3 March 2015: The UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) held an expert group meeting to discuss the role of green industrial policies in implementing sustainable consumption and production (SCP) in the post-2015 development agenda and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The meeting focused on the first draft of Chapter 5 of the 2015 Global Sustainable Development Report (GSDR), which is dedicated to economic growth, inclusive and sustainable industrial development and SCP. The GSDR is scheduled to be published in June 2015, and input has been requested by 13 March.

The meeting was organized in cooperation with the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA), and took place from 2-3 March 2015, in Vienna, Austria.

The GSDR is an annual report seeking to strengthen the science-policy interface at the High-level Political Forum (HLPF) on Sustainable Development. The HLPF was an outcome of the Rio+20 conference of June 2012, replacing the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) as the UN platform on sustainable development issues.

Participants at the Expert Group Meeting presented views on the content of the report and provided substantive recommendations, through discussion in a series of focused sessions. On structural change and industrialization, speakers said institutional and ideological change is needed for SCP to become a reality, and the SDG proposal marks “a shift in the development narrative” by placing production back in the development agenda. On inclusive growth, social sustainability and industrial policy, they noted that technical efficiency alone may not lead to sustainability, and called for creating markets for sustainable development goods and services, including through government intervention. On designing policies for inclusive and green growth, including SCP, the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recommended including reference to trade in GDSR, noting that several disputes at the World Trade Organization (WTO) refer to green industrial policies.

Participants agreed that the introduction should contain a visionary narrative. They said structural transformation is an inherent part of poverty reduction through wealth creation, and they highlighted the “nexus” among SDGs 8 (sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment, and decent work for all), 9 (resilient infrastructure, inclusive and sustainable industrialization, and innovation) and 12 (SCP). On SCP, they shared country experiences on sustainable global value chains, green investment, and national cleaner production centers. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [GSDR 2015]