Travel 2015
After a month and a half without traveling, I began a series of short trips
to conferences in Europe without much scenic interest. The third week of
February I attended a French Baha'i Winter Camp (see separate
page) in the Alpine resort of La Chapelle
d'Abondance. I was then three days in Madrid
for 3 lectures, but with no time to take pictures. The second week of March
I was in Paris for 5 days for the International
Conference of the Partnership for Education and research about Responsible
Living (PERL) at UNESCO, which was also the 19th Annual Conference of the
International Environment Forum (see separate
page for conference pictures). The first week of April I went to the Netherlands
to give three talks at my friends the Vinkhuyzens, and then attended The
Justice Conference at the de Poort Conference Centre (see separate
page). In mid-April I returned to Paris for an
expert meeting on coastal marine resources called for by the International
Resource Panel hosted by UNEP. The first week of May the extended family
gathered in Plomodiern, Brittany, France for the
funeral of my mother-in-law, Francine Caillard. From the end of May to July,
I hardly stopped traveling. The last week of May was the spring ebbf -
Ethical Business Building the Future event near Lisbon (see separate
page). Then after one day at home I was off to Baku,
Azerbaijan, to facilitate a UNEP-sponsored workshop for the government
and academic partners on an integrated approach to the Sustainable
Development Goals (see separate page),
followed immediately by a week at a retreat near Bourg-en-Bresse,
France, on nature and spirituality at the Domaine de la Garde, and a visit
to the Royal Monastery of Brou (see separate
page). The next morning I was off to Haifa, Israel,
for consultations at the Baha'i World Centre, and could make a photo album
of that beautiful spiritual centre (see separate
page). The following week I represented the International Environment
Forum at the Global Ethics Forum, which
at least was in Geneva (see separate
page). The third week of July I was off the the French Baha'i Summer
School near Angers (see separate
page). Again, the first week of August was the turn of the German
Summer School in Tambach (see separate
page), where I taught a class. In mid-September, I had to go to
Nairobi, Kenya, for a GEO6 authors' writing session at UNEP
headquarters (see separate page).
Early October was the annual conference of ebbf in Barcelona
where I gave a keynote (see separate
page). Then there was a lecture in Frankfurt, Germany and the
International Resource Panel and World Resources Forum meetings in Davos,
Switzerland, with no time to take pictures. The last week of October I went
to Belgrade, Serbia, for the European Center for Peace and Development Annual
Conference to give a paper and moderate the associated Youth Forum
(see separate page). In mid-November
I went to Brussels for a EESC/UNEP/EEB Conference
on the Sustainable Development Goals (see details at http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-sustainable-development-goals),
giving a presentation on Europe
and the 2030 Agenda: Regional Assessment, and at the end of the
month I made a short trip to Vienna for a research
meeting on sustainable lifestyles and education. The first two weeks of
December were the UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) in Paris, France,
where I helped the International Environment Forum organize four events at
which I spoke (see separate page),
and visited the apartment where
'Abdu'l-Baha stayed when he first visited Paris in 1911. I then went to
Shanghai for a gathering of researchers at Fudan University (see separate
page) and finished the year at the Swiss Baha'i Winter School (see separate
page) at Leysin in the Alps.
La Chapelle
d'Abondance, French Alps
La Chapelle d'Abondance is one of a string of ski resorts in the Alpine
valleys behind Evian and Thonon les Bains on the shores of Lake Geneva. We
were about 50 international participants in the French Baha'i Winter Camp in
February (see separate page) with
classes, artistic activities and winter recreation.
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The Chalet Olinga that hosted our camp; dogsledding in the
valley
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Walking to the village of La Chapelle d'Abondance
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The frozen waterfall
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When I climbed the mountainside with snowshoes, there were wonderful
views of the valley
Madrid, Spain
In Madrid at the end of February, I lectured on "40 Years of International
Sustainability Governance" at the EOI Business School, and on "Ecological
and Economic Principles for a New World Order" at the Nehal Foundation and
the Baha'i National Centre.
Lecturing at the Baha'i National Centre, Madrid
Paris, France
The International Conference of the Partnership for Education and research
about Responsible Living (PERL) and 19th Annual Conference of the
International Environment Forum was held at UNESCO Headquarters (see separate
page for conference pictures). One afternoon, we were taken on a tour
of the French Senate in the Palais de Luxembourg. That was the only tourism
we had time for.
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UNESCO Headquarters where the conference was held; Ecole militaire
across the street from UNESCO, with Eiffel Tower in the background
We were treated to a visit to the French Senate in the Palais de Luxembourg,
where we were briefed on the Senate Commission on Sustainable Development,
Infrastucture and Regional Planning.
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Palais de Luxembourg, seat of the Senate; cour d'honneur; our group
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Entrance to the Senate; escalier d'honneur (ceremonial staircase);
Salle de conférences (Conference Room)
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Salle de conférences
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Salle de conférences with its ornate ceiling
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Salle de conférences ceiling; throne of Napoleon III when he presided
over the Senate
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Salle des conférences; paintings in a Senate staircase
Briefing on the Senate Commission on Sustainable Development
One evening, we had dinner in the UNESCO restaurant on the top floor,
with a beautiful view over Paris.
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View of Paris and Ecole militaire; UNESCO gardens and sphere
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Paris through a window; Eiffel Tower sparkling with lights
The Netherlands
The Justice Conference was held on 3-5 April 2015 at the de Poort Conference
Centre, Groesbeek, The Netherlands, on the theme "Advancing
Justice: Spiritual Foundations and Practical Applications". See separate
page for a report.
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Me speaking at The Justice Conference on "Justice and Global Policy
Change for Environmental Stewardship"
Paris, France
On 13-16 April I went to Paris for an expert group meeting on marine and
coastal resources to advise the International Resource Panel hosted by UNEP.
We met in UNEP's Paris office near the Saint Lazare train station. The
meeting was to scope a possible panel report on resource efficiency and
sustainable environmental management in the coastal zone. It included senior
experts from around the world and was chaired by the former European
Commissioner for the Environment. I presented a paper on "Resource
Efficiency Improvements and Marine Resources Management in the Sustainable
Development Goals". The evening in the middle of our meeting we all went to
a restaurant across from the train station famous for its Art Nouveau decor
dating from 1895.
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Expert group meeting at UNEP
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Saint Lazare train station and restaurant
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Gare Saint Lazare (train station) and restaurant across the street
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Restaurant with Art Nouveau interior
Plomodiern, Brittany,
France
On 1 May 2015, my mother-in-law Francine Caillard né de Moor passed away at
her home in Brittany at the age of 94, three years after the passing of her
husband Claude Caillard.
The extended family gathered shortly thereafter for the funeral, followed by
a gathering of family and friends to share memories of a wonderful woman who
had raised 8 children, with dozens of grandchildren, great-grandchildren and
even great-great.grandchildren. My own children had lived with their
grandparents for a year in 1984 when we had to send them away from the
troubles in New Caledonia, and we lived near them for a year after our move
to France, so we were very close.
ebbf Spring Event, Lisbon,
Portugal
Over 80 ebbf members and friends gathered in a beautiful hotel outside of
Lisbon for the ebbf - Ethical Business Building the Future spring event on "Interconnected
business: how can organizations improve people and people improve
organizations". I took part in the ebbf Governing Board meeting and
a consultation with some of our most active members before the event. For a
full report, see the separate page.
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The pre-event consultation; Jason Maude opening the event; part of
the audience at the ebbf Spring event
UNEP Workshop, Baku,
Azerbaijan
My short time in Baku, 3-5 June, did not leave time for tourism, but UNEP
had me facilitate an Integrated Approach to Environmental Sustainability in
Development Planning National Workshop that was useful and held back-to-back
with a conference on climate change, described on a separate
page.
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Views of Baku, and the opening of the UNEP workshop
Bourg-en-Bresse,
France
The spiritual week at the Domaine de la Garde in Bourg-en-Bresse the second
week of June was a relaxing alternative to my other trips. We visited the
beautiful gothic Royal Monastery of Brou nearby, exchanged spiritual
perspectives among Christians, Buddhists, Sufis and Bahá'ís, and meditated
on nature and spirituality. A more complete documentation of the Brou
Monastery and of the week on nature and spirituality is on a separate
page.
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The Royal Monastery of Brou, built by Marguerite of Austria in
1513-1532 in memory of her husband Philibert le Beau, Duke of Savoy
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Chateau de la Garde; the group gathered for a week on nature and
spirituality; one of the sessions
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The exchanges continued at mealtimes; the beautiful gardens were
ideal for meditating in nature; I helped clear a fallen tree from one of
the forest trails
Haifa, Israel
I was in Haifa for consultations on 14-17 June, and the weather was perfect
for photographing the Bahá'í Shrines and gardens, with a more complete album
on a separate page.
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Looking down the terraces towards Haifa; the Shrine of the Bab; me
near the Shrine
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The Bahá'í World Centre on Mount Carmel: Seat of the Universal House
of Justice; International Teaching Centre; Archives Building
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Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh; Mansion at Bahji where He spent his last
years; gardens at Bahji
Global Ethics
Forum, Geneva, Switzerland
I represented the International Environment
Forum at the Global Ethics Forum 2015, which was held at the
Ecumenical Centre in Geneva, Switzerland, on 25-27 June. The 150
participants came from all over the world to discuss "Responsible Leadership
in Action: The Value of Values". For a full report, see the separate
page.
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Prof. Christoph Stückelberger, founder of GEF; part of the audience;
address by the Mayor of Geneva, Madame Esther Alder
Angers, France
In mid-July, I enjoyed a wonderful week near Angers, in the west of France,
at the French Baha'i Summer School, with about 400 in attendance including
40 from French-speaking Switzerland. There was a wonderful family
atmosphere, and intensive and very enriching study (see separate
page for more school pictures).
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A small part of the audience; some of the 30 participants in my
class; the junior youth singing
Tambach and Schmalkalden,
Germany
The first week of August I went to Tambach-Deitharz in Thüringen, Germany,
for the German Baha'i Summer School (see separate
page for school pictures). There were opportunities to walk in the
forest and visit a nearby spring reputed to have healed Martin Luther almost
500 years ago. We also crossed the Thüringen forest to Schmalkalden for a
garden show and visit to the old town centre and castle.
Lutherbrunnen, Martin Luther's
spring near Tambach
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Marker at the spring quoting Martin Luther
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Panel explaining Martin Luther's stay in the region 500 years ago;
walking through the forest from the spring to the stream
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Spruce forest around Tambach; younger trees; mature trees and
recently harvested area
Schmalkalden
The Thüringen garden show spread over a former industrial site that has
recently been restored.
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Visit to parts of the Thüringen garden show in Schmalkalden restored
from a heavy industrial site
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Flowers and bird houses at the garden show
Town of Schmalkalden
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Church, market and narrow streets
Schloss Wilhelmsburg (Castle) in Schmalkalden
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Entrance to Schloss Wilhelmsburg, leading to the first gateway
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View of Schmalkalden from the castle; the first courtyard; gardens
below the castle walls
Castle courtyard; second tower; tunnel to the second courtyard
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Castle kitchen
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Gardens alongside the castle
United Nations Office in
Nairobi, Kenya
In mid-September, I spend a week working at the United Nations Office in
Nairobi (UNON) in a UNEP "book sprint" with teams of authors writing the
first draft of the next Global
Environment Outlook (GEO6) set of regional reports (see separate
page). UNON is the most beautiful of the United Nations Offices around
the world, along with the United Nations Office in Geneva at the Palais
des Nations.
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The United Nations Office in Nairobi campus is set in extensive
gardens, with a curving road from the entrance lined with UN flags, and buildings
separated by lawns and trees
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The main conference rooms are around a central courtyard; UNEP has a
new building with an indoor garden path between its two wings
ebbf conference in
Barcelona, Spain
The ebbf - Ethical Business Building the Future annual conference was
held again in Barcelona, Spain, on 1-4 October, where I gave a keynote on
"Scientific and Spiritual Dimensions of Unity and Collaboration" and was
re-elected to the Governing Board (see separate
page).
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Keynoting at the ebbf annual conference in Barcelona; the ebbf
Governing Board; informal discussions
ECPD Conference in
Belgrade, Serbia
The European Center for Peace and Development held its 11th Annual
Conference in Belgrade, Serbia, on 24-25 October 2015, where I presented a
paper on "The Sustainable Development Goals and their Implications for the
Western Balkans", followed by a Youth Forum where I moderated two plenary
sessions and provided the closing comments. See more details on the separate
page.
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Former UNESCO Director-General Federico Mayor giving a keynote; ECPD
Youth Forum
Brussels, Belgium
On 11-13 November I went to Brussels at the request of UNEP for a European
Economic and Social Committee/United Nations Environment Programme/European
Environmental Bureau Conference on the Sustainable
Development
Goals: Implementation in Europe (see details at http://www.eesc.europa.eu/?i=portal.en.events-and-activities-sustainable-development-goals),
where I gave a paper on Europe
and the 2030 Agenda: Regional Assessment, with the presentation
at http://www.eesc.europa.eu/resources/docs/dahl-arthur--2.pdf.
I also took part for the International Environment Forum in the UNEP
regional consultation on opportunities for engagement of major groups and
stakeholders.
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The
conference room at the European Union; me speaking; part of the panel
Vienna Workshop
The Global Research Forum on
Sustainable Production and Consumption (GRF-SPaC) and the Partnership
for Education and research about Responsible Living (PERL) with whom
I have long collaborated, held a joint strategy workshop at the Vienna
University of Economics and Business on 20 November 2015. The workshop was
hosted by the Regional Centre of Expertise on Education for Sustainable
Development Vienna (RCE Vienna) at the Institute for Ecological Economics.
IEF was represented by Victoria Thoresen, PERL Coordinator, and myself.
Vienna workshop
The topic of the workshop was the Sustainable Lifestyles and Education
(SLE) program in the 10 Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable
Consumption and Production (10YFP) approved at Rio+20 and implemented by
UNEP in collaboration with many partners. Two specific projects developed
during the workshop were the "Transform" initiative piloted by PERL and
"Mobilizing Research for Sustainable Lifestyles" (MORE-SL). These will
collaborate closely with the SLE Flagship projects "Igniting Business
Investments in Sustainable Lifestyles" (IBIS) and "Transitioning Cities".
For more general information, click on 10YFP
and
SLE.
The workshop agreed to an action plan for activities on sustainable
lifestyles and education over the next two years while detailed funding
proposals are being developed. It also developed specific activities on
education, cities, scenarios, and communications and framing. Values were
acknowledged as an important component of the transformation in lifestyles
called for in the SLE program and the UN 2030 Agenda.
COP21 in Paris, France
The UN Climate Change Conference (COP21) kept me busy for 10 days in early
December (see separate page),
organizing and speaking in four different side events. I spent much of my
time in the Climate Generations areas for civil society, but also met many
people with whom I have collaborated over the years. The Secretariat of the
Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), which I organized 35 years
ago, had several side events, and I was able to meet with my old friend and
present SPREP Director-General David Sheppard, and incoming Director-General
Kosi Latu.
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Entrance to the Climate Generations areas (Green zone); there
were exhibits, films, booths and conference rooms for side events; the
entrance to the main conference site
The International Environment Forum organized three side events in the
Climate Generations area on the topics "Community
resilience in the face of climate-driven extreme events, a Vanuatu case
study", "Principles for
accountability for climate change agreements" and "Values-based
climate change education". We co-sponsored another side event on
accountability in the Netherlands pavilion at the main conference site.
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IEF panels on community resilience, accountability and
values-based education
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On the intergovernmental side, our debate on accountability; present,
future and former directors of the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional
Environment Programme (SPREP)
I presented a paper on "Personal and professional accountability: an ethical
challenge", reflecting on the role of a personal approach to accountability
and responsibility among decision-makers and civil servants (see the paper
at https://iefworld.org/ddahl15h),
and made other presentations in the different sessions.
Paris
After COP21, I visited the apartment where 'Abdu'l-Bahá, son of the founder
of the Bahá'í Faith, stayed on his first visit to Paris in 1911 (see separate
page).
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Apartment near the Eiffel Tower; meeting room; Trocadero Gardens
Shanghai, China
In mid-December I had a meeting of researchers at Fudan University in
Shanghai to plan future research strategies and collaboration (see separate
page). For more pictures of Shanghai and Fudan University from last
year, click here.
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The Shanghai waterfront and the Bund
Leysin, Switzerland
The Swiss Baha'i Winter School was held on 26-31 December 2015 in the
beautiful Alpine village and winter sports resort of Leysin, above Aigle in
the Canton of Valais. With the unusually warm weather and lack of snow, it
was more like a summer than winter school. For the school activities, see separate
page.
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Village of Leysin with views of the surrounding Alps
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On a walk in the village
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Leysin church with a wall hanging on unity in diversity
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