Education | Forest Function | Global Carbon | Land/Water | Landcover/Land Use | Science in Public Affairs
Building Tours | Seminars | Global Warming Primer | Staff Essays | Published Literature | Related Sites
Education | Forest Function | Global Carbon | Land/Water | Landcover/Land Use | Science in Public Affairs
Building Tours | Seminars | Global Warming Primer | Staff Essays | Published Literature | Related Sites
Sustainable Development and Environmental GovernanceIntroductionThe United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, held in Stockholm, Sweden, during June 5-16, 1972, was the first international gathering to look at the environment as affected by human activities. The conference produced a set of fundamental principles in the Stockholm Declaration (Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment), established World Environment Day, and led to the eventual creation of the United Nations Environment Programme. Twenty years later, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), also known as the “Earth Summit,” was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil during June 3-14, 1992. Major achievements include the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, Agenda 21, the opening for signature of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, 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. The Woods Hole Research Center, founded in 1985, participated actively in both the Preparatory Committee meetings leading up to UNCED, as well as in the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meetings that led to the adoption of the Framework Convention on Climate Change. Ultimately, a large delegation from the Center attended UNCED in Rio in June of 1992. This group not only participated in the official meetings and events, but also manned a large and informative booth introducing other Earth Summit participants to the Center and its work. EquityKilaparti Ramakrishna presented “Equity in International Law” at the Georgetown, Guyana conference “Public Policy, Natural Resources and Equity: Development as if Equity Mattered", held September 24-26, 2001 and organized by the Cropper Foundation. The Road to JohannesburgThe preparatory process leading to the World Summit on Sustainable Development included national, sub-regional/regional, and global level meetings and activities. At the global level, four Summit Preparatory Committee meetings (or PrepComs) were held, with the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD) acting as the Committee. Between 2001 and 2002, PrepComs were held in New York during 31 April to 2 May 2001 (PrepCom 1), 28 January to 8 February 2002 (PrepCom 2), and 25 March to 5 April 2002 (PrepCom 3). The fourth and final PrepCom (PrepCom 4) was held in Bali, Indonesia during 27 May to 7 June 2002. As further input to the forthcoming World Summit on Sustainable Development, an “International Eminent Persons Meeting on Inter-Linkages: Bridging Problems and Solutions to Work Towards Sustainable Development,” was held during September 3-4, 2001 at the United Nations University Centre in Tokyo, Japan. Dr. Ramakrishna was invited to attend that meeting… Dr. Ramakrishna was also personally invited by Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso to attend a “high level dialogue” and an international seminar during June 23-25, 2002 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Just weeks before the start of the World Summit on Sustainable Development. this high-level gathering also marked the “transfer of the torch” from Rio to Johannesburg, with Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson and Brazilian President Cardoso at a special ceremony giving their support to President Thabo Mbeki and the people of South Africa. During this meeting, Dr. Ramakrishna helped draft the NGO Letter on Rio+10, to which the Woods Hole Research Center became a signatory, urging a positive outcome at the WSSD in August. World Summit on Sustainable DevelopmentTo take stock of progress made globally since the Rio Earth Summit of 1992 and adopt concrete steps to strengthen and build upon sustainable development efforts around the world, the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) was held August 26 to September 4, 2002, in Johannesburg, South Africa. Prior to the summit, the UN Secretary General outlined five priority areas on which the conference should focus: water and sanitation, energy, health, agriculture, and biodiversity protection and ecosystem management. These became known as the “WEHAB” issues. Products of the summit include the “Johannesburg Declaration on Sustainable Development” and the “Plan of Implementation of the World Summit on Sustainable Development.” Several “Partnership Initiatives” between governments, civil society, and the private sector on the themes mentioned above were also proposed, and funding, both new and reaffirmed, was pledged for several activities. The Woods Hole Research Center sent a delegation of five to this historic conference in Johannesburg, and sponsored two special events during the WSSD, as part of the Forum on Science, Technology and Innovation for Sustainable Development 2002, on topics of global importance – forests and nitrogen. [See “WSSD Special Event on FCI” under World Forest Policy and “WSSD Event” under Global Nitrogen Policy.] George M. Woodwell, Eric Davidson, and Kilaparti Ramakrishna all gave talks during those events. Environmental Law at the WSSDJust prior to the WSSD, Dr. Ramakrishna, Deputy Director at WHRC, was invited to participate as a resource person in the “Global Judges Symposium on Sustainable Development and the Role of Law,” held August 18-20 near Johannesburg and sponsored by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The first ever gathering of its kind, the symposium convened Superior Court judges from 59 countries plus 20 guests and resource persons, including several judges from the International Court of Justice. Dr. Ramakrishna also attended the IUCN sponsored “World Summit 2002: Environmental Law Foundations for Sustainable Development” during August 20-22, 2002, in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, and the “EnviroLaw 2002 Conference” during August 23-25, 2002, in Durban, South Africa. Delhi Conference - Sustainable DevelopmentDr. Ramakrishna of our staff was asked to give a presentation at the “Delhi Sustainable Development Conference (DSDC) 2003.” The conference, billed as the “Davos” of sustainable development, was held in New Delhi, India, during February 6-9, 2003. His presentation focused on how international action on climate change and forest issues relate to the conservation of biological diversity globally. His remarks will be published by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI) in New Delhi, India. UNFCCC Workshop on SynergiesThe UNFCCC Secretariat held a Workshop on Synergies and Cooperation with Other Conventions during July 2-4, 2003 in Espoo, Finland and invited Kilaparti Ramakrishna to be a resource person at that meeting. This combined SBI/SBSTA workshop was held in two parts to facilitate the mandates of both bodies, as such a workshop was requested by the COP in Marrakech and also by SBSTA at its seventeenth session. As part of Session 4 (Possible synergies and joint action with other Multilateral Environmental Conventions and Agreements) during the SBI segment of the workshop, Dr. Ramakrishna acted as facilitator of a panel on “Identifying possible synergies and joint actions.” Details of the meeting, including the agenda, background papers, some presentations, and the ENB summary, can be found here on the UNFCCC site. InterlinkagesDr. Kilaparti Ramakrishna was a contributing author to the report Protecting Our Planet …Securing Our Future: Linkages Among Global Environmental Issues and Human Needs, edited by Robert T. Watson, et. al. and published by the United Nations Environment Programme, U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration, and The World Bank in November 1998. Part of a month long training course offered by LEAD Francophone Africa (LEAD – Leadership for Environment and Development), Dr. Ramakrishna was asked to teach a session on January 8th, 2001 in Dakar, Senegal about Agenda 21, sustainable development, and options for Africa. His presentation was entitled “Introduction to Multilateral Agreements on Environment: A Decade of International Environmental Law.” International Scientific AssessmentsInternational scientific assessments often involve thousands of experts from all sectors of society. These assessments play a key role in the development of international environmental policy. Some major assessments, completed or underway, are listed here.
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