United Nations Environment Programme

Dams and Development Project

The Steering Committee was established to provide advice on substantive matters to the Executive Director of UNEP regarding DDP and represented the Dams and Development Forum (DDF). It was made up of thirteen voting members representing the following stakeholder groups: indigenous people, affected people, government (bilateral agencies), government agencies (project, basins), developing country government agencies (policy related), international professional associations, multilateral agencies, international NGOs, NGOs (advocacy), industry/private sector, research institutions, operators/utilities, and institutions involved in non-dam options. Such representativeness ensured the maintainance of the multistakeholder character of the project. UNEP was a non-voting member of the SC represented by DEPI Director.

A SC member had an active role of channelling the flow of information and promoting the active involvement of the DD Forum members from a corresponding stakeholder group in the DDP activities. In order to strengthen such representation, the nominations of the SC members to fill vacancies or incorporate alternates took into account the opinion of the respective DD Forum member organizations and gave preference to their involvement. The SC had a mandate to:

• Provide advice to the UNEP Executive Director on the substantive content of the project’s work, through review of the project’s annual activity schedules and its criteria for priority setting and activity selection, and on issues of policy or substance that inevitably arise.
• Ensure that the multi-stakeholder consultative character of the post-WCD process is maintained.
• Convene meetings of the Dams and Development Forum, and to report to them.
• Contribute to the flow of information between DD Forum members and DDP Secretariat, ensuring that the SC advisory function to DDP incorporates the views of the respective DD Forum members.