3rd
Alliance of Small Island States Workshop on Climate Change, Energy and
Preparations for the 9th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
Cyprus, 15 - 19 January, 2001
Announcement
Venue:
Nicosia, Cyprus
Sponsored by: AOSIS, the Government of Cyprus, Norway, New Zealand
and Switzerland
For Small Island Developing States (SIDS) the relationship between
energy and sustainable development has been recognized for a number
of sectors, in particular transportation, tourism and rural development.
Furthermore, in December 1997, the international community adopted the
first treaty instrument containing specific legally binding commitments
aimed at combating global warming. When it enters into force, the Kyoto
Protocol to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change will require
industrialized countries to limit or reduce their emissions of greenhouse
gases between 2008 and 2012. The linkage between energy and climate
change has therefore been squarely made. The forthcoming round of negotiations,
the CSD session on energy, will be technically detailed, politically
important, and logistically compressed. AOSIS is committed to achieving
a positive result at CSD-9 that would allow for and further promote
support to sustainable development and renewable energy in the SIDS.
It will be a key opportunity to formalize an energy agenda for SIDS,
if not for all developing countries. The workshop proposed in this document
would assist in this regard, as it should bring together both climate
change experts as well as energy experts. It should aim to complete
a formal submission from AOSIS to the CSD on energy and SIDS. It should
contain detailed proposals for the next steps, including a possible
energy agenda for SIDS. An initial exchange of views was held in connection
with the 2nd AOSIS Workshop in Apia, Samoa on 4 August 2000. Subsequent
discussions were held with Professor Albert Binger, University of the
West Indies Center for Environment and Development. The preparatory
meeting came up with several key recommendations, including:
" the Workshop is aimed at… developing unified, coherent and pragmatic
policy decisions that would be conducive to a more enlightened outcome
of the ninth session of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable
Development. The workshop should also begin to give direction to the
needs for institutional strengthening within the AOSIS regions, …should
seek to highlight the linkages to all the vital sectors of the SIDS
economies and to keep the social and human development aspects of energy
questions in SIDS, including public education and awareness. The workshop
should also seek to have demonstration projects presented to participants,
and should seek to address investment risks and financial issues related
to energy projects development, such as project formulation and implementation.
Prof. Binger was requested to provide a document that outlines the linkages
between energy and the various sectors such as tourism, industry and
agriculture, as well as the linkages to the sustainable development
problems facing SIDS."
This initiative will therefore be organized by the office of the AOSIS
Chairman, coordinated by Professor Binger, with the assistance of the
SIDS unit of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs of the United
Nations. It will pull together approximately two representatives from
each of the AOSIS Member States to a 4-day workshop in January 2001.
Participants would be invited to attend in their personal capacities,
and will be selected on the basis of their past and likely future participation
in the climate change and sustainable development negotiations, and
for the diversity and relevance of their professional training.
The goals of the four day workshop is to:
• Increase the level of understanding/awareness about the links
between climate change, energy and sustainable development among SIDS
professionals involved in the climate change activities as well as other
sustainable development negotiations.
• Identify mechanisms to facilitate the exchange of information
and experience between SIDS professionals working in these areas.
• Develop proposals for submission to donors at the 9th session
of the CSD for supporting capacity development for the transition to
sustainable energy services.
• Initiate the development of a sustainable energy document that
will help to guide capacity development and policy making and planning
in SIDS.
The workshop will be developed around presentations commissioned from
three SIDS regions (Caribbean SIDS, Pacific SIDS, African and Indian
Ocean SIDS) that would provide insight into the prevailing energy sector
situations and the challenges and opportunities to make the transition
to sustainable energy services. There will also be two keynote presentations
on conceptual matters relating to sustainable development and energy
services.
The workshop will be the overall responsibility of AOSIS with assistance
from the Natural Resources and SIDS Branch/DSD/DESA. The Cyprus Government,
in cooperation with the Chairman of AOSIS, will host the workshop.
For further
information, please contact Mr. Espen Ronneberg, DSD/DESA at ronneberg@un.org,
or
Ms. Desna Solofa, Samoa UN Mission, at desnams@bigplanet.com
www.sidsnet.org
