THE UNITED-NATIONS DEPARTMENT FOR POLICY COORDINATION AND SUSTAINABLEDEVELOPMENT (DPCSD)

One important criterion for success on the slow path to sustainable de velopment is the integration of policy generally, but especially the i ncorporation of sustainability principles into all areas of policy. Th is is an objective of Article 130r of the European Union's Maastricht Treaty, and the new Blair government in the UK has recently claimed th at environmental matters will guide all areas of policy in the future. One problem, of course, lies in translating the principle of integrat ion into concrete changes on the ground. Another is securing agreement as to what are sustainability principles, followed by acceptance of e valuation and implementation procedures that guarantee that such princ iples get a fair hearing, That in turn requires openness of the proces s of auditing policy, as well as opportunities for reconstructing valu ation procedures such as risk management, cost benefit analysis, preca utionary action and eco-auditing in ways that bring to bear on safegua rding planetary survival processes and ensuring environmental and soci al justice in the allocation of gains and losses. Critics argue that t he UN is a notoriously bureaucratic and disaggregated organisation. Be low, Lowell Flanders documents what the UN is actually trying to do to create a sustainability audit in the heart of the policy procedure vi a its Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). Compared to ten yea rs ago, there is certainly progress. But because of continuing argumen ts over just what sustainable development actually is, the opportuniti es for creating a smokescreen over policy integration remain all too t empting. Copyright (C) 1997. All rights reserved.