Felix Dodds

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Felix Dodds
Felix Dodds

Felix Dodds is an author, futurist and activist. He has been instrumental in developing new modes of stakeholder engagement with the United Nations, particularly within the field of Sustainable Development. Mr. Dodds is Executive Director of Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future, and probably best known as the author of How to Lobby at Intergovernmental Meetings: Mine is a Cafe Latte, a book produced with co-author Michael Strauss.

During 2007, and in collaboration with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and Earth Media and Centro de Estudios Ambientales (CEDEA), How to Lobby at Intergovernmental Meetings: Mine is a Cafe Latte, was adapted into a training manual entitled Implementing and Negotiating Multilateral Environment Agreements – A Manual for NGOs [1].

Dodds' most recent book, Human and Environmental Security: An Agenda for Change is an edited volume which he produced with Tim Pippard of Jane's Information Group. The book argues that the new paradigm facing the world is the interface between environmental, human, and security considerations. Dodds argues that this is due to the failure of developed countries to deliver on their promises made during the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and the August 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development. Human and Environmental Security: An Agenda for Change was nominated for the International Studies Association Sprout Award in 2006 for the most significant publication in the field of environmental studies[2].

Contents

[edit] Education and Early Career

Felix Dodds studied Physics at the University of Surrey and then went on to teach mathematics and physics, first in Khartoum at the Khartoum International Community School, and then in London at Harlington School.

[edit] Stakeholder Democracy

Dodds has been one of the chief advocates of Stakeholder Democracy around the United Nations, arguing that we are in a process of transition from a Madison Democracy[3] style representative democracy to a participatory Jeffersonian Democracy and that at present we are in a period of stakeholder democracy and trying, at various levels within society, to develop the structures, vocabulary and institutions to embed this phase. Mr. Dodds firmly believe that such developments will strengthen world democracy.

[edit] Career and Main Body of Work

Early in his career, Felix Dodds was active in UK politics and became Chair of the Liberal Parties Young Wing from 1985 to 1987, holding a number of positions in the Liberal Party between 1983 and 1987. Dodds was one of the key instigators of the rebellion against the Liberal and Social Democratic leadership of David Steel and David Owen over the issue of an independent nuclear deterrent. The rebel coalition produced the publication Across the Divide: Liberal Values on Defense and Disarmament, which outlined the Liberal Party’s historic opposition to the UK having an independent nuclear deterrent. This resulted in the defeat of the Party leadership in the Liberal Party Conference Defense debate, in Eastbourne in 1986, by twenty three votes[4].

Dodds' first book, Into the Twenty-First Century an Agenda for Political Realignment, argued for closer cooperation between Green members on the left in British politics. He co-founded Green Voice in 1988, which worked for two years at creating a dialogue between Green members in the parties of the left in the United Kingdom.

Since 1990 Dodds has been active within the United Nations network, firstly as Director of United Nations Environment and Development, UK Committee [UNED-UK], which grew as an organization into UNED-Forum and now its successor organization, Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future. These organizations played a critical role in mobilizing the support for the Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 [1]. Stakeholder Forum’s web site was the primary non-United Nations web site used by stakeholders in the run-up to the 2002 summit [2]. Dodd’s 2000 book, Earth Summit 2002: A New Deal, [3] outlined many of the key issues for the Summit two years before it occurred.

Mr. Dodds has co-founded NGO global coalitions for a number of United Nations processes, such as the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) [4], the 1996 United Nations Habitat II Conference [5], and the 1999 World Health Organisation London Health and Environment Conference [6]. He co-chaired the NGO coalition around the UN CSD from 1997 to 2001 and is credited with proposing to the UN General Assembly, in 1996, [www.un.org] the introduction of Stakeholder Dialogues at the United Nations. Dodds has played a pivotal role in their development since that time, and is a keen advocate for the involvement of stakeholders in the decision making process and in the implementation of global agreements.

Since 2004, Dodds has been actively working on the emerging agenda of Human and Environmental Security. His book, Human and Environmental Security: An Agenda for Change (Earthscan, 2005), produced with Tim Pippard of Jane’s Information Service [7], outlines the critical issues of this new agenda. Dodds articulates that, due to the failure of donor governments to fund the Rio and Johannesburg Summits agendas and promises, [8] many environmental issues are now becoming security issues [9].

Felix Dodds has been an advisor to the European Union [10] and the UK Government at intergovernmental events and, most recently, advisor on Civil Society to the Russian Government for the 2006 Group of 8 (G8) meetings [11]. In 2006-2007 he was a member of the UNEP Global Environmental Outlook 4 Outreach Advisory Committee [12]. Dodds is currently a member of the Advisory Board for A Instituto Internacional de Derecho y Medio Ambiente, [13], and is currently a board member of the Montreal International Forum [14]. He is an occasional writer for the BBC’s web site, and has taken up blogging at international Film Festivals. [15].

[edit] Bibliography

  • Dodds, F., (Ed.), 1988. Into the 21st Century - An Agenda for Political Realignment. London: Green Print
  • Dodds, F., & Haskin, M., 1988. The Politics of Realignment. In: F. Dodds (Ed.), Into the 21st Century - An Agenda for Political Realignment, London: Green Print
  • Dodds, F., & Roddick, J. 1993. Agenda 21's Political Strategy. In: C. Thomas (Ed.): Rio: Unravelling the Consequences. London: Frank Cass
  • Grimshaw, C., Hussain, I., Dodds, F. & Stringer, S., 1995. Connections Earth. London: Two Can & Watts Books
  • Dodds, F., 1996 Sustainable Communities - the Broader Agenda. In Millennium Partnerships for Sustainable Regeneration, Greenwich: Docklands Forum & Greenwich Waterfront Community Forum
  • Dodds, F., (Ed.), 1997. The Way Forward - Beyond Agenda 21. London: Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., 1997. The Adventures of Change. In: F. Dodds (Ed.), The Way Forward - Beyond Agenda 21. London: Earthscan
  • Bigg, T. & Dodds, F., 1997. The UN Commission on Sustainable Development. In: F. Dodds (Ed.). The Way Forward - Beyond Agenda 21. London: Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., 1997. Indicators for Citizens. In: Kirdar, Uner. (Ed.), Cities Are for People. New York: United Nations
  • Dodds, F. & Bigg, T., 1997. NGOs and the UN System Since the Rio Summit: The NGO Steering Committee for the Commission on Sustainable Development. In Implementing Agenda 21: NGO Experiences from around the World, [16] UN Non-Governmental Liaison Service. Geneva: UN NGLS
  • Dodds, F., 1999. Introduction In Strauss, M., The Dialogue Records. New York. CSD NGO Steering Committee Northern Clearing House
  • Dodds, F., 1999. Foreword, In: Girardet, H., Creating Sustainable Cities. Totnes: Green Books
  • Dodds, F., (Ed) 2000 & 2002. Earth Summit 2002 - A New Deal. London. Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., 2000 and 2002. Reforming the International Institutions. In F. Dodds (Ed.). Earth Summit 2002 - A New Deal. . London: Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., 2000. CSD NGO Steering Committee, In Kunugi, T. and Schweitz, M., Codes of Conduct for Partnership in Governance. Japan: The United Nations University
  • Dodds, F. & Narain, S., 2000. Challenges for the Future: Co-Chairs perspectives of the Rio+8 Copenhagen NGO Roundtable Forum. In We Have One Earth. [17] Copenhagen: The Danish 92 Group
  • Dodds, F., 2001. From The Corridors To The Table - The Evolution Of The CSD NGO Steering Committee. In M. Edwards (Ed.): Global Citizen Action. New York: Reinner
  • Dodds, F., 2001, Preface to the Revised Edition, In Earth Summit 2002 A New Deal, London Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., From Rio to Johannesburg. In The Road to Earth Summit 2002 [18] The Heinrich Boell Foundation, Washington Heinrich Boell Foundation
  • Dodds, F., 2002, Multi-stakeholder Process in Context of Global Governance Reform, In M. Hemmati, (Ed.), Multi-stakeholder Processes for Governance and Sustainability Beyond Deadlock and Conflict, London. Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., 2002, From Rio to Johannesburg, Cooperation South, New York, United Nations Development Programme
  • Dodds, F., 2002, From Rio via The Hague to Johannesburg: the role of multi-stakeholder dialogues, In Water Science and Technology - Balancing Competing Water Uses Present Status and New Prospects, [19]. Stockholm, IWA Publishing
  • Dodds, F., with Strauss M., March 2004 and 2006, How to Lobby at Intergovernmental Meetings or Mine is a Café Latte, London, Earthscan
  • Dodds, F., 2004 and 2006, Preface, in Plain Language Guide to the World Summit on Sustainable Development, London Earthscan
  • Dodds, F and Pippard, T., (Ed.), March 2005, Environment and Human Security – An Agenda for Change. London: Earthscan
  • Dodds, F. and Pippard, T., 2005, An Agenda for Change, in Environment and Human Security – An Agenda for Change. London Earthscan
  • Sherman, R., Peer, J., Dodds, F., and Figueroa Kupcu, M., 2006, Strengthening The Johannesburg Implementation Track [20], Considerations for Enhancing the Commission on Sustainable Development’s Multi Year Programme of Work. London Stakeholder Forum
  • Dodds, F., Peer, J., Sherman, R., 2006. Some Way, But Not All Way on UN Reform, [21], on the BBC web site.
  • Dodds, F., 2007, Emerging Stakeholder Democracy: A New Style of Diplomacy, In Cooper, A. and Hocking B., Worlds Apart? Exploring the Interface between Governance and Diplomacy. Japan, UN University
  • Dodds, F., Strauss, M., Howell, M., & Onestini, M., 2007, Negotiating and Implementing MEAs: A Manual for NGOs, Nairobi UNEP
  • Dodds F., Sherman, R., 2007, Climate and the UN: A new bid for control?, [22], on the BBC web site
  • Dodds, F., 2007, Foreword, In NGO Diplomacy: The Influence of Nongovernmental Organizations in International Environmental Negotiations, Edited by Michele M. Betsill and Elisabeth Corell, MIT Press
  • Dodds, F., Sherman, R., 2008, Climate and Energy Insecurity. London, Earthscan (due in early 2008).

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ untitled
  2. ^ ISA Environmental Studies Section » The Harold and Margaret Sprout Award
  3. ^ James Madison: Philosopher and Practitioner of Liberal Democracy (Library of Congress)
  4. ^ www.liberalhistory.org.uk - Simon Hughes: Defence debate at Eastbourne, 1986