16-18 June 2003: Sustainable Development and Livelihoods Workshop, Dhaka, Bangladesh

The third Asia Pacific regional meeting for the Global Biodiversity Forum was held at Dhaka in Bangladesh from 16 - 18 June 2003. Hosted by the Equator Initiative, the Sustainable Development and Livelihoods workshop served as a forum that brought together diverse local communities engaged in conservation of biodiversity and promotion of sustainable livelihoods. This was a unique opportunity for these grass-root organizations to engage in discussions with not only one another but also researchers, academicians, national government policy makers as well as parliamentarians from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka and Fiji.

For full details on the proceedings of the Dhaka Meeting, please visit the Global Biodiversity Forum website.

Present at the meeting were representatives from the following Equator Prize 2002 finalist communities in the Asia Pacific Region:

• Medicinal Plants Conservation Centre, India
• Jeypore Tract of Orissa, India
• Kerala Kani Samudaya Kshema Trust, India
• Fiji Locally Managed Marine Area Network, Fiji

Community representatives at the workshop made presentations on their specific community projects and were also significant contributors to the draft of twelve recommendations prepared for submission to the Convention on Biodiversity. These recommendations will first be presented to the Global Biodiversity Forum and once agreed upon, will be forwarded to the Convention on Biological Diversity as the foundation of local/regional voice. Listed below are some of the recommendations:

• embracing bottom up decision making
• including a participatory approach to decision making
• generating regional networks inclusive of all shareholders (communities, local, national, international decision makers) so as to enable sound policy making through an informed process
• encouraging the documentation and use of indigenous knowledge
• conserving and managing indigenous marine species
• recognizing the importance of international and national recognition in policy change

The Dhaka meeting was the first of many workshops being organized by the Equator Initiative as part of its Learning Exchange, Outreach and Policy Impact program to bring together local communities and organizations in an effort to facilitate the exchange of local knowledge and expertise between these communities and across institutions. Regional workshops will also be held in Latin America, Africa and Asia during the year.

For further information on Equator Initiative’s Research and Learning, please visit: http://www.undp.org/equatorinitiative/equatorknowledge/index.htm

Representatives at the Sustainable Development and
Livelihoods Workshop in Dhaka, Bangladesh


Seema Joshi, Programme Assistant with the
Equator Initiative, and other delegates to the Dhaka workshop
discuss sustainable development and livelihoods.