Sustainable Development: Definition - Criteria - Principles - Objectives

Milestone of the birth of the concept "Sustainable Development"

In 1980, in the "World Conservation Strategy" published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN-International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources), the goal of sustainable development was set out. is "achieving sustainable development by protecting biological resources" and the term sustainable development here is mentioned with a narrow content, emphasizing the sustainability of biological development. ecology, to call for the conservation of biological resources.

In 1987, in the Report "Our Common Future", the United Nations World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED-World Commission on Environment and Development), "sustainable development" was defined as “Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs.”

In June 1992, the Earth Summit on Environment and Development met in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), with 179 participating countries including Vietnam, and approved Agenda 21 on sustainable development. , with the concept that "Sustainable development is development that satisfies current human needs, without harming the satisfaction of future generations' needs".

The World Summit on Sustainable Development held in Johannesburg (Republic of South Africa) in 2002 added and completed the concept of "Sustainable Development" as a development process that is closely coordinated and coordinated. Reasonable and harmonious between three aspects of development, including: economic development (especially economic growth), social development (especially implementing progress and social justice; hunger eradication and poverty reduction and solution job creation) and environmental protection (especially treating and overcoming pollution, restoring and improving environmental quality; preventing fire and deforestation; rational exploitation and economical use of natural resources). course).

Definition of "Sustainable Development"

The concept of sustainable development is built on the principle of ensuring equality between generations. Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present generation without compromising the ability of future generations to meet those needs on the basis of a close and harmonious combination of growth. economics, solving social problems and protecting the environment.

Sustainable development includes 3 main contents: economic growth; ensure social justice; environmental protection.

Criteria

Criteria for sustainable development often include a series of factors that an organization or business needs to consider and integrate into its strategy and action planning. Here are some key criteria:

Environmental protection:
Environmental Impact: Assess and minimize negative impacts on the environment, including greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, and waste management.
Natural Resources Protection: Protect and use natural resources effectively and sustainably, including water, land, and renewable energy sources.
Society and Equality:
Rights and Equality: Committed to social rights and equality, including human rights, labor rights and property rights.
Quality of Work: Create an ethical and safe working environment, providing fair and quality working conditions.

Governance and Corporate Responsibility:
Ethics Management: Establish and maintain ethical and social responsibility management processes.
Transparency and Fairness: Promote transparency in decisions, financial reporting and business operations. Ensure fairness in administration.
Innovation and Sustainable Economic Development:
Innovation and Technology: Use technology and innovation to create sustainable products and services.
Enhance Economic Development: Develop business models that can ensure sustainable economic growth and benefit the community.
Anti-Corruption and Risk Management:
Anti-Corruption: Implement measures to prevent and minimize corruption in all business activities.
Risk Management: Identify, assess and manage business and financial risks, including social and environmental risks.

Community Interaction and Total Society:
Community Interaction: Participate and actively interact with the community, promote social and volunteer projects.
Global Social Impact: Assess and manage an organization's social impact on both the local and global environments.
Evaluation and Reporting:
ESG Assessment: Identify and evaluate an organization's performance from an environmental, social and governance (ESG) perspective.
Social Responsibility Reporting: Fair and transparent reporting of the organization's activities and social impact.
These criteria are often applied flexibly depending on the type of business and geographical context, but they create a framework to shape and evaluate the level of sustainability of an organization.

Rule
Sustainable economic development

This is the process by which countries achieve steady and steady economic growth. Ensure macroeconomic stability such as inflation, interest rates, and government debt. Ensuring balanced trade balance, high quality and productive investment. Through improving the quality of science and technology in production without harming society and the environment.

Sustainable social development

This is development to ensure fairness in society. Eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, create jobs as well as increase income for workers. Ensure people have full access to basic services such as health care and education, without harming the economy and environment.

Sustainable development of the environment

Through the rational use of natural resources and maintaining a stable resource base. Avoid overexploitation that depletes renewable resource systems. It is necessary to maintain biological diversity, atmospheric stability and other ecological activities. It is necessary to limit environmental pollution problems, including in urban areas and industrial zones. It is necessary to manage and treat solid waste and hazardous waste well, with the ability to prevent it. And minimize impacts from climate change and natural disasters.

4. Sustainable development goals

The Sustainable Development Goals, also known as the Global Goals, are the United Nations' call to all countries around the world to address the major challenges facing humanity and ensure that Everyone has a chance to live a better life. Sustainable development is divided into 17 goals related to the most common issues.

Can be summarized as follows:

- Eliminate hunger and reduce poverty, ensuring a healthy life

- Universal access to basic services such as water, improved sanitation and sustainable energy.

- Support the creation of growth opportunities through the simultaneous integration of education and good work.

- Promote infrastructure flexibility and innovation, creating communities and cities that can produce and consume sustainably.

- Reduce inequality in the world, especially related to gender inequality.

- Preserve the environment, combat climate change, protect oceans and land ecosystems.

- Promote cooperation between different social actors to create an environment of peace and sustainable development.

These common goals require the active participation of individuals, businesses, governments and countries around the world.

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Viet Australia Auditing Company is an independent auditing organization licensed and established in 2007 in the Socialist Republic of Vietnam.