UN Commission on Sustainable Development 15th Session

With the increasing recognition of the important role played by major groups as partners in the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) follow-up, the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) continues to explore innovative formats for their participation. Substantive exchange between major group representatives and government officials, including Ministers, is now integrated throughout the various official sessions of the CSD, including interactive discussions within the High-level Segment. Major groups have prepared "priority for action" papers addressing the thematic areas that are on the CSD agenda in the given two-year implementation cycle, and are invited to contribute to and participate in the Partnership Fair, the Learning Centre and the many side events that take place during CSD Sessions.

The guidelines for major groups' participation in the 15th Session of the UN CSD and in its Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM) are now available.

NGO Policy Statement

Now available

The process to develop an agreed text followed that of earlier global consultations agreed to during the earlier cycles of CSD.

During the last meeting at CSD 14, held on the last Thursday of the last week of CSD 14, Thursday 11 May 2006, NGOs agreed at the policy meeting for NGOs that four NGOs would draft a suggestion for the policy statement, and subsequently send this draft on two hearing rounds to the globally interested NGOs.

The four NGO networks selected were:

CURES - Citizens United for Renewable Energy and Sustainability
ANPED - the Northern Alliance for Sustainability
TWN - Third World Network
CI Consumers
International.

The consultative process to develop the content took place between mid September and mid November 2006. The draft statement was distributed on a number of globally accessible listservers and posted on web-sites. A letter explaining the process through which interested NGOs could input their concern and substantive contribution was also drafted and distributed widely.

The draft statement was altered and adjusted to receive and pay due attention to the input received the global NGO community participating in the hearing processes.

The draft was developed and adjusted in close cooperation between the following persons: Lejda Reinhout (ANPED), Neth Dano (TWN), Bjarne Pedersen (CI), Gerald Knauf (CURES). Gerald Knauf accepted the difficult task and responsibility to input the edits of the final round of consultations.

The above persons deserve credit and thanks for their diligent and conscious work to make this statement a reality.