Realizing the Future We Want

Abstract

The central challenge of the post-2015 UN development agenda is to ensure that globalization becomes a positive force for all the worlds' peoples of present and future generations. Globalization offers great opportunities, but its benefits are at present very unevenly shared. The continuous striving for improvements in materials welfare is threatening to suprass the limits of the natural resourse base unless there is a radical shift towards more sustainable patterns of consumption and production and resource use. Persistent inequalities and struggles over scarce resources are among key determinants of situations of conflict, hunger, insecurity and violence, which in turn are key factors that hold back human development and efforts to achieve sustainable development. Business as usual thus cannot be an option and transformative change is needed. As the challenges are highly interdependent, a new, more holistic approach is needed to addres them. Accordingly, this first report prepared by the UN System Task Team on the Post-2012 UN Development Agenda recommends: