The Secretariat highlighted the final report's themes of relevance to the current discussions on the “zero draft” of the Outcome Document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), including the “fundamentals” without which sustainable development is not possible; the green economy, which the Panel addresses as only one of several concepts to advance progress toward sustainable development; and governance reforms.
26 January 2012: The Secretariat of the UN Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Global Sustainability (GSP) held a briefing on the Panel’s main outcomes, following the Panel’s final meeting (GSP 6). The report of the Panel, titled “Resilient People Resilient Planet: A future worth choosing,” will be launched on 30 January 2012, during the African Union (AU) Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Secretariat provided a preview of the report’s contents on 26 January 2012, at UN Headquarters in New York, US.
The report retains the three-section structure of previous drafts: empowering people, economy/markets, governance. It offers 56 recommendations, from which the Secretariat identified several themes of relevance to the current discussions on the “zero draft” of the Outcome Document of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
These themes include: the “fundamentals” without which sustainable development is not possible; the green economy, which the Panel addresses as only one of several concepts to advance progress toward sustainable development; transforming the private sector to incorporate social and environmental costs, and phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies by 2020; channeling limited investment capital; improving scientific understanding of the planet, for which the Panel proposes appointing a scientific adviser to the UN Secretary-General; and governance and coherence, including an improved sustainable development strategy for the UN system.
The Panel’s report also addresses measuring progress toward sustainable development. First, it calls for a broader index or set of indicators to supplement Gross National Product (GNP), and asks the Secretary-General to set up a task force on this issue. Second, it recommends the regular publication of a Global Sustainable Development Outlook Report. Third, it calls for the creation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and outlines criteria for them, such as universality, complementarity with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and scope for consideration of evolving scientific evidence.
The Panel also makes specific recommendations on a new architecture for sustainable development, including replacing the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) with a Sustainable Development Council (SDC).
The question and answer session explored: the level of urgency in the report; integration of local and national strategies; education for sustainable development; innovative finance; eliminating subsidies; transforming the private sector; and rights-related recommendations for empowerment.
In addition to the official launch on 30 January, during which the Panel will hand over the report to the Secretary-General, a series of regional launch events is planned, as well as broader outreach via social media and a new website. [GSP Website]