Chantal Line Carpentier, Sustainable Development Officer at UNDESA: “Cross-country comparisons of best practices and policies are extremely valuable as well as synthesis of lessons learned on a specific theme moving from the atomic to the holistic policy issue within and across countries,” says Carpentier when asked for her opinion on how EfD research be more policy relevant.
Chantal Line Carpentier (left) is a Sustainable Development Officer at the Division for Sustainable Development, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA).
She was invited as an external observer to the fourth EfD Annual Meeting in Ethiopia on October 28-31, and we took the opportunity to ask her how she thinks EfD research can be more policy relevant to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, and others in the policy community.
When it comes to cross-country comparisons of best practices and policies, Carpentier points out the EfD/RFF book The Emergence of Land Markets in Africa as an example. For synthesis of lessons learned on a specific theme across countries, the case of protected areas comes to her mind:
“Many studies were presented on marine and forest protected areas, with findings on how to reduce degradation, while supporting sustainable livelihood. Important issues were discussed, such as what we know seems to work and what does not work and should therefore be avoided under REDD or REDD+,” says Carpentier.
EfD centers have also produced various papers on the probability of adoption of soil and water conservation practices depending on risk preferences, various types and levels of incentives, soil types, socio-economic factors, provision of extension services, etc.
“Combining all of these papers into a policy brief that offers policy package that would favor sustainable agriculture under various socio-ecological agricultural and political institutions would be extremely useful. What worked in what country, and why? What did not work in what country, and why?”
“Summarize findings that complement yours – and make your paper policy relevant”
Another example, according to Carpentier, comes from the various EfD papers on biomass fuel gathering. They show that households have preferences for one fuel over another and thus compensation would be needed to move from unsustainable to sustainable fuel. To use the information for policy analysis Carpentier needs to know, firstly, what level of compensation should be offered? And, secondly, what shape should that compensation take?
“Sure, most papers will address only a piece of that whole question, but given that you have done a literature review on the topic, you are aware of studies that have looked at the compensation side. Taking the time to summarize their findings in a paragraph that complements yours, will make your paper relevant for policy making,” says Carpentier.
She stresses some important points for policy and pilot project papers:
• How scalable and replicable are the findings and recommendations within and across countries?
• In what socio-economic, ecological and political systems will they be viable?
• What institutions are needed to support their implementation?
Carpentier, who holds a Ph.D. degree in Agricultural and Environmental Economics, verifies that researchers are trained to not over extend their results. Yet, decision-makers are putting in place policies to alleviate food insecurity, poverty, stimulate the economy, and generally advance international commitments made at Earth Summits and other conventions.
“EfD researchers have much to offer on better designing these policies or stimulus packages that attempt to achieve multiple goals of development, food security and ecosystem protection while supporting sustainable livelihood,” says Carpentier.
About UN Division for Sustainable Development
The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) writes Secretary General and background papers on specific issues that came out of the Earth Summit in 1992. These Reports help Member States at the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) assess progress made on agriculture, development of sustainable consumption and production, and many other topics in Agenda 21 since 1992 in the first year of the two year CSD session. (See program of work indicating which themes are taken by Commission in each two year cycle http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/csd/csd_multyearprogwork.shtml) The second year then proposes policies and financial and technical cooperation means that would foster faster progress in the thematic areas under consideration.
Furthermore, the Division for Sustainable Development has a template for submitting programs for Member States to consider for inclusion in the 10 Years Framework of Programs on Sustainable consumption and production that will be negotiated in May 2011 at the CSD in New York.
"Take this opportunity, deadline is November 27th," says Carpentier.
In addition, innovation briefs on a specific topic can be distributed to Member States.
“The Innovation brief on sustainable agriculture that EfD researchers Menale Kassie and Precious Zikhali prepared is an example,” says Carpentier. (Please see http://www.un.org/esa/dsd/resources/res_publperinews_ib.shtml Issue 7 ).
In preparation of the 20 years anniversary of the Earth Summit to be celebrated in Rio in 2012, the Division for Sustainable Development will be reviewing all areas of sustainable development using two lenses:
• Green economy in the context of poverty alleviation and
• Governance for sustainable development
“The Division for Sustainable Development and our regional economic commissions and major groups (see below) will be hosting and participating in several dialogues and meetings to develop position and collect information on what should come out of Rio+20 and how we can put in place the right changes,” says Carpentier. Please see details at http://www.uncsd2012.org/.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) is a part of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, located in New York. The Division promotes sustainable development as the substantive secretariat to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and through technical cooperation and capacity-building at the international, regional and national levels.
CSD is a high-level forum on sustainable development which reviews progress and monitors and reports on implementation of Agenda 21, the Barbados Programme of Action (BPOA) and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) at the national, regional and international levels. The Commission meets annually, in New York, in a two-year cycle of review and policy.