778
T. Villac and M. C. L. dos Santos
Indeed, regarding environmental and social issues, a country’s high gross domestic
product does not ensure the absence of damage to nature in its territory, the full
enjoyment of the right to health and an adequate living standard with fundamental
human rights for all. The Sustainable Development Goals alter the structuring logic
of the national economic system and are fundamental to guarantee a concept of
development more in consonance with the republican principles and environmental
ethics.
This is, thus, an exploratory study (Yin 2015), based on secondary data, and
presents a critical analysis of the initiatives adopted by the Brazilian Government
regarding the domestic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this
context, the relevance of ecological citizenship for the effectiveness of this national
public policy will be highlighted. Among the possibilities of domestic action to
implement the SDGs (actions carried out by the business sector, states and municipalities or organized collectivities, among others), this research focuses on the role
of the Brazilian Federal Government as the driving force behind the establishment of
new paradigms for the dissemination of the SDGs throughout the Brazilian territory,
engaging different social actors, through public policies.
2 The National Commission for the Sustainable
Development Goals
Based on the delegation of powers by the Federal Constitution, a National Commission for the Sustainable Development Goals was established by the Presidency of
the Republic (Decree 8,892/2016).
The Commission has three aims: to internalize, disseminate and give transparency
to the implementation process of the 2030 Agenda in Brazil. This triple objective
demonstrates the importance conferred by the Decree to social participation and to
the republican and democratic ideals in the formulation of this public policy at the
national level.
Its integration into the structure of the Secretariat of Government of the Presidency of the Republic denotes the relevance accorded to the Commission, which is
co-chaired by its members in equal representation, has an advisory nature, and whose
premises are: coordination, mobilization and dialogue among Brazilian federal entities, as well as with the civil society. Its competencies are broad, beginning with the
elaboration of a public policy for the domestic implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals in Brazil, followed by its monitoring and its evaluation. The latter, although not expressly outlined in the above-mentioned Decree, is an inexorable
premise for the effectiveness of the Commission’s initiatives.
There is also a provision calling for the formulation of inputs for sustainable
development discussions in national and international forums, which allows for the
interpretation that the academic and scientific sectors should also be involved. The
expansion of the governmental dialogue with the academia stands out as salutary
T. Villac and M. C. L. dos Santos
Indeed, regarding environmental and social issues, a country’s high gross domestic
product does not ensure the absence of damage to nature in its territory, the full
enjoyment of the right to health and an adequate living standard with fundamental
human rights for all. The Sustainable Development Goals alter the structuring logic
of the national economic system and are fundamental to guarantee a concept of
development more in consonance with the republican principles and environmental
ethics.
This is, thus, an exploratory study (Yin 2015), based on secondary data, and
presents a critical analysis of the initiatives adopted by the Brazilian Government
regarding the domestic implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. In this
context, the relevance of ecological citizenship for the effectiveness of this national
public policy will be highlighted. Among the possibilities of domestic action to
implement the SDGs (actions carried out by the business sector, states and municipalities or organized collectivities, among others), this research focuses on the role
of the Brazilian Federal Government as the driving force behind the establishment of
new paradigms for the dissemination of the SDGs throughout the Brazilian territory,
engaging different social actors, through public policies.
2 The National Commission for the Sustainable
Development Goals
Based on the delegation of powers by the Federal Constitution, a National Commission for the Sustainable Development Goals was established by the Presidency of
the Republic (Decree 8,892/2016).
The Commission has three aims: to internalize, disseminate and give transparency
to the implementation process of the 2030 Agenda in Brazil. This triple objective
demonstrates the importance conferred by the Decree to social participation and to
the republican and democratic ideals in the formulation of this public policy at the
national level.
Its integration into the structure of the Secretariat of Government of the Presidency of the Republic denotes the relevance accorded to the Commission, which is
co-chaired by its members in equal representation, has an advisory nature, and whose
premises are: coordination, mobilization and dialogue among Brazilian federal entities, as well as with the civil society. Its competencies are broad, beginning with the
elaboration of a public policy for the domestic implementation of the Sustainable
Development Goals in Brazil, followed by its monitoring and its evaluation. The latter, although not expressly outlined in the above-mentioned Decree, is an inexorable
premise for the effectiveness of the Commission’s initiatives.
There is also a provision calling for the formulation of inputs for sustainable
development discussions in national and international forums, which allows for the
interpretation that the academic and scientific sectors should also be involved. The
expansion of the governmental dialogue with the academia stands out as salutary