Belgian Report to the Eighteenth Session of the Commission on Sustainable Development Table of Contents Part I: National reporting guidelines for CSD­18/19 thematic areas 1. Common issues 1.1. Institutional capacity building, National legal frameworks and administrative or other measures of relevance & Participation of Major Groups, in particular women and local communities, in decision‐making and implementation 1.2. Education, training, awareness‐raising and capacity‐building 1.3. Means of implementation: Mobilization of financial resources from all sources; provision of credit facilities; promotion of private investment; any innovative financing mechanisms; Technology development, transfer and dissemination, including through extension services; Application of indigenous knowledge and know‐how & Cooperative frameworks and partnerships 2. Theme‐specific issues 2.1. Chemicals 2.2. Mining 2.3. Transport 2.4. Waste management 2.5. The ten year framework of programmes on sustainable consumption and production patterns Part II: Updated information on national focal point for sustainable development Part III: Annexed draft profile on national sustainable development strategies; indicators for sustainable development 1. Information on National Sustainable Development Strategy (NSDS) or equivalent 2. Information on indicators for sustainable development The Kingdom of Belgium is a constitutional monarchy. A series of constitutional changes (in 1970, 1980, 1988, 1993 and 2001) have transformed the country in a federal state made up of three Communities and three Regions. The word “national” covers the three Communities and the three Regions as well as the Federal authorities. The three Communities are the Flemish Community, the French‐speaking Community, and the German‐speaking Community. The three Regions are the Walloon Region, the Flemish Region and the Brussels‐Capital Region. Part I: National reporting guidelines for CSD­18/19 thematic areas 1. Common issues 1.1. Institutional capacity building, National legal frameworks and administrative or other measures of relevance & Participation of Major Groups, in particular women and local communities, in decision‐making and implementation 1.1.1. National sustainable development strategy Strategy Title: National strategy on sustainable development – framework document Strategy website: / Coordinating Body: Federal Public Planning Service – Sustainable Development Coordinating Body website: http://www.sppdd.be Strategy Status: under development according to the framework document adopted by the Inter‐ ministerial conference on sustainable development on December 16th 2005. Date of Adoption: 16 December 2005 Strategy contact: Dieter Vander Beke Additional Information: An inter‐ministerial conference on sustainable development was created, and reached an agreement on a two‐phase work programme (framework document). The second phase is ongoing since 2006. The adoption of a national visionary text was foreseen in the autumn of 2007 but it has not yet been agreed. Nevertheless, the federal government and the governments of the communities and the regions have put in place (or are putting in place) “important mechanisms for enhancing and linking national capacity so as to bring together priorities in social, economic and environmental policies”. 1.1.2. Federal sustainable development strategy Strategy Title: Belgian federal sustainable development strategy Strategy website: http://www.cidd.be Coordinating Body: Inter‐Departmental Commission on Sustainable Development and Federal Public Planning Service – Sustainable Development Coordinating Body website: http://www.cidd.be and http://www.sppdd.be Strategy Status: being implemented according to the legal framework of the Bill adopted by the Federal Parliament on May 5th 1997. Date of Adoption: 5 May 1997 Strategy contact: Dieter Vander Beke Additional Information: The Federal sustainable development strategy established by the Bill on the co‐ordination of the federal policy on sustainable development (SD) of May 5th 1997 is a cycle in four steps. 1. From reporting to consultation: The biennial Federal Reports on Sustainable Developments are prepared by a Task Force on Sustainable Development (TFSD) and published by the Federal Planning Bureau (FPB). These Reports contain analysis of the existing situation in Belgium with regard to the new international developments. They assess the current SD policy conducted until then and trends in case of unchanged policy. They also elaborate long term SD scenarios. The Minister gives them a wide notoriety. A draft Project Plan on Sustainable Development (defines policy principles, objectives and actions) based on these reports is drafted every four year by the Inter‐Departmental Commission on Sustainable Development (ICSD). This ICSD is composed of representatives of all members of the federal government and of all federal government departments, plus six representatives of the governments of the communities and of the regions. Measures are taken to granting the draft project plan the widest possible notoriety and consulting the population in this respect. At the same moment the Federal Council for Sustainable Development (FCSD), an advisory body composed of representatives of civil society that gives recommendations to the Federal Government on the policy to be implemented and advice on the draft federal SD plan. The federal government must give reasons as to why it has departed from it. 2. From consultation to planning: reactions of the consulted population and of the FCSD are taken into account to elaborate the Federal Plan on Sustainable Development that will be adopted by the Federal Government. 3. From planning to implementation: the Federal Plan on Sustainable Development is implemented by the federal departments. This is supported by a team of civil servants, called the “Federal Public Planning Service – Sustainable Development”, and is contributing to the improvement of the daily SD capacity building in the federal departments. 4. From implementation to reporting: the ICSD elaborates annual monitoring reports on the activities of the preceding year. These monitoring reports are essential for the evaluation of the policy by the TFSD. The cycle has already been completed twice (two Federal Plans, five Federal Reports) since 1998. The fifth Report will be published in October 2009. The third Plan has not been adopted and the third cycle of the Federal SD Strategy hasn't begun yet because of the ongoing revision of the bill. 1.1.3. Sustainable development strategy of the Flemish region Strategy Title: Flemish strategy for sustainable development Strategy website: http://www2.vlaanderen.be/duurzameontwikkeling/DOInVlaanderen.htm Coordinating Body: sustainable development working group Coordinating Body website:. http://www2.vlaanderen.be/duurzameontwikkeling/wgdo.htm Strategy Status: being implemented according to the legal framework of the Decree adopted by the Flemish Parliament on July 18th 2008. Date of Adoption: 20 July 2005 Strategy contact: [email protected] Additional Information: The “Flemish sustainable development strategy: pushing back the borders together” (VSDO) came into being in 2005. The Flemish Government adopted it on 20 July 2005. Twelve civil society organisations signed it in September 2006, as did the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities and the Flemish Association of Provinces. The sustainable development coordination unit coordinates the implementation of this strategy. This unit is part of the staff service of the Flemish Government, which in turn falls under the services for general government policy. It works together with all policy areas of the Flemish government. An official sustainable development working group contributes to this effort. The VSDO came into being after extensive consultations with the local and provincial authorities and five civil society organisations. The seven priorities of the VSDO are: poverty and social exclusion; the greying of the population; climate change and clean energy; mobility; town and country planning; management of natural resources; public health. In addition, it also brings administrative aspects to the fore. Concrete projects will be proposed for twelve cross cutting issues. Specific attention will also be paid to cooperation with all actors involved. The Flemish government considers sustainable development to be an inclusive policy. This means that each policy area must implement the VSDO. Furthermore, consultation is provided for cross cutting issues. The Framework Decree for Sustainable Development, adopted on 18 July 2008, gives a legal framework to the Flemish sustainable development strategy, which guarantees continuity in the sustainable development policy. 1.1.4. Sustainable development strategy of the Walloon region Strategy Title: / Strategy website: / Coordinating Body: DGARNE Coordinating Body website: http://environnement.wallonie.be/ Strategy Status: under development. Date of Adoption:2010. Strategy contact: [email protected] Additional Information: In April 2006 the Walloon government signed an agreement with a sustainable development consulting firm to draft a regional sustainable development strategy. This strategy, which is being worked out, will have to meet at least the following requirements: offer a response to the main challenges and questions raised by putting sustainable development into daily practice in the Walloon region by 2015; include the achievements and