IOSD began in 2006 as a non-profit organization with a mandate to administer the Euclid University Extension program and also develop and implement other programs related to sustainable development. In 2008, IOSD was absorbed into EUCLID when the EUCLID agreement entered into force and became an Institute within EUCLID. IOSD and EUCLID share officers and offices. The mission of the International Organization for Sustainable Development is to foster the well-being of all human beings by promoting sustainable economic development, inter-cultural dialogue, and facilitating access to world-class higher education, especially in the developing nations of Africa and the Pacific.
The EEAC network is a unique collaboration between the councils set up by European governments to provide independent and scientifically based advice on the environment and sustainable development. The network is a powerful tool for sharing information and experience across Europe. Co-operation between advisory councils under the EEAC network started in 1993. More than 30 councils from 16 European countries with around 400 key senior actors from academia, civil society/NGOs, stakeholder organisations and the private sector now participate in the network.
The European Environment Agency (EEA) is an agency of the European Union. Their task is to provide sound, independent information on the environment. They are a major information source for those involved in developing, adopting, implementing and evaluating environmental policy, and also the general public. Currently, the EEA has 32 member countries.
The Division for Sustainable Development (DSD) provides leadership and is an authoritative source of expertise within the United Nations system on sustainable development. It promotes sustainable development as the substantive secretariat to the UN Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD) and through technical cooperation and capacity building at international, regional and national levels. The context for the Division's work is the implementation of Agenda 21, the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and the Barbados Programme of Action for Sustainable Development of Small Island Developing States.
The Environment Management Group (EMG) is a United Nations System-wide coordination body, established in 2001. The EMG membership consists of the specialized agencies, programmes and organs of the United Nations including the secretariats of the Multilateral Environmental Agreements. The group is chaired by the Executive Director of United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and supported by a secretariat provided by UNEP. The Secretariat is located in Geneva, Switzerland.
UNEP is the voice for the environment within the United Nations system. UNEP’s mission is to provide leadership and encourage partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. UNEP is an advocate, educator, catalyst and facilitator, promoting the wise use of the planet’s natural assets for sustainable development. UNEP works with many partners: United Nations entities, international organizations, national governments, non-governmental organizations, business, industry, the media and civil society.
UNDP is the UN's global development network, an organization advocating for change and connecting countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. We are on the ground in 166 countries, working with them on their own solutions to global and national development challenges. As they develop local capacity, they draw on the people of UNDP and our wide range of partners. World leaders have pledged to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, including the overarching goal of cutting poverty in half by 2015. UNDP's network links and coordinates global and national efforts to reach these Goals. Our focus is helping countries build and share solutions to the challenges of: Democratic Governance, Poverty Reduction, Crisis Prevention and Recovery, Environment and Energy and HIV/AIDS
The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations. Its mandate is to promote and accelerate sustainable industrial development in developing countries and economies in transition, and work towards improving living conditions in the world's poorest countries by drawing on its combined global resources and expertise. In recent years, UNIDO has assumed an enhanced role in the global development agenda by focusing its activities on poverty reduction, inclusive globalization and environmental sustainability. Our services are based on two core functions: as a global forum, we generate and disseminate industry-related knowledge; as a technical cooperation agency, we provide technical support and implement projects.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations leads international efforts to defeat hunger. Serving both developed and developing countries, FAO acts as a neutral forum where all nations meet as equals to negotiate agreements and debate policy. FAO is also a source of knowledge and information. We help developing countries and countries in transition modernize and improve agriculture, forestry and fisheries practices and ensure good nutrition for all. Since our founding in 1945, we have focused special attention on developing rural areas, home to 70 percent of the world's poor and hungry people.
The Indian Ocean Commission, known as the Commission de l'Océan Indien, is an intergovernmental organization that joins Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, France and the Seychelles together to encourage cooperation. It was started in January 1984 under the General Victoria Agreement. The official language of communication is French. The objectives of COI are: diplomatic cooperation; economic and commercial cooperation; cooperation in the field of agriculture, maritime fishing, and the conservation of resources and ecosystems; cooperation in cultural, scientific, technical, educational and judicial fields.
The Global Environment Facility (GEF) unites 179 member governments — in partnership with international institutions, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector — to address global environmental issues. An independent financial organization, the GEF provides grants to developing countries and countries with economies in transition for projects related to biodiversity, climate change, international waters, land degradation, the ozone layer, and persistent organic pollutants. These projects benefit the global environment, linking local, national, and global environmental challenges and promoting sustainable livelihoods.
The Montreal Millennium Summit is a prestigious international conference that brings together leaders in development from government, civil society and academia. The Summit has several objectives: inform individuals of the Millennium Development Goals and the importance of international development; create a forum for exchange, discussion and decision-making for key players in international development; spotlight the work of organizations and individuals who strive to improve quality of life around the world; inspire and prepare the next generation of heroes who, through their actions, can contribute to sustainable development; and establish a worldwide network of exchange and cooperation.
Since the United Nations Millennium Summit in 2000, all member countries, have signed a Millennium Declaration committing to do their part to fight extreme poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy, environmental degradation and discrimination against women by 2015. This agreement generated the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) – eight goals placing human well-being and development at the forefront of the global agenda and international cooperation policies and programs.
The MDG Monitor shows how countries are progressing in their efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). With the 2015 target date fast approaching, it is more important than ever to understand where the goals are on track, and where additional efforts and support are needed, both globally and at the country level.
The Millennium Project was commissioned by the United Nations Secretary-General in 2002 to develop a concrete action plan for the world to achieve the Millennium Development Goals and to reverse the grinding poverty, hunger and disease affecting billions of people.
This webpage gives you an overview of what Earth Summit 2002 is, where it came from and what it will try to do. Taking a historical look at the Sustainable Development Agenda, About Earth Summit 2002 helps the reader get the more out of the resources on the site.
Since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, there has been a dramatic increase in threats to peace and security caused by social, environmental and economic crises. In light of the new and immense challenges faced by the sustainable development agenda, Stakeholder Forum is supporting the call for a World Summit in 2012. With this website and a range of other activities, we hereby kick-start the discussions on an Earth Summit in 2012, twenty years on from the Rio Earth Summit in 1992.
This independent and apolitical site aims to help the non-specialist to become more involved in the discussion of global social and environmental issues than is often the case... principally by putting links to good quality, readable and useful information, covering many of the key issues and organisations, in one place.
UNU-ISP, which became operational on 1 January 2009, was established to exploit the strengths of the former UNU Environment and Sustainable Development and UNU Peace and Governance Programmes, and to create transdisciplinary synergies that can more effectively address pressing global problems of human survival, development and welfare. UNU supports research on the causes and effects of global warming, the development of viable solutions and their implementation.
The Environment and Sustainable Development Programme (ESD) is now part of UNU's Institute for Sustainability and Peace. The ESD Programme of United Nations University focuses on the interactions between human activities and the natural environment and their implications for sustainable human development. The basic issues of human survival, development and welfare are at the core of the themes covered within the realm of the ESD Programme.
GEIC was established on 29 October 1996, and focuses on providing information to the major groups identified in Agenda 21. GEIC has a commitment to better involve civil society groups and people in environmental issues, and undertakes studies and activities to better involve NGOs and other organizations in international and national environmental processes. GEIC also undertakes activities that involve packaging information for use and consumption by non-experts.
The Norwegian government established CICERO by royal decree in 1990. CICERO is an independent research centre associated with the University of Oslo. CICERO conducts research on and provides information and expert advice about national and international issues related to climate change and climate policy. CICERO’s mission is to conduct research and provide reports, information and expert advice about issues related to global climate change and international climate policy with the aim of acquiring knowledge that can help mitigate the climate problem and enhance international climate cooperation.
The Earth Institute’s overarching goal is to help achieve sustainable development primarily by expanding the world’s understanding of Earth as one integrated system. We work toward this goal through scientific research, education and the practical application of research for solving real-world challenges. With 850 scientists, postdoctoral fellows, staff and students working in and across more than 30 Columbia University research centres, the Earth Institute is helping to advance nine interconnected global issues: climate and society, water, energy, poverty, ecosystems, public health, food and nutrition, hazards and urbanization. With Columbia University as its foundation, the Earth Institute draws upon the scientific rigor, technological innovation and academic leadership for which the University is known.
Sustainable development is seeking to meet the needs of the present without compromising those of future generations. We have to learn our way out of current social and environmental problems and learn to live sustainably. Sustainable development is a vision of development that encompasses populations, animal and plant species, ecosystems, natural resources and that integrates concerns such as the fight against poverty, gender equality, human rights, education for all, health, human security, intercultural dialogue, etc. Education for sustainable development aims to help people to develop the attitudes, skills and knowledge to make informed decisions for the benefit of themselves and others, now and in the future, and to act upon these decisions.
The 19 issues addressed in the Manual provide a comprehensive view towards sustainable human development, as well as being an invitation for further inquiry and research into each of them. The Manual is expected to become an effective tool in the fulfilment of the objectives of the United Nations Decade of Education for Sustainable Development (2005 - 2014).
The Broker Magazine offers knowledge of global development issues. The Broker aims to contribute to evidence-based policy making and action by encouraging exchanges between knowledge producers and development professionals. The Broker will be a reliable source of information for all those concerned with development and globalization, especially in the fields of economics, human security, governance, and science and technology.
From Friday 26 to Monday 29 March 2010 the Second International Degrowth Conference took place at the historic building of ‘Universidad de Barcelona'. The Conference has focused on the socially sustainable economic degrowth, linking economic, environmental and social perspectives with emphasis on practical policies and concrete proposals. The main objectives of the conference were: to create cooperative research around the topic of degrowth that brings together scientist from diverse backgrounds and civil society; to elaborate, discuss and develop concrete policy proposals and research priorities in the areas of money, work, infrastructure, advertising, natural resources, housing, basic income and income ceiling, etc.; and to test a new model of organizing a conference, based on participative methods for the development of policies and research priorities around the topic of degrowth.
