Welcome to the eighth session of the Commission on Sustainable Development.

We at the NGO Steering Committee are preparing for an interesting session, with Agriculture, Land, Finance, Trade, Investment & Economic growth on the CSD agenda. There will also be discussion of the reports from the 4th session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests (IFF) and the Ad hoc Open-ended Inter-governmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable development.

Preparations for the CSD are well underway, being organised through the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS), Finance, Forests and Energy Caucuses. Information inside this guide tells you how you can get involved.

The Agriculture Dialogues will be a major focus for the Steering Committee. We are seeking to ensure broad-based consultation in the preparations. We are committed to encouraging a true dialogue between participants and look forward to your contribution!

The purpose of this guide to CSD-8 is to provide basic information for NGOs prior to their arrival at the U.N. to allow them to maximize their time at the CSD.

We hope that those NGOs planning to participate in the CSD will make use of it and the other resources that we provide – especially the information on our web-site, the pre-session briefings and the daily Intersessional and CSD NGO Strategy Sessions.

We look forward to seeing many of you soon, and our best wishes to you all.

Esmeralda Brown Felix Dodds

Southern Co-Chair Northern Co-Chair
 
 

What is the CSD?

The Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) is the principal focus for international political follow up to the United Nations Commission on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the 1992 Rio Earth Summit. Its mandate is:

• to coordinate the activities of other UN bodies as they relate to issues of sustainable development;
• to analyse progress at national, regional and international levels; and
• to promote the implementation of Agenda 21.

In 1997 a Special Session of the General Assembly reviewed progress in the implementation of Agenda 21, and adopted a further five-year program of work, which will culminate in another review in 2002. NGOs termed the UNGASS process Earth Summit II and are already preparing for Earth Summit III in 2002.

Looking Ahead

The overarching themes that the CSD will consider in the five years between Earth Summit II and III are poverty and consumption patterns. These themes will be applied to the different issues being discussed each year.

CSD-9 in 2001 will be looking at Atmosphere/
Energy; Information for Decision-Making and Participation; International Cooperation for an Enabling Environment; Energy/Transport.

CSD-10 in 2002 will be looking at a 10-year comprehensive review of the implementation of recommendations and commitments contained in Agenda 21; the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development; and the Non-legally Binding Authoritative Statement of Principles for a Global Consensus on the Management, Conservation and Sustainable Development of All Types of Forests (also known as the Forest Principles)

The Non paper on 2002 is available at the CSD NGO Steering Committee web site <www.csdngo.org/csdngo>.

E-mail listservers are being established for the issues being considered in 2001 and 2002. For more information visit the web-site.

The Issues

CSD-8 will be considering the following issues:

Sustainable agriculture

Land resources

Financial resources / trade and investment / economic growth

• Forests - outcome of 4th session of the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests
• Energy- report from Ad hoc Open-ended Inter-governmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable development (IGEE)

Week One (Feb. 22 - 25) will focus on Finance and Trade, Investment & Economic growth. Week Two (Feb. 28 - Mar. 3) will focus on Agriculture and Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources.

The intersessional offers the best opportunity for ideas to be taken up by governments. The Chairs will produce two documents: one summarising the discussions; and another with ‘elements for a draft decision’ which will form the basis of the negotiations in April.

CSD-8, April 24 - May 5

Agriculture Dialogue Segment

The Dialogue Segment is a relatively new initiative at the CSD. It is a two-day round-table between major groups and governments, allowing more candid discussion of the issues.

This year’s Dialogues are on Sustainable Agriculture, and will focus on the following four topics:

• Choices in agricultural production techniques, consumption patterns and safety regulations: Potentials and threats to sustainable agriculture;
• Globalization, trade liberalization and investment patterns: economic incentives and framework conditions to promote sustainable agriculture;
• Best practices in land resources management to achieve sustainable food cycles;
• Knowledge for a sustainable food system: identifying and providing for education, training, knowledge-sharing and information needs.

The Dialogues are an important opportunity to influence this discussion, especially to suggest real, achievable outcomes for the negotiations.

The participants in the Dialogues are:

• NGOs: Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) Caucus
• Workers and Trade Unions: International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
• Business and Industry: International Agri-Food Network
• Farmers: International Federation of Agricultural Producers, Via Campesina

Starter papers for the Dialogues have been prepared by NGOs from the South and the North. The papers can be viewed on the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems (SAFS) Caucus web page at the Steering Committee web-site. The process of identifying NGO speakers and teams will take into account regional and gender balance, and participation by Indigenous Peoples.

NGO Pre-Meetings

The best place to find out about the Intersessional and CSD-8 will be at the NGO pre-meetings, scheduled for 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. Sunday February 20 and Sunday April 23, at the Church Center (see addresses).

Side Events are an increasingly popular part of the CSD, allowing NGOs, governments, agencies and others to showcase their projects, hold discussion panels, and hear what others have to say. There are two time-slots for side events: lunch times (1:15 - 2:45pm) and at the end of the day (6:15- 8pm)

If your NGO wishes to hold a side event, it is important to book space early. The deadline for side event bookings for the CSD is 3 April 2000. Obtain a request form from the Secretariat (contact Federica Pietracci at tel 212 963 8497 ; fax 212 963 1267) or on the web at <www.un.org/esa/sustdev.htm>. Note that side events that are linked to CSD issues (either CSD-8 issues or upcoming issues) are more favourably considered. The Bureau has also requested that where possible events be combined, e.g. several NGO events on the same issue presented as one event.
 

Week of 24-28 April 2000
 

Monday  24 April	Tuesday  25 April	Wednesday  26 April	Thursday  27 April	Friday  28 April
10.00-12.00  Adoption of the agenda and of organisation of work.   Introductory. Statements. Presentations of the outcomes of Ad Hoc Intersessional Working Groups, and other intersessional activities	10.00-13.00  Multi-Stake holder Dialogue Segment   (TOPIC: Knowledge for a sustainable food system: identifying and providing for education, training, knowledge sharing and information needs)	8.30-9.45  Informal Ministerial Meeting   10.00-13.00  High-Level Segment, with a thematic focus on land and agriculture  Opening statements   Expert presentation (16 min) + Statements (90min)  Followed by  Inter-active dialogue (60min)	8.30-9.45  Informal Ministerial Meeting   10.00-13.00   High-Level Segment with a thematic focus on finance and investment :  Expert presentation (16 min) + Statements (90min)  Followed by  Inter-active dialogue (70min)	No official meetings   (Paragraph 12 of A/54/32)
15.00-18.00   Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue Segment  (TOPIC: Choices in agricultural production techniques, consumption patterns and safety regulations: potential threats to sustainable agriculture   18.30-21.30  Multi-stakeholder Dialogue Segment  ( TOPIC: Best practices in land resource management to achieve sustainable food cycles)	15.00-18.00  Multi-stakeholder Dialogue Segment  (TOPIC: Globalisation, trade liberalisation and investment patterns: economic incentives and framework conditions to promote sustainable agriculture)   18.15-20.00  Special Event on Food Security organised by the FAO	15.00-18.00  High-Level Segment with a thematic focus on Preparations for the 2002 Review of progress since UNCED   Expert presentations (16 min)  Statements (90min), followed by:  Inter-active-dialogue (70min),   18.00-19.00  High-Level Segment with a thematic focus on outcome of the IFF  Statements and inter-active dialogue(60min),  19.00-21.00  Panel on Indigenous People	15.00-18.00  High-Level Segment with a thematic focus on trade  Expert presentation (16 min) + Statements (90min)  Followed by  Inter-active dialogue (60min)  Conclusion of the High-Level Segment	15.00-18.00  No official meetings  (Paragraph 12 of A/54/32)

Note 1: The Secretariat will explore the feasibility of starting the afternoon meeting on Monday at 14.00 so that the meetings can be concluded by 20.30

Week of 1-5 May 2000
 

Monday  1 May	Tuesday  2 May	Wednesday  3 May	Thursday  4 May	Friday  5 May
10.00-13.00 and 15.00-18.00.  Work of Drafting Groups	10.00-13.00 and 15.00-18.00  Work of Drafting Groups	10.00-13.00 and 15.00-18.00  Work of Drafting Groups	10.00-13.00 and 15.00-18.00  Work of Drafting Groups	10.00-13.00   Other matters, including Report of Intergovernmental Group of Experts on Energy and Sustainable Development   15.00-18.00  Adoption of the report of CSD8. First meeting of CSD9

Note on Drafting Groups: The CSD practice is to establish three Drafting Groups, chaired by the Vice-Chairs of the CSD to negotiate Commission's decisions under all items of the agenda. To accommodate small delegations not more than two Drafting Groups have formal meetings simultaneously.

There may be problems initially with accessing all the documentation as it comes out. Try not to take more than one copy. If you aren’t interested in a paper leave it for someone who is.

The DSD or NGLS will provide some papers. If there really are none around a good place to look for spares is on the press floor. There are 2 levels in the Secretariat where the press have rooms and where papers are put out for them.

To organise a meeting in the U.N. you need to request a room from NGLS at least the day before and receive confirmation that the room has been booked. Note that there is very high demand for rooms this year, esp. lunch-times and evenings.

The Church Center may also have space available for meetings. The second floor of the Church Center will be booked by the Steering Committee for the whole of the CSD, and will be used for the training sessions, caucus meetings and other NGO events.
 

OUTREACH: This is produced regularly throughout CSD meetings - often daily. It offers commentary from an NGO perspective. The Newsletter is produced in cooperation with the CSD NGO Steering Committee.

Earth Negotiations Bulletin: This NGO production comes out daily and summarises the debate from the formal session. It also includes information on informal and ‘informal-informal’ meetings.

Earth Summit Times: This was originally set up in the Rio process but has been coming out regularly at all UN events. It is funded by various companies and foundations. It will have articles and reasonably up to date information.

NGLS Daily Diary: This will list all the meetings that are occurring.

The Steering Committee is elected on an annual basis and has acted for NGOs since CSD-2 in 1994. The Steering Committee operates within clear Guidelines, and aims to achieve regional and gender balance in its activities.

The Steering Committee is composed of regional representatives, major groups representatives and issues-based caucuses. For the 1999-2000 year, the Co-Chairs are Esmeralda Brown, Service for Peace and Justice in Latin America (Southern Co-Chair) and Felix Dodds, UNED-UK (Northern Co-Chair). Administrative support is provided by the Northern and Southern Clearinghouses.

The role of the Committee at the CSD and the CSD Intersessional is:

• to organize and manage the CSD Dialogue process for NGOs;
• to organize training for new NGOs attending;
• to organise the morning NGO briefings (9.15 a.m.);
• to provide and distribute information (incl. web site, list servers and a documents library at CSD);
• to organize meetings with key people, incl. Govt/NGO dialogues;
• to facilitate the NGO Caucuses;
• to act as the link to the CSD Bureau for dealing with problems concerning speaking rights and accreditation problems;

Elections for a new Committee will take place in the second week of the CSD. More information will be available at the CSD on the procedures for these elections.

NGO Meetings at CSD-8

An NGO Pre-Meeting has been organised by the Steering Committee for Sunday April 23, 10 a.m. -4 p.m, at the Church Center (see addresses). This meeting will offer important information to all NGOs, and is especially important to attend if you are new to the CSD.

Daily NGO Strategy Meetings will be held at 9.15 a.m. in one of the U.N. conference rooms (location will be announced in the Daily Diary). These meetings are important as they offer a chance for NGOs to share information, make announcements and plan for the day ahead.

There will also be regional caucus and issue-based caucus meetings. If your country is operating in a bloc then it is useful to organise meetings of the NGOs in that bloc, e.g. the EU. Hopefully regular meetings of NGOs on Government Delegations will also be arranged.

The following Issue Caucuses and Major Groups are recognised by the Steering Committee. Not all of these caucuses will be attending CSD-8, as the meeting’s reduced agenda that will not cover all of the caucuses' issues. Guidelines agreed by the Steering Committee require a caucus to have two co-coordinators, regionally- and gender-balanced, at least ten accredited members, and a brief statement of purpose. Caucuses are listed as inactive if they haven’t yet met these criteria.
 
 

Issue Caucuses

Major Groups

Caucus on Aging Corporate Responsibility Desertification Education Energy and Climate Change Finance Forests Freshwater Health and Environment Human Rights Human Settlements Information Ecology Legal and Institutional Issues Oceans Peace Poverty Eradication Reduced Technology Science and Technology Social Development Sustainable Agriculture and Food Systems Sustainable Communities Sustainable Production and Consumption Tourism Transport

Business and Industry Indigenous Peoples Trade Unions Women Youth (regional rep’s.)

All non governmental organisations (NGOs) already in Category I or Category II or Roster Status with the UN ECOSOC can participate at the CSD and its intersessional meeting.

In addition, those groups that were accredited to the Earth Summit in 1992 and who then submitted an application for accreditation to the CSD and had it accepted, can go.

Your accreditation details (who will be attending, for how long, date of arrival) should be faxed to the NGO Section of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs on your headed note paper, no later than two weeks before the meeting you are going to attend.

The fax number is + 1 (212) 963 4114 or + 1 (212) 963 9248.

To collect your U.N. pass you need to notify the NGO Section three days before you want to collect it. Depending on the number of NGOs accrediting for the CSD, it is possible that a special desk will be set up at the Visitor’s Entrance for the first day. If this is not the case, you can collect your pass from the Pass Office at the northwest corner of 45th St and 1st Ave (behind the blue door). You will need to take the following with you:

• your passport
• a copy of the accreditation letter you sent
• a copy of any reply you received (if you have received any)

If you don’t plan to attend the CSD, you can still make very important contributions to the debate by submitting relevant material to your government on your concerns and wishes, or by working with NGOs which are able to participate. Copies of any submissions made to the government should also be sent to the Steering Committee’s issue caucus, Major Groups or regional reps.

Before you arrive:

• Discuss the agenda of the meeting within your NGO and among others in your field. A well organised back-up by other NGOs in your country can mean pressure being put on the government at home as well as in New York.
• Decide the issues your NGO wants to focus on, and think about the outcomes that you would like to see.
• Contribute to the preparation of the Issue Caucus papers - this is usually done by listservers (join them on the web-site).
• Get as much sleep as you can - you’ll probably need it!

• Work with the NGOs present - it’s impossible for an individual to cover everything.
• Attend the NGO morning meetings -here you can quickly find out what’s happening and how you can contribute and benefit.
• Volunteer to ‘floor manage’ for a half day -it’s a quick way to get up to speed. You’ll take notes on the negotiations and report back to the next NGO morning meeting. If NGOs are asking to make a statement, you may also need to coordinate with them.
• Contribute to the agreed NGO position papers - these tend to carry more weight than individual NGOs’ papers.
• Talk regularly to your government’s delegation - tell them your NGO’s priorities, and suggest text amendments.
• Work with the NGOs on your government’s delegation.
• Target other governments - especially if your country works in a bloc you will need to convince more than your own government to adopt your amendments. It is well worth targeting the JUSSCANNZ bloc. Also, the six East European countries - Poland, Russia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Hungary and the Ukraine don’t operate as a group. This makes it much easier to persuade them to take your views up. If your country isn't a current member of the CSD then target countries in your region.
• Make informal contacts with the delegations. Much of the lobbying work happens informally. Key places are the Vienna Cafe, the Delegates Lounge (this is meant to be only for delegates but...); the Delegates Dining Room; the corridors; at the back of meeting rooms; Government Missions. Don’t make the mistake of thinking that civil servants are always representing the views of the governing party. Some may want exactly what NGOs want. Therefore it’s important to have a good relationship with them.

Firstly: Participation in the CSD is not a substitute for working at local, national or regional levels on the issues. Rather it is a very useful complement to the work done at other levels - providing
information, and an important global forum for communicating concerns of constituencies at home. Here are some of the things participating can help achieve:

Placing governments' policies in front of their peer group, i.e. other countries. The need to explain the implications of their policies can be a good chance for putting pressure on a government. There will be opportunity to influence the government to sign up to policies that they mightn’t have wanted to while at home.

Maintaining pressure on governments and international organisations and strengthening the goals of your organisation. One of the great things about the UN meetings is the access you have both to Ministers and top civil servants. It is equivalent to being allowed on to the floor of your parliament. You can walk up to any country desk and talk to the relevant civil servant.

Finding out what's happening on various issues relating to Sustainable Development around the world.

These are the primary means of NGO participation in the CSD negotiations, and are important in moving the agenda forward.

Individual NGO Position Papers — If your organisation has a position paper, or other relevant documents, you may distribute them at the CSD. These papers are not issued as official CSD documents, and the NGO bears any costs (e.g. printing). There should be a table outside the official conference room where you can put your papers. It is vital that you personally hand copies of your material to the key delegations you want to influence.

Agreed NGO Position Papers — These are developed in the lead-up period and during the Intersessional and CSD meetings. Because they represent a wide range of NGOs and their constituencies, they tend to carry greater weight with governments. The usual format is to reproduce the Government text with NGO amendments in bold. It helps the delegates understand what you want added and where.

Oral Statements — ECOSOC-accredited NGOs may ask to make a brief oral statement to the meeting. These are at the discretion of the Chair and with consent of the members. To ensure that a wide range of views are represented, the Issue Caucuses and Working Groups of the Steering Committee usually coordinate joint statements, so that they represent more than the NGO of the individual speaker. The statements are most effective if they are brief and substantive in nature.

Food and drink. There are several restaurants in the U.N. The Cafeteria in the Secretariat is on the first floor, south annex, south side of the building. There are cafeterias in the DC1 building, 3rd floor and in the UNICEF building, ground floor.

Banking facilities. ATM machines are by the escalators in the Secretariat Lobby. Chase Manhattan Bank is on the 4th floor of the Secretariat building (S-0462). Hours are 9.30am - 3.30pm.

Post Office. Located in the Secretariat building basement, through the glass doors at the base of the escalator. You can purchase UN stamps in the visitor's area of the General Assembly building.

Telephones. Internal calls can be made from any phone. For ‘963’ numbers, dial ‘3’ and the last four numbers. For ‘906’ numbers, dial ‘4’.

Local calls (beginning with ‘212’ or ‘718’) can be made from the phone booths outside the larger Conference Rooms. For other calls, there are phones in the visitor area of the GA building.

Medical Service. Secretariat building, room S-0557, ext 3.7090.

DPI NGO Resource Center. Lots of information, plus some computers. In the basement by the library. It is located on the basement level of the Dag Hammarskjold Library.

The Dag Hammarskjold Library. This occupies a three-storey building on the south side of the UN. Mon - Fri 9a.m. - 6p.m. (Photocopiers.)

Photocopying and Computers. NGLS, DSD and the Steering Committee provide a photocopier and computers for NGOs in one of the small conference rooms. You will need to supply your own paper. To photocopy outside the UN you need to go to Kinko's on 48th Street (btw. 1st and 2nd Ave). They also have computers for hire.

Other Buildings and Facilities. UNDC1 and UNDC2 are two adjoining buildings located on the northwest corner of 44th St. and First Ave. Many UN program departments and some specialized agencies have offices in the buildings. For example you will find UNDP, INSTRAW, FAO and the IMF in UNDC1. UNESCO, DSD and WHO are in UNDC2. UNICEF is also on 44th Street.

Moving Around New York

From JFK/LaGuardia Airport.

Shuttle buses from all the New York Airports will take you into Manhattan. From JFK it costs $13. The bus takes about 55 minutes and arrives at 42nd Street. From LaGuardia it costs $10. The bus takes about 35 minutes and stops at 42nd Street as well.

Taxis are also available from the airports, although they are more expensive. The flat rate from JFK to anywhere in Manhattan is $30 (+ tolls and tip). It is possible to take the subway from JFK; to do this you take a courtesy bus to the subway station. The subway ride takes about 1¹/2 hours, but only costs $1.50.

Transportation in Manhattan

Taxis are easily hailed on the street. Official license cabs are painted yellow and a light on the roof of the vehicle indicates that the taxi is available for hire.

Subways are a fast means of travel. Most go North to South in Manhattan. Cross-town trains run between Grand Central Station and Times Square on 42nd St.

Buses are not so fast, although more scenic. There are also more cross-town services than on the subway. The fare for one ride on a subway or bus is $1.50. You can use tokens or a ‘Metrocard’. On the buses you can also use exact change, coins only.

Metrocards are the most economic means of buying tickets, and allow you to transfer between subways and buses. There are three purchasing options: a weekly pass ($17); a single-ride Metrocard allowing you to load on as much or as little money as you like (a 10-ride card gives you one extra ride free); or a one-day pass ($4, ideal for sightseers). Day-Metrocards are available at vending machines, and at street-level vendors, but not at the subway ticket booths.

A small selection of lower priced accommodation close to the U.N. All rates are daily, + 13.25% tax:
 

Big Apple Hostel  119 West 45th Street  tel. 212 302 2603  Shared: $28 Private: $75  Hotel Wolcott  4 West 31st Street  tel. 212 268 2900  Single/Double $125    Iriquois Hotel  49 West 44th Street  tel. 212 840 3080  Single/Double: Feb. $199; Apr. $249

Murray Hill Inn  143 E. 30th St, btw Lex/3rd  tel. 212 683 6900  Single/Double $125     Pickwick Arms  230 East 51st Street  tel. 212 355 0300  Double: $130; Triple: $155  UK NGO Flats (Mr. Edelman):  212 E. 51st St (btw. 2nd and 3rd Ave)  tel. 212 688 6769   or fax 355 0938.  Approx. $150 for large studios  Vanderbilt YMCA  224 East 47th Street tel. 212 756-9600  Single: $72 Double: $86 (no tax charged)

Web resources: New York Hotel Discounts & City Guide http://www.worldexecutive.com/cityguides/new_york/ Comprehensive list of hotels is arranged by price. Each listing has telephone and fax numbers, and several include prices on rooms or suites.  New York accommodations online - discounts on reservations http://www.newyorkhotelsonline.com/save/newyork-save.htm FREE hotels guide and online reservations. Priceline.com - Name Your Own Price for airline tickets, hotel rooms, groceries, new cars, home finance and more! http://www.priceline.com/ New York City hotel reservations, discounts, savings, deals http://www.express-res.com/ Discount New York City Hotel Reservations. Check out our free service for NYC hotel reservations with great discounts. Take a look.

NGOs sometimes fail to understand the differences between cultures.

Southern NGOs rightly feel limited by the lack of translation facilities (NGO meetings are usually in English), can feel that their views are not adequately represented -there are more Northern NGOs than Southern ones. This can be seen particularly when trying to agree a joint NGO position paper.

It does take longer when NGOs come together to try to negotiate an agreed position. It is much easier just to put your own paper out, but it also carries much more weight if there can be an agreed position. It's worth the extra time.

AOSIS – The Alliance of Small Island States, with 42 members and observers.

Bureau – The Bureau of the CSD is composed of the Chair and representatives of the five regional groupings of member states. The Bureau for CSD-7 is composed of the New Zealand Chair and representatives from Cote D’Ivoire, Guyana, Hungary and Pakistan.

Chair - The Chair is responsible for facilitating progress in the work of the CSD, and serves from the end of the previous CSD until the end of the CSD s/he is responsible for (i.e. from April to April). Different Chairs may be elected for other informal groups.

CSD – The Commission on Sustainable Development. 53 Member States governments make up the Commission which meets annually (see page 2). Observer states and non-members (such as the EU) are also permitted to attend.

DPI – U.N. Department of Public Information

DSD – The Division for Sustainable Development. A division of the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs, concerned with sustainable development issues. The DSD acts as the Secretariat for the CSD.

ECOSOC – U.N. Economic and Social Council.

EIT - Countries with Economies in Transition, i.e. those in Central and Eastern Europe.

EU – The European Union, which works as a group at the CSD in addition to the actions of the European CSD member states. It has permanent observer status at the CSD. The issues for CSD-7 are being co-ordinated by the following countries within the EU: Oceans and Seas and SIDs - UK; Consumption and Production - Sweden; Tourism - Austria.

G-77 and China – The Group of 77 and China was the original group of the so-called non-aligned states. It is in effect the negotiating bloc of the negotiating countries and seeks to harmonize the negotiating positions of its 132 developing-country members.

GEF – The Global Environment Facility. The multi-billion-dollar GEF was established by the World Bank, the UN Development Programme, and the UN Environment Programme in 1990 to fund environmental programmes, especially in the South and the EIT

High Level Segment – The Ministerial-level part of the CSD where most significant issues are decided.

Intersessional – The official between-sessions meetings of the CSD, this year Feb 22 - Mar 5.

JUSSCANNZ – The non-EU industrialized countries meet as a group to discuss various issues; they are Japan, the US, Switzerland, Canada, Australia, Norway, and New Zealand. Iceland, Mexico, and the Republic of Korea may also attend meetings.

Major Groups – The term used in Agenda 21 to describe nine sectors of society fundamental to achieving sustainable development. The Major Groups are: Women, Children and Youth, Indigenous People, Non-governmental Organizations, Local Authorities, Workers and Trade Unions, Business and Industry, Scientific and Technological Communities, and Farmers.

Member State – A nation that is a member of the U.N.

North – The current widely-used term to describe developed, industrialised countries.

NGLS – U.N. Non-Governmental Liaison Service.

OECD – The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.

Plenary – A meeting of the whole of the CSD, where formal decisions are taken.

Regional Groups – The five regional groups meet privately to discuss issues and nominate Bureau members and other officials. The regional groups are Africa; Asia; Central and Eastern Europe (CEE); Latin America and the Caribbean (GRULAC); and the Western Europe and Others Group (WEOG).

Side Event – An open, lunch-time or evening event, (e.g. panel presentation) usually related to the issues being negotiated.

SIDS – Small Island Developing States, especially important in relation to the Barbados Plan of Action for SIDS.

South – The current widely-used term to describe developing countries.

square brackets – Used during negotiations to indicate that a section of text is being discussed but hasn’t been agreed.

UNDP – United Nations Development Programme.

UNEP – United Nations Environment Programme.

Working Group – A sub-group of the CSD, tasked with drafting language for the final documents.

CSD NGO Steering Committee <www.csdngo.org/csdngo>

UN Sustainable Development Site <www.un.org/esa/sustdev>

IISD Linkages (incl. Earth Negotiations Bulletin) <www.mbnet.mb.ca/linkages/csd/>

UN Daily Journal <www.un.org/docs/journal>

NGO Link (lists UNHQ events) <www.ngos.net/events/upcoming>

SIDSNET <www.sidsnet.org/>

Guide prepared by the NGO Steering Committee for the U.N. Commission on Sustainable Development, Northern Clearinghouse.