Off the starting block
 | The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) have emerged as the government leaders in integrating sustainable development into their core businesses, whilst the Cabinet Office (CO) are 'barely beginning' the process of creating a complete plan of action. |
In its role as independent sustainable development watchdog, the SDC has conducted its first assessment of Government Department's/Agencies' Sustainable Development Action Plans (SDAPs). The report sets out the SDC's assessment of performance across government as well as individual assessments for each department/agency.
All central government departments are required to produce an SDAP as part of the UK government's sustainable development strategy, Securing the Future. Future SDAP assessments will be used to inform our Watchdog activities, including the SDC's in-depth reviews of policy implementation and delivery of public services.
In the main report, Off the Starting Block, the SDC has categorised all departments according to the degree to which they displayed the key elements expected in the first year of an SDAP.
Key findings include:
1. Most departments are only just starting to establish the necessary processes and infrastructure at all levels of their organisation to support an integrated and embedded approach to sustainable development. |
2. SDAPs are often peripheral to the work of the department/agency and, at this stage, most SDAPS are weak in terms of integrating sustainable development with policy making. |
3. However, a good number of departments have started to think about how they may need to re-orientate existing work programmes. |
4. Many departments are unfamiliar with the five sustainable development principles set out in Securing the Future and cannot demonstrate how they are using them. |
5. Almost all departments have identified a need to improve their capacity, e.g. in terms of staff skills, to take a sustainable development approach. |
 | Leading the pack? |
Publications
Find out which departments are leading the pack and why:
» Off the Starting Block - Full Report
* Cabinet Office - No departmental summary has been written - a sketch outline of an SDAP was produced by CO in August, too late to be included in this report. The SDC's initial brief assessment shows that it will be in need of a considerable amount of further work to meet SDC's basic standards.
** Foreign and Commonwealth Office - The FCO has undergone a separate assessment
process. The departmental summary should be read in conjunction with:
FCO -Strategic Assessment
FCO -Strategic Assessment Exec Summary
Agencies:
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