Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future (known as Stakeholder Forum) is an international multi-stakeholder organization which exists at the interface of civil society and the UN. It seeks to shape a strategic, global, multi-stakeholder movement to influence and implement the outcomes from the sustainable development agreements and the Millennium Development Goals.
It facilitates the engagement of stakeholders from multiple perspectives in international governance processes, educates organizations on how to engage effectively in these processes, and promotes the idea of building stakeholder democracy.
Stakeholder Forum Stakeholder Forum acts as the National Committee for UNEP in the UK.
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Stakeholder Forum was initially set up in 1987, as the first National Committee for the United Nations Environment Programme and was called the United Nations Environment Programme-UK (UNEP-UK). It was hosted by International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) from 1987 to 1992. In 1993 after the Rio Earth Summit it reformed as a multi-stakeholder body to reflect the Major Group concept in Agenda 21 It renamed itself the United Nations Environment and Development–UK Committee and was housed in the United Nations Association UK office in London. It acted as the National Committee for UNEP in the UK and the first Northern Focal Point for UNDP from 1993 to 2000. In 2000 it became an international multi-stakeholder organization called Stakeholder Forum for Our Common Future.
In October 2004 Stakeholder Forum became, after seventeen years, a free-standing organization in its own right. It took the opportunity to rename itself, feeling that Stakeholder Forum for a Common Future looked back to the Brundtland Report in 1987, while Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future looked forward.
Stakeholder Forum has been the main coordinating mechanism used by the UK Government to gauge UK stakeholder views for intergovernmental meetings. It has facilitated UK stakeholder input to the following events:
The UN and governments have increasingly used Stakeholder Forum to facilitate stakeholder engagement in international meetings. These have included:
Stakeholder Forum hosted an informal workshop in June 1996 at Green College Oxford, to prepare governments and stakeholders for the Rio+5 review of the outcomes of the Earth Summit conference. Between 1998-2000 Stakeholder Forum hosted informal workshops to help create the momentum for a Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002. This was eventually agreed to by governments in December 2000 at the UN General Assembly.
During the preparatory process for the World Summit on Sustainable Development it promoted the idea of multi-stakeholder partnerships being an engine for implementation for global agreements. At the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2002 it launched twenty three multistakeholder partnerships and also the facilitated the launching of the first global network for Regional Government on sustainable development (NRG4SD).
Since 2005 Stakeholder Forum has been articulating the link between human, environment and economic security. It has also been developing further work on multistakeholder processes such as the Global Public Policy Network on Water Management it developed with the Stockholm International Water Institute as a mechanism for stakeholders, governments and the UN to work together prior to a global meeting in developing a common narrative of the problem and some solutions.
In 2008 it hosted a workshop on the possible themes for a Rio+20. The outcome was known as the Donostia Declaration after the city in Spain where the workshop happened. This was ten days after G77 tabled a resolution in the United Nations General Assembly calling for a new Earth Summit. The workshop identified four areas for a possible Summit to address: a review of present commitments, sustainable development governance, the green economy and emerging issues. the United Nations General Assembly agreed to host a new Earth Summit in the General Assembly in december 2009. the Summit will be in 2012.
Since 1996 Stakeholder Forum has published a daily newsletter 'Outreach' at key sustainable development meetings. It has also run numerous training workshops based on the book 'How to Lobby at Intergovernmental Meetings - Mine is a Cafe Latte'. In 2009 it started a partnership with the BBC World Service Trust and UN Radio to produce radio programmes during the UN Commission on Sustainable Development meeting.
Stakeholder Forum is overseen by a UK Board of Directors and advised for its work in the UK by a UK multi-stakeholder policy advisory panel and internationally by its international advisory group.
Its President is Derek Osborn who was the co-chair of the preparatory process for Rio+5 It has six Vice Presidents who have all chaired the UN Commission on Sustainable Development: Henrique Cavalcanti (former Brazilian Environment Minister and CSD Chair 1995, Mostapha Tolba (former UNEP Executive Director and CSD Chair 1997), Simon Upton (former New Zealand Environment Minister and CSD Chair 1999), Juan Mayar (Former Columbian Environment Minister and CSD Chair 2000) and Bedrich Moldan (former Czech Republic Environment Minister and CSD Chair 2001)
Chairs of International Advisory Board have been 2000-2002: Derek Osborn and Hesphina Rukato (now Deputy Chief Executive NEPAD) 2002-2008: David Hales (former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State USAID[1993-2000]) 2002: Hon Gwen Mahlangu MP (Speaker in the South African Parliament) 2009 to date: Derek Osborn
Present members include NGOs: WWF-International, Environment Development Action in the Third World, Participatory Research International Asia, Development Alternatives, ANPED, Tearfund, Environment Liaison Centre International, World Information Transfer, ECO-Accord, CIVICUS, International Council for Social Welfare, LEAD International, Centro de Estudios Ambientales, Baha'i International Community, Arab Network for Environment & Development, NRDC, National Wildlife Federation Industry: International Chamber of Commerce, World Business Council on Sustainable Development Trade Unions: Global Unions Local and Regional Government: International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives, Network for Regional Government for Sustainable Development Women: The Network of NGOs of Trinidad & Tobago for the Advancement of Women, Huairou Commission Youth: Peace Child International, CSD Youth Caucus Farmers: International Partners for Sustainable Agriculture Academic and Research: International Institute for Sustainable Development, International Institute for Environment and Development, World Resources Institute, IUCN, International Council of Scientific Unions
Former Members include: Centre for Science and Environment, Friends of the Earth Scotland, Habitat II Youth Caucus, Women's Environment and Development Organisation, Globe Internation
Chairs Philip Dobie (2010 to date) Andrew Binns (2008 to 2010) Derek Osborn (1996–2008) Jonathon Porritt (1993–1996) Peter Harap (1987–1993)
Present Board includes: Craig Bennett, Craig Jones, Mehjabeen Price,Vijay Krishnarayan and Emmanuel Lebaut
Former Board Members: Action Aid, BP, Christian Aid, Education Caucus, Friends of Earth, Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development, IIED, Local Government Association, Local Government Management Board, Local Government International Bureau, National Farmers Union, National Westminster Bank, New Economics Foundation, Oxfam, Peace Child International, Shell, Severn Trent, Skanska, Television Trust for the Environment, Town and Country Planning Association, Tearfund, Trade Unions Congress, United Nations Association, Wales, WaterAid, Woodcraft Folk, Women's Environmental Network, Women's Institute
Felix Dodds (1993 to date) Koy Thompson (1989–1992) David Cooper (1987–1989)
Donostia Declaration (promoting an Earth Summit 2012 (2008), Millennium Development Goals Report on Goal 7 (2008), the Annual Ministerial Review Report on MDG Goal 7 (2008), Options for Strengthening the Environmental Pillar of Sustainable Development (169 paper final version)(2007), Sustainable Development in the Context of UN Reform (2007), UNEO: A Champion for environment in the 21st century, but what role for stakeholders? (2007), the UN System and Sustainable Development: Proposals for a Sustainable Development Institutional Initiative (2007), From Words to Action: Civil Society Representatives Call for a Strong Follow-up to the High Level Panel on System-wide Coherence (2007)