Background

Timeline – Ring Interventions since 1992

1992 - Rio Summit

Ring members prepared national sustainable development reports to complement their own government's contributions. Ring institutions were represented in their governments’ national Rio Summit delegations. Ring members were heavily involved with parallel civil society events held during the Summit, and helped shape joint positions and strategies for influencing the inter-governmental process.

1993-8 Joint Work Developed

The initial Ring focus was on strengthening of organisational capacities to foster South-South research. Some of the activities supported during this period were: exchange visits by researchers (including from Nigeria to Zimbabwe; Pakistan to the UK; Bangladesh and India to Nigeria). In addition the Ring generated joint research and publications on issues such as water management and climate change.

1999-2002 Global Influence

Collective input to the World Summit on Sustainable Development process, including a number of high-profile publications and events:

• ‘Financing for Sustainable Development’ report which focused on the challenge SD poses to the mainstream development community
• Over 30 short Opinion Papers authored by both Ring and non-Ring experts, to inform the Summit preparations
• 3 workshops plus publications on the role of Research Partnerships in achieving SD.
• Global identification of examples of ‘civic entrepreneurship’: collated into a 7-volume report with analysis of how entrepreneurial activity for social benefit is central to achievement of SD. This was supported by the UN Environment Programme.