An ‘integrated policy framework’ is what the government is seeking to implement through the Sustainable Development Bill, Environment Minister Mario de Marco told Parliament on Monday.
Sustainable development is not something the government can do alone
Winding up the debate in second reading, Dr de Marco said the Bill was intended to raise awareness about, and promote the adoption of, issues and practices related to sustainable development. The Bill set up a competent authority, the Office of the Prime Minister, which had a holistic view of all government operations, to ensure that such principles were being implemented.
It would have a number of functions, such as ensuring development and implementation of the existent strategy, and even its revision, should it be needed.
It should also revise specific action plans and programmes, and work hand-in-hand with local councils and all those interested in the sector.
The authority would have powers as well as functions, such as establishing recommendations on a national, local and sectoral level. Dr de Marco said that all government departments and entities would have a person responsible for ensuring these principles.
At the time of the Rio Conference, the late Fr Peter Serracino Inglot had come up with the idea that, to promote sustainable development, a guardian for future generations should be appointed.
Since it would be hard to find one person with all the necessary qualifications, it was decided to have a commission with various competencies to protect the principles of sustainable development.
This legislation set the parameters for how the environmental, economic and social elements could work together for sustainable development. Some opposition speakers focused on the environment only. Although this was important, it was just one pillar of three (the others being the economy and social security).
The environment could not be seen in isolation because strengthening the environment to the detriment of one of the other two would mean that they would all fail.
Dr de Marco said that another important element was education. The Bill set out that the University and Mcast were to promote sustainable development in all their courses.
Sustainable development was not something the government could do alone, but it needed to work with the private and civil sectors. In the past years, Malta made great leaps forward in the sector, but a lot remained to be done.
The Bill was unanimously approved.