The organizers (Major Groups Representatives) are calling for case study proposals for an international workshop being organized by Major Groups and hosted by the Government of Ghana in Accra from 26-30 July, 2010 in support of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF).

BACKGROUND:

Since its establishment, a number of Major Groups¹ have been participating in the UNFF Processes and have worked together on several occasions to make inputs into the policy discussions.
Last year the Major Groups associated with UNFF agreed to organize a Multi-Stakeholder workshop for Enhancing the Effectiveness of Major Groups in UNFF.
This workshop will be held in Accra, Ghana from 26-30 July, 2010 with support from the UNFF Secretariat and a number of governments.  It aims to bring together approximately 120 key representatives from Major Groups, governments and intergovernmental organizations.

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF THE MULTI-STAKEHOLDER WORKSHOP:

The Multi-Stakeholder Workshop in Ghana is designed to support the UNFF process by enhancing meaningful participation of Major Groups at the policy-making level, and building momentum towards implementation.

The workshop has four key objectives:

1. Develop concrete recommendations for UNFF 9 (24 January-4 February, 2011) which has the theme of  “Forests for People, livelihoods and poverty reduction”
2. Identify strengths and weaknesses of the Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue process associated with the UNFF, and create specific recommendations for increasing its effectiveness;
3. Identify specific activities for Major Groups’ contribution to the UN International Year of Forests (2011);
4. Foster alliances, partnerships and networking within Major Groups and between Major Groups and other key players in the UNFF process.

CASE STUDIES:

In line with objective (i) of the workshop, we are commissioning a number of case studies to serve, amongst other resources, as inputs for developing policy recommendations. The case studies will address the following topics:

1. Governance: access, tenure rights and benefit sharing.
2. Indigenous/traditional knowledge to maintain forests and generate income
3. Improvement of livelihoods from community-based forest enterprises and forest services
4. Recognizing of forest dependent people as partners in forest management. (Based on any of these: women, Indigenous Peoples or other underprivileged forest dependent people)

LETTERS OF INTEREST (LOI) FOR CASE STUDIES

Those wishing to prepare a case study for the workshop are asked to submit a letter of interest (LOI). The LOI should be two (2) pages in length, and must contain the following information:

(a). Full name of the author, Title, contact address including e-mail and telephone, name of       Organization, position
(b). Clear statement of the topic being addressed
(c). Brief description of what the case study will be on
(d). Key issues addressed in the proposed case study, especially regarding the relationship       of the case study to one (or more) of the workshop topics outlined above.
(e). Methodology to be utilized in the proposed case study

Process for Submission:

1. Case study LOIs (in English) (2 page) should be emailed to lauren.eastwood@plattsburgh.edu.submitted by 20th March, 2010 for consideration. 
2. LOIs will be reviewed with notification to applicants by 31st March, 2010.
3. Approved case studies must be completed by 28th May, along with a 5-page write up for inclusion in the documents to be made available for participants of the Workshop.
4. Selected case studies will be presented during the 5-day Multi-Stakeholder Meeting (26-30 July, Accra, Ghana).

COMPENSATION:

$2000.00 (USD) will be paid to a number of selected case studies to help defray the costs of conducting the case studies and compiling the results.  This payment will be disbursed in two equal installments - The first after the contract is signed and the second after the case study is finalized and accepted.  In addition, the case study author will receive travel support in order to attend the Multi-Stakeholder Workshop, and to present the findings of the case study. Room and board (direct or via a per diem) will also be covered for the days of the workshop.

FURTHER INFORMATION:

For more information regarding case studies, or to submit a concept note by the deadline, contact:

Lauren E. Eastwood
State University of New York at Plattsburgh,
101 Broad Street
Plattsburgh, NY. USA
lauren.eastwood@plattsburgh.edu

For more information on the Multi-Stakeholder Meeting for Enhancing the Effectiveness of Major Groups’ Participation in the UNFF, contact:

Lambert Okrah
The Institute of Cultural Affairs International (ICAI)
417 Rue St-Pierre, Suite 804
Montreal, Quebec,
Canada, H2Y 2M4
Tel: 514-875-7111
Fax: 514-875-0702
lambert@ica-international.org