The Global Commons Initiative
In October 2016, over 200 leading environment, development and system design thinkers met in Washington, DC to discuss how mobilization of leadership, technology, science, innovation and communication can help bring about the transformation in economic systems that the planet needs (see Our Global Commons: An International Dialogue).
The participants came together around a “shared purpose” included in a summary of key “principles”. The Dialogue was convened by the Global Environment Facility (GEF) and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), in partnership with the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), the Stockholm Resilience Centre (SRC), the World Resources Institute (WRI) and the World Economic Forum (WEF) Environmental Systems Initiative.
The Global Commons initiative aims to ensure the planet remains in “a safe operating space for humanity”. Its members warn that we are living beyond our means and putting untenable strain on the Earth’s resources. If we do not change our current approach, we could miss the Sustainable Development Goals but they said that change is possible.
To know more visit the Global Commons website.
The Guardian / GEF Partner Zone
In 2015, the world embarked on a new course – setting itself 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with 169 targets, to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure prosperity. Three years later, there is a wide agreement that achieving the SDGs will require nothing less than a transformative approach.
Many partners are adding their voices to the Global Commons Initiative. As part of The Guardian's Development 2030 campaign, we sponsored the “GEF Partner Zone” where leaders in the sustainable development community highlighted the state of the global commons and how to address the challenges we face to put the SDGs into practice