UN Inter-Agency Network

The UN Inter-Agency Network was launched in December 2008 with the participation of 12 UN Agencies.

Its purpose is to:

  • Increase awareness of the Marrakech Process and its activities among the UN Agencies;
  • Highlight their potential role and the benefits of getting engaged in promoting and implementing SCP; and
  • Involve the UN Agencies in the formulation of the 10YFP.

See minutes of the first meeting.

Cooperation Dialogue with Development Agencies

Development agencies can make a difference and contribute with SCP. Even though most of them are not familiar with the concept, they integrate SCP issues in their sectoral projects, such as energy and resource efficiency, waste management, water and sanitation, food and sustainable agriculture, poverty reduction, and rural development.

The Cooperation Dialogue is a space offered by the Marrakech Process to engage development agencies, regional banks, and SCP experts from both developing and developed countries in the promotion of SCP and in exploring and highlighting the benefits of SCP for poverty reduction.

The Cooperation Dialogue Sessions were launched at the Second International Expert Meeting on the Marrakech Process (Costa Rica 2005). It was co-chaired by Mr. Sherif Arif, World Bank and Mr. James Riordan, Mr. Environment Canada, with a good participation of development agencies including the Finnish Development Agency, the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Development Cooperation, the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation (AECA), the Swedish Agency for International Development (SIDA). As a result, the experts and the representatives of the development agencies discussed and identified that:

  • Poverty eradication is a priority, with a particular focus on the Millennium Development Goals

  • Development agencies are responsive to the objectives and priorities set by recipient governments in national development plans

  • Aspects of sustainable development and/or environmental sustainability are often included in national development plans, but there are generally no specific references to SCP

  • Engaging development agencies in the Marrakech Process can best be done by including SCP in national development plans
Sherif Arif (World Bank), Adriana Zacarias (UNEP), and James Riordan (Ministry of Environment of Canada)

As a result of the first Cooperation Dialogue Sessions, the following activities were recommended for follow up:

  1. Undertake a review of existing SCP-related projects supported by development agencies as a basis for considering how better to integrate SCP in development plans and identify opportunities to increase access to available development funds

  2. Continue the dialogue between SCP experts and development agencies and organize similar sessions at the Third International Expert Meeting on the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (Marrakech+4, Sweden 2007)

  3. Estimate the costs of inaction and the benefits of SCP

Links:


Second Dialogue Sessions at Stockholm

The Second Dialogue Sessions of the Cooperation Dialogue was organised during the Stockholm International Meeting (2007) with the participation of around 25 participants from as many organisations and countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. The session was co-chaired by Mr. Phil Dobie of UNDP-UNEP Poverty and Environment Facility UNDP and Octavio Peralta of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia & Pacific (ADFIAP). The participants pointed out the following key recommendations to build more cooperation between SCP experts and development agencies in the promotion of SCP patterns:

  • Extend the dialogue beyond development cooperation agencies to recipient governments to integrate SCP approaches in national development agendas

  • Develop tools for implementation of SCP programmes (e.g. knowledge management, SCP toolkits under development by the Task Forces, and SCP checklist for development projects

  • Undertake research on the links between poverty and SCP and to document economic and social benefits of applying this approach

  • Review the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness to see how SCP can secure high-level attention and how the 10YFP could complement that declaration

The Cooperation Dialogue also identified that it can contribute to the further development of the 10YFP through:

  • Establishing a working group to support the Development Cooperation Dialogue in developing a vision and work plan, and specific areas and projects for collaboration. This group might also serve as a steering committee to guide the UNEP project on SCP and poverty alleviation (PDF - 606 KB)

  • Extend the Dialogue to a broader spectrum of development cooperation partners (national and regional development banks and financial institutions, investors, foundations, interested commercial banks) to find ways to advance SCP activities developed by Marrakech Task Forces, National Clean Product Centres and other stakeholders' initiatives

  • Compile an online database of SCP projects that could be presented to this broader spectrum of development cooperation partners

Link:

  • Meeting Report (PDF - 248 KB) and Co-chairs Summary of the Third International Expert Meeting on 10YFP (Stockholm Meeting)
 

SCP: How Development Cooperation Agencies Make a Difference
(Review, April 2006)

Future Directions
'SCP work should be linked to poverty reduction, especially the MDGs, and integrated into national strategies for sustainable development and poverty reduction. Further work is needed on estimating the costs of inaction and the benefits of SCP; awareness-raising; and ongoing international cooperation including capacity building, technical and financial assistance and knowledge sharing'
Allan Flores (PDF - 1,7 MB), Vice-Minister of Environment and Energy, Costa Rica (Costa Rica 2005)