Understanding The Concept Of Sustainable Development (United Nations Development Programme)

Understanding The Concept Of Sustainable Development (United Nations Development Programme)
Sustainable Development has become a fundamental strategy in modern society to guide the world’s social, economic and environmental transformation.
Sustainable Development has gone through periods of development –before 1972 period, (1972-1987) and from the (1987-present) period.
The 1972 United Nations Conference on Human and Environment recognized that development policies primarily focusing on economic growth posed a great danger to the environment. The summit urged all the nations to integrate and strengthen environmental management policies while developing their economies.
The concept was popularized during the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987) after realization that the economic prosperity alone without environmental integration into development policies was not sustainable.
The concept was clearly defined during the Earth Summit, in 2000 during which the Millennium Development Goals were identified focusing being the elimination of extreme poverty. This gave birth to the Sustainable Development Goals adopted in 2015 as the 2030 global agenda to transform the world.
Sustainable Development has gradually been implemented into global action from the initial fuzzy concept to the present-day practical application.
The goal of Sustainable Development evolved from pursuing the single goal of sustainable use of natural/ environmental resources to the seven Millennium Development Goals ((MDGs, 2000); adopted to end indignity poverty, hunger, disease, illiteracy and environmental degradation among others) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 2015) which has a coordinated economic, social and environmental development.
Therefore, Sustainable Development as a concept was defined as the development process that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs.
Sustainability is, therefore, the foundation for the modern-day global framework for international cooperation to achieve the 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development and its goals.
Sustainable Development accepts the concept of strong sustainability and culture, life support ecosystems and good governance are the most important factors in promoting Sustainable Development.
Understanding Sustainable Development (United Nations Development Programme)