Introduction

Sustainability and sustainable development are at the top of the global agenda, and likely to remain there for at least the next ten years. The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals set a framework to address economic and social growth and environmental protection challenges. National governments, the private sector, non-profit organizations and civil society are all responsible for their implementation.

Public sector organizations play a focal role in delivering the sustainable development agenda. They set specific goals, adopt policies and strategies, provide public services and mobilize and allocate financial resources. They are also responsible for monitoring, evaluating and reporting strategy implementation and goal achievement. Governments may also encourage private sector organizations to take accountability for achieving some aspects of the sustainable development goals (SDGs). In the new model of sustainable development, the public sector has a full role in stimulating and supporting local, national and international economic development processes. This is a role that has often seemed to have taken a back seat under more typically neoliberal models of development.