International dimension: resource efficiency in the Sustainable Development Goals

What contribution of sustainable development goals to the resource

efficiency & circular economy agenda? Tancrède Voituriez (IDDRI)

Green Week 2014, Brussels 04 June 2014 - 16:30 - 18:00

International dimension: resource efficiency in the Sustainable

Development Goals

A short reminder: The post-2015 negotiation process

2012

Rio

+20

MAJOR GROUPS AND OTHER STAKEHOLDERS

INTERGOVERNMENTAL NEGOTIATIONS

UNDER GA 68

SDG PROCESS DEVELOPMENT AGENDA PROCESS

2013

2014

2015

OW

G

Sustainable Development Dialogues

The Future We Want §245-251

Thematic

Clusters

Intersessional

Meetings

Morning

Hearings

Position papers

and individual

contributions

OWG Proposal for SDGs to General Assembly

68 in September 2014

NGLS

consultation for

HLP

UNDG

consultations

Regional

consultations

Global

Compact

consultations

SDSN

consultat

ions

HLP Report UNDG

Report

UN Regional

Commissions

Joint Report

Global

Compact

Report

SDSN

Report

Secretary General’s Report “A Life of

Dignity for All”

NGLS

consultation on

4 reports

Outcome document of the Special Event to

follow up efforts made towards achieving

MDGs

Special E

ven

t on

MD

Gs

What is at stake? Adressing the implementation challenges • The outcome document of the UN Conference on

Sustainable Development (“Rio +20”) “recognize[s] the importance and utility of a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) which should be action-oriented (…), focused on priority areas for the achievement of sustainable development (…).

• Governments should drive implementation with the active involvement of all relevant stakeholders (…)”

(UN, 2012, The Future We Want, §247).

Where do we stand with the definition of SDGs?

• Until OWG 10th session (April 2014), the OWG has refined « Focus Areas » without explicit goals.

• A watershed has been crossed early this week with the publication of a « Draft Zero » and a proposition of 16 SDGs and associated targets

What are the resource efficiency challenges?

• Drawing on UNEP/IRP reports :

1. Great potential of RE gains with existing technology.

2. Social innovation (including demand changes) & technology transfer/distribution needed.

3. The challenge of lifting world resource productivity is enormous

4. The political commitment and financial cost of further developing and distributing better technologies will be very large.

Turning Resource efficiency challenges into needs

Four RE core needs: 1. Innovation (social and technological), 2. demand & behavioural changes, 3. political commitment & leadership, 4. budget raising & sharing mechanisms.

• Can SDGs deliver on all this?

An assessment on the basis of OWG Zero draft (2 June 2014)

1. Could SDGs trigger innovation? • 8 associated targets (including « research ») 8.8 create enabling conditions for increased growth and productivity of micro-, small-and medium-scale enterprises(SMEs),including through policies that promote entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation, and through improved access to markets and financial services 9.8 promote industrial research, development and innovation, including raising the ratio of R&D workers per one million people by x% and the share of R&D spending in GDP by y% 9.10 promote indigenous technology development and the growth of domestic innovation in developing countries 14.2 by 2020, sustainably manage, restore and protect marine ecosystems from destruction, including by strengthening their resilience, and support relevant scientific research

1. Could SDGs trigger innovation?

17.9 increase investment in rural infrastructure, agricultural research, technology development, institutions and capacity building in developing countries to enhance agricultural productive capacity, particularly in countries that are net food importers 17.26 promote regional and international collaboration on and access to science, technology, innovation, research and knowledge sharing, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation 17.33 build science, technology and innovation capacity in developing countries, including to undertake technology assessment and research, development and adaptation of clean and environmentally sound technologies 17.41 increase scientific knowledge, and develop research infrastructure and capacities to enhance the contribution of marine biodiversity to the development of developing countries, in particular of SIDS and LDCs

2. Could SDGs change demand?

• 11 targets associated with Proposed goal 12. Promote sustainable consumption and production patterns

3. Could SDGs bolster political commitment & leadership

• Drawing on the previous draft Working Document for 5 – 9 May Session of Open Working Group

• Target: by 2030 achieve sustainable management and use of natural resources

• Political support: Australia/Netherlands/UK, Finland, Norway/Ireland/Denmark, France/Germany/Switzerland, Trinidad and Tobago on behalf of CARICOM, Colombia/Guatemala, Ecuador/Bolivia/Argentina; Bulgaria/Croatia; Tanzania/African Group propose to have a stand-alone goal on sustainable management of natural resources with SCP as a target.

4. Could SDGs foster financing & implementation mechanisms?

• 2 associated targets

• 17.38 enhance international cooperation with developed countries taking the lead in implementing sustainable consumption and production patterns, including through strengthening developing countries’ scientific and technological capacities to move towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production

• 17.39 establish and effectively implement a multilateral

code of conduct for multinational corporations to secure social and environmental responsibility and accountability

To summarise

• NR efficiency and circular economy are explicit components of SDGs.

• The trend is good: appearance of “circular economy” and “Time bound implementation of 10FYP”.

• Direct or indirect connection with innovation, demand changes, and political commitment.

To summarise

• Some concerns on institutional and social innovations, political support and to a greater extent, on financing and implementation.

– On institutional and social innovations: initiatives should keep going. Let’s not wait for SDGs.

– On political support: limited involvement of China and UN major groups.

– On financing and implementation: loose wording. What is actually needed is not clear.

• Backcasting exercices at the national level (cf Climate change, global health, sustainable agriculture) could help delineate the funding needed and the design.

• This where SDGs could really help : to bolster anticipation and prepare effective transformation locally.