Background and Project Overview

Although sustainability is a core element of policy and legislation both in South Africa and internationally, its implementation remains weak. The 2002 Johannesburg World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) reaffirmed international and local commitment to sustainable development and Agenda 21, and gave new impetus to global and local action to fight poverty and protect the environment. The South African response strategy to the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation (JPOI) requires that all government departments embrace the principles of sustainable development and integrate the implementation priorities of the Johannesburg targets and the Millennium Development Goals.

In line with this call, the Western Cape Provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning (DEA&DP) has appointed the EEU and Incite Sustainability to develop, in an integrated and participatory manner, a Sustainable Development Implementation Plan (SDIP) for the Western Cape. The aim of the SDIP is to provide a clear and sound action plan for ensuring that the principles of sustainable development are effectively embedded in the policies, strategies, programmes and projects of the Western Cape Government.

The process of developing the SDIP has been informed by the Declaration of Intent to Develop a Sustainable Development Implementation Plan for the Western Cape, a product of the Western Cape Sustainable Development Conference held in Cape Town in June 2005 as well as from key priorities identified in the Provincial Growth and Development Strategy as well as other lead strategies of the Western Cape government.

The EEU in partnership with Incite Sustainability was appointed by DEA&DP to develop the SDIP in consultation with government and its social partners.


Aims and Objectives

The overall aim of the project is to develop a Sustainable Development Implementation Plan for the Western Cape that addresses priority issues and proposes actions that will lead the province onto a more sustainable development growth path.
Specific objectives:
1. To identify priority areas for action in consultation with government, experts and social partners;
2. To identify sustainable development objectives, targets and responsible agencies across these priority action areas;
3. To identify concrete actions and measures for implementation as well as institutional arrangements;
4. To develop a monitoring and evaluation framework to assess province’s performance with respect to meeting sustainable development targets identified.