MINUTES

STEERING COMMITTEE MEETING OF THE INTERSECTORAL PLATFORM ON ANTICIPATION AND FORESIGHT

15 May 2009

I. Participation

The meeting was chaired by Hans d’Orville, ADG/BSP. Also present were: John Crowley (SHS), Ehrlich Desa (SC), Sabine Detzel (ED), Adda Faye (BB), Ayele Folly-Reimann (BFC), Axel Plathe (CI/EO), Ana Elisa Santana Afonso (AFR), Ali Zaid (ERC), Jean-Yves Le Saux, Caroline Descombris, Jacques Plouin, Linda Tinio (BSP).

II. Introduction by ADG/BSP

The agenda of the meeting was adopted and the minutes of the previous Steering Committee meeting were approved without amendments.

III. Debriefing of the second UNESCO Future Forum on the “Future of Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing”

CI/EO expressed the Sector’s general satisfaction on the organization and conduct of the second Future Forum. Compared to the previous Forum, he noted that there was less participation from the Permanent Delegations. There was a considerable number of UNESCO staff in attendance. Overall the live webcast might have reduced the number of persons present in the room. Press coverage was limited to two interviews conducted by Radio Alfa (with Roberto Carneiro) and Al Jazeera (with Talal Abu-Ghazaleh). He informed the Steering Committee about the WSIS Forum 09 taking place in Geneva from 18-22 May 2009, in which reporting will be made about the outcome of the Future Forum. . The report could also be made available to the forthcoming World Conference on Higher Education (5-8 July 2009). Likewise he suggested that the main elements of the discussion be communicated to the Plenary Ministerial Forums planned for the General Conference.

ADG/BSP commended the overall very satisfactory level of panel discussions throughout the day, including the high quality keynote speech, the diversity of speakers and the good panel moderators. He noted that the total Forum cost amounted to approximately US$40000, shared between CI and BSP. This was to be considered as remarkably cost effective. BSP/FOR has prepared a summary report and it will be shared to CI and the panellists before being posted on the website.

The ED representative also considered the Forum a success, saying that new ideas and questions had emerged from some of the presentations and rich debates. ED will build on these in the preparation of the planned Future Forum on ICTs and Education which will be complementary to the Knowledge Acquisition Forum and deepen certain themes, such as the role of teachers and new forms of learning. The ED Forum could be organized in the first half of September 2009. She informed the Steering Committee about the postponement of CONFINTEA VI to a later date (perhaps December 2009), which could leave an opening for Future Forum initiatives. .

III. Update on the preparation of the UNESCO Future Forum to be held within the framework of the International Economic Forum of the Americas, 9 June 2009

ADG/BSP reported that preparations are under way for the above-mentioned Forum. Representatives from UNESCO include Nobel Laureate Luc Montagnier (President of the World Foundation of Aids Research and Prevention), Dr Adolfo Martinez-Palomo (Chairperson, International Bioethics Committee), Michèle S. Jean (Canadian National Commission), and ADG/BSP. They will speak in the Round Table (to be moderated by ADG/BSP) on the theme “Energy, Health and Sustainable Development” and focuses on the commercialization of bioethical knowledge and its impact. The Committee welcomed this arrangement.

IV. Other matters

ADG/BSP reported about the recently concluded World Civic Forum (5-8 May 2009, South Korea) and the UNESCO Future Forum on “Investing out of the Crisis and Towards a Green Economy through Action in the Social Domains” held in its context. All documents are available online. The Forum was successful, well-attended and attracted good press coverage in Korea.

The CLT Sector is due to submit a proposal for a possible Future Forum on culture-related issues to be shared at the next meeting of the Steering Committee.

The SC Sector undertook to prepare a proposal for a half-day round table on the follow-up to the Monaco Expert Meeting on the Arctic. To be composed of 3 to 4 panellists, this round table should aim at raising the awareness of the issue within UNESCO. Another proposal for which SC/IOC was asked to prepare a proposal is an event on capacity-building for the knowledge base on climate change. This could be co-organized with WIPO and could also be fleshed out as a contribution for the December 2009 Copenhagen Climate Change Conference. The SC representative reported that the African Union had approached their Sector for a possible joint activity on the impact of climate change on coastal zones. A forthcoming AU meeting might also be suitable for the inclusion of a UNESCO Future Forum panel.

An important issue to be taken up by a Future Forum is the Green Economy and its relevance for UNESCO. ADG/BSP informed the Members that BSP had begun exploratory work but that this will take some more time. The former Executive Board Chairman informed him of an upcoming organization of an eco-forum in Guiyang (China) where there is also a possibility for organizing a half-day Future Forum on the subject with 3 to 4 international experts. According to CI/EO, the Sector is also studying the issue of ecology and the effects of ICTs which could also contribute to the green economy discussion.

ADG/BSP reported that Kemal Dervis had accepted the DG’s invitation to deliver a Future Lecture on the follow-up to the G20 London Summit from a UN perspective. To be held in the morning of 18 June 2009, preparations will now start for the organization of this Lecture.

ADG/BSP also informed the Meeting that the New Deputy Director of the Brasilia Office (UBO) had informed him that Rio de Janeiro was gearing up to become a “green city” by 2016 and that it was looking for advice on creating a blueprint therefore. The Platform could earmark US$10000 to UBO to help launch the process which would draw on all domains of UNESCO and which would clearly be a foresight challenge. As this is a practice-oriented activity, expertise could be drawn from past UNESCO experiences.

The ED Sector will submit a proposal in the coming weeks for the ICTs and Education Future Forum which will be distributed to Members in time for a solid discussion at the next Steering Committee Meeting in end June.

The Meeting took note of and endorsed these proposals.

V. Next meeting

End of June 2009

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