EDIAIS: Conference papers

Globalisation - the integration of national economies into a single market for goods and services and for capital investment flows provides countries, particularly developing countries and countries with economies in transition with opportunities for economic growth. In an integrated world economy, trade, financial, economic, social, environmental and developmental policies take on global dimensions and increasingly interact with each other. This paper explores these linkages and highlights the importance of integrated policy development and implementation in a globalized world to achieve sustainable development. The need for a comprehensive approach to integrated policy development and implementation has and continues to be recognized by the international community. The World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) held in Johannesburg, South Africa in September 2002 emphasized the importance of adopting a holistic and inter-sectoral approach to implementing sustainable development and called for capacity building to provide policy makers and other stakeholders with the capability to deepen their understanding of the complex inter-linkages between trade, environment and sustainable development, and to respond by designing and implementing integrated policies. Integrated assessment, as defined in this paper is an instrument for evaluating all three components of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental. It can be applied at a number of stages in the policy-making process. Undertaken after a policy change, ex-post assessments provide a retrospective examination of the environmental, social and economic impacts of a given event or policy, and can identify effects that can be mitigated or encouraged through the introduction of complementary policies. Ex-ante assessments, by contrast, are undertaken before an embarking on a specific programme, activity or policy change and can provide policy-makers with forward-looking information, allowing them to develop a coherent and integrated set of policies. Recently, there has been a shift in emphasis towards ex-ante approaches, in recognition that acting early allows policy-makers to respond more effectively to new challenges and to develop more integrated policies for sustainable development. In this context, UNEP has launched a new initiative aimed at enhancing the capacities of countries in integrated policy development and implementation for sustainable development, with particular focus on poverty alleviation, environmental management and sustainable trade promotion. The initiative will explore and build on previous and existing experiences and approaches for integrated assessment and planning with the intention of identifying best practices and approaches. The Framework to be developed through this initiative will be applied in eight countries in Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Through a systematic, demand-driven process, it will assist countries to use integrated assessment and planning as a tool for achieving sustainable development. In meeting the environmental and developmental challenges of globalisation, there is a need for greater international commitment to translate the sustainable development principles and recommendations agreed upon at United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) and the WSSD into concrete policies and actions. There is therefore a need to encourage greater adoption and use of integrated assessment and planning tools, which can provide the basis for sound policy development and implementation.

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