Report of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability: “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing”

Bonn Presentation

Veranstalter:
German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

27.02.2012
10:00 – 12:00 h
Ort: Bonn, Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)

The Executive Secretary of the High-level Panel on Global Sustainability, János Pásztor, presented the report "Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing" on 27 February 2012 in Bonn.

The report was drafted by the 22-member High-level Panel on Global Sustainability which was established by the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon to formulate a new blueprint for sustainable development and low-carbon prosperity. Under the leadership of South African President Jacob Zuma and Finnish President Tarja Halonen the Panel has elaborated 56 recommendations to put sustainable development into practice and to mainstream it into economic policy. Completed in time for this year’s Rio+20 Summit, the Report can be considered as a road-map of action for the negotiations in Rio in June.

The world is experiencing unprecedented prosperity today, while the planet is under unprecedented stress. Many developing countries are growing and there is a new global middle class that wants to participate in Western consumption patterns while at the same time, inequality in the global economy is growing, and more than a billion people still live in poverty. A quarter of a century ago, the Brundtland report introduced the concept of sustainable development to the international community as a new paradigm for economic growth, social equality and environmental sustainability. As a result, three new environmental conventions were signed at the Earth Summit 1992 in Rio.

Nevertheless, sustainable development has undoubtedly suffered from a failure of political will. It is difficult to argue against the principle of sustainable development, but there are few incentives to put it into practice when policies, politics and institutions disproportionately reward the short term. In addition, the concept of sustainable development has not yet been incorporated into the mainstream national and international economic policy debate. Integrating environmental and social issues into economic decisions is not only vital, there is no alternative. Thus, Rio+20 is a summit about the future of our global economy within the planetary boundaries and not just another environmental summit.


Programme:

• Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing
  János Pásztor, Executive Secretary, High-level Panel on Global Sustainability

• Dr. Imme Scholz, Deputy Director, German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
• Dr. Christoph Beier, Member of the Board, Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ)
• Heiko Warnken, Head of Department Environment, Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)
• Manfred Rink, Head of the department “New Business”, Bayer MaterialScience AG

Copyright: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) 2012.