Sustainable Development
The aim of sustainable development is to enable everyone to satisfy their basic needs and enjoy a better quality of life, without compromising it for future generations. All regional bodies support this principle and it is vital that we work towards our shared aim in a joined up and transparent fashion. The Regional Sustainability Framework (RSF) will help achieve this. The RSF updates the 2004 Integrated Regional Framework. Achieving our aims will require commitment and contributions from everyone - Government, businesses and individuals. The Sustainable Futures Group (SFG) has been created to lead the South East region's approach to sustainable development and the RSF is their first major piece of work. Current Work (updated June 2008)Regional Sustainability FrameworkThe Regional Sustainability Framework sets a common vision, two regional goals, four priorities and 24 objectives that will help guide sustainable development in South East England. All regional strategies and policies should follow RSF principles to ensure the actions of all South East England organisations contribute to a consistent vision of our sustainable future. The RSF contains a Sustainability Appraisal guide that aims to encourage regional and local organisations, businesses and community groups to review their own plans and strategies against the framework. This enables the sustainable development objectives to be integrated into our actions. Regular monitoring of RSF objectives will show our progress towards sustainable development. Consultation on a draft of the RSF ran from 3 September to 26 November 2007 and the final version was launched in June 2008. The Integrated Regional FrameworkInformation on the Integrated Regional Framework (2004), which has been replaced by the RSF, can also be downloaded. RAMEA - Sharing expertiseThe Regional Assembly has joined a partnership which aims to address the challenges of balancing social, environmental and economic constraints, whilst achieving sustainable development. RAMEA includes organisations in:
RAMEA (Regional Accounting Matrix including Environmental Accounts) aims to improve regional policies through the development of a new, standardised approach to help policy makers link environmental impact to the economic benefits of certain industrial sectors. It also enables inter-regional comparison of the environmental and economic implications of different industrial sectors. Work will be carried out simultaneously in the four countries, with two workshops later in the year to consolidate and agree a common methodology. The project is due for completion in October 2007 with a launch at Ecomondo the international Fair of Economy and Ecology in Rimini, Italy. For more information see: www.grow3c.com Links |
