Submitted by
daltonj
on Wed, 08/24/2022 - 18:04
General Information
Resolution
49806
Period covered
Activities to implement this Resolution from Activity Reports
| Relevant operative para(s) of Res/Rec | Activities Overview | Description | Status | Action |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Convene stakeholders/Networking | Operative statement (1) of the resolution calls on Commissions and Members to review the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams and other more recent documents and synthesize this into a contemporary set of recommendations for good practice. Synchronicity Earth and the SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee co-Chair (Ian Harrison) discussed this with IUCN’s Secretariat and colleagues in the SSC, and in some other Member and non-Member organizations. The idea to create an Inter-Commissional Task Force on dams was raised and identified as a potential way ahead for this part of the Resolution. In consultation with several Secretariat/Commission members, Synchronicity Earth SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee co-Chair Harrison have drafted a concept note for the Task Force, and a list of potential members for an initial advisory group for developing the task force. These have been reviewed by the SSC Chair’s Office, and will be sent out for review and comment by the SSC Steering Committee. (Note that Member Organizations who were consulted in this process provided commentary agreeing that the formation of a Task Force was a good idea, but have otherwise not been significantly involved in the implementation of this Resolution thus far, and are not listed in this report. It is expected they will have more input in the ongoing development of the Task Force and will be listed in forthcoming reports). |
On-going | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | Operative statement (2) calls on the Director General to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo encouraging him to: a) support protection and restoration of Lower Congo ecosystems; b) balance development by enacting legal protections and governance for the Lower Congo; and c) ensure that all contracts involving major infrastructure projects impacting the Lower Congo include a provision for local stakeholders to be included in planning, and have their concerns incorporated into further discussions. A letter was prepared, in consultation with IUCN’s West and Central Africa Office, and has been signed by IUCN’s Director General, and sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and copied to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations Office in Geneva. The letter notes that IUCN would be happy to support the Democratic Republic of the Congo in making well-informed decisions regarding development and conservation plans on the Lower Congo River that are sustainable and provide the country, its economy and its people with resilient long-term benefits. The letter was accompanied by a Briefing Document that provided further background information on the biological and livelihoods importance of the Lower Congo, and addressing points (b) and (c) of operative statement (2). |
Completed | Full activity report | |
| Policy influencing/advocacy | Operative statement (3) asks the Species Survival Commission (SSC) to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo urgently informing him on the potential threats to the ecosystems of the Lower Congo that could be caused by the development plans for the dams. This part of the Resolution was addressed by having the SSC Chair countersign the letter with its accompanying Briefing Document, sent by the IUCN’s Director General (as defined in operative statement 2 discussed above). This simplified the process of addressing operative statements (2) and (3), and it reduced potential confusion that might have arisen for the President of the Democratic Republic of Congo if he received two related letters on a similar topic from IUCN | Completed | Full activity report |
Actors involved from Activity Reports
| IUCN Members | IUCN Commissions | IUCN Secretariat | Other non-IUCN related organisations |
|---|---|---|---|
|
|
|
Challenges / lessons learned from Activity Reports
Report status
Published
I. IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members
Synchronicity Earth ( United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland )
IUCN Commissions
IUCN Species Survival Commission 2021-2025
IUCN Secretariat
Yes
II. Implementation
Activities carried out to implement this Resolution
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Policy influencing/advocacy
Describe the results/achievements of the activities
The Resolution calls on Commissions and Members to review the recommendations of the World Commission on Dams and other more recent documents and synthesize this into a contemporary set of recommendations for good practice. Synchronicity Earth and the SSC Freshwater Conservation Committee co-Chair have discussed this with IUCN’s Secretariat and colleagues in the SSC, and in other Member and non-Member organizations. The action undertaken now is the creation of an IUCN Inter-Commissional Task Force on Dams. A Concept for this Task Force has been drafted and a list of potential members identified as an advisory group to develop the task force has been prepared. These have been reviewed by the SSC Chair’s Office and will be sent out for review and comment by the SSC Steering Committee.
The Resolution also calls on the Director General to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo encouraging him to: a) support protection and restoration of Lower Congo ecosystems; b) balance development by enacting legal protections and governance for the Lower Congo; and c) ensure that all contracts involving major infrastructure projects impacting the Lower Congo include a provision for local stakeholders to be included in planning, and have their concerns incorporated into further discussions. This letter, in consultation with the IUCN Secretariat and regional office for West and Central Africa Office was sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and copied to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations Office in Geneva. The letter was accompanied by a Briefing Document that provided further background information on the biological and livelihoods importance of the Lower Congo, and addressing points (b) and (c) of operative statement (2).
The Resolution also asks the Species Survival Commission (SSC) to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo urgently informing him on the potential threats to the ecosystems of the Lower Congo that could be caused by the development plans for the dams. This part of the Resolution was addressed by having the SSC Chair countersign the letter with its accompanying Briefing Document sent by the IUCN Director General.
The Resolution also calls on the Director General to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo encouraging him to: a) support protection and restoration of Lower Congo ecosystems; b) balance development by enacting legal protections and governance for the Lower Congo; and c) ensure that all contracts involving major infrastructure projects impacting the Lower Congo include a provision for local stakeholders to be included in planning, and have their concerns incorporated into further discussions. This letter, in consultation with the IUCN Secretariat and regional office for West and Central Africa Office was sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and copied to the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary, Permanent Representative, Permanent Mission of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the United Nations Office in Geneva. The letter was accompanied by a Briefing Document that provided further background information on the biological and livelihoods importance of the Lower Congo, and addressing points (b) and (c) of operative statement (2).
The Resolution also asks the Species Survival Commission (SSC) to send a memo to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo urgently informing him on the potential threats to the ecosystems of the Lower Congo that could be caused by the development plans for the dams. This part of the Resolution was addressed by having the SSC Chair countersign the letter with its accompanying Briefing Document sent by the IUCN Director General.
Challenges/obstacles encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and measures taken
One of the issues is the involvement of Fortescue Metals Group and Fortescue Future Industries who are behind the proposal for a dam on the lower Congo. FMG is led by one of IUCN's Patrons of Nature. IUCN has reached spoken to FMG about the project on the lower Congo. This is an active discussion with FMG. There has also not been any response to the letter from the IUCN DG and SSC Chair to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. There is also little information on the planned developments flowing out of DRC.
Future actions / activities needed for the implementation of this Resolution
A follow up call with FMG based on the call from September 2022.
A follow up to the letter sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A follow on call is needed with Synchronicity Earth and Ian Harrison to strategise on next steps, and to get an update on the Task Force.
A follow up to the letter sent to the President of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
A follow on call is needed with Synchronicity Earth and Ian Harrison to strategise on next steps, and to get an update on the Task Force.
Are these actions/activities planned?
Yes
III. Status of implementation
Implementation status of this Resolution
Underway: implementation well-advanced