OTGC Sustainable Development Enterprise

Sustainable Development

What is sustainable development? Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.

Sustainability is the foundation for today’s leading global framework for international cooperation—the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In June 2022, environmental leaders from around the world met to take stock of where we've been and where we are heading, with the goal of galvanizing momentum for the UN Decade of Action for achieving the SDGs.

These conferences are major milestones in sustainable development governance. But their real test comes from the work that happens every day, from individuals and local communities to international organizations and beyond

UN Conference on the Human Environment Convenes

June 5-16, 1972

Gathering in Stockholm, this world conference brings to the fore the linkages between environmental, economic, and social issues for the first time at this level, sparking the creation of the UN Environment Programme. The event's emphasis on environmental concerns marks a notable and lasting shift in postwar conversations on international governance.

In 1972, the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment in Stockholm set off a chain of events that rewrote how countries tackle environmental challenges. How do we take the lessons of the past half century and apply them to our triple planetary crisis?

Revisit the legacies of that original conference in Stockholm, from the development of the Rio Conventions and the Basel, Rotterdam, and Stockholm Conventions to the establishment of national ministries on environmental issues around the world. They also look at what work still remains, from implementation to ensuring intergenerational justice.

The months leading up to the Stockholm+50 Conference in June 2022 have seen a frenzy of activity, as the international environmental community prepares to celebrate major milestones in its history and channel new momentum into efforts to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals.

Ambassador Johanna Lissinger-Peitz, Deputy Director, Ministry of Environment, Sweden sat down with Earth Negotiations Bulletin team to examine why it matters that we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the original Stockholm Conference in 1972 and how we live up to its vision.