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Science and Technology for Rio+20



                ICSU-UNESCO         Rio+20
                                    Regional Science
                                    and Technology
                                    Workshops




                                    Asia and the Pacific
                                    Africa
                                    Latin America and the Caribbean
                                    Arab States
                                    Europe and North America


                                    www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops
Background                                         Dates and locations of the ICSU-UNESCO
                                                          regional science and technology workshops

                                                          Region        Date                   Location
                                                          Asia Pacific 16 – 18 April 2011      Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
                                                          Africa        30 May – 1 June 2011   Pretoria, South Africa
                                                          LAC           3 – 5 August 2011      Mexico City, Mexico
                                                          Arab States   12 – 14 October 2011 Cairo, Egypt
                                                          Europe        12 – 14 October 2011 Helsinki, Finland




The concept of sustainable development brings together economic, social and environmental challenges,
developed and developing countries, governments, businesses and civil society, scientific knowledge and
public policy, and present and future generations. It has created the awareness that the environment and
social and economic development are facets of the same agenda.
The United Nations Rio+20 Conference will take place 20–22 June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Coming 20 years after the original Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and 10 years after the 2002 World
Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Rio+20 (also known more formally as the United
Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012) will bring together high-level policy-makers from
across the world. The aim is to secure renewed political commitment to sustainable development, to assess
the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the sustainable development agenda,
and to address new and emerging challenges.


The ICSU-UNESCO Regional Workshops
ICSU and UNESCO recognised the need to enhance the input from the science, technology and innovation
(STI) community into the Rio+20 process, and to account for region-specific priorities and concerns. ICSU
and UNESCO therefore organised five regional science and technology workshops in 2011 (for Asia and the
Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Africa, the Arab States, and Europe and North America).


Participants at the Regional Workshops
Each workshop had between 40–80 participants, primarily coming from countries in the region. Participants
were made up of:
ƒƒ Natural scientists, social scientists and engineers, including young scientists and engineers;
ƒƒ High-level policy-makers/ government representatives;
ƒƒ Representatives of civil society (‘Major Groups’ in UN terminology), including business and industry,
   farmers and indigenous peoples;
ƒƒ Co-sponsors.


Results and Recommendations
The workshops were designed to provide input for the five Rio+20 intergovernmental Regional Preparatory
Meetings (RPMs) being held in the run up to the Rio+20 Conference by the five regional UN Economic
and Social Commissions (ECA, ESCWA, ESCAP, ECE, ECLAC) in their respective regions. The results and
recommendations of the workshops have now been presented by our delegations at these meetings, and
have informed ICSU and UNESCO’s inputs for the Rio+20 Conference.




                                                      2
Aims of the Regional Workshops
ƒƒ To give natural scientists, social scientist and engineers from the different regions the opportunity
   to prepare joint positions and concerted input for the Rio+20 RPMs, in collaboration with policy-makers
   and other key actors.
ƒƒ To provide a platform for a science-policy dialogue at the regional level.
ƒƒ To provide a platform for a multi-stakeholder dialogue with other ‘Major Groups’ (civil society
   stakeholders), including business and industry.


Overall Objectives of the Regional Workshops
ƒƒ To ensure that the best available natural and social science is integrated into policy recommendations
   resulting from the RPMs and Rio+20.
ƒƒ To incorporate specific regional concerns and priorities into the global agenda of Rio+20.
ƒƒ To identify where support is needed by the STI community, at national and regional levels.
ƒƒ To highlight the major contributions from STI to sustainable development.
ƒƒ To identify the roles of civil society and the private sector in STI activities at regional, national and local
   scales, and their needs from the STI community.


Duration and Agendas
Each regional workshop lasted three days, with keynote presentations, plenary discussions and break-out
group sessions.
The workshops addressed the main themes of Rio+20:
ƒƒ Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication;
ƒƒ the institutional framework for sustainable development.

The workshops also assessed new and emerging challenges and priority issues.


Organisers
The regional workshops were jointly organised by ICSU’s and UNESCO’s regional offices, except the Europe
and North America workshop which was organised by the European Group of ICSU National Members. All
workshops were held in cooperation with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the
International Social Science Council (ISSC) and regional stakeholders.


Additional Information
For additional information on the regional workshops, including:
ƒƒ reports and recommendations
ƒƒ agendas
ƒƒ participants lists

see: www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops
Contact:
ƒƒ Gisbert Glaser (ICSU Senior Advisor): gisbert.glaser@icsu.org
ƒƒ Alice Abreu (ICSU’s Rio+20 Regional Coordinator): alice.abreu@icsu.org
ƒƒ Peter Bates (ICSU Science Officer): peter.bates@icsu.org



                                                         3
Overarching
       Recommendations
       and Key Issues



The participants at the five regional workshops asserted the importance of such regional meetings for the
STI community, their commitment to STI for sustainable development, and their aspirations for Rio+20.
The following overarching recommendations and key issues were highlighted during the discussions in all
of the regions:




ƒƒ The Rio+20 outcome must be commensurate with the urgent need to move humanity to a sustainable
   path of development.

ƒƒ Human induced global environmental change is occurring at an increasing rate and intensity across all
   regions. Fundamental changes in the human drivers affecting the Earth system and actions to enhance the
   resilience and decrease the vulnerability of human communities are essential.

ƒƒ Current economic patterns are responsible for many of the interlinked and growing social, environmental
   and economic crises unfolding across all regions. Economic sustainability, human development, poverty
   eradication and environmental sustainability must be addressed in an integrated fashion.

ƒƒ The last 20 years have seen at best incremental movements towards sustainable development. Renewed
   global political commitment to sustainable development is vital.

ƒƒ Concrete and challenging targets should be set that can be translated into international and national law.

ƒƒ The natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering and technology communities have a
   fundamental role to play in developing systems of knowledge, defining targets, implementing solutions
   and monitoring progress for sustainable development.

ƒƒ Commitments are needed to large-scale investments in targeted transdisciplinary research that addresses
   the integrated environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable development. Social and
   technological innovations for sustainability should be the goal.




                                                      4
iStockphoto © Nikada
ƒƒ Strengthening science-policy links at national, regional and global levels is essential in efforts to improve
   the institutional framework for sustainable development. Science advisory mechanisms should be built
   into all levels of decision making, at national, regional and global scales.

ƒƒ Targeted capacity building is needed within the scientific community, with a focus on developing
   countries and gender equality issues.

ƒƒ The scientific and technological community must improve cooperation with other parts of civil society,
   the private sector, governments and intergovernmental bodies. Research agendas should be defined
   through broad-based, participatory approaches involving those in need of scientific information.

ƒƒ It is important to work closely with local communities and indigenous peoples when planning research
   activities, development interventions or education programmes, to account for their specific cultures and
   knowledge.

ƒƒ Formal, informal and non-formal education should be recognised as key mechanisms in addressing
   sustainable development issues for the medium and long term, and they should have a strong
   science-base.

ƒƒ Rio+20 is a forum at which governments should recognise, enhance and map out the crucial
   relationship between policy-making and science, technology and innovation.

ƒƒ Rio+20 should be a fundamental milestone in the development of a new contract between science and
   society.




                                                        5
Asia and the Pacific                                   16 – 18 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

                                                              www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/asia-pacific

                                                              Organised by ICSU’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific,
                                                              and the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the
                                                              Pacific in Jakarta.




Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, the following recommendations are among those highlighted
by the scientific and technological community from the Asia and the Pacific region during the three-day
workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia:

Sustainable development and Green Economy
The Asia and the Pacific region, with more than               More public funding support for Green Economy
half of the world's population and two thirds of              research and development (R&D) is vital, but it
the world's poor, has a major stake in sustainable            needs to be applied strategically.
development and poverty alleviation. Its rapid
growth in economic output and its rapidly growing             Members of the scientific community need to have
share of global scientific research put it in a good          freedom in the conduct of science, need to carry
position to achieve these goals.                              out and disseminate their research responsibly,
                                                              and need to be accountable for their work. This is
The people of the region, and indeed all people on            especially important in respect to science relating to
the Earth, face two major challenges:                         sustainable development. Responsible and ethical
                                                              conduct of research is an important requirement of
1.	 The continued use of the Earth and its ecosystem          scientists in their contract with society.
    as if it were an infinite source of resources and a
    boundless sink for our waste.                             The lack of public and political awareness of
                                                              dealing with risk and uncertainty is one of the
2.	 Resources are used in such a way that many                features behind a lack of trust of science. Outreach
    people of the Earth, and especially in Asia and           and educational campaigns must address risk and
    the Pacific, continue to live in extreme poverty.         uncertainty and improve community understanding
The connection between the Green Economy and                  of them.
poverty alleviation is not automatic. It must be              Public communication, raising awareness and
consciously articulated and implemented.                      the education of all stakeholders about the Green
Action to move to sustainable development will                Economy and new and emerging challenges are
require changes in social values and practices, as            an important responsibility of the scientific and
well as technical solutions.                                  technological community.

The construction of an appropriate sustainable                Industry must work in partnership with the natural
development index that will become the true                   sciences, social sciences and the technological
measure of development is a matter of high priority.          community to make progress in the transition to
This index should take into account environmental,            sustainable development.
social and economic indicators.                               Women are key actors for delivering the concept
Scientific data and information are central to                and products of Green Economy and green
understanding environmental change and for                    technology into the family and society. A greater
monitoring societal progress towards sustainable              participation of women in the scientific and
development. Natural science, social science and              technological workforce should be encouraged. The
technology therefore have a vital role to play in             views of women on population growth need to be
the success of the Rio+20 process. Achieving this             heard and supported.
requires financial and political support.



                                                          6
© Peter Bates
Institutional framework for sustainable development
An improved position of science and technology             in the international sphere. Institutions established
in the hierarchy of international institutions and         to encourage and oversee the move to sustainable
national governments is a necessary first step             development need to cooperate and not compete.
in giving science and technology a stronger
focus in international discussions, dialogues and          The collection and sharing of data, information and
negotiations.                                              knowledge is a major need of the STI community,
                                                           and of governments at all levels. The many
There is a great need to improve inter-ministerial         international institutions involved with sustainable
linkages and collaboration in the national                 development need to coordinate their data systems
government, and between equivalent organisations           and make them compatible.




New and emerging challenges for Asia and the Pacific
Climate change, ecosystem change and                         sound technologies such as integrated water
over-utilisation of resources                                and waste management, by assisting in urban
ƒƒ Previously recognised challenges, including               planning to reduce energy consumption, and
   climate change, ecosystem change and over                 studying and influencing social practices.
   utilisation of resources, have a heightened
   urgency because they have not been addressed.           Sustainable energy
                                                           ƒƒ Sustainable energy is key to sustainable
Urbanisation                                                  development, and a sustainable and adequate
ƒƒ Urbanisation is a particularly relevant challenge          energy supply is a major priority for the Asia and
   in the Asia and the Pacific region, as here the            the Pacific region.  Achieving this will require
   urban population is growing at more than twice             innovations in science and technology and
   the rate of the total population. In many cases            changes in social practices.  Natural science,
   urbanisation is leading to health problems and             social science, humanities, engineering and
   decreasing wellbeing.                                      technology all therefore have a vital role to play
                                                              in the delivery of sustainable energy.
ƒƒ The STI community can help reduce urban
   ecological footprints by introducing ecologically



                                                       7
Africa                                               30 May – 1 June 2011, Pretoria, South Africa

                                                            www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/africa

                                                            Organised by ICSU’s Regional Office for Africa and the
                                                            UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Technology in Africa
                                                            in Nairobi




The African scientific and technological community met over 3 days in Pretoria, South Africa. Alongside the
Overarching Recommendations, other recommendations and priority issues from their discussions include:




Sustainable development and Green Economy
The design and provision of market incentives               Financial support/lending institutions should be
and financing will be important for promoting               strengthened to support local entrepreneurship and
entrepreneurship and green projects, to levels that         economy-of-scale projects in key economic sectors
are needed to accelerate transition from ‘brown’ to         in Africa such as agriculture, energy, transportation
‘green’ economy.                                            and municipal services.
The STI base should be improved at appropriate              Initiatives must have regional context and relevance
levels (artisans, mid-level and advanced levels) to         to succeed, and should be designed to account for
support novel industrial operations that the targeted       indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) of the African
Green Economy requires in African countries.                continent.
Infrastructure to support STI and humanities                Specific systems should be implemented to ensure
research, such as research parks, technology                that vulnerable groups such as women, youth
incubation centres, library systems, data storage           and the disabled are protected through their
and transfer centres, internet systems and laboratory       socio-economic empowerment in Africa.
support systems, need to be established in greater
numbers in Africa.



Institutional framework for sustainable development
Considering that well-designed programmes can fail          STI intellectual resources and facilities that are
if not properly coordinated and monitored, efficient        available within the African Continent should be
mechanisms should be established to ensure good             identified, through the development and integration
governance and accountability in both the public            of databases and directories of African researchers
and private sectors.                                        and research-related organisations.
Africa has been the object of numerous                      STI should be included as the primary engine
development policies and action plans at all                of Green Economy development through the
levels. These need to be analysed and harmonised,           development and integration of National Science
including: regulations/conventions, policies, market        and Technology Policies (with adequate funding),
incentives, educational and research support                and creation of science advisory boards to provide
systems, performance monitoring systems, and                input into developments in every socio-economic
enforcement systems.                                        sector.




                                                        8
© Shutterstock
Priority issues and emerging challenges for Africa:
Food security                                                 Health security
ƒƒ Land redistribution, transfer and acquisition have         ƒƒ Africa bears the bulk of the global disease burden
   to be addressed if Africa is to benefit from the              with the double tragedy imposed by emerging
   green (agricultural) revolution.                              (e.g. hemorrhagic fevers) and re-emerging (e.g.
ƒƒ Indigenous seed and crop varieties that are                   TB, malaria) diseases. STI should be deployed to
   best-suited to African conditions need to be                  find solutions to these health challenges.
   identified, and their production increased to meet
   food security needs.                                       Natural and human-induced hazards and disasters
                                                              ƒƒ Africa is prone to a wide variety of escalating
Biodiversity and ecosystem loss                                  natural and human-induced disasters such as
ƒƒ Deforestation, including clearing of forests for              droughts, flooding, tropical cyclones, pests and
   other competing needs, is a key issue.                        diseases. It is therefore important that Africa
                                                                 adopt cost-effective policies to lower associated
Climate change and security                                      risks and allocate appropriate resources to
ƒƒ Africa should prepare itself for adaptation to,               hazards and disaster mitigation and preparedness.
   and mitigation of, the impacts of climate change,
                                                              Desertification
   especially sea level rise along the coast of Africa,
   which could generate massive human migrations.             ƒƒ The advance of the Sahara southwards and spread
                                                                 of aridity in most parts of Africa calls for STI and
Water scarcity and use                                           IKS interventions to address desertification.
ƒƒ Africa should explore possibilities for alternative
                                                              Human migration
   water resources such as groundwater,
   and application of STI in water harvesting                 ƒƒ Due to slow economic growth and development
   methodologies in the face of climate change and               in rural areas, there has been increased migration
   increase in its population.                                   from rural to urban or coastal regions, thus
                                                                 over-stretching basic infrastructure in those areas,
Energy crisis                                                    and increasing poverty and pollution.
ƒƒ Africa’s clean and renewable energy resources are
   enormous but there is a need for enhanced STI to
                                                              The Africa regional workshop report is available in
   effectively tap this resource.
                                                              English, Portuguese and French




                                                          9
Latin America                                         3 – 5 August 2011, Mexico City, Mexico

                                                             www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/

       and the Caribbean                                     latin-america-and-the-caribbean

                                                             Organised by ICSU’s Regional Office for Latin America and the
                                                             Caribbean, and the UNESCO Regional Office of Science and
                                                             Technology for Latin America and the Caribbean in Montevideo




Representatives of the scientific and technological community from the Latin America and the Caribbean
(LAC) region met in Mexico City, Mexico. Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, specific
recommendations emerging from their discussions included:



Sustainable development and Green Economy
New or existing institutions, research and                   cultural, social, political and economic change;
training programmes, and funding mechanisms                  personal, institutional-governmental, systemic
should be created or modified to support multi               and structural change; and impacts on vulnerable
and trans-disciplinary research in all fields of             communities.
the natural, engineering and social sciences and
humanities, recognising the full range of issues that        Sustainable development indicators should be
need to be addressed for sustainable development             developed, including social, technical, engineering,
and poverty eradication.                                     exact science and natural science dimensions.

Policy and research on Green Economy should                  Investment is needed in higher education and
account for the full implications of a transformation        especially in graduate studies to enhance research
to a Green Economy at all scales, including:                 and development (R&D) capacities in LAC.




Institutional framework for sustainable development
Specific mechanisms for providing STI advice                 analysing successful and unsuccessful practices in
should be developed in countries region-wide.                the LAC region.
These should be integral to government
departments, parliaments and their corresponding             Multistakeholder consultation and decision-making
commissions, and the justice system.                         fora could be established at the local, national
                                                             and regional level for the definition of ‘relevant’
More policy and advocacy-oriented research                   research programmes for sustainable development.
should be encouraged, with greater leadership from           This would include participation of groups from the
the scientific community in the implementation of            scientific community, social movements, other civil
solutions, and in communicating, advocating and              society organisations and the government (including
awareness-raising.                                           science advisors).
Research on the science-policy interface                     A global fund for STI for sustainable development
should be increased, analysing the different                 could be established, with each nation contributing
cultures of decision-makers, media and science               the equivalent of at least 1% of its national defence
communication, among other issues related to                 spending.
social studies of science and technology, and




                                                        10
iStockphoto © Luoman
Priority issues and emerging challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean
Biodiversity loss                                             ƒƒ Building resilience to these natural risks (in the
ƒƒ LAC offers rich terrestrial, marine, coastal and              framework of climate change) and related human
   fresh water ecosystem functions and services,                 displacements is essential.
   including highly diverse agro-ecosystems that
   contribute to global food security and abundant            Urbanisation
   sources of fresh water.                                    ƒƒ Rates of urbanisation in LAC are some of the
ƒƒ Reversing the rate of terrestrial, fresh water and            highest in the world, constituting a major
   marine biodiversity loss is crucial.                          environmental and social challenge.
ƒƒ Indigenous peoples should be recognised as key             ƒƒ A systemic approach to urbanisation should
   partners in biodiversity conservation, as they live           be developed, such as land use and territorial
   in and protect many of the remaining biologically             planning, including urban and peri-urban
   rich lands in LAC.                                            planning, based on continuous dialogue among
                                                                 all the stakeholders of society. This involves
Managing hazardous wastes                                        organising interdisciplinary teams for the
                                                                 development of social and biophysical indicators
ƒƒ Managing hazardous wastes in all habitats (e.g.
                                                                 (of materials and energy fluxes).
   urban, industrial and agriculture areas located
   in temperate, subtropical and tropical areas) is
                                                              Poverty eradication and cultural diversity
   essential, through the development of complete
   eco-toxicological approaches.                              ƒƒ The eradication of poverty is a major goal for the
                                                                 LAC region, especially for the poorest countries.
Climate change                                                ƒƒ The LAC region has high levels of cultural
ƒƒ Climate change mitigation and adaptation                      diversity, including large urban centres,
   capacities should be developed, recognising                   indigenous communities, women farmers and
   that richer nations have greater responsibility in            diverse language groups – giving a challenge
   mitigation while developing nations will require              and an opportunity to develop an intercultural
   greater efforts in adaptation.                                approach towards a more inclusive society.

Natural disasters                                             Other challenges
ƒƒ Due to its geological and meteorological                   ƒƒ Developing clean energy sources and sustainable
   characteristics and high rates of urbanisation                agriculture.
   the LAC region is susceptible to human life loss,
   population displacement and infrastructure
   damage due to natural disasters, such as
   earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanoes,
   hurricanes, storm surges and floods.



                                                         11
Arab States                                            12 – 14 October 2011, Cairo, Egypt

                                                              www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/arab-states

                                                              Organised by the UNESCO Office in Cairo and ICSU




Representatives of the STI community from the Arab States region met in Cairo, Egypt. Over 3 days of
discussions, they developed recommendations for Rio+20. Alongside the Overarching Recommendations,
specific recommendations included:

Sustainable development and Green Economy
The STI community within the Arab States strongly             ƒƒ Inclusion of indigenous, accumulated and
recommends a paradigm shift to coordinate                        implicit community knowledge and practices,
and enhance the region’s efforts towards a                       through dialogue and research with local
knowledge-based economy and sustainable                          communities.
development.                                                  In order to carry out a comprehensive research
                                                              agenda, capacity building is needed by the
A coherent and long-term research agenda needs
                                                              scientific community and different stakeholders,
to be developed for sustainable development in
                                                              with a focus on women and vulnerable groups.
the Arab States, containing a portfolio of projects.
Decision-makers should support this and make full             More integration and communication between
use of the results.                                           research efforts is needed in the region, to connect
                                                              individual projects and generate an accumulation of
Elements of this research agenda include:
                                                              experience.
ƒƒ Holistic, trans-disciplinary scientific approaches,
                                                              In addition to North-South knowledge and
   which address the interconnections between
                                                              technology transfer, there is a need for enhanced
   environmental, social and economic issues.
                                                              technology and knowledge transfer between Arab
ƒƒ Solution-orientated scientific programmes that             States.
   expressly serve community needs.
ƒƒ Strategies to incentivise scientists to serve the          Solutions and technologies from outside of the
   public through applied, practical, market-based,           region need to be adapted to the environment and
   pro-poor and relevant research.                            cultures of the Arab States. This process can be an
                                                              opportunity for capacity building in the region’s
ƒƒ Participatory processes through which
                                                              scientific and technological communities, and for
   science agendas and projects are developed,
                                                              local end-users.
   implemented and communicated including all
   stakeholders in any particular society or region.

Institutional framework for sustainable development
A more inclusive participatory approach                       There is need for an emphasis on citizenship rights
to governance is mandatory for an effective                   to being scientifically informed, so that the public
implementation of sustainable development                     can make informed decisions and participate in
policies in the Arab States, by formally integrating          discussions on issues pertaining to new sciences
civil society into decision-making, and using new             and technologies.
communication technologies to generate dialogue,
inclusion and democracy.                                      Working more effectively with education
                                                              ministries to integrate the concept of sustainable
The benefits of sustainable development and                   development into curricula in schools and
science at all scales need to be better recognised            universities, and attention to informal education
by the public and governments, and communicated               programmes, will be crucial.
more effectively by the STI community.

                                                         12
iStockphoto © Tobias Helbig
Priority issues and emerging challenges for the Arab States
Water security                                                ƒƒ International energy management standards
ƒƒ Water scarcity, quality and management are key                should be adapted for the region, management
   issues.                                                       strategies developed for energy efficiency and
                                                                 feed-in tariffs introduced to incentivise investment
ƒƒ Innovative water management solutions should be
                                                                 in renewable energy.
   generated and disseminated to address resource
   efficiency and conservation.
                                                              Natural disasters, climate change and conflicts
ƒƒ Community-based water management agreements                over resources
   should be initiated to share quotas for water,
                                                              ƒƒ STI-based climate change and disaster adaptation
   including trans-boundary agreements, and
                                                                 and mitigation strategies should be integrated
   community-based monitoring should be
                                                                 into countries’ economic, social and governance
   implemented.
                                                                 systems and firmly embedded into domestic
ƒƒ Water management policies should be improved,                 policy planning across the board.
   especially in the area of agriculture. Better and
   more efficient use should be made of irrigation,           Biodiversity
   efficient drip irrigation should replace flood, and        ƒƒ Efforts towards the valuation of ecosystem
   drainage water should be reused.                              services should be developed, enhanced and
ƒƒ Regulation and enforcement of pollution                       supported. Sustainable markets for natural
   prevention should be improved.                                resources (e.g. biodiversity and ecotourism)
                                                                 should be further enhanced.
Food security, nutrition and safety
                                                              ƒƒ The management of protected areas should be
ƒƒ Crop varieties that need less pesticides, less                improved.
   fertiliser and less water, and can adapt to climate
                                                              ƒƒ Education and awareness-raising programmes
   change, should be developed or better utilised.
                                                                 should be implemented for linking biodiversity to
ƒƒ Efficient and incentive-based sustainable                     society.
   agriculture should be promoted.
                                                              ƒƒ Recognising and working with community-based
ƒƒ Capacity building, education, training and                    traditional knowledge of biodiversity is essential
   extension services should be provided for                     for more effective and inclusive conservation
   farmers.                                                      management.
ƒƒ Agro-food losses and waste need to be reduced
   throughout the Arab States, through improved               Balanced rural-urban planning
   post-harvest techniques, reuse of ‘waste’                  ƒƒ There should be a focus on urban planning and
   products, and better storage and transport. There             sustainable land use.
   is a need to engage with agro-industry on this             ƒƒ Green building codes should be adapted to the
   subject.                                                      region (e.g. lighting, cooling).
Energy security and improved access                           ƒƒ Inclusive, small scale infrastructure solutions and
                                                                 services should be developed in rural areas to
ƒƒ Investment and R&D should be increased in
                                                                 reduce rural-urban migration.
   renewable and alternative sources of energy,
   noting the great potential of solar, wind and wave
   energy in the Arab States.


                                                         13
Europe and                                             12 – 14 October 2011, Helsinki, Finland

                                                              www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/europe

       North America                                          Organised by the Group of the European Members of ICSU, in
                                                              cooperation with ICSU and UNESCO




Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, the following recommendations are among those highlighted
by the STI community representatives from Europe and North America, during their workshop in Helsinki,
Finland:




                                                                                                                       iStockphoto © Mustafa Deliormanli
Sustainable development and Green Economy
The principle of common and differentiated global             consequences of consumption patterns visible and
responsibility of regions and countries should be             sustainability part of our shared culture.
applied in the search for fair and effective solutions
to global challenges.                                         A Green Economy needs effective monitoring
                                                              systems, including the monitoring of societal
The ‘Green Economy’ concept should provide                    change and the integration of social development
a useful starting point for helping to achieve                objectives into the Green Economy agenda.
sustainable development, in particular through
decarbonising consumption, reducing the other                 Goals, targets and indicators agreed at Rio+20
environmental impacts of consumption, and                     should sensitively account for the needs of
reducing consumption inequalities.                            indigenous people, and the special conditions
                                                              characterising sensitive and vulnerable areas,
Sustainable market structures, supported by                   such as the Arctic and the Mediterranean.
appropriate institutions and regulations, need to             Specific studies should be devoted to the analysis
be created to better reflect the status and value             of conditions of local communities and their
of natural capital and ensure correct signals to              adaptation to global change.
socio-economic systems including information on
scarcity, critical tipping points and tradeoffs.              Universal access to education is a necessary
                                                              precondition for achieving sustainable
Processes initiating social self-evolution and                development.
transformation should be encouraged by making the


                                                         14
Institutional framework for sustainable development
All international institutions should have a scientific        rational debate on emerging scientific questions
advisory body tasked with providing advice on                  and on new or emerging technologies such as
sustainable development matters; all national                  nanotechnology, carbon capture and storage, and
governments should include scientists and science              geo-engineering.
advisors in their delegations to international
meetings relevant to sustainable development; and              A research-based analysis of ways to strengthen
scientists and science advisors should be included             the role of global organisations for sustainable
in the early phases of the development of policies             development and the role of sustainable
for sustainable development, so that they are based            development in existing global organisations such
on the best, up-to-date scientific evidence.                   as the WTO, World Bank and IMF should be carried
                                                               out.
Institutions and mechanisms that ensure
comprehensive and independent assessments and                  The Aarhus Convention of the United Nations
evaluations of policies, based on the best available           Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE)
scientific knowledge, must be deployed. These                  on access to information, public participation
should be available at all levels of governance,               in decision-making and access to justice in
from the global to the local. The focus should be on           environmental matters could be used as a model
participatory evaluations and assessments.                     for the development of a global convention or
                                                               regional conventions.
Participatory sustainability assessments should
be carried out in order to contribute to timely and


Priority issues and emerging challenges for Europe and North America
Consumption and population                                     ƒƒ More effort must be devoted to increasing
ƒƒ The most important emerging challenges for                     resilience, with infrastructures, systems
   sustainable development are related to the                     and technologies adapted to natural and
   unsustainable consumption of natural capital                   anthropogenic hazards and climate change.
   and the economic, social and environmental
   consequences of population growth and                       Food policy
   demographic change.                                         ƒƒ Food policy needs to be better addressed within
                                                                  the research community using transdisciplinary
Interconnected issues                                             approaches. These issues will not be solved
ƒƒ Problems of waste, food, water and energy                      merely by technical solutions or by markets,
   security, climate change and ocean acidification,              but require innovative research and stakeholder
   greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss,                   dialogues.
   ecosystem degradation and loss of ecosystem                 ƒƒ In particular the links between food security,
   services are symptoms of population issues and                 climate change, energy production, conservation
   unsustainable consumption.                                     of biodiversity and water security have to be
ƒƒ These interconnected challenges must be tackled                addressed in order to identify threats, trade-offs
   at the international, regional, national and local             and solutions. Ethical aspects should also be
   scale if progress in sustainable development is to             explicitly recognised.
   be achieved.
                                                               Urbanisation
ƒƒ Research, technology and engineering focusing
   on recycling, efficient use of energy and natural           ƒƒ In the context of urbanisation and cities, planning
   resources, limits on agricultural land and the                 for sustainable development has to be developed,
   consequences of resource degradation should be                 recognising issues of population and lifestyle. The
   increased.                                                     potential for lower carbon footprints, sustainable
                                                                  transportation and improved human wellbeing
Natural hazards                                                   should be actively exploited.
ƒƒ Vulnerability to natural hazards is increased as a
   direct consequence of population migration and
   growth, and unsustainable consumption.

                                                          15
About ICSU
       and UNESCO




The non-governmental International Council for
Science (ICSU) represents the international science
community. With a global membership of national
scientific bodies (120 members representing 140
countries) and international scientific unions (31
members representing 31 different disciplines)
ICSU is uniquely placed due to its global coverage
and interdisciplinary breadth. ICSU is one of
the co-organising partners of the Scientific and
Technological Community Major Group for Rio+20,
and therefore participates alongside governments
and UN agencies in the Rio+20 Conference and its
preparations.
www.icsu.org




The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialised
UN agency with unique transdisciplinary
competencies in education, the sciences, culture
and communication and information. UNESCO is
the only United Nations specialised agency with
a specific mandate to promote natural and social
sciences. It does this in close cooperation with
its Member States and other partners throughout
the world, in the interests of peace, human
rights and development. Since its foundation in
1945 UNESCO has acted as a catalyst for the
establishment of many, now leading, scientific
unions and bodies; initiatives with far-reaching
implications for sustainable human security and
wellbeing.
www.unesco.org

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ICSU-UNESCO Regional Science and Technology Workshops

  • 1. Science and Technology for Rio+20 ICSU-UNESCO Rio+20 Regional Science and Technology Workshops Asia and the Pacific Africa Latin America and the Caribbean Arab States Europe and North America www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops
  • 2. Background Dates and locations of the ICSU-UNESCO regional science and technology workshops Region Date Location Asia Pacific 16 – 18 April 2011 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Africa 30 May – 1 June 2011 Pretoria, South Africa LAC 3 – 5 August 2011 Mexico City, Mexico Arab States 12 – 14 October 2011 Cairo, Egypt Europe 12 – 14 October 2011 Helsinki, Finland The concept of sustainable development brings together economic, social and environmental challenges, developed and developing countries, governments, businesses and civil society, scientific knowledge and public policy, and present and future generations. It has created the awareness that the environment and social and economic development are facets of the same agenda. The United Nations Rio+20 Conference will take place 20–22 June 2012, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Coming 20 years after the original Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, and 10 years after the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, Rio+20 (also known more formally as the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development 2012) will bring together high-level policy-makers from across the world. The aim is to secure renewed political commitment to sustainable development, to assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the sustainable development agenda, and to address new and emerging challenges. The ICSU-UNESCO Regional Workshops ICSU and UNESCO recognised the need to enhance the input from the science, technology and innovation (STI) community into the Rio+20 process, and to account for region-specific priorities and concerns. ICSU and UNESCO therefore organised five regional science and technology workshops in 2011 (for Asia and the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), Africa, the Arab States, and Europe and North America). Participants at the Regional Workshops Each workshop had between 40–80 participants, primarily coming from countries in the region. Participants were made up of: ƒƒ Natural scientists, social scientists and engineers, including young scientists and engineers; ƒƒ High-level policy-makers/ government representatives; ƒƒ Representatives of civil society (‘Major Groups’ in UN terminology), including business and industry, farmers and indigenous peoples; ƒƒ Co-sponsors. Results and Recommendations The workshops were designed to provide input for the five Rio+20 intergovernmental Regional Preparatory Meetings (RPMs) being held in the run up to the Rio+20 Conference by the five regional UN Economic and Social Commissions (ECA, ESCWA, ESCAP, ECE, ECLAC) in their respective regions. The results and recommendations of the workshops have now been presented by our delegations at these meetings, and have informed ICSU and UNESCO’s inputs for the Rio+20 Conference. 2
  • 3. Aims of the Regional Workshops ƒƒ To give natural scientists, social scientist and engineers from the different regions the opportunity to prepare joint positions and concerted input for the Rio+20 RPMs, in collaboration with policy-makers and other key actors. ƒƒ To provide a platform for a science-policy dialogue at the regional level. ƒƒ To provide a platform for a multi-stakeholder dialogue with other ‘Major Groups’ (civil society stakeholders), including business and industry. Overall Objectives of the Regional Workshops ƒƒ To ensure that the best available natural and social science is integrated into policy recommendations resulting from the RPMs and Rio+20. ƒƒ To incorporate specific regional concerns and priorities into the global agenda of Rio+20. ƒƒ To identify where support is needed by the STI community, at national and regional levels. ƒƒ To highlight the major contributions from STI to sustainable development. ƒƒ To identify the roles of civil society and the private sector in STI activities at regional, national and local scales, and their needs from the STI community. Duration and Agendas Each regional workshop lasted three days, with keynote presentations, plenary discussions and break-out group sessions. The workshops addressed the main themes of Rio+20: ƒƒ Green Economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; ƒƒ the institutional framework for sustainable development. The workshops also assessed new and emerging challenges and priority issues. Organisers The regional workshops were jointly organised by ICSU’s and UNESCO’s regional offices, except the Europe and North America workshop which was organised by the European Group of ICSU National Members. All workshops were held in cooperation with the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO), the International Social Science Council (ISSC) and regional stakeholders. Additional Information For additional information on the regional workshops, including: ƒƒ reports and recommendations ƒƒ agendas ƒƒ participants lists see: www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops Contact: ƒƒ Gisbert Glaser (ICSU Senior Advisor): gisbert.glaser@icsu.org ƒƒ Alice Abreu (ICSU’s Rio+20 Regional Coordinator): alice.abreu@icsu.org ƒƒ Peter Bates (ICSU Science Officer): peter.bates@icsu.org 3
  • 4. Overarching Recommendations and Key Issues The participants at the five regional workshops asserted the importance of such regional meetings for the STI community, their commitment to STI for sustainable development, and their aspirations for Rio+20. The following overarching recommendations and key issues were highlighted during the discussions in all of the regions: ƒƒ The Rio+20 outcome must be commensurate with the urgent need to move humanity to a sustainable path of development. ƒƒ Human induced global environmental change is occurring at an increasing rate and intensity across all regions. Fundamental changes in the human drivers affecting the Earth system and actions to enhance the resilience and decrease the vulnerability of human communities are essential. ƒƒ Current economic patterns are responsible for many of the interlinked and growing social, environmental and economic crises unfolding across all regions. Economic sustainability, human development, poverty eradication and environmental sustainability must be addressed in an integrated fashion. ƒƒ The last 20 years have seen at best incremental movements towards sustainable development. Renewed global political commitment to sustainable development is vital. ƒƒ Concrete and challenging targets should be set that can be translated into international and national law. ƒƒ The natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering and technology communities have a fundamental role to play in developing systems of knowledge, defining targets, implementing solutions and monitoring progress for sustainable development. ƒƒ Commitments are needed to large-scale investments in targeted transdisciplinary research that addresses the integrated environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable development. Social and technological innovations for sustainability should be the goal. 4
  • 5. iStockphoto © Nikada ƒƒ Strengthening science-policy links at national, regional and global levels is essential in efforts to improve the institutional framework for sustainable development. Science advisory mechanisms should be built into all levels of decision making, at national, regional and global scales. ƒƒ Targeted capacity building is needed within the scientific community, with a focus on developing countries and gender equality issues. ƒƒ The scientific and technological community must improve cooperation with other parts of civil society, the private sector, governments and intergovernmental bodies. Research agendas should be defined through broad-based, participatory approaches involving those in need of scientific information. ƒƒ It is important to work closely with local communities and indigenous peoples when planning research activities, development interventions or education programmes, to account for their specific cultures and knowledge. ƒƒ Formal, informal and non-formal education should be recognised as key mechanisms in addressing sustainable development issues for the medium and long term, and they should have a strong science-base. ƒƒ Rio+20 is a forum at which governments should recognise, enhance and map out the crucial relationship between policy-making and science, technology and innovation. ƒƒ Rio+20 should be a fundamental milestone in the development of a new contract between science and society. 5
  • 6. Asia and the Pacific 16 – 18 April 2011, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/asia-pacific Organised by ICSU’s Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, and the UNESCO Regional Science Bureau for Asia and the Pacific in Jakarta. Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, the following recommendations are among those highlighted by the scientific and technological community from the Asia and the Pacific region during the three-day workshop in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia: Sustainable development and Green Economy The Asia and the Pacific region, with more than More public funding support for Green Economy half of the world's population and two thirds of research and development (R&D) is vital, but it the world's poor, has a major stake in sustainable needs to be applied strategically. development and poverty alleviation. Its rapid growth in economic output and its rapidly growing Members of the scientific community need to have share of global scientific research put it in a good freedom in the conduct of science, need to carry position to achieve these goals. out and disseminate their research responsibly, and need to be accountable for their work. This is The people of the region, and indeed all people on especially important in respect to science relating to the Earth, face two major challenges: sustainable development. Responsible and ethical conduct of research is an important requirement of 1. The continued use of the Earth and its ecosystem scientists in their contract with society. as if it were an infinite source of resources and a boundless sink for our waste. The lack of public and political awareness of dealing with risk and uncertainty is one of the 2. Resources are used in such a way that many features behind a lack of trust of science. Outreach people of the Earth, and especially in Asia and and educational campaigns must address risk and the Pacific, continue to live in extreme poverty. uncertainty and improve community understanding The connection between the Green Economy and of them. poverty alleviation is not automatic. It must be Public communication, raising awareness and consciously articulated and implemented. the education of all stakeholders about the Green Action to move to sustainable development will Economy and new and emerging challenges are require changes in social values and practices, as an important responsibility of the scientific and well as technical solutions. technological community. The construction of an appropriate sustainable Industry must work in partnership with the natural development index that will become the true sciences, social sciences and the technological measure of development is a matter of high priority. community to make progress in the transition to This index should take into account environmental, sustainable development. social and economic indicators. Women are key actors for delivering the concept Scientific data and information are central to and products of Green Economy and green understanding environmental change and for technology into the family and society. A greater monitoring societal progress towards sustainable participation of women in the scientific and development. Natural science, social science and technological workforce should be encouraged. The technology therefore have a vital role to play in views of women on population growth need to be the success of the Rio+20 process. Achieving this heard and supported. requires financial and political support. 6
  • 7. © Peter Bates Institutional framework for sustainable development An improved position of science and technology in the international sphere. Institutions established in the hierarchy of international institutions and to encourage and oversee the move to sustainable national governments is a necessary first step development need to cooperate and not compete. in giving science and technology a stronger focus in international discussions, dialogues and The collection and sharing of data, information and negotiations. knowledge is a major need of the STI community, and of governments at all levels. The many There is a great need to improve inter-ministerial international institutions involved with sustainable linkages and collaboration in the national development need to coordinate their data systems government, and between equivalent organisations and make them compatible. New and emerging challenges for Asia and the Pacific Climate change, ecosystem change and sound technologies such as integrated water over-utilisation of resources and waste management, by assisting in urban ƒƒ Previously recognised challenges, including planning to reduce energy consumption, and climate change, ecosystem change and over studying and influencing social practices. utilisation of resources, have a heightened urgency because they have not been addressed. Sustainable energy ƒƒ Sustainable energy is key to sustainable Urbanisation development, and a sustainable and adequate ƒƒ Urbanisation is a particularly relevant challenge energy supply is a major priority for the Asia and in the Asia and the Pacific region, as here the the Pacific region.  Achieving this will require urban population is growing at more than twice innovations in science and technology and the rate of the total population. In many cases changes in social practices.  Natural science, urbanisation is leading to health problems and social science, humanities, engineering and decreasing wellbeing. technology all therefore have a vital role to play in the delivery of sustainable energy. ƒƒ The STI community can help reduce urban ecological footprints by introducing ecologically 7
  • 8. Africa 30 May – 1 June 2011, Pretoria, South Africa www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/africa Organised by ICSU’s Regional Office for Africa and the UNESCO Regional Bureau for Science and Technology in Africa in Nairobi The African scientific and technological community met over 3 days in Pretoria, South Africa. Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, other recommendations and priority issues from their discussions include: Sustainable development and Green Economy The design and provision of market incentives Financial support/lending institutions should be and financing will be important for promoting strengthened to support local entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship and green projects, to levels that economy-of-scale projects in key economic sectors are needed to accelerate transition from ‘brown’ to in Africa such as agriculture, energy, transportation ‘green’ economy. and municipal services. The STI base should be improved at appropriate Initiatives must have regional context and relevance levels (artisans, mid-level and advanced levels) to to succeed, and should be designed to account for support novel industrial operations that the targeted indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) of the African Green Economy requires in African countries. continent. Infrastructure to support STI and humanities Specific systems should be implemented to ensure research, such as research parks, technology that vulnerable groups such as women, youth incubation centres, library systems, data storage and the disabled are protected through their and transfer centres, internet systems and laboratory socio-economic empowerment in Africa. support systems, need to be established in greater numbers in Africa. Institutional framework for sustainable development Considering that well-designed programmes can fail STI intellectual resources and facilities that are if not properly coordinated and monitored, efficient available within the African Continent should be mechanisms should be established to ensure good identified, through the development and integration governance and accountability in both the public of databases and directories of African researchers and private sectors. and research-related organisations. Africa has been the object of numerous STI should be included as the primary engine development policies and action plans at all of Green Economy development through the levels. These need to be analysed and harmonised, development and integration of National Science including: regulations/conventions, policies, market and Technology Policies (with adequate funding), incentives, educational and research support and creation of science advisory boards to provide systems, performance monitoring systems, and input into developments in every socio-economic enforcement systems. sector. 8
  • 9. © Shutterstock Priority issues and emerging challenges for Africa: Food security Health security ƒƒ Land redistribution, transfer and acquisition have ƒƒ Africa bears the bulk of the global disease burden to be addressed if Africa is to benefit from the with the double tragedy imposed by emerging green (agricultural) revolution. (e.g. hemorrhagic fevers) and re-emerging (e.g. ƒƒ Indigenous seed and crop varieties that are TB, malaria) diseases. STI should be deployed to best-suited to African conditions need to be find solutions to these health challenges. identified, and their production increased to meet food security needs. Natural and human-induced hazards and disasters ƒƒ Africa is prone to a wide variety of escalating Biodiversity and ecosystem loss natural and human-induced disasters such as ƒƒ Deforestation, including clearing of forests for droughts, flooding, tropical cyclones, pests and other competing needs, is a key issue. diseases. It is therefore important that Africa adopt cost-effective policies to lower associated Climate change and security risks and allocate appropriate resources to ƒƒ Africa should prepare itself for adaptation to, hazards and disaster mitigation and preparedness. and mitigation of, the impacts of climate change, Desertification especially sea level rise along the coast of Africa, which could generate massive human migrations. ƒƒ The advance of the Sahara southwards and spread of aridity in most parts of Africa calls for STI and Water scarcity and use IKS interventions to address desertification. ƒƒ Africa should explore possibilities for alternative Human migration water resources such as groundwater, and application of STI in water harvesting ƒƒ Due to slow economic growth and development methodologies in the face of climate change and in rural areas, there has been increased migration increase in its population. from rural to urban or coastal regions, thus over-stretching basic infrastructure in those areas, Energy crisis and increasing poverty and pollution. ƒƒ Africa’s clean and renewable energy resources are enormous but there is a need for enhanced STI to The Africa regional workshop report is available in effectively tap this resource. English, Portuguese and French 9
  • 10. Latin America 3 – 5 August 2011, Mexico City, Mexico www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/ and the Caribbean latin-america-and-the-caribbean Organised by ICSU’s Regional Office for Latin America and the Caribbean, and the UNESCO Regional Office of Science and Technology for Latin America and the Caribbean in Montevideo Representatives of the scientific and technological community from the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region met in Mexico City, Mexico. Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, specific recommendations emerging from their discussions included: Sustainable development and Green Economy New or existing institutions, research and cultural, social, political and economic change; training programmes, and funding mechanisms personal, institutional-governmental, systemic should be created or modified to support multi and structural change; and impacts on vulnerable and trans-disciplinary research in all fields of communities. the natural, engineering and social sciences and humanities, recognising the full range of issues that Sustainable development indicators should be need to be addressed for sustainable development developed, including social, technical, engineering, and poverty eradication. exact science and natural science dimensions. Policy and research on Green Economy should Investment is needed in higher education and account for the full implications of a transformation especially in graduate studies to enhance research to a Green Economy at all scales, including: and development (R&D) capacities in LAC. Institutional framework for sustainable development Specific mechanisms for providing STI advice analysing successful and unsuccessful practices in should be developed in countries region-wide. the LAC region. These should be integral to government departments, parliaments and their corresponding Multistakeholder consultation and decision-making commissions, and the justice system. fora could be established at the local, national and regional level for the definition of ‘relevant’ More policy and advocacy-oriented research research programmes for sustainable development. should be encouraged, with greater leadership from This would include participation of groups from the the scientific community in the implementation of scientific community, social movements, other civil solutions, and in communicating, advocating and society organisations and the government (including awareness-raising. science advisors). Research on the science-policy interface A global fund for STI for sustainable development should be increased, analysing the different could be established, with each nation contributing cultures of decision-makers, media and science the equivalent of at least 1% of its national defence communication, among other issues related to spending. social studies of science and technology, and 10
  • 11. iStockphoto © Luoman Priority issues and emerging challenges for Latin America and the Caribbean Biodiversity loss ƒƒ Building resilience to these natural risks (in the ƒƒ LAC offers rich terrestrial, marine, coastal and framework of climate change) and related human fresh water ecosystem functions and services, displacements is essential. including highly diverse agro-ecosystems that contribute to global food security and abundant Urbanisation sources of fresh water. ƒƒ Rates of urbanisation in LAC are some of the ƒƒ Reversing the rate of terrestrial, fresh water and highest in the world, constituting a major marine biodiversity loss is crucial. environmental and social challenge. ƒƒ Indigenous peoples should be recognised as key ƒƒ A systemic approach to urbanisation should partners in biodiversity conservation, as they live be developed, such as land use and territorial in and protect many of the remaining biologically planning, including urban and peri-urban rich lands in LAC. planning, based on continuous dialogue among all the stakeholders of society. This involves Managing hazardous wastes organising interdisciplinary teams for the development of social and biophysical indicators ƒƒ Managing hazardous wastes in all habitats (e.g. (of materials and energy fluxes). urban, industrial and agriculture areas located in temperate, subtropical and tropical areas) is Poverty eradication and cultural diversity essential, through the development of complete eco-toxicological approaches. ƒƒ The eradication of poverty is a major goal for the LAC region, especially for the poorest countries. Climate change ƒƒ The LAC region has high levels of cultural ƒƒ Climate change mitigation and adaptation diversity, including large urban centres, capacities should be developed, recognising indigenous communities, women farmers and that richer nations have greater responsibility in diverse language groups – giving a challenge mitigation while developing nations will require and an opportunity to develop an intercultural greater efforts in adaptation. approach towards a more inclusive society. Natural disasters Other challenges ƒƒ Due to its geological and meteorological ƒƒ Developing clean energy sources and sustainable characteristics and high rates of urbanisation agriculture. the LAC region is susceptible to human life loss, population displacement and infrastructure damage due to natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, volcanoes, hurricanes, storm surges and floods. 11
  • 12. Arab States 12 – 14 October 2011, Cairo, Egypt www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/arab-states Organised by the UNESCO Office in Cairo and ICSU Representatives of the STI community from the Arab States region met in Cairo, Egypt. Over 3 days of discussions, they developed recommendations for Rio+20. Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, specific recommendations included: Sustainable development and Green Economy The STI community within the Arab States strongly ƒƒ Inclusion of indigenous, accumulated and recommends a paradigm shift to coordinate implicit community knowledge and practices, and enhance the region’s efforts towards a through dialogue and research with local knowledge-based economy and sustainable communities. development. In order to carry out a comprehensive research agenda, capacity building is needed by the A coherent and long-term research agenda needs scientific community and different stakeholders, to be developed for sustainable development in with a focus on women and vulnerable groups. the Arab States, containing a portfolio of projects. Decision-makers should support this and make full More integration and communication between use of the results. research efforts is needed in the region, to connect individual projects and generate an accumulation of Elements of this research agenda include: experience. ƒƒ Holistic, trans-disciplinary scientific approaches, In addition to North-South knowledge and which address the interconnections between technology transfer, there is a need for enhanced environmental, social and economic issues. technology and knowledge transfer between Arab ƒƒ Solution-orientated scientific programmes that States. expressly serve community needs. ƒƒ Strategies to incentivise scientists to serve the Solutions and technologies from outside of the public through applied, practical, market-based, region need to be adapted to the environment and pro-poor and relevant research. cultures of the Arab States. This process can be an opportunity for capacity building in the region’s ƒƒ Participatory processes through which scientific and technological communities, and for science agendas and projects are developed, local end-users. implemented and communicated including all stakeholders in any particular society or region. Institutional framework for sustainable development A more inclusive participatory approach There is need for an emphasis on citizenship rights to governance is mandatory for an effective to being scientifically informed, so that the public implementation of sustainable development can make informed decisions and participate in policies in the Arab States, by formally integrating discussions on issues pertaining to new sciences civil society into decision-making, and using new and technologies. communication technologies to generate dialogue, inclusion and democracy. Working more effectively with education ministries to integrate the concept of sustainable The benefits of sustainable development and development into curricula in schools and science at all scales need to be better recognised universities, and attention to informal education by the public and governments, and communicated programmes, will be crucial. more effectively by the STI community. 12
  • 13. iStockphoto © Tobias Helbig Priority issues and emerging challenges for the Arab States Water security ƒƒ International energy management standards ƒƒ Water scarcity, quality and management are key should be adapted for the region, management issues. strategies developed for energy efficiency and feed-in tariffs introduced to incentivise investment ƒƒ Innovative water management solutions should be in renewable energy. generated and disseminated to address resource efficiency and conservation. Natural disasters, climate change and conflicts ƒƒ Community-based water management agreements over resources should be initiated to share quotas for water, ƒƒ STI-based climate change and disaster adaptation including trans-boundary agreements, and and mitigation strategies should be integrated community-based monitoring should be into countries’ economic, social and governance implemented. systems and firmly embedded into domestic ƒƒ Water management policies should be improved, policy planning across the board. especially in the area of agriculture. Better and more efficient use should be made of irrigation, Biodiversity efficient drip irrigation should replace flood, and ƒƒ Efforts towards the valuation of ecosystem drainage water should be reused. services should be developed, enhanced and ƒƒ Regulation and enforcement of pollution supported. Sustainable markets for natural prevention should be improved. resources (e.g. biodiversity and ecotourism) should be further enhanced. Food security, nutrition and safety ƒƒ The management of protected areas should be ƒƒ Crop varieties that need less pesticides, less improved. fertiliser and less water, and can adapt to climate ƒƒ Education and awareness-raising programmes change, should be developed or better utilised. should be implemented for linking biodiversity to ƒƒ Efficient and incentive-based sustainable society. agriculture should be promoted. ƒƒ Recognising and working with community-based ƒƒ Capacity building, education, training and traditional knowledge of biodiversity is essential extension services should be provided for for more effective and inclusive conservation farmers. management. ƒƒ Agro-food losses and waste need to be reduced throughout the Arab States, through improved Balanced rural-urban planning post-harvest techniques, reuse of ‘waste’ ƒƒ There should be a focus on urban planning and products, and better storage and transport. There sustainable land use. is a need to engage with agro-industry on this ƒƒ Green building codes should be adapted to the subject. region (e.g. lighting, cooling). Energy security and improved access ƒƒ Inclusive, small scale infrastructure solutions and services should be developed in rural areas to ƒƒ Investment and R&D should be increased in reduce rural-urban migration. renewable and alternative sources of energy, noting the great potential of solar, wind and wave energy in the Arab States. 13
  • 14. Europe and 12 – 14 October 2011, Helsinki, Finland www.icsu.org/rio20/regional-workshops/europe North America Organised by the Group of the European Members of ICSU, in cooperation with ICSU and UNESCO Alongside the Overarching Recommendations, the following recommendations are among those highlighted by the STI community representatives from Europe and North America, during their workshop in Helsinki, Finland: iStockphoto © Mustafa Deliormanli Sustainable development and Green Economy The principle of common and differentiated global consequences of consumption patterns visible and responsibility of regions and countries should be sustainability part of our shared culture. applied in the search for fair and effective solutions to global challenges. A Green Economy needs effective monitoring systems, including the monitoring of societal The ‘Green Economy’ concept should provide change and the integration of social development a useful starting point for helping to achieve objectives into the Green Economy agenda. sustainable development, in particular through decarbonising consumption, reducing the other Goals, targets and indicators agreed at Rio+20 environmental impacts of consumption, and should sensitively account for the needs of reducing consumption inequalities. indigenous people, and the special conditions characterising sensitive and vulnerable areas, Sustainable market structures, supported by such as the Arctic and the Mediterranean. appropriate institutions and regulations, need to Specific studies should be devoted to the analysis be created to better reflect the status and value of conditions of local communities and their of natural capital and ensure correct signals to adaptation to global change. socio-economic systems including information on scarcity, critical tipping points and tradeoffs. Universal access to education is a necessary precondition for achieving sustainable Processes initiating social self-evolution and development. transformation should be encouraged by making the 14
  • 15. Institutional framework for sustainable development All international institutions should have a scientific rational debate on emerging scientific questions advisory body tasked with providing advice on and on new or emerging technologies such as sustainable development matters; all national nanotechnology, carbon capture and storage, and governments should include scientists and science geo-engineering. advisors in their delegations to international meetings relevant to sustainable development; and A research-based analysis of ways to strengthen scientists and science advisors should be included the role of global organisations for sustainable in the early phases of the development of policies development and the role of sustainable for sustainable development, so that they are based development in existing global organisations such on the best, up-to-date scientific evidence. as the WTO, World Bank and IMF should be carried out. Institutions and mechanisms that ensure comprehensive and independent assessments and The Aarhus Convention of the United Nations evaluations of policies, based on the best available Economic Commission for Europe (UN ECE) scientific knowledge, must be deployed. These on access to information, public participation should be available at all levels of governance, in decision-making and access to justice in from the global to the local. The focus should be on environmental matters could be used as a model participatory evaluations and assessments. for the development of a global convention or regional conventions. Participatory sustainability assessments should be carried out in order to contribute to timely and Priority issues and emerging challenges for Europe and North America Consumption and population ƒƒ More effort must be devoted to increasing ƒƒ The most important emerging challenges for resilience, with infrastructures, systems sustainable development are related to the and technologies adapted to natural and unsustainable consumption of natural capital anthropogenic hazards and climate change. and the economic, social and environmental consequences of population growth and Food policy demographic change. ƒƒ Food policy needs to be better addressed within the research community using transdisciplinary Interconnected issues approaches. These issues will not be solved ƒƒ Problems of waste, food, water and energy merely by technical solutions or by markets, security, climate change and ocean acidification, but require innovative research and stakeholder greenhouse gas emissions, biodiversity loss, dialogues. ecosystem degradation and loss of ecosystem ƒƒ In particular the links between food security, services are symptoms of population issues and climate change, energy production, conservation unsustainable consumption. of biodiversity and water security have to be ƒƒ These interconnected challenges must be tackled addressed in order to identify threats, trade-offs at the international, regional, national and local and solutions. Ethical aspects should also be scale if progress in sustainable development is to explicitly recognised. be achieved. Urbanisation ƒƒ Research, technology and engineering focusing on recycling, efficient use of energy and natural ƒƒ In the context of urbanisation and cities, planning resources, limits on agricultural land and the for sustainable development has to be developed, consequences of resource degradation should be recognising issues of population and lifestyle. The increased. potential for lower carbon footprints, sustainable transportation and improved human wellbeing Natural hazards should be actively exploited. ƒƒ Vulnerability to natural hazards is increased as a direct consequence of population migration and growth, and unsustainable consumption. 15
  • 16. About ICSU and UNESCO The non-governmental International Council for Science (ICSU) represents the international science community. With a global membership of national scientific bodies (120 members representing 140 countries) and international scientific unions (31 members representing 31 different disciplines) ICSU is uniquely placed due to its global coverage and interdisciplinary breadth. ICSU is one of the co-organising partners of the Scientific and Technological Community Major Group for Rio+20, and therefore participates alongside governments and UN agencies in the Rio+20 Conference and its preparations. www.icsu.org The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) is a specialised UN agency with unique transdisciplinary competencies in education, the sciences, culture and communication and information. UNESCO is the only United Nations specialised agency with a specific mandate to promote natural and social sciences. It does this in close cooperation with its Member States and other partners throughout the world, in the interests of peace, human rights and development. Since its foundation in 1945 UNESCO has acted as a catalyst for the establishment of many, now leading, scientific unions and bodies; initiatives with far-reaching implications for sustainable human security and wellbeing. www.unesco.org