Towards Gender Equality in Global Sustainable Consumption and Production Agreements

Abstract

In May 2011, high-level representatives of the Sustainable Development divisions of UN member states failed to reach agreement over a ‘Ten Year Framework of Programmes’ (10YFP) for Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP). The failure of negotiations at the UN Commission on Sustainable Development’s (UNCSD) nineteenth session has been framed as a hindrance to the achievement of a more sustainable global economic architecture at the ‘Rio+20’ meetings to be held in June 2012. There it is hoped that global leaders will agree upon new solutions for environmentally wasteful and socially detrimental production and consumption practices. However, the failure to settle on a plan for the 10YFP should not be seen as a setback on the road towards Rio+20. Rather, the events in May 2011 should be considered as providing an essential opportunity to rethink the underlying assumptions of the SCP debate.

The author would like to express gratitude to the Council of Women World Leaders and the Italian Ministry of the Environment, Land, and Sea for support provided during the research phase for this chapter. The author is solely responsible for the opinions and information expressed here.