sustainable development 20 years on from the ... - José Eli da Veiga

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Chapter I
DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA AND THE CARIBBEAN SINCE 1992
FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF SUSTAINABILITY
Principle 1 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development places human beings at the heart of
<strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> concerns. Principle 3 affirms the need to ensure equity between and within
generations and principle 4 to consider the three pillars of <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> —economic, social
and environmental— together. Principle 5 cites poverty eradication as a condition for <strong>sustainable</strong>
<strong>development</strong>. Principle 8 identifies two fronts for policy action: demographics and un<strong>sustainable</strong>
production and consumption patterns, the first a matter of scale and the second of behaviour. This array of
principles forms the basis for a model of lasting, equitable and <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> in which social
and environmental policies dovetail and support each other to generate a society in which quality of life
—for all, not just for a minority— is compatible with the concept of human security 1 and the human
rights enshrined in the relevant international conventions. In this model, moreover, today’s economic
activity must safeguard, not impinge upon, the well-being of future generations and must therefore
attribute economic value to environmental assets. This chapter discusses some of the main traits of
<strong>development</strong> in Latin America and the Caribbean in the past <strong>20</strong> <strong>years</strong>, particularly those which touch
upon economic, social and environmental aspects.
PRINCIPLES OF THE RIO DECLARATION
1 Human beings are at the centre of concerns for <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong>. They are entitled to a healthy and
productive life in harmony with nature.
3 The right to <strong>development</strong> must be fulfilled so as to equitably meet <strong>development</strong>al and environmental needs
of present and future generations.
4 In order to achieve <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong>, environmental protection shall constitute an integral part of
the <strong>development</strong> process and cannot be considered in isolation from it.
5 All States and all people shall cooperate in the essential task of eradicating poverty as an indispensable
requirement for <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong>, in order to decrease the disparities in standards of living and
better meet the needs of the majority of the people of the world.
8 To achieve <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> and a higher quality of life for all people, States should reduce and
eliminate un<strong>sustainable</strong> patterns of production and consumption and promote appropriate demographic
policies.
A. HUMAN BEINGS AT THE CENTRE
This section describes changes since the 1990s and the current state of factors that are critical for human
well-being, which is at the centre of <strong>sustainable</strong> <strong>development</strong> concerns. These factors are poverty and
1
In <strong>20</strong>03, the United Nations Commission on Human Security (CHS) defined human security as the protection of
“the vital core of all human lives in ways that enhance human freedoms and human fulfilment (…). Human security
means protecting fundamental freedoms —freedoms that are the essence of life. It means protecting people from
critical (severe) and pervasive (widespread) threats and situations. It means using processes that build on people’s
strengths and aspirations. It means creating political, social, environmental, economic, military and cultural systems
that together give people the building blocks of survival, livelihood and dignity” (CHS, <strong>20</strong>03).