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BIC at the Commission on Sustainable Development, 17th Session

Overview

Bahá'í delegates. Front Row (l to r): Krisy Moore, Taraneh Ashraf. Middle row (l to r): Ineke Gijsbers, Melody Mirzaagha, Kiara Worth, Alicia Cundall, Táhirih Naylor. Back row (l to r): Arash Mirian, Duncan Hanks, Jeff Thimm, Peter Adriance

Twelve Bahá'í delegates from South Africa, US, Canada, Australia, and the UK (including 7 youth) played an active role at the 17^th Session of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, which took place 4-15 May. This year’s session focused on: agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa. Delegates played an active role in civil society discussions; played a leadership role in the Youth Caucus; presented a 3-hour Learning Center workshop on climate ethics; showcased a play related to the themes of the Commission; and worked closely with NGOs and government representatives to advance the principles of the Bahá'í Faith related to the themes of the Commission such as the importance of agriculture, gender equality, and education for sustainable development.

BIC’s participation at the Commission is outlined in detail below.

Index:

Learning Center: Climate Ethics
Play: “Theatre of Survival”
Interviews with Delegates
Interns’ Blog
Commission Outcome
About the BIC Delegates

Learning Center: Climate Ethics – Implications for the CSD-17 Thematic Cluster

Climate Ethics Seminar (cover) For the second year in a row, BIC organized a Learning Center workshop at the Commission; this year’s theme was “Climate Ethics: Implications for the CSD-17 Thematic Cluster.” The session was opened by Commission Vice-Chair, Dr. Kaire Mbuende, who serves as Namibian Ambassador to the UN as it was the first Learning Center event at this year’s Commission. In his opening remarks, Peter Adriance, NGO Liaison of the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the U.S., stated that climate change is not only a technical challenge but a moral one. He pointed to the 2007/8 UNDP Human Development Report, which affirmed that climate change “raises profound moral and ethical questions” of our generation.

Don Brown of the Rock Ethics Institute at the Pennsylvania State University, a co-sponsor, and Marilyn Averill, an environmental attorney and doctoral student at the University of Colorado, were the main speakers of the session. Averill explored the concept of ethics and the need for climate ethics, provided examples of climate-related ethical issues and noted that climate ethics imply that countries have “common but differentiated” responsibilities, contributions, impacts, and capacities. Don Brown brought the focus from the general to the more specific, stressing the importance of identifying concrete ethical issues embedded in economic and legal arguments. Using an array of maps and images, he highlighted the connections between climate change and Commission themes—outlining ethical issues related to agriculture, land, rural development, drought and desertification. Watch presentations.

During the second half of the session, participants worked in small groups to examine six country-specific case studies in order to identify the relevant ethical issues, determine ethically sound actions, and classify responsibilities for diverse actors. Read case studies: Niger, Haiti, Seychelles, Fiji, Bangladesh, Kivalina.

The BIC’s Learning Center was featured in Outreach Issues (p5), a daily publication from the Sustainable Development Issues Network (SDIN) and Stakeholder Forum, published during the Commission.

(Read BIC’s initial considerations on the theme of climate change – Seizing the Opportunity: Redefining the Challenge of Climate Change.)

Play: Theatre of Survival

Introducing a new way to discuss and explore the challenges of climate change, BIC delegate from South Africa, Kiara Worth, performed her one-woman play “Theatre of Survival” during a Commission side event and was invited to deliver a second performance for NGOs attending the Commission. View interview with Kiara Worth. View performance.

Interviews with Delegates

BIC Staff conducted interviews with several BIC delegates, who offered their unique perspectives on participation in the Commission. (Duncan Hanks, Ineke Gijsbers, Kiara Worth, Melody Mirzaagha and Alicia Cundall)

Interns’ Blog

Throughout the Commission, BIC interns Krisy Moore and Jeff Thimm maintained a blog about the experiences and insights gained at this year’s Commission.

Commission Outcome

Words appearing most often in the Final Adopted Text of the 17^th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development

Official CSD-17 Documents:

CSD-17 Final Adopted Text – Policy options and practical measures to expedite implementation in agriculture, rural development, land, drought, desertification and Africa.
Shared Vision Statement (Chair’s Summary) - Governments, Major Groups, and UN bodies share their vision on the future of sustainable development and their understanding of the deep interconnection among the issues under consideration, including their relationship to the eradication of hunger, extreme poverty and climate change.
UN Press Release (19 May 2009): Sustainable Development Agreement Signals New Cooperation on finding Solutions to Global Crises
UN Press Release (15 May 2009): Sustainable Development Commission Adopts Policy Options, ‘SHARED VISION’ document Stressing Urgent Need for Bold, Determined, Innovative Response to World Crises

About the BIC Delegates

Alicia Cundall, 19, reads the statement prepared by the youth caucus for the plenary session of governments on 14 May.

Táhirih Naylor: Head of Delegation - Representative of the Bahá'í International Community United Nations Office – New York, USA
Peter Adriance: NGO Liaison, National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá'ís of the U.S. – USA
Duncan Hanks: Executive Director of the Canadian Bahá'í International Development Agency – Canada [YouTube video]
Ineke Gijsbers: Agroforester, Representative of the UK Bahá'í Community – UK [YouTube video]
Kiara Worth: Actress, Writer and Representative of Golder Associates – South Africa [YouTube video]
Alicia Cundall: Student at the University of Toronto – Toronto, Canada [YouTube video] [YouTube video of her reading the statement on behalf of the Youth Caucus]
Melody Mirzaagha: Student at the Osgoode Hall Law School – Canada [YouTube video]
Krisy Moore : BIC Intern, blogger – Canada
Jeff Thimm: BIC Intern, blogger - Albania
Azarnoush Dooki: BIC Intern - Honduras
Arash Mirian: BIC Intern - Canada

Delegates who participated in the CSD-17 Women’s Caucus: Ineke Gijsbers (Secretary of the Caucus), Duncan Hanks, Melody Mirzaagha, Azarnoush Dooki, Arash Mirian, Krisy Moore

Delegates who participated in the CSD-17 Youth Caucus: Kiara Worth, Alicia Cundall, Melody Mirazaagha, Jeff Thimm, Krisy Moore, Azarnoush Dooki, Arash Mirian

Delegates who participated in the CSD-17 NGO Caucus: Peter Adriance, Duncan Hanks, Jeff Thimm