
Societies. This workshop focused on the issues of priority to the
Asian region.
Very recently, a conference focusing on the Arab region was jointly
organised by COSTED with TWAS and the Egyptian Academy of Scientific
Research and Technology, Cairo, in February 1998. The conference
culminated in a number of important recommendations at the regional
and international levels. A Task Force in which the Egyptian Academy
is playing a lead role for the Arab region was set-up to look into the
implementation of these recommendations.
Three such meetings covering the African, Latin American and the
Caribbean regions are being planned for 1998-99. These are essentially
preliminary, sensitisation and capability building initiatives in the
developing regions wherein COSTED plays a catalytic and co-ordinating
role by stimulating local and regional initiatives. If these
initiatives crystallise into action programmes, COSTED will play a
supporting and advisory role.
Information and advisory service
Preparations are underway to set up an information and advisory
service for developing countries on Intellectual Property Management.
This will include information on the latest developments in the
international arena, state-of-art on the subject in other countries,
case-studies and advisory support for patent preparation, and other
related assistance. This service will function at the Central
Secretariat of COSTED in Chennai, India and will be operational by mid
1998.
Results Achieved and Lessons Learned
The programme is still at a comparatively early stage, and the
tangible benefits that will accrue will appear mainly in the longer
term. To attempt an objective assessment at this stage would therefore
be premature; quantification will only be possible in a further 2-3
years.
Nonetheless, a great deal has already been learned:Developing
countries are in varying degrees of preparedness in managing
intellectual property. This is an area that has wide-ranging and far-
reaching implications for a variety of sectors of national and
economic relevance. Developing countries have enormous resources in
their natural biodiversity and traditional knowledge systems that have
the potential to be harnessed for sustainable economic development.
Effective management of these resources calls for a change in the
attitudes of scientists and technologists in order to identify, assess
and record these resources.An appropriate legislative frame-work,
within which IPR management can thrive is essential.Scientists and
technologists, as generators of and stakeholders in intellectual
property, are the key human resource. Efforts to stimulate and sustain
the creativity and innovative capability of this resource are vital to
reap the benefits of the new IP regime. COSTED's efforts so far have
been comparatively modest and represent the first few steps on a long
path. COSTED seeks the co-operation and partnership of like-minded
international organisations in order to make a significant and
substantial impact in enabling developing countries to strengthen
their capabilities in Intellectual Property Management.
:
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts for Further Information
Dr.G.Thyagarajan
Scientific Secretary
or
Dr.Veena Ravichandran
Senior Scientific Officer,COSTED
Secretariat,24
Gandhi Mandapam Road,
Chennai 600 025
India
Tel: 91 44 4901367/419466/443028
Fax: 91 44 4914543/4911589/944444
Email:costed@giasmd01.vsnl.net.in
---------------------------------------------------------------------
FARMERS
Agenda 21, Chapter 32
FARMER EDUCATION IN KENYA - Education for Small-Scale Farmers Helps to Build
Sustainable Development
Introduction
The case study describes a pilot project, carried out by the
"International Federation of Agricultural Producers" (IFAP) and the
"Kenya National Farmers' Union" (KNFU), at the Mahiga Location in
Nyeri District in Kenya, during the years 1995-1997. The "pilot
project" involved the KNFU Farmers' Study Groups at the Mahiga
Location in Nyeri District in Kenya. KNFU Study Groups are grassroots
farmers' groups specialising "in participatory adult educationand
extension", where farmers regularly meet to read and discuss
agricultural topics of their own choosing. During the pilot project,
farmers identified soil conservation as their minimum research need.
They wanted to reduce their fertiliser use to sustainable levels but
they did not have access to soil sampling services. While local
research centres can analyse soils, samples need to be taken to the
research centres. During the pilot project, farmers learned about soil
sampling through their Study Groups, and were able to get their soils
tested. They also were able to "learn about" adjusting their
fertiliser use and adjust their agricultural production methods to
suit their soils.This project is a direct response to Agenda 21,
Chapter 32 on the Role of Farmers, especially with reference to
paragraphs 32.5 and 32.7. These are concerned with the promotion of a
greater participation of local and village-organizations in
agricultural research, and the transfer of sustainable agricultural
methods through farmers' adult education schemes at village level.
"Implementing Organizations" The International Federation of
Agricultural Producers (IFAP), founded in 1946, is the world
organisation of farmers. It groups together nationally representative
general farmers' organizations. The Federation represents virtually
all the agricultural producers in the industrialised countries and
several hundred million farmers in the developing countries. The one
link that is common to the vast majority of IFAP's members, large or
small, is their attachment to the family farm. IFAP has Category 1
consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United
Nations. It is financed and governed by its member organizations. The
Kenya National Farmers' Union (KNFU) is a direct membership union of
farmers. Apart from individual farmers, it groups together 28 national
organizations, regional co-operative societies and commercial
agriculture related organizations. Small-scale farmers, women and men,
comprise a largemajority of KNFU membership. KNFU regularly analyses
farm policy and makes representation to government. It also runs a
number of services for farmers, including information services,
"education and extension", life insurance and savings schemes.
Objectives
KNFU Study Groups are grassroots farmers' groups specialising in
participatory adult education and extension. Under the Kenya National
Farmers' Union Study Group Scheme, farmers regularly meet to read and
discuss agricultural topics chosen by themselves. Appropriately
written booklets and some training and guidance is put at their
disposal by KNFU for this purpose. As a general rule, farmers' study
groups consist of eight to ten farmers, who study a self-chosen
subject on an egalitarian basis. Farmers also receive certificates on
the completion of each subject matter. Study group schemes were
originally developed jointly between Swedish Co-operative Centre and
KNFU in the 1980s, and have since spread to Zimbabwean and Zambian
small farming sectors, through IFAP member organizations in those
countries.The Kenyan pilot project aimed to develop this tried-and-
tested scheme further by implementing the following agenda: Farmers
form their study group and discuss their actual research needs;
Farmers contact agricultural research and extension services for
answers and collaboration;To the extent that answers were available
from agricultural research and extension, new study materials are
prepared in the form of booklets for farmers discussion groups, as
well as physical material and services; Farmers continue their cycle
of identification of needs, participatory preparation of their study
programme in consultation with research and extension, application of
what they have learned, and participatory evaluation. In specific
terms, the project objectives were to bring about: successful transfer
of at least one "sustainable" agricultural method to small-scale
farmers on a demand-driven basis; andestablishment of a dialogue and
consultation mechanism among farmers' study groups, agricultural
research and extension bodies at the local level.
Project Activities
The pilot project was formulated through joint discussions between the
KNFU local and national farm leaders, local and village level
meetings. Project formulation mission was carried out by an IFAP-
appointed consultant from the Dutch farmers' organizations and a KNFU
senior staff member. A Steering Committee composed of Kenya National
Farmersū Union (KNFU), Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI)
and Extension was established to facilitate and monitor project
activities.The draft project was further discussed at the "National
Workshop on Linkages Between Farmers' Organizations, Agricultural
Research and Extension", held in January 1995, in Nairobi, Kenya.
Briefing and planning meetings were held in the five areas of Mahiga
Locality with the participation of 830 farmers. Priorities for project
activities were set by follow-up meetings and Farmers' Study Groups
were formed. Farmers identified soil conservation as their main
research need. They wanted to reduce their fertiliser use to
sustainable levels.Farmer priorities were communicated to research and
extension at local level through direct contact as well as through
farmer tours organised to the regional research station in Embu, where
farmers discussed their priorities with researchers. A total of 120
farmers visited the regional research station and held talks with
researchers. While local research centres can easily carry out soil
analysis, samples need to be taken from individual farmers' fields and
brought to the research centres. Farmers learned about soil sampling
through their Study Groups, and were able to get their soils tested.
They also were able to learn about fertiliser and pesticide use and
were able to adjust their production methods to suit their soils. By
the end of the pilot project, twenty study groups were successfully
formed and trained in Mahiga locality. Demonstration plots were also
used by study groups as an activity.
Results achieved
As a result of the pilot project, small-scale farmers were able to get
their soils tested and adjust their production methods to suit their
land.
Lessons Learned
Education should be an on-going and participatory process for farmers,
Farmers should identify their educational needs themselves, formulate
their own educational programmes in consultation with technically
competent authorities in an egalitarian mannerA strong negotiating
capacity by representative farmers' organizations, structured at
local, national and international levels, is essential for ensuring
the participatory nature of farmers' education. In other words, strong
farmers' organizations are guarantors of farmers' participation and
empowerment.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Contacts for Further Information
Rashid Pertev,
International Federation of Agricultural Producers,
60 rue St. Lazare,
75009 Paris, France.
Tel: 01 45 26 05 53
Fax: 01 48 74 72 12/ 01 45 26 67 98
e-mail: 101476.3474@compuserve.com
Philip Kiriro,
Kenya National Farmers Union,
P.O. Box 43148,
Adamali House,Nairobi, Kenya,
Tel: 25 42 28 89 4/5
Telegr. FARSUN KUF
Fax: 25 42 33 99 05
------------------------------------------------------------------------
EDUCATING FOR SUSTAINABLE FOOD AND FARMING SYSTEMS
Developing Farmer-Community Partnerships for a New Vision of
Agriculture and Food Security
Introduction
Established and inaugurated at a ceremony at the United Nations in
1991, the "World Sustainable Agriculture Association" (WSAA) has
served as an educational, research, advocacy, and service organisation
that promotes agricultural sustainability. The goal of WSAA is to
encourage the regeneration of soil and society, and ultimately the
well-being of planet Earth and of all people, through food and farming
systems that are in harmony with Nature. With effect from April 1998,
WSAA will change its focus towards developing a demonstration
prototype of nature farming in Hawaii, USA under the auspices of the
Mokichi Okada Association (MOA). The other aspects of the work
described here will continue in a new entity. As food security emerges
to be an increasingly central environment and development issue, we
have chosen to refocus our efforts to achieving food security through
sustainable food and farming systemsWSAA has been active at the United
Nations including the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD). It
helped establish the Farmer-NGO Sustainable Agriculture/Food Systems
(SAFS) Caucus. Since 1993, farmers and sustainable agriculture leaders
have participated in the work of the CSD, ensuring that their views
are included in discussions and progress reports on the implementation
of Agenda 21. The Caucus helped co-ordinate the first
Farmer/Government Dialogue at the CSD (1997), featuring the
participation of farmers from several developing and developed
countries. For the first time, a farmerūs voice was heard at the UN
General Assembly Special Session (UNGASS) at Earth Summit II, when Ms.
Denise O'Brien of Iowa, fruit and dairy producer from Iowa.USA, spoke
to them about the needs and concerns of small scale farmers. If our
generation fails to make agriculture "sustainable", humanity and Earth
will suffer unspeakable consequences. It follows then that sustainable
agriculture is not to be viewed as if it were an alternative to
conventional agriculture; viewed from any humanitarian and ecological
perspective, there is no acceptable alternative to sustainable
agriculture..Attending the United Nations Conference on Environment
and Development at Rio in 1992, over 400 farmers and NGO
representatives asserted: "Sustainable agriculture is a model of
social and economic organisation based on an equitable and
participatory vision of development which recognises the environment
and natural resources as the foundation of economic activity.
Agriculture is sustainable when it is ecologically sound, economically
viable, socially just, culturally appropriate, and based on a holistic
scientific approach." If we are to achieve this goal, "education"
directed towards "sustainable agriculture" is essential.
Objectives
WSAA aims to promote agricultural and food system sustainability
through:Disseminating Information (an essential component of any
educational activity) on Exemplary Models, Projects, and
PoliciesFacilitating Sustainable Agricultural DevelopmentShaping
Public Policies on Sustainable AgricultureObjectives for these three
areas of activity include:highlighting (through "education and
awareness" activities) the efforts of small scale grassroots
initiatives at the local level to achieve sustainable agriculture
under diverse conditions;contributing to the ongoing, dynamic process
of moving away from the philosophy of dominating nature toward working
in harmony with nature to produce food, by helping define and
articulate a systematic approach to sustainable
agriculture;demonstrating models which illustrate the principle that
ecological, biologically intensive farm management systems can become
profitable for peasant producers and local family farmers,developing
"education and awareness" by means of direct communication between
producers and consumers (such as farmersū markets, community-supported
agriculture, subscription farming, and local food policy councils,
etc.)developing partnerships among farmers (women and men), consumers,
research scientists, non-governmental organisations and local
authorities to plan and develop ecologically, socially and
economically sound food and farming systems;raising issues of major
importance to food and farming in policy forums, and creating
opportunities for educating the public and policy-makers through
dialogue about broader visions and solutions.
Project Activities
"Disseminating Information and Creating Awareness" Through
publications, special events, and staff and guest presentations, WSAA
has publicised exemplary sustainable agriculture projects, programs,
and policies developed and demonstrated by organisations, agencies,
and institutions throughout the world, for example by the WSAA book,
"For ALL Generations - Making World Agriculture More Sustainable".
This book describes the challenges of sustainable agriculture and
profiles 61 organisations world-wide that are contributing to the
goals of sustainable agriculture. The premise of the book is that a
world-wide transition to sustainable agriculture is both necessary and
attainable. Sustainable agriculture is not only a possibility, but a
determined effort often evolving through small scale efforts, mostly
at the grassroots level. The mission of the book is to encourage
efforts at all levels from the grassroots to the seats of power in
government and in corporations to make the world's agriculture more
sustainable, thereby contributing to the establishment of a more
sustainable, humane, and just society.Numerous farm and community-
based groups are active in disseminating information on exemplary
farms and gardens, local food projects and policies. They change the
way agriculture is practised, work in partnership to build local food
systems providing nutritious food, contribute to a vibrant rural
economy, and sustain adequate livelihoods for producers living on the
land. Profiles documented and published by WSAA include: "Cameroon,
West Africa": The Group of Common Initiative of the Women Farmers of
Bogso (GICPAB), a grassroots organisation of women farmers focusing on
cassava production, preservation, marketing, and crop storage to
combat poverty and hunger. In efforts to encourage the consumption of
local foods such as cassava, GICPAB has undertaken two important
research projects: the first concerns local technologies to preserve
foods, and the second is to compile local recipes and different ways
to eat cassava.The principal activity in Bogso is subsistence
agriculture. The peculiarity of the GICPAB resides in its efforts to
use the cultivation of cassava as a tool for the development of its
rural community. Elsewhere people discuss sufficient food supplies and
sending children to school. In Bogso they say: "Let us create a
library for the village." The cultivation of cassava, as they say in
Bogso, feeds the village, but that is not all. -We must think about
the future." Thus, a small processing unit was built to obtain cassava
flour, which is easier to preserve. As a consequence of excess
production resulting from enlarging the individual fields of women
farmers, GICPAB just received the authorisation to open a periodic
market. This market will allow the little village of Bogso to welcome
sellers, buyers, and intermediaries from the two big metropolises of
Cameroon (Douala and Yaounde), generating intense commercial activity
and creating new jobs adapted to the new activities of the
village.Clearly, learning new knowledge, skills and attitudes have
been integral parts of the project. "New York State, USA": The Genesee
Valley Organic Community Supported Agriculture (GVOCSA) offers a
practical alternative to participation in the global food marketplace.
It provides the urban shareholders with a way to keep a local, organic
family farm in business, while satisfying their own needs for
nutritious, ecologically produced food, and for contact with the earth
on which it is grown. Direct sales from the farm to the CSA eliminate
the middlemen: the farm gets a better price than by selling on the
wholesale market, and the family shareholders get fresh, organic food
more cheaply than in a health food store or a supermarket. The GVOCSA
is a farmer-eater co-operative linking 170 families in Rochester, New
York, with Rose Valley Farm, a certified organic vegetable farm,
located 40 miles away. Disseminating information and creating
awareness is essential to GVOCSAūs activities "Facilitating
Sustainable Agricultural Development" Numerous local efforts of groups
working in partnership with a broad cross-section of community
members, have been active in facilitating sustainable agricultural
development and creating prototypal models of sustainable food
systems:In India, WSAA has worked to adapt MOA Nature Farming methods
to the soil, climate, and culture of the Bangalore area of Karnataka
State in India, for the purpose of regenerating the soil and enhancing
the health and well-being of the people. In 1995, farmers and
supporters established a Nature Farming demonstration site at Raj
Bhavan, the residence of the Governor of Karnataka State. In an
educational programme for sustainable agriculture, seminars on Nature
Farming are conducted with and for farmers, with instruction and hand-
on experience in soil building, compost making and application,
natural (non-chemical) pest control, and other essential subjects.
Plant diseases and pest attacks are decreasing as the health of the
soil is improved year after year. Yields are increasing, and are now
almost equal to those obtained using conventional methods. WSAA Japan
has encouraged and facilitated the local adoption and development of
sustainable approaches to agriculture in rural and urban communities
of Japan. Farmer co-operatives working with consumers, researchers and
local officials have very successfully established and supported
chapters in various prefectures of Japan in educational activities
that facilitate exchanges of locally available information on
sustainable agriculture and related issues such as environment, food,
and health. They have identified and disseminated information
regarding exemplary cases of farmers and communities successfully
practising sustainable agriculture; organised symposiums and seminars
to disseminate international, national, and local information needed
to promote the local adoption and development of sustainable
agriculture. "Shaping Public Policies on Sustainable Agriculture"
Advocates of sustainable food and farming systems are actively working
in every region of the world to educate the public and policy-makers
about the kind of agriculture we need and its role in achieving the
goals of Agenda 21. The Washington Office of WSAA, working in
conjunction with the NGO Sustainable Agriculture/Food Systems (SAFS)
Caucus of the CSD, has focused its efforts on shaping public policies
through increased farmer and NGO leader participation at the United
Nations.WSAA, in co-operation with other like-minded NGOs and farm
groups, monitors the implementation of the sustainable agriculture
commitments made by national governments during the Earth Summit in
Rio de Janeiro in 1992. This monitoring effort includes active
participation in the SAFS Caucus during the annual meetings of the UN
Commission on Sustainable Development. During the 1996 CSD meeting in
New York, SAFS co-sponsored a luncheon program showcasing exemplary
sustainable agriculture projects. WSAA helped co-ordinate input from
farmer and NGO groups into the FAO Task Manager's report to the CSD on
implementation of Chapter 14 of Agenda 21.
Results Achieved
The publication, "For ALL Generations - Making World Agriculture More
Sustainable", has sparked the interest of civil society, government
and institutional agencies who have learned of the extensive efforts
of 61 predominately grassroots organisations involved in reversing
unsustainable agriculture practices and replacing them with
ecologically sound farming systems. This acknowledgement of the value
and significance of grassroots efforts has contributed to our
understanding of the needs, constraints on and resources available to
farmers and farming communities, and has enhanced public interest in
sustainable agriculture and development. We have identified and
highlighted examples that link agro-ecological and nature-friendly
farming with comprehensive and integrated approaches to health and
quality of life. We have done this in site-specific ways that are
compatible with local cultures and communities (India, Japan,
Thailand, Russia, Cameroon, Kenya, Taiwan, USA, Moldova, Bolivia,
Venezuela, Chile, among many others).
Lessons Learned
As a result of the activities described above, at WSAA we have learned
that:Partnerships are essential for educational and other activities.
It takes a broad effort at the community level - farmers, consumers,
scientists, consumers, NGOs and local authorities - to make progress.
Neither government nor any one Major Group can do it alone. Examples
of partnerships can be found in every corner of the globe. The support
of the United Nations Non-Governmental Liaison Service (NGLS) and CSD
Secretariat Major Groups program has been, and will continue to be,
essential in helping to bridge partnerships with governments and
international institutions.There is a great deal of activity
(including educational activity) by farmers, consumers, NGOs,
scientists and local authorities that needs to be recognised and
supported. Resources for implementation of projects to achieve
sustainable agriculture have been limited. Much more recognition and
support, for small scale efforts in particular, are needed.Education
and in-depth discussion about problems and solutions are essential.
Real dialogue is needed on the agricultural and societal issues we are
facing in the world today, yet very often views of small-scale farmers
and local community members are not included in the discussion. When
local authorities, farmers and other community members are brought
together to meaningfully participate and to learn and adopt
significant roles in reshaping their food systems toward sustainable
patterns and relationships, they can agree on solutions and work
together.
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CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Linda Elswick Sustainable Agriculture Public Policy
Directorate
c/o EarthVoiceWashington DC 20037
USATel +202 778 6145
Fax +202 778 6134
Email: wsaadc@igc.apc.org
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* This case study draws heavily on excerpts from the book: "For ALL
Generations - Making World Agriculture More Sustainable", (1997) A WSAA
Publication, Edited by J. Patrick Madden and Scott G Chaplowe. OM Publishing,
PO Box 4186 Glendale, California, 091222 0186
This document has been posted online by the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). Reproduction and dissemination of the document - in electronic and/or printed format - is encouraged, provided acknowledgement is made of the role of the United Nations in making it available. Date last posted: 8 December 1999 15:15:30 |