20 March 2012
European Parliament Releases Report on Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development
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The report summarizes the current institutional framework for sustainable development and the sustainable development governance challenges, including accelerating the shift towards sustainable consumption and production, highlights reform options, such as enhancing UNEP and makes recommendations on the way forward.

16 March 2012: The Directorate-General (DG) for Internal Policies of the European Parliament has released a report on the “Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development in the Context of the Upcoming Rio+20 Summit,” summarizing the current institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) and sustainable development governance challenges, highlighting reform options and making recommendations on the way forward.

The Report identifies six challenges that should be addressed by the outcomes of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), as follows: lack of integration of the three pillars of sustainable development in global, national and local policy; fragmentation of international environmental governance and proliferation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements; the absence of sustainable development principles in the core operating policies of International Financial Institutions (IFIs); the state centric nature of the governance system and its poor stakeholder engagement; the lack of implementation of the outcomes of the Marrakech Process on sustainable consumption and production; and incompatibility of protection of the global environmental commons with current governance regimes.

As options to address sustainable development governance issues, the Report suggests: enhancing the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); creating an umbrella organization for sustainable development; creating a specialized agency for the environment; reforming the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development; and enhancing institutional reforms and streamlining existing structures. The Report underscores that there is “little apparent common ground” for agreement on IFSD and says the likely scenario is limited progress on the issue.

It further recommends: focusing on accountability through the adoption of agreed sustainable development indicators, targets and timetables; integrating sustainable development principles into the operations of IFIs; involving stakeholders in long-term strategic planning; using fiscal policy tools and creation of inter-ministerial bodies to link mid- and long-term visions to government action; strengthening science-policy linkages; and establishing mechanisms to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production, in particular by resolving the lack of funding mechanisms for the Marrakech Process. [Publication: Institutional Framework For Sustainable Development in the Context of the Forthcoming Rio+20 Summit] [Publication Announcement]

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