In a short span of time, the Delhi Sustainable Development Summit (DSDS) has become a high-profile annual event that serves as an important platform for exchange of ideas on sustainable development. Each year, the Summit welcomes eminent personalities from a range of backgrounds to share their perspectives on sustainable development, and this year was no different. Among the dignitaries attending, we had several heads of states, Nobel laureates, ministers, government officials, institutions, media agencies and representatives, and yes, corporate sector too. Some famous names in attendance that come to my mind include: Kofi Annan, John Prescott, Jim Yong Kim, and Marcin Korolec, who, as the Polish environment minister, hosted last year’s Climate Change Conference (COP19) in Warsaw, Poland.
Attending the DSDS for the first time, I found it a unique occasion (outside the typical UN system) where decision makers and the intelligentsia from both the South and the North came together to talk about the challenges and opportunities relating a sustainable world. Unlike the agitated mood and frustrating outcomes at the UN negotiations, DSDS showcased and highlighted efforts that different countries and organizations are taking to address such issues as climate change, energy, food insecurity, and gender inequality; leaving the impression that things are in order. But amid all the optimism, there were some strong critical voices as well at the Summit that reminded us all that more was needed to be done. For example, Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary General, reminded the audience that “inequality [in terms of food, sanitation, energy] is growing both between and within societies”.
As an optimist, I like to think that the reality is somewhere in the middle. While it is true that collectively we are not even close in our efforts to have a “perfect world”, but, some governments and civil society are already taking small steps towards ensuring that the bigger goal of sustainable development actualizes across all countries. This was apparent in one of the side events at the Summit where six interdisciplinary project results were presented on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) and Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) in South Asia. The side-event showcased initiatives in research, communication, and policy that are being taken in Bangladesh, India, Nepal, and Pakistan to promote “climate smart” and sustainable investments and policies.
The ‘Energy, Water, and Food security’ Nexus
Acknowledging the challenges being faced by the governments and businesses to feed a growing global population, provide electricity to cities and industries, and provision of clean drinking water, this year’s DSDS focused on attaining these three goals as an imperative step towards sustainable development. The theme encouraged governments and private sector to shift from treating these three elements as standalone issues to opting for a more holistic and integrated approach. Put simply, the water, energy and food security nexus will be the major challenge in attaining universal access to these resources without altering the environment; hence, it was encouraging to see that governments, private sector, and civil society all paid attention to these issues at the Summit.
2015 - a ‘landmark’ year for goals, deals, and protocols
Addressing the plenary on the last day of the Summit, Lord John Prescott, former Deputy Prime Minister of UK and Member of the Parliament, emphasized the importance of having a ‘legal framework’ in place by 2015 for a global climate agreement that is based on “common but differentiated responsibilities”. He told the audience that between now and 2015 there is a lot that needs to be done at home, especially at the legislature level. Sharing his experience from the Kyoto negotiations, Lord Prescott told that the reason the Kyoto Protocol failed to capture ambition and broader implementation was because it never became part of countries’ laws and legislature bodies. He said that promises get changed after the elections, but, laws do not; suggesting that in order to make governments accountable to their promises, it is important that global agreements become part of national laws and policies. He further added that the upcoming legislators meeting in Mexico later this year will be crucial to encourage legislators play a major role at future COPs in Lima and Paris, and more importantly, in their home countries.
2015 will also see the birth of Sustainable Development Goals that will likely to replace the Millennium Development Goals. These goals will be crucial to agreeing a global, coherent framework on what sustainable development should mean around the world.
Communicating for Sustainability
In this regard, DSDS hosted an interesting panel discussion on how to effectively communicate sustainability to a wider audience, since communication can help address implementation challenges relating sustainable development and can lead to change at a broader scale. At present, the debate around it largely ignores the politics of countries and communities, and there is too much focus on communicating research and data rather than who are the ‘winners’ or ‘losers’ of sustainable development, or lack of it. The conclusion of the discussion was that we needed to “re-brand” sustainability by bringing in the concerns of those who object to the idea of sustainable development and change the narrow narrative that we seemingly have opted. Only by doing so, will we be able to find equitable solutions towards a sustainable future.