2022/06/13     Dresden, Germany

Image: scanrail/iStock

UNU Rector Dr David Malone as well as UNU-FLORES experts Prof. Edeltraud Guenther and Prof. Kaveh Madani contributed to the Stockholm+50 EMG report.

The UN General Assembly convened an international meeting entitled “Stockholm+50: a healthy planet for the prosperity of all – our responsibility, our opportunity” in the Swedish capital from 2–3 June 2022. It commemorated the passage of 50 years since the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment and its outcome documents.

Seeking to accelerate the implementation of commitments in the context of the Decade of Action for delivering the Sustainable Development Goals, the two-day conference concluded with a call for commitments – not just in word but in deed – to urgently address global environmental concerns and for a just transition to sustainable economies for all. Central to these would be prioritising human well-being and prosperity for all and accelerating transformations of high-impact sectors among others, as outlined in a statement from co-hosts Sweden and Kenya.

“Fully addressing the triple planetary crisis remains impossible without a profound commitment to enhanced knowledge sharing, capacity building, open information exchange, and technology transfer. For this reason, we must effectively and urgently improve global access to relevant data, science, and information to stimulate technological innovations, enable evidence-based and inclusive policymaking, and empower all societies to achieve sustainable development.”

– Dr David Malone, Rector, United Nations University, in “Delivering on the Vision of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration and Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”

As a contribution to Stockholm+50, UNU experts – Dr David Malone, Prof. Edeltraud Guenther, and Prof. Kaveh Madani – contributed to the reports “Delivering on the Vision of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration and Achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” and “The Impact of the Stockholm Conference on the UN System: Reflections of 50 Years of Environmental Action” prepared by the UN Environment Management Group (EMG).

Stockholm+50 offers a great opportunity for further aligning and operationalising existing commitments on the environment across the UN System. UNU’s ongoing cooperation with EMG supports efforts in streamlining greener policies and strengthening sustainability strategies. UNU-FLORES Director, Prof. Edeltraud Guenther, serves as UNU’s senior representative to EMG.

A UNU social media campaign (#FutureTheYouthWant) inviting youths to share their visions of the future fifty years from now is still welcoming input from all around the world.