An exploration of the different dimensions of sustainable development

Abstract EN

The concept of sustainable development became a very important lexicon in the development narrative decades ago with the publication of the Brundtland Report by the World Council on Environment and Development (WCED, 1987:47).

With the publication of this report, sustainable development became firmly established as a new catch phrase, broadly embraced by institutions of global governance like the United Nations, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, development practitioners, national governments globally and even multinational corporations.

According to Ginther et al, (1995:29), The Rio Declaration of the United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (1992), just like the 1972 Stockholm Declaration made a pledge internationally to respect and protect the interests of all, and protect the integrity of the global environment and development system.

These pledges are contained in 27 Principles which address a wide range of aspects such as the economic, environmental, social and technological dimensions of sustainable development.

This article takes a look at those dimensions of sustainable development in order to enable researchers, development practitioners and policy makers to have clarity on the concept