nssds: Vital development tool or empty acronym?

Workshop Presentations

Civil Society & Donor Strategies

Mary Painter:  Co-Chair DEG

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I have been set a considerable challenge.  Civil Society is very broad and has lots of different perspectives.  This is strength.  I am grateful to all those who have provided with information from their networks.  These are just some illustrations of issues that have been flagged up:

·         The International development target: there is amongst NGOs agreement that there has been confusion between environment and sustainable development.  If you look at various NGOs inputs on sustainable development they have been talking about 3 pillars (economic, social and environment).  An NSSD has to address the issue of reversing natural resource loss.  There are many issues on how we are going to monitor resource loss in national strategy processes. NSSDs come out of Rio.  How are Rio commitments going to be taken forward in 2002?  There will be a debate at CSD in 2001. The timing for IDT is now very tight. 

·         What is meant in the relation of reversal of losses in natural resources?  When we talk about the reversal of losses it should include restoration.  Current commitments on greenhouse gases are at best going to slow down climate change.  New targets are needed if climate change is to be avoided/reversed.  This is one of the issues which will require action at the international level as well as at national level. 

·         The key difference between NSSDs and other national development planning processes from a Civil Society’s view point is that the Rio commitment are aimed at all countries not just developing countries.  The UK has a strategy for sustainable development prepared by the Department of the Environment with DFID input. The Department for Trade and Industry is currently preparing its own departmental sustainable development strategy. The UK Strategy has 15 headline indicators which are important if we are to measure the impact of national strategies on the ground. 

·         Another key difference between NSSDs and initiatives which stem from donors and creditors is, there is no specific funding source for NSSDs.  Is there an initiative that can supply funding for NSSDs?

·         There are certain common issues of concern in relation to various development strategies.  Country ownership is important; and civil society participation is becoming increasingly accepted.  There are different aspirations between the different actors.  There is some concern that the aspirations are not being matched by the practice in some cases.  Bolivia has been used as an example of best practice - We have heard that there has been a process to produce a Comprehensive Development Framework (CDF).  In addition there are a whole plethora of other strategies which Bolivia has or is trying to produce.  For example Bolivia is currently preparing its Biodiversity Strategy under the Convention for Biological Diversity.  Some countries are proposing other strategies which need to be incorporated into NSSDs.  When you are an NGO or CBO with limited resources it is very difficult to actively participate in all the potentially relevant processes. The Bolivian government held a ‘national dialogue’ in 1997 to gather views of civil society.  Civil Society representatives in Bolivia have expressed concerns about the national dialogue.  It was felt the national dialogue was a one-off and did not equal participation.  After 1997 there was the launch of the CDF for Bolivia.  There was concern from civil society in Bolivia over the participation process in the preparation of Bolivia’s CDF; the timing of the process; the length of time civil society had to input into the matrix.  There is still some concern on how effective the CDF will be.  Will the matrix help to co-ordinate donor activities? Is this really an effort to integrate all 3 pillars of sustainable development?

·         Bolivia’s CDF has some targets and indicators. The target on the environment is the amount of resources allocated to a department of a government ministry which would cease if certain legal proposals are proved.  This is the wrong type of target.  The PRSP process is currently happening in Bolivia.  The government are trying to hold a second national dialogue.  It is hoped the second dialogue could buy in ownership from others but the political situation is becoming increasingly tense. Bolivia is under pressure to get a PRSP produced because debt relief is attached.  Civil Society in Bolivia has launched its own initiative and its own parallel national dialogue (February 2000) linked to PRSP.

·         Moving on from Bolivia. There are many documents which are strategic for different sectors.  It is difficult to see how the national dialogue can address all these issues if there is a time constraint to deliver a PRSP.

Challenges and issues which may need to work on by civil society

·         It is very important that there is wide understanding that sustainable development is not just about the environment.  There are things to be worked on to make sure players are engaged right across the board.  There is a risk of it still being perceived as just another strategy or imposed by northern interests.  One route to alleviating this concern would be DAC countries who have been through their main-streaming of strategies/NSSDs to invite critical analysis of their own efforts. 

·         Also the slow progress on environmental indicators is a concern.  Whilst there are clear economic targets the environmental indicators and targets tend to be vague or non-existent.  While this happens the environment will continue to be sidelined.  This is a difficult question.  Measuring environment trends will tie-up resources i.e. money for practical actions.  How much do you spend on which?  It is a difficult dilemma.

·         If an NSSD is produced does this mean that donors will sign up to support the whole strategy for sustainable development?  To what degree will donors pick and choose?  What about those elements in the NSSDs which are not so popular?

·         There is concern from developing countries that donor co-ordination could lead to less options for them i.e. donors will gang up on them to promote certain policies. 

·        One key closing point: Participation is going to be a challenge!  It will require input from NGOs and the private sector.  Participation needs resources time and money.