Latest news from the Bali prepcom heading

Youth Caucus meeting

30 May, 11 am

I haven't been following the chairman's text negotiations closely over the last day or so, and this is mostly second hand info.

Major issues:

1. Corporate accountability - EU* / US are watering down wording, G77 (the "group of 77 developing nations, and countries in transition") objected to this. Norway agrees with G77, as does Hungary, saying we need strong framework. It's a shame that so many of the so called "developed" countries are resisting progress on these important issues.

*represented by Spain, the present chair - if I understand it all correctly, they're acting on their own interests, but in the name of the EU... at least that's what people are saying.

2. Partnerships - US has been very vocal in wanting CSD to expand partnerships... but that doesn't mean monitoring, just promotion. As I mentioned yesterday, this is a smokescreen to prevent real progress and binding agreements coming out of the WSSD process.

3. Corruption - US is objecting to corruption being even mentioned in the chairman's text, anywhere it comes up they object.

The meeting en mass of all the major groups concerned about the current process took place at the same time as the YC meeting, and also included the Indonesian People's Forum. They are talking about how we can move the process forward. All caucuses are presenting their feelings about the process, and how to move on. Someone will report back about this tomorrow... if I find anyone who's been to it before then I'll let you know. All I know for now is that all the major groups started by presenting their views - YC statement attached.

There is a ministerial dialogue next week - unfortunately the secretariat has only given three slots for major groups to speak in this, one of which has already been given to business. Given the extreme concerns of most of the major groups, we want a short speaking slot to be made available to every major group. We will request this to the UN secretariat.

When I thought about this, it seems strange that the ministers, the people with the real power are arriving after the chairman's text has been finished (or very nearly finished.) I can understand they don't want to sit through hours of negotiations about the word "use" vs. "utilise", but it's frustrating that these important texts are being negotiated by people who are just following guidelines, and don't really have the authority to shift positions on fundamental issues. Maybe I'm too much of an optimist, thinking that could happen if they were here.

Partnerships

The US had a meeting last night with NGOs - we (YC) were represented.

Agriculture - when asked what she understands by sustainable agriculture, the US representative for agriculture said (unbelievably) that partnerships for sustainable agriculture should include biotech companies. Energy proliferation - apparently for sustainable development - includes dirty energy, priority being getting energy to people without it, even if that means giving them diesel generators. However, even then, conditions would include opening up their countries markets. These are the "partnerships" that are coming out and being supported by the governments. I sometimes wonder if the present world leaders even bothered to read the Rio declaration or Agenda 21

The feeling seems to be that we will continue talking, and not boycott the partnerships dialogue completely, but make it clear that we do not endorse these partnerships. We go to all the meetings and object repeatedly to the current state of play. Youth will not engage in any of these partnerships, unless our prerequisites are met, which they won't be.

Youth Caucus Lobbying Group

30 May, 3pm

We have been lobbying our points on education - taking our statement for inclusion in the political statement to (government) delegations to try to rally support. We've also been lobbying for some changes to the chairman's text... this is getting to being a lost cause, but we are persisting with trying to influence the bits that are still up for negotiation.

Youth Caucus Media Group

30 May, 4pm

We've taken some photos of all the things going on at the conference itself that are completely un-sustainable... huge piles of photo-copied documents on tables, loads of disposable plastic cups lying around, sprinklers watering the lush lawns of the convention centre, rubbish dumped by the side of the road. You get the picture. We're going to make a powerpoint presentation and try to show it to the ministers next week - who knows if they'll let us, but we're going to try!

We finished our press release and have tried to distribute it as widely as possible. I'm going to re-vamp it and send it to The Guardian, probably tomorrow.


Major Groups combined meeting

30 May, 6.30pm

The second round of negotiations on the chairman's text will start tomorrow - they hope to finish on Sunday, before the ministers arrive. The process for making the political declaration has started - it will be drafted over the weekend and available Sunday/Monday. Countries have already submitted their points for the political declaration, and we've been doing lobbying, as I mentioned earlier.

The political declaration has potential to be a much stronger document than the chairman's text, as it hasn't been written yet. Our idea now is to produce a combined text between the major groups - a package of issues we demand are included in the declaration. The declaration is supposed to be a result of the dialogues - if it doesn't include the similar demands that were made by Youth, Women, NGO's etc, then it will be clear that the process of so called "dialogue" has been useless. We'll see - they may try to put some stronger language in the political declaration, so as to save face, as it were. We'll see. I said I would help put together the statement. Luckily, we couldn't get hold of all the major group political statements tonight, so it will have to wait until tomorrow morning, and I will be forced to go and relax. At last.

matthew

Bali logo

In the Political Statement delivered to the final Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue session the Youth Caucus said sustainable development is an effective alternative to militarization, and demanded cancellation of external debt and incorporation of sustainable development into curricula at all levels. They said the right to water must be recognized, and called for increased participation of youth at all levels of decision making particularly with respect to sustainable development, where intergenerational equity is important.
Click here to
hear the full speach.

In the lobbying group we have produced a draft statement for submission for inclusion in the Political Declaration about education. Do let me have any comments you want to make on this.

We will add statements on other issues, but education is all we have worked on so far. Let me know if you have suggestions for other issues that you want us to lobby on.

matthew

There will be a chance to 'Chat to Matt' on SATURDAY 1 JUNE, 1.00 pm - 2.00 pm (BST) - Just log onto the web-site here and you'll be able to join in. It's your chance to ask questions and feed in ideas to the Youth Caucus at the Bali PrepCom - don't miss it!!

Details of how to contact Matthew on-line are available HERE

Read the Youth Caucus statements to the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue sessions on:

and other Youth Caucus documents:

Glossary of Summit-speak

Confused by all the strange terminology and acronyms... We hope the glossary below will help:

WSSD - World Summit on Sustainable Development

Rio +10 - WSSD but it refers to the fact that this summit is ten years on from the original summit in Rio.

Agenda 21 - the environmental agenda for the Twenty First century. This was created at the Rio summit and the idea was that all aspects of society should be looked at from the perspective of Agenda 21.

Stakeholder - anybody who has an interest in the issue that is being discussed. In the case of WSSD it is probably everyone on the planet.

Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue (MSHD)- this is no more no less than a meeting of all people who have an interest/stake in the issue. With reference to WSSD, this has been split into nine Major Groups such as women, youth etc. and bodies have been created to represent the needs and opinions of these particular groups.

Major Groups - the nine stakeholder groups who can make an input into the summit: Women, Youth, Farmers, Indigenous Peoples, Local Authorities, Scientists, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs), Trade Unions, and Business and Industry.

Type I outcomes - agreements made at the Summit in Johannesburg which are legally binding on an international level

Type II outcomes - promises made by governments, regions, businesses, and other organisations, maybe in partnership with others, to do things to achieve sustainable development - not enforcable though.

CSD - Conference on Sustainable Development. This is the United Nations body which has met every year since Rio. The WSSD is it's 10th annual conference but has been made into an extra specially important meeting and called a Summit.

PrepCom - a meeting of CSD to make the arrangements and preparations for the Summit.

International Youth Summit on Sustainable Development - a conference organised by the youth caucus which is to be held just before the main Summit

Caucus - a group of people with a common interest (eg women, youth) who meet together to organise themselves and work to further that interest.

Youth Caucus - the 'youth' Major Group - a group of youth organisations and youth representatives who we are working with in Bali and will be part of in Johannesburg.

Global Forum of the WSSD - The part of the Summit which is open to participation from civil society delegates

Civil Society - all organisations, groups and individuals who are not part of governments - not politicians or civil servants.