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The World Commission on Dams 'Model' and the Future of Global Public

by World Resources Institute, - 6 September 2001

The World Resources Institute (USA), Lokayan (India), and Lawyer's Environmental Action Team (Tanzania) are pleased to announce the launch of a new joint publication, A Watershed in Global Governance? An Independent Assessment of the World Commission on Dams, by Navroz K. Dubash, Mairi Dupar, Smitu Kothari and Tundu Lissu. The report analyzes the high-profile Commission as a possible model for future global decision-making on contentious development issues.

The formal release of the book will be accompanied by a panel discussion (panelists to be announced) and question-and-answer session with the authors. The event will be held from 9:30 to 11:30 am at the World Resources Institute offices in Washington DC.

A Watershed in Global Governance? traces the precursors of the World Commission on Dams (WCD) in the increasing mobilization of civil society around environment, development and social justice worldwide, and in a series of other global commissions. The WCD was one of an emerging number of international "multi-stakeholder processes" that have brought together concerned parties from government and non-governmental backgrounds to address difficult policy issues. The inclusion of diverse voices in such processes is intended to cultivate broad willingness to act around innovative solutions.

Conflicts over globalization are in part, rooted in concern over a lack of democratic process at the global level. The authors looked at how successful the WCD was in creating an accessible process in which many stakeholders could participate, and whether good process increased the prospects for change in the bitterly divided dams debate. The authors assessed the implications of the WCD's experience for future attempts to create global, multi-stakeholder processes around contentious environment and development issues. What will be the Commission's legacy when governments and non-governmental groups look to create new, global rules for extractive industries or biotechnology development? For trade and environment linkages?

For more information about the assessment, including preliminary findings, please visit our website at WCD Assessment. The Executive Summary of the report will be online at this site by mid-September.

If you plan to be in Washington on September 27, please mark your calendars. An invitation with detailed directions will be sent to you shortly. If you expect to come it would greatly assist our planning if you contact Fredrich Kahrl.

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