The Sustainable Development Programme (SDP) provided support for our objectives which are underpinned by democracy, good governance and human rights.

The programme closed at the end of financial year 07/08.

The programme

The Sustainable Development (GOF SD) programme was one of a group of programmes run by the FCO in support of its Strategic Priorities. The programme supported our priority 'Promoting sustainable development and poverty reduction underpinned by human rights, democracy, good governance and protection of the environment'. The Programme originally encompassed Human Rights but these projects were placed into a separate Human Rights Programme in January 2007.

The Programme aimed to contribute to UK sustainable development objectives:

'To promote access to information, public participation and access to justice on environmental issues; the mainstreaming of SD into policies and planning; and the implementation of environmental legislation' through project work in three focal areas:

• achieving improved access to information, greater participation in decision making and better access to justice on environmental issues.
• achieving more sustainable forest management
• promoting growth, support livelihoods and promote the environment through sustainable tourism
  

The programme supported our Sustainable Development Strategy, launched in March 2005. It fitted within the umbrella of the UK Government's International priorities, agreed between FCO, DEFRA, DfID, BERR and HM-Treasury.

Within this, DEFRA and DFID lead on lead on a series of Sustainable Development Dialogues (SDD) with China, India, Brazil, South Africa and Mexico. The Dialogues are a cross-government initiative to deliver World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) commitments, help fulfil the Millennium Development Goals and achieve the UK's 2005 Sustainable Development Strategy.

The FCO's Strategic Priorities were replaced by new departmental objectives in a strategy refresh which took place in the FCO in November 2007. This refresh reduced the number of areas the FCO would focus on, to allow us to concentrate resources on priority issues, including counter-terrorism, climate change, conflict prevention and strengthening the international architecture. There will be a continuing but reduced role for Posts to play on SD issues. DEFRA will work directly with Posts – especially in SD Dialogue countries where they fund locally engaged staff.

Geographical priorities

The Programme had five priority countries (Brazil, Cameroon, Indonesia, Mexico and South Africa) and one priority region – the Caribbean region. Non-priority Posts could submit bids for projects with a regional impact potential, in addition to a number of on-going legacy projects (e.g. on bio-diversity) approved in previous bidding rounds.