The Policy-Driven Model

Central to the Consortium’s activities is formulating an integrated view of global policy responses to challenges of sustainability, based on inputs and views from multiple stakeholders representing elements of the Technology Triangle (and the NGO interfaces).

The proposed initiative turns conventional modeling strategies on their head -- by starting first with policy, then exploring the properties of a comprehensive and integrated view of the global system.

This strategy ensures that multiple perspectives are taken into account in the design of global policy while rendering explicit both sector-specific as well as stakeholder positions. Moreover, the Consortium seeks to establish a continuum of linkages to ensure that enabling technologies can be brought rapidly to bear on specific problems.

The Products

• Ease of access to extensive research capabilities in new areas of technology bearing on sustainable development
• Participation in briefings on enabling technologies and strategies for sustainable development
• Opportunity to shape the research agenda and initiatives of the consortium and bring specific issues to the attention of it’s members.
• Organization of working groups on policy implications of issues central to consortium activities
• Access to high-level institutional deliberations and policy innovations at the global level
• Ensuring a "voice" in the formulation of inputs into the policy driven model

The Terms

Please contact us for membership terms. Adjusted commitments as appropriate. Formal recognition of membership is to be acknowledged in all forums, including the GSSD Internet site, publications, and communication initiatives.

The Performance Factors

The Consortium will be responsible for regular, critical self-evaluation based on a number of measures of effectiveness, such as:

• Contributions to policy formulation and decision making
• Innovation and Intellectual quality of evolving knowledge bases
• Effective connectivity between new research and implementation
• Extent of enhanced communication across institutions
• Degree of "top to bottom" as well as "bottom to top" connectivity

In sum, the Consortium’s performance is measured in terms of advances in the 3 C’s -- Connectivity, Content, and Capacity -- for reducing the knowledge gap and enhancing the power of knowledge inputs into decision and policy, at all levels.

Institutional & Stakeholder Participation

Support from and participation of the following institutions in the series of Symposia on Global Accoreds for Sustainable Development has led to the establishment of the Consortium:

• Global Environment Fund
• Secretariat of the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development
• United Nations Development Fund
• United Nations Environment Program
• United Nations Population Fund
• MISTRA Foundation for Strategic Research, Sweden
• Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung, Germany
• The AT&T Foundation
• Alliance for Global Sustainability
• Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory
• The World Bank

In adddition, in-mind support and collaboration was extended by the following institutions:

• Secretariat of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change
• Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development
• Baker & McKenzie Foundation
• Lotus Development Corporation
• Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems
• World Business Council for Sustainable Development
• World Resources Institute
• The Earth Council
• United Nations University