United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development (UNCSD)
The CSD met annually in New York, in two-year cycles, with each cycle focusing on clusters of specific thematic and cross-sectoral issues, outlined in its new multi-year programme of work (2003-2017).
The CSD opened its sessions to broad participation from both governmental and non-governmental actors and supported a number of innovative activities, such as the Partnerships Fair, the Learning Centre and a series of panels, roundtables and side events. The High-level segment featured dialogue among Ministers, and Ministers also held a special dialogue session with Major Groups.
The WFEO Committee on Energy represented WFEO at the following meetings of CSD held at the UN Headquarters in New York:
- CSD-14 Session, 1 – 12 May 2006
- Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM), 25 February – 2 March 2007
- CSD-15 Session, 30 April – 11 May 2007
- CSD-16 Session, 5 – 16 May 2008
- Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM), 23 to 27 February 2009
- CSD -17 Session, 4 – 15 May 2009
- CSD -18 Session, 3 – 14 May 2010
- Intergovernmental Preparatory Meeting (IPM), 28 February – 4 March 2011
- CSD -19 Session, 2 – 13 May 2011
Scientific and Technological Community Major Group
The first three meetings in 2006-07 focused on issues related to Energy for Sustainable Development; Industrial Development; Air pollution/Atmosphere, and Climate Change; those in 2008-09 to Agriculture, Rural Development, Land, Drought, Desertification, and Africa, and those in 2010-11 to Sustainable Consumption and Production, Transport, Chemicals, Waste Management, and Mining.
At the request of the UNCSD Secretariat, the Committee contributed the WFEO position on several issues for the preparation of the UN Secretary General’s Report to CSD-15, CSD-16, CSD-17, CSD-18 and CSD-19. Also, the WFEO delegation produced together with ICSU, discussion papers for each of such meetings stating the positions of the Scientific and Technological Community on the issues under discussion. The Scientific and Technological Community, made up by WFEO and ICSU, is one of the Major Groups of Civil Society recognized by the U.N. system.
At CSD-17, the Energy Committee co-sponsored, together with the Engineering and Environment and the Capacity Building Committees, the side event on “Capacity Building: Words Into Action” to discuss issues on physical, social & economic infrastructure related to Agriculture, Rural development and Land. This event was held on 6 May 2009 and engaged 71 delegates and members of major groups from more than 20 countries who considered perspectives on effective capacity building actions to deal with such issues.
On the occasion of CSD-18, WFEO held a side event on “Transport Efficiency and Waste Avoidance – Input for Policy-Makers”. This event that took place on May 4, 2010 was organized by the WFEO Standing Committees on Energy (CE), Engineering and Environment (CEE) and Capacity Building (CCB).
At CSD-19, these Standing Committees organized on May 6, 2011 a WFEO side event on “State-of-the-art, Innovative and Sustainable Technologies in Waste Management, Mining, Transport and Chemicals”.
The position sustained by the WFEO delegation has been to provide the technical expertise required for searching feasible solutions on issues under discussion and to stress the need for serious observance of scientific principles and engineering criteria when proposing actions on sustainability and development matters.
