Information for integrated Decision-Making & Participation

Integrated Decision-Making & Participation (IDMP) has rapidly emerged as a potent strategic tool for achieving Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – a blueprint established by the United Nations for attaining global peace, prosperity, and protection of our planet. Fundamentally, IDMP weaves together diverse threads of information from a myriad of sources, fostering a collaborative environment that facilitates participatory decision-making. This comprehensive approach harnesses the power of information to drive robust, evidence-based strategies for sustainable development, thereby underpinning the realization of the 17 SDGs.

In the complex realm of sustainability, information forms the bedrock of any successful strategy. The more diverse and accurate the data, the better informed the strategies, and by extension, the more likely they are to succeed. IDMP, by centralizing the collection, analysis, and dissemination of relevant information, offers an efficient mechanism for transforming raw data into actionable intelligence. Decision-makers in governments, NGOs, or private sectors can therefore engage in efficient, informed policy-making, tailoring their strategies to local, regional, and global contexts.

Participation, on the other hand, infuses these data-driven decisions with a crucial human touch. It ensures that the voices of stakeholders at all levels – from grassroots communities to international organizations – are heard and factored into decision-making processes. This collaborative approach fosters a sense of ownership among stakeholders, facilitates the resolution of conflicts of interest, and ultimately, leads to more sustainable and acceptable outcomes.

The synergy of information and participation through IDMP directly contributes to the implementation of SDGs. Whether it's improving health and education (SDGs 3 and 4), promoting economic growth and decent work (SDGs 8 and 9), or tackling climate change (SDG 13), IDMP helps guide policy and practice towards sustainable outcomes by empowering stakeholders with the right information and ensuring their active participation in decision-making processes.

By mapping the intricate web of interdependencies between various SDGs, IDMP can also illuminate hidden opportunities for synergies and highlight potential pitfalls of trade-offs. The promotion of gender equality (SDG 5), for instance, not only stands as an objective in its own right but also catalyzes progress towards other SDGs such as quality education, reduced inequalities, and sustainable communities.

The drive to curb carbon emissions — and remove carbon from the atmosphere to the point where society is making a “net zero” contribution to CO2 levels — is essentially a scramble to secure our future on this planet. A new report from Elsevier aims to advance the understanding of research and innovation in net zero and how it supports the drive toward a clean-energy future.
Elsevier,

Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability, Volume 50, Pages A1-A8, 1-318 (June 2021)

This special issue of Current Opinion in Environmental Sustainability (COSUST) brings together a collection of articles on environmental sustainability in relation to those adverse climate impacts –slow onset events--which unfold gradually over time. The special issue helps identify the gaps and challenges in understanding slow onset events and their local, national, and regional impacts, and possible approaches to manage these.

United Nations University

Interconnections are central to the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Adopted by the UN General Assembly in 2015, the SDGs inspire global action to overcome the world’s related challenges — from hunger and poverty to equality and peace. Governments, businesses, civil society, and the UN system are working together to achieve the goals by 2030, and improve the lives of people everywhere.
The Lancet Countdown is an international collaboration that independently monitors the health consequences of a changing climate. Publishing updated, new, and improved indicators each year, the Lancet Countdown represents the consensus of leading researchers from 43 academic institutions and UN agencies.
Elsevier,

The Inequality of COVID-19, Immediate Health Communication, Governance and Response in Four Indigenous Regions, 2022, Pages 1-29

This chapter advances SDGs 3 and 10 by exploring the challenges faced by marginalized Indigenous communities experienced during the pandemic.
Elsevier,

The Inequality of COVID-19, Immediate Health Communication, Governance and Response in Four Indigenous Regions, 2022, Pages 241-258

This chapter advances SDGs 3 and 10 by examining the need for equality on the economically and politically marginalized societies.
Heightened emphasis on transparency and accountability through corporate governance and disclosure has renewed the focus on the ‘triple bottom line’—environmental, social and economic impacts. Environmental, social and corporate governance (ESG) reporting generally measures the sustainability and ethical performance of a company. There is increasing interest in the ESG performance of companies by various stakeholders. A range of mechanisms exist to shape CSR and foment voluntary reporting by companies on their ESG performance. Adhering to one such framework heightens credibility, and a proactive approach to sustainability presents opportunities while ensuring a company’s preparedness to embrace evolving legal requirements.
Private and public sector organisations are increasingly required to report on their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The UK approach has a bearing on SDG 13.
Droughts are extreme events that have major impacts on communities, ecosystems and economies due to slow onset and complex processes. Land and ecosystem degradation increase the risks of loss and damage during droughts, whereas well-adapted practices and policies can enable society to (re)build resilience. This review highlights actions needed to connect and fill gaps in the present systems for ecological and hydrological monitoring, governance, and alignment of economic incentives at regional, national and local scales.
The Warsaw International Mechanism for Loss and Damage has identified increasing temperatures as a key slow onset event. However, it is the resulting increases in short-term heat events — heatwaves — that have so far been the primary focus of risk assessment and policy, while gradual and sustained increases in temperature have received less attention. This is a global issue but particularly important in tropical and subtropical regions already chronically exposed to extreme heat.

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