CSA Sustainable Forest Management System Standards were developed in an open, inclusive, and consensus-oriented process. They reflect the interests of many individuals and organizations, including non-governmental environmental and Aboriginal organizations with an interest in sustainable forest management. To develop credible standards for the sustainable management of forests in Canada, the CSA formed a Technical Committee which presently has 24 voting; 20 non-voting but fully participating members have joined the process.

http://www.sfms.com/meet.htm

Development of Water Level Management Policy in Lake Päijänne, Finland

http://www.hut.fi/Units/SAL/Publications/kalvot/eerohicss99/

Department of Energy, US (Office of Environmental Management)

Stakeholder Input - EM's budget process: The purpose of this website is to facilitate public involvement in the budget building process. At this site you will find information about EM's budget requirements and outlook and a means of commenting on their plans.

http://www.em.doe.gov/stake/budget/

Stakeholder/Regulatory Negotiation Groups on various topics

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Project XL (eXcellence in Leadership) - a model of how EPA should work with all environmental stakeholders

The law requires that national assessments be developed in cooperation with states, Indian tribes, local governments, industry, academic institutions, and non-governmental organizations. A meeting with a small group of Stakeholders was held on June 2, 1999. A representative from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) gave a presentation on Processes for Stakeholder Participation in the two national assessments. Find the presentation on the website.

The Human Development Network (HDN), Kyrgyzstan

The HDN has been established in an effort to make discussions of national and regional development priorities in Kyrgyzstan as inclusive and participatory as possible. 

This HDN portal has been created to assist in these efforts by presenting a platform through which the greatest number of development stakeholders can participate by sharing their thoughts, ideas, and recommendations, while reading and hearing from other development partners with other views and perspectives. The main goal of efforts to create a Human Development Network is to facilitate development of an open information society in Kyrgyzstan. It is necessary to create a united platform for all development partners - civil society, private sector, government and donors.

Although the majority of information reflected by this portal is in the Russian language, this English Digest (as well as a corresponding Kyrgyz digest) have been created to make HDN discussions and information accessible to an even broader spectrum of development organizations and involved individuals.

Planning for a Sustainable Future: The Case of the North American Great Plains

Since 1988, pursuant to a bilateral agreement between the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and Environment Canada, these two nations have jointly sponsored a series of five symposia on the implications of climate change. These meetings have focused on regions of mutual interest such as the Great Lakes, Great Plains, and Pacific Northwest. The focus of this series was widened in May 1995 to address the broader issue of sustainable development in the context of global environmental change. This symposium, Planning for a Sustainable Future: The Case of the North American Great Plains, brought together a diverse set of participants to address the complex economic, social, and environmental issues facing this region in the decades ahead.

Spring/summer issue 1998; article: Mediation can help solve environmental disputes

Kodiak Archipelago Bear - Conservation and Management Plan

The Alaska Department of Fish & Game, Region II, is conducting a public planning process for the management of bears on the Kodiak archipelago. As part of that process, a Citizens Advisory Committee (CAC) was created to develop a management plan for Kodiak bears. All CAC meetings were open to the public, with time set aside to allow for public questions and input.

Summary of External Consultations. To recognize and respond to the needs and aspirations of the people of Newfoundland, a series of five external consultations was held in various centres throughout the province during November 1999. By means of these consultations, the Planning and Priorities Committee sought and received the advice of a broad spectrum of community representatives from the public and private sectors, in addition to the opinions of private citizens speaking in their own right.

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The Report on the National Experiences of Multi-stakeholder Processes for Sustainable Development is a progress report that document successful practice and problem areas, and assesses effectiveness of NCSDs in influencing policy decisions in several key thematic areas. A preliminary version of the first edition of the NCSD Report, focusing on 21 national experiences on multi-stakeholder participatory processes for sustainable development, has been produced. This draft version is being reviewed by the countries that have contributed so far to the report.
http://ncsdnetwork.org/ncsd_report.htm

Also see UNED case study

Agenda 21 called on all countries to introduce National Strategies for Sustainable Development (nssd). Since then, two international targets have been set: in 1997, Rio +5 set a target date of 2002 for nssds to be introduced; while the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has set a target date of 2005 for nssds to be in the process of implementation.

The OECD/DAC initiated a project to develop policy guidance for development assistance agencies on the development and implementation of nssds. This project, 'OECD/DAC Donor-Developing Country Dialogues on National Strategies for Sustainable Development', involves a review of experience with nssds, and other strategies for environment and development, in a number of developing countries on the basis of consultations with a range of stakeholders. It focuses in particular on the kinds of processes and conditions required to make nssds work in practice.

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

US Department of Labour. OSHA Silica Stakeholder Meetings

Dissolved Oxygen - Total Maximum Daily Load - Stakeholder Process
http://www.sjrtmdl.org/

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Whaingaroa Catchment Management Project (WCMP)

A multi-stakeholder aproach to sustainable catchment management.

WCMP represents the first formal attempt in New Zealand at establishing community-based, integrated environmental management on a catchment scale. The cornerstones of the project are that it is holistic and participatory. These are fundamental principles of integrated environmental management as it has been developed through a series of practical programmes in community-based planning in North America, Australia and Canada. This report documents an evaluation of this programme that was undertaken in July 1998.

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UNED Forum's planned Implementation Conference: Stakeholder Action For Our Common Future
August 2002, Johannesburg, South Africa
Conference site: www.earthsummit2002.org/ic

The UN ECE Regional Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

The Aarhus Convention is a new kind of environmental agreement. It links environmental rights and human rights. It establishes that sustainable development can be achieved only through the involvement of all stakeholders. It links government accountability and environmental protection. It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities in a democratic context and it is forging a new process for public participation in the negotiation and implementation of international agreements.

NGOs were involved in the drafting of the Convention before and during the Aarhus conference and were given the responsibility of organising an NGO Session — a half-day dialogue between themselves and ministers on the subject of public participation.

During 1999, WomenWatch held global online working groups to gather information on implementation of the 12 critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action (PfA). The 'Global Forum' was part of the UN Division for the Advancement of Women's (DAW) strategies to take women's NGOs contributions into account throughout the process of preparing for Beijing+5. It consisted of 12 scheduled online discussion groups addressing each of the PfA sections and open for all stakeholders to participate.

http://www.un.org/womenwatch/forums/beijing5/

Find a report from the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue between Environment Ministers from all parts of the world, high-ranking UN officials, and leading civil society representatives on "Water for basic needs; Energy for a sustainable future " at the 8th Informal Environment Ministers Meeting, facilitated by UNED Forum.
http://www.earthsummit2002.org/es/2002/bergen/bergen.htm

Also see UNED case study

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The Forest Stewardship Council is an international non-profit organisation founded in 1993 to support environmentally appropriate, socially beneficial, and economically viable management of the world's forests. It is an association of Members consisting of a diverse group of representatives from environmental and social groups, the timber trade and the forestry profession, indigenous people's organisations, community forestry groups and forest product certification organisations from around the world. Membership is open to all who are involved in forestry or forest products and share its aims and objectives. The Forest Stewardship Council is introducing an international labelling scheme for forest products, which provides a credible guarantee that the product comes from a well managed forest. All forest products carrying their logo have been independently certified as coming from forests that meet the internationally recognised FSC Principles and Criteria of Forest Stewardship.

Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Biotechnology and Food Safety NGO Consultation Meeting

The OECD has been helping governments since 1982 in forging international guidelines for the development of products using modern biotechnology. The OECD is now intensifying its work in the areas of biotechnology and food safety. One important element in this work is consultation with civil society.

A large number of representatives of scientific associations and NGOs met to discuss biotechnology and food safety in November 1999. Representatives of some 50 bodies from civil society and from the scientific and business communities attended. Discussions focused on three main topics - consumer concerns, environmental concerns and agro-food concerns.

State of the World Forum. Commission on Globalization: Multi-stakeholder Dialogues
The Commission is incorporating the State of the World Forum's preeminent experience in organizing and facilitating Multi-Stakeholder Dialogues in order to infuse all of its projects, deliberations and regional conferences with a variety of perspectives and input. Respected representatives and spokespersons, drawn from a broad spectrum of constituencies and interests, will be invited to meet on a regular basis to exchange views and to discuss critical global issues.

Multi-stakeholder dialogue in the textile industry and consumption cluster. Mapping out strategies for sustainable development

Eco-efficiency, cleaner technologies and product-stewardship on the producer and user site are proactive strategies. But they are not enough to address problems of north - south equity, resource use and rarefaction and labour practises, public health, etc. European Partners for the Environment (EPE) will facilitate an innovative 15-month multi-stakeholder dialogue to address the complex societal-driven issue of sustainable development within the textile consumption cluster of workwear, which includes the industrial renting and service sectors (hospitals, hotels, catering, military, etc.).

To meet the growing demand for governance reform worldwide the World Bank Group and OECD have entered into a framework agreement for cooperation, at the heart of which is the convening of the World Bank Group and OECD Global Corporate Governance Forum. This is a new international initiative which will bring together the leading bodies engaged with governance reform worldwide: multilateral banks active in developing countries and transition economies, international organizations, country groupings, engaged with governance reform, alongside professional standards setting bodies, and the private sector.

The Forum provides a convening venue for the leading players in governance worldwide. Its theme of partnership between the public and private sector is established through a Private Sector Advisory Group, which comprises internationally recognized business leaders serving in an individual capacity, drawn from developing, developed and transition economies.

The official UN website on the World Summit on Sustainable Development

The CSD's unique participatory mechanism, the multi- stakeholder dialogues, will be an important feature of the World Summit preparations and the Summit event itself. The preparations of the multi-stakeholder dialogues are also conducted in a multi-stakeholder environment through a steering committee composed of key major group networks and the Summit Secretariat. Please visit the website for further details on the multi-stakeholder dialogues that are planned for the Summit process.

http://www.johannesburgsummit.org/default.htm

Major Groups Special Studies:

The Secretariat, in collaboration with major group partners, is undertaking special studies as contributions to the Johannesburg 2002 process. These currently include:

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The International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives (ICLEI) is the international environmental agency for local governments.

Visit this page for "Tools for a sustainable community - one-stop guide for US Local governments". Enhancing the sustainability of communities through: environmental protection; economic vitality; and community well-being. Steps toward a more sustainable future include developing community-driven strategic planning and collaborative regional planning; improving community and building design; decreasing sprawl; and creating strong, diversified local economies while increasing jobs and other economic opportunities.

The Mining, Minerals and Sustainable Development Project (MMSD) is an independent two-year project of participatory analysis seeking to understand how the mining and minerals sector can contribute to the global transition to sustainable development. MMSD is a project of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) commissioned by the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD). Find reports, draft reports, charters, calls, guidelines, etc.

Shell Expro’s Brent Spar floating oil storage buoy attracted international media attention when a Government approved plan to dispose of it in the deep NE Atlantic was subject to a Greenpeace campaign. Following the decision to drop the plan and revisit the options for disposal, Shell Expro in conjunction with The Environment Council developed a dialogue process to run in parallel and interact with the technical development process to review all options. The process was designed to be flexible to meet the needs of stakeholders and run in parallel with the technical option development. It encompassed a wider communications plan which included regular media briefings, an Internet site and information circulars to a database of interested parties and groups who agreed to be on a list of contacts.

Annual multi-stakeholder dialogues, issues according to the UN CSD agenda (1998: industry; 1999: tourism; 2000: sustainable agriculture; 2001: energy and transport)

UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development

Project website: The Creation of Multi-stakeholder Advisory Panels on Environmentally Sound and Economically Viable Management of Secondary Lead in India and the Philippines

The project focuses on two clusters of activities:

Preparations for the International Conference on Financing for Development
Monterrey, Mexico, 18-22 March 2002

Find summaries and full texts of the presentations of the Hearings with Civil Society and the Business Sector.

Thirty five representatives of industry, governments, labour, environmental groups and academic institutions met recently with senior officers of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to review the lessons learnt from voluntary initiatives and the steps that need to be taken if they are to become environmentally effective and publicly credible tools for sustainability.

At the World Economic Forum, Davos, on 31 January 1999, UN Secretary-General Kofi A. Annan challenged world business leaders to "embrace and enact" the Global Compact, both in their individual corporate practices and by supporting appropriate public policies. These principles cover topics in human rights, labour and environment. You can find examples of how companies are currently incorporating aspects of the nine principles into their business practices.
http://www.unglobalcompact.org/

Also see UNED case study

Citizens Compact on the United Nations and Corporations

www.socialwatch.org/2000/eng/updates/globalcompact/citizenscompact.htm

UNED Forum / World Health Organisation (WHO)

Third Ministerial Conference on Environment and Health for Europe – Action in Partnership, London 1999

Multi-stakeholder event at European level, involving 11 working groups set up by WHO, run by WHO, with substantial NGO input and with a parallel NGO Forum, supported by WHO and other UN agencies. The scope was health and environment in its broadest sense; with the objective of furthering debate on a range of issues and helping to develop various protocols/agreements, eg Freshwater, and Transport and Health, and a Ministerial Declaration on Environment and Health Priorities for Europe in 21^st century.

Archive of contributions. Find contributions by date, author, thread and subject.

http://www2.worldbank.org/hm/

Some contribution on stakeholder involvement in World Bank-sponsored projects and policies.

http://www2.worldbank.org/hm/e-sust/0068.html

Poverty Reduction and Economic Management Network, Feb 1999.

Consultations with the Poor: Methodology Guide for the 20 Country Study for the World Development Report 2000/01

www.worldbank.org/wbp/voices/reports/method/method.pdf

NGO and Civil Society Unit, 2000. The purpose of this website is to keep NGOs and civil society groups informed about increasing opportunity for interaction with the Bank. Find material on consultations with civil society organisations, special features, archives of online consultations.

Sustainable Forest Industry Project: In 1994 a group of forest companies initiated a study to examine the entire paper cycle from trees to final disposal. The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) in London was commissioned to do the technical study. An independent Project Advisory Group of peer reviewers was established to provide quality assurance. More than 500 stakeholders and groups were contacted by IIED during the course of the study. In June 1996, the final report, ‘Towards a Sustainable Paper Cycle’, was issued. To a large extent this initial project serves as a model for the other WBCSD sectorial projects now underway. The paper cycle report was well received. Now the forest industry has initiated further work to look at the entire forest industry including the manufacturing side of the industry as well.

World Commission on Dams (WCD)
In response to escalating conflicts over the role of dams in development, dam proponents and opponents agreed in 1997 to establish an independent international multi-stakeholder commission. The WCD was created through a unanimous decision and was given a broad-based mandate to review the development effectiveness of large dams, to assess alternatives in energy and water resources management, and to develop internationally acceptable criteria and guidelines to guide future decision making on dams. The WCD published its report "Dams and Development - a New Framework for Decision Making" in November 2000.

Contact Minu Hemmati and Felix Dodds for further information.