Negotiating a Ten-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production

After a week’s worth of discussions and negotiations, here are four sticking points that will be relevant for the final text, and its ultimate success, of the Ten-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP on SCP).

1. Organizational structure: There has been some discussion on which UN agency should be responsible for facilitating the coordination of SCP activities and evaluation. The two candidates are the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP) and the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UN DESA). UNEP – supported by the G-77, Switzerland and the EU – considers SCP within its realm of activities, but their relationships are primarily with environmental ministers and this could hinder “streamlining” of SCP into all government programs. UN-DESA – which is most notably supported by Australia – is the secretariat for CSD; their choice as secretariat would essentially integrate SCP into CSD in the long-term.
2. Financing: Will SCP programmes be supported by new funds or realignment of existing funds? With tight budgets, odds are SCP will struggle to find new sources of funding.
3. Means of implementation: It seems obvious that there should be some criteria for defining what constitutes an SCP programme, yet this a contentious issue, with the US favoring private self-regulation. If everyone is allowed to define their criteria for sustainability, will we move any closer to sustainable consumption and production patterns?
4. Indicators: Measuring progress toward achieving SCP is also a vital element to the 10YFP, yet it too may be left out of the final text. Although it may be a challenge to reach a consensus on indicators within the next week, at the very least a one year deadline should be set for identifying indicators of SCP. The success of the Millennium Development Goals in mobilizing the world to address development issues should serve as a model for developing indicators for the 10YFP on SCP. (Maybe Jeffrey Sachs can help us on that when he arrives next week…)

Where does agriculture fit in the SCP text? “Sustainable agriculture, rural development and food security” is currently listed in among key programmes for SCP, but this list likely will be cut from the final document. Here’s hoping the final text is not watered down beyond recognition by this time next week.
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SSB