Sustainable Development, International Cooperation, and the Earth Charter
Who is Jan Pronk?
Jan Pronk is a retired Dutch politician and diplomat of the Labour Party (PvdA), and an activist. He is former Minister of International Cooperation and also Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning and Environment of the Netherlands. As Minister of Environment, he presided over the The Sixth Conference of the Parties (COP-6) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change held in 2000 and 2001. In 2002, he was Special UN Special Envoy to the World Summit on Sustainable Development and in 2004, he became the UN Special Representative for Sudan. He has been a professor of theory and practice of development cooperation at the Institute of Social Studies, as well as a professor at the University for Peace. Pronk has a PhD from The International Institute of Social Studies (ISS). His main professional interests are sustainable development, development cooperation, conflict and development, and international relations in general.
Quick Overview
Jan Pronk considers what are commonly known as challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, and racial struggle, as catastrophes. The biggest catastrophe in his view is that we are depriving ourselves of the systems and values, which are necessary to address all other catastrophes. Looking back at his professional involvement in international development cooperation and sustainability, Pronk recognises some achievements of negotiations he was involved in, but also laments that some negotiations came too late and some outcomes are yet to be implemented. He says that while building new systems is too difficult, the restoration and renewal of the existing systems is not possible without the basis of shared values, which have been captured in the Earth Charter.
Questions and themes addressed in this Episode
- What are the challenges humanity is currently facing?
- What are the victories and defeats in your career in international cooperation?
- Can you share your personal experience at the 1992 Rio Summit and comments on its follow up process?
- Reflections on international cooperation efforts.
- What do you think is the relevance of the Earth Charter to current times?
- Can you share your thoughts on the United Nations agenda of the SDGs and the MDGs?
- Any reflection on the gap between policies, agenda setting and implementation?
Listen to this Episode:
Duration: 1:05:36