- What Government is doing
- Sustainable Development Programme
Sustainable Development Programme
The purpose of the cross-government Sustainable Development Programme is to oversee implementation of the UK sustainable development strategy, 'Securing the Future' (2005). The strategy was designed to move from words to action. To do that, it articulated a shared understanding of sustainable development and then set an ambitious programme for action. That understanding included a shared UK vision of sustainable development up to 2020 and definition of the five principles of sustainable development. The vision created the goal that would be delivered through the four priority areas starting with over 250 specific commitments.
Four years on from that strategy, it remains as relevant as ever. The strategy is being delivered through both strong policies to deal with specific symptoms of unsustainability (e.g. fuel poverty or obesity) and also by mainstreaming sustainable development across all government policy, operations and into wider society. It is this second aspect that the Sustainable Development Programme focuses on. An aim of the programme is to enable others to deliver sustainable development.
The commitments made in Securing the Future have now been met and, in fact, many expectations have been exceeded – for example the Climate Change Act 2008 that sets legally binding CO2 reduction targets. Despite this significant progress, we cannot say that we are developing sustainably, and our sustainable development indicators show that. The secretariat of the Sustainable Development Programme, which sits in Defra, is working towards a new focus and new commitments to re-energise the programme ensuring momentum is maintained.
Updated: 1 June 2009