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Sustainable Development in the 21st century (SD21) .:. Sustainable Development Knowledge Platform

NAVIGATE

Sustainable
Development in
the 21st century
SU STAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
KNOWLEDGE PLATFORM (SD21)
DOCU MENTS
SD21 Summary for policymakers

Objectives and Goals

The overarching objective of the
project is to construct a coherent
vision of sustainable development in
the 21st century, which will
contribute to the success of the
Rio+20 conference. The project,
funded by the European Commission
- Directorate-General for
Environment, aims to provide a high
quality analytical input to the Rio+20
conference.
The specific objectives of the
project are the following:
Prepare a substantive
contribution to the debate in
the UNCSD in 2012, which
takes stock of the changes
having occurred since the
Earth Summit in 1992 and
provide a clear vision and way
forward for the international
community, national
governments, partnerships
and other stakeholders in
implementing the sustainable
development agenda in an
integrated manner.
Construct a coherent vision on
sustainable development in
the 21st century and analyse
feasible pathways to
sustainability.
Synthesize analytical and
applied policy work regarding
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menus of policy options for a

more sustainable, green
growth that consider the
specific economic, social,
environmental and
institutional context of
countries in different stages of
economic development.

Background
The United Nations Conference on
Sustainable Development (UNCSD),
which will gather UN member states
and other stakeholders in Brazil in
2012, is a key occasion to take stock
of 20 years of action at all levels to
promote sustainable development,
and to provide a clear vision and way
forward for the international
community, national governments,
partnerships and other stakeholders
in implementing the sustainable
development agenda in an
integrated manner.
Knowledge must inform action knowledge of what has and has not
worked for sustainable development
in the past 20 years, knowledge as
well of important changes and new
challenges that have emerged in the
past generation. Only on this basis
can we develop a clear vision of
sustainable development for the 21st
century. That vision needs to
incorporate and build upon the rich
output of various global assessments
- including climate change, water,
energy, and ecosystems - as well as
the policy lessons from experience,
respond to the evolving nature of the
challenges, and draw upon the latest
research on integrating sustainability
and development into a common
agenda. It also needs to recognize
and motivate the contribution of all
inhabitants of planet earth.
The SD21 project is built around a
series of studies that will inform a
synthesis report, "Sustainable
development in the 21st century"
(SD21). The SD21 body of studies is
expected to become an important
analytical and political contribution in
its own right. Studies under the SD21
project will cover the following topics:
assessment of progress since the
Earth Summit; emerging issues ;
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long-term sustainable development

scenarios; tools for managing
sustainable economies; national and
international institutions for
sustainable development; and sector
assessments.

Project approach
The approach to SD21 was based on
the idea that for sustainable
development to progress, its political
nature has to be recognized. SD21
reports expose different views
regarding how sustainable
development should be pursued and
how specific issues should be
addressed. The aim is to forge a
better understanding and help
overcome the current gridlock on the
most divisive issues. SD21 provides
an empirical basis and a frame of
analysis to better understand much
of today's work on the key issues of
sustainability.
SD21 Summary for policymakers
available on top right side.

Copyright United Nations Department of

Economic and Social Affairs

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