47.    National Governments remain indispensable in shaping development paths and making them sustainable, and have many powerful tools at their disposal. There are attractive models for development among developing countries, many of which are making strong progress in areas such as renewable energy, social protection and food security (although this has to be seen in the context of often enormous inequities and uncounted environmental and social costs of rapid growth). Some are becoming aid donors. As surplus rather than debtor nations, they have extraordinary capacity to mobilize and deploy capital.

48.    The trend towards a more multipolar world may create a basis for a new and more fruitful cooperation between countries which moves beyond the stale dynamic seen in many current summit processes. Rather than the negative polarity of the current global division into North and South, the world needs a new, more proactive dynamic based on interdependence and mutual interests if we are to make progress on sustainable development.

49. Non-governmental actors have also become key players in international relations and sustainable development. In the private sector, progressive companies are moving away from the voluntarism of “corporate social responsibility” and towards much harder-edged, genuinely systemic approaches — both in their own activities (such as mainstreaming sustainability in supply chains through the use of standards or joining voluntary emissions trading markets) and in their public policy lobbying (for example, coalitions of companies demanding tougher emissions targets and greater long-term certainty in environmental regulation and pricing).

50. Many global and national civil society organizations and movements are breaking out of single-issue portfolios and searching for more cross-cutting agendas. These organizations have crucial roles to play in influencing and implementing sustainable development at both the national and global levels, as well as the potential to open up more political space for sustainable development.

51.    Finally, the explosive growth of social networking technologies is continuing to empower individuals — and to have highly unpredictable political consequences. If used responsibly, these technologies could unlock positive political outcomes, particularly if “crowdsourcing” platforms enable more collaborative, participatory and transparent approaches to governance and decision-making.