Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future
Abstract
This repository item contains a single issue of Sustainable Development Insights, a series of short policy essays that began publishing in 2008 by the Boston University Frederick S. Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer-Range Future. The series seeks to promote a broad interdisciplinary dialogue on how to accelerate sustainable development at all levels.Over the past two decades, the Global Environmental Governance (GEG) system has grown and evolved, making much progress in incorporating sustainable development as the central goal of environmental governance, and delivering scores of new international institutions, legal instruments, declarations and financial mechanisms. However, the GEG system lacks the crucial components of accountability and implementation as part of its core operating system. The authors argue that the upcoming Rio + 20 meeting provides the perfect opportunity to help bring about these much needed changes to strengthen the GEG and help achieve its ultimate goals. The authors propose a set of four accountability-enabling mechanisms:
1. Improved metrics and reporting mechanisms.
2. Transparency mechanisms.
3. Compliance mechanisms.
4. Capacity building.
The authors also propose a set of four enabling institutional arrangements:
1. Compendium of best (and worst) practices.
2. Registry of commitments.
3. Renewed focus for CSD.
4. A global “Aarhus” instrument
