of JCN-CBD. They also made public the final result of the Cyber Dialogue project. The forums such as A Proposal of the 13 Grandmothers to COP10, Revival of the Bioregion, Biodiversity and Peace, and A Dialogue of Japanese and International Citizens to Finalize the Aichi-Nagoya Appeal, were held at the Interactive Fair for Biodiversity. The Declaration and Consensus Building The first draft of the declaration was drafted by Dr. Mushakoji, Dr. Hanochi, Mr. Komamiya and Mr. Ohnuma, and circulated and modified through discussions in the social networking service and Mailing Lists. The drafters were willing to publish it as the declaration of civil society of the host country, Japan. This was acknowledged by the JCN-CBD Steering Committee. Some groups such as the TEEB Group of the JCN-CBD, however, had different sentiments on the draft’s suitability for the general public. The criticisms on economic growth, pointing out that “neoliberalism has adopted a ‘growth principle’, which regards economic growth to be of top priority over anything else”6 could not easily be accepted. On the other hand, the groups of Bio-region and Gender and Minority did not fully accept the concept of TEEB. The draft of the declaration was circulated. A signature-collecting booth was set up inside and outside the venue of COP10. Finally, the drafters made public the draft by naming it A Draft Declaration by Citizens of Aichi Nagoya. The drafters held a press briefing on 28 October at the sidelines of COP10. With respect to consensus building, the social networking service did not function as an effective tool. Although the content of the draft was discussed on the social networking service, the key debate on economic growth was not visible on the website. Instead of using the special networking service site, people opted to discuss issues in person during forums. Some opted to use e-mail exchanges among a small number of people which included members of the steering committee of JCN-CBD and some members of RCE Chubu. Conclusion In conclusion, the Cyber Dialogue Project, an unprecedented opportunity for using the social 104 THE ASIA REGIONAL FORUM ON BIODIVERSITY networking service for the international discussion of biodiversity-related issues, demonstrated to us both achievements and challenges. A key outcome of the project was the fact that it led to multi-thematic and cross-cultural dialogue on biodiversity. The viewpoints of minorities, both genders and indigenous peoples, were all represented and deemed equally important as the points of view of other previously more influential quarters. The Cyber Dialogue Project also provided a platform for stakeholders from various sectors to discuss important biodiversity-related issues. Although JCN-CBD was a cluster of different interest groups, the Cyber Dialogue Project attempted to engage in a cross-sectoral and multi-thematic communication strategy by starting and using the Cyber Dialogue. In reference to the private sector and biodiversity, although there was an unresolved debate between TEEB members and the drafters of the Appeal during the COP10, the Cyber Dialogue Project opened up a platform for starting such discussions among different interest groups. The continuation of these discussions may lead to cross-boundary learning and mutual understanding in the long term. Another achievement was that the Appeal of the Citizens of Aichi Nagoya was made public during COP10. Although the Appeal was not widely reported by media, the drafters and members of RCE Chubu are trying to develop a discussion using the first outcome of the Cyber Dialogue toward COP11 which will be held in India in 2012. The implementation of the Cyber Dialogue Project was not without challenges. One challenge involved technical issues for using the social networking service for multi-cultural and multi-sectoral dialogue. These difficulties included limited IT literacy among some participants and the lack of time for them to log in to the website. Since the social networking services site was an original and independent website, the chance for the participants to log in was also very limited. After COP10, in the second period of the Cyber Dialogue from COP10 to COP11, the working groups of the Cyber Dialogue decided to use Facebook instead of continuing with the original
In Celebration of His Majesty the King of Thailand’s 84th Birthday Anniversary
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