Meeting #2
Thursday, 21st December, 2006
11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Conference Room C
Committee Co-Chair
Richard Jordan
Handouts Distributed
Agenda
Terms of Reference for Sub-Committees of the Planning Committee for the 58th
Annual DPI/NGO Conference
Responsibilities of the Planning Committee Sub-Committee Co-Chairs
Guidelines Youth/Multigenerational Sub-Committee – 2006
Guidelines Internet Sub-Committee – 2006
Minutes from 1st Planning Committee Meeting (12/07/06)
Opening Remarks
The meeting began with corrections of the previous Planning Committee Meeting Minutes. The previous minutes were to include the suggestion that the conference have a more interactive Question and Answer session where people raise hands to ask questions and engage in active dialogue, replacing the tradition of paper submission of questions. Also, several miss-spelt attendance names were noted, and corrected for future minutes.
The new meeting agenda was adopted, with the inclusion that we discuss the Journal. However, while the agenda specified the election of sub-committees, it was suggested that elections for sub-committees not be held today, as not all members were present. It was also pointed out that, in order to get a title, we need to have a clear understanding of the real threats of climate change. Richard Jordan suggested that Committee members read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, or visit www.iisd.ca. He also mentioned that while producing an exact title is not absolutely required at this meeting, a more concise definition of the theme is necessary.
Discussion Points: Sub-Committees
1.1 The Terms of Reference for Sub-Committees of the Planning
Committee for the 58th Annual DPI/NGO Conference document was distributed.
However the document is not an official proposal for sub-committees.
1.2 Anybody interested in chairing a sub-committee was asked to submit a request to the co-chairs. Sub-committees should re-examine the purpose of the conference in terms of getting people together and creating a plan of action. Otherwise people just sit in the audience and listen.
1.3 While the Planning Committee should meet every week, there was no need for certain sub-committees to have mandatory weekly meetings. Some sub-committees, depending on the nature of their work, might need to meet more often closer to the time of the conference, whereas other subcommittees might need to meet more often early in the year. Each committee will know when they will need to meet, and it was suggested that it be up to the members of the sub-committee to decide when to schedule their meetings so that they could maximize efficiency.
1.4 There needs to be a sub-committee devoted to conference programme planning itself. This group should focus specifically on thematic development, the plenaries, and the selection of speakers. This motion was approved.
1.5 It was suggested by a member that the Planning Committee understand the real tipping points or environmental thresholds at which point climate change becomes catastrophic. In order to gain a more full understanding of the issues that surround Climate Change, Richard Jordan suggested that Committee members read the Earth Negotiations Bulletin, or visit www.iisd.ca . On the left side of the screen, there will be an icon titled ‘Climate and Atmosphere’, which will lead to an abundance of academic articles on climate change. This resource will provide a comprehensive and reliable one-stop-shop education for participants and planning members on the real issues behind climate change.
1.6 The UN Graphics Design Unit will be constructing the visual identity of the conference
1.7 Finally, the need for better networking opportunities was highlighted as an area of great importance for the next conference. It was suggested that a sub-committee designed on promoting networking opportunities be created.
Choosing a Title for the Conference
The following titles were suggested for the Annual Conference:
• Protecting the Planet: Global
Partnerships
• Protecting the Planet, MDGs, Climate Change, and the NGO role
• Protection of Future Generations, the Logic of Peace
• Climate Change: Saving Our Planet and Human Civilization
• MDGs and Climate Change: Our Responsibility to Protect the Planet
• Climate Change: Global Partnerships to Preserve Life
• Climate Change: Global Partnerships to Preserve Life As We Know It
• Climate Change: Our Responsibility to Protect
• Climate Change: The Survival of Our Planet
• Climate Change: The Life of the Planet
• Climate Change and the MDGs
• Climate Change: Civil Society Accepts the Challenge
• The Protection of the Global Climate for Present and Future Generations
• Protecting the Planet: Climate Change, the MDGs, and the UN agenda
• Climate Change: Global Partnerships to Preserve Life: urgent!!?? SOS
• Climate Change: is it urgent?
• Climate Change: The Survival of the Planet and Human Civilization
• Climate Change: Protecting the Planet, the NGO role
• Climate Change: Saving the Planet, The Challenges and Role of NGOs
The following Discussion Points were made regarding choosing a title
for the Conference:
• It is important to include other UN problems. We need to have an inclusive
title, i.e. ‘Protecting the Planet’
• It is important to bring in other global threats, such as nuclear weapons
• We need to keep in mind how the media will relate to our title
• It was suggested to not put the acronym ‘MDGs’ in the title. The second-most
proposed conference topic was ‘UN reform’ anyhow.
• The term ‘life’ is more important to some people than ‘the planet’. It is
important to have the conference connect to people’s lives. We need to keep
conference people-centred
• It was suggested to use the word ‘survival’ in title, as it addresses a
sense of urgency.
• It is important to have good networking opportunities. We should have a
‘space for nothing’, with free food and drink to facilitate discussion. Although
the morning breakfast was originally designed as a networking forum, it was
suggested to also have networking opportunities later in the day.
• Three roundtables at once is too much, we need to consider reducing the
amount of simultaneous roundtables.
• It was suggested to change conference methodology, and consider alternative
approaches to facilitate learning. For example, conference participants could
describe what they want to talk about, find a venue to discuss their specific
interests, and then report back their conclusions. This might create more
concrete outcomes from of conference.
• It was also suggested that the conference commence with a single major project
that NGOs could constructively engage with
• The Journal should be a separate effort. We need to form a team of consistent
people who would go beyond the conference needs in order to prepare the Journal
and attract donors.
Attendance: Adrienne
Alexanian, Lois Beilin Choon-Whe Cho, Joan Davis, Bill Gellermann, Sherrill
Kazan, Joan Kirby, Judy Lerner, Joan Levy, Masako London, Gloria Landy, Pamela
Kraft, Linda Misek-Falkoff, Jim Nelson, Estelle Perry, Anne Riccitelli, Patrick
Sciarratta, Jonina Sutton, Paolo Tagatac, Moses Williams, Batia Rosenfeld,
Jerry Spivack, Yin-Chu Jou, George Weinstein, Charles Hitchcock, Juanita Carrillo,
Margo LaZaro, Richard Jordan, Robin Dellarocca, Sol Oca, Nicholas Rees
Next Meeting: Thursday, 11th January, 2007. 1:15PM-2:45PM,
Room: Conference Room A