Sustainable Development in Formal Statements
Sustainable development issues can be incorporated into a formal statements and planning with
the support of a national commitment to, or vision for sustainable development. National
commitment to sustainable development requires:
- firm,
- clearly stated, and
- practical statements.
These statements are critical to the unity of effort throughout the nation.
These practical statements make up the goals of what is to be achieved in a sustainable
development strategy.
Important Features
There are important features of a well designed national statement for sustainable
development.
- The statements
(or visions)
cascade from a
- simple
and direct political position statement from the executive level
of government (constitution,
long term development plan, or executive declaration)
to
- increasingly
more specialized planning and implementation statements (developed
by sectoral ministries, sub-national, community and industrial leaders).
The process is such that:
- Higher level statements act as guidelines and the progressively lower level statements provide details for the vision and its implementation.
- Responsibility for implementation, monitoring and enforcement rests with the local communities with support and guidance available from the higher levels of government.
- Here's how the process works
Actions at the local levels need to be supported by the higher levels, given that communities do not always have the capacity to deal with sustainable development. There are a number of ways that capacity is built. On example is seen in the practice of Pakistan.
Formalized national visions
"Formal" vision may be seen in:
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(Amending) Constitutions |
Go to legal module on:
About Constituional Law
Provisions of constitutions related to environmental issues |
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Introducing Environmental Legislation |
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Specifically referring to sustainable development in Development Plans, Sustainable Development Plans |
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Action Plans |
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Naming sustainable development as a national priority |
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Implementing related national educational programs |
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Other official ways to show commitment to a goal |
Click on the Next button to read about status of visions of the centres.
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