The Access Initiative

Core Team Report to TAI Network 2010-2012.

TAI Global Gathering – Rio de Janeiro 2012.

Introduction

As The Access Initiative (TAI) reached its tenth anniversary in 2010, we set ourselves a new path through a network wide re-envisioning process.  We are two years along the new path.  Taking stock of how well we have done and looking at the challenges ahead will allow us to make adjustments to our compass and navigation as we traverse this path.  This report serves to do exactly that.

TAI partners are coming together for the fourth Global Gathering on the margins of the Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.  Since the Third Global Gathering in 2010 in Kampala, Uganda, the TAI Network has achieved significant outcomes in legal, institutional and practice reforms advancing Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration (1992).  We have expanded a little but more importantly we have deepened our impacts in some countries.  We have established more democratic governance structures for the network and set out to be more inclusive and transparent in the way the network operates.  Some of us have been very successful in raising funds for our work while others continue to struggle in this department.  But, most importantly we have raised the visibility of TAI and principle 10 at the global and regional level in a way we did not do before.

The Vision from Kampala

When we left Kampala in 2010, we set ourselves a new vision which included (a) defining the roles of the secretariat, the Core Team, and National Leads, (b) rotating the Core Team membership and renewing it through more transparent and inclusive ways, (c) giving National Coalitions more support to develop country specific strategies to deepen our impact and engagement on the issues we cared about, (d) raising the visibility of TAI and Principle 10 internationally and (e) developing new ways to raise funds for our work at the global, regional and national levels. Our vision also included engaging on a number of emergent issues including climate change adaptation, extractive industriesand resource conflicts, forestry and energy issue, environmental impact assessment and land rights and transparency.

Two Year’s Achievements

Since Kampala, TAI has progressed considerably on all of these goals.

·                    Immediately prior to Kampala, the Core Team defined the roles of Core Team members, the secretariat and National Leads.  It took the further step of classifying core functions that were obligatory.  Beginning with the Kampala meeting the Core Team member organizations have held themselves accountable through reporting against the Governance matrix that specifies these roles and tasks.  These reports are available to all TAI partners.

·                    Post-Kampala, the Core Team established rules for renewing the Core Team at the Abu Dhabi meeting in December 2011.  For the first time in the history of the TAI network, the Core Team was renewed with CEDHA from Ecuador and ILEG from Kenya.  TEI from Thailand was returned to the Core Team through the unanimous choice of all the South East Asian TAI partners.  ACODE and Participa had served on the Core Team from the inception of TAI and we thank them for their yeoman service in helping to shepherd TAI.  Next year, two more Core Team members will vacate their seats and the network will have an opportunity to renew those vacancies.  It is hoped that these new rules will increase the ownership of the network for TAI partners and allow for its renewal.

·                    The Core Team leads as well as the secretariat have made numerous efforts to support and strengthen TAI national coalitions.  TEI from Thailand raised a large multi-year grant to support the TAI partners in South East Asia to do more advocacy around access rights and issues. The secretariat has been working closely with LIFE of India to submit several proposals for regional TAI work as well as work in India. The secretariat has also been working with a number of TAI partners in the African and Latin American region to develop joint projects and submit proposal to fund them.  These countries include South Africa, Ghana, Uganda, Bolivia, Ecuador, Chile and Costa Rica. The secretariat has also worked closely with EMLA from Hungary to submit proposal for funding activities in Europe. Core Team members have also worked to build the capacity of national TAI partners.

·                    Both the Secretariat and the Core team have led the way in increasing the regional and international visibility of TAI.  TAI has been in practically most of the Rio+20 related official events and held side events, special events, media briefings and produced papers for delegates and the press. The secretariat is coordinating several Principle 10 related networks that include key governments as well as leading civil society organizations as well as network. Our international visibility has increased tremendously as a result of the 3D campaign as well as the campaign for a global convention and regional convention for the LAC region.

·                    We have had mixed success in fundraising. Our Asian Core Team leaders have been able to raise considerable funding for regional work in South East Asia and South Asia.  TEI raised a multi-year grant from SENSA (SIDA) to support the work of partners in all the countries where TAI has coalitions in that region. LIFE has raised funding for thematic work with TAI partners in India, Nepal and Bangladesh including work on shared waters. LIFE has also succeeded in raising funds for building capacities of communities in articulating access rights with specific focus on the EIA process. Core Team leaders in Europe and Latin America submitted several proposals for partner funding in the regions but these were not successful. With the renewal of the Core Team, we hope we will see renewed efforts to fundraise for regional work in Africa and Latin America. With many bi-lateral donors focusing on Africa and with the advent of our campaign for a LAC regional convention there is every opportunity to work hard to raise funding for these regions.

Challenges

The biggest challenges have come from improving communications with partners and fundraising for our work. While communications from the secretariat and Core Team to partners has improved via more regular emails and web notices and blogs, more can be done.  However, communication of actual success stories and challenges from partners to Core Team and secretariat has not improved. Partners have continued to post such stories on the TAI blog but many of these posts have come from partners who have used the blog before. New entrants have been few and far between.

Occupying the Post Rio+20 Space

TAI is poised to occupy the Post-Rio+20 space with our call for a global convention and the call for a LAC convention. We will also be able to continue our work on the 3D campaign via the Open Government Partnership as well as our own commitment tracking mechanisms. The Principle 10 Index will be showcased in Rio+20 and we will continue to develop and deploy this over the years. We are now collaborating closely with UNEP and UNITAR as well as UNECE, UNECLAC and other NGOs to promote capacity building on Principle 10. With the emphasis on governance increasing during Rio+20, the possibility of new institutions (Reforms of UNEP and CSD; High Commissioner for Future Generations), TAI has greater possibilities to participate in fashioning global and regional institutions. We are active in the Open Government Partnership and can use that forum to further our goals. Additionally, WRI is currently serving as the secretariat for the Access for All (A4A) Special Initiative from the Eye on Earth summit in Abu Dhabi. The Abu Dhabi government is establishing a secretariat to support these initiatives.

Renewing the Core Team

We welcome two new TAI partners as Core Team Members.  ILEG from Kenya has been an erstwhile supporter of TAI in Africa and replaces ACODE. CEDHA from Ecuador replaces Participa from Chile.  TEI will continue as the Core Team Lead for South East Asia. We welcome the new members and thank the outgoing partners for their yeoman service to the TAI network for over 12 years.

Finances & Other Information

Please see financial information below for fundraising status of TAI secretariat. The funds raised by other Core team members are also set out below. See the TAI Funding annex for details on numbers