2008 - Application and impact of responsible citizenry in MDGs and sustainable development
Social and Economic Council, Paris, April 11, 2008
The theme of the 2008 session is: "Implementing the internationally agreed goals and commitments in regard to sustainable development".
In July 2008, a Ministerial Declaration that takes into account the synergies between participants to this yearly ECOSOC theme will conclude the Annual Ministerial Review.
Under the auspices of the International Association of Economic and Social Councils and Similar Institutions (AICESIS), of the Tunisian Association of Mothers with consultative status with ECOSOC, and in partnership with the Chair of Durable Development at Sciences Po, the fondation Ostad Elahi – ethics and human solidarity, a government-sanctioned Public Interest Foundation whose purpose is to contribute to the development of true solidarity among human beings by promoting deeper reflection on the meaning and application of ethics, suggested that this question be envisioned within the framework of a responsible citizenry. A roundtable of experts was organized, entitled: “Application and impact of responsible citizenry in MDGs and sustainable development”.
Issues of the Discussion
The foreword of the report established by the Bruntland Commission of 1987, which introduced the concept of sustainable development, made it clear that every citizen of the world should feel concerned and play a role in addressing the immense challenge of equitable development for present and future generations: “Responsibly meeting humanity's goals and aspirations will require the active support of us all” […] “The environment does not exist as a sphere separate from human actions, ambitions, and needs” […]The Commission has taken guidance from people in all walks of life. It is to these people - to all the peoples of the world - that the Commission now addresses itself […] ».
This involvement of « us all » is slowly taking shape, with the increasing implication of civil society in the United Nations’ programs and decisions. Nevertheless, if changes are to occur efficiently and planet-wide, the issue of citizen responsibility must be discussed and clarified, both globally and locally. We must also shed some light on the possibilities and modalities of action and initiatives of citizens, who are indeed, political, economical and social protagonists.
Citizen can therefore act on these three levels, if they are enabled to do so by the political and economical structures in place. He can adjust his consumption habits, and even chose a job based on durable development factors, chose compatible political ideas, and play a role as a social protagonist that conforms to his preoccupations.
Because responsibility has to be exerted consciously, there are bound to be differences among individual choices, induced by political regimes, models of economies, and available information. Citizens, therefore, have a broad and potentially very impactful responsibility. The purpose of this roundtable is to assess and analyze this responsibility and to define recommendations and actions that can help increase the awareness of this responsibility and the efficiency of individual and collective behaviors that derive from it.
The summary of the discussions was approved by ECOSOC as a contribution to its July 2008 Ministerial Declaration in New-York. This contribution was presented under the auspices of the Tunisian Association of Mothers, an NGO with consultative status at the ECOSOC. It is available in the six official languages of the UN: french, english, spanish, russian, chinese, arabic
Download the transcript of the roundtable.
