Final January 2002
Meeting of Chairmen of Mediterranean IUCN National Committees
Malaga 23 November 2001
Summary of discussions
Present
Puri Canals IUCN Mediterranean regional councillor (Spain)
Zohir Sekkal IUCN Mediterranean regional councillor (Algeria)
Ali Darwish Lebanon IUCN National committee
Imad Hosni Syria IUCN National committee
Kamal Battanouny Egypt IUCN National committee
Ali Mohammed Abrouggui Tunisia IUCN National committee
Eduardo Galante Spain IUCN National committee
Sebastien Moncorps France IUCN National committee
Francis Parakatil West and Central Asia and North Africa (WesCANA) regional coordinator
Damiano Luchetti Programme coordinator, European Regional Office (ERO)
Dona Khanfour WesCANA programme
Jamie Skinner Director Mediterranean Centre
Andres Alcantara Mediterranean Centre
Mirian Ruiz Mediterranean Centre
Apologies
Brahim Haddane Morocco IUCN National committee
Aldo Cosentino Italy IUCN National committee
Mohammed Shahbaz Jordan IUCN National committee
The principal purpose of this meeting was to continue consultations with the Regional Councillors and Chairmen of Mediterranean National Committees[1] concerning the emerging IUCN Mediterranean Programme. A draft strategy document was presented that aligns the agreements reached by IUCN Mediterranean members in Malaga in 1997 with the intersessional programme agreed by IUCN Congress in Amman in 2000[2]. ERO and WesCANA were also present to ensure effective coordination within the IUCN Secretariat.
The participants at the meeting requested that Jamie Skinner chair the meeting while agreeing that, as usual for meetings of this type, participants could express themselves in their preferred language, and informal translations would be made to allow all to follow the discussions. The Chairman opened the meeting especially thanking the participants from muslim countries for having travelled during Ramadan.
The meeting agenda, following introduction of participants, consisted of a presentation of the strategy and the process used to develop it, followed by a round-table of comments from participants that led to 7 key topics being identified for further in-depth discussion during the afternoon session :-
- Working with IUCN Commissions;
- Staffing of the Malaga office;
- Creation of an advisory board for the Mediterranean Programme;
- Interactions with members and with national committees;
- Upcoming opportunities (eg. World Parks Congress);
- Implementing the Amman resolutions of relevance to the region;
- Promoting North-South Links.
Introduction to the draft Mediterranean strategy 2002-2004
The meeting began with a brief presentation by Jamie Skinner summarising the consultations that have been undertaken so far in establishing the office and the programme. The key historical document is the report of the Malaga meeting in 1997 where over one hundred IUCN members laid the basis for the technical themes to be addressed by the Mediterranean programme, as well as the partnerships and strategic role that IUCN can develop in the region. Since then, IUCN’s new intersessional programme agreed in Amman in October 2000 has become the key planning tool for the Union’s programme. The draft 2002-2004 strategy for the Mediterranean that was presented at the meeting seeks to realign the Malaga 1997 discussions within this more recent planning framework.
The Director of the Centre also presented the key discussions he has held in the region since his appointment, notably in Marrakech (Morocco), Tunis, Paris, Rome and Madrid. The Meeting of the Contracting parties to the Barcelona Convention in Monaco in October provided further opportunities for interaction with NGO networks and other IUCN members, as well as with the staff of the Secretariat of the Barcelona Convention and Mediterranean Action Plan. All of these discussions form part of the process of developing a programme for the office, based firmly on the themes identified in Malaga in 1997.
The current meeting of the Chairmen of IUCN National committees in the region continues the consultation process that will evolve into a final strategy document, annual workplans and budgets that allow activities to be developed and implemented, and staff appointed in the office. Equally, consultations with the major donors are planned to seek their views on the proposals.
Participants’ comments
During the round-table discussions, participants expressed their broad support for the technical activities and objectives laid out in the strategy as outlined in the draft document circulated to the meeting. They raised seven major topics that required further discussion later in the meeting (see below).
In addition to minor comments on the draft strategy, participants asked the Mediterranean programme to consider the following:-
· seek to strengthen and build on existing IUCN programmes and structures in the region that have been developed by WesCANA and ERO rather than promoting parallel or competing initiatives;
· involve members and regional councillors in programme implementation;
· reinforce cooperation in the region;
· play the role of “expertise technique” to the EU/EC on issues affecting the Mediterranean;
· provide an early warning system (“système de veille et d’alerte”) for EC investments in the region;
· seek to make IUCN better known in the Mediterranean;
· avoid duplication with other actors in the region (METAP, MAP, NGOs etc);
· work within the political realities of the region (eg Euro-Mediterranean conference, Barcelona Convention) and be present in major Mediterranean forums;
· promote North-South linkages and ensure that no single country or region dominates the IUCN programme (regional equity);
· create an advisory board;
· establish a data-base of people working on different themes and promote the development of Mediterranean networks;
· respect the guidance of the members meeting held in 1997;
· pursue extension of Mediterranean activities to countries such as Turkey and Portugal;
· bear in mind in developing its strategy that 2002 is the year of Ecotourism, and the year of the mountains and the Mediterranean programme may wish to take advantage if this.
They also indicated that some of the national boundaries indicated on the maps in the document are incorrect and should be changed.
The meeting then led on to seven topics identified during the roundtable for further discussion
1. Working with Commissions
The Malaga office should establish a list of Mediterranean IUCN Commission members and ensure that they participate in the activities of the programme as appropriate. There may also be more effort devoted to interesting the global commissions in the Mediterranean region. Participants recognised the strengths of the Commissions and the need to structure interaction with the Malaga Office in support of programme implementation.
Where subgroups of Commissions are set up it is important to establish clear objectives and time bound activities. It may at times be appropriate to establish a small group to undertake a specific task over a specific period, rather than creating new “institutions” that are then hard to sustain as the context evolves.
Senior Mediterranean members of IUCN Commission identified so far include Prof Kamal Battanouny (Chairman of Egypt National committee) who is the vice chair for the Commission on Ecosystem management, especially focussed on desertification, Dr Luigi Boitani (Italy) who is Vice President of the Species Survival Commission (Species Information Service), and Véronique Herrenschmidt who is Vice President of the Species Survival Commission for Europe.
2. Staffing of the office
Participants discussed the staffing of the office, with divergent views being expressed both on whether the office should precisely follow the prescription made following the Malaga meeting in 1997, and on whether the Mediterranean programme should partly fund a staff position in Brussels (ERO) to liaise with the EC, if similar commitments are not made to IUCN/WesCANA offices elsewhere in the Mediterranean region (Lebanon, Tunisia, Egypt…).
After lengthy discussion a consensus emerged around the need for a pragmatic approach to programme implementation, with funds and staff being allocated in a way that meets the needs of the project activities, rather than being predetermined, along with a recognition that the EC is a key policy and financial influence on the EuroMediterranean area that does justify particular attention from the Mediterranean programme. Participants suggested that at this stage no quantified commitment be made in terms of funding allocation, but that negotiations should begin with the new ERO Director when he takes up his appointment.
The Centre Director reiterated his commitment to working with the best experts and the best partners to achieve quality products, and this expertise often lies within the IUCN membership or offices.
3. Creation of an advisory board
A number of participants requested the establishment of an Advisory Board that would provide a link between the membership and the Mediterranean programme in order to establish closer linkages with member’s interests, capacities and expertise.
Looking at similar models elsewhere in IUCN, the WesCANA Advisory Board is made up of representatives from IUCN members in the region at regular regional meetings and these allow bottom-up participation in the activities of the programme.
Creating an advisory board for the Mediterranean was felt to require a simple, transparent and equitable approach to its constitution, and regional councillors cautioned the need to respect the statutes and to ensure a legal way of working. The Mediterranean programme will not be able to convene the membership in such a straightforward and structured way as ERO and WesCANA and therefore a simpler model may be needed. The Chairmen of the nine recognised IUCN National committees in the Mediterranean together represent around 80% of the total Mediterranean membership, and this was felt to be a good starting point for consultations concerning the programme as it is an inclusive mechanism that does not require nominations or elections to be conceived and managed, nor does it exclude those who may wish to participate. Including regional councillors and representatives from ERO and WesCANA programmes on such a board will also help coordination within the Secretariat and with Council.
This first meeting of Chairmen of National Committees and regional councillors was held in a particularly constructive atmosphere and may provide the basis for regular consultations. The Centre Director will pursue this issue within IUCN in order to identify how best to constitute an “Advisory Board”, and develop appropriate Terms of Reference.
4. Interactions with members and National Committees
It was generally agreed that strong interactions with the National Committees and with the membership are essential, while cautioning that Chairmen should not be overloaded with information. There may also be opportunities for sharing experience between National Committees within the region. Participants were reminded that IUCN is a Union of members, and that the Malaga Centre should coordinate, share, convene and circulate information relevant to issues in the region.
The Mediterranean office is viewed within IUCN as being an innovative programme that adopts an ecosystem approach and it is important that it communicates effectively and empowers intra-regional linkages.
5. Upcoming opportunities
IUCN has already identified the World Parks Congress and the World Summit on Sustainable Development as two key opportunities for the Union that will arise in the next few years. In addition, 2002 will be the Year of the Mountain and the Year of Ecotourism. Protected areas provide opportunities for ecotourism that can promote local economies and this is a key issue for southern Mediterranean countries. There was a general consensus that the Mediterranean programme should seek to take advantage of such events and opportunities, linking wherever possible with the key themes identified in the 1997 Malaga meeting, as they provide visibility for the Mediterranean region. This was equally felt to be the case for events such as Rio + 10 in Johannesburg, and the World Water Forum III in 2003.
6. Implementing Amman resolutions
Three Amman resolutions are directly relevant to the Mediterranean office and these were distributed at the meeting. One requests a functional approach by the IUCN Secretariat that is reflected in the discussions held above and in the draft strategy document (Resolution 2.7 Implementation of the IUCN component programme for the Mediterranean) , the second calls for actions on transboundary protected areas (Resolution 2.46 : Protected areas of International importance in the Alps and the Mediterranean) and the last requests the DG to write to member states to encourage them to sign the protocols of the Barcelona Convention. (Recommendation 2.90 Convention for the Protection of the Marine environment and the coastal region of the Mediterranean).
The participants agreed that it would be fairly straightforward to map transboundary areas of regional significance, and the Director of the Centre will contact the national committees to take this initial step in the New Year. Activities on mountains will be further discussed with ERO as the Alps are also mentioned. The recent meeting in Monaco already found all speakers urging those Mediterranean countries who have not signed to do so as soon as possible, preferably before Johannesburg, so there is already considerable pressure from within the region on these countries to sign the protocols.
7. Promoting North-South Links
One of the tasks envisaged for the Mediterranean office is to help bridge the North-South divide within the region, and one mechanism for doing this was felt to be a partnership between a national committee from the North and a National committee from the south. The nature of the exchanges would be determined by the mutual interests of the members concerned but could include discussions and exchange of experience on how to make IUCN and the national committees more effective, or how to increase IUCN membership, through to implementing joint projects and partnerships. The meeting was informed that such a link already exists between Italy and Lebanon, specifically for the Djebel Barouk project.
Participants felt that this idea should be explored further, saying that this meeting had already begun to foster these links and this should be promoted and strengthened as the programme develops.
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[1] Participants were all Chairmen or representatives of those Mediterranean National Committees that were recognised by IUCN Gland as of October 2001.
[2] Towards a Strategic Plan for the IUCN Mediterranean Programme, draft, November 2001