VietNamNet Bridge - The Asia-Europe Environment Forum (ENVforum) on Monday launched the report entitled "Sustainable Development Goals and Indicators for a Small Planet – Part II: Measuring Sustainability" in Hanoi, which outlines a set of illustrative templates for sustainable development indicators that reflect respective priorities based on the sample of individual countries’ sustainability issues.

This publication is the second in a 3-part series that builds on the innovative work from the first publication. It also complements the first publication, which focused on a methodology and goal framework.

Attending the launch were over 50 representatives of international organizations, embassies, non-governmental organizations, agencies and institutes, including UNDP, WHO, the Delegation of the European Union, and embassies of the UK, Russia, Indonesia and others in Vietnam.

Speaking at the publication launch, Dr Le Dang Doanh, former Director of the Central Institute for Economic Management (CIEM), complimented the report's methodology and outcomes.

“For further studies, the focus should be on existing contradictions within sustainable development goals such as the need for economic growth to ensure a sustainable framework,” he said.

Vietnam was selected as the location for the Asian launch of the report as the country will be the geographical focus of a detailed case study that will be included in the final report in the series. This edition is due for publication in the first half of 2015.

Established in 2003, ENVforum aims to foster inter-regional cooperation between Asia and Europe on sustainable development and its environmental dimensions.

The partner organisations are the ASEM SMEs Eco-Innovation Center (ASEIC) from Korea, the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, the German Hanns Seidel Foundation (HSF), and the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) from Japan.

Le Ha