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The Resident Representative a.i. of the United Nations Development Programme for Romania As a result of the unprecedented socio-economic development in the second half of this century, the world was faced with a vital problem: How can we maintain continuous development without harming the equilibrium of our planet The analyses and debates initiated at global level in the last two decades, after the world had become aware of this matter, have gradually shaped the basis of a new concept, which seems to be the only viable solution to this challenge - "sustainable development". Defined as "the capacity to satisfy the needs of the present generation without compromising the chances of future generations to satisfy their own needs", this concept has been developed and adopted, at global level, at the "Agenda 21" summit held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992 (with more than 140 participating nations). At the same time, this document is supposed to serve as an implementation guide. The United Nations Development Programme office in Romania actively promotes the concept of sustainable development by focusing its work on reducing socio-economic disparities. With this in mind, a significant number of programmes aimed at four major problems faced by the country today have been developed. These problems are reforming the state, establishing social stability, providing the people with political power, and implementing the sustainable use of natural resources. In line with this policy and following the request of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in 1997 the UNDP financed the project "National Center for Sustainable Development ". This project is a joint venture with the Romanian Academy and the Black Sea University Foundation, and its first task was to draw up the "Agenda 21" for Romania. During its elaboration, which took about two years, the study benefited from technical assistance and information provided, directly or indirectly, by a large number of governmental, non-governmental and academic institutions, state-owned or private enterprises and trade unions. A draft version of the study has been published and distributed for suggestions and comments (500 copies as well as on the Internet). Though the project has benefited from high level expertise and consulting, the UNDP is perfectly aware that the process of implementing the strategy will show a number of aspects that will have to be rethought, readapted or redimensioned. However, this dynamic process of periodical improvement of the strategy on the basis of the results obtained is a common practice in all countries that have started a similar initiative, and it is one of the main methods leading to positive results. Considering the present paper as the first positive step made by Romania towards achieving "sustainable development", I would like to express my gratitude to all those who have contributed to its completion. Further challenges lie ahead - the drawing up of the National Action Plan for the "Agenda 21", and the identification of parameters for sustainable development. Once these two additional components are operational, a coherent set of instruments will be available to Romania, and will help to transform this country's potential into development for all. Paul van Hanswijck de Jonge, Officer-in-Charge 8
First Part: Objectives and Priorities CHAPTER 1 The International Context, Principles and Objectives of Sustainable Development For more than a decade, the international community has been exploring the issue of sustainable development. This concept was initiated by a report of the International Commission for Environment and Development entitled Our Common Future , also known under the name of "Brundtland Report", published in 1992. At the Rio de Janeiro Conference in June 1992 it was stated that environmental protection and economic development are compatible since their objectives are complementary. Sustainable development became the global strategy for the next century when the Declaration of Rio de Janeiro was signed and the "Agenda 21" was adopted. The key problem of sustainable development is reconciling two goals of mankind, economic and social progress on the one hand, and environmental protection on the other. Both of these goals must be met in order to improve the quality of our life. The largely accepted definition of sustainable development, the capability to satisfy the demands of today's generation without destroying the capability of future generations to satisfy their own needs, implies that economic prosperity and environmental protection have to support each other. Therefore, according to this definition, equity is a fundamental principle of sustainable development. This refers to equity within the same generation, i.e. equitable distribution of wealth within society, but also equity among different generations. The purpose of economic development is not only to satisfy basic human needs, but also to increase the quality of life, which implies health protection, education, social development and an improved environment. All forms of economic development have an impact on environment, since natural resources are limited and economic activity creates by-products such as pollution and waste. In a sustained context, there are several ways in which economic activities can protect the environment. These include efficient energy conservation measures, preventive management technologies and techniques, improved design and marketing of products, reduction of non-recyclable waste to a minimum, environmentally sound agricultural practices, better use of land and buildings, more efficient transport systems, etc. Another important point is the rational use of economically valuable and limited natural resources. These include land, vegetation, the stock of fish from seas and oceans, and the diversity of species, all of which offer opportunities for development. Even where no direct market transition is involved, people assess certain aspects of the environment, such as scenery, flora and fauna, parts of the architectural heritage in terms of aesthetic pleasure and want to pass them on to future generations unchanged. Initially, most measures taken to protect the environment were based on the desire to protect our health. As a result, many health hazards were by and large eradicated. In the developed countries, pollution nowadays rarely has a direct effect on people's health. Therefore, authorities are now focusing on solving problems where a relation of cause and effect is harder to identify. Currently, environmental protection does not only deal with problems that affect people directly, but also with global issues such as the protection of the ozone layer and climatic changes. Since the environment belongs to all of us, environmental protection demands joint action of public institutions and the business world. In order to support this approach, within the past few years more and more countries have drawn up a set of principles of sustainability, used by decision makers at both national and international levels within the past few years. Governments must base their decisions on facts, using the most recent and precise information available, as well as the results of scientific studies. Hasty actions based on inadequate documentation are counterproductive, since fixing the potential damage could be costly and time-consuming. The wealth of mankind cannot be measured only in terms of productivity, but must also take into account renewable and non-renewable natural resources. Therefore, the mission of sustainable development is to find a way to increase total wealth and, at the same time, use renewable natural resources in a way that preserves them, and non-renewable resources in a way that takes future generations' needs into consideration. Sometimes, for the sake of economic development, certain negative 9
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-million lei- Total spending: 1,465
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Aluminium 33 40 10 24 Paper and car
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In 1994, the National Bank adopted
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Generally speaking though, the insu
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CHAPTER 6 Evaluation and Developmen
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growing population as the result of
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APVP = potential lost life years (d
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allocated for health increases only
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The legal framework, as well as the
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Speeding up reforms in the field of
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6.5.3 Non-governmental organisation
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Fig. 6.2 -Internal migration Thous.
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Unidentified materials 300 thousand
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Providing housing for all the popul
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Healthy economic growth, efficientl
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The result of the differentiated co
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Establishing certain priorities and
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Key actions and commitments of the
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8.2 Financial policies The principl
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8.3.2 Premises SME development in R
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The threat of increased pressure on
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CHAPTER 9 Social policies The subst
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The current system functions based
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CHAPTER 10 The institutional framew
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CHAPTER 11 Territorial planning Ter
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CHAPTER 12 External Policy and Nati
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) Flexible reallocation of necessar
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CHAPTER 13 Development of Infrastru
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structure for a thorough, comprehen
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NATIONAL SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT ST
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