Sustainable development, being defined as “ development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs’ (Brundtland,1987:43) is being increasingly recognised by the global society. One of this can be seen from the fact that sustainable development was included in the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) of the United Nations as one of the explicit goals (MDG7) among the eight goals. This can show that the national government across different countries work together to set up the strategies for national sustainable development, and how important sustainable development is in the global arena. In this essay, I will examine the relationships between sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals and how they coincide with each other as well as the potential conflicts between the two theme.
To begin with, understanding what …show more content…
One way is that they are interconnected, as the concept of environment in sustainable development is important in achieving other MDGs. Another rather explicit way is to see sustainable development as a one of the goals among the eight MDGs in order to foster global awareness and ask for global cooperation on the issue. Or, we can see the two as a rather contradictory theme, because for most developing countries, other MDGs like poverty reduction, education and improvement in health condition still outweigh sustainable development. It seems that they cannot achieve other MDGs in compliance with the idea of sustainable development. Since the definition of sustainable development can vary from different of social background and time period, it’s really hard to actually figure out a effective way to achieve it. But for most of the Millennium Development Goals, it’s usually easier to interpret and making a progress
To begin with, understanding what …show more content…
One way is that they are interconnected, as the concept of environment in sustainable development is important in achieving other MDGs. Another rather explicit way is to see sustainable development as a one of the goals among the eight MDGs in order to foster global awareness and ask for global cooperation on the issue. Or, we can see the two as a rather contradictory theme, because for most developing countries, other MDGs like poverty reduction, education and improvement in health condition still outweigh sustainable development. It seems that they cannot achieve other MDGs in compliance with the idea of sustainable development. Since the definition of sustainable development can vary from different of social background and time period, it’s really hard to actually figure out a effective way to achieve it. But for most of the Millennium Development Goals, it’s usually easier to interpret and making a progress