Participants at a capacity building and Expert Group Meeting agreed to launch a learning network to support the integration of sustainable development into national development strategies.
Over 80 representatives of UN agencies, governments and Major Groups shared their experiences on progress made and obstacles encountered in developing and implementing national sustainable development strategies (NSDS).
November 2013: Participants at a capacity building and Expert Group Meeting agreed to launch a learning network to support the integration of sustainable development into national development strategies. Over 80 representatives of UN agencies, governments and Major Groups shared their experiences on progress made and obstacles encountered in developing and implementing national sustainable development strategies (NSDS).
The EGM is summarized in the latest issue of ‘Sustainable Development in Action,’ a newsletter of the UN Division for Sustainable Development (DSD).
One of the main challenges countries face in realizing sustainable development is fragmentation into sectors, according to DSD, which organized the meeting. The learning network will provide best practice, case examples and tools for integrating sustainable development into national strategies. It will also share ideas and innovation and distribute updates on the intergovernmental process to formulate the post-2015 development agenda and define the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Participants also decided to support pilot countries in efforts to integrate sustainable development into national strategies. Three DSD offices, the UN Office for Sustainable Development (UNOSD) in the Republic of Korea, the UN Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD) in Japan and the Water for Life Decade Office in Spain, will support the learning network.
The meeting, which took place from 9-11 October 2013, in New York, US, included presentations on: the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) follow-up process, including the Open Working Group (OWG) on the SDGs; sustainable development policy and practice, including mainstreaming climate change into national strategies, case studies on monitoring and reporting on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and water and sanitation; and governance mechanisms for implementing sustainable development policies, including findings from Rio+20 national preparations and capacity building for public officials. Belize, Ecuador, Jamaica, Kyrgyzstan, Liberia, Rwanda, Senegal and Zambia presented their NSDS. [Publication: Sustainable Development in Action, Vol. 1, Issue 10] [Meeting Website] [Meeting Statements and Presentations]