Reports

ESDN Reports provide in-depth documentation of a selected topic related to sustainable development. 

The relative unpreparedness of the world for the Covid-19 pandemic has brought the concept of resilience to the forefront of discussions in the international policy arena. The EU defines resilience as the “ability not only to withstand and cope with challenges but also to undergo transitions, in a sustainable, fair, and democratic manner.”[1]  Therefore, building resilience will not only better prepare European societies for potential future pandemics or other unforeseeable events, it is also crucial to achieve the European ambitions concerning the Green and Digital Transitions. In line with this, the European Union’s pandemic recovery plans focus not only on rebuilding the economy, but also on ‘building back better’ and supporting sustainable practices, as well as building resilience towards future shocks.

The 2021 ESDN Conference was about European Recovery and Resilience Mechanisms in connection to challenges in systemic approaches in sustainable development. This Report builds on discussions at the ESDN Conference, which was attended by over 100 sustainable development policymakers and other SD professionals on 30th November& 1^st December 2021. It is supplemented by desk research and several documents outlining the strategies of the European Commission, such as the Recovery and Resilience Facility.

Chapter 1 summarises the EU’s recovery efforts and how they are related to building more resilience. Chapter 2 will explore the connection between resilience and the main aspects of sustainable development, which are economy, environment/ecology, society and governance. Chapter 3 is the conclusions that can be drawn about recovery and resilience in Europe

[1]EU Science Hub. 2022. Resilience. [online] Available at: <https://joint-research-centre.ec.europa.eu/resilience_en> [Accessed 9 May 2022].