Publication history 2018 and Plans for 2019
Another busy year on publications. I had two books out:
This book explores the role that the Young Liberal Green Guard had on UK politics in the 1980s. It aims to inspire future young politicians of whatever political views the truth of Margaret Meads statement that: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has.”
Reviews included:
By Lord Chris Rennard
“The 1980s is a fascinating period in British politics and Felix Dodds played a fascinating role in that period and which he writes extremely well about. The group of people who were close to him then have stuck together and have mostly used their political and campaigning skills to great effect ever since. It took courage for Young Liberals to support a Labour candidate because he was openly gay and the SDP's sitting MP appeared to be homophobic, but I think that they were right even though it caused ructions internally. They pushed the Liberal Party and then the Liberal Democrats to adopt the green agenda well in advance of other parties. I did not agree with all the activities and statements made by this group (for example the one suggesting that the Alliance Manifesto of 1983 was 'not worth voting for'). But they were inspired and inspirational and Felix's account deserves to be read widely.”
By Lord David Alton
“In his racy, well-written and thought-provoking memoir, Power To The People - Confessions of a Young Liberal activist 1975-1987, Felix Dodds provides an insightful sketch of the politics of those years and how the Young Liberals interacted among themselves, with the Party leadership, and how they responded to events.
We also learn a lot about Felix himself - not least his sometimes-mischievous sense of humour – and about the clever band of young men and women who brought an untarnished, refreshing, idealism and energy into the heart of political life. Some of them, like the late Mike Harskin, became an indispensable part of the Chief Whip’s engine room. Others have gone on to make remarkable contributions in many walks of life.
Felix’s narrative inevitably stirs many memories – but you don’t have to have been intimately involved in those times and events to learn something useful from this account.
In paraphrasing Samuel Ullman, Robert Kennedy once remarked that “youth is not a time of life, it’s a temper of the will, a quality of the imagination”. Perhaps this memoir is also meant to remind us never to stop trying to see things through younger eyes nor to dismiss people or their ideas because they are young.
And ultimately, this memoir is all about passing on the baton – and a belief in the extraordinary privilege of living in a democratic and free society."
Governance for Sustainable Development Volume 2: Ideas for the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development (2018) Co-edited with Bolaji, A., Cho, Y., Krapp, R., Popescu, C., Banisar, B. and McKew, Q. edited (2018) Governance for Sustainable Development, Volume 2: Implementing the 2030 Agenda, Apex, New World Frontiers
The chapters of this book are a reflection of the rich contributions made by governments, intergovernmental bodies and stakeholders to the three workshops that the Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development Group hosted in 2017. Governance plays a crucial role in creating those conditions, notably, for our purposes in the implementation of the 2030 sustainable development agenda process. From creating new platforms to reforming old ones, the process must live up to this standard and its mechanisms should be geared towards fostering this type of new international environment and cooperation for sustainable development. This is the second volume produced by the Friends Group. The first volume presented the period from late 2014 to the end of 2015. The Group also has a website which it places the papers that are being discussed at the Friends Group’s meetings, which can be found here.
Chapters in books
Remembering Maurice F. Strong: Tributes and Reminiscences –My contribution to the book - The Father of Sustainable Development other contributors include: - Gro Harlem Brundtland, Nitin Desai, Elizabeth Dowdeswell, Las-Goran Engfeldt, Peter Hass, Enrique Iglesias, Ashok Khosla, Tommy Koh, Geoffrey Lipman, Thomas Lovejoy, Julia Marton-Lefevre, Rajendra Pachauri, Shridath Ramphal, Klaus Schwab, Mirian Vilela and James Wolfensohn.
Papers this year
Blue Economy Investment Facility with Chris Tompkins
The Blue Economy – the sustainable use of oceans along with their coastal and estuarine hinterlands which embrace key sectors such as seabed mining, port development, fisheries, energy and tourism – is a new frontier for sustainable investments. Governments, particularly in emerging economies, working in partnership with the private sector and making full use of the substantial foreign investment flows and loans available, can get ahead of the game and guide coast and ocean development in a sustainable and profitable manner.
What is the role of Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships in Implementing the 2030 Agenda?
To understand in full what role Multi-Stakeholder Partnerships (MSPs)can play in Implementing the 2030 Agenda and in particular the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and their Targets we need to understand where MSPs have come from, what the experience has been, and how that can be improved on to be more effective in this new phase up to 2030.
What should be the outcome from the 2019 HLPF Summit?
In 2019, the High-Level Political Forum will complete its first cycle. The HLPF, an outcome of the Rio+20 Conference, was created as a replacement for the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). When the 2030 Agenda was adopted in 2015, the HLPF became the mandated global platform for follow-up and review of the 2030 Agenda and Sustainable Development Goals. This session will review options for what the outcome from the Heads of State session in September 2019 should be.
Articles and interviews
Inter-Press Service News: Are Grants for Losers with Minu Hemmati (January 2018)
Inter-Press Service interview on The Blue Economy Investment Facility (November 2018)
Top Blogs from https://blog.felixdodds.net/ for the year
- UNEP Executive Director Resigns and why - who could take his place?
- UNECE Forum on PPPs
- Key Dates for Sustainable Development 2018
- UNEP and the Private Sector a complicated Relationship
- John Bolton is Wrong about the UN: Ans Bret Stephens is Wrong about John Bolton
- Just out new Book: Governance for Sustainable Development: Volume 2 Implementing the 2030 Agenda
- Presentation for the UNDESA workshop: Advancing the 2030 Agenda: Interlinkages and Common Themes at the HLPF 2018
- If you haven’t read the history of how the SDGs cam about or for that matter sustainable development then get these books
- Are Grants for losers?
- Zombie Partnerships Are we about to see the Multi-Stakeholder Partnership Bubble Burst? Could we be seeing upto 84% failure?
Publication plans for 2019
Books
Governance for Sustainable Development Volume 3: Preparation for the Review of the 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development - edited volume February 2019
Stakeholder Democracy: Represented Democracy in a Time of Fear with Jan Gustav Strandenæs. Minu Hemmati and Carolina Duque July 2019
Papers
Misaligned SDG targets: how to handle target dates before 2030 with Jamie Bartram and Gastón Ocampo
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