Improving the Science-Policy-Society Interface at UNEA and HLPF

The Earth System Governance Project and Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future are very pleased to announce that they have joined forces in a global partnership to jointly work towards better governance for global sustainability. The aim of the new partnership is to strengthen understanding of transformative governance for sustainability through integrating scientific research and multi-stakeholder advocacy.

At an official side-event in the Major Groups Tent at the 3rd United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA-3) on 4 December 2017, Jan-Gustav Strandenaes (Senior Associate on Governance, Stakeholder Forum), and Ruben Zondervan (Executive Director, Earth System Governance Project), presented the partnership and sought input to the workplan from civil society and other stakeholder representatives, as well as member state delegates attending the event. They also addressed the procedural and institutional challenges of science-policy interface and of multi-stakeholder facilitation and engagement in UNEA and the High Level Political Forum on the Sustainable Development Goals (HLPF), stressing the need to better connect the two processes and strengthen procedural knowledge.

The Partnership will strengthen the evidence base of the multi-stakeholder processes facilitated by Stakeholder Forum, and the impact of the novel policy solutions that are developed by researchers from the Earth System Governance Project. The partnership will systematically connect scientists and stakeholders who work on sustainable development policy analysis, and allow for increased and more effective engagement of both communities with international negotiations and national policy implementation.