Research project AS/DD/01A (Research action AS)
1. General context (international, national, etc.)
This contract is being carried out as part of Belgium’s effort to raise public awareness and carry out the commitments made by the Belgium government at the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development. It concerns more specifically the information required for taking decisions and changing consumption patterns.
2. Project description and aims
The themes are:
- information for decision-making (Agenda 21, Chapter 40)
- changing consumption patterns (Agenda 21, Chapter 4)
The aims are:
- summarising and pulling together the programme’s scientific results as well as data and information from other sources concerning sustainable development to provide a foundation for consistent policy-making.
- improving the data’s accessibility for all potential users (notably via the metadatabank).
- creating consultation platforms for policy-makers, researchers, and the people concerned, notably through conferences, seminars, and the Belnet network.
3. Expected results/outputs:
December 1997: first report on the first year of testing sustainable development indicators in Belgium and proposals for coordinating and increasing the effectiveness of the process (R1).
Mid-1998: Rio +5 policy review (as regards changes in consumption patterns) (R2).
End 1999: Report on three years of testing sustainable development indicators in Belgium and proposal of a first list of sustainable development indicators in line with Belgium’s priorities (R3).
End 2000: Scientific and policy guidelines for instituting ‘green accounting’ in Belgium (R4).
Mid-2001: Proposals for sustainable consumption in Belgium (targets and instruments), in conjunction with the Regions and Communities (R5).
4. (Potential) users
Policy-makers, major social groups (according to Agenda 21).
