21 February 2001
The End & A Beginning
WCD Forum ends with broad consensus to 'work with the report'

Forum Liason Group Seeks to Set Up “Dams and Development” Unit, Under UNEP, to Disseminate the Report, Build Capacity, and Help Engage Institutions, Governments, Businesses Seeking Further Clarity

CAPE TOWN, 5 March 2001 -The End of the World Commission on Dams process came February 27 after a three-day meeting of more than 100 participants, observers, researchers and journalists at the Third and Final WCD Forum. And seeds of a new beginning quickly took root.

The End arrived on time, through engaged responses, quiet discussions, and constructive criticisms. The range of voices included NGOs, affected peoples movements, industry chiefs, representatives of governments and multilateral institutions. There was no unanimous endorsement of the Report; some - notably, on both sides of the debate -- felt the weight of its findings unbalanced against their respective positions. And several Forum members articulated their organisation´s rejection of the WCD guidelines as being too rigid and likely to cause delays in urgently needed projects.

But such views softened after Prof. Kader Asmal responded directly to these concerns. Within hours a clear consensus began to emerge among all parties that, despite their remaining differences in perspectives, the WCD report, Dams and Development, provided a solid reference point for all parties to move forward both individually and as a group. And a supportive opening day call from UNEP Executive Director Prof. Klaus Toepfer set the stage for translating words into action.

During the WCD process, the Forum has played the dual role of sounding board and reality check, and for the first day it did just that. More than 30 individual Forum members offered presentations on how their organisation was reacting to the Report. The second day used break-out sessions to find common ground on next steps, involving dissemination, co-operation, capacity building and future needs. Two comprehensive “reality checks” -- on South Africa´s Skuifraam Dam and Nam Theun II in Laos -- punctuated the day by showing how the WCD criteria and guidelines could prove both useful and applied in practice.

On the last day, a majority of Forum members sought to build on that consensual momentum created by the WCD, while at the same time respecting the fixed mandate to shut down the WCD office March 31. So the Forum Liason Group is looking into establishing a temporary “Dams and Development” unit, hosted by the UN Environment Programme, to help bring the Report to a larger audience, and working more closely with governments in reviewing and using the Report.