History of Regional Developments in the area of Sustainable Consumption and Production

One of the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), as described in Chapter 3 of the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPoI) was the need to change the way societies produce and consume, and the call for the development of a 10-year framework of programmes for sustainable consumption and production. The First (Marrakech, June 2003) and the Second (San Jose, September 2005) International Expert Meetings emphasised the need to promote social and economic development within the carrying capacity of the environment, and de-linking economic growth and environmental degradation through improving efficiency and sustainability in the use of resources and production processes and reducing resource degradation, pollution and waste.

UNESCAP seeks and actively promotes effective implementation in the Asia and Pacific region of relevant resolutions and recommendations including the following:

	Agenda 21 and Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) of the World Summit on Sustainable Development;
	Millennium Development Goals (MDGs);
	Shanghai Declaration adopted at the 60th UNESCAP Commission Session;
	Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific 2005 and its
	Regional Implementation Plan for Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific, 2006-2010;
	Resolution 61/9 Fifth Ministerial Conference on Environment and Development in Asia and the Pacific adopted at the 61st UNESCAP Commission Session.

The Green Growth approach adopted by the 5th MCED seeks to harmonize economic growth with environmental sustainability, while improving the eco-efficiency of the economic growth and enhancing the synergy between environment and economy. To improve the eco-efficiency of the economic growth, there is a need to improve the eco-efficiency of the production and the consumption patterns of the society.

Following its global mandate and UNEP has been successfully leading and substantively implementing and facilitating global and regional sustainable consumption and production initiatives, including regional expert meetings in Yogyakarta and Seoul in 2004 within the SCP 10 year framework. UNEP has developed technical guidelines, training materials, modules for SCP practices, and information systems. These, and other knowledge and technical tools as they are developed, need to be further disseminated and delivered to governments in the Asia and Pacific region. At the same time, good practices, and specific needs for support from the region should be collected and feed into the global framework.

At a number of regional meetings, at well as at the 1st and 2nd Committee on Managing Globalization and the 62nd Commission Session of UNESCAP the countries in the region have requested UNESCAP and UNEP to establish a regional Helpdesk on sustainable consumption and production.