Phase 2

ETC Group (Action Group on Erosion, Technology, and  Concentration)  

Reduced proposal

1. Introduction

From the outset, the ETC group's role in the CBDC has focused on the link between CBDC’s country programmes and policy: bringing the perspective of CBDC to relevant multilateral policy forums; bringing the substance of policy debates to CBDC partners; facilitating the involvement of CBDC partners in policy forums; producing materials and conducting programmes that assist in these tasks. This continues to be the ETC group's principal contribution to the CBCD. The ETC group will therefore play a coordinating role within the CBDC Transversal Line on Policy. We will bring a policy perspective to other Transversal Lines in which we participate, and in others, when asked.

ETC group will participate in CBDC’s Policy, Mainstreaming and Gender Transversal lines, with the bulk of our effort contributing to the Transversal Line on Policy. ETC group’s work within the Mainstreaming and Gender Transversal Lines will be from a policy perspective.

Work to bring the CBDC’s approach and analysis to the multilateral policy arena is one concrete way to bring CBDC’s perspective into the "mainstream" of international agricultural institutions, research priorities, and methods. ETC group and partners will identify ways to involve CBDC people and analysis in such multilateral policy bodies as the CGIAR, CBD and FAO, as a tangible contribution to CBDC mainstreaming. Our work in the Transversal Line on Mainstreaming will help bring the lessons of the CBDC to the heart of national and inter-governmental policy negotiations.

It is easier to imagine how a gender analysis might affect CBDC’s research methodologies, country programmes and training, than it is to understand how gender analysis might alter the nature and outcomes of multilateral policy deliberations of the kind that ETC group and CBDC have followed until now. ETC group’s role in the Transversal Line on Gender will be to examine if, and if so, how CBDC’s focus on gender might be better translated into the macro policy arena.

2. General Objectives

  1. To monitor intergovernmental policy debates relevant to the CBDC
  2. To conduct new research and publish new material in support of the Transversal Line on Policy;
  3. To provide leadership within the CBDC Policy Transversal Line – especially in analysing the impact of New Technologies and Intellectual Property on issues of concern to CBDC partners, and on CBDC programmes;
  4. To co-ordinate, facilitate or support the participation of CBDC partners in relevant multilateral policy forums annually (eg. CBD, CGIAR and FAO);
  5. To assist CBDC partners to link international and national actions on policy matters; and to link in-field activities with policy interventions;
  6. To support Policy initiatives of all CBDC partners, by developing joint initiatives with partners at the regional and national levels;
  7. To conduct research on the life industries and biopiracy, relevant to CBDC partners.
Specific Objectives and Intended Outputs

Specific ETC group Objectives Intended Verifiable Outputs
Related transversal line: Policies
1.1  To monitor and analyse policy developments in CBD, CGIAR, FAO, and other institutions as relevant (continual)
 
  • Regular publication of policy analyses and updates
 
1.2  To research and analyse new biotechnologies and their implications for CBDC issues and partners (continual)  
  • Published analyses of new technologies
  • (Proposed) CBDC actions in national and international arenas
 
1.3  To research and analyse new developments in the use of intellectual property in agriculture (continual)  
  • Reports on new developments in intellectual property
  • (Proposed) CBDC actions in national and multilateral arenas
 
1.4  To contribute to regional or inter-regional workshops and training seminars – on new technologies and intellectual property, other policy issues, policy monitoring and documentation etc. (at least 2 / year)
  • Region-specific workshop materials and data
  • Enhanced capacity by CBDC national programme personnel and CBDC as a whole, to monitor and formulate policy proposals, and contribute to policy negotiations
  • Increased involvement of CBDC partners in national and/or intergovernmental negotiations
1.5  To (help) coordinate, and contribute to a mid-point CBDC policy report, summarizing partners’ perspectives and shared positions after the second year (2001), and a final report at the end of Phase II (2003)  
  • Policy reports for wide dissemination, in print and on the CBDC website

Related transversal lines: Mainstreaming the CBDC
2.1 To coordinate and /or support the effective involvement of regionally representative CBDC partners in at least one major policy negotiation per year (ongoing - at CGIAR Centres Week and Mid-Term Review; FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, Biodiversity Convention COP and SBSTTA; and elsewhere as appropriate)  
  • Effective involvement of CBDC partners in multilateral negotiations
  • Enhanced capacity of CBDC partners to understand and participate in multilateral forums
  • Integration of CBDC ideas, approaches and methods in some activities of targeted institutions
2.2 To plan and coordinate CBDC workshop for second session of the Global Forum on Agriculture (2001)  
  • greater knowledge of CBDC activities and approaches, and possible new collaboration
  • integration of CBDC ideas, approaches and methods in Forum’s outcomes
2.3 To conduct CBDC workshop(s) for CGIAR centres at mid-point and end of CBDC Phase II (2001, 2003)  
  • new CBDC documentation for use in workshop(s)
  • Greater understanding within CGIAR of CBDC approach
Related transversal lines: Gender
3.1 To contribute to deliberations by the Gender T Line on macro policy implications of CBDC gender analysis  
  • Greater gender perspective in at least some of the macro policy debates relevant to CBDC
Relations with other transversal lines
4.1 To respond to requests for policy support from other T-lines  
  • Policy outputs from other T-Lines
Research / Support (Not related to transversal lines)
5.1 To conduct research on changes in the life industries  
  • New published material on the life industries
5.2 To conduct region-specific research on biopiracy  
  • New published material on biopiracy, by region