What is sustainable development and why it is an important issue
Development must meet the needs of the present population without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.
The essence of sustainable development is to ensure a life of dignity for all and to reconcile economic efficiency, social inclusion and environmental responsibility in the present and in the future. We are living in a time of enormous challenges for humanity. Billions of our fellow citizens continue to live in poverty and are deprived of a dignified life. Inequality is growing both globally and within countries. There are huge differences in opportunities, wealth and power. Gender inequality persists in every society. Unemployment, especially youth unemployment, is a priority. Global threats to health, ever more frequent and violent natural disasters, armed conflicts, violent threats, terrorism, humanitarian crises and the resulting forced displacement of populations threaten all the advances of recent decades.
The limitations of natural resources and the negative impacts of environmental degradation, including desertification, drought, land degradation, water scarcity and loss of biodiversity, add to and increase the list of challenges facing humanity. Climate change is one of the greatest challenges of our time and its negative impact undermines the ability of states to implement sustainable development.
At the same time, ours is a time of great opportunity. Significant progress has been made in meeting development challenges. In past generations, tens of thousands of people have emerged from extreme poverty.
Access to education has increased significantly for both boys and girls. The spread of mass media and information and global networking offer new potential for human progress, bridge the digital divide and develop knowledge-based societies, as do scientific and technological breakthroughs in different areas such as medicine and energy.