Researchers at Stockholm Environment Institute find mobilised citizens key to expanding meaningful public participation crucial to achieving sustainability goals.
In a honed discussion brief1 published earlier this year, researchers at Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) decisively unpack the challenges of expanding meaningful public participation crucial to achieving sustainability goals. This follows on from, what seems to be, a heightening of public participation globally. Indeed, as the authors note, the United Nations’ global online survey on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development used an unparalleled public outreach of more than 7.5 million people from over 190 countries.
Yet, although many international engagement frameworks for civil society exist, participation is both an urgent and vital aspect of the sustainability agenda. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) produced by the United Nations in 2015, specifically calls for “responsive, inclusive, and participatory and representative decision-making at all levels” (SDG 16.7). Despite this commitment, the authors argue that “coordinated action to improve public participation does not receive the same level of attention as some of the other SDGs – such as building resilient infrastructure or encouraging sustainable consumption.”
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