Smart Development

Udržitelné vize

Jun 7, 2013 Jeffrey D. Sachs

NEW YORK – Generální tajemník OSN Pan Ki-mun burcuje ke globálnímu úsilí ve věci velké výzvy naší doby: udržitelného rozvoje. Svět tuto výzvu musí vyslyšet.

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Už nestačí, když ekonomika prostě roste. Musíme také skoncovat s extrémní chudobou, což je jako celosvětový cíl do roku 2030 na dosah. Musíme ekonomiku spravovat tak, aby neničila životní prostředí a spíše jej chránila. A musíme prosazovat spravedlivější rozložení prosperity, namísto společnosti rozdělené na velmi bohaté a velmi chudé.

Pojem „udržitelný rozvoj“ používáme právě k označení ekonomického růstu, který ukončí extrémní chudobu, posiluje sociální inkluzi a je environmentálně zdravý. Svět má k takovému směřování bohužel značně daleko.

Ekonomiky mnoha chudých zemí nerostou a extrémní chudoba je stále široce rozšířená. Lidstvo nebezpečně mění klima, vyčerpává zásoby pitné vody a otravuje vzduch i oceány. Slábne spravedlivost většiny ekonomik a mezera mezi bohatými a chudými se zvětšuje. Běžné zůstávají i násilné střety, k nimž jsou jako ohniska nejnáchylnější nejchudší regiony světa.

S vědomím těchto těžkostí se světoví vůdci loni na Summitu Rio+20 domluvili na zavedení Cílů udržitelného rozvoje (CUR). Vlády světa požádaly generálního tajemníka OSN, aby přípravu těchto cílů do roku 2015 koordinoval, aby se zajistil plynulý přechod od Rozvojových cílů tisíciletí (RCT), které toho roku vyprší. Koncem září se za tímto účelem uskuteční klíčové zasedání Valného shromáždění OSN.

Generální tajemník Pan Ki-mun uvedl do pohybu několik procesů na vysoké úrovni, jejichž smyslem je vypracovat CUR, které budou mít pro lidstvo v letech 2015-2030 maximální užitek. Zaprvé, samotná OSN ve velkém aktivně oslovuje okolí, aby vyvolala celosvětovou diskusi. Zadruhé, uskutečňují se intenzivní mezivládní jednání, k nimž vyzval Summit Rio+20. Zatřetí, nedávno svou zprávu zveřejnil panel význačných osobností na vysoké úrovni.

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Konečně, je mi ctí a potěšením být součástí nové „znalostní sítě“, nazvané Síť řešení pro udržitelný rozvoj (SDNS), již Pan vytvořil proto, aby dal dohromady vědce, techniky, podnikatele a rozvojové specialisty ze všech regionů světa. Vedoucí rada SDNS se skládá z několika desítek předních světových myslitelů a rozvojových lídrů, jak z bohatých, tak chudých zemí.

Vedoucí rada SDSN teď generálnímu tajemníkovi OSN předložila novou zprávu, „Akční plán pro udržitelný rozvoj“. K tomuto plánu už z celého světa přišly po internetu tisíce připomínek a my snažně vyzýváme k další celosvětové diskusi o něm, zejména ze strany mladých lidí. Vždyť zpráva se týká právě jejich budoucnosti!

SDSN ve zprávě určila deset prioritních cílů pro udržitelný rozvoj:

· Skoncovat s extrémní chudobou a hladem,

· Zajistit rozvoj a prosperitu všem, aniž bychom devastovali životní prostředí,

· Zajistit výuku pro všechny děti a mladistvé,

· Dosáhnout genderové rovnosti a omezit nerovnosti,

· Dosáhnout dobrého zdravotního stavu a duševní pohody v každém věku,

· Zvýšit zemědělskou produkci environmentálně udržitelným způsobem a tím dosáhnout potravinové bezpečnosti a prosperity venkova,

· Zajistit produktivitu a environmentální udržitelnost měst,

· Potlačovat člověkem způsobenou změnu klimatu udržitelnou energií,

· Chránit ekosystémy a zajistit rozumné nakládání s přírodními zdroji,

· Zlepšit správu a řízení a uvést podnikání do souladu se všemi těmito cíli.

Myšlenkou vtělenou do těchto priorit je spojit čtyři stěžejní rozměry udržitelného rozvoje: hospodářský růst (včetně ukončení chudoby), sociální inkluzi, zdravé přirozené prostředí a dobrou správu veřejných věcí (včetně míru). Mohou se tak stát základem CUR, které by v letech 2015 až 2030 platily pro všechny země.

Dobře vypracované CUR budou prospěšné jako vodítko pro veřejnost, aby porozuměla spletitým výzvám udržitelného rozvoje, inspirace k veřejné i soukromé přičinlivosti, podpora uceleného přemýšlení a podnět k tříbení zodpovědnosti. O CUR by se měly učit děti po celém světě, aby pochopily výzvy, s nimiž se budou jako dospělí potýkat.

CUR budou doplňovat nástroje mezinárodního práva, jako jsou celosvětové úmluvy a konvence, neboť poskytnou společný normativní rámec. Povzbudí také vlády a mezinárodní soustavu k upevnění měření a monitorování udržitelného rozvoje.

Svět má k dispozici nástroje k ukončení extrémní chudoby ve všech jejích formách do roku 2030 a k vyřešení výzev udržitelného rozvoje, jimž všichni čelíme. Při rostoucích příjmech a bezprecedentním vědeckém a technickém pokroku je svižná pozitivní změna v žádoucím rozsahu dosažitelná. Můžeme se stát generací, která skoncuje s extrémní chudobou, zajistí, aby se všem lidem dostávalo rovnoprávného zacházení, a jednou provždy eliminuje nebezpečné klimatické hrozby, jimž čelí naše planeta – ale jedině pokud se svět zaktivizuje kolem společné agendy udržitelného rozvoje a ambiciózních a časově vymezených CUR.

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Jeffrey D. Sachs

Writing for PS since 1995
354 Commentaries

Jeffrey D. Sachs, University Professor at Columbia University, is Director of the Center for Sustainable Development at Columbia University and President of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network. He has served as adviser to three UN Secretaries-General, and currently serves as an SDG Advocate under Secretary-General António Guterres. His books include The End of Poverty, Common Wealth, The Age of Sustainable Development, Building the New American Economy, A New Foreign Policy: Beyond American Exceptionalism, and, most recently, The Ages of Globalization.

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Luc Gnacadja Jun 24, 2013

Land is a vital natural capital for producing food and other ecosystem goods and services. It is even more so for the rural poor, especially women, who rely heavily on land as their most significant asset for their livelihoods and well‐being.
That is why, as global assessments indicate, poverty which remains overwhelmingly rural correlates highly with land degradation; more than 40% of the world’s degraded lands are found in areas with the highest incidence of poverty.
Productive land is becoming a strategic commodity as it is central to the “nexus” that links food, water, energy, and environmental health in an interdependent loop.

By 2030 in the next two decades or so, we might need to convert some additional 200 million ha of forest and grassland into agricultural land in order to match the demands for food, energy, and water which are expected to increase by at least 50%, 45% and 30%, respectively.
Rio plus 20 recognizes that desertification, land degradation and drought (DLDD) are challenges of a global dimension impeding the sustainable development of all countries; agrees "to strive to achieve a land‐degradation neutral world in the context of sustainable development".

A Land Degradation Neutral World (LDNW) is simply a world where we prevent or avoid the degradation of productive lands, and where feasible, regenerate land that is already degraded, preferably in the same landscape. As we welcome another two billion people to our planet over the next 30 years, it is clear that we must restore more land than we degrade.

We need to translate the vision of a land-degradation neutral world into an overarching SDG on land such as: “sustainable land use for all and by all” and make it operational for instance with three concrete targets: (1) Zero net land degradation by 2030, or net restoration of degraded lands by 2030; (2) Zero net forest degradation by 2030; and (3) Drought policies and drought preparedness measures put in place in all drought‐prone countries by 2020.

In our era of incredible flux a SDG on land as a natural capital will drive partnerships and resource mobilization for landscape‐based multi‐sectoral approaches.
We must recognize that the many millions of people who manage agricultural systems, from the very poorest to the most commercialized producers, constitute the largest group of natural resource managers on earth. Their decisions, as well as those of the world’s 7 billion consumers, will shape global food and nutrition security and the health of the world’s ecosystems into the future.

Not only would a SDG on land create synergies with a number of other global commitments, it would also add value by providing a strategic framework for sustainable land management policies; ensuring complementarity coherence predictability and concerted action in addressing DLDD globally; and stimulating action at all levels of governance.

Furthermore, poverty is at its most shocking among the populations that depend directly on degraded land. Taking out of poverty that growing population and ensuring their access to food-energy-water security as well as gainful employment in a sustainable a resilient manner will be one of the major challenges of the next decades.
Land stewardship must be front and center in the post 2015 global development agenda to catalyze policy and mobilize resources in order to improve the conditions of the underperforming assets of the poor most notably land.
If we do not rise to this challenge, we will not achieve our commitments for climate change adaptation and mitigation, biodiversity conservation, forest targets etc.; we will not effectively alleviate rural poverty and hunger nor ensure long‐term food security nor build resilience to drought and water stress.

The 3 key words here to conclude with are: people, landscape and stewardship. And please remember that "Enhancing soil anywhere, enhances life everywhere".
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Nirmalan Dhas Jun 21, 2013

The ending of poverty – not the ending of ‘extreme’ poverty – calls for the generation of a new world. This has of course been known for a long time and has been ignored because those in power have no interest in ending poverty though they may from time to time be induced to throw some crumbs towards attempts to end ‘extreme’ poverty as long as relative poverty is carefully cultivated and allowed to prevail.

Within the current context however other monsters have arisen to challenge the prevailing mythos and ethos and generate a nightmare that is rapidly moving to supersede what is best described as the ‘American Dream’. Perhaps the most terrifying of these spectral beasts is that of pollution and global climate change which brings into sharp focus the undeniable fact that in turning the environment into ‘things’ we transform the substance of earth into deadly poisons that are slowly but surely destroying earthlife as we know it. As though this were not enough we are told – rightly or wrongly – by our wise and learned people (now known as ‘scientists’) that this pollution is leading to global warming that holds out the possibility of the extinction of our species and the turning of earths atmosphere into a methane and hydrogen sulfide filled soup that snuffs out all life forms that require oxygen.
Despite this alarming picture painted by scientists the dominant dream of the rich and the powerful is that of surviving global warming by migrating to the resource rich polar regions of earth with a few giving serious thought to interplanetary migration. These attempts arise out of an unwillingness to pay attention to the dynamics that drive the threatened destruction and work towards the guidance of these dynamics towards directions that promise survival and the continuity of life and its evolution beyond human being.

Jeffrey Sachs is one of the few people on the planet who continues to work on the task of perceiving possible pathways to credible futures and it is quite encouraging to watch him forge a path forward with great determination and a dogged persistence that has led to the building of “An Action Agenda for Sustainable Development” as he steadily moves towards the identification and institutionalization of the ‘Sustainable Development Goals’ (SDGs).

The track record of the global institutional framework is however not very encouraging and this is understandably so since this framework owes its existence to an acquiescence with the global agenda to ensure that relative poverty shall prevail and that the foundation of civilization shall be the “Growth Model of Development”. How Jeffrey takes on these dragons shall indeed become one of the myths of the new world that must rise as rise it will.

While Jeffrey takes on these dragons, and the gory god of growth, darting between their talons and dodging their fiery breath and teasing them into conceding ground one small step at a time the rest of us need not stand by idly. We can steal the dragons vision by removing key data from their access and we can share this information, along with new technologies and new skills with the poor, giving them the power to survive the storms ahead and generate a new civilization that is based not on growth but on the progressive perception and realization of potential that facilities the conscious evolution of life beyond human being and its universal spread.
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sk khalid ali Jun 14, 2013

>Good governance` is very good point
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K. Srinath Reddy Jun 14, 2013

Helping every global citizen to gain and preserve good health and wellbeing at all stages of a long and productive life is integral to the vision of sustainable development in the 21st century. Universal Health Coverage is an essential pathway for attaining this goal, along with multisectoral actions on the multiple social, economic and cultural determinants of health which will enable people everywhere to make and maintain healthy living choices. The report of SDSN makes a strong case for promoting health in all dimensions, with a strong focus on equity, removal of financial barriers to access to health services and concerted global action on major killers to substantially reduce preventable deaths at all ages. The report should help the Member States to design an integrated framework for sustainable development when they set out to define the post-2015 goals for human development and planet protection.
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John Thwaites Jun 14, 2013

The Action Agenda prepared by the SDSN sets out a very useful roadmap for navigating the challenges of Sustainable Development and framing the Sustainable Development Goals. The Action Agenda makes it clear why sustainable development is a global imperative and how a structured set of goals and targets can assist all countries develop while at the same time respecting and supporting the environment that sustains us. The SDSN brings together experts and representatives from a wide range of universities, research institutes, private companies and civil society. The fact that this broad grouping has been able to reach a consensus on priorities, potential goals and targets is a cause for optimism that the countries of the world can come together and agree on a more sustainable course.
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Frannie A. Léautier Jun 14, 2013

The SDSN Report eloquently provides a credible basis for resolving the challenges we face at a global scale. The Network's collective voices and knowledge are a foundation for generating localised innovative solutions for sustainable development. These solutions provide an important framework for concrete and lasting poverty reduction, for equitable and inclusive development and with self-reinforcing economic growth. This approach is important for Africa as it reaffirms ownership of development initiatives and solutions. The African Capacity Building Foundation supports the report and sees particular synergies with its university partnerships and networks of think tanks for sharing practical lessons on the ground. A networked approach to solutions reinforces the realization that challenges are inherently interconnected. The environment affects our food security; conflict and sickness affects our human capacity and institutions; lack of education breeds a sense of national instability leading to fragility. The report makes these important connections that clearly show that solutions can be found if we work jointly with a sense for results and impact.
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Claude Nahon Jun 14, 2013

The work accomplished is offering a unique and tangible opportunity to create a path to peace for our planet. The report is particularly innovative in the quality and applicability of its outcomes and in that it brings together all the stakeholders who share the same vision and commitment for a sustainable, equitable and stable growth under Jeffrey Sachs's leadership and guidance. The strength and originality of this Network relies on its diversity, on its leadership and capacity to change current global development.
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Paolo Scaroni Jun 14, 2013

Eni welcomes the UN SDSN’s Action Agenda for Sustainable Development, and expresses its deep gratitude to the inspiring leadership of professor Sachs, his remarkable team and the other members of the Network Leadership Council for the extremely valuable debate, which led us to such recommendations. This new development framework reinforces the role of forward-looking business leaders in fostering a social and economic development that, while respecting the environment and promoting human rights, contributes to peace and stability. As a company involved in a business with very long investment cycles, we know that sustainability must be embedded in our strategies. We believe this is a fundamental condition for a company in order to be given its license to operate by society. We also believe that the vision outlined in the Action Agenda cannot be achieved without the involvement of all parties. We are ready to play our role for the future we all want.
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Helene D. Gayle Jun 14, 2013

The SDSN report makes clear that if we as a global community are serious about ending extreme poverty in all its forms and building a more just, equitable and prosperous world for us all that business as usual is not an acceptable option. Drawing on a diverse group of experts from key sectors, the report lays out a comprehensive framework. At its core are many of the values and approaches that align with our work at CARE, such as equality and human rights (with a special emphasis on gender equality), inclusive and sustainable economic growth, economic and social development (including access to the basic building blocks of education, adequate and nutritious food, healthcare and economic opportunity) as well as a shared responsibility to live within the planet’s limits and the need to address the impacts of climate change, particularly on the poor. The report also emphasizes the importance of good governance and public participation, particularly by women, to achieving social, environmental and economic progress. Now we must mobilize the political will to put these recommendations in practice.
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Labode Popoola Jun 14, 2013

If Africa, and indeed the rest of the world, is to achieve and sustain true transformation, growth, and development, then a productive and purposeful synergy is required among all stakeholders. The SDSN's Action Agenda, strongly based on its work with universities, is an excellent framework for sustainable development. I congratulate Professor Jeffrey Sachs and his team for this game changing report.
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Pingfan Hong Jun 14, 2013

The SDNS report, "an action agenda for sustainable development ", is indeed inspiring, and innovative in dealing with a complex set of economic, social and environmental challenges we are facing today. The goal to end extreme poverty in the world by 2030 is noble and ambitious, but it may not be feasible: a recent study by African Development Bank projects per capita income in the continent will reach only a little over $2000 by 2030. At this income level, no matter how equally to redistribute income, it is almost impossible to end extreme poverty (under $1.25 per day). It took China 30 years, with miraculous growth of 10% per cent per year, to reduce its poverty to currently about 10%. Africa would have to double China's miracle in the next 17 years, in order to significantly reduce its extreme poverty. Equally, South Asia would also be very difficult to end extreme poverty by 2030. The report did not provide details about the feasibility for this goal.
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David Satterthwaite Jun 14, 2013

The Action Agenda for Sustainable Development really does combine development (including ending extreme poverty) with shared responsibilities that respect planetary boundaries (especially curbing human-induced climate change). It moves beyond the MDGs by requiring universal coverage – for, for instance, food security, health care, education, water and sanitation. It also fully recognizes the importance of strong rural and urban sustainable development paths and how much sustainable development depends on getting city governments to act on all its goals. And it recognizes how much this depends on a real engagement with those that are usually excluded so their needs and priorities are central to the SDGs.
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Julia Marton-Lefèvre Jun 13, 2013

IUCN welcomes the report of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. As we work together to craft universally applicable Sustainable Developments Goals, the report shows real-life examples that put the concept of sustainable development into practice. As the voice of nature on the international stage over the past 60 years, IUCN applauds the inclusion of goals that speak to the role of biodiversity and ecosystem services for sustainable development and poverty reduction. The endorsement of these goals will strengthen the international commitments already made by governments, and will put nature firmly into the broader development framework.
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Klaus M. Leisinger Jun 13, 2013

The Action Agenda for Sustainable Development is a state of the art compendium of today’s obstacles to sustainability and a road map to a “future we want”. The Action Agenda is the result of the deliberations of some of the best brains dealing with the challenges that limit future generations’ freedom of action and scope of choice and it covers all priority challenges. While many voices are heard that “business as usual” trajectory is not an option, the SDSN Action Agenda goes much further and shows the roadmap to sustainability.
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Antonio M.A. Pedro Jun 13, 2013

The Future We Want Outcome Document of Rio+20 reminds us of the urgency of taking action now to eradicate extreme poverty, change our unsustainable consumption and production patterns, and promote sustainable development within the boundary limits of our planet Earth. If we don’t act now, we will have The Future We Don’t Want -- one characterized by severe impacts of climate change, inequality, resource stress, jobless growth, social exclusion, conflicts, and disaster. The SDSN Action Agenda for Sustainable Development provides a practical and results-oriented blueprint for a post-2015 development agenda and goals which will yield a brighter future for all, anchored on the four dimensions of sustainable development. This resonates well with the interests of Africa and the entire world.
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Barbara Kux Jun 12, 2013

The SDSN report shows that the scale of the global sustainability challenge is difficult to exaggerate. The good news is that 70 percent of the climate problem can be solved by applying existing technological solutions. The role of corporations in this is pivotal by being good role models for sustainability in the developed but also in the developing world.
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Israel Klabin Jun 12, 2013

The SDSN report brings hope to an urgently needed change of direction in a world of overlapping crises. The ten priorities itemized in the report induces to a search for solutions for a more humane, resilient, and sustainable world (…) The large picture into which the world should redesign its future has to take into consideration planetary boundaries, which have been ignored by the present model of economic growth. The need to change ways of production and consumption are pointed out as the leverage for the reorganization of the economy. The proposal of the SDSN report implies that the essential tools for a sustainable planet should be enterprises, academia, and innovation and indicates a world network interconnecting the project with those who are going to implement it.
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Christiana Figueres Jun 12, 2013

The year 2015 is a crucial next step for creating sustainable development and addressing climate change. Increasing action on climate change with ambition and determination is key to sustainable development. The report of the Leadership Council of the SDSN provides solution-oriented recommendations that acknowledge and account for this. I welcome the report and hope it helps guide the climate change and sustainable development action agendas because future generations are counting on us to provide a stable model for sustainable growth.
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Kevin Remillard Jun 12, 2013

We are in a World of Blazing Technology be it in Agriculture, Manufacturing, or Services and the dye is cast. Embrace it and unencumber yourself from the fallacies of this syllogism.
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Aromar Revi Jun 11, 2013

Since the start of the new Millennium, the global community has been waiting for an inclusive development framework that would embrace the rich, poor and vulnerable alike from low- to high-income countries. This SDG framework put together by the SDSN is an important first step in building a global consensus on non-negotiable early 21st century goals for humanity. Many are within our grasp: ending extreme poverty; universal learning and health access; agricultural & nutrition security; empowering inclusive, productive and resilient cities. Others are more audacious: transformative governance, addressing climate change and achieving this within the operating envelope that our planet provides us. The challenge is to build the political, citizen and corporate momentum to commit to these entitlements, raise the resources, build the institutions and processes to implement these outcomes by 2030 for the poorest and most disempowered people in our world.
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Peter Bakker Jun 11, 2013

Under the leadership of Jeffrey Sachs, the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) has exemplified that the best way of tackling sustainable development challenges is through collaboration between all stakeholders. It is crucial to see business take a key role in the SDSN process, and in turn, to witness such enthusiasm on the part of the private sector to contribute meaningful business solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals. The early involvement and robust engagement of the private sector raises the potential for implementation of the recommendations. I encourage governments to demonstrate clarity of leadership and agree on an ambitious set of SDGs soonest, as this will provide the framework that can facilitate the implementation of the solutions offered by business at a scale and speed of impact that our societies and planet so badly needs.
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Soogil Young Jun 11, 2013

The Action Agenda for Sustainable Development prepared by the Leadership Council of SDSN under the inspiring leadership of Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, its Director, proposes ten sustainable development goals which, when pursued in an integrated way, with each contributing to all three dimensions of sustainable development and good governance simultaneously, promise to make global sustainable development attainable. In the report, the Leadership Council further identifies three targets geared to each goal, with each target so defined as to be susceptible to practical, science-based solutions. For this reason, I believe that this report by the SDSN Leadership Council marks an important breakthrough in the long-stalemated discussion of sustainable development by showing the pathways to sustainable development and thus debunking the widely-held defeatist notion that sustainable development is no more than a declaration of moral values and defies practical solutions. It is now for the SDSN to look for the solutions and pathways. How exciting!
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Mark Pitts Jun 11, 2013

For humanity as a whole, there is a lot less inequality than ever before.
If globalization and free markets let so many escape poverty (about 1 billion in the last 30 years), have we failed because at the same time others become rich? Surely, we not so small minded.
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Achim Dobermann Jun 10, 2013

We live in a rapidly changing world in which many people have been left behind or are at great risk. Despite the huge challenges ahead, I believe that inclusive growth can be achieved once everyone on Earth is willing to embrace the pillars of sustainable development. The report of the SDSN Leadership Council provides a clear framework for that. It conveys a sense of urgency, but it also lays out an exciting action agenda for change at all levels, from policy makers to businesses and consumers. The report recognizes the central role of agriculture and rural development for achieving many of the post-2015 development goals, including eradicating poverty and hunger in our generation. There are clear solutions to most of the world's problems. I hope that we can quickly move on to concrete action, applying the best science and technology available and systematically removing political, economical and social barriers to change.
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Hans Vestberg Jun 10, 2013

The work of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) is vital for one reason – too few sustainability initiatives have focused on the importance of transformative solutions. There is increasing recognition that ICT can play a role in improving socio-economic development, creating low carbon economies, and governance and transparency, not to mention enabling billions of people to communicate and collaborate. We are entering a new era where the private sector will solve problems, and create new business models.

As a member of the SDSN Leadership Council, I strongly believe that we can mobilize leaders from academia, business, civil society, and other development organizations to promote problem solving and practical solutions for the pressing challenges of sustainable development. The focus on solutions that show the potential of technical and business innovation should not be under estimated – and clearly a win-win in a time where global challenges have never been greater.
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Vladimir Mau Jun 10, 2013

The Action Agenda for Sustainable Development has emerged through a process of expert advice and public consultation to set in motion international development projects, linked in their objectives and supported by a large multinational well networked community. We aim to promote solutions to social exclusion and gender inequality, to support health and wellbeing, and to decouple growth from the use of non-renewable resources, as urbanization swells the demand for energy, and to ensure survival of vital ecosystems, now being threatened or destroyed. The Action Agenda reflects a strong consensus among world leaders, which I share, that linking local projects to each other and to a vision of sustainable development is the way forward.
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Vania Somavilla Jun 10, 2013

The recommendations of SDSN Report in terms of Sustainable Development Goals and Indicators, produced under the direction of Prof. Jeffrey D. Sachs, with direct and indirect inputs from a myriad of top-notch representatives of all sectors, provide a much needed framework for the achievement of sustainable development within planetary boundaries, helping us to effectively address the necessary synergies between the public and private sectors. Investing in sustainable development in a more inclusive sense is a requirement for governments, policymakers, private companies and civil society in order to build a favorable environment to achieve “The Future We Want”, as advocated by the outcome document of Rio+20.
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Frank O'Callaghan Jun 10, 2013

Inequality has widened since the 1980s. That accelerated since the end of the Soviet Union. This gulf between rich and poor has blighted the world.
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Irene Agyepong Jun 10, 2013

I am delighted that Universal Health Coverage has been given a seat at the table. In 1992 when in Ghana, several colleagues and I started research on whether some kind of health insurance mechanism (regardless of whether funded through general taxes, special taxes, premiums or a combination) could be feasible, equitably improve access to good quality primary health care and protect poor households from the impoverishing effects of out of pocket user fees; many discussions were skeptical. It is refreshing twenty years on to see how much has changed in country as well as globally, and the shift in dialogue. A chance is being held out to try and make a difference and we need to take it.
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Zsolt Hermann Jun 9, 2013

The solution is relatively simple.
We have to once and for all dismiss our misunderstanding that human beings are outside/above the natural system they evolved from.
Sustainable equals natural, which means that humanity exists within the natural system and its laws, staying within the framework of general balance and homeostasis as any other part of the natural system.
The only difference in between humans and other living organisms is that while other life-forms are within that framework "automatically" by their instincts, totally controlled by nature's laws, humans have to remain within the natural framework consciously, rising above the human ego which ego has been diverting us from the natural path all through our history.
This is the specialty of human beings, on one hand a "negative inherent nature" giving us our self conscious ego trying to elevate above everybody and everything, in ruthless, exploitative competition, which tendency propels us forward. As a result while animal species remained almost completely unchanged for thousands or even millions of years, humans went through an exponential change and development within a relatively short time.
On the other hand humans are also capable of critical self assessment and self-change, and today when our so far egoistic development reached such an extent that we are totally opposite to nature's system thus threatening our own survival we are at the point when we need to apply this critical self assessment and self change.
The result of these two opposites, that by an egoistic, self centered, exploitative/destructive power, and the capability of self-control and adaptation if employed correctly in balance, like pulling two reins, humanity has a chance to become like a "rodeo rider" harnessing the power of our egoistic drive in the right direction, keeping it within the framework of nature, elevating the whole of global humanity onto a completely new level of existence.
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