Can Government and Society Work Together for a more Sustainable Future?

Sustainability and Sustainable Development are different to infer, both as individuals as well as enterprises, whether private or public. Therefore one of the first tasks for any organization today is to gain better understanding of the term sustainability.

Enterprise application solution providers have made considerable efforts both within their organization and with their key stakeholders to understand the actual concept of sustainability, the challenges involved, and the existing opportunities that are components of a broader sustainability agenda.

This has been extremely important because IT majors today are committed to being a role model of sustainability by stepping the stone of sustainable business practices themselves first, followed by their initiative of enabling customers to run sustainable businesses at present and in the near future. It is the responsibility of the government as a custodian of a nations resources to manage those resources in a way that protects them for the future generation.

In order to realize the tri-dimensional promise of sustainability (society, economy, and the environment), it has to be integrated into daily lifegovernment, business, and community. The need is to simplify the complexity involved for which the governments and the public sector organizations play an integral role.

As a starting point, there are 3 key focus areas to consider. First, an honest look at government agencies and operations as a sustainable business, replicating in the similar fashion as done in private sectors. This needs us to investigate on issues likeIs this business operating as efficiently and effectively as it must?, Is it achieving its policy objectives?, Is there good governance and is it delivering value?, and What are the plans for the future? etc.

The current view is that government will have to do a lot more with fewer resources like everyone else. This reality leads into the second key focus area which is government as a policy maker, law maker, regulator, and manager of national resources. To promote productivity, government can no longer operate in isolation and it must look into collaborative arrangements in planning for the future.

The third key focus area is sustainable development which involves the actual management of national resources. This creates an unprecedented pressure not only on national, but also global resources right across the board.

It is therefore time for the governments to emerge as drive0 of sustainable development. Having actively embedded sustainability in government business, our customers are now looking to be leaders in reducing their impact on the environment.

Governments that achieve a strong policy, legal and regulatory approach to sustainable development and actively pursue sustainability in government will provide a strong social and economic position for the future generations with respect to the environment.

Adaire Fox-Martin
The author is the senior vice president,
industries, SAP Asia Pacific Japan
maildqindia@cybermedia.co.in