a Charter Moment : Restructuring Governance

Abstract

We are living in a highly dynamic, human-dominated Earth Systemin which non-linear, abrupt and irreversible changes are not only possible but also probable. These changes require institutional structures capable of steering human society away from critical tipping points and irreversible change and ensuring sustainable livelihoods for all.We see 2012 as a chartermoment, a historic opportunity to transform the institutional framework for sustainable development (IFSD) to better address the critical issues and political dynamics in the 21st century. In this paper, we present The Hakone Vision on Governance for Sustainability in the 21st Century, which calls for a fundamental restructuring of the IFSD that (i) clearly articulates the aspirations of governance for sustainability including objectives and underlying values and norms, (ii) allows for meaningful and accountable participation by a wide range of actors to develop solutions from people for people and (iii) creates an architecture to include better configuration of actors, actor groups and their networks, as well as improved institutions and decision-makingmechanisms. We situate the Hakone Vision in the context of discussions of the IFSD and discuss our process for developing the Hakone Vision through a series of world café discussions involving academic experts on global environmental governance and policy practitioners working at the local, national and global level.With our assessment of the IFSDand the challengeswe face, we suggest that proposals for a Sustainable DevelopmentCouncil in the United Nations warrant further consideration, among others.