United Nations: New Directions Concluding Old Paradigms

http://motherearthrights.org/2010/08/18/harmony-with-nature-report-of-the-un-secretary-general/

C. New directions and approaches

97. At present, alternatives are being examined to devise a more sustainable model for production, consumption and the economy as a whole so as to promote harmony with nature. In this regard, in February 2008, upon the request of the French government, Joseph Stiglitz, Amartya Sen and Jean-Paul Fitoussi created the Commission on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress (CMEPSP). “The motivation was that the GDP, as an expression of purely economic growth, no longer satisfies societies’ concerns with welfare and sustainability. This is especially the case if our metrics do not take into account sustainability, if current consumption puts in jeopardy, for instance, future living standards. The most obvious cases involve depletion of resources and the degradation of the environment.”40

98. The Commission acknowledges that “no single number can summarize anything as complex and variegated as “society”. But, inevitably, certain numbers – in particular GDP – have taken center stage. The Commission agreed that such a number may be misleading if it were applied to all purposes, and especially as a broader measure of societal performance. It recommended to further research into the development of metrics contributing to a better assessment of economic performance and social progress.41

99. With regard to the role of the private sector, Muhammad Yunus in his latest book defines social business as a new category of business which excludes the pursuit of profit or the payment of dividends to owners. “All the business savvy developed in conventional business will be very useful, but the goals and values to pursue will be different. While conventional companies exist to make money; these exist to solve social problems while using business techniques and models.”42

100. Social business and social entrepreneurship are valuable recent innovations, yet their global reach remains modest as compared with that of for-profit business. The corporate social responsibility movement, and the civil society watchdog efforts are vitally important to ensure substantial changes in the way companies do business.

VI. Conclusion and Recommendations

101. The present technological age has seen an impoverishment in the historical relationship between human beings and Nature. Nature has been treated as a commodity that exists largely for the benefit of people, and all environmental problems as solvable with a technological fix. Loss of biodiversity, desertification, climate change and disruption of a number of natural cycles are among the costs of our disregard for Nature and the integrity of its ecosystems and life-supporting processes. As recent scientific work suggests43, a number of planetary boundaries are being transgressed and others risk being so in a business-as-usual world.

102. The philosophy of holism, embodied in the concept of sustainable development, rests on an understanding that all things are interconnected and that nothing occurs in isolation. Holism calls for broader perspectives. As the spirit of holism begins to infuse the practice of health care, we come closer to that healing that is needed at all levels. In the same way that the wheel of medicine now turns towards a commitment to those principles that further the health of individuals, of society, and of the planet as a whole, so does the wheel of sustainable development.

103. The submissions of Member States, regional groups, Major Groups and the United Nations system have revealed a variety of ways in which diverse stakeholders are seeking to promote harmony with Nature through sustainable development. Member States may wish to consider the following recommendations:

1) Further promote UNESCOs’ Education for All Decade and Education for Sustainable Development Decade to:

a) Increase children’s access to school, and take measures to increase literacy rates, particularly for women, and to make information on sustainable development accessible to all, including the most vulnerable and marginalized segments of the population;

b) Promote the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), in both formal and non-formal education in urban and rural areas, to advance education in general and education for sustainable development in particular, including education on sustainable consumption and production;

c) Promote the establishment of resource centers, particularly in rural areas, to bring non-formal education to communities on all aspects of sustainable development. In this regard, the use of ICTs and audio-visual material is essential to bridge the knowledge gap.

2) In view of the current work being carried out in the educational sector worldwide to upgrade science education and to advance cross-disciplinary science education at all levels within a sustainable development perspective:

a) Create an information portal to gather information about the work being undertaken to advance integration and cross-disciplinary work in the sciences and to inform them with a sustainable development perspective;

b) Create a virtual space for natural and social scientists to interact and collaborate to provide substantive analytical inputs to the preparations for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 and beyond.

3) In view of the need for a continual updating and upgrading of knowledge, invite relevant UN organizations, institutions, research centers and Nobel laureates, as appropriate, to provide regular briefings for decision-makers on:

a) the work being carried out in the field of systems thinking;

b) the on-going research being undertaken to integrate the three pillars of sustainable development;

c) The work being carried out worldwide to reconcile conventional and complementary medicine in a holistic approach to health in the context of sustainable development.