Sustainable Development Indicators: Proposals for a Way Forward

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Improving the way we measure progress can be an important leverage point in designing policies and taking action compatible with sustainable development. What have we learned from the design and use of indicator systems at the national level that can inform their more effective application in the future?

At the national level, one of the most ambitious efforts to coordinate indicator system development was made by the United Nations Commission for Sustainable Development (UNCSD). Starting in the mid-1990s, the United Nations Division for Sustainable Development (UNDSD), in cooperation with several countries, pilot tested and updated a menu of sustainable development indicators.

In preparation for an expert meeting on December 13–15, 2005, IISD was commissioned by UNDSD to prepare a review of experience with the indicator system and explore possible strategic directions for its future development. The resulting paper (PDF - 659 kb) reviews recent trends in the development and use of SD indicators; reflects on the role of the UNCSD's indicators; explores the advantages and disadvantages of a common global indicator framework; and offers a set of strategic options for proceeding with the work on indicators in the future.