NCSD
About US
Taiwan has a small land area and is densely populated. Due to its limited natural resources, frequent natural disasters, and special international status, the pursuit of sustainable development has become all the more urgent compared to other countries. In response to the call made at the UN Earth Summit in 1992, the Executive Yuan established the National Council for Sustainable Development (NCSD) in August 1997 to pursue global sustainable development in tandem with other countries.
The organizational structure of NCSD were amended in November 2021 to improve operational efficiency. Based on Taiwan’s 18 SDGs, 17 working groups and the Task Force for the Promotion of a Nuclear-Free Homeland were created and subsequently divided into four major work areas under the supervision of the four deputy executive officers.
In addition, to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, the Task Force on Climate Change and Net Zero Emissions Transition was created. To further sustainable development efforts, the task force is staffed by the Ministry of Environment, while the secretarial duties are carried out by the National Development Council.
The NCSD 2018 referred to the UN SDGs and developed Taiwan’s own SDGs; additional indicators were formulated in 2019. There are, in total, 18 goals, 143 targets, and 337 indicators.
To achieve the SDGs and measure progress, the NCSD carries out follow-up assessments in accordance with the Guidelines for Following Up and Assessing Progress Toward the SDGs.
Each year, performance during the year is reviewed and assessed, while the performance over a four-year period is carried out once every four years so as to examine the progress made toward the SDGs and the appropriateness of the SDGs to ensure that the objectives for each period are achieved on schedule. The review process involves transparent oversight and participation from different sectors. Important review results and progress are regularly made public through the publication of the National Sustainable Development Annual Report and assessment reports, which ensure timely interaction with the general public.
