ABOUT THE ORGANIZERS
The Sustainability Challenge Foundation (SCF) is an international not-for-profit non-governmental organization (registered in the Netherlands) and closely linked to Tilburg University and TiasNimbas Business School. SCF provides training and assistance to create new skills and new institutional structures to implement the concept of sustainability worldwide. SCF promotes the Mutual Gains Approach and introduces techniques of multi-stakeholder dialogue to resolve conflicts to build consensus in the context of implementing sustainable development.
Wetlands International Indonesia Programme (WIIP), is a non-profit organization headquartered in The Netherlands, with offices in 13 other countries (including Indonesia). WIIP has been working in Indonesia since 1987 under a Memorandum of Understanding at the invitation of the Directorate General of Forest Protection and Nature Conservation of the Ministry of Forestry. In its 20 years working in Indonesia WIIP has undertaken a wide variety of wetlands activities. These include the wise use and protection of wetlands and restoration of damaged wetlands (such as mangrove and peat land areas) in various parts of Indonesia through involving a wide range of stakeholders (including government, local communities, research institutions, academic organizations, NGOs and industries).
ABOUT RPMS
SCF and WIIP organize training programmes on the management of sustainability that focus on conflict management and demonstrate ways to discover common interests and build consensus to integrate the apparently contrasting demands of economic and social development and environmental protection.
The Regional Programmes on the Management of Sustainability (RPMS) are designed to give participants practical skills in building consensus among stakeholders with diverse economic, environmental and social interests, needs and values.
The core teaching principles and methods are:
• Bringing together participants from government, business and voluntary organizations that seek a variety of economic, environmental and social goals;
• Presenting management for sustainable development as a process of consensus building that demands both negotiation and joint analysis;
• Building participants' negotiation and management skills using realistic simulations that give participants opportunities for practice and skill assessment;
• Helping participants find ways to integrate what they have learned and practiced into their professional work, using participant-faculty collaborative workshops;
• Providing participants with ongoing support and advice, through faculty and SCF staff and through an Internet-accessible network of Program alumni.
The topics, participants, curriculum and faculty for such RPMS are selected jointly by SCF and WIIP, the regional partner organization.
RPMS INDONESIA
The opportunities and benefits of the RPMS will be related to sustainable development approaches in natural resources management in Indonesia and neighbouring countries. One focus is on wetland management and forestry.
For resource managers, government officials, NGO participants and members of the involved business community, negotiation skills are essential whether working collaboratively in programs or defining management practices for a protected area, or participating in land-use decisions that will affect resources. While negotiation is basically a communication process for reaching resolution on an issue, negotiations in these settings can become quite complex. This is due to several reasons, including the variety of disciplines and stakeholders involved, the public nature of these decisions, the time and economic constraints on decision-making, and the significant impact that decisions can have on natural and economic resources.
By integrating the Mutual Gains Approach with skills acquired in their day-to-day work, past participants to SCF trainings from Indonesia have realized the great value of the mutual gains approach for sustainable development when it is applied in the challenging situations of resources management in Indonesia. In discussions with SCF Board members, the opportunities and benefits for a RPMS dedicated to resources management and poverty alleviation in Indonesia have been identified.
Objectives RPMS Indonesia 2008
The objectives of RPMS Indonesia are:
1. to enable participants from institutions and societal groups, working on natural resources and other management issues in Indonesia and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, to acquire skills and experience with the Mutual Gains Approach for integration in their individual work
2. through a variety of learning tools, to work on individual cases brought to the course.
3. to learn about Sustainable Development and the role of the Mutual Gains Approach with different stakeholders, using participants’ individual cases in the training in order to apply this approach and to develop skills participants can implement in their daily work.
The training will consist of two parts, the second part 2-3 months after the first meeting. The second part is to evaluate and enhance insight and skills developed during the training and the period between the two parts while applying the acquired skills in selected "homework" cases.
Examples and cases studies in real-situation can focus on:
- Sustainable development and wetlands management
- Capacity building for stakeholders in society
- Sustainable development, logging and deforestation