NEWS                                                OUTREACH 1997
                           The Voice of the NGO Community at CSD*
                                     Countdown to Earth Summit II
LETTER

Vol. 1  No. 6
Wednesday, 26 February 1997

                      CSDI SPECIAL EDITION

INTERSESSIONAL IN GEAR!
AT A GLANCE


WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

MEETING CALENDAR

NEWS FROM THE CONFERENCE ROOM
Excerpts from NGO Statements

RIO GRINDS

UPDATE

ANNOUNCEMENTS
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

The Intersessional is moving into gear. After a short ceremonial
opening, the delegates started their work. The first day closed
on an upbeat feeling, leaving the NGO community cautiously
hopeful. Even though many felt uneasy about the lack of substance
in the statement from the US ambassador on Monday. Would this be
indicative of the direction the North would be going?

Tuesday's debate seemed to single out 5 issues as being of more
significance. Derek Osborne summed them up as being: Oceans,
freshwater, atmosphere, energy and as he said, resolving the
forestry issue,which apparently several delegations feel is still
hanging in the air.

The NGO community worked diligently throughout the night to
finalize their statement and were able to present their
abbreviated version by noon on tuesday. Several delegations
received it and commented upon its creative and positive
suggestions.

The NGOs do have a common concern today - and at the moment this
concern casts dark shadows over our environmental commitment.
Will the NGOs be represented in the Special Session in June, or
will the responsible governments hide behind formalities and say
that only those NGOs who are part of their countries delegation
may participate? We bring these concerns out in depth in this
issue of OUTREACH. In one way this concern may seem only
indirectly connected to the world of environment. But do not be
fooled. Where would the governments have been today in
environmental work, had they not had the grass root support of
the NGOs?Would their country reports on environmental
achievements have been as complete without the NGOs?

Our participation is needed if we are going to bring this world
on a healthy environmental path into the next century. And to do
this, our participation is needed in the General Assembly session
in June.

-=-=-=-=-

MEETING CALENDAR
For more information on side events, contact the CSD Secretariat
- tel: 963-8811 / fax: 963-1267.

DAILY MEETINGS:
9:15 a.m.                Conf. Room C
CSD NGO Steering Committee

2:00 p.m.                Cafe Vienna
Press meeting

WEDNESDAY, 26 FEBRUARY:
11:00 a.m.               Conf. Room C
HUMAN SETTLEMENTS CAUCUS

1:15-2:45 p.m.           Conf. Room 6
UNESCO presentation, Chapter 36 of Agenda 21

2:30 p.m.                Conf. Room C
WOMEN'S CAUCUS, Organized by WEDO

2:45 p.m.                Conf. Room 6
NGO meeting with Brazilian Co-chair

6:30 p.m.                Conf. Room C
NGO meeting with European Union delegation

6:15 to 7:30 p.m.        Conf. Room 6
Presentation on national Agenda 21 implementation organized by
Capacity 21 UNDP

THURSDAY, 27 FEBRUARY:
9:00 a.m.                to be announced
US NGO meeting with US delegation

9:15 a.m.                Conf. Room C
Alexandra Bezeredi (GEF) will give brief presentation to CSD NGO
Steering Committee

1:15-2:15 p.m.           check venue at Conf. 4
Presentation of the first Global Environment Outlook report by
UNEP

1:15-2:45 p.m.           check venue at Conf. 4
Panel on Emerging Issues - Signals for the Future  Organized by
the NGO Committee on Aging

2:30 p.m.                Conf. Room C
NGO Meeting with Dr. Mostafa Tolba (Egypt)

5:45 p.m.                Conf. Room C
NGO meeting with Maurice Strong

6:30 p.m.                Conf. Room C
TRANSPORTATION CAUCUS, chaired by Derek Osborne

-=-=-=-=-

NEWS FROM THE CONFERENCE ROOM

EXCERPTS FROM NGO STATEMENTS MADE TUESDAY, 25 FEBRUARY

Indigenous Caucus:

"It is widely recognized by Indigenous Peoples, the UN
Secretariat and Governments supportive of the Rights of
Indigenous Peoples, that the minimalist position of the Outcomes
of the Rio Process in relation to the protection and promotion of
Indigenous Rights has not been successfully implemented. In fact,
little effort has been made by the international community and
Governments which participated in the Rio Process to ensure the
implementation of the principles and programs to which they
committed themselves at the Rio Conference in 1992. The Review
Session by the UN General Assembly this year offers an
opportunity to address these deficiencies.

Indigenous Peoples around the world have, in our own different
ways, and as a result of our close spiritual and material
relationship with our lands and territories, developed very
detailed knowledge and understanding of the biodiversity of the
natural environment.

The cultural and intellectual property of Indigenous Peoples is
increasingly being "commodified" and alienated from the very
communities that generated and nurtured it over successive
generations.

The real concern which is shared by Indigenous Peoples, is that
in some countries, we are already being denied access to the
biological resources which we have managed for thousands of
years, because they have become the legal "property" of foreign
corporations.

CSD needs to be more proactive through its Secretariat and in its
coordinating role to ensure that the UN Organizations all adopt a
much more coordinated and proactive role to involve Indigenous
Peoples directly in the further negotiation, development, and
implementation of policies and programs that relate to the
environment.

The Indigenous Caucus calls on the CSD to examine the impacts on
Indigenous Peoples of the implementation of the Trade Related
Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Agreement as administered by the
World Trade Organization and its negative impact on biodiversity.

Each of the matters which the Indigenous Caucus has raised as
requiring urgent action by the UN and its Organizations, point to
the need for a Permanent Forum for Indigenous Peoples within the
UN."

-=-=-=-=-

Statement on Finance on behalf of the CSD/NGO Steering Committee:

"Financial resources have been one of the most disappointing
areas in the implementation of Agenda 21...

The developed countries have not fulfilled their commitments to
provide new and additional resources.  Official development
assistance fell from a peak of $62 billion in 1992 to around $53
billion in 1995.  The $3 billion pledged to the GEF since 1991
does not make good this fall.

Yet over this same period...the state of the world's environment
has deteriorated dramatically.  The need for external finance [to
help save the environment] has never been greater.

NGOs therefore urge all the developed countries to fulfill their
commitments to provide adequate financial resources for
sustainable development by increasing the GEF in the
replenishment negotiations that start in March, and by committing
themselves to meet the aid target of 0.7% of GNP by 2002...

At the same time, the quality of aid must be improved...It is
true that international private investment has grown dramatically
since 1992.  But the bulk of this investment goes to a handful of
developing countries, hardly any of them amongst the least
developed.  Its environmental and social effects are poorly
understood...

But we should have no illusions that private finance is a
panacea.  Private funds are driven by market imperatives, and
will not automatically deliver public goods such as environmental
sustainability or the elimination of poverty...

Conventional development assistance budgets will never be able to
provide sufficient funds to meet the demand.  This is why debates
have started at the CSD on new ways of generating funds - for
example through new international taxation.  Support for at least
one of the proposals that has been made - a charge on aviation
fuel on international flights - has been expressed by some
governments.  NGOs believe the time is ripe for swift progress
with this idea - for example as the EU considers the expiry at
the end of 1997 of its exemption of aviation fuel from excise
duty.  The revenues from this source should be channeled into
mechanisms such as the GEF and UNDP's Capacity 21.

This would be one of the many potential 'win-win' options from
the removal of the estimated $5000 billion per year spent on
environmentally damaging subsidies.  All countries should
eliminate these subsidies - whether they are for intensive
agriculture, energy, deforestation or fisheries.

But NGOs also believe a forum in needed in which other proposals
for innovative financing...can be broadly debated and progress
made towards political consensus.  We therefore support the
establishment of an Intergovernmental Panel on Finance under the
CSD, involving representatives of finance ministries as ell as
other experts and NGOs.

[This] should be accompanied by more formal links between the CSD
and key bodies in the international financial arena...

Lastly, running though all [the NGO] proposals is a concern for
transparency and accountability in the use of all funds in all
countries.  Far greater efforts are needed to eliminate
corruption and to focus all spending on social and environmental
priorities."

-=-=-=-=-

RIO GRINDS
overheard at the coffee bar

"Rumor has it that UN Reform Czar , Maurice Strong, who
established UNEP in 1972, is now considering it being integrated
into FAO(!!) and UNDP. Some commitment to the Environment [Ah]!

Did anyone go to the Earth Council Meeting on Rio+5 event?
(zzzzz)

As we know, President Bush, the Republican, managed to go 2000
miles to Rio. One would expect that President Clinton, the
Democrat, should be able to come 200 miles to New York from
Washington.  NGOs are starting a travel fund to help President
Bill who was in New York for a DNC fundraiser last week. If worse
comes to worse maybe NGOs could facilitate a donors meeting for
the DNC across the road at the UN Plaza Hotel. Then all he has to
do is walk 200 yards to the UN.

Brian Howe, the former Deputy Prime Minister of Australia has
been seen in "the coffee bar" with the Indigenous Peoples caucus.
Hmm. I wonder what this means.

So, after a long EU meeting, the EU had "reaffirmed its
commitment to meet the UN target for ODA flows of 0.7% of GNP".

Someone then noticed that this was "a little too strong" and "as
soon as possible" was added to the text. Come on EU: this year is
about money and commitment! Where is yours!

-=-=-=-=-

UPDATE...

CSD/NGO statement on NGO participation in the UNGA Special
Session for the Ad-hoc Open-Ended Intersessional Working Group

Summary: Governments participating in this CSD process should
ensure that the arrangements for the UNGA Special Session are
based on the newly revised Arrangements for Consultation with
NGOs (Part VII of Resolution 1996/31) and that these arrangements
should apply to strengthening NGO access to and participation in
the General Assembly and its committees.

-=-=-=-=-

The CSD's Member States agreed at their 1996 session, inter alia,
that the General Assembly should ensure "appropriate arrangements
for the most effective contribution to and active involvement of
major groups, including non-governmental organizations, in the
special session of the Assembly in 1997" (E/CN.17/1996/38).

In response, the 51st session of the General Assembly adopted
Resolution 51/181, which provides, inter alia, that the GA
"Recognizes the important contributions made by major groups,
including non-governmental organizations, at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development and in the
implementation of its recommendations, and the need for their
effective participation in preparations for the special session,
as well as the need to ensure appropriate arrangements, taking
into account the practice and experience gained at the
Conference, for the substantive contributions to and active
involvement in the preparatory meetings and the special session,
and in that context invites the President of the General
Assembly, in consultation with Member States, to propose to
Member States appropriate modalities for the effective
involvement of major groups in the special session ..."
(A/RES/51/181).

As agreed by governments, it is imperative that NGOs be able to
participate in the manner called for in the UNGA resolution. 
NGOs have a great deal to contribute to the discussions, not as
negotiators, but as consultants on the substantive issues
involved.  We believe, therefore, that the arrangements for NGOs
in consultative status with ECOSOC, as agreed to in Resolution
1996/31, should form the basis for arrangements in the Special
Session.

Beyond the Special Session, the 1996/31 arrangements, in our
view, should apply to the General Assembly and its Main
Committees, as well - without encroaching on existing practices. 
Moreover, we are keenly interested in ensuring effective NGO
arrangements throughout the UN system.  But the only issue facing
Member States in this CSD preparatory process, consistent with
the GA resolution, is that of ensuring effective NGO
participation in the Special Session.  That is the task that we
ask you to accomplish as expeditiously as possible.  Thank you.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

Tomorrow, OUTREACH will bring you an in-depth article on
transportation and environment concerns.  This article will
highlight some of the problem areas to be discussed at the
Transportation Caucus to be held Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in
Conference Room C.

This meeting, titled "Making Cities Livable: the Transport
Challenge," is hosted by UITP and UNED-UK .  It will be chaired
by Derek Osborne (Co-chair of the Intersessional) and will
feature Jonas Rabinovitch (UNDP) and Walter Hook (Institute of
Transportation and Development Policy).

-=-=-=-=-

"Towards Earth Summit II: A Summary of NGO Recommendations for
Actions And Commitments for the 1997 Intersessional Meeting of
the Commission on Sustainable Development" is now available in
Conference Room C.

-=-=-=-=-

On Wednesday, 5 March, UNA-NY has  organized a meeting with H.E.
Mr. Razali Ismail, President of the General Assembly, at the UN
Church Centre from 6:00-7:30 p.m.

-=-=-=-=-

                        "OUTREACH 1997"*

     ... speaking for the NGO Steering Committee for the CSD

                 _______________________________

The NGO Steering Committee for the CSD was established at the
Commission for Sustainable Development in 1994 to facilitate the
involvement of NGOs and other major groups, where appropriate, at
the CSD.  Membership of the Steering Committee is determined in
annual elections held at the CSD, and includes Major Groups,
grassroots organizations, regional, national and global NGOs and
networks.  Our work includes facilitating NGO Working Groups,
providing support for participation of southern and eastern NGO
representatives, and organizing facilities which strengthen the
voices of NGOs in the sustainable development debate.  The
Steering Committee is facilitating activities around the CSD
Intersessional, the CSD V and Earth Summit II.

-=-=-=-=-

NGO Caucus Meetings:
These meetings are scheduled in Conf. Room C.  To request use of
this room, please call Abby Neville, NGLS: tel:  963-3125; fax:
963-8712.

Deadline to submit a request for the following day is 4 p.m.

-=-=-=-=-

The Steering Committee has a web page.
http://www.igc.apc.org/habitat/csd-97
There is also a general list server for those interested it is
csdgen@undp.org  To be added to he list, just send a message to
 with the one line message:
subscribe csdgen

The complete NGO statement referred to under "UPDATE" will be
posted on the web site in a couple of days.
OUTREACH '97
CSD NGO Steering Committee

World Federation of United Nations Associations (WFUNA)

Editors
Jan-Gustav Strandenaes
Sharon McHale

OUTREACH 1997
Please send material/enquiries to
Jan-Gustav Strandenaes
Fax (212) 963-0447
Tel (212) 963-5610
E-mail: wfuna@undp.org