What is Sustainable Development?

Gro Harlem Brundtland, the first female Prime Minister of Norway, is widely regarded as the “mother” of sustainable development.  Brundtland chaired the World Commission on Environment and Development which defined the term “sustainable development” as:

Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs (“Our Common Future”, Brundtland Commission, 1987)

The Sustainable Development Goals

On 1 January 2016, the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted by world leaders in September 2015, came into force.  Over the next fifteen years efforts  will be mobilised to end poverty, fight inequalities and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.