UNDESA workshop in SDG modelling tools

Since the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development, countries have been engaged in outlining important challenges that need to be addressed to improve the wellbeing of current generations without compromising the welfare of generations to come. Most recently, in the outcome document of the “Rio+20” UN Conference it was agreed to establish an Open Working Group to develop a set of sustainable development goals (SDGs) for consideration as a key element in the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda. The 17 SDGs proposed are based on the environmental, social and economic pillars of sustainable development. The road towards sustainable development strategies imposes several challenges to country’s development paths. They need to make decisions considering trade-offs and synergies in several aspects/dimensions, i.e. between combinations of policies seeking, inter alia, de-fossilizing energy generation, increasing the efficiency in the use of energy, preserving the environment, social inclusion, poverty eradication, food security, and GDP growth.

The took part in this workshop together with KTH-dESA and international experts and government officials in economy, energy and environmental areas. The main objective of the workshop was to define the contours of a suite of tools that the UN can propose as public goods for the development community - national, sub-regional and international - to help bridge the knowledge/assessment-capacity gap to design national sustainable development policies/strategies and their linkages with UN-SDGs. For that purpose, the workshop reviewed available tools to inform comprehensive and integrated national policies/strategies to achieve sustainable development; and assessed the links, overlaps, gaps, and redundancies, between SDGs and national sustainable development policies/strategies.

Link to more information: UNDESA and partners  Modelling Tools for Sustainable Development Policies