Estratègies per al desenvolupament sostenible - Generalitat de ...

Precedent and the existing hierarchy of local values offer an expedient basis fordecision-making, but they may not reflect what should be modernizing aspirationsof contemporary society. However, there also needs to be clarity, transparency andwidespread participation in any process by which “new” values are introduced intodecision-making frameworks. It is, therefore, instructive and necessary for futureorientedNSSDs to consider the universal normative framework which is emerginginternationally – particularly so because its emergence is, in large part, a responseto issues of environment, development and equity.An important Key“Integrating environment and development in decision-making” is particularlysignificant for NSSDs. It is a key principle of the UN Commission for SustainableDevelopment, and progress is regularly addressed in CSD sessions in twobroad areas: development of integrated NSDSs (the lack of progress in whichhas regularly been cited as a major problem); and valuation, natural resourceaccounting and other forms of integrated economic/environmental accounting.The International Development Goals – an integrated set of economic,social and environmental goals for sustainable development, selected by theOECD Development Assistant Committee (DAC).The Millennium Development Goals – set out in the Millennium Declaration,signed by 187 world leaders at the UN General Assembly on 8 September2000. Among these is the goal “to integrate the principles of sustainabledevelopment into country policies and programmes and reverse the loss ofenvironmental resources”, for which NSSDs are an acknowledged mechanism.Other sustainable development principles are becoming established ininternational law, principally through the framework of Multilateral EnvironmentalAgreements. These include (see also Chapter 5):The precautionary principle – if there are threats of serious or irreversibleenvironmental damage, lack of full scientific certainty should not be usedas a reason for postponing measures to prevent environmental degradation.167