Insert the principle of sustainable development into the Constitution; issue an act of address to ministers that express their responsibility for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda, as done by the President of the European Commission; insert an assessment of the expected impact on the 17 objectives and individual targets in the explanatory report of the legislative proposals; extend the obligation of non-financial reporting to medium and large companies; establish a permanent civil society consultation body with the Council Presidency to eliminate gender inequalities. These are some of the proposals for the governance of the relaunch policies that the Italian Alliance for Sustainable Development (ASviS) has presented to the General States, together with specific proposals aimed at relaunching the country with a view to more sustainable economic development, social and environmental.
“During these months of epidemic emergency, the over 600 experts from ASviS member organizations analyzed the impact of Covid-19 on the 17 Sustainable Development Goals and government measures in light of the 2030 Agenda and the 5 categories of the” transformative resilience “(protect, promote, prepare, prevent and transform). This analysis confirms that interventions aimed at transforming the socio-economic system into a sustainability perspective must now be strengthened, “said Pierluigi Stefanini, president of ASviS, which with 270 member organizations is the largest civil society network ever created in Italy.
“Italy is not on a path of sustainable development and the crisis caused by the pandemic makes the path towards the action plan signed by all UN countries even more impervious,” said ASviS spokesman Enrico Giovannini. “Our analyzes show the damage that the crisis is causing and will determine, but also the possibility that innovative public policies and forward-looking business strategies are able to transform our country making it more resilient, sustainable and fair, as indicated in the documents of the European Commission”.
The analyzes carried out in these months indicate, among other things, that:
- the crisis must be read as a function of the impact on the different capital stocks (and not only on the flows – the GDP), a depletion of which can determine the unsustainability of the entire system. The crisis has a negative and serious impact on economic capital, human capital and social capital. The impact on natural capital was positive during the lockdown, but can be negative in the restart phase;
- surveys conducted in recent months indicate that 63% of Italians believe that there is a need for an economic recovery centered on green issues and 71% think that if the government does not act immediately to combat climate change, it will have failed in its task;
- the crisis has increased citizens’ sensitivity to sustainable development and the demand for policies oriented to the 2030 Agenda, including those aimed at reducing unemployment and increasing income.
The ASviS Report, Policies to face the crisis from Covid-19 and implement the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, published on May 5, contains numerous proposals to change the orientation of policies and strengthen the positive signals already emerged with the Law of Budget for 2020. ASviS points out some transversal actions that would help the country to “rebound forward” towards a more sustainable development:
- the simplification of administrative procedures to allow rapid activation of public investments, also in view of the timely use of future European funds;
- the rethinking of the role of the state, to integrate and support the action of the private sector, for the protection of common goods and the promotion of economic behavior oriented to the well-being of all. This implies the acceleration of the transition to the circular economy, greater protection of workers’ health and rights, the extension to medium-sized enterprises of the obligation to report the social and environmental impact of their activity, the introduction of financing with public guarantee for sustainable development;
- the acceleration of the digital transition as a driver for sustainable development, to be combined with measures for the reconciliation of life and work (with particular attention to the female condition, which in this situation is likely to be sacrificed) through corporate welfare and smart working, with positive effects on mobility and advantages for the climate and air quality;
- to consider the state of health of natural capital as the basis of our health, our well-being and the development model, and to promote an action plan for housing policies, urban regeneration and the energy requalification of the building heritage;
- safeguard and strengthen the cultural infrastructure, in every territory and at national level, promoting an integrated relationship between the worlds of culture, education and tourism;
- take up the challenge of distance learning to improve access to knowledge, the quality of learning, reduce inequalities and also offer adults continuous training opportunities throughout their entire life span.
ASviS representatives also illustrated the “investment package for sustainable development for cities and territories”, which foresees interventions for 202 billion euros in ten years in the fields of the “green transition”, digital transformation, healthcare. and the fight against poverty.
Finally, the proposals put forward by the #educAzioni initiative, launched in recent days by ASviS and by eight other Italian civil society networks, were presented for the launch of an extraordinary program aimed at protecting the rights of girls, boys and girls. of teenagers facing the emergency. The plan is divided into five actions: starting from the first thousand days (initiative for the age group 0-6 years); open schools and make an educating community; initiatives to ensure that nobody is left behind; investing in education to invest in the future; a national strategic plan on childhood and adolescence.
