Co-creation of Sustainable Futures

STEPS Conference on Pathways to SustainabilityUniversity of Sussex - September 24, 2001

Molly AndersonCollege of the Atlantic

Bar Harbor, Maine USAManderson@coa.edu

• Introduction to cases• Characteristics of MSFs that encourage

learning• Re-balancing power in MSFs• Dealing with multiple worldviews in MSFs• Implications for policy and education

Overview

Purpose of the IAASTD:Assess the impacts of AKST on the following development goals—past, present and future:• Reducing hunger and poverty• Improving rural livelihoods and human health• Facilitating equitable and environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable development

Key elements of IAASTD structure & process:• Intergovernmental• Interdisciplinary & multi-thematic• Sponsored by FAO, UNEP, UNDP, GEF, World Bank, UNESCO & WHO• Equal leadership by women and men, from industrialized & developing countries• Multistakeholder Bureau with equal representation from civil society & governments

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Key elements of ANSI-SC structure & process:• Follows ANSI protocols for SC selection & criteria development• Interdisciplinary• SC made up of producers, environmental interests and “other”• Sponsored by private donations• All proceedings and meetings open and transparent • Secretariat within the Leonardo Academy (a non-profit accredited standard-development organization)

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• Choose the right stakeholders• Identify the problem clearly and fully• Handle different expectations• Create an atmosphere of safety and respect• Allow enough time for deep deliberation• Recognize and accommodate different

worldviews• Incorporate evaluation but don’t overdo it

MSF characteristics and steps that increase learning capacity

Power asymmetries in MSFS

• Participants• Agenda• Who speaks and gets attention• Who makes ultimate decisions• Whether decisions can be contested• Who writes and edits the final reports

Rules to help balance power

• Transparency

• “Balanced” participation

• Shared agenda-setting

• Agreed-upon norms of respect

• Shared protocols for conflict resolution

• Skillful facilitation

• Reliance on factual evidence

Global Environmental Management

Populism

Reliance on external experts

Internal empowerment

Market-oriented solutions

Grassroots political change

Neo-liberal policies Challenges to neo-liberalism

Top-down, centralized Bottom-up, dispersed

From Adger et al. 2001

Interest in self-protection and self-aggrandizement

Interest in hoarding and profiting from AKST and other agricultural resources (IPR and other mechanisms)

(Global Environmental Management)

Interest in social justice, cooperation, diverse perspectives, precautionary approaches to technology

(Populism)

Interest in sharing AKST and other resources through open-source or fairer mechanisms

High fear (preoccupation w/ competition)

Low fear

Techno-optimism

Why the IAASTD was more successful in facilitating learning

• Explicit attention to power dynamics and sharing power

• Relying on evidence and allowing diverse sources

• Framing that used multifunctionality and public goods concepts