The global acceptance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development marked a new era in global development. Natural resources are essential for attaining most of the agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Whether these measures have created value will depend on why, how, when, and where natural resources are discovered, produced, consumed, recovered, and reconsumed. In response, the United Nations Framework Classification for Resources (UNFC) is transforming into a comprehensive and integrated system that can be used for managing these resources to ensure balanced, responsible, and resilient development. This paper presents the recent expansion of UNFC guidance to cover social and environmental effects and the further transformation of the system to make it a valuable tool in resource management for governments and businesses.
Introduction
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, with its SDGs, has ushered in a new era in global development marked by pursuit of economic, social, and environmental gains in equal measure.
