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CSD NGO Women's Caucus
The multi-stakeholder dialogues will continue at CSD-9 with a focus on Energy and Transport for Sustainable Development. The purpose of the multi-stakeholder segment is to generate action-oriented dialogue between governments and major groups on a specific economic sector, and to identify future policies and actions that increase the positive impact of this economic sector on sustainable development objectives. Structure of the Dialogue Segment As was the case in previous dialogue segments, the Energy and Transport Segment will have four sessions scheduled in the early part of the two-week CSD session. The segment is tentatively scheduled from the afternoon of 16 April through the morning of 18 April 2001. Each session of the Segment will start with a seven-minute presentation each from the NGO, trade union, local authority, business and scientist delegations, followed by two ten-minute reactions from the governments (one southern and one northern). Participants will engage in a dialogue in the remaining two hours of the session. The Chairman of the CSD will moderate the Segment and may request specific inputs from others present, such as representatives of UN organizations. Organizing Partners The preparation of the multi-stakeholder dialogue segments is itself a multi-stakeholder process. For each dialogue segment key major group networks are invited to form a steering group, which coordinates the preparations and facilitates the engagement of the stakeholders. The Division for Sustainable Development chairs the steering group and facilitates its work in the preparatory period. The organizing partners for the Energy and Transport segment include:
The organizing partners carry out the following main tasks: * Consult with their network to prepare their ‘dialogue starter’ papers: The dialogue starters are short papers (no longer than 16 pages) that present the views of a particular major group on the discussion topic including recommendations for future work in that area. The papers cover all four topics of the dialogue segment. They intend to start the discussion and are not seen as ‘position’ papers. Drafts of the dialogue starters will be available on the CSD Secretariat’s DSD Web site in early January 2001. * Identify the individuals to represent their major group at the dialogues, in consultation with their network: Each major group will participate with a delegation of 16-20 representatives from their network. Seating will be arranged to accommodate both the delegations of the five major groups and the government representatives. A draft list of major group participants will be available by 23 March 2001. * Coordinate and facilitate their group’s contributions and participation during the dialogue segment. Topics of the Dialogue Segment 1. Achieving equitable access to clean energy: incentives, subsidies, regulations or voluntary measures? (Tentatively scheduled for the afternoon session of 16 April 2001) This session is expected to focus on whether and how access to clean energy can be increased in an equitable fashion. The focus is primarily on various economic measures and other mechanisms that can help increase such access. Participants are expected to present and compare their experiences with existing economic incentives, regulatory mechanisms and voluntary initiatives in this area and make proposals on how to further those mechanisms that have made a positive contribution and new mechanisms that should be considered.
2. Eco-efficiency, eco-effectiveness or business-as-usual: choices for producing, distributing and consuming energy. (Tentatively scheduled for the morning session of 17 April 2001) In this session stakeholders are expected to share their experiences with existing approaches used to produce and distribute energy in order to identify the merits and disadvantages each approach presents in the context of sustainable development. The discussion is expected to generate a better understanding of how eco-efficiency or eco-effectiveness impact the overall sustainability goals in businesses, workplaces, or communities; and help identify what production and distribution choices might be favorable to promoting energy for sustainable development.
3. Public-private partnerships for de-carbonizing the transportation system (tentatively scheduled for the afternoon session of 17 April 2001) This session is expected to focus on the use of carbon-based fuels in transport, and on whether and how various collaborative partnerships can or have reduced dependence on such fuels in the transport system. Stakeholders are expected to share their experiences on partnerships they have created to generate alternatives mixes of transport systems. The discussion is expected to generate proposals for future partnerships based on those that are currently producing favorable results.
4. Sustainable transport planning: choices and models for human settlements, designs and vehicle alternatives (tentatively scheduled for the morning session of 18 April 2001) In this session, the stakeholders are expected to discuss how transport systems impact and shape urban or rural settlements. Participants are expected to present innovative examples of designing healthier neighborhoods, towns and cities by changing the transport system, or promoting vehicle and transport alternatives that would help human settlements evolve in a more sustainable way.
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