Implementing Agenda 21

Implementing Agenda 21: the Caribbean NGO Experience

by Hazel Brown

The five-year anniversary of the UN Conference on Environment and Development is an appropriate opportunity to review the sustainable development needs of the Caribbean in the post-UNCED period and the role and experience of Caribbean NGOs.

This review is being done in the context of international Network of SIDS NGOs and Indigenous Peoples (INSNI), the Small Island Development States NGO Network, and it is significant that the review of Agenda 21 includes the Programme of Action of the 1994 Global Conference on the Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) which was itself one of the outcomes of UNCED.

We will identify some of the constraints to the implementation of the SIDS Programme of Action (POA), review some of the positive steps taken towards implementation, and identify a new and strategic approach for future action that involves participatory partnerships between regional intergovernmental agencies and Caribbean NGOs.

Conventional Development Approaches in the Caribbean

For decades the conventional approaches to development in the Caribbean have been characterized by features such as: the production of a narrow range of goods mainly for export; the importation of most of the technology, equipment and energy used for production; a planning process that excluded the views and expertise of organized labour, farmers, women and several other major groups; an economic management system that measures growth in terms of indicators such as GNP and the value of exports; a dependence upon market forces to distribute wealth and opportunity; and the application of criteria for progress and success that fail to calculate the impact of development policies and programmes on people and on natural resources of the region.

The result of this approach has been some growth in exports and foreign exchange earnings, but rising national debt, gradual replacement of food self-sufficiency by food imports and food aid, the return of preventable diseases, and the increased burden of poverty, particularly on the region's women and children.

The Search for an Alternative Development Model

It was under these circumstances that the search for alternative development strategies and the implementation of the SIDS-POA was to be developed. This alternative model of development is grounded on the following principles:

• equity--between men and women, generations, racial and ethnic groups, rural and urban populations, abled and specially challenged persons, rich and poor, and countries of the industrialized North and those of the dependent South;
• participation--in decision-making at all levels, as well as in the implementation of policies and programmes;
• holism--ensuring that social, cultural, economic, ecological and political considerations are taken into account;
• sustainability--of all aspects of development; and
• self-reliance.

Over the past two decades Caribbean NGOs have developed strong consensus on activities and thinking around these principles. This consensus is built upon our work in the region and elsewhere, and these principles are the road signs that we use as we proceed on the path towards sustainable human development.

One major constraint to achieving sustainable development has been the emphasis placed on the linkages between economies of scale and competitiveness. Our contention is that SIDS, historically disadvantaged, can hardly be expected to be competitive within the framework of the export-led, free-market-driven strategies promoted by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank, as well as the rules of the World Trade Organization. The experience has shown that in responding to this strategy to compete in the "free" market place, SIDS have suffered further depletion of their limited resources, such as rainforests, marine and coastal resources.

In May 1995, approximately one year after the historic SIDS conference, the Economic Council for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) convened a meeting of experts, including regional NGOs, on the implementation of the SIDS-POA. The meeting took note of the fact that not much progress had been made in the region on the adoption of sustainable development approaches or the integration, at national level, of the SIDS-POA. It was also noted that there was need for greater coordination in the area of strategy and policy formulation, and the absence of a coordinating mechanism was a particulary critical factor affecting the slow pace of implementation of the SIDS-POA. It was therefore agreed on the basis of an NGO proposal that the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and ECLAC/CDCC secretariats, which has recently signed a cooperation agreement between their institutions and were involved in the implementation of aspects of the SIDS-POA at national and regional levels, should be requested jointly to provide a Regional Coordinating Mechanism (RCM).

The challenge to these regional organizations was to recreate a mechanism for coordination that would facilitate consultation among regional partners, including NGOs, as well as assist with the implementation of the SIDS-POA.

One of the most important aspects of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism was to be the formal establishment of a Regional Consultative Group, which would provide direction and guidance to the Joint Coordinating Unit (JCU). Given the thinking that led to the suggested formation of this consultative body, it was proposed that such a group would be made up of governmental representatives of CARICOM and ECLAC/CDCC, other regional and international agencies, NGOs and the private sector.

This approach of collaboration and consultation had been carefully nurtured during the major UN conferences and the preparatory meetings, particularly at the regional level, where NGOs took the initiative and helped to formulate and build consensus around regional issues. These relationships developed as NGOs made their expertise available to regional governments, which at the same time developing skills in advocacy, negotiations, and with the language of the conferences. NGOs encouraged Caribbean caucuses, involving government representatives, regional agencies and NGOs, to promote the region's cause. More and more governments felt comfortable having NGOs on their official delegations.

In terms of available resources that would enable the RCM to function, CARICOM submitted a proposal to the European Development Fund for institutional support. UNDP also indicated that various scenarios wee being considered to allow their offices to share technical resources with ECLAC. In addition, UNDP submitted a proposal to the Global Environment Facility (GEF) requesting a "Block B Grant," which provides funding support for the preparations of project proposals for implementing Agenda 21, for institutional support and capacity building.

A work programme has also been drafted for the JCU, which will draw on the technical support and expertise of all the regional actors, including NGOs. Among the programme activities listed in the work programme is public awareness; its objective is, "To heighten public awareness of the SIDS-POA and foster greater public acceptance and sensitivity to special problems of small island developing states."

Another key issue in the implementation of the SIDS-POA is capacity building, for which there is a critical need, including training and information management. These could be enhanced by the use of information and communication technology to create a critical mass for the implementation of the SIDS-POA.

This capacity building needs to be applied to all segments of society that are involved in the implementation of SIDS-POA. An integrated sustainable development strategy should draw on all economic, social and environmental knowledge and skills.

The capacity building process in the Caribbean has two dimensions: organizational and development of human resources. There is a need to restructure institutional mechanisms for effective implementation of the SIDS-POA, and the human dimension must be central to achieve social equity.

In light of the above, a strategy for implementing Agenda 21, particularly Chapter 36 on promoting education, public awareness and training, and the SIDS-POA is highlighted.

The Caribbean Region of INSNI will present the INSNI Caribbean Regional Public Awareness Project to the Caribbean Ministerial Meeting on the implementation of the SIDS-POA, to be held in Barbados in March 1997. The objectives of the project are:

• increase public awareness of the Caribbean national and regional programmes of action, and other POAs that affect work to increase sustainable economic, social and environmental development;
• increase public ownership of the solutions being generated in each member country as part of a regional and international effort for sustainable development; and
• generate additional action and voluntary complementary activity by members of civil NGOs and indigenous people's organizations (IPOs).

To accomplish this goal, the Caribbean Regional Coordinator has already held informal discussions with the CARICOM Secretary-General and the Director of ECLAC; both have responded enthusiastically to the idea.

A Unique Approach

What is unique about this approach? INSNI, as a regional NGO, will offer its services as a professional contractor (for a fee) to carry out an activity that has been identified in the work programm of the Joint Coordinating Unit of the Regional Coordinating Mechanism. This participatory partnership will change the existing relationship between these two major actors. INSNI will bring to the relationship many voluntary and in-kind resources, including the work of the INSNI Clearing House and the capacity building resources of the Southern Diaspora Research and Development Center, which is an outcome of INSNI work.

Arrangements have also been made to utilize outreach and public relations materials generated by UNEP, since INSNI has national NGO networks and/or convenor organizations for sustainable development in each country of the region that are committed to assist and participate in this work. The success of the INSNI Caribbean Regional Public Awareness Project is based on the support that the project continues to provide to its national affiliates, particularly in the area of capacity building.

The proposal for this project is to be finalized at a meeting of the Caribbean Region of INSNI, to be held just before the Caribbean Ministerial Meeting in March 1997.

Because of its regional and international structure, INSNI is an influential vehicle for maintaining linkages with other regional networks, and providing current and timely information that is relevant to the region. Its participatory, democratic and inclusive structure also ensures that other Caribbean countries, particularly non-independent ones, can become involved fully in the SIDS process. Given the range of technical issues that form part of its work, INSNI can also provide valuable assistance and input to the sustainable economic and environmental conservation programmes in the region.