National Councils for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the past and present

This briefing note by the International Institute for Sustainable Development reviews the role, composition, and effectiveness of National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) over the past 25 years. It identifies success factors for these bodies as countries prepare to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

• National Councils for Sustainable Development (NCSDs) are typically established by governments to involve a diverse range of stakeholders in creating, implementing, and reviewing national sustainable development strategies (NSDSs). Their governance structures vary, ranging from government department subsidiaries and semi-public bodies to non-governmental organizations or reconfigured existing economic and social committees.
• The effectiveness of NCSDs often depends on their mandate and ability to influence policy. While many serve as advisory bodies, some have struggled to have their recommendations seriously considered. To increase influence, some countries require governments to respond to recommendations within a set timeframe or involve parliamentary committee reviews.
• NCSD membership models fall into three categories: government representative, mixed, and non-governmental. Government-only memberships offer high authority and legitimacy but may lack long-term vision. Mixed memberships provide diverse expertise but can struggle with consensus. Non-governmental memberships offer strong independence for policy scrutiny but may lack direct influence over decision-makers.
• The choice of leadership is a critical success factor; while senior government leadership provides status, an independent chair from outside government often yields better results by allowing the council to challenge the status quo. Successful examples include the use of senior business leaders in Croatia, Estonia, Germany, and Mauritius, or intellectuals in the UK and France.
• NCSDs perform several core functions beyond strategy advice, including policy drafting, monitoring progress via sustainable development indicators, and capacity building. For example, the Philippine NCSD's website acts as a hub for subnational bodies, and the German NCSD supported international peer reviews of national policies in 2009 and 2013.
• The sustainability of NCSDs is often threatened by short-term factors, such as the perception that their primary task (like strategy creation) is complete, political changes following a change of government, or economic downturns. Despite this, they remain vital for the dialogue needed to achieve the Post-2015 Development Agenda.

APA

Osborn, D., Cornforth, J., & Ullah, F. (2014). National Councils for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the past and present. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_lessons_from_the_past.pdf

Chicago

Osborn, Derek, Jack Cornforth, and Farooq Ullah. National Councils for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the past and present. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2014. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_lessons_from_the_past.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Osborn |first1=Derek |last2=Cornforth |first2=Jack |last3=Ullah |first3=Farooq |title=National Councils for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the past and present |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=April 2014 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_lessons_from_the_past.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{osborn2014national, author = {Osborn, Derek and Cornforth, Jack and Ullah, Farooq}, title = {{National Councils for Sustainable Development: Lessons from the past and present}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2014}, month = apr, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/sdplannet_lessons_from_the_past.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }