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  4. Overcoming “short-termism” To Secure a Better Future

Overcoming “short-termism” to secure a better future

(Long term trends and scenarios on crisis response and recovery and the SDGs)

Integrating long-term thinking and decision-making into policy making is an essential part of sustainable development for the current and future well-being of people and planet. The historic World Commission on Environment and Development's 1987 Brundtland report “Our Common Future”, for example, defines sustainable development as “development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”.

The Secretary-General has recently emphasized the risks of ‘short-termism’ and the importance of taking fully into account long-term policy impacts in his report “Our Common Agenda”, including through his proposal for a Summit of the Future, which Member States have decided to convene in 2024 to complement and further the outcomes of the 2023 SDG Summit.

At the halfway mark of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the SDGs are slipping from the world’s grasp. The succession of global crises over the past few years has battered numerous countries. Yet by embracing long-term economic and social development and environmental protection strategies, nations and the world can still transform to deliver on the vision and promise of the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs and on achieving sustainable development for current and future generations. Sustainable development scenarios show that the SDGs and climate targets are still within reach and that there are possible pathways towards ensuring decent living standards for all.

This session will present different perspectives and experiences and engage participants in a dialogue on overcoming ‘short-termism’ and focusing on integrating long-term, forward-looking approaches to advance sustainable development and secure a better future for all. It will apply long-term thinking and analysis to the policies and multilateral collaboration needed to accelerate the recovery from COVID-19 and the full implementation of the 2030 Agenda at all levels, for the year 2030 as well as to the future far beyond.

The discussion will be informed by the Secretary-General’s reports on this year’s ECOSOC High-level Segment and HLPF theme (E/2023/78) and on long-term future trends and scenarios: impacts on the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals (E/2023/89).

Proposed guiding questions:

  • In the light of several current and interlinked crises, how can policymakers balance the need for immediate action with a longer-term perspective on the sustainability of policy measures and their long-term impacts on society, the economy and the environment? How can multilateral responses be strengthened to overcome short-term planning and uncoordinated national responses to global crises?
  • What are some examples of impactful policies and initiatives that have taken a long-term perspective in economic, social and/or environmental challenges? What lessons can be extracted from them and scaled up?
  • How can we better integrate knowledge and expertise into policymaking processes, to ensure that decisions are based on sound evidence and a comprehensive view of the long-term implications of policy options?
  • What can we learn from recent developments in terms of feasible science and technology futures? What are the most desirable futures? How might science and technology differ in 2030 and 2050, compared to today? Do long-term scenarios take such future differences into account?

Chair:

  • H.E. Mr. Albert Ranganai Chimbindi, Vice President of ECOSOC (Zimbabwe) (3:00 PM - 4:15 PM)
  • H.E. Mr. Maurizio Massari, Vice President of ECOSOC (Italy) (4:15 PM - 5:30 PM)

Presentation:

  • Ms. Maria-Francesca Spatolisano, Assistant Secretary-General for Policy Coordination and Inter-Agency Affairs of UN DESA

Interactive panel discussion

Moderator:

  • Mr. Andrew Revkin, Director, Initiative on Communication Innovation and Impact, Columbia Climate School, Columbia University

Panelists:

  • Ms. Izabella Teixeira, Co-Chair, International Resource Panel, Brazil
  • Dr. Jennifer Dixon, Chief Executive, The Health Foundation, United Kingdom
  • Ms. Shonali Pachauri, Leader of the Transformative Institutional and Social Solutions Research Group, International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA), Austria
  • Ms. Yasmine Kumi, Founder and Executive Director, Africa Foresight Group

Lead Discussants:

  • Ms. Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez, Commissioner of New York City Department for the Ageing
  • Mr. Jerome Bellion-Jourdan, Deputy Secretary General of the International Organization of Employers (IOE)
  • Ms. Kehkashan Basu, Founder-President, Green Hope Foundation, Canada, youth speaker

Ministerial Respondent:

  • H.E. Ms. Noor Ali AlKhulaif, Minister of Sustainable Development, Bahrain
  • H.E. Mr. André Moz Caldas, Secretary of State for the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, Portugal
  • H.E. Ms. Lenora Qereqeretabua, Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs, Fiji

Interventions of other Ministers and participants