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The Nordic Partnership Urges Governments of the Nordic Countries to Set an Ambitious Vision for Regional Sustainable Development
The Nordic Partnership Urges Governments of the Nordic Countries to Set an Ambitious Vision for Regional Sustainable Development
Published 01-16-04
Submitted by Nordic Partnership, The
The challenge for Nordic governments in 2004 is to ensure thorough implementation of their national strategies for sustainable development, whilst keeping the overarching vision for the region high. “The upcoming revision of the Nordic Ministerial Council’s sustainable development strategy is a unique opportunity to demonstrate the level of vision and ambition necessary to drive sustainable growth and development in the region,” explains Michael Brinch-Pedersen, Managing Director of the Nordic Partnership.
The Nordic Partnership is convinced that business and NGO’s can contribute to tackling this challenge. In a letter to the Prime Ministers of the Nordic countries, the Nordic Partnership now urges governments to actively involve business and NGO’s in the development of the vision and new national and regional frameworks, which will give clear signals and provide market incentives that can promote innovation and support sustainable business development.
It’s now over a year since the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) took place in Johannesburg and key actors in the Nordic sustainability stakes are caught in a stakeholder deadlock. Despite an evident willingness to move towards sustainable development, business, NGOs and governments remain in a stalemate, while they wait for each other to act.
New report outlining challenges
The Nordic Partnership outlines this and other key challenges in a new report, the Executive Brief 2003 – Balancing Corporate and Society Goals. The report summarizes efforts made and challenges encountered during the Partnership’s follow-up to its Manifesto and since the WSSD. Distilling the high-level dialogue from the recent 2003 Forum, the Executive Brief also highlights the signals and incentives needed from governments to make sustainability a rewarding business.
Mobilizing a Market-Based Sustainability Movement
The Executive Brief argues that new forms of interaction are needed, that can make a shift in thinking that takes the sustainable development agenda to the next level. A market-based sustainability movement, invigorated by new leadership and catalyzed by new ‘disruptive’ forms of innovation is vital to overcome this stakeholder inertia. This movement would identify new areas and promote incentives that would make sustainability more rewarding for all.
Nordic Governments Opportunity to Act
The Nordic Partnership now urges Nordic governments to use the opportunity to actively support a market-based sustainability movement in their follow-up to the WSSD, by providing platforms where NGOs and business can give their input to new frameworks and incentives for sustainable development. In 2004, the Partnership itself will initiate activities that will mobilize this market-based sustainability movement through projects, analysis, public debates, and other events.
Read more on www.nordicpartnership.org
About The Nordic Partnership
The Nordic Partnership is a WWF-led business-NGO initiative that aims to set the pace of change, and make sustainability a rewarding business. It is a partnership where NGO and business work together to make sustainability fundamental to future business opportunities by nurturing Nordic sustainable competitiveness.
