APPENDIX F
CONSULTATIVE GROUP ON THE TROPICAL FORESTS ACTION PROGRAMME
A. TERMS OF REFERENCE
1. According full respect to national sovereignty and sustainable development objectives, as well as the provisions of the non-legally binding "Forest Principles" agreed at UNCED, the Consultative Group should:
(a) provide broad strategic advice - respond to requests for advice on broad, strategic policy issues of importance to tropical forests, submitted by countries, the co-sponsors and other participants in TFAP. At some point this might entail proposals for the revision of the TFAP goal and objectives as better knowledge and information become available;
(b) promote international cooperation - help identify overall priorities for international cooperation to conserve, manage and sustainably develop tropical forests; help promote awareness of those approaches to tropical forest problems that are most effective, including socio-economic and ecological aspects; promote responses to requests from countries in need of attention/support with respect to specific tropical forest issues, e.g. watershed management and biodiversity;
(c) address problems - serve as a forum through which tropical forest countries could raise their concerns, and where interested parties could identify difficulties and suggest solutions in achieving TFAP's goal and objectives; serve as a clearing-house for identification of critical problems being encountered by the tropical forest countries;
(d) review progress - based on available information, undertake periodic review of the overall impact of TFAP in line with its goal and objectives. One function the CG could undertake would be to produce an annual report on the status of TFAP;
(e) encourage transparency and dissemination of publicly available information on research results, country experience and "best practice", in agreement, where necessary, with the tropical forest countries concerned;
(f) assess the adequacy of funding needs and sources - monitor the flow of funds for implementing NFAPs, call the attention of countries and the international community to funding needs and resources, and if those resources are judged inadequate recommend feasible financial mechanisms to stimulate and augment the flow of international resources.
B. CRITERIA FOR SELECTION OF NGOs
2. Forest industry-related NGOs to be considered for participation in the TFAP/CG should meet the following criteria:
3. Development/environmental NGOs to be considered for participation in the TFAP/CG should demonstrate:
C. PROCESS OF SELECTION OF NGOs
4. The principle that NGOs select their own representatives won broad support during the discussions of the Committee on Forestry. It is understood that this procedure would require the consent of the member country concerned in the case of national NGOs.
5. NGO self-selection would be relatively simple to put into practice if it were possible to call upon an already existing network representing all development and environmental NGOs interested in forestry matters, at international and/or regional levels. Since this is not the case, I propose a process to facilitate selection by the NGO community of their representatives in the CG. This process may also promote institution-building by contributing to the establishment of effective regional and international networks among those NGOs which have a common concern for the TFAP and strengthen NGO participation in TFAP activities from the national level up to the international level.
6. In the three developing regions it is proposed that a meeting be organized by the national TFAP coordinator in each country in which the TFAP is operational, to which the NGOs which are cooperating with the Programme or express an interest in doing so would be invited. The NGO participants at this meeting would select one of their number as the focal point for inter-country networking and as their candidate for the regional NGO representative on the CG. Subsequently, the national NGO focal points would come together in a regional workshop intended to provide an occasion for the exchange of NGO experience regarding TFAP, identify ways in which NGO cooperation with the TFAP could be strengthened, formulate plans for on-going TFAP-related networking among NGOs in the region, elect one of their number to represent the region's NGOs in the CG and agree on the concerns which he/she should express in this forum. This proposal clearly has financial implications. Funds would have to be made available from extra-budgetary sources for the regional workshops to take place. The amount required can be estimated in the neighbourhood of US$300 000 for the three workshops, depending on the number of countries involved. Should these funds not become available the regional NGO representatives would have to be selected through correspondence among the national focal points.
7. For the categories of developed countries and international development/environmental NGOs, the process proposed is simpler and the financial implications negligible. NGOs in each of these two categories which have been associated with the TFAP in one capacity or another would be contacted and requested to consult with each other in order to name their representatives. The organization of a workshop for this purpose would not be necessary since the number of NGOs involved is much smaller than for the developing countries and their possibilities for consulting via electronic mail and in connection with other meetings are much greater.
