Institut de l’Energie et de l’Environnement de la Francophonie

Through multifaceted action in key environmental issues worldwide, the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie has always been closely linked to efforts by the international community to counter threats to the planet’s ecological balance. The francophone community has voiced concern for the environment since the early environment Summit Meetings, particularly the third in Dakar, 1989, where it was decided to organise the 1991 Tunis conference for environment ministers. One year prior to the 1992 Earth Summit, this laid the foundations of French-language intervention in environmental issues.

Five guidelines

Five guidelines emerged: holding discussions prior to and on the sidelines of international meetings on the environment, raising public awareness, informing decision-makers, training key players and forging partnerships. It was along these lines leadership provided to member countries would take shape. The concerted action from the French-speaking community is being mostly conducted by the Institut de l’énergie et de l’environnement de la Francophonie (IEPF), an OIF subsidiary body.

The IEPF was created by heads of states of French-speaking countries to act to develop the energy and environment sectors. Its mission is to contribute to building national capacities and developing partnerships. The IEPF celebrated its twentieth anniversary in June 2008 with the Défis énergétiques et environnementaux: solutions pour un développement durable international conference, and Francophonie efforts have gained prominence within the climate change arena, as below.

At the 2005 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 11th Conference of the Parties in Montréal, two long-term thought processes were introduced. These processes were to secure the groundwork of future negotiations on strengthening the implementation of the Convention and the second commitment period for countries listed in Annex B of the Kyoto Protocol.

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A range of initiatives

A number of initiatives support the new negotiation cycle. Their objectives are to establish the conditions essential to the cycle’s success, upon which the future of billions depends. There are a series of propositions in terms of worldwide cooperation mechanisms and developmental policy options both likely to strengthen the Convention’s implementation.

Issues under debate involve objectives of convergence and development trajectories, sector-based programmes to be implemented, vulnerability reduction and adjustment policies for the most vulnerable countries, resources to mobilise and the roles of public and private investors, the Kyoto mechanisms, and official development assistance. The Francophonie has been active in negotiations since talks started in Rio and plays an acknowledged and appreciated role of facilitator among member countries.

As such, the Francophonie launched ” The goal of the Initiative Climat et Développement de la Francophonie” to help countries prepare for future negotiations so their developmental priorities were recognised and, above all, explicitly considered within the new regime. The Initiative promotes a sector-based approach to formulate national climate change adaptation policies and supports the integration of sector-based developmental priorities intended for developing countries within the negotiation process of the post-2012 regime. There are two guiding components:

• Establishing Developmental Policy Options and Creating Negotiating Positions (preparing documents on positions for the different sector-based options; based on these options, development of negotiating positions to be promoted as part of the new negotiation cycle, regional dialogue sessions to create a process aimed at empowering these options and negotiating positions).

• Building Negotiating Capacities (summer schools on negotiating techniques, regional workshops on future negotiation issues and current scenarios, production of handbooks for negotiators and memos for participants in high-level segments, dialogues with decision-makers).

The IEPF programme also puts into effect a 2005 initiative for a Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) Initiative aimed at building capacityof developing member countries so they can integrate into the carbon market quickly. From a procedural standpoint, few developing member countries have established essential bases of substantial involvement in the CDM, such as the Designated National Authority (DNA). In addition, their participation in CDM programmes aimed at building capacities is, to date, marginal at best.

This Francophonie partnership initiative is coupled with an action plan that includes directed training and guidance actions focusing specifically on the operationalisation of existing DNAs and the creation of project portfolios. A Web portal was specially developed for CDM concerns. Since 2005, one newsletter is issued weekly and another, bimonthly: the CDM and JI Monitor of Point Carbon and Nouvelles francophones du marché du carbone.

Information remains one of the primary missions of theFrancophonie. A further example lies in its partnership with the Bulletin des Négociations de la Terre de l’Institut International du Développement Durable.

The 2002 French-language sustainable development information system, Médiaterre, is a type II initiative of the Johannesburg plan of action, where the IEPF responded to concerns over the quantitative and qualitative enhancement of French-language content on the Web (www.mediaterre.org).

Further publications and information are available at: