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1. Definition
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Name
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CONTRIBUTION
OF NON-GOVERNMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS TO SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
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Brief
definition
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The
number of NGOs that represent one or more major groups
involved in the development, implementation and/or
monitoring of national strategies for sustainable
development.
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Unit
of measure
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Number
of groups
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2.
Position within the logical framework DPSIR
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Type
of Indicator
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Response
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3.
Target and political pertinence
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Objective
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This
indicator shows the level of participation in sustainable
development by major groups represented by NGOs.
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Importance
with respect to desertification
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The
UNCCD commits governments to adopt a "bottom-up
approach" that encourages a real partnership
between the local population, national authorities
and the international community, assuming that the
genuine involvement and participation of all social
groups in decision making is critical to implement
and design appropriate measures to combat desertification.
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International
Conventions and agreements
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In
combating desertification and drought, the UNCCD assumes
as essential the participation of local communities,
rural organizations, national Governments, non-governmental
organizations and international and regional organizations.
This issue is included in Agenda 21, Chapter 23, which
calls for broad public participation in decision making
as a fundamental prerequisite for the achievement
of sustainable development. Chapter 27 advocates strengthening
the role of non-governmental organizations as partners
for sustainable development in a participatory democracy.
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Secondary
objectives of the indicator
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Assess
the consistence of local social capital.
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4.
Methodological description and basic definitions
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Definitions
and basic concepts
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Major
groups are distinguished by Agenda 21 as follows:
Women, Trade Unions, Children and Youth, Business
and Industry, Indigenous People, Local Authorities,
NGOs, Scientific and Technological, and Farmers. Participation
is defined by the Human Development Report 1993 as
follows: "Participation means that people are
closely involved in the economic, social, cultural
and political processes that affect their lives...Participation...is
an essential element of human development.
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Benchmarks
Indication of the values/ranges of value
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Methods
of measurement
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There
is no institutionalised measurement method for this
indicator, but surveys such as the one that has recently
been carried out by the Commission on Sustainable
Development (CSD) could serve this purpose. The CSD
Survey of Major Groups has been sent to over 1100
NGOs and major group organizations around the world.
One section of the survey enquired which major group(s)
are represented in the NGO and which formal relationships
it has with several international bodies, including
UN agencies. The third section focused on the respondent's
activities related to the individual chapters of Agenda
21. The fourth and, for this indicator, most relevant
section contained detailed questions about the level
and type of participation of the respondent in national
sustainable development strategies, and the reasons,
if applicable, why the respondent did not take part
in these.
An
alternative and easier method is consider the number
of active NGOs specialized in environmental field
and/or the number of people involved in NGOs activities.
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Limits
of the indicator
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The
main limitation of this indicator is that measurement
by surveys relies entirely on the response to those
surveys, which is unlikely to yield representative
samples on an individual country basis. Adopting the
alternative method does not provide information on
the effective involvement of NGOs in decision-making
process.
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Linkages
with other indicators
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5.
Evaluation of data needs and availability
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Data
required to calculate the indicator
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The
data needed for this indicator are twofold: first,
which NGOs represent major groups; and second, in
what way are these NGOs participating in national
strategies for sustainable development.
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Data
sources
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National
surveys.
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Availability
of data from national and international sources
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The
availability of these data depends on the existence
and frequency of surveys. The CSD represents a potential
source of data.
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6.
Institutions that have participated in developing the indicator
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Main
institutions responsible
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University
of Basilicata, Italy
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Other
contributing organizations
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Universities
of Lisbon, Murcia, Athens
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7.
Additional information
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Bibliography
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http://esl.jrc.it/envind/un_meths/UN_ME.htm
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Other
references
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ELCI
(Environment Liaison Centre International). 1994.
Réseau International d'ONG sur la Désertification
- RIOD: General framework for operation. NGO Planning
Meeting, ELCI, Nairobi. 91 pp.
The
RIOD (International NGOs Network on Desertification
and Drought) http://www.riodccd.org/
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Contacts
Name and address
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University
of Basilicata
Prof Giovanni Quaranta
email: quaranta@unibas.it
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