Three-pronged approach to development

The gathering of more than 190 countries in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on June 20-22 for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, known as Rio+20, was a historic moment. It was also a landmark for the future as it told the world that our development should address social, economic and environmental concerns.

The recent global crisis has shown that old-fashioned views about development are misleading. It is now time to rethink the very foundations of how we consider development, well-being and wealth.

Over the past four decades, the world has increasingly realized that our natural resources are under serious pressure. The UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 was a major step forward. Important legal texts on key issues were adopted. These conventions ensured important progress that we must maintain and build on. The growing awareness of the need to ensure sustainability has led a new generation to consider the requirements of sustainable development. This is no small achievement.