UN Commission on
Sustainable Development Multi-stakeholder Dialogues (MSD)
ISSUES: Various,
depending on the UN CSD agenda (1998: industry; 1999: tourism; 2000: sustainable
agriculture)
GOALS:
Inform the UN CSD negotiations
PARTICIPATING
STAKEHOLDERS: Over the past four years (1997 - 2000) trade unions, industry,
local government, NGOs (including women and indigenous peoples, farmers)
TIME
FRAME: Dialogue over two days on four
issues each year - with six-month preparatory period
MSP
CONTACT DETAILS; URL: UN Division for Sustainable Development, UNDESA,
website: www.un.org/dsd and www.un.org/esa/sustdev
Classification:
Type: Informing
Level: International
Procedural Aspects:
Designing the MSP
In consultation with
stakeholder groups. The Secretariat presented it to the Bureau for agreement.
Representatives of the stakeholder groups (multi-stakeholder steering committee)
before the first, second, third MSP were involved in redesigning the process
(NGOs recommendations are the basis for present design).
Identifying the issues to be addressed in an MSP
The issues in the second MSD
were defined by the stakeholders and agreed by the Bureau, the third were
proposed by the Secretariat and comments by stakeholder groups, the fourth was
done by the Secretariat. In each case that is on a broad description of issues
but not the substance of subjects to be discussed. Generally the Secretariat
recommends to the Bureau.
Identifying relevant stakeholders
The Secretariat recommends to the Bureau - no consultation.
Identifying MSP participants
The participants are
identified by the relevant stakeholder groups under their own processes. NGOs
through consultation, with criteria such as exptesie, gender and regional
balance. Trade Unions on the basis of case studies submitted and on gender and
regioal balance.
Setting the goals of an MSP
If
the goals develop over time (e.g. from informing towards collaboration
projects), it is done by the stakeholders working together. In the third MSD the
Chair and this staff took a role in facilitating this. They tried to find common
ground and build on this to make the MSD move into concrete areas of action
beyond the 'dialogue'. For the fourth dialogue the chair looked at disagreements
and that impacted on the possibility of moving forward together.
Prior to the Dialogues there is considerable
consultation with constituencies. For the third dialogues the NGOs discussed to
agree or not to the proposed basic outcomes the day before the dialogues
started. Trade Unions set their goals through international working party.
Setting the agenda
The agenda is set by the
Bureau and the chair and also depends on the approach the chair takes. For the
third dialogue there was considerable consultation with the stakeholders. Some
stakeholders regularly submit suggestions.
Setting the time-table
The timetable is set by the UN (UNGASS 1997 defined the
ultimate timetable and then everyone has worked to this).
Preparatory process
When the topics are agreed
each stakeholder group consults with their constituency to prepare. Stakeholder
groups employ various mechanisms of drafting and re-drafting. By
November/December groups complete draft papers for peer review before handing
the paper into the UN Secretariat in mid-January (dialogues are in April). The
co-ordinating bodies monitor what is happening within stakeholder groups. There
is limited monitoring by the CSD Secretariat. The NGOs put anything out in the
public domain but they are the only group to do so.
Communication process
Various channels of communication are used. Most is done by
email. Periodic telephone conferences
are held regularly to update on preparation. One or two face-to-face meetings
per year. Power gaps are addressed by giving each group the same number of seats
and for the NGOs and Trade Unions there is some travel funding.
Decision-making process: procedures of agreement
This depends on the chair. For the second and third MSD
there was agreement sought. For the fourth (2000) the chair was looking at this
disagreements. The chair takes the role of doing this although finding agreement
is depending on the dialogues discussion among the stakeholders by themselves.
The process is mostly geared
towards influencing the chair to in turn impact the subsequent negotiations, and
influecning participating governments.
Implementation process
The CSD decisions following the MSDs in 1998 – 2000 did
set up ongoing processes to implement parts of the agreements. The agreement to
do this was taken by governments and the requirement is to report back to
governments. The co-ordination is given to particular UN agencies to
co-ordinate.
Closing the MSP
Closure is fixed in advance but processes carry on
informally. MSDs often form the beginning of an informal process. MSD follow-ups
as of CSD decisions have formal reporting back processes.
Structural Aspects:
Structures / institutions of the MSP
The CSD Secretariat facilitates the dialogues in
consultation with stakeholder groups. But as these can change each year it puts
the Secretariat in a strong position.
Facilitation
The CSD Secretariat facilities the interface between the
stakeholders and the CSD Bureau. It facilitates the stakeholder preparations
with each other and the dialogues themselves with the CSD chair.
The Secretariat takes the stakeholders' background papers
and produces them into a UN document and distributes it. The minutes from the
Dialogue Sessions are taken by the Secretariat and produced into a chairs text.
In many cases, the chair also has someone who shadows this.
Documentation
The CSD chairs chair the dialogues. The summaries come out
in their name, usually for the high level ministerial meeting; if not, then for
the negotiations the following week, which should draw from the chairs summary
and the governmental intersessional meeting outcome.
Relating to not-participating stakeholders
Information about the MSDs is available to other
stakeholders if they are aware of the CSD information on the UN web site and
other web sites of stakeholders and sometimes the chair.
Information
on the CSD website and stakeholders' websites are publicly available. CSD
Secretariat also produces a printed newsletter.
Relating to the general public
As above. The NGOs have open access to listen on the list
servers preparing for the dialogues. The public cannot comment as it is a
dialogue between stakeholder groups.
Information on the CSD
website and stakeholders' websites are publicly available. CSD Secretariat also
produces a printed newsletter.
Linkage into official decision-making process
The MDS are linked to the CSD official process, through the
high level ministerial meeting and/or the negotiations the following week, which
should draw from the chairs summary and the governmental intersessional meeting
outcome. These linkage mechanisms are not transparent and there is no note to
stakeholder groups or the chair - it depends on the Secretariat to tell them.
This puts stakeholder groups who are new to the process into a disadvantageous
position. Stakeholders can impact if they understand the timetable and work on
the government members of the Bureau. For example, this happened for the third
dialogue session only (1999) and was successful.
Funding
CSD
Secretariat bears the costs; there is limited funding for stakeholders to attend
the dialogues.
[ information as of
2 March 2001 ]
