|
| |
| International Coalition for Sustainable Production and Consumption |
|
| Getting the Goods reports on key events regarding sustainable production and consumption (SPAC) policy, shares policy perspectives from around the globe, and examines how civil society can best affect change for more sustainable societies at the local and international levels. Getting the Goods is a newsletter published by Integrative Strategies Forum as a contribution to the SPAC Watch initiative. |
|
Getting
the Goods
International news
April 2004
International Expert Meeting on SPAC
June 2003
Over 100 delegates (including 4 NGO participants) from all over the world called for political commitment on sustainable production and consumption (SPAC) from all stakeholders, as well as specifying national and regional priorities on SPAC. These were some of the outcomes of the International Expert Meeting on Sustainable Production and Consumption held at Morocco in June 2003. This meeting was organized by the UN DESA (Department of Economic and Social Affairs) and UNEP (United Nations Environment Program) in order to "work towards the development of a 10 year framework in support of national and regional initiatives to promote sustainable production and consumption" (SPAC). The meeting established the "Marrakech process" (i.e., the process of operationalizing the 10-year framework on sustainable production and consumption) as agreed upon in the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. However, this meeting did not take into account the outcomes of several international meetings that considered the international work programme on SPAC.
The meeting outcomes are available at www.uneptie.org/pc/pc/graphics/highlights/Marrakec%20Plen%20Rev.doc .
SPAC Caucus statement to the CSD Secretariat
October 2003
NGOs around the world joined together in calling for clearly defined
concrete and measurable targets, timetables, and monitoring in order
to operationalize the evolving understanding and objectives of sustainable
development. These were some of the priorities raised by the SPAC
Caucus (Sustainable Production and Consumption Caucus) in their
statement to the CSD Secretariat as input to influence the Secretary
General's State of Implementation reports. This Statement is to contribute
to CSD-12's evaluation and review process. The statement also called
upon governments to implement their long-standing commitment to prioritize
and integrate sustainable production and consumption policies into their
National Sustainable Development Strategies, and stated that this policy
integration will help to over
come many of the obstacles impeding overall progress on sustainable
development.
The statement can be read at www.icspac.net/SPACCaucusStatement-Oct312003.aspx .
Worldwatch releases State of the World 2004
January 2004
The Worldwatch Institute brought out its annual report, State of the World 2004, with a special focus on the "The Consumer Society". The report concludes that the world is consuming goods and services at an unsustainable pace, with serious consequences for the well being of people and the planet. Private consumption expenditures—the amount spent on goods and services at the household level—have increased fourfold since 1960, topping more than $20 trillion in 2000. The 12 percent of the world's people living in North America and Western Europe account for 60 percent of this consumption, while the one-third living in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa account for only 3.2 percent. Growing dissatisfaction with current consumption trends has led consumer advocates, economists, policymakers, and environmentalists to develop creative options for meeting people's needs while dampening the environmental and social costs of mass consumption. The report showcases both the trends and the options available.
The Worldwatch press release is available at www.worldwatch.org/press/news/2004/01/08/
Implementing the ten-year framework
March 2004
Meeting basic needs of the poor, promoting resource efficiency in key
industrial sectors, and assisting the government in implementing policies
in areas such as water, energy, and housing should be the focal areas
for UNEP's contribution to the ten-year framework on sustainable consumption
and production. This was the outcome of an informal advisory meeting
of experts organized by UNEP in Paris on 2 March 2004. The meeting
also revealed that discussions about the ten-year framework of programmes
on sustainable consumption and production (the Marrakech process) would
be initiated in
Europe and Africa in 2004.
The briefing note is available at www.uneptie.org/pc/sustain/events/briefing_note.pdf .
Ecological Footprints Update
March 2004
Redefining Progress has released an update of the Ecological Footprint Accounts—one of the world's leading indicators of sustainability. The 2004 Footprint of Nations concludes that the world's wealthiest nations are continuing to mortgage the future at the expense of today's children, the poor, and the long-term health of the Earth. Through excessive consumption of non-renewable resources, a handful of countries are depleting global reserves at a faster rate than ever before.
The 2004 Footprint of Nations is available at www.redefiningprogress.org/publications/footprintnations2004.pdf .
Upcoming events
12th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development
April 2004
The 12th Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) will be held in New York on 19_30 April 2003. This session will be a review year that focuses on the thematic areas of water, sanitation, and human settlements. Sustainable production and consumption, one of the overarching objectives of sustainable development, is one of the cross-cutting issues to be considered in this session.
For details on the session, visit www.un.org/esa/sustdev/csd/csd12/csd12.htm.