Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing

Janos Pasztor and Tarja Halonen

Post by Patricia Grossi Reis

On Thursday June 21 Douglas and I attended a side event of the UN Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Global Sustainability called “Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A Future Worth Choosing.” The purpose of the panel was to share key messages and recommendations from the Global Sustainability Panel (GSP) report, a blueprint for a sustainable future produced by 22 high-level panel members from around the world. While the GSP report was not created to be a formal input to the Rio+20 conference, it sets out a comprehensive framework for driving sustainable development forward in the context of the many interrelated challenges we are facing.

I must admit it was a great honor to be sitting at the same table as so many distinguished participants such as President Jacob Zuma from South Africa, Prime Minister Freundel Stuart from Barbados, Dr. Gro Harlem Bruntland, former Prime Minister of Norway, and Tarja Halonen, former President of Finland, to name just a few (the list was extensive!). Dr. Bruntland talked about empowerment of women and the importance of reproductive rights, Prime Minister Stuart examined the need for a framework to advance ocean’s governance and Sir Richard Branson – not an official member of the GSP panel but a guest speaker at the event – called for the end of inefficient fossil fuel subsidies.

The GSP report makes 56 recommendations, which fall under three main headings: empowering people to make sustainable choices, working towards a sustainable economy, and strengthening institutional governance to support sustainable development. Recommendation 14 specifically advocates incorporating ethical dimensions into the sustainable development discourse through instruments like the Earth Charter.

Amidst so many claims that the final Rio+20 document lacks in substance and ambition, I hope governments, businesses and other stakeholders will work together going forward to adopt the recommendations presented in the GSP document and turn the vision of a sustainable future a reality.