246. Sustainable development policymaking needs to be based on the best and most up-to-date evidence. The past 20 years have seen major improvements in the quality of data and analysis regarding various aspects of sustainable development, in particular through a range of benchmark outlook reports on global climate change, energy, food and agriculture, water, health, gender, economy, employment, development and the environment. There is, however, no single comprehensive report that:

• Brings together assessments across sectors
• Provides policymakers with analysis of synergies and trade-offs across various aspects of sustainable development
• Identifies both areas of opportunity and dangerous tipping points
• Provides advice on areas for action across the entire sustainable development agenda

247. We believe that there is a need for a new global sustainable development outlook report, to be published on a regular basis and prepared jointly by a range of key international organizations and private sector entities, under the overall direction of the Secretary-General. The report would assess the state of key economic, social and environmental indicators and their interlinkages, making use of cutting-edge knowledge across all relevant sectors, in close cooperation with the global scientific community.

248. Such a report would focus on global trends and their possible impacts on people around the world. Each edition of the report could have a particular theme that it would explore in depth, starting, for instance, in the first release with the water-food-energy nexus.

249. The objective of producing the outlook report, beyond integrating information and analysis, would be to prompt officials from a diverse range of international organizations to work together, compare their analyses and assumptions about the future, draw in outside experts — including the best available scientific advisers — and consult with Governments. This would, in turn, create valuable shared awareness across various areas of the international system, thus acting as an engine for enhanced global policy coherence.

250. To be effective, the outlook report would need to be firmly anchored in existing policy processes and could be included in the agendas of international bodies and meetings, including potential new bodies such as a global sustainable development council (see below). In addition to any United Nations bodies, this could include regional forums such as the African Union summit or Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation and summit bodies such as G-20, as well as the governing boards of organizations participating in its preparation and other relevant institutions.

251. The implications of the many dimensions of the impact of human activity, including what scientists refer to as “planetary boundaries”, “environmental thresholds” and “tipping points”, are not yet understood in detail. Scientific enquiry is active across many fronts, but we still lack a holistic picture of where the planet is heading. In some areas, much effort is being made to coordinate research findings, especially those on climate change and ozone depletion. In other areas, the science is not as well developed, nor are the compounding effects of various environmental, economic and social pressures sufficiently understood.

252. Given the rate of change in science, information on its implications for policymaking is often not available to decision makers. There is a pressing need for better integration of science into policymaking on sustainable development at all levels. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, set up in 1988, provides a powerful example of one possible approach to accomplishing this: over its nearly 25 years of operation, the Panel has not only synthesized and reviewed the best available scientific data, but has also acted as a platform for discussion of the issue, paving the way for Governments to act.

253. The time is ripe for broader and bolder intergovernmental efforts to strengthen the interface between science and policy and to define, through science, the economic, social and environmental consequences of decisions. Similarly, we need to deepen our understanding of the social and economic challenges faced by poor people and developing countries, while recognizing that thresholds should not be used to define growth ceilings. Improved access to scientific expertise would strengthen the capacity of the United Nations in this area.

Recommendation 50
254. The Secretary-General should lead a joint effort with the heads of relevant international organizations, including relevant United Nations agencies, international financial institutions, the private sector and other relevant stakeholders, to prepare a regular global sustainable development outlook report that brings together information and assessments currently dispersed across institutions, and analyses them in an integrated way.

Recommendation 51
255. Governments and the scientific community should take practical steps, including through the launching of a major global scientific initiative, to strengthen the interface between policy and science. This should include the preparation of regular assessments and digests of the science around such concepts as “planetary boundaries”, “tipping points” and “environmental thresholds” in the context of sustainable development. This would complement other scientific work on the sustainable development agenda, including its economic and social aspects, to improve data and knowledge concerning socio-economic factors such as inequality. In addition, the Secretary-General should consider naming a chief scientific adviser or establishing a scientific advisory board with diverse knowledge and experience to advise him or her and other organs of the United Nations.