Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the International Labour
Organisation Fundamental Principles on Rights at Work, and the (UN) Rio Principles
on Environment and Development. The main requirement for participation is that
companies provide a brief report once a year on concrete actions they have taken as
well as any lessons they have learned from doing so.
Commodity tracking systems
For a whole range of commodities, specific control or tracking systems have been
developed. These have been designed for a variety of goals, including the protec-
tion of endangered species, environmental concerns, ethical concerns (child labour)
or security-related issues. Crossin et al. (2003: 97-159) provide an extensive discus-
sion and overview of commodity tracking systems (CTRs). These authors distinguish
between five essential elements of CTRs: common definitions and reporting require-
ments, effective reporting structures and information exchange, commodity labelling
and audited chain-of-custody arrangements, compliance and enforcement measures,
and capacity building. In a table, they describe eleven major tracking regimes and
their governing institutions. Some more well-known examples of CTRs include the
Kimberley certification process scheme for diamonds, the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), the Cartagena Protocol on
Biosafety, The Basel and Rotterdam Conventions of hazardous waste and chemicals,
and the Forest Stewardship Council for timber. It goes beyond the scope of this chapter
to review all details of such systems, but there is generally some optimism with regard
to their potential impact. However, the weaknesses and lack of enforcement mentioned
above by Swanson and Ascher with regard to transparency initiatives generally apply
to CTRs as well.
2.3.2 Dutch concerns
The Dutch government was among the first to put the issue of intrastate conflict on the
policy agenda. In the early 1990s, the Dutch development cooperation minister Jan
Pronk linked the domains of development and conflict, and of development coopera-
tion and defence (Ministerie van Buitenlandse Zaken 1993). This was further reflected
inDutch policy practice, which endeavoured to resolve or mitigate the effects of conflict
through diplomatic, humanitarian and development initiatives in a variety of conflict
and post-conflict situations. These developments were supported by a conscientious
policy research effort, involving different agencies, as well as a particularly important
role for non-governmental agencies (e.g., the co-financing agencies, IKV Pax Christi).
Many development cooperation initiatives took place in conflict-prone areas. An inte-
grated approach was promoted that combined instruments of diplomacy, defence and
development (the so-called 3-D approach or whole-of-government approach) to deal
with a series of interrelated problems in weak states and conflict areas. In Dutch global
policies, conflict prevention and conflict management, as well as stabilisation and
reconstruction were mentioned as important policy goals. The importance of good gov-
ernance and the proper management of natural resources were emphasised. Resource
scarcity and mal-distribution compounded by patterns of patronage were deemed to
be among the causes of Africa's multiple conflicts.
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