Governance for the environment and sustainable development are closely linked. The future role and architecture of institutions, from local to international levels, will be crucial determinants of whether policies and programmes for sustainable development will succeed. The following papers and resources outline a range of viewpoints: Current problems with institutional architecture, options for alternative frameworks, and recommendations for future debate. etc. Click on the links below to read more.
Our newest series of governance papers addresses two emerging areas, the idea of Clustering Multilateral Environmental Agreements and Plastics, each focusing on the Triple Planetary Crisis of Pollution, Biodiversity, and Climate Change. They are a contribution to the UN80 Initiative, established to rebuild multilateralism for this time and to ensure that the United Nations is fit for purpose.
The papers focusing on Clustering Multilateral Environmental Agreements are the following:
- Paper 1 – Clustering the Environmental Conventions (C. Spence and F. Dodds)
- Paper 2 – The Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions, etc. (M. Stanley-Jones)
- Paper 3 – Toward Enhanced Synergies Among Biodiversity‑Related MEAs (H-M. Schally)
- Paper 4 – Clustering Climate Conventions (S. Azores)
- Paper 5 – Better use of Expertise in Navigating the Polycrisis (P. Bridgewater and R. Kim)
- Paper 6 – UN80 – Is it Time for the Re-Emergence of the Global Ministerial Environment Forum (J-G. Strandenaes)
- Paper 7 – Financing the Triple Planetary Crisis of Chemicals and Waste, Biodiversity and Climate Change (Craig Boljkovac, Hugo-Maria Schally, et.al.)
- Paper 8 – Lessons Learned from the BRS Conventions Synergies Process, Which Could Be Applied to the UNEP-Administered and Extended to Selected Other Biodiversity Conventions (Craig Boljkovac, Hugo-Maria Schally, and Felix Dodds)
- Paper 9 – The Inter-Organization Programme for the Sound Management of Chemicals (IOMC) as a Case Study for EMG Reform Under the UN80 Process: Lessons Learned and Opportunities for Change (Craig Boljkovac and Felix Dodds)
Those with a focus on plastics are the following:
- Plastics Paper 1 – Breaking the Deadlock: Ideas for Advancing a Global Treaty on Plastics Pollution (Craig Boljkovac)
- Plastics Paper 2: Norway’s Funding Cutoff Is a Wake-Up Call for the Plastics Treaty Negotiations (Craig Boljkovac)
Stakeholder Forum’s fifth sdg2030 Series report, ‘UN80: Reform of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements – Around the Triple Planetary Crisis of Pollution, Biodiversity, and Climate Change,’ recognises that the world is in one of its most difficult periods and that multilateralism is under threat. These are not just the ones the UN refers to as the Triple Planetary Crisis – climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution – but also migration and displacement, conflict, and the emergence of many new technologies that will impact our societies in ways we can only imagine.
Edited by Felix Dodds and Chris Spence, with Reflections by Liz Dowdeswell, there are contributions from Felix Dodds, Chris Spence, Michael Stanley-Jones, Hugo-Maria Schally, Stacey Azores, Peter Bridgewater and Rakhyun Kim, Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, and Craig Boljkovac. You can find the full report and each report as a separate download here.
THE FUTURE OF THE HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM: FIT FOR PURPOSE?
Stakeholder Forum’s First sdg2030 Series report explores the future of the United Nations High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF). The Forum’s make-up and mission has been a matter of debate since it was created out of Rio+20, and before the negotiations for the Sustainable Development Goals. The resolution establishing the HLPF (UNGA resolution A/67/L.72, adopted on 9 July 2013) agreed to review it, and one such review was due in 2020. This has now been moved to the autumn of 2021.
This report, a summary of the ideas presented during the 13 July 2020 ‘Pop-up Side Event’ at the 2020 HLPF: ‘Lessons from the Proposal for a Sustainable Development Council for the UN General Assembly (from Rio+20) for the Future of the High-level Political Forum,’ captures the inputs from the speakers and respondents from the ‘Pop-Up’ event, all of whom were active during Rio+20 and the creation of the HLPF.
This paper, written by Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Senior Advisor on Governance for SF, explains the meaning of the different paragraphs found in UN General Assembly Resolution 67/290, which gave the mandate to the HLPF, and looks at the wide range of obligations with which the HLPF has to work.
This is the fourth book that the Friends of Governance for Sustainable Development has produced to share widely the papers that have been presented at the workshops for Member States to discuss. The Group of Friends recognises that there is an inextricable link between good governance and sustainable development and that, as the 2030 Agenda is implemented, governance challenges will need discussion and action at all levels and by all institutions. Mindful of these challenges, the governments of Germany, Morocco, Nigeria, Romania, and the Republic of Korea, with the technical support of the Tellus Institute and the secretariat provided by ARTICLE 19, have tried to create an informal space for the Member States to discuss governance-related issues.
This book was written and co-edited by David Banisar, Jamie Bartram, Marianne Beisheim, Steven Bernstein, Claire Blanchard, Elizabeth Dirth, Felix Dodds, Michael K. Dorsey, Jorge Fernandez-Quintela, Elizabeth Hege, Meriem El Hilali, Anne Kahl, Hyemi Kim, Verena Klinge-Dering, Gary Lawrence, Samuel Victor Makwe, Quinn McKew, Felipe Morgado, Ingeborg Niestroy, Gastón Ocampo, Cristina Popescu, Felipe Victoria, and Ruben Zondervan.
This is the third book that the Group of Friends of the Governance for Sustainable Development, produced to share widely the papers that have been presented at the workshops for Member States to discuss. The Group recognizes that there is an inextricable link between good governance and sustainable development and that, as the 2030 Agenda is implemented, governance challenges will need discussion and action at all levels and by all institutions.
This volume was written and co-edited by Abhinav Bahl, Aparajita Banerjee, David Banisar, Akinremi Bolaji, Marianne Beisheim, Geert Bouckaert, Yeongmoo Cho, Jack Cornforth, Felix Dodds, Jorge Fernandez, Patricia Galdamez, Alexandra Hiniker, David Horan, Verena Klinger-Dering, Quinn McKew, Enda Murphy, Charles Nouhan, David O’Connor, Derek Osborn, Minh-Thu Pham, Cristina Popescu, Jan-Gustav Strandenaes, Massimo Tommasoli, Lucy Turner, Farooq Ullah, Felipe Victoria, and Patrick Paul Walsh.
Member States at the United Nations (UN) and stakeholders globally are currently mobilised around two important processes: post-Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Post-2015 Development Agenda has become an umbrella term for both processes. Both processes, post-MDG and SDGs, have poverty eradication within the context of sustainable development as a primary objective, with the aim of using a global goal framework to achieve this. There is now broad agreement among many Member States that the two processes should be brought together to create one set of goals. This paper proposes that to build on the existing political energy and to avoid confusion and duplication of efforts, one process is needed going forward that will create a single post-2015 process and lead to a unified sustainable development framework for poverty eradication, characterised by one set of global goals. This needs to happen from September 2013.
BRIEFING NOTE: BUILDING THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE UN HIGH-LEVEL POLITICAL FORUM (HLPF)
Strengthening the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development (IFSD) was one of the two themes of Rio+20. The process and negotiations showed agreement on the need to strengthen IFSD. While several institutional options were discussed during Rio+20, the outcome document strongly underlines the importance of good governance, and an agreement was reached to establish a high-level political forum (HLPF) as the institution for sustainable development within the UN. The ultimate determination of the name, position within the UN hierarchy, mandate, and responsibilities of the forum will signal to the world the importance given to sustainable development in global politics.
Hundreds of environment ministers, decision-makers, scientists, civil society representatives, and business leaders met from 18-22 February 2013 in Nairobi, Kenya for the United Nations Environment Programme’s (UNEP) first universal session of the Governing Council. The purpose of the Governing Council was to review important and emerging policy issues in the field of the environment and to start implementing the agreements reached at the Rio+20 Conference. The Paper “Building a New Governance Model for Environmental Sustainability” outlines how the Rio+20 outcome document, UN General Assembly, and recent Governing Council have strengthened UNEP.
Jorge Laguna Celis prepared this paper in his personal capacity and the views expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the Permanent Mission of Mexico to the United Nations. There is no remuneration or honorarium associated with the preparation or publishing of this paper.