The Johannesburg Plan of Implementation states that the main objective of the 10-year framework of programmes (10YFP) is to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production (SCP), thus promoting social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems by de-linking economic growth from environmental degradation.

After the substantive discussions held at the 3rd international expert meeting on the Marrakech Process (June 2007), there was a broad agreement that: "the 10-Year Framework of Programmes on SCP (10YFP) needs to be flexible and applicable to all regions according to their own regional/national priorities and needs. It could therefore be characterized as a global framework for action, clarifying the role and responsibilities of the relevant stakeholders in promoting SCP."

It was also suggested that 'the 10YFP could be an instrument to bring together the demand for SCP support from countries and regions and the supply of technical and financial services from UN Agencies, development cooperation institutions and other partners (business, NGOs, Task Forces, etc) to support the implementation and promotion of SCP initiatives".

The metaphor of a "brokering system" was used to suggest that the 10-Year Framework could facilitate the brokering of capacity building, technical and financial support, and information sharing to support the implementation and promotion of SCP. It was also suggested that a mapping of existing initiatives, programmes and policies is required; this mapping could support the development and implementation of the 10YFP.

The Process to develop the 10YFP

The process for the formulation of the 10YFP from now to 2010 will involve several iterations and includes consultation with key partners and stakeholders in the Marrakech Process:

• Consultation with the Advisory Committee of the Marrakech Process (to be established in the 1st quarter of 2008).
  
  
• Regional consultations, including multi-stakeholder forums, will serve as a key mechanism to revise and provide inputs to the development of the 10YFP, ensuring that all regions and stakeholders, governmental and non-governmental, can participate in the design and subsequently be engaged in the development and future implementation of the 10YFP.
  
• Consultations with the Marrakech Task Forces.
  
  
• Consultations with UN agencies having SCP work programmes and also with development cooperation agencies, both bilateral and multilateral.
  
  
• Consultation with major group stakeholders, especially SCP experts.

A questionnaire to receive feedback and inputs on the 10YFP is being developed and will be used in all the regional meetings. The first draft of the questionnaire has been developed and was tested at the 4th Regional Meeting on SCP in Latin American and the Caribbean (Sao Paulo, Brazil, 18-19 October 2007).

Objective of the 10YFP

The main objective of the 10YFP is to be a global framework for action on SCP that countries can endorse and commit to in order to accelerate the shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns, thus promoting social and economic development within the carrying capacity of ecosystems by de-linking economic growth from environmental degradation (as stated in the JPOI).

The main challenge is to provide not only the key programmes of the framework, but also the mechanisms for its implementation (financial support, capacity building, and technical assistance).

This is the value added of the Marrakech Process: the Process has begun to develop a number of toolkits and methodologies that could support implementation activities. However, more support is needed, especially more political and institutional support.

It is also important to engage actively the relevant intergovernmental organisations, both international and regional (e.g. World Bank, EC, NAFTA-CEC, NEPAD, MERCOSUR, CARICOM, regional MDBs, etc.) as well as the full spectrum of United Nations agencies (e.g. UNDP, UNIDO, UN HABITAT, UNCTAD, etc) and Regional Commissions.

Outline of the 10YFP

The graphic below illustrates the proposed outline/scheme for the 10YFP. This outline emerged during the Stockholm discussion, and uses the idea of a "brokering system", indicating that the 10YFP would link the "supply" of SCP support services (financial support, capacity building, technology support and know-how transfer, etc) with the "demand" for SCP services by regions and governments according to their stated needs and priorities.

(zoom)

The next steps to develop the 10YFP are the following:

1. Carry out a mapping exercise on the existing SCP-relevant mandates of UN agencies,
   
   
2. Carry out a mapping exercise to identify the "supply" of SCP programmes, capacity building, financial and technical support that is offered by i) UN Agencies, b) regional intergovernmental organizations, c) development agencies, d) business, e) NGOs and other Major Groups, f) Marrakech Task Forces, among other key stakeholders.
   
   
3. Develop a map and expand the database on existing SCP initiatives, programmes and projects in all the regions (Africa, Asia, Europe, Latin America, North America, West Asia). This will be accomplished by an online questionnaire that will be answered by regional SCP actors, with the support of UNEP Regional offices, UNDESA and other Marrakech Process stakeholders.
   
   
4. Identify the "Demand" for SCP support by analyzing the existing regional SCP strategies, needs and priorities as identified by the regional consultative meetings and other SCP related initiatives. The results will be reflected in a matrix highlighting the key SCP priorities, initiatives and needs in each region.
   
   
5. Based on the analysis of the supply and demand perspectives above, identify and select the most important and effective SCP programmes that are needed and should be integrated in the 10YFP. The selection of the programmes should be based on the outcomes of the regional consultations (demand side), considering the key SCP priorities identified by each region. The selection process should also consider the economic, social and environmental relevance, as well as the policy effectiveness of each programme.
   
   
6. Once the key programmes are selected, it will be important to identify effective implementation mechanisms for each of the programmes proposed. In order to ensure that the 10YFP is both practical and pragmatic efforts will be made to identify the following elements:
   
   • Technical assistance, capacity building and technology support
     
   • Financial support
     
   • Important partnerships and cooperation mechanisms active in implementation
     
   • Key actors that need to be involved
     
   • Lead organizations that could be responsible for coordination of activities
     
   • SCP indicators to measure progress.
     
     
7. Formalizing cooperation, building partnerships, task forces and networks among stakeholders (government, business, NGOs, UN agencies, etc): these schemes have the primary objective to support the implementation of concrete activities of the 10YFP through projects, programmes and/or knowledge networks. The Marrakech Task Forces are clear examples of effective mechanisms for cooperation. The cooperation dialogue with development agencies, Business and Industry Forum, and NGO Forum are important mechanisms under the Marrakech Process that could also play an active role as cooperation schemes for the 10YFP. Regional and international networks, initiatives and multi-stakeholder dialogues are also important mechanisms for the exchange of knowledge and know-how, for monitoring progress, and for building more cooperation around the regional SCP strategies and the global 10YFP.
   
   
8. Identifying the outreach that will be required for the implementation of the 10YFP, and proposing a monitoring and evaluation scheme with appropriate indicators (with regional differentiation) to measure progress in implementation of the overall 10YFP.

Click here to access the entire document of the 'Outline and Timeline of the 10YFP' (PDF - 1,32 MB)