Sustainable Development aims to enable all people to satisfy their basic
needs and enjoy a better quality of life without compromising the quality
of life of future generations. It is a key government policy at both
national and regional level and is an issue that affects every business,
organisation and individual.
GONW has a key role in ensuring that sustainable development is at the
heart of regional policy-making and that policies are delivered which make
a sustainable difference to the quality of life in the region. This is
reflected in the Government's
‘
Securing the Regions’ Futures – Strengthening delivery of
sustainable development in the English regions' report which was published
in April 2006.
UK Sustainable Development Strategy
‘
Securing the Future’, the UK Government Sustainable Development
Strategy, was launched by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs (Defra) in March 2005. The Strategy updated
‘
A Better Quality of Life: A Strategy for Sustainable Development for the
UK’ published in 1999.
The new national strategy is based around five principles:
- living within environmental limits
- ensuring a strong, healthy and just society
- achieving a sustainable economy
- promoting good governance
- using sound science responsibly
And contains four agreed priorities:
- sustainable consumption and production
- climate change
- natural resource protection
- sustainable communities
- It also includes a new indicator set which is more outcome focused.
Sustainable Development In Your Pocket Indicators
The most recent edition of
Sustainable
Development Indicators in Your Pocket was recently published, and
gives an update on the UK's progress towards
sustainability.
