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NSDS

National Sustainable Development Strategies (NSDS) in Pacific Island Developing States

UNCED 1992

Since the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) in 1992, governments have reiterated in several occasions their commitment to developing and implementing NSDS with a special focus on SIDS.

Pacific Regional Meeting 2005

In October 2005, States from the Pacific region met at the Pacific Regional Meeting to follow up on the Mauritius Strategy. The importance of a national sustainable development enabling environment was again stressed, and emphasis was given to the need for implementation to be driven and coordinated at the national level.

UNDESA NSDS 3-year project

In response to the inter-governmental decisions and in order to assist countries in achieving their NSDS goals and priorities, in 2005 UNDESA formulated a three-year project funded by the Government of Italy. The Project aims at assisting the Pacific SIDSs with capacity building and institutional strengthening, and by specifically supporting the development of national sustainable development strategies.

Specifically, the Project will:

  • Review existing national and sectoral development strategies, to determine the scope for rationalizing and synchronizing NSDS in each State, with the necessary regional and international support.
  • Facilitate a broad exchange of experience on strategic policy making, addressing institutional, legal and capacity development issues, promoting a participatory approach to decision-making, and building consensus among Pacific SIDS on the most appropriate application of the United Nations Guidelines for the formulation of National Sustainable Development Strategies.
  • Assist Pacific SIDS to develop national sustainable development strategies, or their equivalent.
  • Where countries have already developed and implemented their NSDS, or its equivalent, review and recommend how, where and when key national processes and mechanisms to promote intra- and inter-sectoral coordination and harmonization of activities that explicitly reflect addressing the three pillars of sustainable development in an integrated manner may be improved.
  • Identify other areas of assistance required by the countries of the region to facilitate the development of national sustainable development strategies.