Government newsletter - Stockholm+40 - international conference on sustainability and innovation
24 april 2012

Stockholm+40 - international conference on sustainability and innovation

The 23 of April is the start of the international conference Stockholm+40 - Partnership for Sustainable Development at Münchenbryggeriet in Stockholm.

The Government has, through Ministers Lena Ek and Gunilla Carlsson, invited decision-makers, young people, the business sector, civil society and researchers from all over the world to highlight new ideas and cultivate alliances through constructive dialogues on the conferences three themes: sustainable innovations, sustainable production and sustainable living.

The overall objectives of the conference are to:

  • offer key actors a platform for dialogue on concrete measures to promote sustainable development - including good examples of sustainable innovations, sustainable production and sustainable living;
  • arrive at clear messages and recommendations for sustainable innovations, sustainable production and sustainable living that can be communicated to decision-makers at Rio+20, to show how a green economy can become a reality;
  • form new alliances for sustainable development that make it possible to put the commitments made by decision-makers at Rio and earlier UN meetings on sustainable development into practice; and
  • highlight young people's views and proposals for solutions and approaches, both during the Stockholm+40 conference and as an input to Rio+20.

The results of discussions during the Stockholm+40 conference will be summed up in dialogues with invited ministers and passed on to decision-makers at the UN summit on sustainable development in Rio in June 2012, Rio+20. On 25 April, the ministers will also meet for a separate ministerial dialogue to be held at the Riksdag, which will also be summarised in a number of messages to Rio+20.

History from 1972

The conference is being organised to commemorate the first UN global conference on the human environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. It was the first major global environmental meeting arranged by the United Nations and the 1972 conference is seen as the first milestone in the field of sustainable development. On the initiative of Sweden, the issue of the environment had been raised for discussion at overall UN level for the first time ever. The conference resulted in a declaration and an action programme. As a direct result, the United Nations General Assembly created the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) the same year.

What is sustainable development?

In 1987, the Commission chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland defined sustainable development as "development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs". The three dimensions of sustainable development - economic, social and environmental - are to be in harmony and mutually reinforcing. At the UN World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg in 2002, the concept of sustainable development was recognised as an overarching principle in the activities of the United Nations. This makes it possible to continue to promote sustainability as a broad and holistic development agenda.

Sustainable innovations

Old technology and approaches that consume too many of the Earth's resources are a thing of the past. We now need new solutions that build on close cooperation between actors in the research community, the business world and the financial sector. Several examples of fresh innovations and cooperation will be highlighted during Stockholm+40.

Sustainable production

Creating incentives for companies to make their production more sustainable and take greater social responsibility requires that decision-makers, researchers and the business sector think in new and different ways. At the conference, these actors will meet to show what is already being done and get inspiration and new ideas for productive solutions.

Sustainable living

Today we know that the ecological footprint of the average person is too large. How do we find a sustainable balance whereby everyone can enjoy an acceptable standard of living without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs? Young people have a key role to play here, and they will have the opportunity during Stockholm+40 to give their views of how we can create a sustainable society.

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