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Topic 372       Electronic Networking & Rio Summit
SPSIS   cyberculture zone        8:19 PM  Jun  1, 1994
(at american.edu)

From: "Howard H. Frederick" <[e-mail]>

   SWORDS & PLOUGHSHARES: A CHRONICLE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
                   vol.3, no.2, Spring, 1994

                         ISSN 1063-133x

        Copyright 1994, The Graduate Student Council of
             the School of International Service
                   The American University,
                        Washington, D.C.

                  E-mail: [e-mail]


SWORDS & PLOUGHSHARES is the first U.S.-based scholarly
journal of international affairs to publish a full-text
version on the Internet. The journal is published bi-
annually by the Graduate Student Council of the School of
International Service at The American University. Issues
from Fall, 1993, to the present can be found on The American
University's Gopher, "EagleInfo," gopher.american.edu.  The
menu path to follow is: About Academic Departments -->
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SWORDS & PLOUGHSHARES welcomes your comments and
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         ELECTRONIC GLOBAL NETWORKING AND THE NGO MOVEMENT:
                   THE 1992 RIO SUMMIT AND BEYOND

                         by Shelley Preston


     The United Nations Conference on Environment and
Development was unprecedented in bringing together people
from all walks of life, cultures, political systems, and
environment-development experiences. Because the gathering
cemented relationships and forged new alliances,
international networking and mutual understanding of common
problems or national predicaments are bound to flourish. As
electronic communication becomes more available, a basis of
international consolidation and reciprocal respect also will
become more firmly established. Without that basis, there
cannot be an effective transition from unsustainable to
sustainable development.(1)

     This article explores the communication dynamics of
nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) at the United Nations
Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), held in
June 1992 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With the advent of
electronic information as a medium for communication among
NGOs, citizens from around the world were able to access and
share information related to the planning and substance of
UNCED. The article also examines the right to access
information, the concept of "information sovereignty," and
illustrates some of the ways in which citizens from all
localities can participate in efforts to shape a sustainable
future for the world through global communication.

                           _The Rio Summit_

     The purpose of the UN Conference on Environment and
Development, also known as the Earth Summit, was to
"elaborate strategies and measures to halt and reverse the
effects of environmental degradation in the context of
increased national and international efforts to promote
sustainable and environmentally sound development in all
countries."(2) The conference was unprecedented in scope and
content. It was the largest gathering of heads of state in
history approximately 100 in total attended by
representatives from 178 nations. UNCED was the first such
international conference since the end of the Cold War, its
agenda reflecting the North-South dimension of contemporary
international relations.

     Because of the absence of "superpower conflict," the
Summit focused more on cooperation than on competition. It
addressed "problems that are planetary in scope, that cannot
be resolved by traditional diplomacy that pits one region
against the others."(3) The conference also suggested a new
notion of global security one with less emphasis on the
military and more on the world's environment and economy.
This shift is reflected in the term "sustainable
development," defined as "development that meets the needs
of the present without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs."(4) A 1987 report by
the Bruntland Commission a body of delegates commissioned by
the United Nations first promoted the concept of sustainable
development, and it now serves as the umbrella phrase
encompassing the variety of issues discussed at UNCED.

     The key issues addressed at the Rio Summit are
articulated in five documents: The Conventions on Climate
Change and Biological Diversity, The Statement of Forest
Principles, the Rio Declaration, and Agenda 21. The two
conventions are "binding," meaning that nations are expected
to fulfill the obligations outlined in the treaties without
legal enforcement. The statement on forests is an intensely
controversial set of principles on forest conservation
practices. The Rio Declaration is a list of guidelines for
global sustainable development. Agenda 21, an 800-page
proclamation, is a blueprint for implementing the Rio
Declaration, outlining the actions that nations must take
from now until the year 2000 to ensure the planet's future.
All of these documents evolved during the four separate
negotiating sessions of the Preparatory Committee, also
known as PrepCom, which were conducted in Nairobi (1990),
Geneva (twice in 1991), and New York (March-April 1992).
Only the Rio Declaration arrived at the Summit without any
"bracketed text," meaning that all delegations had approved
the full text of the document. Each of the other documents
required further negotiation, making the Rio conference
itself a PrepCom/Summit.

     The conference was also significant for its inclusive
nature. Close to 35,000 people attended, including 8,000
journalists from 111 nations twice as many as any other UN
conference. More than 1,000 nongovernmental organizations
registered at the conference with approximately one-third of
them from the Third World providing the largest face-to-face
forum of its kind for NGO representatives from developed and
developing nations.(5) The presence of NGOs was largely the
result of a less competitive, more streamlined UN
accreditation process. Reviews and acceptances were
facilitated by a separate section within the United Nations,
created specifically for the Rio Summit. In addition, this
effort to broaden participation was consciously encouraged
by Maurice Strong, UNCED's Secretary-General, and
Chairperson Tommy Koh the two most influential figures at
the conference.(6) Such vocal support from the highest
levels of the conference's leadership was especially helpful
in increasing access for NGO representatives.


             _The Role of Nongovernmental Organizations_

     Quantitatively, the presence of nongovernmental
organizations at Rio was overwhelmingly positive, but
qualitatively, their effect was more ambiguous. Mark
Valentine, issues director of the U.S. Citizen's Network,
explains:

     Possibly [the NGOs'] greatest accomplishment was our
     visibility in the process...More delegations than ever
     before had NGOs on them. Access to official sessions
     was expanded significantly. We were everywhere....But
     our impact? Most NGOs would have to concur that we
     barely scratched the surface of all of the
     documents.(7)

     A conference like UNCED begins with a plenary session,
open to all accredited NGOs, and elects officers and
approves the agenda. The substantive issues are discussed in
"informal" plenary sessions, which may or may not include
NGOs, depending on the subject matter. Working groups are
then established to focus on clusters of issues. Smaller
working groups or "contact groups" are also formed to "meet
in parallel with the larger bodies."(8) These are almost
always closed to nongovernmental representatives. As one
experienced U.S. delegate described the situation, "The real
business of negotiations takes place in the small groups, in
*ad hoc* constellations of delegations and in informal
contacts among individuals in the corridors or at meals. It
is in these behind-the-scenes restricted groups that the
hardest (and most interesting) bargaining takes place."(9)
This helps explain why NGOs only "scratched the surface" of
UNCED's official documents but document input is not the
only measurement of nongovernmental influence.

     Nongovernmental organizations can influence
international negotiations through a variety of initiatives
and activities. Before conferences begin, NGOs can mobilize
public opinion, in effect influencing government negotiating
positions. Through research, publications, symposia, and
local efforts such as town meetings, NGOs can also help to
inform citizens about the issues to be addressed at the
gathering. During the preparatory meetings for the
conference, NGOs attend briefings, distribute position
papers, and hold press conferences. NGOs are some of the
best sources for data on certain policy issues, and
delegates use this information to help shape their own
opinions. NGOs also serve as informal intermediaries between
national delegations, and some have representatives that
serve on government delegations. In sum, NGO influence is a
direct function of their expertise on the issues. This
knowledge, however, must be communicated to be useful to
governments. Herein lies one of the greatest challenges to
NGOs.


              _The Effects of Electronic Communication_

     NGO influence on the Rio Summit occurred at the first
PrepCom session in Nairobi with the distribution of a
guidebook titled "Computer Communications and the 1992
UNCED: Alternative Technology for Communication and
Participation by NGOs."(10) The book was a primer on
electronic information and its potential significance for
the Rio Summit. As a result, the UNCED Information Strategy
Project in Rio was born. The project was proposed by the
Brazilian Institute for Social and Economic Analyses to

     make available at nearly free cost an internationally
     interconnected electronic information exchange system
     which would allow NGOs and other users to exchange
     messages between the official site of events
     (Riocentro) and the several sites of NGO...events in
     Rio. Services included international email exchange,
     international electronic conferencing, and on-line
     access to UNCED-related database systems.(11)

These on-site information exchange services were
unprecedented at a United Nations conference.

     The project was managed by the Association for
Progressive Communications (APC) and its Brazilian member
network, AlterNex. The APC was formed in 1990 to coordinate
the worldwide NGO-networking effort and is "dedicated to
facilitating progressive social change through cooperative
local and global computer networking."(12) At the time of
UNCED, the APC comprised eleven member networks serving
ninety-two countries worldwide.(13) Any individual with
access to the necessary hardware (a personal computer, a
modem, a telephone line, and communications software) could
"participate" in the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development. More importantly, these new
technologies and information channels enabled NGOs to
organize, inform, and activate global citizens.

     During the fourth UNCED PrepCom in New York (March 2 to
April 4, 1992), three NGO representatives began publishing a
daily two-page summary on the status of the negotiations.
Each day, highlights of the previous day's plenary sessions,
a schedule of official and NGO meetings, and miscellaneous
news from "the corridors" were recorded as the _Earth Summit
Bulletin_. This _Bulletin_ resumed publication throughout
the twelve-day Rio meeting. It served as a vital news source
for those who could not attend the conference and for those
attendees attempting to keep abreast of the substance of the
Summit, which was often complicated and negotiated behind
closed doors.(14) Although the _Bulletin_ was written by the
NGO community, it was widely read by conference
participants. Its popularity resulted from its clear,
concise, and responsible coverage of the negotiations and is
an excellent example of the kind of role that NGOs can play
in the fast-paced and complex international arena. The
_Bulletin_ served as a lifeline for thousands of citizens
who were following the conference on computer networks. In
contrast to the mainstream news they read at home, the
_Bulletin_, which was "posted" in an electronic conference
under the same name, provided readers with a substantive
account of the inner-workings of multilateral negotiations
and United Nations processes a first for many citizens.

     One of the most visible results of these
transcontinental information flows was the Global Forum, a
parallel NGO summit  that took place simultaneously with the
Rio Summit. (The Global Forum was located in Flamengo Park,
about 30 miles from Riocentro, where the UN delegates met.)
The Forum was the largest gathering of nongovernmental
groups in history, attracting approximately 9,000
organizations. More than 500 conferences, meetings, and
panels took place at the Forum, including a twelve-day
session called the International NGO Forum (INGOF), which
produced thirty-nine "Alternative Treaties." These treaties
were "originally conceived of as an exercise in direct
citizen's diplomacy to produce agreements on actions NGOs
themselves would undertake."(15) The treaties were finalized
by NGO participants, but were developed by citizens unable
to attend the Summit through an electronic conference on
EcoNet. Thus, not only could non-attendees access news of
the Forum, they could contribute directly to its activities
despite their physical absence.


                        _Communication Rights_

     One of the most significant documents to emerge from
the Global Forum was the Communication, Information, Media,
and Networking Treaty, which declares the right of
communication as a basic human right.(16) Moreover, it
states that "Access to information is essential for informed
decision making at all levels." This issue was particularly
relevant to many of the developing world's NGOs that do not
have access to the diverse sources of information that are
routinely shared by NGOs from industrialized nations. In
fact, many of the NGO representatives from the Third World
who went to Rio cited access to information and government
officials as the greatest benefits of the conference.(17) It
is uncertain if this access is continuing now that the Rio
Conference is over. This is a problem for all nations, not
only for those whose governments impose limitations on
information access.

     Basic information on the condition of the world's
environment and natural resources is out of reach of most
analysts in developing countries, whether in government or
not. How are these countries going to design the policies
and strategies needed to participate on an equal footing
with the industrialized nations if they do not have access
to such data? How will we build consensus and negotiate
legitimate treaties unless all citizens have representation
in discussions on global issues?(18)

     Communication rights were listed in the Rio Declaration
and also addressed in Chapter 40 of Agenda 21 "Information
for decision making." The chapter was divided into two
sections: "Bridging the data gap" and "Improving information
availability." At PrepCom IV, where negotiations on this
chapter took place, one of the major controversies was the
issue of national sovereignty over information. The term
"information sovereignty" means that "nations enjoy the full
rights of sovereignty and territorial integrity in the areas
of communication and information."(19) Yet many emerging
information technologies are challenging the concept of
national sovereignty. For example, many nongovernmental
organizations in developing countries are obtaining
information about their own governments through electronic
computer networks. No single nation-state controls the
exchange of this information. These new technologies have,
in effect, "made national boundaries meaningless."(20)


                        _The Aftermath of Rio_

     By including nearly every nation in its decision-making
process, the Rio Summit marked a turning point in
multilateral negotiations. It was, according to one U.S. NGO
delegate, "an enormous experiment in decision-making for the
future."(21) Still, Rio is merely a starting point for the
work that is needed to achieve its mandate of global
sustainable development.
Much of the work that will follow UNCED will be carried out
by many of the NGOs that participated in both the Global
Forum and the Riocentro negotiations. As one representative
from the U.S. Citizen's Network on UNCED explained:

     [NGOs] may not have had much of a direct impact on this
     round of negotiations, but the challenges, and the
     potential promise, from follow-up is immense....We have
     to define the appropriate context within which a
     diverse array of organizations can work together to
     define a sustainable future.(22)

     It will be difficult for international NGOs to maintain
the momentum from UNCED, but electronic communication will
help. "As of mid-1993," writes WorldWatch Institute
researcher, John E. Young, "thousands of environmental
activists and organizations around the world are using
commercial and nonprofit computer networks to coordinate
campaigns, exchange news, and get details on the proposals
of governments and international organizations."(23)

     During the next two years alone there will be numerous
opportunities for NGOs and interested citizens to
participate locally or via computer networks in global
negotiations related to sustainable development. The
International Conference on Population and Development will
take place in Cairo, Egypt in September 1994; the World
Summit on Social Development in Copenhagen, Denmark in March
1995; and the World Conference on Women in Beijing, China in
September 1995. Currently, many nongovernmental groups are
working together to help shape summit agendas, arrange for
on-site telecommunications services, influence government
positions on issues, and lobby for NGO representation on
official delegations. In addition, concerned citizens are
establishing channels of communication through computer
networks to participate in the process. For information on
the Population conference, there is icpd.general; for news
on the Summit on Social Development, iisd.news; and for
updates on the Women's Conference, women.unwcw.(24)

     Often, several different conferences are set up for one
summit to help separate the information the news items, the
PrepCom documents, the network logistics, and so on. Though
frequently chaotic, their greatest strength lies in the
ability to decentralize and democratize access to
information, exemplified by the conferences established
during the Persian Gulf War and those that are currently
devoted to the war in the Balkans.(25)  "What is clear,"
writes Sheldon Annis, a senior research associate at the
Overseas Development Council, "is that communication
technology is emboldening [people] in ways that have
profound implications for the process of
democratization."(26)


                  _Domestic Sustainable Development_

     The inherent links among information access, democracy,
human rights, environmental protection, and sustainable
development are infrequently articulated by national
governments, and it is hoped that the lessons from UNCED
will change this practice. In June 1993, one year after the
Summit, President Clinton announced the formation of the
President's Council on Sustainable Development, a
fifty-person body, including five Cabinet members, whose
mission is to "develop policy recommendations for a national
strategy for sustainable development that can be implemented
by the public and private sectors."(27) The President's
Council has met several times with representatives from the
U.S. Citizen's Network on Sustainable Development (PCSD),
which aims to act as a liaison between the President's
Council and the general public. The Citizen's Network has
established an electronic conference, citnet.pcsd, that
serves as a forum for the exchange of information about the
PCSD.

     More recently, the United States has finally
demonstrated support for sustainable development through its
intention to overhaul its foreign assistance organization,
the Agency for International Development (AID). A November
1993  front-page _Washington Post_ article read, "The work
of the Agency for International Development would aim at
enhancing `sustainable development' and `promoting peace'
rather than supporting individual nations. Additionally, all
foreign aid programs would emphasize population control,
environmental protection and improvements in the status of
women in developing countries."(28) In addition, the Clinton
Administration hopes to incorporate the work of NGOs in its
new approach to foreign aid. "`Nongovernmental organizations
would participate in the policy and program planning
process,' as well as AID-funded fieldwork, in an effort to
bring their years of expertise into aid planning."(29) This
statement reflects the successful efforts of NGOs at UNCED,
at the UN Conference on Human Rights (June 1993), and at
numerous other global forums, to prove their expertise on
international policy issues.

     While these shifts in US foreign aid policy are
important first steps, it is equally important that other
governments around the world adopt national policies that
promote environmental protection, democracy, and sustainable
development. To augment these efforts, global communication
is essential and electronic networks will undoubtedly become
the primary medium. Yet for nations to participate in an
electronic global dialogue, they must have a certain level
of connectivity a problem for many developing nation users.
Currently, about three-fourths of the nations in the world
have "poor or nonexistent [telecommunications]
services,"(30) making the gap between wealthy,
technologically sophisticated nations and poorer, less
developed countries even wider. But nongovernmental
organizations can help bridge this gap through efforts to
share technologies, train people, and provide management
support. As Botswanan President Ketumile Masire said at a
December 1993 conference at The American University, "NGO
participation in international affairs buttresses
democracy....NGOs can achieve an impact beyond that of
governments."(31)


                             _Conclusion_

     This article examined the advent of NGOs as powerful
new players in international negotiations, the emergence of
electronic communication as a democratizing medium, and its
implications for future citizen activism. Unfortunately, a
much more collaborative effort is required. NGOs are still
only able to "scratch the surface" of many policy issues;
electronic communication is still unavailable to many people
round the world, and many nations do not support the right
to communicate and to access information. To move beyond
this state requires that individuals at the international,
national, and local levels work cooperatively to support
human rights, peace and democracy, protection of natural
resources, and sustainable development. Without policies
built around these tenets, we may find ourselves without a
planet left to sustain us.


*Shelley Preston is a first-year M.A. student in the
International Communication program at the School of
International Service, The American University.*

---------
ENDNOTES
---------

1. Gilbert F. White et al, "Taking Stock of UNCED,"
_Environment_, v. 34, no. 8, October 1992.
2. Peter M. Haas, Marc A. Levy, and Edward A. Parson,
"Appraising the Earth Summit: How Should We Judge UNCED's
Success?" _Environment_, v. 34, no. 8, October 1992, 8.
3. Anthony Giffard, "News Agency Coverage of the Rio
Summit," paper presented at the IAMCR, Dublin,, Ireland,
1993.
4. Hal Kane, _Time for Change: A New Approach to Environment
and Development_, ed. Linda Starke (Washington, DC: Island
Press, 1992), 125.
5. Haas, Levy, and Parson, op. cit., 32.
6. Fran Spivy-Weber, private communication, November 21,
1993.
7. Mark Valentine, "Twelve Days of UNCED," in citnet
(archives).
8. Richard E. Benedick, "Inner Workings of the New Global
Negotiations," _The Columbia Journal of World Business_, v.
27, (Fall/Winter 1992), 56.
9. Ibid, 57.
10. In en.unced.general (archives).
11. Carlos A. Alfonso, "UNCED Information Strategy Project
in Rio: A Final Report," September 7, 1992. In
en.unced.general.
12. Edie Farwell. "History of Association for Progressive
Communications." Oct. 4, 1992. In apc.documents.
13. Edie Farwell. Private communication, January 14, 1992.
14. Johannah Bernstein, Pamela Chasek, and Langston James
Goree VI, "Earth Summit Bulletin," Daily issues from Mar.
2-Apr. 4 and Jun. 1-15, 1992. (Island Press: Washington, DC,
1992) Or: [e-mail].
15. Haas, Levy, and Parson, op. cit.,  30.
16. Hal Kane, 40.
17. Fran Spivy-Weber, private communication, November 21,
1993.
18. Jessica T. Mathews and Daniel B. Tunstall, "Moving
Toward Eco-Development: Generating Environmental Information
for Decisionmakers," _WRI Issues and Ideas_, August 1991, 7.
19. Howard H. Frederick, _Global Communication and
International Relations_, (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Publishing
Co. 1993), 121.
20. Ibid, 125.
21. Fran Spivy-Weber, private communication, November 21,
1993.
22. Mark Valentine, "Twelve Days at Rio," in citnet
(archives).
23. John E. Young, "Global Network: Computers in a
Sustainable Society," (Washington, DC: WorldWatch
Institute), 1993, 21.
24. For information on how to access these conferences and
others, contact the Institute for Global Communications
(IGC) at 18 De Boom Street, San Francisco, California 94107;
[phone]. The IGC is the umbrella organization for
PeaceNet, EcoNet, ConflictNet, and LaborNet and publishes a
bimonthly newsletter called _Netnews for all IGC members_.
25. See "Electronic Activism" by Harel Barzilai on PeaceNet
and "Electronic communications in exyugoslavia" by Boris
Horvat ([e-mail]).
26. Sheldon Annis, "Giving Voice to the Poor," _Foreign
Policy_, (Fall, 1991), 93.
27. In citnet.pcsd.
28. John M. Goshko and Thomas W. Lippman, "Foreign Aid Shift
Sought By Clinton," _The Washington Post_, November 27,
1993, A1.
29. Ibid, A6.
30. Stephen R. Ruth and R.R. Ronkin, "Aiming for the Elusive
Payoff of User Networks: An NGO Perspective," paper
presented to the International Society for the Systems
Sciences, Denver, Colorado, July 1992.
31. His Excellency Sir Ketumile Masire, "Overcoming Global
Hunger," Speech at World Bank conference, The American
University, 1 December, 1993.

*The author wishes to thank Howard Frederick and Fran
Spivy-Weber for their assistance.*

SWORDS & PLOUGHSHARES: A CHRONICLE OF INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
vol.3, no.2, Spring, 1994

ISSN 1063-133x.

Copyright 1994, The Graduate Student Council of
the School of International Service,
The American University, Washington, D.C.

END OF FILE