At the Rio+20 Conference, heads of state adopted a 10-Year Framework of Programmes on Sustainable Consumption and Production (10YFP). This ambitious framework aims to accelerate the transition to more sustainable modes of consumption and production (SCP) across both the developed and developing world.
A perennial problem of efforts to expand and mainstream SCP has been it’s enormous breadth. SCP covers everything from Sustainable Public Procurement, to Sustainable Tourism, to Sustainable Food Systems, to name only a few.
In order to harness and compartmentalize the huge amounts of information, the 10YFP Secretariat, hosted by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), created an online knowledge and information-sharing platform, divided into communities by both region and sector, called the Global SCP Clearinghouse.
This platform allows stakeholders from government, business, academia, civil society and anyone else involved in SCP to exchange information, search for collaboration opportunities, and highlight their projects, events and publications. The Global SCP Clearinghouse aims to be a one-stop hub, bringing together scattered information into a coherent space for an international community of SCP practitioners.
An entire section of the platform is dedicated to a community on Sustainable Food Systems, abuzz with activity as the 10YFP prepares to launch a new programme in this sector. Within this community, members can post initiatives, exchange publications, or organize web conferences, among the various tools at their disposal. The Global SCP Clearinghouse allows for porous exchanges of information across borders, so that a rice farmer in Laos can look at research being done in neighboring countries, or in continents far and wide.
The Global SCP Clearinghouse would like to be a loudspeaker for your work, spreading word about the innovative advances being made in the domains of food security, nutrition and sustainable agriculture. By registering as a member of the Global SCP Clearinghouse and uploading your projects, publications, news, or events, you will be exposing this important work to a vast international audience through a UNEP-convened platform.
As the recent Climate Summit in New York made clear, the challenges facing this planet are formidable and will not recede without passionate and active engagement. The food sector is at the forefront of this struggle, and moving forward will require unprecedented coordination among stakeholders and among nations.
The Global SCP Clearinghouse would like to play it’s part, by harmonizing information, allowing for key actors to communicate with one another, and showcasing what has worked and what is planned.
The dynamism and success of the platform comes directly from our members, who provide material and interact with the available tools and with one another. You are encouraged to take a moment and register, to explore the different tools available to facilitate access to your important work.
The SCP challenges of the 21st century will need to be met head on, and not by scattered actors pursuing narrow goals. The Global SCP Clearinghouse brings together stakeholders from across borders and sectors in order to rise to these challenges with a more coordinated, unified front.
You can register in just one minute in the Global SCP Clearinghouse at: http://www.scpclearinghouse.org/register.html
