MED Info 9 (NOVEMBER 1999)

• MedBank Watch Iniatitive.

• MED Forum se ha afiliado a la Asociación de Museos Marítimos del Mediterráneo.

• Air Pollution. Monitoring, Modelling and Management. 24-26 July, 2000.

• Call for candidates for challenging job: Coordinator Transatlantic Environment Dialogue (TAED). Message received from the EEB.

• Life Week - Conference and Exhibition "Life to the Mediterranean"

• EnviroLink Network (www.envirolink.org)
• The Hunger Site (www.hungersite.com)

1. MED Forum News

MedBank Watch Initiative

In Malta, 20 March 1999, MED Forum attended the founding conference of the "Med Bank Watch Initative" cordially invited by "Reform the World Bank Campaign" ("Campagna per la riforma della Banca Mondiale") and Friends of the Earth Middle East (FoE-ME).

The Initiative is committed to promote environmentally sound and socially just development in the Mediterranean region. Our actions are led by the concern that public and private lending activities to the region respect criteria of environmental and social sustainability, and involve the civil socities in the Mediterranean in the design and implementation of projects and programmes. We regard it as our main task to raise public awareness about the importance of a development financing that protects the regional environment and serves the real development needs of the Mediterranean people. To this end, the Med Bank Watch Initiative is committed to closely monitoring the activities of lending institutions and borrowing countries.

Now the "Reform the World Bank Campaign" would like to announce a first common initiative at which all Mediterranean organisations attending the founding conference in Malta are cordially invited to participate. The "Campaign" pledged in Malta to search for funds to start a program of local investigation into investment projects of multilateral banks in the Mediterranean. Thanks to the support of the Italian NGO "Movimondo", we are now in the position to offer 10 grants of USD 700.- each to start this activity. All founding members are cordially invited to apply for this grant and to spread the information through their mailing lists and journals.

Funding available for local groups to research on harmful development projects in the Mediterranean

The "Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale" in Rome, Italy, offers 10 grants of USD 700.- each to persons or NGOs in non-EU Mediterranean countries, with the aim to advance local fact-finding and research on multilaterally financed development projects in the Mediterranean with potentially harmful social and environmental impacts. The goal of the grant program is to enhance the capacity of local groups to monitor multilaterally financed development projects, and to establish long-term relations between them in the frame of the "Med Bank Watch Initiative".

The "Campagna" will supply suggestions and initial information on projects potentially interesting for research, coordinate activities of program participants and produce the final report of the program. The results will be integrated in a "Citizen’s Handbook on multilateral bank’s activities in the Mediterranean", an activity of the "Campagna" to build up advocacy opportunities in support of local communities and NGO’s.

Participants to the grant program are expected to deliver a report (10-15 pages) on a fact-finding mission or a research activity. Fact-finding missions should produce original information on projects in early planning stages (visits to the sites; interviews with loal groups and administrations, governmental agencies and Bank field officers; verification of local media reports). Research activities are supposed to produce complementary information on projects which are already in the phase of implementation (evaluation of implementation reports and verification at project sites; contacting government agencies about fulfilment of requirements). No technical reporting will be required.

All projects that are financed by the World Bank, the European Investment Bank or other multilateral development banks qualify, as well as projects carried out by national governments in the frame of global loans: Privately financed projects qualify if they are backed by Export Credit Agencies.

Deadline for applications is the 15 January 2000. A panel consisting of a representative of "Reform the World Bank Campaign", ENDA Maghreb anf Friends of the Earth/Middle East decides on applications within January 2000. Final reports of program participants are expected within April 2000.

 

For further information:

- Connect MED Forum web site: www.medforum.org/medbankwatch.

- Contact Liliana Cori or Martin Koehler, Campagna per la Riforma della Banca Mondiale, Via Ferraironi 88/G, 00172 Roma, Italy, tel: 003906 24404212, fax: 003906 2424177, e-mail: Lcori@cambio.it or Mkohler@cambio.it

 

 

 

 

MED Forum se ha afiliado a la Asociación de Museos Marítimos del Mediterráneo.

MED Forum ha sido aceptado como socio afiliado de la Asociación de Museos Marítimos del Mediterráneo, una entidad que reúne museos marítimos, instituciones gestoras de patrimonio y entidades culturales que actúan en el ámbito del patrimonio marítimo. Los objetivos de la Asociación de Museos Marítimos Mediterráneos son garantizar la conservación de la Historia y la Cultura Marítimas y su interpretación siguiendo los estándares profesionales de calidad, mejorar los estándares profesionales y promover la investigación, velar por la salvaguarda del patrimonio marítimo, impulsar la cooperación entre instituciones y promover la legislación que favorezca la protección del patrimonio marítimo.

 

 

 

 

2. Other News

Organised by:

Wessex Institute of Technology, UK

OBJECTIVES
The objective of this eighth International Conference on Air Pollution is to bring together scientists working in industry, research organisations, government and academia who are working on monitoring, simulation and management of air pollution problems. The emphasis will be on the development of experimental and computational techniques which can be used as a tool for the solution and understanding of practical air pollution problems, from which it is possible to evaluate proposed emission control techniques and strategies. Case studies will be presented and discussed in detail. Papers may also be accepted on a more theoretical nature, which are mathematically and computationally based.

The previous seven international conferences on Air Pollution were very successful. The Conference has been steadily growing from when it first started in Monterrey, Mexico in 1993 to Air Pollution 99 in Palo Alto, California, USA. The books resulting from these meetings have been distributed throughout the world and have become standard references. Following the success of these seven conferences we are organising the eighth international conference on Air Pollution at Cambridge University, UK

CONFERENCE CHAIRMEN

C A Brebbia (Wessex Institute of Technology, UK), J W S Longhurst (University of the West of England, UK), H Power (Wessex Institute of Technology, UK)

INTERNATIONAL SCIENTIFIC ADVISORY COMMITTEE

S Andreani-Aksoyoglu (Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland), R Bornstein (San Jose State University, USA), C Borrego (University of Aveiro, Portugal), A Ebel (University of Cologne, Germany), D M Elsom (Oxford Brookes University, UK), O Herbarth (UFZ - Leipzig-halle GmbH, Germany), J Kretzchmar (VITO, Belgium), T J Lyons (Murdoch University, Australia), R Rosset (Laboratoire d'Aerologie - OMP, France), T Tirabassi (Institute FISBAT-C.N.R. Italy), P Zannetti (Exponent Inc, USA)

CALL FOR PAPERS

Papers are invited on the topics outlined below and others falling within the scope of the Meeting. Abstracts of no more than 300 words should be submitted by mail, fax or email as soon as possible. Abstracts should clearly state the purpose, results and conclusions of the work to be described in the final paper. The final acceptance will be based on the full-length paper. The author must attend the conference to present the paper, if accepted. Each submitted paper is subject to a separate registration. Please tick the box most relevant to your abstract.

CONFERENCE TOPICS

Process Studies, Chemical Transformation Modelling, Turbulence Modelling at Small and Meso Scales, Global Studies, Monitoring and Laboratory Studies, Data Analysis and Observation, Pollution Engineering, Pollution Management, Air Quality Management, Comparison of Modelling with Experiments, Urban and Suburban Transport Emissions, Urban Air Pollution, Emission Inventories, Regulatory Bodies, Indoor Pollution, Fluid Mechanics for Environmental Problems, Health Problems, Damage to Historic Monuments, Chemistry of Air Pollution, Air Pollution Modelling, Aerosols and Particles

LOCATION
New Hall, with its established gardens and many old trees, provides a tranquil conference setting with easy access from the motorway and ample parking - yet is only ten minutes walk from the heart of Cambridge. It is an international and cosmopolitan college which enjoys new links with Japan through the presence within its grounds of the Kaetsu Educational and Cultural Centre.

ACCOMMODATION
Special rates have been negotiated with the University. Details will be available in the Provisional Programme and will sent to all delegates nearer the time.

CONFERENCE DINNER

An evening dinner will be held during the conference which provides an excellent opportunity for delegates to meet socially and discuss ideas in a more informal setting. All delegates and partners are welcome to attend. Further information will be available from the Conference Secretariat nearer the time.

EXHIBITION FACILITIES

Mini-exhibition facilities will be available for those firms or organisations wishing to display products, services, hardware, software, literature relating to the theme of the conference. The space may also be used for free standing units. Please contact the Conference Secretariat for details.

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

The Proceedings of the conference will be published to a high standard in book form by WIT Press and will be available to delegates at the conference. The proceedings will also be distributed worldwide throughout the international booktrade. The language of the conference will be English.

TIME SCHEDULE

Submit Abstract (300 words): As soon as possible. Submit final manuscript: April 2000

WESSEX INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

The Wessex Institute of Technology is a research centre with an international reputation for engineering excellence. The Institute runs a PhD programme and has put forward a series of innovations -including the boundary element method, which are now widely used by industry. The Institute produces up to date information and training in advanced engineering via the media of courses,conferences and publications. The aim is to provide a link between research engineers, scientists and practising engineers in industry. This conference is one of the twenty to twenty five international meetings run by WIT every year.

CONFERENCE SECRETARIAT

Sally Walsh, Conference Secretariat Air Pollution 2000 Wessex Institute of Technology Ashurst Lodge, Ashurst,, Southampton SO40 7AA, UK

Tel: + 44 (0) 238 029 3223

Fax: + 44 (0) 238 029 2853

Email: slwalsh@wessex.ac.uk

COORDINATOR TRANSATLANTIC ENVIRONMENT DIALOGUE (TAED)

Full-time or part-time (see below)

Duration: in principle permanent (see below) from February 2000 or as soon as possible after.

Base: EEB-office, Brussels

SPECIFICS ABOUT THE TAED

The TAED was formed in 1999 to promote co-operation between US and EU non-governmental organisations interested in the environment. It receives recognition and financial support from the US Government and the European Commission but is independent in its agenda-setting.

The Dialogue is to:

1. Formulate common positions towards initiatives of the governments of the USA and the EU (including the European Commission) in all areas of interest to environmental organisations, organise activities to make these positions heard and organise discussion between the Dialogue and decisionmakers.
2. Provide a platform for exchange of experiences and views, leading to common activities to promote sustainable development.

(information available on Internet: www.geocities.com/taedenv, or with the EEB)

SPECIFICS ABOUT THE TASKS OF THE COORDINATOR [and possible assistant, see below]:

1. Organisation of TAED events, in particular the May TAED Conference in Brussels, as well as working group seminars.
2. Regular contacts with the European Commission and the Presidency in order to organise the dialogue between the TAED and them. Also contacts with the other Dialogues.
3. Promotion of the functioning of the 5 working groups in place: on agriculture, biodiversity, climate change, industry, and trade.
4. Promotion of a relevant role for the TAED both on the political level as well as of co-operation between environmental organisations of EU and US as such.
5. Compilation of relevant information for the TAED.
6. Maintenance and extension of communication/information flows with (potential) TAED members.
7. Support to the functioning of the European Steering Committee.
8. Regular contacts with the US side of the TAED.

PROFILE OF THE COORDINATOR

- Proven experience in international environmental work in Europe, preferably as a generalist and with some background in one or more of the areas the TAED is covering.

- Basic knowledge of the workings of the European Union, in particular with regard to environmental policies and external policies.

- Experience in working with (high level) authorities.

- Good communication and diplomatic skills.

- Some understanding of the USA environmental policies as well as the nature of the USA environmental movement.

- Fluent in English.

- Proven organisational skills, flexibility and ability to work autonomously.

Candidates are asked to present, in addition to their qualifications, also their perception of the potential of the TAED.

THE JOB ARRANGEMENT

The arrangement can vary from a full-time arrangement with no or little secretarial assistance to a part-time one (minimum half time) with substantial secretarial assistance. The candidates are invited to present their preference. The final arrangement depends also on the salary agreed [as this defines the financial possibilities for secretarial support].

The salary will vary between 90.000 and 115.000 BEF/month, depending on the experience and profile of the candidate. Other benefits: holiday allowance, 13^th month, restaurant vouchers, pension-scheme.

Period: TAED is set up as a permanent body, but finances have to be secured from year to year. Currently certainty can only be given till 1^st July 2000, but chances for an extension for 12 months more are 95% [might be known already in January].

EEB will offer a contract with a 3-month probationary period.

Responses to:

Axel Jansen

Personnel and Finance Manager EEB

EEB

Boulevard de Waterloo 34

1000 Brussels

Belgium

e-mail: finance@eeb.org

The MED Forum and MIO-ECSDE assessment of the Life programme comes from inputs of many member organisations and other collaborating NGOs based on experiences of Life II.

In general, Life II should be considered as one of the most successful EU initiatives also in the Mediterranean region, which has managed to get the support: and mobilise input of a significant number of NGOs. Unfortunately, at least in Life Nature the Third Mediterranean countries didn't manage to profit from Life.

Several of the shortcomings identified from prevíous phases seem to be addressed to a certain degree in the modifications to the regulation leading to Life III. If accepted and whenever possible, expanded, they may positively affect the design and execution of projects in the Mediterranean region. The positive amendments inciude:

• the 3-5% increase of the budget available for accompanying measures in order to broaden the dissemination of results of completed projects

• the facilitation for the drafting of trans-national projects and the networking of financed projects for Life-Nature.

However, a number of points of significant importance for the Mediterranean eco-region are identified herewith and may enhance the improvement of Life III regulation and mainly its management:

• new projects should be judged on their quality, innovation and value added;
• the diversity of the projects supported shouId be maintained while at the same time mega-scale projects should not necessarily be encouraged;
• broad partnerships involving many stakeholders should be encouraged as an integral part of the design of Life projects so that Life, indirectly but effectively, also becomes a vehicle for promotion and improvement of participatory processes;
• the socio-economic components of projects should be strengthened, including all necessary horizontal actions;
• the regional (Mediterranean) dimension should be built into Life projects at the level of planning;
• special provisions shouId be made to accommodate multi-national, multi-stakeholder projects especially for the Mediterranean with the collaboration of EU and non EU countries in and across all three Life areas;
• being a major Community action devoted entirely to supporting and developing EU environmental policy throughout the Community and its bordering regions, the Life budget, given also the increasingly high quality of subrnitted projects, should be further increased in order to cope with the genuine demand;
• the Life administrative procedures and mechanisms shouId be facilitated and simplified (strengthening of unit staff handling Life, minimising delays in payments, etc.). Required bank guarantees that have excluded many Mediterranean NGOs must be omitted;