Planning Committee Meeting Minutes
Meeting #7
Thursday, 8th February, 2007

3:00 p.m. – 5:00p.m.

Conference Room 1

 

Committee Co-Chair

 

Richard Jordan

 

DPI Representative

 

Robin Della Rocca

 

Handouts Distributed

 

Agenda

Minutes from 6th Planning Committee Meeting (01/02/07)

 

Opening Remarks

 

The meeting began with corrections of the previous Planning Committee Meeting Minutes.  The new meeting agenda was adopted, and the previous minutes were corrected and approved.

 

Richard Jordan presented the contacts that he developed at the UNEP Conference in Nairobi, Kenya:

· Dr Rajendra K Pachauri, Chairman, Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).  Dr. Pachauri might be a possible keynote or endnote speaker.

· Julia Marton-Lefevre, Director General of International Union for the Conservation of Nature.  Julia mentioned that she had a contact list of approximately 700 NGOs which she would like to have participate at the conference.

· Eric Falt, Communications Director of UNEP

· Achim Steiner, Executive Director of UNEP

· Jacqueline McGlade, Director of the European Environment Agency, has a network of 700 NGOs that she would like to bring into the mix, besides being willing to speak at the conference.

· Dr.Constantin Mihailescu, Environment Minister of Moldova, wrote an expert book on hazard mitigation.

 

Sub-Committee Progress Reports:

 

1.      Midday Workshop

a.      Assigned a liaison to the Sub-Committee on Thematic and Programme Development

 

 

2.      Events Sub-Committee

a.      Had confirmation for the delegates Dining Room for our main first night reception.

b.      In terms of other events for the 6th and the 7th of September, if anyone has any idea to host an event of any kind, please let Sheryl know in advance.

c.       The packet of information on the NGO journal will be circulated.  Planning Committee NGOs, please give feedback as to interest and price structure.

 

3.      Networking Sub-Committee

a.      Plans to conduct first Webcast in 2 weeks

b.      Pointed out that Roberta Flack might lead to a connection with Oprah Winfrey.

c.       Plans to involve International Olympists.

 

4.      Media Sub-Committee

a.      Meeting on Tuesday, 11:00AM in the Resource Centre

b.      Interviewed an intern for the Student Journalist Program

 

5.      Internet Sub-Committee

a.      Suzanne met with co-chair Dan Uitti and Brittany Carter.  Dan will handle the technical responsibilities of the Sub-Committee, and Suzanne will handle the promotion of the website.

b.      The internet Sub-Committee plans to have a prize and point system, where users of the website will get points depending on their level of engagement with the website.

c.       Prizes, it was decided, would be international in nature.  For example, DVDs should be both PAL and NTSC compatible.

d.      Dan is working with UNTV to get a video of the last conference to put on the website

                                                              i.      It was suggested that the Internet Sub-Committee get a video from Global Youth Action Network

e.      It was also proposed that the website have sections for active engagement and real-time discussion, such as moderated forums and chat rooms

f.        The website should also have links from University websites that are involved in environmental issues.

 

6.      Thematic and Programme Development

a.      The Programme and Thematic Development Sub-Committee has had two successful meetings with the DPI.

b.      While they have made an attempt to include most sub-topics in the conference programme, it is not possible to include every sub-topic.  However, more specific topics that are not included in roundtables might be put into Midday Workshops.

c.       A preliminary structure of the conference, and the sub-topics is as follows:

1.      Opening Session and Keynote Speaker

2.      1st Roundtable:  Scientific Evidence

3.      2nd Roundtable: Indigenous Peoples, Culture, and Traditional Knowledge

4.      3rd Roundtable: Land Use

5.      4th Roundtable: Water

6.      5th Roundtable: The Politics of Energy and Climate Change

7.      6th Roundtable: Streamlining the UN

8.      7th Roundtable: Sustainable Development and the Responsibility to Protect

9.      Closing Session: Summaries of Roundtables and Endnote Speaker

d.      It was decided that conference participants should be asked in the invitation to come to the conference with proposals and solutions prepared in advance.  This should facilitate the solutions-oriented orientation of the conference.

e.      Good moderators, it was noted, are key to a successful debate.  It was suggested that broadcast journalists would be good moderators.

f.        It was suggested that ‘the deliberate manipulation of climate’ be included in the roundtables.   It was suggested that this could fall under Roundtable 7: Sustainable Development and the Responsibility to Protect, or Roundtable 5: The Politics of Energy and Climate Change

g.      The Programme and Thematic Development Sub-Committee announced that a Plea of Action will be built into the vision statement.

 

Attendance:  Lois Beilin, Elizabeth Carll, Choon-Whe Cho, John Clausen, Mary W. Covington, Joan Davis, Frances Edwards, Suzanne Engo, Virginia Hazzard, Joan Kirby, Pamela Kraft, Judy Kuriansky, Eileen Labiner, Judy Lerner, Martin Levinson, Katherine Levinson, Joan Levy, Masako London, Linda Misek-Falkoff, Mary E Norton, Estelle Perry, Walter Reichman, Anne Riccitelli, Joanne Robinson, Janet Stovin, Bircan Unver Culkin, Joan Woods, Paolo Tagatac, Moses Williams, Anne Zanes, Jerry Spivack, Yin-Chu Jou, Charles Hitchcock, Juanita Carrillo, Margo LaZaro, Jennifer Zanowiak, Pauline Cantwell, Moki Kokoris, Gwen Moten, Richard Jordan, Robin Della Rocca, Brittany Carter, Mary Christina Pennisi, Alivia Osborne, Ella Kim, Marc Jorgensen, Nicholas Rees

 

 

Next Meeting:  Thursday, 22nd February, 2007. 3:00 PM – 5:00 PM, Conference Room 1