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The "Dialogues
on Oil in Fragile Environments" were convened
and coordinated by the Program on Nonviolent Sanctions
and Cultural Survival (PONSACS) of the Weatherhead
Center for International Affairs, Harvard University.
The dialogues were
initiated in 1997 on the basis of two principal
considerations. Exploration for and production of
oil in fragile environments, particularly the Upper
Amazon regions of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru
and Venezuela, have produced a number of reactions
and realities. These range from NGO and or community
demands for a total ban on national oil production
to oil company operations that are insensitive to
either social or environmental concerns. However,
at present, occupying a large sector of the middle
range, is a set of interest groups concerned with
minimizing the negative impact of this resource
extraction. These groups constituted the participants
of the dialogues. The working assumption was that,
after a national government has determined that
it will open lands to oil production, it is no longer
a question of whether or not such development will
take place but, rather, under what conditions, constraints
and responsibilities.
The Dialogues were
intended to provide a framework for an analytic,
non-adversarial discussion by members of various
interested parties brought together in small groups.
The Dialogues were expressly not designed as a forum
for negotiation. The expected result was greater
awareness and clearer (or new) perceptions regarding
the concerns of other participants, that can inform
each participant's future work. The Dialogues presumed
that each participant has different concerns and
that these may not be known by all. Participants
were therefore encouraged to seek mutual understudying.
The discussions were guided by a set of "ground
rules" to provide essential confidentiality,
and there was no attribution of statements or expressions
to any participant. This was done to encourage a
free and open exchange, not to cloak the meetings
in secrecy.
The purpose of the
third-party facilitating team - PONSACS - was to
assist the flow of the meetings. The participants
themselves defined, periodically revisited, and
agreed upon the substantive issues, the specific
format and other aspects of the dialogues.
Initial participants
were selected from interest groups that expressed
concern for pursuing the objective of mutual understanding.
The project also sought ways to expand and include
participation by other local and international stakeholder
groups involved in or affected by oil exploration
and production in fragile environments. These included
indigenous peoples, other land-based communities,
additional sectors of the environmental community,
governmental entities, and international agencies.
In addition
to third-party facilitation during the actual Dialogues,
the Program on Nonviolent Sanctions and Cultural
Survival performed previous and subsequent analysis,
agenda coordination, network maintenance and other
support and research functions.
Oil Dialogues have been made
possible by the generous support of the William
and Flora Hewlett Foundation.
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