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1.
The Concept of MOST
Given their global and complex character, major challenges of our time
require policy responses that are based on interdisciplinary scientific
knowledge. The theme of our Special Forum today: "Environment and Sustainable
Development", covers a number of such global and complex challenges, which
call for joint natural and social science research and transfer of reliable
knowledge to policy-makers. The international scientific programmes that
are present today constitute powerful instruments in this respect. I am
glad to represent here the Management of Social Transformations (MOST)
programme, which is an international social scientific undertaking, co-operating
actively with some of UNESCO's natural science programmes, such as IHP
and MAB. MOST looks forward to opportunities of co-operating also with
other scientific programmes of UNESCO, ICSU and ISSC. I hope that this
Special Forum will be an occasion to consider such co-operative initiatives.
MOST was established in 1994 as the first, and so far only, intergovernmental
social science programme of UNESCO.
Its three main goals are:
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fostering international social science research, through multinational
networks;
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bringing closer social research and policy-making;
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contributing to capacity building for research and policy-making in developing
countries in MOST-related areas.
MOST focuses its work on three broad areas:
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the management of multicultural and multi-ethnic societies;
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the governance of cities, as well as social and environmental issues in
urban areas;
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strategies for coping with the impact of globalization, with a particular
focus on environmental and economic processes.
Within these areas, there are a number of transversal dimensions, which
concern the above-mentioned areas, such as poverty and exclusion; sustainability
and sustainable development; international migrations and governance, are
also amongst MOST activities.
MOST participates actively in the follow-up process of major UN Conferences,
such as the Rio Conference on environment and development; the Cairo Conference
on population and development; the Copenhagen Summit on social development
and the Istanbul HABITAT-II City Summit.
MOST research projects are implemented through regional and international
networks, involving as a rule researchers from several countries. Users
of social science research, such as policy-makers, municipal executives,
and NGOs, are involved in the networks, interact with researchers. MOST
also implements practically-oriented field projects, in which expertise
arising from research groups is used in action in social development projects,
in co-operation with Member States and other UN Agencies, such as the UNDP,
UNFPA, UNDCP, as well as regional development banks.
In the remaining part of my address, I shall first refer to the connections
between the notions of social transformations and sustainable development,
and secondly, provide you with insights on the results of some of the on-going
MOST projects, which are of relevance to the theme of our Forum, as well
as the way they relate to policy-making.
2. Social Transformations and Sustainable
Development
Change is a universal condition of societies, and a basic concept of
the social sciences. Transformation is a more radical version of change.
It conveys the idea of a particularly deep and far-reaching change which
modifies, within a relatively limited time span, the configuration of societies.
The conditions created by the end of the cold war, as of 1989, were
seen as leading to such transformations in the world. Therefore, the notion
of social transformations started to be used widely in the social science
research and literature.
The concept of sustainable development initially referred to inter-relations
between socio-economic development and the environment. This was the theme
of the 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development, in
Rio de Janeiro. Since then, the concept of sustainable development was
enlarged to involve not only environmental sustainability, but also economic
sustainability and social sustainability. These three dimensions of sustainable
development require both scientific/analytical approaches and normative/policy
approaches. An exposition of such a broad definition of sustainable development
can be found in the MOST Policy Paper (N°
1, 1995) on "Searching for New Development Strategies". Another MOST policy
paper (N° 6, 1997) on "Sustainability: A
Cross-Disciplinary Concept for Social Transformations", elaborates on the
issue of sustainability and its inter-relations with social transformations.
It is obvious that today, any meaningful debate and work on sustainable
development should bring together the social and economic sciences as well
as environmental sciences, to develop joint, integrated research agendas.
3. Some Highlights on MOST Research and
Policy Projects Relating to Sustainable Development
I shall illustrate the MOST activities and approaches by presenting
a couple of projects concerning sustainability, local-global linkages and
urbanization:
3.1 "Sustainable development paradigm and policy: Sustainability
as a cross-disciplinary concept"
The natural sciences traditionally are involved in environmental research
to a very high degree. There is a need for a more systematic enlisting
of social scientific contributions to interdisciplinary research, training
and policy formulation in sustainable development. This is why MOST is
promoting new strategic efforts for research and policy-making concerning
sustainability, which concerns relationships between society and nature
over long periods of time.
The project entitled "Towards sustainable development paradigm and policy
- Sustainability as a cross-disciplinary concept for social transformations"
has concluded its first phase, devoted to "Sustainability as a concept
of the social sciences". The results provide a conceptual and methodological
framework for interdisciplinary co-operation between natural and social
sciences. They attempt a clarification of the analytical, normative and
strategic components of sustainability. It also provides guidance towards
the elaboration of emphasis to new indicators for sustainability, integrating
social, economic, institutional and ecological factors and parameters.
The outcomes of this first phase offer a promising basis for the forthcoming
second stage of this project which is entitled: "Towards Sustainable Development
Paradigms and Policies": Capacity Building and Networking for Comparative
Research and Policy Formulation.
UNESCO Chairs on Sustainable Development will be instrumental in capacity-building
for sustainable development in this second phase.
The UNESCO Chairs with their range of activities, such as international
symposia, short-term intensive training courses, summer schools and outreach
programmes geared to different stakeholder groups of society often have
managed to overcome traditional institutional barriers and to work towards
better university integration, both in terms of inter-faculty co-operation
and administration.
In UNESCO Chairs on sustainable development a broad variety of course
and outreach activities are offered to government officials, NGOs, media
representatives, unions, industrialists, community representatives. The
Chairs and networks are to constitute platforms of social exchange and
participate actively in creative social transformation processes.
3.2 Circumpolar Coping Processes
In a globalizing economy, people living in peripheral
regions tend to become more marginalized. But new forms of communication
offer opportunities for people in remote areas to participate in economic,
political and cultural networks world-wide. The focus of a book recently
published by the MOST network: Coping Strategies in the North is
how people living in Northern localities develop coping strategies in such
a situation. In 1999, with the support of MOST, the Circumpolar Coping
Processes Project (CCPP) has undertaken pilot studies to examine issues
related to socially and environmentally sustainable development in coastal
areas, and management alternatives to cope with global socio-environmental
change. One of the pilot projects is devoted to the organization and analysis
of a collection of data from communities living in selected coastal and
inland communities in Northern Russia, Norway, the Feroe Islands, Finland,
Sweden, Iceland, Greenland, as well as in two Canadian communities. The
analytical approach will be focused upon the understanding of globalization
and its impact on economy and culture. The assessment studies will be published
by MOST.
3.3 Capacity building and training project on sustainable development
and globalization
Together with the French NGO, Solagral, teaching tools and awareness-building
material have been produced on sustainable development and globalisation
with a view to assist Member-States in the training of educators and civil
servants. The first set of training material (currently available only
in French), entitled "Globalisation and Sustainable Development: what levels
of regulatory mechanisms?", deals with the general assessment of globalisation
and its actual impact on the conception and implementation of sustainable
development policies. It aims at giving the audience a general view of
the central problems related to the concept of sustainable development,
the various social representations of environment, the actors involved
in the definition of concrete solutions to environmental problems, and
the various economic and political instruments available for action. It
is a practical and simple tool for teaching and awareness-building.
3.4 In the urban projects of MOST, an example is the Network of Mediterranean
Coastal Cities:
The intersectoral project "Urban Development and Freshwater Resources:
Small Historical Coastal Cities" is a network in the Mediterranean, supported
by the MOST Programme, the International Hydrological Programme (IHP),
with the backup of the Coastal Regions and Small Islands Project (CSI)
and scientific inputs from the IOC.
Its aims and objectives are to sustain innovative experiences and operational
actions in the field of integrated approach to urban development in coastal
zones with a particular attention to the awareness and the information
of municipal decision-makers.
Three pilot projects are under way since November 1997: Essaouira (Morocco),
Saida (Lebanon), Mahdia (Tunisia). During the next biennium new project
sites will start in the Adriatic sea, for small historic coastal cities
in Croatia and Montenegro.
In Essaouira, the action plan for integrated urban development involves
priorities such as the restoration of the Median and rehabilitation of
the historic habitat; improvement of the quality of life and level of income;
protection of freshwater resources from saltwater intrusion; protection
of the dunes and coastal environment.
In all of the above examples of MOST projects, there is a strong interdisciplinary
element, with the participation of the environmental sciences, together
with the social sciences, as well as a concern with linking research, policy-making
and action.
Conclusion
The MOST Programme is committed to work on sustainable development issues,
from an international and interdisciplinary perspective. We have today
three requirements to meet: firstly, global challenges require globally
designed and conducted research. Secondly, social sciences and natural
sciences are to join forces to generate significant results; and thirdly,
we have to be more effective in transferring such results to policy-makers.
MOST is pro-active in its co-operation with the natural scientists and
looks forward to a new era of synergy and mutual endeavour, in the follow-up
process of the Budapest Conference.
We make the plea for a concerted and joint approach to obtaining greater
funding for international, inter-disciplinary research, through all avenues
for support. The social sciences in particular need stronger support and
funding for the significant contributions they can make to the vital field
of sustainable development, which is to be at the core of the new social
contract for science in the 21st century.
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