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Topic 3:What is the Brundtland Report?

Discuss the influence on

Developing Countries.

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The IDEA of Brundtland Commission

Formally known as World Commission on Environment andDevelopment (WCED)

Chaired by Gro Harlem Brundtland, Dec 1983

Heavy deterioration of human environment and natural

resources -> Bring together countries to work, cooperateand pursue sustainable development (Awareness)

Brundtland Report (Our Common Future) was released onOct 1987, establishing the Center for OUR COMMONFUTURE in April 1988

Why the 80s? Massive development + industrialization. Developed countries realized the environmental issues stemming

from industrialization and growth.

Developing countries need greater support and encouragement,lack of capability in terms of funding, technology and expertise.

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OUR COMMON FUTURE

First published by Oxford University Press, 1987 A culmination of a 900 day international-exercise which

catalogued, analyzed and synthesized, written submissionsand expert testimony from senior governmentrepresentatives, scientists and experts, research institutes,

industrialists, representatives of NGOs, and the generalpublic held at public hearings throughout the world

SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT development that meets theneeds of the present without compromising the ability offuture generations to meet their own needs.

The concept of needs -> essential needs of the worldspoor

The idea of limitations imposed by the state of technologyand social organization on the environments ability to meetpresent and future needs

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SUSTAINABILITY EFFORTS3 MAIN PILLARS

Economic

Growth

Environmental

Protection

Social Equality

3 ideas that contribute to the overall idea of

SUSTAINABILITY

Many countries put economic growth on the

forefront of sustainable development, leaving the

other two pillars suffer.

Implementing sustainable development globally(includes concrete actions and programs) is

challenging, but Brundtland Commission's efforts,

progress has been made.

After OCF, Brundtland Commission called for an

international meeting in Rio de Janeiro where moreconcrete initiatives and goals could be mapped out.

As the result, Agenda 21 came out of the meeting.

It entailed actions to be taken globally, nationally,

and locally in order to make life on Earth more

sustainable going into the future.

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1. Alleviation of poverty- Chapter 2: Towards Sustainable DevelopmentHence sustainable development requires that societies meethuman needs both by increasing productive potential and by

ensuring equitable opportunities for allAccess to energy is improving, and progress has been made onelectrification in all developing regions; although rates in South

Asia and sub-Saharan Africa remain one-half to one-quarter ofthose in the rest of the world(UN Economic and Social Affairs,2006)

2. Environmental issues have become a priority

- internationally and locally, even in developing countries

POSITIVE INFLUENCES

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Examples of environmental issues and effects in developingcountries:

- China - Productivity losses due to soil erosion, deforestation andland degradation, water shortages, and destruction of wetlands in1990 of $13.926.6 billion annually or 3.87.3% of GDP; healthand productivity losses from pollution in cities in 1990 of $6.39.3

billion or 1.72.5% of GDP- Philippines - Health and productivity losses from air and waterpollution in the Manila area of $0.30.4 billion in the early 1990sor 0.81.0% of GDP

3. Technology transfer

- Eco-friendly technology from developed countries todeveloping countries

- Problem: Technology transfer mainly handled by private sectors

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Development gap between developed countries and developingcountries cause developing countries to not able to obtainsustainable development as compared to developed countries

Developing countries face social, economic and environmentalproblems.Social and environmental problems in the developing world are

staggering. In countries of Southeast Asia, India, China, Latin

America, and Africa, more than 1 billion people are without

clean water and more than 2 billion are without sanitation(World Bank, 1997a)

Problems are interrelated E.g.: Developing countries need toutilize cheaper methods to increase productivity and economicdevelopment, but may degrade the environment

Inability to achieve sustainable development on same level asdeveloped countries due to : Lack of proper leadership, lack ofsufficient capital + technology

NEGATIVE INFLUENCE

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The Brundtland Report paved way for an

awareness regarding issues which preventssustainable development.

Despite the obvious increase in sustainabledevelopment awareness and development indeveloping countries, the lack of capital and

technology in these countries prevent themfrom achieving success like developedcountries in the context of sustainabledevelopment.

CONCLUSION