A joint effort of UNEP and the EC, the Global Outlook shows progress achieved in promoting SCP, highlighting best practices and offering recommendations to scale up and replicate these efforts worldwide.
It provides regional overviews of SCP policies and initiatives in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, and in the UNECE and Arab regions.
21 March 2012: During a side event to provide information and updates on UN inter-agency activities and initiatives related to sustainable consumption and production (SCP) patterns, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the European Commission launched the “Global Outlook on Sustainable Consumption and Production Policies.”
Sylvie Lemmet, Director, UNEP-Division of Technology, Industry and Economics (UNEP-DTIE), welcomed participants and, with Timo Mäkelä, European Commission (EC), launched the Global Outlook. Mäkelä said the Outlook intends to scale-up existing initiatives at country and regional levels. A joint effort of UNEP and the EC, the report shows progress achieved in promoting SCP, highlighting best practices and offering recommendations to scale up and replicate these efforts worldwide. It provides regional overviews of SCP policies and initiatives in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Latin America, and in the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) and Arab regions, and contains 56 case studies, ranging from global multilateral agreements and regional strategies to specific policies and initiatives being implemented by governments, businesses and civil society organizations. The full report will be launched on 23 April 2012 at the Stockholm+40 Forum.
Also during the side event, Henry Tachie-Menson, Permanent Mission of Ghana to the UN, highlighted national experiences on SCP supported by UN agencies, including adopting a sustainable development action plan strongly focused on SCP. Lila Ratsifandrihamanana, UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), highlighted the relevance of promoting sustainable food systems and food security and explained the UNEP/FAO Agri-food Task Force, which works in partnership with multiple key stakeholders.
Heinz Leuenberger, UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), described the Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production (RECP) programme aimed at providing a strategic and coherent framework for scaling-up and mainstreaming resource efficiency and cleaner production activities in national development frameworks. Charles Arden-Clarke, UNEP-DTIE, underscored the need for fostering public investments and markets for SCP. He described the Sustainable Public Procurement Initiative to review progress on these policies around the world and propose innovative solutions to barriers. Dorothee Convers-Billerbeck, EC, described the SWITCH-Asia Programme, which replicates proven good practices that can facilitate a shift to SCP patterns, saying activities include: providing grants for projects; a network facility; and policy support.
Yamina Djacta, UN Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), presented on joint UN efforts on sustainable urban development which, inter alia, have supported countries and cities in developing policies and action plans. Ana Persic, UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), described the UNESCO/UNEP YouthXchange Initiative, which aims to promote sustainable lifestyles among the youth. She noted activities include developing thematic guidebooks and providing targeted information and concrete proposals for everyday action. On the key role of civil society, Caroline Howe, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), described how initiatives launched by UN agencies and targeted at youth contributed to promote SCP patterns at the local level. [IISD RS Coverage of the Side Event] [Publication: Executive Summary of the Global Outlook on Sustainable Consumption and Production Patterns]