Papers by Uchita de Zoysa
Once the decision was made to conduct an independent review, as there was no space for collaborat... more Once the decision was made to conduct an independent review, as there was no space for collaboration with the official VNR, the first act was to establish a broader partnership for engagement and then to define a methodology for conducting the reviews.
The Regional Paper was formulated by Mr. Uchita de Zoysa, as the Consultant for CANSA. He is the ... more The Regional Paper was formulated by Mr. Uchita de Zoysa, as the Consultant for CANSA. He is the Execu ve Director of Centre for Environment and Development (CED) and Chairman of Global Sustainability Solu ons (GLOSS). The consultant was assisted by Associate Researchers Dr. Sajith Wijesuriya and Ms. Avishka Sendanayake in conduc ng the study. Ms. Steshini Corea, intern, also contributed towards conduc ng the study. Climate Change Ambi on in South Asia and COVID-19 Recovery Affec ng the Na onally Determined Contribu onsof South Asian Countries To contribute to inclusive enhanced NDCs, a project consor um is currently implemen ng the project "Par cipatory NDCs for a climate-just response in COVID-19 world" with funding from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Coopera on and Development (BMZ). The consor um is composed of CARE Germany (as formal lead), Climate Ac on Network Interna onal, Climate Ac on Network South Asia (CANSA), and civil society partners in Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Tanzania, and Uganda. To point to good examples and ways to enhance the new and updated NDCs, the consor um partners' intent to prepare an analysis of recently submi ed and proposed NDCs, has resulted in a report. Background, Methodology and Scope of the Study Climate Change Ambi on in South Asia and COVID-19 Recovery Affec ng the Na onally Determined Contribu onsof South Asian Countries Climate Change Ambi on in South Asia and COVID-19 Recovery Affec ng the Na onally Determined Contribu onsof South Asian Countries Disaster risk reduc on / Risk mngt.
Routledge Taylor & Francis Group, 2011
Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy, 2011
Sustainability: Science, Practice, & Policy, 2012
- Global Challenges & The Pursuit of SD - Global combat against socioeconomic problems co... more - Global Challenges & The Pursuit of SD - Global combat against socioeconomic problems covering climate change to poverty - The international SD process & The 2030 Agenda - Post2015 Development Agenda & the SDGs - Replaning the enterprise pathway- aligning technological innovations as a new approach in emerging businesses - The necessary transformation – economic prosperity, social equity, and environmental sustainability
Keynote presentation at the High Level Meeting on Implementing National Commitments to the 2030 A... more Keynote presentation at the High Level Meeting on Implementing National Commitments to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, Oct 1, 2012
Sustainable Production Consumption Systems, 2009
... This report which is conducted through surveys with US and UK consumers says that civil socie... more ... This report which is conducted through surveys with US and UK consumers says that civil society ... to be more sen-sitive to issues such as waste management, product certification and testing ... Apart from price and quality, they want to know how, where and whom has produced ...
Natural Resources Forum, 2007
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2008
Although there have been commendable proclamations over the past 3 yr, actual initiatives to cult... more Although there have been commendable proclamations over the past 3 yr, actual initiatives to cultivate more sustainable modes of consumption have not materialized and there are indications that an implementation gap is becoming manifest. . . . researchers met in Oslo for the final workshop of a 3-yr project on the development and utilization of indicators for sustainable consumption.
Sustainability: Science, Practice and Policy, Apr 1, 2011
In preparation for another Earth Summit in 2012, Professor Mohan Munasinghe, a former vice-chair ... more In preparation for another Earth Summit in 2012, Professor Mohan Munasinghe, a former vice-chair of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has proposed establishing the Millennium Consumption Goals (MCGs) for the rich on the planet. This proposition has already gained considerable international support and the MCG Initiative is now gathering momentum in the United Nations and at many subsidiary levels (i.e., country, city, community, enterprise, and even individual) and is being pursued by a broad network of stakeholders from civil society, business, academia, and government. The proposal states that the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were formulated by the United Nations on behalf of the poor and the MCGs would constitute a complementary process to facilitate sustainable development on Earth. The imminent failure of the MDGs in terms of poverty eradication might prompt some to question the value of the MCGs. At the same time, prior efforts to voluntarily regulate the behavior of the overconsuming 20% of the planet’s population have not been successful and the MCGs will require serious political willpower and an international mandate to succeed. From another perspective, the MCGs may provide impetus to the MDGs by focusing on managing the consumption patterns of the rich, who continue to deprive the poor of consumption opportunities. In this context, the focus of the MCGs should be not only to shift the consumption of the rich toward sustainability, but also to ensure that the poor have adequate consumption opportunities and the growing consumer classes in the developing nations adopt more sustainable modes of consumption.
The 1992 Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro mobilized a massive network of civil society and non-gove... more The 1992 Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro mobilized a massive network of civil society and non-governmentalorganizations and engaged in a historical dialogue on sustainable development. This year, in June 2012, when the world reconvened in Rio de Janeiro for Rio+20 Earth Summit the fragmentation of civil society was more obvious than ever. While the nations of the world tussled with the official documents and the statements and proclamations, a vigorous initiative to formulate Peoples’ Sustainability Treaties begun to take shape that presents an alternative, grass-roots view of peoples aspirational pathways to sustainable futures. The Widening Circle (TWC), a campaign for a global citizens movement, joining forces in Rio de Janeiro to see beyond the summit and plan collectively our transition to the great transition towards sustainable futures. Knowing that time is ripe for catalytic campaign to evolve a powerful and coherent movement expressing a supranational identity and building n...
This article was submitted without an abstract, please refer to the full-text PDF file.
Convergence between MDGs and SDGs: a huge and necessary challenge At the Rio+20 Summit the United... more Convergence between MDGs and SDGs: a huge and necessary challenge At the Rio+20 Summit the United Nations General Assembly (GA) resolved to put in place a set of Sustainable Development Goals (§ 245-251 of “The Future We Want”). For this purpose, an Open Working Group for Sustainable Development Goals was established on 22nd January 2013 by decision 67/555 (see A/67/L.48/rev.1) of the GA. Since that decision, several meetings of the Open Working Group have taken place at which numerous representatives from governments and civil society have expressed the view that the post 2015and the SDG-framework should be merged into a single process. Although by no means a simple task, the authors of this article are in support of such a merger, arguing it is necessary to fully transform the development agenda, putting environmental sustainability at its core, and avoid the development of “green MDGs” that simply enable business-as-usual. The predominant focus of development cooperation on a “tr...
Journal of Industrial Ecology, 2008
Although there have been commendable proclamations over the past 3 yr, actual initiatives to cult... more Although there have been commendable proclamations over the past 3 yr, actual initiatives to cultivate more sustainable modes of consumption have not materialized and there are indications that an implementation gap is becoming manifest.. .. Research must begin to systemically integrate initiatives to promote improvements in quality of life, to distinguish long-term structural consumption trends, and to identify the social mechanisms and cultural aspects of consumer behavior and household decision making. researchers met in Oslo for the final workshop of a 3-yr project on the development and utilization of indicators for sustainable consumption. This initiative was sponsored by the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and led by the Society for Non-Traditional Technology (SNTT) and the Research Center for Life Cycle Assessment at the Institute for Advanced Industrial Science and Technology. 1 The project built on prior work in sustainable consumption and enabled researchers involved in this area to engage in an extended period of structured exchange (Hertwich et al. 2005). 2 A frequent point of discussion during the event in Norway was the growing divergence between official statements made during the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) in Johannesburg in 2002 regarding the need to foster more sustainable consumption and the paucity of actual achievements meeting this ob
Mahatma Gandhi once said that the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing ... more Mahatma Gandhi once said that the difference between what we do and what we are capable of doing would suffice to solve most of the world’s problems, and that you must be the change you wish to see in the world. This generally is the case for consumer activism too. Consumer activism, according to the International Organization for Consumer Unions, is intended to eliminate the frustrations of consumers regarding goods and services. The mission of consumer movements is to redress fundamental imbalances in society for the consumer’s benefit and to make society more responsive to the consumer’s needs and interests. The debate on sustainable consumption between developed and developing countries is far from settled. Therefore, this chapter provides a developing country perspective on sustainable consumption that may help consumer activists formulate their visions, strategies and action plans. Consumer activism in developing countries should be analyzed, appreciated or condemned in terms ...
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Papers by Uchita de Zoysa
In the absence of a proper engagement process for an inclusive transformation and methodological approach for an honest and scientific review, the Sri Lanka Stakeholder SDG Platform (SLS-SDG Platform) has since 2018 conducted an Independent Monitoring, Evaluation & Review Mechanism for the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs.
The independent reviews in 2022 were a large effort of over 200 reviewers and 260 organizations through consultation conducted across the country. The contributions have come from a larger number of representatives representing Government Institutions, Provincial Councils, Local Authorities, CSO, Business, Academic, Local Government, Associations, Unions and all other stakeholders. Experts, Activists, Entrepreneurs, Academics, Scientists, Professionals, Children, Youth, Women, Elders and all other Major Group representatives.
The Micro Assessment is based on measuring the progress of the 169 Targets through the 244 UN Global Indicators and Localised Indicators if available and relevant.
The Macro Assessment is based on 30 Key Aspects under 05 Main Areas relevant to the broader transformation. The five transformative areas identified for the Macro Assessment includes (i) Systems Change: Integration and Mainstreaming Review (ii) Political Commitment: Policy and Institutional Coherence Review (iii) Continuous Assessment: Monitoring, Evaluation, Follow-up & Review (iv) Leaving No One Behind: Localising, Subnational Level and Stakeholder Engagement Review, and (v) Means of Implementation: Financing, Technology and Accountability Review. Each SDG’s progress there for is assessed based on the performance on the SDG Targets and Key Transformative Aspects.
Objective: Independent monitoring, evaluation and review
Strategy: Inclusive engagement, data democracy, methodological assessment, transformative dialogue, etc.The Micro Assessment is based on measuring the progress of the 169 Targets through the 244 UN Global Indicators and Localised Indicators if available and relevant.
The Macro Assessment is based on 30 Key Aspects under 05 Main Areas relevant to the broader transformation. The five transformative areas identified for the Macro Assessment includes (i) Systems Change: Integration and Mainstreaming Review (ii) Political Commitment: Policy and Institutional Coherence Review (iii) Continuous Assessment: Monitoring, Evaluation, Follow-up & Review (iv) Leaving No One Behind: Localising, Subnational Level and Stakeholder Engagement Review, and (v) Means of Implementation: Financing, Technology and Accountability Review. Each SDG’s progress there for is assessed based on the performance on the SDG Targets and Key Transformative Aspects.
The proposed ‘Domestic Resource Mobilization Framework for SDGs in Sri Lanka’ is a linkages model of elements, facilitating the recalibration of the contexts that SDGs are implemented across the governance tiers and supported by tools. It intends to support the efforts of the Government and its stakeholders towards implementing the SDGs in Sri Lanka. The Framework provides a platform to design policy instruments and strategic interventions towards advancing sustainable development.
The objective of the Framework is to engage public, private, civil society and all stakeholders at national, subnational and community levels in reimagining domestic resource mobilisation, reorganising the resource flows, and reinvesting in transformational pathways towards the recalibration of the context of implementing the SDGs.
i. Reimagining domestic resource mobilisation is about recalibrating the approach to strategic foresight and transformative action towards advancing sustainable development.
ii. Reorganising the resource flows is about recalibrating the approach to resource governance and redesigning of the policy frameworks and institutional structures towards facilitating a circular economy.
iii. Reinvesting in transformational pathways is about recalibrating the approach to ecosystem services and innovative financing towards facilitating a new state of inclusive prosperity.