Internet Discussion Forums

Several dimensions of 'National and regional enabling environments' have been taken-up in the web-based discussion forums on Small Islands Voice (SIV) and Wise Coastal Practices (WiCoP) operated by UNESCO's Coastal Regions and Small Islands (CSI) Platform. Examples of SIVdiscussion threads prior to the Mauritius International Meeting of January 2005 included:

• Handout mentality Dawn Tuiloma-Palesoo, Fiji -- Tuesday, 16 November 2004
• Climate is changing: what can we do? Charles J. Hanley -- Wednesday, 25 August 2004
• Youth in action / Jeunesse en action / Jóvenes en acción Moderators -- Friday, 28 May 2004
• Piracy in the South Atlantic Ocean press release -- Tuesday, 16 March 2004
• The 'right' development for Aitutaki letters to newspaper -- Wednesday, 7 January 2004
• Exporting water – for whose benefit? newspaper article -- Tuesday, 30 September 2003
• How much more? (crime and violence) newspaper article -- Tuesday, 22 July 2003 5 messages -- Newest posted Tuesday, 16 September 2003
• Foreign investment – who needs it? Ron Crocombe -- Wednesday, 14 May 2003 5 messages -- Newest posted Tuesday, 8 July 2003
• Let's rethink our tourism strategy Tex Albert -- Wednesday, 19 February 2003 6 messages -- Newest posted Tuesday, 29 April 2003

Other issues and perspectives on 'National and regional enabling environments' have been raised in the WiCoP forum:

• "Self-help" among stakeholder groups / Haiti Jean Wiener
  • When vested interests hijack the goals of stakeholder groups / Haiti. Jean Wiener
    • Mitigating the effects of self-interest at a local level. Andrew Cooper, George Ekol, C. K. Rumisha, Carlo Langelaan, Mali Voi.
  • Poverty and natural resource management. Jean Wiener
    • Organising fishers to break the cycle of poverty and resource degradation. Guillermo Santos, Hugh Trudeau, Elizabeth Bennett.
    • Breaking the cycle of poverty with information and communication technologies, Brazil. Richard Kyle

• A regional approach to integrated coastal management / West Indian Ocean Islands Yves Henocque
  • The role of non government organizations in programme implementation Jean Wiener
    • Organising the NGOs towards common objectives Yves Henocque
    • Questioning the role of NGOs Sibylle Riedmiller
    • Further questioning the role of some NGOs / Philippines Miguel Fortes
    • Exposing the hypocrisy of some "environmental" resorts Miguel Fortes
    • Self-interest versus environmental interest Jean Wiener (Haiti)

• Methodologies for carrying capacity in small island states / Indian Ocean. Virginie Cazes-Duvat.
  • Small islands: limits of acceptable change. Marion Howard, Bruce Potter
    • Managing population growth and improving economic development. Austin Bowden Kerby, Juan Carlos Gonzalez, Anita James.
      • Further views on small-island carrying capacity. J. Bayle-Ottenheim, R. Bedford, J.C. Gonzalez, T. Isamu, J.L. Oliva Peña, C. Robinson, S. Taufao
        • Synthesis of Forum views on small-island carrying capacity. Moderators
    • Small-island carrying capacity, vulnerability and indicators. John R. Clark, Gordon Clifford, Surya Khanna, Yasmin Padamsee, Bruce Potter, Ed Towle.

• Using traditional checks and balances in sustainable development / Samoa. Mali Voi
  • How did traditional taboos work? Gillian Cambers
    • Wise practice criteria as an international instrument. Mali Voi
      • Constraints of edg/international instruments. Gillian Cambers
  • The ethical dimension of wise practices. Philippe MacClenahan
    • Further thoughts on ethical and moral considerations. Mali Voi

• Cost benefit analysis of major infrastructural developments / Papua New Guinea. Haraka Gaudi.
  • Clarifications sought about levels of government control. Gillian Cambers
    • Levels of government responsibility/concepts of land ownership. Haraka Gaudi.
  • Environmental impact assessment and capacity building. Maria Rosario Partidario
    • Environmental impact assessment as a management tool / Philippines. Miguel Fortes
    • Environmental impact assessment/mobilising the public. Haraka Gaudi.
      • The case against a mining operation in Palawan, Philippines. Environmental Legal Assistance Center Inc.
        • Minimising the impact of mining operations. R. Ahmad, J. Baker, K. Birkedal, R. Charlier, S. De Guzman, V. Prescott.
          • Compensating those impacted by mining. R. Goodland and M. Voi

• People on the move: Is migration a "right"? Moderators, from UN Wire
  • Different types of migrants. S. Limaye, M. Misiewicz, H. Mutafya, M. Voi

• Small islands and the World Summit on Sustainable Development. Bruce Potter
  • Small Islands' Voice 2004 / La Voix des Petites Iles 2004 / La Voz de las Islas Pequeñas 2004. Claire Green and Gillian Cambers.
    • Start-up activities for the Small Islands Voice initiative. Gillian Cambers and Claire Green
      • Announcement of a trial global discussion forum for Small Islands Voice. G. Cambers, C. Green, L. Gomez, A. Ibrahmin, A. James, L. Leonardi, N. Shah, A. Tu'ivanuavou Vaea

• Aid has failed the Pacific. Media release from the Centre for Independent Studies, Australia
  • Framing Pacific aid policies towards small-scale, family-based activities. Mali Voi
  • Effectiveness of foreign aid in Samoa. S. Isara, F. Purcell
  • The historical background to Pacific aid. John Celecia

• Adapting to change: resilience in small islands. Moderators
  • The intrigue of vulnerability and the psychology of resilience. U. Kaly, I. Kelman, R. Howorth, C. Pratt
  • Small island case studies on vulnerability and resilience S. Erdle, J. Hay, R. Klein, S. Limaye, N. Shah
  • Moving away from the terms vulnerability and resilience in small islands Godfrey Baldacchino
    • Identifying policy responses to vulnerability. Tom Crowards
    • Using economic diversification to define vulnerability. A. Clayton
  • Responding to risks in small islands: examples from the tourism industry. E. Manning
  • Taking the discussion on vulnerability and resilience further.) R. Buddemeier