Case studies of sustainable development in practice

Sustainable development is synonymous in the minds of many with the colour green—and for good reason. Twenty years ago at the first Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro, leaders set out what today is conventional wisdom: human progress—both social and economic—cannot be divorced from environmental sustainability. Unless the three are advanced together, they will flounder or fail.

But sustainable development is as much about health, education, and jobs, as it is about ecosystems. It is about ever widening inclusion and movement away from decisions that erode democratic space and do not address social inequality, intolerance, and violence. Sustainable development is about changing the lives of poor women and men and transforming poor countries and fragile states into informed, educated, healthy, productive societies. It is about wealth creation and distribution that generates equality and opportunity; it is about consumption and production that respect planetary boundaries; it is about increasing tolerance and respect for human rights.

In preparation for the "Rio+20" the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development in June, UNDP is preparing a flagship report that describes how sustainable development can be done. It focuses on "triple win" programming and policies that integrate the economic, environmental, and social strands of sustainable development.

An early working version of this report was presented at a Rio+20 Intersessional Meeting in New York earlier this spring. This version of the report benefitted from many valuable comments, suggestions, and case studies from around the organization.

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