nssd: Vital development tool or empty acronym?

NGOs across the world are being asked to get involved with a range of processes for informing national development plans. Among these are National Strategies for Sustainable Development (nssd).

UK development and environmental NGOs (co-ordinated under the Development and Environment Group) felt that, despite nssds being a potentially useful development tool, there was little awareness among NGOs about nssds or of formal government commitments to generate and implement them.

This called for a workshop to increase NGO understanding and analysis of the potential benefits and pitfalls of nssdDs, and to sharpen NGO engagement with nssds if appropriate.

Agenda 21, agreed at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, called on all countries to introduce national strategies for sustainable development (nssd). Since then, two international targets have been set: a Special Session of the UN General Assembly (Rio +5) set a target date of 2002 for nssds to be introduced; while the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) has set a target date of 2005 for nssds to be in the process of implementation.

To assist in meeting these targets, the OECD/DAC initiated a project to develop policy guidance for development assistance agencies on the development and implementation of nssds. This project, 'OECD/DAC Donor-Developing Country Dialogues on National Strategies for Sustainable Development', involves a review of experience with nssds (and other strategies for environment and development) in a number of developing countries, on the basis of consultations with a range of stakeholders. The project focuses in particular on the kinds of processes and conditions required to make nssds work in practice.

NGOs across the world are being asked to get involved with a range of processes for informing national development plans. Among these are National Strategies for Sustainable Development (NSSDs). UK development and environmental NGOs (co-ordinated under the Development and Environment Group) felt that, despite NSSDs being a potentially useful development tool, there was little awareness among NGOs about NSSDs or of formal government commitments to generate and implement them. This called for a workshop to increase NGO understanding and analysis of the potential benefits and pitfalls of NSSDs, and to sharpen NGO engagement with NSSDs if appropriate.

What is an NSSD?

The idea for NSSDs emerged from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit with Agenda 21, the action plan launched at Rio, calling on all countries to develop a national strategy for sustainable development. The concept was reinforced by the UN’s 1997 5-year follow-up meeting to Rio, which called for NSSDs to be in place by 2002. The OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) incorporated the concept in its International Development Targets proposing ‘the implementation of an NSSD in all countries by 2005’ in order to achieve the wider environmental target of reversing the loss of biodiversity by 2015.

DAC defines an NSSD as ‘ a strategic and participatory process of analysis, debate, capacity strengthening, planning and action towards sustainable development’.

What emerged from the workshop?

The seminar included presentations from NGOs, DFID and from the World Bank and a rich discussion, in breakout groups, around six basic questions:

What are the main likely obstacles to the success of NSSDs?

How useful or problematic are the links and overlaps between NSSDs and other donor processes?

How should UK NGOs and their Southern partners support or challenge NSSD processes?

What relevant good practice studies or policy-formulation processes do you know which clarify economic, environmental and social issues in ways that encourage meaningful civil society-policy-maker discussions?

What further information is needed for civil society groups to take action on NSSDs and related processes?

What specific action does your organisation, or organisations you work with, plan around the NSSDs or related frameworks?

There was general recognition that NSSDs present a potentially important opportunity for mainstreaming pro-environment and pro-poor policies into development policy and planning. At the same time, a number of obstacles need to be overcome, and risks avoided, in order to reap this opportunity. This merited more active and informed engagement by UK development and environment NGOs. Key issues included:

The multiplicity of development planning processes and the danger of ‘strategy overload’ undermining commitment to and participation in NSSD processes

The consequent need to work for ‘strategy convergence’ and to ensure adequate financing for NSSDs.

The way that international policy processes (such as trade negotiations) and the behaviour of other countries (through climate-change inducing emissions for example) have implications for the sustainability of a nation’s development path.

The consequent need for NSSDs to grapple with such international processes and trans-boundary problems, and to be accorded a status in international negotiations.

The lack of awareness around NSSDs, of available information and examples of good practice

The consequent urgent need for further research and dissemination of information on the potential of NSSDs and how to participate.

A number of specific follow-up tasks were agreed including the commitment by the DEG to establish an e-mail list for those wishing to share information and analysis on NSSDs, to collate and distribute a list of information sources, and to convene another workshop in a year’s time to assess developments.

		Updated 10 June, 2003