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Expert Consultation on Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Sustainable Development in Post-Rio+20 Era
6-8 March 2013, Hyatt Regency Hotel, Incheon, Republic of Korea
Introduction and Background
The Expert Consultation on Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Sustainability Transition, organized by United Nations Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) together with its partners, concluded on 8 March 2013 by adapting a set of recommendations as set out in Bridging Knowledge and Capacity Gaps for Sustainability Transition: A Framework for Action.

The Framework for Action emphasizes:

a) Actions that include Knowledge Management & Capacity Building into Sustainable Development strategy and planning at all levels of governance and institutions;

b) The maintenance of catalogues and mapping of Sustainable Development actors, activities, resources and networks; and

c) Emphasis on integrated approach to sustainability challenges of climate change adaptation and mitigation, water management, food security, and sustainable energy in anticipation of the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals.

The meeting called upon the UNOSD to disseminate the above referred Framework for Action as widely as possible to all stakeholders at all levels.

More than 100 experts, including 50 delegations from developing countries, attended the Consultation.

The Consultation was organised by UNOSD in partnership with the Asia-Europe Foundation, the Korea Environment Institute, and the United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD).






For further information, please contact unosd@un.org, +82-32-822-9088.

Session 1: Knowledge and capacity needs and gaps for sustainable development (10:00 to 13:00 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Discussion
Interactive discussion will focus, inter-alia, on the following questions:
  • How close is your perception of the needs and gaps to what you have heard presented? Is there some important aspect that has been missed or overlooked?
  • Can the needs and gaps identified so far be clustered into categories? What are those categories?
  • This meeting�s goal is, in part, to produce a Framework for Action for knowledge sharing and Capacity Building.
    What would make such a framework particularly useful to you?
Chair: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Ms. Chikako Takase, Director, UNCRD, Nagoya
Session 2: Parallel Working Group Sessions: Mapping of who is doing what and how: sharing of experiences and lessons learned (14:30 to 17:30 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Working Group 1 Experiences from different knowledge and capacity building programmes and networks in sustainable development: what has worked and what has not?
Discussion
The Working Group will focus its discussions, inter- alia, on the following questions:
  • What are 3-5 key takeaways (reflections and insights) from the presentations that can inform the development of knowledge and capacity building programmes going forward?
  • Are there any common patterns in the examples of what has �not� worked?
  • What do the �most effective and successful� examples have in common? What can we learn from these?
Summary Question: What appear to be the key elements of a successful programme for knowledge and capacity building?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Alan AtKisson, UNOSD Consultant, Stockholm
Rapporteur: Mr. Khalid Riaz, Professor of Management Sciences, Comsats University, Islamabad

Working Group 2 SD knowledge management for capacity building in post Rio+20 era
Discussion
The Working Group will focus its discussions, inter- alia, on the following questions:
  • The landscape for SD knowledge management and capacity building is changing rapidly, in complex ways. In order to address this, what key messages need to be communicated to decision makers?
  • What new technologies and methods appear to be most important in putting SD knowledge to use, and in increasing our capacity to use it?
  • What is different about knowledge and capacity for SD in the post-Rio+20 era? What has changed?
Summary Question: How can these insights be translated into effective strategy and programming?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. L�szl� Pint�r, Professor, Department of Environmental Sciences and Policy, Central European University, Budapest.
Rapporteur: Ms. Eva Ludi, Overseas Development Institute, United Kingdom

Session 3: Unlocking the potential of water-energy- agriculture nexus for poverty eradication (09:00 to 13:00 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Discussion
Interactive discussion will focus, inter-alia, on the following questions:
  • Food security: How can we use the extensive knowledge that we already have (on how to increase food security) more effectively?
  • Climate change: Despite ample knowledge and great efforts in the area of capacity development, most observers agree that progress on climate change remains too slow, in every dimension of the issue. Is there something we can do differently, in the area of knowledge and capacity development that will help us overcome roadblocks and accelerate change?
  • Poverty eradication: What specific types of knowledge and capacity are most needed now, in your experience? And needed by whom?
  • The nexus: Our "capacity for capacity development" is already limited, and the complex interactions among these areas (water, energy, food, poverty, climate) stretch us even further. What are the most effective ways of "integrating" knowledge and capacity building programmes to advance progress in several areas at once?
Chair: Mr. M. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD, Incheon
Rapporteur: Mr. Peter King, Senior Policy Adviser, IGES, Bangkok

Recap of day 1 and organization of day 2: Mr. Aslam Chaudhry, Head of UNOSD

Keynote address: Education and Capacity Building for Sustainability
Speaker: Mr. Arjen Wals, Professor of Social Learning and Sustainable Development, Wageningen University, The Netherlands.

Session 4: Parallel Working Group Sessions: Bridging knowledge and capacity gaps in post Rio era (14:30 to 17:30 hrs with 20 minutes nutrition and networking break)
Working Group 3 Building capacities for adapting to climate change in water management
Discussion
One key objective of this expert consultation is to gain a better understanding about the "Framework for Action for Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building". Towards this aim:
  • What are the key competencies (both the knowledge and capacity to use that knowledge) that are most needed, to help countries adapt to climate change in water management?
  • What are the top priorities for action (maximum three), in order to make knowledge sharing and capacity building more effective? What needs to happen?
  • There are several key actors, in addition to the governments, who will contribute towards the implementation of this framework for action. What are your views as to who can do what?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Anton Earle, Director Capacity Development Office, SIWI, Stockholm
Rapporteur: Mr. Kees Leendertse, Cap-Net UNDP, South Africa

Working Group 4 Knowledge and capacity needs for providing energy access to all
Discussion
One key objective of this expert consultation is to gain a better understanding about the "Framework for Action for Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building". Towards this aim:
  • What are the key competencies (both the knowledge and capacity to use that knowledge) that are most needed, to help countries to accelerate the provision of sustainable energy for all?
  • What are the top priorities for action (maximum three), in order to make knowledge sharing and capacity building more effective? What needs to happen?
  • There are several key actors, in addition to the governments, who will contribute towards the implementation of this framework for action. What are your views as to who can do what?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Mark Hopkins, International Energy Efficiency Director, UNF, USA
Rapporteur: Mr. Kang Sang-in, Senior Development Management Expert, UNOSD, Incheon

Working Group 5 Sustainable agriculture, food security and climate change
Discussion
One key objective of this expert consultation is to gain a better understanding about the �Framework for Action for Knowledge Sharing and Capacity Building�. Towards this aim:
  • What are the key competencies (both the knowledge and capacity to use that knowledge) that are most needed, to help countries to secure food supplies sustainably in an era of climatic change
  • What are the top priorities for action (maximum three), in order to make knowledge sharing and capacity building more effective? What needs to happen
  • There are several key actors, in addition to the governments, who will contribute towards the implementation of this framework for action. What are your views as to who can do what ?
Chair/Facilitator: Mr. Eric Kemp- Bendict, Senior Scientist, Stockholm Environment Institute, Bangkok
Rapporteur: Mr. Francois Fortier, Senior SD Expert, UNOSD, Incheon

Session 5: Implementing Rio+20 outcomes: the way forward for knowledge sharing and capacity building
Expert Panel 1 - Sustainable development goals and new architecture for sustainable development governance
Discussion
Expert Panel on Sustainable development goals and new architecture for sustainable development governance
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Thierry Schwarz, Director for Intellectual Exchange, ASEF, Singapore
Rapporteur: Mr. Simon Olsen, IGES, Tokyo

Panel:

Expert Panel 2 - Knowledge and capacity needs for accelerating transition towards sustainability including green economy
Discussion
Expert Panel on Knowledge and Capacity Needs for Accelerating Transition towards Sustainability including Green Economy
Chair/Moderator: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
Rapporteur: Mr. Fran�ois Fortier, Senior Sustainable Development Expert, UNOSD, Incheon

Panel:

Closing session (14:30 to 16:30 hrs)
Chair: Mr. Nikhil Seth, Director, DSD/DESA, United Nations, New York
  • Presentation of working groups reports
  • Discussion on summary of conclusions and recommendations
  • Closing statements and next steps
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