This report represents the second review of the DESD and is conducted in the context of its Global Monitoring and Evaluation Framework (GMEF). It appears twenty years after the Rio Earth Summit, at a time where the challenge of SD is greater than ever. It is all the more timely because there is increased recognition that this challenge cannot be solved solely through technological advances, legislative measures and new policy frameworks. While such responses are necessary, they need to be accompanied by changes in mindsets, values and lifestyles and a strengthening of people’s capacities to bring about change.
The report shows that many governments, NGOs, UN agencies and indeed, companies are increasingly emphasizing the importance of learning and capacity-building as they search for solutions to sustainability challenges including climate change, disaster risk management, biodiversity loss and sustainable production and consumption.