We are enclosing our January Report. This will be a short one as the October Report was very extensive. If you haven’t read it then we would suggest that you go to the CSD NGO web site at http://www.csdngo.org/csdngo.  The report is available in three languages French, Spanish and English.

In the Diary you will find the KEY dates for the Intersessional (February 22 to March 3, 2000).  In addition we have also included a copy of the Summary Report on the Special Session on SIDS (September 1999), as well as a copy of the SIDS NGOs Statement.

We wish you a great 2000

Best Wishes
Esmeralda Brown and Felix Dodds
Co-Chairs of the CSD NGO Steering Committee

Sunday 30th January
10:00 am NGOs meet at Church Centre (8th Floor) to prepare for IFF4
(Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, corner of 44th and 1st Avenue)

Monday 31st January to 11th of February IFF
9:00 am – 10:00 am  --There will be a morning strategy session in Conference Room B

Sunday 20th February
10:00 am - 4.00 pm --NGO Preparatory Meeting to prepare for the CSD Intersessional at the Church Centre (2nd Floor)
(Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, corner of 44th and 1st Avenue)

Monday 21st February
10.00 am -4:00 pm NGO Preparatory Meeting continues in the Church Centre

Tuesday 22nd February
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms

10:00 am –1:00 pm
Opening of the meeting and election of Officers. Opening statements by the Co-Chairs
Introduction of the reports of the Secretary General and other documents on Finance.
Introduction of the results of relevant intersessional meetings
General discussion on the issue of finance

3:00 –6:00 pm
General discussion on the issue of finance

Wednesday 23rd February
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms
Introduction of the report of the Secretary General and other documents on Trade, Investment and Economic Growth
Introduction of the results of relevant Intersessional meetings
General discussion on the issue of Trade, Investment and Economic Growth

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
General discussion on Trade, Investment and Economic Growth
Introduction by the Co-Chairs of their "summary of the discussion" and "Elements of the Decisions" on the issue of finance.

Thursday 24th of February
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms

10:00 am – 1: 00 pm
First discussion of the Co-Chair "summary" and "elements papers on issue of Finance.
Introduction by the Co-chairs of their 'summary of the discussions' the issue of Trade Investment and Economic Growth.
Delegations and groups study the above documents
NGOs meet in the Committee Room to do the same

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
First discussion of the Co-Chair "summary" and "elements" papers on issues Trade, Investment and Economic Growth.

Friday 25th February
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms
10:00 am – 1: 00 pm
Introduction by the Co-Chairs of their second draft of "summary of the discussion" and of the "elements" papers on the issue of Finance (redrafted due to discussion on Thursday)
Comments by delegation on the above documents

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Introduction by the Co-Chairs of their second draft of "summary of the discussion" and of the "elements" papers on the issue of Trade, Investment and Economic Growth (redrafted due to discussion on Thursday)
Comments by delegations on the above documents
Closure of the Meeting

Sunday 27th February
10:00 am - 4.00 pm --NGO Preparatory Meeting to prepare for the CSD Intersessional at the Church Centre (2nd Floor)
(Church Center of the United Nations, 777 United Nations Plaza, corner of 44th and 1st Avenue)

Monday 28th February
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms
10:00 am – 1: 00 pm
Opening of the meeting and election of Officers. Opening statements by the Co-Chairs
Introduction of the reports of the Secretary General and other documents on integrated planning and management of land resources and on agriculture.
Introduction of the results of relevant Intersessional meetings
Introduction by the Organizing Partners from Major Groups of their papers prepared for the Multi-stakeholder Dialogue on sustainable agriculture (to take place at CSD8)

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
General Discussion on the issue of Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources

Tuesday 29th February
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms
(if required) general discussion on Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources
General discussion on the issue of Agriculture

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
General discussion on Agriculture

Wednesday 1st of March
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Discussion of the Co-Chair "summary" and "elements" papers on the issue of Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources

Thursday 2nd March
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms
Introduction by the Co-Chairs of their "summary of the discussion" and "elements for discussion" on the issue of Agriculture.
Delegations and groups study the above documents
NGOs meet in the Committee Room to do the same

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Discussion of the Co-Chair "summary" and "elements" paper on the issue of Agriculture

Friday 3rd March
9:00 am – 10:00 am NGO meeting in one of the UN Committee Rooms

10.00-1.00pm
Introduction by the Co-Chairs of their second draft of "summary of the discussion" and of the "elements" papers on the issue of Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources (redrafted due to discussion on Wednesday)
Comments by delegation on the above documents

3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
Introduction by the Co-Chairs of their second draft of "summary of the discussion" and of the "elements" papers on the issue of Agriculture (redrafted due to discussion on Thursday)
Comments by delegations on the above documents
Closure of the Meeting
Introduction by the Co-chairs of their 'summary of the discussions' the issue of Integrated Planning and Management of Land Resources
Delegations and groups study the above documents
NGOs meet in the Committee Room to do the same
2. Freshwater:
UNED-UK has been given the contract to organize the NGO Forum around the Hague Freshwater Conference March 17th to 22nd . Rosalie Gardiner is the contact ( The NGO events are on Saturday the 18th and Sunday the 19th of March. One of the key outputs will be a statement to the ministerial conference which takes place on the 22nd and 23rd. The final statement and the background papers will be published in an NGO report to the CSD in April.
An advisory board has been set up with WWF (Chris Tydeman) and the Centre for Environment and Science (Sunita Narain) co-chairing. The advisory board includes Anna Golubovska-Onisimova (MAMA 86), Maria Onestini (Centro de Estudios Ambientales), Ibrahim Magdi (ENDA), Lyn Billman-Golemme (US Cit Net), Pierre Najlis (Ex UN Task Manager for Freshwater) and Belina Calaguas (Water Aid)

There will be a list server set up very soon and papers will be prepared for the Hague meeting and for the CSD. The core NGO papers and workshops being developed are:

* Water as an economic and social good
* water and poverty
* water and agriculture
* institutions, governance and public participation
* water and agriculture
* water, environment and health

These are all being organized under the core theme of integrated water resource management

3. Important Meetings
First Meeting Of the Sustainable Development Committee of WTO
(San José, Costa Rica, 18-19 January 2000)
First Meeting Of the United Nations Working Group on Tourism (WGT)
(San José, Costa Rica, 20-21 January 2000)
The meetings will be held from 18 to 19 and from 20 to 21 January 2000, respectively, at the Occidental La Condesa Hotel, San Rafael de Heredia, San José, Costa Rica,
Tel: (506) 267 60 00 - Fax: (506) 267 62 00, e-mail: condesam@sol.racsa.co.cr
GENERAL INFORMATION NOTE
Aims of the meetings
WTO Sustainable Development Committee
To give fresh impetus to the Committee, associating its Members more closely in the definition of WTO's tasks in this area, in the dissemination of the relevant information among countries and their corresponding regions and in support to the Secretariat's activities in this field.
The Committee is in particular called upon to propose specific activities to be carried out by WTO in the period 2000-2001, within the framework of its general programme of work.
United Nations Workshop Group on Tourism (WGT)
The aim of the meeting of the Working Group is to define to procedures for its operation, in accordance with the decision adopted by the UN Commission on Sustainable Development. The meeting will be required to reach decisions on various matters, including the following:
(a) tasks to be undertaken by the Working Group in the light of the priority areas indicated in the above-mentioned decision 9 of CSD 7;
(b) possible ways of carrying out these tasks, i.e. who will be entrusted with each (e.g. external experts) or the distribution of responsibilities among the Members;
(c) budget needed for carrying out these tasks and sources of funding;
(d) permanent and occasional participants in the Working Group on Tourism;
(e) frequency of the meetings;
(f) notification procedures;
(g) chairmanship of the Working Group and its secretariat or coordinating unit;
(h) logistical matters, such as working language, communications by electronic mail, printing of documents, etc.
4. Travel Funding
We have approached the governments of Norway, Sweden and UK for travel funding and asked our partners to approach the governments of Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands. We will keep people abreast of any funds that come in.

5. SIDS Summary Report
Summary of UN General Assembly Special Session on Small Island Developing States (SIDS)
 

On September 27-28, 1999, the United Nations General Assembly met in a Special Session to review and assess the progress made in the implementation of the Programme of Action for the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

The Special Session was unique and significant in many ways.  First, there was evidence of a much-improved level of coordination among the NGO Representatives
of the South and between Representatives of the South and North.  Second, issues on the agenda were dealt with professionally, effectively and with dispatch.  Third, the level of mutual respect and collaboration in evidence between the official delegations and the NGO delegates was unprecedented.  Fourth, the special needs of the Small Island Developing States was a central feature of the Session thereby ensuring that the needs of these highly vulnerable countries remained a focus of the UN Special Session.  Fifth, the NGOs assumed an equal status at the UN General Assembly when, for the very first time NGO representatives addressed the General Assembly.

NGO representatives from the Caribbean, Indian and Pacific Oceans spoke on a full range of issues confronting SIDS.
 
One major contributing factor to these positive features of the Special Session was the high level pre-Session organizing by the Southern Caucus of the NGO Steering Committee, including the excellent briefing materials and the business-like approach to the planning meetings.  Another critical factor was the presence among the NGO representatives of persons who have been attending the CSD meetings for sometime, thereby ensuring a mature and experienced engagement of the issues on the agenda by the NGOs in attendance..

The net result was that only one issue (the transboundary movement of toxic and hazardous substances) remained to be resolved before the final statement of the Session was concluded.  Another important result of this high degree of consensus was that the critical issue of “new and additional financing” for sustainable development now stands out as the final test of the commitment of the global community to a partnership in the interest of ALL the peoples of the Earth.

6.  SIDS NGO Statement For The 22nd Special Session Of The UN General Assembly Devoted To The Review And Appraisal Of The Implementation Of The Programme Of Action For The Sustainable Development Of Small Island Developing States

September 27th 1999

Mr. President, Your Excellencies, Observers, Representatives of NGOs:

On behalf of the International Network of Small Island Developing States NGOs and Indigenous Peoples (INSNI) and the NGO community of the Mediterranean and  Caribbean Seas, the  Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, SIDS Diaspora, and the wide range of constituencies we represent, we congratulate the UN delegates for having successfully negotiated agreement on the declaration.

We would have welcomed the opportunity to share our thoughts with this distinguished gathering at a much earlier stage of the proceedings in the hope that the practical suggestions that we make positively influence the position of member states.

In light of this, we wish to focus on concrete recommendations on several issues that, in our view, will move the process of sustainable development along in all small island developing states.

The negative impact of economic globalization and trade liberalization has been most dramatically felt by the small islands.  The Caribbean, for example, has seen its traditional market for bananas in the UK eroded by the headlong, reckless and unwarranted rush to implement “free trade”.  Analysis of measures to mitigate these impacts should include full cost accounting of factors of banana production including integration of costs of more sustainable production through organic farming.  Other industries are also threatened by WTO measures including the offshore services sector, beef and other commodities.  If WTO rulings can interfere with the national economic development planning in large countries like India, the implications for small islands are even more foreboding.

We need to further strengthen implementation through greater integration of SIDS program of action into the local and national development plans and strategies.  International donors need to consider the SIDS POA as the framework for cooperation and collaboration on national development strategies rather than the current narrow sectoral project approach.

National and regional implementing institutions should be strengthened through the provision of adequate resources with more mechanisms for creative financing of sustainable development initiatives.  Greater public awareness could facilitate the more active involvement of community organizations in project design and implementation.  Greater involvement of  local entrepreneurs and improved access to credit would help transform the program of action into a more vital instrument of  sustainable development.

Partnerships for sustainable development are evolving in many small island states.  New partnerships are needed between the small island states and the rest of the international community to ensure the designation of the Caribbean Sea as a special area.  This designation is crucial because of the importance of the sea as a zone of peace and as a vital food, transport and tourism resource.  We are calling for the removal of all external military bases and for review of the shiprider agreement.

The exposure to hazardous substances, by the transhipment of radioactive wastes, mixed oxide fuel, plutonium and nuclear derivatives through the waters of the regions directly threatens the well-being and safety of peoples, flora and fauna of these regions.   NGOs express their strong support for the efforts of the governments of the SIDS regions to assert their sovereign rights to bring about an immediate cessation of these dangerous shipments.  This support from the NGOs is unequivocal and even more so when we recognize that it is the friendly governments of France, Great Britain and Japan that are the principal perpetrators.

We therefore call on all member states participating in this special session to give their full support to the principles outlined in paragraph 24.c(iii) of the Barbados Programme of Action in this regard, which allows small island states to prohibit such shipments.

We call on the member governments of the SIDS to demand far more equitable returns for our natural resources, in particular the tuna resources of the South Pacific Region.  In this regard, we call on the distant water fishing nations to assist in the development of the capacities of SIDS to harvest our resources ourselves.

Within the framework of the Barbados Programme of Action, we call for all stakeholders to accept their responsibilities, exercise greater political will and agree to be held publicly accountable  for commitments made.

There is much more to be done by all of us.  Resources must be made available to assist NGOs to enable them to reach out to an even broader section of the Major Groups, and especially to the many constituencies who still remain unrepresented or underrepresented, such as the unemployed, landless farmers, women, youth, disabled, indigenous,  the homeless, etc.

Governments can do more by ensuring that, in the spirit of UNCED Agenda 21 and the Barbados Programme of Action, every UN delegation reflects the diversity of the country by including  representatives of NGOs and other Major Groups who, through their vast networks and working experience, can bring valuable information to enable our governments to make more informed decisions.

The international financial community can do more by translating the words of World Bank President Wolfhenson (October 6, 1998) into action by ensuring that the process of planning and implementation of development places the needs of people first.

The UN community can and should demonstrate its commitment by ensuring that the views of NGOs are heard and included early in the proceedings of these important deliberations.

Thank you for this opportunity to present our concerns and suggestions.